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Never does a man portray his own character more vividly than in his manner of portraying another's. That was weak. A-Jay

The biggest key to becoming a better crankbait angler is to pay attention to the vibration. Try to block out distractions and tune in to what your bait is doing. Feel the vibrations the whole cast and retrieve. Use the force! Concentrate on the vibration and keep a positive attitude. The more you pay complete attention to the steady vibration of the bait the easier you can detect a difference or change in the vibration. You can tell when your bait comes in contact with cover or when its about to. You can feel the rush of water that means a fish just rolled on your bait. Sometimes you just loose the vibration which means the fish has your lure or when you feel slack. Most strikes are not bone jarring but a slight difference in the vibration and almost feels like an interruption in the vibration. Most guys say well with a crankbait the fish hook themselves. Well, unless you spend hours sharpening your hooks and if the bass turns with your bait more than likely your missing fish. If you do not react to the strike you can have the sharpest hooks but guess what they can still spit it. You don't set the hook like a jig or worm but I sweep my rod to gather any slack and line stretch just that tension is enough to drive the hook but if your sitting there waiting for the fish to hook themselves your going to be waiting a long time. If your using a dead pulling crankbait where all you feel is the pull and not the vibration you will never feel the difference in vibration and will never have a clue how many fish hit and spit your bait. Color is a factor to what bait to use in what water color or clarity but your first step should always be vibration. Depth control, lip style, line size all need to be factored in also. When figuring out what retrieve to use I try to make an educated guess of what I think the activity level of the bass should be then tweak the way I work the bait as I learn more through the day. I feel that a single rattle or no rattle work best because it gives a bass more of a direction of where the bait is. Sound from rattles kinda spreads out and doesn't give much of a direction just an are of noise but vibration gives more of a pinpoint direction. Baits with tons of rattles in them call bass from an area and in clear water to slightly stained water can be very effective. You need to understand that rattle noise and vibration are two separate things. You can't put them in the same category. Vibration gives a pinpoint direction and rattles give a general direction. Rod position will effect the depth of your bait and will change the amount of feel you have. I try to point my rod to my bait and as the bait runs deeper follow it with my rod. If I keep my rod high it will loose depth if you point your rod to the side you will have a hard time feeling that rush of water I was talking about. Casting distance will effect the amount of room the bait has to reach its deepest running depth. Its kinda a game of angles if you get good at it you can hit structure or a depth zone with some consistency. Different lures that are identical will have different running depths so you need to play with them to figure out what depth they run. The depth on the lure package in most cases is an average running depth. Lur Jenson and DT lures are the few that have an accurate running depth not an average but always factor in casting distance and how much running room your bait has to reach that depth. A Bill Norman bait kinda slowly works its way to the depth and about when the bait reaches the boat is the max depth it will run. It took most of the cast distance to work down to that depth. As a bait gets close to the boat it looses depth and starts working its way to the surface. So if I make a long cast with this bait and reel it in about 30 feet out away from my boat is the max depth that bait will run. The DT baits are different because it digs as soon as you start reeling and in a short distance gains depth. Most baits don't do that and take more running room to reach the same depth. The wider the wobble the more resistance the bait has and the less depth the bait can go. This is crankbait season and I hope this helps you this season ;D

A guy walks into a bar and asks for a shot of whisky and a beer chaser, the bartender asks to see his money at which time the man tells him that he hasn't got any but if he gives him the drinks he will fill his bar for him. The barkeep asks how the hell he will accomplish this, to which the man replies that he can play Beethoven's 3rd out of his ass. The bartender says ***, no one can do that so the man gets up on the bar, drops his pants, and does a perfect rendition of the tune. The bartender throws down the drinks and says that he has a deal (with dollar signs in his eyes) That night word has gotten out and the bar is filled to the top. The big moment comes and the man gets up on the bar, drops his drawers and craps all over everyone in the first 2 rows. The bartender yells "you wretched, I'm ruined!!! I'll never get another person in my bar!!!!” to which the man replies " I don't know what you are so upset about, even Frank Sinatra has to clear his throat before he sings!!"

I never really thought about it until you mention it Raider, I'll have to sit down and really defecate on that...

http://lazertrokar.com/trokar-news/casting-elite-trick-shot-contest You can win $250 worth of Trokar hooks. I thinks that's about 3 or 4 hooks if my math is correct.

You're new to New York, aren't you? lol

PAIR OF 25-lb STRIPED BASS I'm not sure they're my favorite pair, but they were a special pair because I boated them on Father's Day Roger

1st time poster here. I've been lurking here for a while to figure out what kind of BC reel to buy as a starter rig. I have been fishing about 35 years but never used anything other then a spinning reel(that I can remember) I mainly fish rivers for SM and some lakes/ponds for LM(weekend warrior). So I been doing a lot of reading and trying out BC's at local stores and had my mind made up on anything from a BPS PQ, Lexa, Lews, Shimano's offerings in my price range all the way up to a Tatula(price wise)--I am by far no fan of a specific brand. Anyway I went into my local Dicks(in Hagerstown MD) tonight where having a sale on Citica reels for about $70. Which I thought was a good deal but I went in to purchase it the actual price rang up as $52 but it was unadvertised price(not a mistake per Dicks manager). They also had the Curado's for $99 but the sale sign had $120 or something like that listed. So if you have a Dicks by you and need a new BC you may want to give them a call or go into the store to check prices. DO NOT just look at the sale signs, make sure you ask counter person to actually check the price. One newby question I do have is...if you had around $100 would you have bought the Curado or 2 of the Citica's? I went with 2 Citica's hoping I would like using BC reels and start off with a 2nd reel for the boat. Im still debating if I made the correct choice or not with my purchase. I have read nothing but good things about both reels and know I could either take one of them back or sell it for what I have into it. Gander Mountain has their MH 6-6 Vortex casting rods on sale for $20(usually $60) so I purchased one of them the other day. So in total I will have about $75 in what I think should be a half decent starter set.---opinions welcome.... I figure I need to find some 12lbs mono and I'll be ready Spring. Thanks for reading and good luck bargain hunting at Dicks.--btw I bought the last 2 lefty's they had but they have at least one lefty Curado for that price.

I had the same EXACT setup. The 55lb motor pushed the Scanoe with no problem, but I would only use it on smaller lakes (200 sq acres or less). I never bothered to see how fast I was going, but it was about as fast as I can walk at full speed with all my gear. Snakehead is right about getting more torque and speed when you paddle, the only thing about those Scanoes is that they have really wide flat hulls and don't have much of a keel to cut through the water. My question is if you use your Scanoe to fish a 33,000 acre lake, why not just put a 5hp gas motor on it? I don't see a trolling motor pushing 18 miles in one day off of one battery.

You can never go wrong with white and chart. it's the crescent wrench of spinnerbait colors. Clear water, stained water, deep, shallow, ...........it just works.

pretty sure Shane was thinking of fishing on a boat, making sunday less than ideal.

several angles at play here. I wouldnt be happy about being back boated all day either. $25 is not "a bargin" its standard.... looking at the team clubs in my area, its $50 a boat, and many that includes big bass. 1. boaters should fish against boaters and non boaters fish against non boater (just like the big leagues) 2. if I am fishing against the boater and get back seated all day, that guy is not getting a penny of gas money........ just like in my boat, I never take gas money from people cause I fish where and how I want, and burn the gas I want to burn, thats not the non boaters choice, so why should be pay? now if the guy I am fishing with has spots, by all means speak up and I will take you there. In fact I will even help you catch them, lol. 3. talk to the boaters and see whats his plan to fish the night before so you can be better perpared, even tell him your plan as well? ......... even though this is a good way to get your spots burned. 4. talk about having more a ulitmate match fishing rules where both guys get control of trolling motor at least some of the time. 5. buy a boat then kick their ass next year? 6. tell the club to pound sand and find another club 7. have the club switch to more of a "team" atmostspere so both people in the boat have a interest in catching fish, and helping each other...... thats what club fishing is about right? good luck!

I wrote out a paragraph portraying my same feelings on that comment made. I decided to delete it as it's not even worth wasting time on Internet tough guys. Congrats for sticking a red flag on your backside BigBass. You may as well delete your account now.

There is a simple solution for you. Out here I have done a ton of saltwater bass fishing. the normal depths are between 40-70 ft and I am mosty using 5 inch swimbaits on 1/2 oz heads. This is similar to what your doing because in both cases there is a lot of line out when you set the hook. If I swung the rod hard and then reeled I would probably hook 5-10% no matter how fast my rod is. The key is to reel FIRST. Reel hard until all the slack and stretch is gone from the line, then swing hard and continue reeling. This method is used by all the good saltwater bass guys. Your hook up ratio will go up a lot. For an experiment, have a buddy stand 50 yds ( or as long as you can) and wrap the line around your hand. Have a little slack in the line just like you would if you were fishing. Then have him set the hook. You will be surprised at weak a rod only hook set is. Then tri it again and just have him reel with the rod pointed at you. Just the reel will be a stronger hook set then just the rod. Last try it with reel first and then swing the rod when the line gets tight. This will be the strongest hook set. You must reel fast and you must reel when you swing. Line and rods have a lot of stretch especially when you have a lot of line out. You can get by with a rod first hook set when you are fishing close.

u guys r the best. my hunt-n-peck is really kickin in now so please excuse the grammer/pucuation. im very right handed. things are going to be ineresting for a little while. lol all went as planned and im sure the rest will go well to. i cant thank you enough for the kind words, thoughts and prayers. it really keeps you positive. wen its all said and done, it cud be far worse. at least i hv both arms and will be casting a jerkbait in april! thanks again and best wishes to you all.

Really? Seven pounds in Wisconsin is a really good fish-unless you use the method of weighing used by most anglers. By the magic of the internet we can be as good or lucky as we want to be though...

These will always be the Best Days. A-Jay

To be serious, the winter reminds me of how precious every moment I get to spend on the beautiful Minnesota lakes truly is. I vow to stop and smell the roses this summer. When I step into my boat and start up the Merc and run across the lake to throw some early morning poppers on my favorite lake point and see the LMB explode or when I pitch a frog into the lilies just to watch it disappear with a gulp from below, I will stop and thank the lord above for such a privilege.

So in my research i understand that a good game plan to catch bass is to use a lure that will cover alot of ground, to home in on where the bass are at (scouting lure, or as i call it). Then once you find them to use a different setup like a texas or carolina rig on that one spot. So, i guess my question is what type of lures should i use around grass and weeds that will cover alot of area? crank baits, spinner baits, jerk baits?

Well my awesome wife surprised me for Christmas with a trip to go up to Milwaukee and go fishing. We had a really great time and some REALLY awesome fishing. We fished 3 of our 5 days there, and it did not disappoint. The first 2 days were on the ice and the last day was open water. We focused on BIG, TROPHY fish and that is what we got. Both my wife and I broke our PB steelhead (rainbow) and brown trout records. It is really fun catching 10+lb fish through a 10'' hole in the ice on light tackle and 2-6lb test. Fights lasted from 4 mins to more than 15. I'm tired just getting home, but I am sure I left a ton of info out, and will get to it tomorrow. But for now, what you really want to see...... Jeff

Going out and fishing can be fun every time but what would you consider to be you fun fishing trip. Small/big tournaments? No pressure fishing??

Agree with Matt and have been preaching the reel set for decades for lures fished horizontally, casted over 30 yards. To key to this technique is keeping the rod tip pointed towards the lure, cranking quickly to load up the line whenever you feel a bump, then sweeping the rod back hard to one side to hook set while contineuing to reel. You also need to rely on your reel drag, so set it based on 1/3 of the leader strength or based on your rod and 40 lb braid, between 4 to 5 lbs with a scale. Also take a look at Owners weighted Twistlock hook and Moaner weighted keel hook for hollow body swimmers. Tom

Any prank you can pull on a true friend, without causing harm, is not only allowed, but encouraged! After all, that's what friends are for!

He was actually saying the opposite, there Nev. I'm actually moving into BPS.

Roger- my hat's off to you!!! You brought up a very important point supported by a great example of preference vs availability I hadn't even thought of! The reverse is also true, as the angler study suggested, that fish caught on what anglers thought was a preferred forage based on stomach contents, was not so when using live fish of the same species set as bait. The question still remains, not what are the base eating?, but more important - what are the bass striking? If live bait were used vs lures in the same areas, which would outperform? According to conventional theory of natural/ realistic/ best lures mimic forage, there shouldn't be any question which would do better under normal fishing conditions. Priceless!

Get a faster rod Wait for the "double tap" then... Set the hook (horizontally ending with a slight up swing). The double tap is always a Bass, single tap and you either set the hook to early on the bass or you set it on a pickrel or pike.

Think your on the right track. Only 15 more weeks there and your fishing. Now for us here in West Tn on PIckwick lake. Its on like Donkey kong in a few weeks for sure. Good luck and hope this fishing season it the best one ever. Pete

Now dude ya know ya can't do that, it gonna confuse the fish! For big winter reds try a Rat-L-Traps!

Two things that jumped at me: 1. Get a faster action rod. Fiberglass is generally not great at truly sinking those big hooks, even with braid. 2. Bend the tip of your hooks ever so slightly out, especially if you're using EWG hooks. The point being in line with the shank doesn't help with hookups. Skin hook the point.

This....I will add, besides smelling like something a fish eats, it also helps cover up your scent. I use Pro-Cure also.

Your luck is exceeded by your honesty Roger

I believe skill trumps luck, but luck plays a major role in my success. I caught my personal best sitting on my kayak looking down at my cellphone holding the rod in the other hand. I guess while I was texting I drug my Texas rigged trickworm over a partially submerged log and a 2-3 lb. bass was sitting there waiting to inhale my bait. The rod was almost gone, but I was able to set the hook and bring it in. I would absolutely call that luck. I'm not very skilled but I get lucky once in awhile.

Very helpful, thanks!

Thank you sir. But which one, I suffer from PCSD or Photo Compulsive-Switching Disorder Roger

We must shop at the same store spray, bowl, blaster this brake clearner is acetone

"What's your definition of a 'Fun fish'?" A fish with a good sense of humor

Lathering up your presentation with a quality scent is a good idea for a few reason. Of course the obvious is to hopefully convince your quarry that your phony bait is something they should hold onto long enough for you to get a decent hook up. With lubricating properties, it also helps your rig slip into, through and out of tight quarters. And if you are a fisher of swim baits, this same lubrication may also help your baits last a little longer by causing less damage to the bait during the hook set. I use Pro-Cure This product comes is over 50 "Flavors" for both fresh & saltwater applications. I'm partial to the "Trophy Bass" scent. A-Jay

David, I don't disagree with you at all about quality oil applied in the correct amount to clean parts. Sounds like a recipe for success to me. But, I like to experiment. And I like to push the envelope a little. I jumped on the rocket fuel bandwagon when it first became available, and like everybody else, soon discovered that once per year was nowhere near often enough. I tried a lot of different lubes over the years, before settling on 321. TSI has been around long enough now that you would think most of the disinformation has been answered away. But it has not. Comparing WD40 to TSI321 is like comparing fingernail polish to epoxy. They are two different products, designed for completely different uses. WD40 was designed to displace water, not for use as a lubricant. TSI321 is a synthetic ester. Esters were developed as lubricants for high speed, very high temperature applications. Originally, it was the development of synthetic esters that made the jet engine possible; which is not at all to the point. TSI301 is a penetrating lubricant. It is 321 ester mixed with a solvent. The solvent is harmful to some plastics. They do not tell us what the solvent is, nor is it listed which plastics can be harmed by it. Again, doesn't matter to me. I use 321, which has no solvent. I'm starting with properly cleaned parts, and don't need the penetrating, cleaning properties of a solvent. This particular ester is a molecule with polarity. In a nutshell that means the molecules link together and bind to metals. This provides long lasting corrosion protection along with excellent lubrication. I find this to be just what the doctor ordered for spool bearings, and for levelwind lubrication. When used on the levelwind parts, grit does not stick nearly as much, and can be simply rinsed away with fresh water; which does not wash away the lube. Try this sometime. You may be impressed. In fact, if you PM your address to me, I'll send you some. I have a good sized container of the stuff, and, being an old fart, I may not live long enough to use it all up. I'd be happy to send you a sample. Like I said, it ain't magic, but it do be pretty darned good stuff.

I respectfully disagree. Humans have the luxury of selecting their next meal, but a bass's next meal depends on opportunity, not choice. If you disembowel every bass you catch and examine its stomach contents, you would learn a great deal about forage 'Availability', but learn little or nothing about forage 'Preference'. Given a choice, bass would rather swallow a soft-finned fish than swallow a spiny-rayed fish. In spite of their preference for soft-finned shad & shiners, bass are opportunist predators that eagerly seize bluegills whenever they dominate the forage base. Preference and availability are also confused with smallmouth bass. Although the smallies in your livewell may be are coughing up round gobies, it would be foolhardy to think that smallies prefer round gobies over emerald shiners. In collaboration with the DNR, the In-Fisherman staff examined the stomach contents of northern pike. In the final analysis, 'yellow perch' comprised the highest percentage, followed by suckers, chubs & lastly by shiners. Ironically, an angling study on the same waterbody found that the success rate with live bait was in an order that was virtually opposite to stomach contents. Shiners were clearly the most successful live bait, while yellow perch brought up the rear. "What Are The Bass Eating?" I don't know their scientific names, but I can describe a few: § Those loud elongated creatures that buzz nonstop across the water surface (they're in every lake) § Those multi-legged chartreuse things that look a lot like zoom brush hogs § Bass are also wild about those flashy yellow & white creatures that look like spinnerbaits (our lakes are filthy with them) Roger

I like both a bluegill pattern and shad. Rage Tail Menace and Shellcraker are my main trailers. The set-up is Loomis MBR842C/ Core 50MG/ Tatsu #12. I generally fish the swim jig with a steady retrieve over structure or next to cover. As AMAC stated, let it drop on slack line when you hit something. Strikes are generally vicious!

You owe it to yourself to own the GLX and see what all the hype is about!

Let's put it this way...................your lucky to be around such skill here

<<<The fish in my avatar ate my crankbait off a rock while it was snagged and I was trying to get it unstuck, all skill right??

Here's what I'm currently working on. These are all intended to be fished in the coming weeks. 2 of them are actually jerkbaits, same difference. They're all basswood except for the orange jerkbait which is balsa.

Skill dominates the most challenging task: Finding the fish!

You need skill to put yourself in the position to be lucky.

The harder I fish the luckier I get.

Do you have areas to hunt? We have quite a bit of public land in KS but I just don't trust other people enough to deer hunt it. I've had enough problems with people stealing stands and equipment from private land, can't imagine it's any better on public. Plus, I'm afraid of those shoot first, ask questions later types that I've occasionally heard of. Get a bow that is comfortable for you to shoot and shoot it a lot. If you can go to a store and handle and shoot several then I would highly suggest doing so. It's expensive to get into, all the equipment needed for the bow, then the arrows, broadheads and practice tips, stands, harnesses, cover scent products, cameras if you want them, and a ton of other equipment that you can buy if you want. Once you have most the equipment though it isn't so bad. If you have a local bow shop I'd try to go pick the brain of one of those guys to help you select the correct bow and arrows for you, the bow you choose, and your shooting style. I love bowhunting deer and would highly suggest it. Unfortunately, it's a lot like bass fishing in that a lot of what you're going to need to know will be learned through trial and error. Scout a lot in the off season, I prefer to set up cameras to find highly traveled areas and try to note most used times so I know when to be there. Don't just throw a stand up because you find scrapes or trails, this is when a camera is extremely useful to find out if they're still using the area or not. Deer are like bass in the sense that if you find the cover and the food you'll find the deer, and they'll often use cover and edges to get to and from their food and bedding areas. Buy comfortable stands, you'll be spending a lot of time in them, unless you're uncomfortable, then you'll be less willing to sit and wait. Make sure you hang your stand correctly and buy a harness, we lose too many hunters each year to falls from their treestands with so many quality safety harnesses around. Practice shooting as much as possible so you can make a quick, clean kill, it's your responsibility as an ethical hunter. Try to get access to private land if you don't already, lots of farmers are willing to let you hunt and remove deer that eat a lot of their crops, but it's probably going to take a little more work than knocking on their doors and asking. Offering to help out on their farm a little or at least letting them get a know you a little bit will often get you access. Read up and learn as much as you can about hunting in your area. Find a friend to go with if you can, it will help to be able to compare observations and, for me anyways, it's more enjoyable to have a buddy to share the experience with. If it's something that you're interested in I would certainly suggest giving it a try. It's about the only thing I look forward to when it gets cold out each winter I'd especially suggest giving it a try if these pictures get your blood pumping!

Excellent post Chris ! If you don 't mind me stepping in I would add some points: 1.- Unless you are fishing a bait like the DT, the maximum depth the lure can achieve is only during 1/3 of the distance of your cast, which is usually in the second third of the distance, so if you make a 30 yd cast with a bait supposed to run at 12 ft the bait only runs at 12 ft during the middle 10 yds of the cast. During the first third the bait is DIVING TO, during the third third the bait is RISING FROM. 2.- Line diameter affects the diving depth of the lure, most lures are designed to run on 10-12 "lb" test, the more you increase the diameter the shallower the bait will run. You loose 1 ft per every pound you increase the line diameter in 1 "lb", the same way, you gain 1 ft for every pound you decrease the diameter of the line.