CoryRobertLowe

Do you guys recommend changing fuel filters? Spark plugs? Other than the basic stuff (changing lower unit), which maintenance items do you recommend I do? What should I check/change every year or every so often?

I'm trying to keep my gear clean and lasting a lot time. I started using 303 on my waders and boat. Is it safe to spray this on a plastic tackle box? I mean, negative scents can spook fish. Any thoughts on use this on object I have and take with me, if I let it air dry to remove VOCs? Or any other products I should use that protects from UV and is low oder? Plastic stuff degrades. I want to keep my stuff nice. I'm storing it in-doors, but just trying to take good care of it.

Great video I just found, discussing the impact (or lack of) of pressure on fish, based on the math and scientific principles:

I wanted to add a good resource I found: "Depthfinders: A Guide to Finding & Catching More Fish" - Wayne Heinz I wasn't impressed with the "Technological Angler's DVD." I don't recommend this one.

I'm a multi-species angler. Some of this may apply more to bass fishing, and some to other species. I know the Primary Conditions are Season/Time of Year (Spawn, Summer, Fall, etc. and Morning, Evening, Afternoon) Temperature (Cold, High, etc.) Viability (Light, Water Clarity, etc.) Wind (Low, High and Direction) I'm wondering about these secondary conditions. Do they matter? Or if I look at the list above, will I get the same info. I know a lot of the conditions are correlated. Secondary Conditions (Do These Matter - Should I Factor Them In, for My Fishing Strategies?) (Either Bass or Other Fish) UV Light (humidity, etc.) Barometric Pressure (vs or in addition to just viability - after factoring in is it sunny or cloudy outside, does barometric pressure add additional info?) Lunar Calendars PH (Water Hardness) Anything else? Basically, which of the items on the list above matter, which are unimportant most of the time, and which are false (not really a driver of fish behavior)?

I pull my boat with a van. The lights come out the back door of the van. The wire harness is pinched between the back door and the back of the van, and it's causing my trailer lights to short out. In other words, I am basically lightly shut the door on the wires, but that's ruining them. My first problem will be solving this, so it doesn't short out. But before I do that, any recommendations on how to prevent the wires from getting pinched, or this will just keep happening after I fix it.

@Tennessee Boy, Can you elaborate how you do that? I want/need to learn this. Jacking the boat.

How do I fix this? 2 of the screws came out, so the board was only holding by 1 screw. I had to use rope to tie the bunker board to the trailer. In the past, I tightened these loose screws, but the boards were basically stripped out, so they didn't hold. To make it harder, I assume however I fix it, I will need to go to a ramp, put the boat in, anchor it on the shore, and fix it at the ramp. If using adhesives, then I need to wait for it to dry. Please help.

I want to catch bluegills consistently with only artificial lures (no live bait/no scents) of any kind. No tipping hooks with grubs, etc. No crappie nibbles. Any and all tips would be appreciated! How do I find them? How do I catch them? Thanks!

Thanks @Eric 26, I ordered a few rods online. I plan to write a detailed response, showing what I learned, so you guys and other (future) readers and benefit from this research. I like the idea of cataloging all these insights. Right now, I purchased the following rods and am waiting for them to arrive: - https://jdmtackleheaven.com/collections/daiwa-iprimi-rod - https://www.basspro.com/p/bass-pro-shops-micro-lite-glass-spinning-rod I have a few more recommendations I received offline that I plan to post. Today, I used a rod I already have: - https://www.shakespeare-fishing.com/products/micro-series-spinning-rod?variant=48550334005525&country=US&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21890644528&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0qTCBhCmARIsAAj8C4YA_k6kpWZlfixYbzrGEURw1awJ-KhTW23jJ6_iFySNDONXKIcX2FoaAtNhEALw_wcB It works pretty good, but I wanted to see if there was one with more bend. Shakespeare is a great manufacture, as I lost part of my rod, and they sent me a free one. If anyone is looking for a cheap, lightweight rod, this is a good beginner one. Although I am looking for better ones. I did notice because of the bend (and/or materials), it wasn't nearly as sensitive. Although I'm not looking for that; I'm looking for a rod with a lot of load/unload. Ultimately, I'm looking to understand the "bend" in a rod, and how to use it, and how to select the right rod. I'm looking to fish lures, that benefit from lots of "bend" right now. I may end up building my own rods at some point, to better understand this.

I mean when I casting, I want the full rod (more maybe half of it) to "load" and "unload", so I get a longer cast, instead of just the tip "loading" and "unloading" with the weight of the lure. Basically, I am looking for a moderate or slow action. I just used the word parabolic, because I have heard others use that word...because nobody wants to say they want a slow rod. I already own fast and extra fast action ultra light rods, so I wanted to add some moderate/slow action rods, and learn how to use them.

Oh, this is new info for me. Can you send me more info and/or give me some "keywords" that I can search more on, so I can learn more? Super interesting! At some point, I may want to build my own rods.

I just mean I don't want fast action. I want it to bend in the middle of the rod.

I want a parabolic (slow action) rod for pan fishing. Recommendations? I want to cast in-line spinner baits and spoons. Very small ones.

Braid and mono, and I was using the double-uni. I will try some of the other knots mentioned here.

"When you finish the Alberto, hitch the tag through the loop 2 more times. " Can you elaborate on this part? You mean like 2 half-hitches?

When I get wind-knots, I will sometimes cut the line, and retie line to line in the middle of the line, instead of throwing away a bunch of good line after the knot. However, after I reel up the line and make a few casts, the knot protrudes on the spool and catches on line above it during the cast. As a result, my cast will catch on the line mid-cast, and bounce back towards me. What are some small line-to-line knots I can tie, to reduce this? Any other tricks? Does it matter the line type (mono vs braid?)

@A-Jay, could you detail some of your strategies for how to dress? That would help me (and maybe others).

I have had issues with my jacket being too baggy, and my rod butt catches on it. When I'm moving around, parts of your clothes get tight, some get baggy, etc. I'm no tailor... Super distracting. There are lot's of variables. Also, I have lots of types of fishing (boat, canoe, shore, wading) and all kinds of weather (32 degrees to 90 degrees) I'm trying to figure out how to dress more comfortably, so I can focus more on my lure, etc., and less and trying to make adjustments/cope. The crux of my question has 2 parts. 1) How do you dress, so you are comfortable (and your rod butt doesn't doesn't rub on your sleeve/arm) 2) Any adjustments you make to your clothes? For example, you go fishing on a whim, and you don't have optimal clothing, how can you "make it better"? Sometimes, it's "spontaneous" and I don't have time to get change. Thanks!

@Fishing_Rod, Update: I had some great success, following your advice. Thanks so much! I was able to catch fish by taking off the weed guard, and fishing where there were minimal weeds (by the dock). I just needed to make sure the hook point was pointed up. Now, I just need help with the weeds. Additional Question: Can you send me some pictures of how you rig your hooks. Also, I see from your previous post that you are reusing worms, but/and if you have any ideas on how to rig these micro presentation (1 inch - 1 1/2 inches.), that would be helpful. Context: I noticed I was missing a lot of bits, because the hook wasn't riding straight up. You can see the types of baits I am using below. It wasn't because the hook wasn't pointed straight up, but rather the baits are symmetrical, and not that heavy (compared to the hook). The hook would sometimes fall point down. Here is the evolution of what I tried (and got some good/mixed results.) 1 - A weedless hook. I didn't use this much, as I thought the weed guard would be too difficult for sunfish to open 2 - I created my own weed guard via a thick mono line, tied on via fly tying. But/and I think that can make the hook less stable so the hook point is straight up (not sure). 3 + 4 - I noticed the hook wasn't always straight. That's when I started to bend the hook eye. I both used and didn't use the weed guard. If I have a lot of bend in the hook, it can act as a weed guard. - I realized that what 3 and 4 are doing is putting weight in front of the hook, acting as a "keel". I was also pulling the line "tight" and "up" (not forward), so it pull the front of the hook up . 5 - However, I realized I'm basically creating a jig, as I am putting weight in front, and bending the eye up 6 - EWG hook. I haven't used this yet much. I think it would work with small worms, but then if my grubs have a lot of bulk, I didn't want to fill the hook gap. I'm stumped, as I think I'm super close. How can I get, and keep the hook running up, while also keeping it weedless (and not using a jig head). I think I just need to see some rigged up.

I am fishing for sunfish using a split-shot rig w/ soft plastic. Today I noticed that they can have different moods (states of mind). I have read about this with bass fishing, and now I am seeing it first-hand and need help utilizing it. I was fishing off a dock in somewhat clear water, so I could see them. I observed the following: While split shotting (dragging across the bottom), the sunfish slowly followed it, but wouldn't bite (a lot of the time.) When throwing my rig 10 feet out (close to me off the dock): I witnessed a "competition bite", where several bass and sunfish approached at once. when the bass lunged, the sunfish did also (the bass "won") Another time, the splash of my rig (and having the soft plastic floating there, as it hadn't sunk yet - it was shallow), a sunfish just lunged out from the weeds somewhat aggressively and attacked my bait, without sitting there to study it, like the first example. So basically, I was split shotting for sunfish, but they didn't really want a slow approach dragged across the bottom. General question: How can I do different actions, sounds, etc, to try to make the sunfish strike and not just follow. I know this is a critical skill for fishing for any species. I thought it would be fun to ask, regarding panfish. Any ideas/advice? I know each fish has it's own particularities. I didn't realize that panfish were this "complex" until today.

I think I figured out out. I downgraded to using smaller hooks, as sunfish have such small mouths. I think the hooks were too small, compared to my soft plastics, so I struggled at the bend of the hook, to pull it up to the shank, causing it to be a little bit crooked. I also have some mono weedless weedguards I made via fly typing on the front/top of the hook, so that might have been not centered too, and helping it to spin.

I put the sliding weight above the swivel (so it's resting on it). It was like 90% straight. Maybe that's the issue.

Whatever I do, I keep getting line twist. Has anyone been able to eliminate line twist with split shot rigs? What are your techniques? I'm using a swivel, so maybe the soft plastic isn't perfectly straight? I feel like it's pretty straight, but it's never perfect. I don't know what else to do. A.I. is telling me not to use a swivel, because that allows the line to spin. Or the sliding wait is causing the line to spin. That seems opposite/backwards, and I would think that would eliminate it.

@OmegaDPW, @Fishing_Rod, I just started split shotting for sunfish. I feel like I'm missing a lot of fish (and I have sharp hooks and small hooks). Any advice on when to set the hook? @Fishing_Rod, I liked your detailed response. Do you set the hook hard? Do you do it right away, or wait. Also, I'm surprised you are using such large baits. I have small 1 inch baits, and heavier split shots, to get them down. @OmegaDPW, if you have continued to practice this technique, we can share notes. I posted a similar topic: