OldManLure

Double uni and electrical tape 😁

Received a flyer in today’s paper…Dollar General is offering BPS and Cabelas gift cards at 10% off between 7/27 and 8/2.

If it’s not structural damage…https://www.qray.com/ad/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=10896288379&gbraid=0AAAAAD_hOZSyZ7Pbe4t5p5ojlB9rmrzGA&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpcmUo4HcjgMVvUlHAR0U7RDtEAAYASAAEgJU0vD_BwE

And yet, those colors caught your attention. If those in marketing wrote to satisfy the editorial sensitivities you describe, they would soon be unemployed. And why do you assume it’s only “boys” who develop names of lure colors?

For the same reason I cover the cockpit of my kayak and its contents while I ride my bike back to my truck at the put-in. Many of my take-outs are at public boat ramps, popular spots along the river for fishing from the bank or spots people gather to spend an afternoon at the river. While I have faith in most people’s honesty, I certainly don’t take it for granted.

After losing a favorite, higher end rod and reel over the side of my kayak several years ago, I fitted each of my rods with a length of 1/2” foam pipe insulation. I place it on the rod just ahead of the handle, and secure it with 3 or 4 thin strips of velcro. For the weight of combos I use on the river, a 10” length will keep them afloat. A couple buddies have done the same thing, and on several occasions are glad they did. An added benefit is the wrap hides the name of the rod from prying eyes.

Regardless of what steps you are taking after changing baits, before finally putting them away until the next trip you might consider tossing a silica gel pack into the box. You can buy online or just start saving them when you buy chips, jerky or other packaged stuff. I bought a bag of 100 online. I replace the one in each box every trip. They do seem to work.

While I don’t often intentionally float when the river is muddy (coffee and cream colored) on the occasions when muddy water has overtaken me or I’ve overtaken it, I have found that the only success I’ve had has been with what I consider noisy lures. I rely almost exclusively on dark spinnerbaits with Colorado blade and bladed jigs. It is my belief that smallies hold a little tighter and a little longer to cover/structure so the key, I think, is a slower, steady retrieve as close to the target as possible. It has not been my impression that a smallie will chase too far in muddy conditions. I might have missed out on some fish, but I never contemplated throwing a topwater when visibility approached zero.

Doing much better this year for both numbers and size of smallmouth on spinnerbaits than in previous couple years. Have seen no reason to fish anything new. The ‘old’ stuff works too good. If there is anything ‘old’ that has stopped working for me it’s the Ned rig. I grew to never expect anything of size, but I could count on numbers. Now both numbers and size seem to have fallen off. I don’t miss it.

I can say without hesitation that in 20+ years of fishing the Upper Potomac and lower Shenandoah, I have caught as many smallmouth fishing against current as with it. And I’m confident that overall my catches have been pretty evenly divided fishing with current, cross current and against current. And this absolutely includes topwater. The Torpedo lures were my go-to topwater once upon a time. But since I started throwing the Rapala Skitter Prop several years ago, the Torpedoes have been only along for the ride. I will admit I have not read any books about river fishing, but it sounds like that may be a good thing.

And yet, they have no problem asking those out West to buy their sponsors’ rods, reels, baits, etc.

My cousins and I would decide to go fishing, and would go into the woods to flip rotting branches and trees to catch salamanders. More good times!

That would make it too easy🙂

I ordered tabs, rings, and the tool from fishingskirts.com and/or barlowstackle.com I am no expert, but I lay out the strands on a piece of white poster board to 1st see how the colors meshed. I would then experiment with the order I stack the tabs. That is, sandwiching a color between other colors in various order. I would then use the rings I ordered to secure the skirt. If I were using wire, I would only use it after installing on jig head and being satisfied with the way color pattern looked and length of strands. I play around with where on the skirts the ring is located…centered or slightly off center gives the finished skirt a different look on the jig. There are others on this forum who know more about using wire. I personally want to be able to simply change skirts rather than carry around a tray full of finished jigs. I think I have around 100 skirts I still haven’t used. They are divided into what I consider a craw pattern, a baitfish pattern, blue/black variations, and green pumpkin variations. And I also play around with skirts for bladed jigs and spinner baits. It’s all really pretty easy. I would suggest play around with the skirt making part to discover ways to get a pattern you envision. Then move to putting them on a jig head. Have fun!

I think making your own skirts and building your own jigs is definitely worth it. And it is fun. I will offer only two suggestions, though. One is to keep a list of colors, strand count, and how you layer them. This can help duplicate the patterns that you find work well. Second is to not wait until winter. When I decided to start making my own, I thought during the winter would be a perfect time. What I didn’t anticipate was how frustrating it was to build jigs with skirts I was convinced would be killer patterns, and then not be able to use them for 2 or 3 months to find out. Incredibly frustrating. Painfully frustrating! And the skirts are so easy to put together I got a little carried away. During any free time I had that winter while having to wait on the water to start warming, I ended up putting together probably 200 skirts before my family held an intervention and hid my supplies ( I think at the end of the first season I still had about 185 untried ). So, avoid the possible frustration and start now so you’ll be able to test your handiwork right away and not have to wait to enjoy the reward of catching that first fish on something you created.

As a youngster, we would collect bagworms, and use the caterpillar inside for bait on farm ponds. We’d fish them like grubs, slowly on or near bottom for bass. Good times!

The DSG near me has more space devoted to Yeti than fishing. I go there now only for access to the mall’s bookstore.

At a public event in the late 60’s, a tour pro named Bill described power as a measure of the strength (and he may have added “of the fish” but I don’t recall) the rod is designed to handle. ‘Speed’, or action, he said is how quickly the fight could be transferred from the tip to the backbone of the rod. He also talked about implications for casting and as visual aids, held up a broomstick and a cane pole. The technology of rods, like everything else, has become incredibly advanced in the last few decades. But I think Bill’s explanation remains right on, and is still the one that guides my choices.

I’m not sure about strand count, but I’ve tied something nearly identical. And it works.

??

Oh if it was always that easy. Unless you are parked in an eddy or anchored, this can be difficult from a kayak unless you’re willing, and able, to paddle back upstream for another pass. It is often very much worth the effort. Sometimes, though, I decide the miss just doesn’t justify it.

For what it is worth, I think it does make a difference. To the extent visual cues are relied upon by bass, a color pattern bouncing on the bottom will be interpreted differently than the same color swimming higher in the water column. Look at the pic of Aaron’s Magic. On the bottom, it would probably be interpreted as a craw. Higher in the water on a swim jig, a blue gill. The implications, I guess, are open to interpretation.

Rapala Flat Rap, BX Minnow. Spinnerbait, single willow Rebel Middle Wee Craw

Cheaper hooks may not withstand as much abuse as premium hooks, but to claim they need to be resharpened “constantly” is a gross exaggeration. And anyone who doesn’t periodically touch up the point on their hooks, even premium hooks, is likely losing fish.

I sense you’ve already made up your mind. Go for iT!