Crestliner2008

Rapala here too!

Bill Dance's "Dancin' Eel", in the small 4" size, looks about right. However, I've also been told, or read somewhere, that fish don't like them. That never made sense to me though. Bass eat frogs, don't they? And what's a frog? A morphed tad pole....right? The premise that bass do not like tadpoles is "a bit hard to swallow", from where I stand! Another thing. As far as bass hitting and rejecting tadpoles goes, the program "Hook N' Look" on TV showed smallies mouthing crayfish and rejecting them one after another! The host premised that they were actually "testing" the hardness of the shells. So who knows for sure? In any case, I'll take a hit any day for whatever the reason. Just increases my odds for buttoning up.

Use your sonar to find a 10' flat somewhere. Cast and count down. As soon as your line goes slack, you'll know right off how to count it down quite accurately.

My how times have changed. Back in the early 60's, my Dad bought me this red head/shiner patterned plug called a Lucky 13. Made by Heddon and of course, out of cedar wood. I still have that old plug, which now has many tiny holes, nicks and scratches in it, from bass and pike. The year before, he got me my first baitcaster; a "knucklebuster" called a "Silk Cast" by Pfleuger. Still have that too, along with a tubular steel baitcasting rod called the "Heddon Pal". Yep....times sure have changed.

BPS has one of their "Micro-Lite" rods designated for Float N' Fly fishing. You may want to give that one a shot. Not a bad price either.

I like to do a lot of reading online - on fishing of course! As well as gleaning through fishing mags and several fishing forums. I'm always looking for some "new" and potentially effective to try out on the water. For instance; attaching a spinner blade on a wacky rigged Senko! This.....I've gotta try!

If you're not into live bait, slowly crawling along a 4" tube this time of the year, should produce some bites for you. Try to find a shelf or flat just above a deep hole. A short flat close to shore, that has a quick drop off, would be ideal. If the tube doesn't produce, sometimes a Fat Ika will "seal the deal". However, you first have to be fishing where the fish are. That's the big job....location!

6" Senko or Fat Ika will do 'em in!

Here's my "never leave home without" list: 1) 5", 4" & 3" Senkos 2) Fat Ikas & Big Ikas 3) 4" Roboworms 4) 3" & 6" Sluggos 5) 5" Fin-S Fish 6) Sweet Beavers 7) 10" Keitech Ribbon Tails 8) Sweet Water Chubs Yeah.....I know....TOO many! ;D

The only hooks I leave the barbs on anymore are my drop shot hooks. All others have the barbs crimped down. Have I a lost fish or two? Sure. Not often, but so what? If it's THAT important for you to land every fish you catch, you probably need to take up golf instead of fishing! ;D I fish for the experience of being in the outdoors. A lost fish or two means nothing to me. Of course, I'm an old fart, so what do I know? BTW....it might not be a bad idea to crimp down those barbs for safety sake as well. Especially with a youngin' starting out.

Or.......buy a package of Chompers 4" Finesse worms. OMG!!! Last time I opened a package of these bad boys, my boat reeked of garlic for hours! My partner said that if I ever use them again, I'll be fishing solo! And the smallies loved 'em too!

Wasn't sure where to put this, but here goes. From my family to all of yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a joyous New Year. God Bless, one and all.

Like my Dad use to always tell me, "ya gotta know your limitations". And that includes the limitations of your gear. If you put a 5/0 heavy wire hook on that rig, with a 10" worm and expect it drive it into the jaw of 5+ pound largemouth, you're going to be disappointed. Stick with light wire hooks; no more than 3/0 and crimp down the barb (this will allow a deeper penetration, within the limitations of your rig). Texas rig a 5" Senko and you're good to go. If you hit that lunker, she'll stay buttoned up until you release her.

Whatever the fish want at the time you are fishing! You'll need to get a variety of brands, styles and colors. The mood of the fish will dictate what's best for the day. I like Roboworms for straight 4" nose hooking. I also love the Case Helgrammites. Another excellent producer is the 3" Sluggo, nose hooked. And then there's the 3" Senko, wacky rigged. The options are endless. Just keep an open mind and don't just settle on one brand/style. You can drop shot just about any kind of plastic imaginable. (Don't over look tubes either.) I could go on and on!

Glenn nailed it cold. Understand this as well; every rod manufacturer that lists a technique specific rod has different ideas as to what a "drop shot" rod is/should be. So don't be fooled into buying a rod based on this spec. Some have a medium light action....some a medium....some actually are passing off med-heavy actions as a drop shotting rods! Stick with a near 7' ML and you won't go wrong.

Good question regardless of the age. The problem is not what to throw, but how you are dealing with this the river current, which is "moving along pretty good" as you say. The solution is to "slip" the current; boat bow facing upstream and the main engine putting along, just enough to allow the boat to "slip" backwards. This allows your bait the opportunity to get down into the eddies and subsequently, into the fish's strike zone. Once you are able to accomplish this form of boat control, the current will become your friend and your offering will find it's place close down near where the fish are holding. You can adjust the speed of drift and accurately re-position your boat (side to side) by merely moving the engine slightly. As far as what to throw, a 1/4 oz. tube and/or a unweighted Fat Ika, will get down to where it needs to be with this technique. If a smallie sees food coming toward him, close to the bottom (from an upstream position), he's going to take it.

Look on the bright side.....today was the first day of winter and the shortest day of the year. From now on, the days just keep getting longer! It'll be March before you know it.

Fleck.

31 degrees, 15-20 mph and spitting rain around here, but I was at a local pond before sunrise! Following Crestliner2008's advice resulted in three 5+ and two 3-4 lbs. Woo-Hoo! Thank you! -Kent Like I said....they are dynamite on a drop shot. I probably use them as much as I do the roboworms. The first time I used it in a couple of feet of water - to see how they worked - I was hooked. Happy they worked for ya!

Interesting thread! Look at it this way. You really DO want this venture to succeed, right? Assuming that's the case, go to any Dick's - right now (best deals) - and pick up an inexpensive spin-casting combo. They have a nice Shakespear Ugly Stick casting rod (Ultra-lite, although it's got some backbone to it) with a closed face spin-casting reel for about $39.00. Decent drag on this Shakespear reel and if you re-line it up with Trilene XL 4# test mono, it should provide many hours of fun fishing. This will get him into panfish and bass with no problem. Once he hooks into a 2# bass on this rig, he'll be "hooked for life"! And you will have succeeded.

I'll be giving the Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon line a whirl this coming season. But I gotta tell ya....I get a real chuckle out of some of the comments about Berkley Vanish. Been using it now for 6 full seasons on various rigs (spinning rigs). Have had no problems or difficulties using it at all. I think all the negativity come from the low cost of this line, as opposed to some of it's competitors. There probably are some folks that have "issues" with it; but I'm not one of them. The only reason I'm going to try the new version is that someone gave me a couple of spools of it. So, we'll see how it goes.

#10 PP would be just fine for your spinning rig. You will have to learn to tie on a leader of some kind. Like a 3' section of a quality fluorocarbon line. Berkley Trilene 100% fluorocarbon in 8# test would be a fine accompaniment to the PP main line. Look up how to tie a Uni-to-Uni knot and/or an Alberto knot for joining of the two lines. Good Luck! Welcome to the finest fishing forum in the country!

Check with some local bait & tackle shops. They have a wealth of information available for you. If local lakes don't produce for you, "Head West Young Man, Head West!" We have a fine, huge reservoir, right in the middle of the state - the Quabbin Reservoir. However, there are some boating restrictions there. They also rent boats (very reasonable) and there's plenty of shoreline access. The Quabbin is one of the best smallmouth fisheries in the northeast. Plenty of lakers, salmon and rainbow as well there. A very clear, deep reservoir, about 19 miles long and about 6 miles wide. You might also want to think about joining a local fishing forum to supplement the info you'll glean from here. MassAnglers is a fine one: www.maanglers.com. I've heard a lot about the great fishing around the eastern end of the state, but haven't had the opportunity to get much further east than the Worchester area.

I wouldn't focus so much on the "tannic" part. What is the water visibility, which is more important. Put a white curly tailed worm down on the end of your line and see about where it disappears. Can you still see it 2' - 3' down? If so, I wouldn't worry about it. It's just another "stained" body of water. Look up the articles here on fishing stained water and you'll be way ahead of your neighbors. If your visibility is a foot or less, now you have a problem, especially if the water is cold. Then you'll have to fish slow and on the bottom. A good option is to drag a tube. If the water temp is above 65 degrees, make a ruckess with a large, slow moving spinnerbait or rattletrap. You'll be getting a lot more suggestion from the fine folks here I'm sure. Good Luck!

I'm not an ice fisherman and know squat about it. I do however know a thing or two about catching bass. I can see no reason why a drop shot would not be a dy-no-mite presentation through hard water. It has everything a bass would want: Suspension just above the bottom. Natural presentation. Very little movement. Easy meal. I'd use a nose hooked Roboworm. I would not work it much....maybe a slight quiver every now & then. Please let us know how you make out if you give it a whirl!