ElGuapo928

I’ve got a mix of everything- as I’ve gotten older I just prefer the feel of EVA over cork though. Now if I had my way, someone would either reintroduce or duplicate the OG Shimano “Fightin’ Rod”…..never had anything else feel as good in my hand.

There’s always *some* fish shallow….one of my preferred winter tactics is chucking a weightless Senko along the bank - especially around isolated brush/rocks on south facing banks.

Good point!! I’ve caught fish on topwater close to the dam (300+ feet showing).

I keep my leader around 12-16”…..I just let it drop and slowly work it back up when I go vertical, or I’ll cast to a bluff wall and work it until it pendulums back. I still use pretty old school electronics….simple 2ds is all I’ve got on the deck. Around here anyway, you can pretty much count on finding a school somewhere along any bluff wall without even using your electronics.

Once I get below the 50’ mark, I pretty exclusively go to the dropshot or doodling. Doodling 6” straight tails in 30-50 feet along bluff walls is a winter tradition around here. A couple years ago we were dropshotting suspended schools in 45-50 feet and pulled 30 fish in the span of 2 hours, mostly largemouths with a few yellow bass thrown in..tons of fun.

3/4 oz RatLTrap 5” Basstrix Baby Bull Shad

I’ve got a plastic coffee can I toss them in - every so often the kids empty it out and drag them off for Lord knows what.

When I make the shift to long pants, I tend toward sweatpants or the Columbia drawstring pants…..I wear jeans at work every day and don’t want anything to do with them on off days. Thankfully, Arizona winters allow me to stay with shorts and flip flops most of the time.

Pretty much every time I go I take a cruise through the fishing aisles…..kind of sad that what once was a 4 aisle Mecca is down to 2, but still worthy of scouting. Picked up a Realtree tackle bag the other day for $30 and it’s a beast……holds 5 3700’s, 2 3600’s and a bunch of extras.

When I was a backseater, my favorite tactics were a 4” Kalin’s grub on a 1/16oz darter head or a Westy Worm…..both picked up lots of fish the guy up front missed.

Pam cooking spray on a rag works wonders with adhesive residue.

Definitely quite a bit different than around here.

Most of my single blades are Luck-E-Strike…..I also have quite a few of the old school H&H singles that are my “secret” smallmouth weapon (the green/chartreuse single blade worked along riprap banks is a killer)

If I’m fishing a spot and someone has made the effort to get to the bank where I’m at, I’ll typically move away - especially if they’ve got kids. I figure it’s a lot easier for me to get to a different spot. Most of the lakes here aren’t known for shoreline access.

I virtually never fish a “normal” skirted jig, but always keep a spider jig on the deck through fall and winter. My PB (9.5lb) came on a spider jig in January.

Always did me a lot of good, especially on unfamiliar lakes - looking over maps, aerial photos, and whatever information I can find. Even on lakes I’m familiar with I like to find different contour changes on the map and try them out on fun fishing days. Just to clarify, on my home lake, the brush is so thick in the shallows that FFS is fundamentally useless - not much of a personal issue here.

I’m not too crazy about the idea of it……to me it ranks up there with those “high fence” hunts, wiping out trout lakes trolling cowbells, or even throwing dynamite in the water. I don’t think it’s quite going to decimate fisheries, but I do think it should be banned from competition - if you don’t have the skills to find/catch fish without electronic intervention, then you should probably stay home and study up.

I used to do a lot of work in reliability management and spec’ing lubricants- the above could not be more true - however, given the environments our reels work in, I prefer a synthetic or semi synthetic oil just for the additive packages (rust and oxidation inhibitors primarily).

I was diagnosed as “pre diabetic” and put on Metformin back in April (A1C of 6.8). It confused me, since I’ve never been one to hit the sweets or carbs very hard. At the end of June I was diagnosed with kidney cancer. After removal of the offending organ my A1C dropped to 4.4%. My nephrologist said that a lot of different kidney issues will cause A1C readings to go haywire, so make sure they check kidney function as well before committing to the drugs.

Whopper Plopper 75 - “I know it” Sammy 105 - Ghost Minnow Jitterbug - Black Baby Bull Shad - Gizzard Shinmushi - The green one, couldn’t spell the color name if I tried.

For my less than stellar vision and smaller phone, I like the new site. I ordered a few things the other night with no issues, but I did like the previous version’s interface better.

During the early spring I like to get back in the brush and pitch a Senko on casting gear. The rod I use is a 7’ Med/fast BPS “Pro Qualifier” - more than sensitive enough for 2-3 feet of water with 14lb Fireline, and affordable enough to not worry too much about tangling with the Salt Cedars.

I’ve used Lucas reel oil in all of mine for years - works good and is available just about anywhere. You can get “Super Lube H3” at Home Depot for about 8 bucks, and it’s an incredible quality synthetic oil.

I change the female side of my quick connect about once a year - similar symptoms, throttle decels and surges. I just chalk it up to a mix of weird fuel chemistry and poor QC on the o-rings/seals from China/India/whoever is cheaper. Also carry a spare quick connect set just in case it decides to go outside of the usual February maintenance ritual.

I will generally shift from a reaction bait to a slower presentation after about 15-20 minutes without a strike. On the deck I always have: Spinnerbait Crankbait Topwater Texas Rig Dropshot Senko