Crestliner2008

Summer & Fall have been my best opportunities for quality LM's with the 7". I rig them Texas style with a 5/0 or 6/0 hook. I prefer this way because it accents the wiggle as it falls. I think it's because of the weight of the hook. Anyway, when you line starts to move, ya gotta know, it ain't no dink!

Went looking for some crappie this morning. Found them about 8 am. Caught probably 25 - 30, including some big gills and a couple of small yellows. This was a great opportunity to work with the 2# test exclusively. Here are my findings on it thus far. First off, if you're going to use the 2# test, you'll probably be better off with a leader of either mono or fluorocarbon (as a buffering stretch factor). I say this because Nanofil has NO stretch what-so-ever, and the test rating is very close to it's published 2# breaking limit. If you try to "set" the hook, the line will break! I lost 1/2 doz. jigs, due to my to being too aggressive on setting the hook. Didn't have any leader material with me, so tied direct, which is what was causing me to break off so much. After loosing several jigs, I got the "hang" of it however. Now I've used 2# test mono, on my 7' B n' M, quite a bit over many years of crappie and trout fishing, so I know how to set with it. With Nanofil, you MUST either just start reeling, or slightly raise the rod when you feel a take. No worries, you'll be locked up on the fish! Any aggressive hook setting will loose you jigs, with this light line rating. Stepping up to 4# test might help, but I determine what I'm going to use for line test by depth and speed control, not by how much weight it can sustain. Caught some decent sized crappie today as well, so I know this Nanofil is equally strong to mono.....it's just that the "give" is not there. Once you realize that and adapt, you'll be fine. The casting distance and sensitivity, I believe, cannot be equaled, with any other line on the market today. I'll definitely need a couple of more sessions with it to feel totally comfortable. This line is worth your time and effort, if you're a serious panfisher. Finally, for you folks thinking about using this line for ice fishing, you must realize that it is a floating braid. If you can adapt to that, fine. If not, you might want to consider Suffix 832 instead, which sinks. JMO.

Take a look at B n' M. They make a sweet 7' UL, called "Sam's Super-Sensitive. Great rod for panfish, trout and it will even handle an occasional bass with no problems. I use mine with a Shimano Symetre 750 series and 2# test mono normally. I've just switched the line to the new Berkley 2# test Nanofil. Haven't had it wet yet though.

I've been doing very well with Fat Ikas this summer.

If I'm fishing plastics, probably half the time I present them on a jig. Other than that I'm fishing Trick Worms or Senkos. If a jig was the answer to everything, no one would be fishing anything else. I like jigs, but they don't work in every situation. That being said, you can reduce the amount of fish injury by just crushing down the barbs on your hooks. I don't really see the need for the double rigging on Senkos, like you show though. The "taps" you are getting frustrated with are probably either panfish, perch or small bass. When your line starts moving, that's a bass worth hauling back on! Rarely with you get a "tap" per say. An even better solution to your problem was previously mentioned here as well: Fat Ika.

I'd get 15# - 17# test. I use 20# test with my 30# test PP. Works for me.

I would add that braids are not very abrasion resistant. Consequently, muddy or not, I use a fluoro leader.

Try a Sweet Beaver on a 3/0 weighted swimbait hook....the kind with the screw on the eye.

I always have a suspending jerkbait rigged on one of my rods, every time I go out. They tend to be more effective in the spring and fall periods, but if you work them fast in the summertime, they can be a killer.

It seems that if you pursue fishing this lake, that your options are rather limited. You don't have access to much structure per say, so you need try different presentations in the areas you do have access to. The previous suggestion is a great one btw....get to know the folks on the lake. Try to get their permission to fish from their docks or shorelines. Boat launches and piers are great places for fish to congregate on. The water is constantly being stirred up and this, in turn, attracts bait fish and ultimately predators. However, if the activity is "intense" during the day, you might want to consider dawn and dusk for your fishing. Less boat and people traffic. Even night fishing may prove to be your best alternative. Stick with the slow, finesse presentations. You have little choice. You need to "sieve" the area thoroughly and keep your bait in the strike zone for as long as possible. Finesse soft plastics are the way to go in that situation. Try a 7" Senko texas rigged or a Sweet Beaver. You can also use a drop shot from shore, casting to the drop off or weed edge. There are lots of proven finesse options. Good Luck!

Ditto....MegaStrike!

Not sure I understand how a swivel "kills" the action on your fluke presentation? I use a #8 Spro PowerSwivel about 2' up the line from the bait and have never noticed a decline in my bite ratio. I would re-think this and give it a whirl. These swivels are small enough to become part of the line itself. And they work as good, if not better than ball bearing varieties.

X2 definitely!

I agree. Megastrike is very "clean" and easy to apply. Best of all, it flat works!

A twist lock shakey head jig does great with these. If you prefer going weightless, then I'd go with a 1/0 EWG Gama. Just crimp down the barb. Actually I prefer the larger beavers for smallies.

I just picked up a spool of 2# test and 12# test Nanofil at Cabelas this morning. Wish I'd had known about the Dick's discounting the stuff! I already have a spinning reel filled with 10# test which I really love. No wind knots as yet, it casts beautifully and is strong as all get out. Trying to break this stuff off, you'd best toss an anchor out first! Can't wait to try the 2# test on fall crappie this season.

Another vote for the BeetleSpin.

The only hook I leave the barbs on are my drop shot hooks. And that's because smallies (and LM) get nailed in the upper lip consistently with this presentation. As soon as they jump you have a good chance at loosing the fish. All others, including trebles, I crush down the barbs, for two reasons. First, less damage to the fish and second, less damage to ME if I get accidentally nailed! And at my age, I don't really care if I loose a fish every now & again. The whole outdoor experience is what's important to me. But I will say this, a lot of lost fish, with treble lures, is probably more due to angler error vs whether or not the hooks are barbed. JMO.

Concur. Rag wool, fingerless gloves work best for me in early spring and late fall fishing. Wool is one of those fabrics that repels water and yet retains it's heat retaining qualities when wet. The make higher end, more technical glove materials out there, but I've fished wool in some pretty extreme conditions with no problems. JMO.

At least step it up to the 5/8 oz. size.....or better yet, the 1 1/2 oz. Musky Jitterbug. Dynomite!

You cannot fish a tube wrong....understand that first off. I've caught fish on them "every which way but loose"! I've even jerk-retrieved them on the surface for some explosive strikes. The only problem I see is that having "one" is not an option. I have a couple of boxes of them; which I wouldn't leave home without! Funny thing is, no matter how many times I try to drop shot them, I'm never successful. As soon as I switch to a tiny fluke, I start catching. But I keep trying.

Found these at a local WalMarts. Has anyone ever tried them? I'm getting pretty fed up with pike & pickeral snatching off my jigs and plastics. Going to give these a whirl to see if I can decrease my losses? Just hope my bite ration doesn't decrease with them! Here's what they look like: Comments....suggestions....concerns?

Most lakes that deep (<25') do not thermocline, usually. And most reservoirs that have current running through them (as JFranco said) do not as well, just like rivers don't. Large lakes with depths over 50' usually do thermocline once steady summer temps set in. (Notice I said "lakes" not reservoirs.) You can find it if you have a sonar with over 480 verticle pixels, and you set your sensitivity and ping speed on max. and your chart speed at about 70%. However, once you find the thermocline doing this, you'll have to decrease your sensitivity - or you'll get too much clutter. I've always wanted to have a temperature probe. One which would allow me to read the temps at various depths while staying on the boat! That would be a valuable tool indeed.

I think the majority of "power" fishermen can't slow down enough to fish plastics effectively. Otherwise, the stats with plastics would be even higher. A good friend of mine fishes jigs and plastics on occasion, but has his foot on the TM almost constantly. Consequently, he never does well with them and switches back to hard baits after a short period of time. Difficult to present plastics this way. But that's his thing and more "power" to him!

Well, this past weekend I tried the spoon presentation at a deep, clear water reservoir for smallmouth. Unfortunately, it was nearly impossible to present it correctly. The bottom in just about every GPS location I stopped at had a thick bed of grass on the bottom. This made the treble pick up tons of grass. The presentation calling for an on/off bottom retrieve. I also tried to count it down, but no smallies seemed to be interested. Caught between 15 - 18 decent smallies (>2 lbs.) on the drop shot, catching 2 - 3 at each of my stops. So the fish were there, just not interested in the spoon. Disappointing. Here are some of the smallies we caught on the drop shot: And here's 2 pics of my largest fatty: Like I said, the smallies were there; just not interested in the spoon presentation.