Crestliner2008

What has been said here is correct. And do not forget the golden rule (Buck Perry's that is). Focus on depth and speed control above all other controls at your disposal. Color usually comes in last in most situations. It can be a factor, but a minor one at best. Target "structure" - points, quick drop offs and river channels coming close to the shoreline. On those structures, target "breaks" on those structures - stumps, small pad beds, rocks, brush piles, etc.. Fishing is all about "Location.....location.....location". Everything else come after that. Once you have a location that holds fish, it becomes a matter of depth and speed control of your presentation. Roadwarriors suggestions are something you need to read as well as the many other helpful articles contained here on this fantastic forum. Good Luck!

That's a beaut alright!

Truly awesome crappie! And with the kid involved, it's a priceless moment for sure. Watch out Dad.....this is going to get expensive FAST! LOL!

I'm trying to understand this.....you guys are using long nose pliers and expect to cut braid with them as well? I've never seen any pliers that cut braid worth a darn. I use a Boomerang for that purpose and a simple long nose pliers for just about everything else. I'm also not impressed with the combination of long nose and split ring pliers, all in one. I have separate pliers for split rings. Combination tools just don't seem to do any one job as well as a tool designed for just that one purpose. You can easily carry specialized pliers in many tackle bags these days without much inconvenience.

I always fish flukes nose-hooked with a size #1 circle hook. The fluke's power is in it's open water action, either walking the dog or any other erratic retrieve styles. No reason to be using an off-set worm hook, in my opinion. This open hook arrangement is extremely effective and sets great. If you want to use it in weeds, I suppose Texas rigging with an off-set would be an advantage; but there other, more effective presentations in those situations. JMO!

I agree on the large Sammy's. They really kick deep water smallies. However, for a day in, day out producer of both large and small bass, it's hard to beat this:

I use a two-prong approach to fighting bugs. First thing I do is treat ALL my clothing (pants, socks, jackets, hats) with Permethrin spray. Dick's carries it. Most effect tick repellent there is. It's NOT an actual repellent however; rather it's an actual insecticide that kills the crawly buggers. Step two is if I'm going into the brush after bass along a wooded shoreline, I always use a DEET pump spray on any exposed flesh. That includes ears, back and front of neck and the OUTSIDE of hands. Do NOT use DEET on the business side of your hands. It will not only repel fish, but will damage the finish on your rods and tackle (lures included). There ya have it. Been using this approach for 4 seasons now. Have not had a tick bite - period. The skeeters may buzz around, but they will not land. Works for me.

Some very respectable smallies. Must have given you a heck of a battle in such confined waters.

For whatever reason, I've never found walleye to be very receptive to baits not moving horizontally. Even some of the best jig fishermen I know keep their jigs moving horizontally, on the bottom. The stationary quiver of the ds baits just don't seem to trigger then. At least that's what I've found fishing a large, mature river system for walleye and smallmouth. I may have caught one or two that way, but, for me at least, it's just not a high percentage presentation. JMO.

I've been using the Trilene knot for over 30 years. No problems, no worries.

Congratulations! Great feeling for sure.

For about $100.00 and some change, you can pick up a B n' M SHSS (Sam Heaton's Super Sensitive) 7' and a Pflueger #6920 Spinning reel. I have two of these combos and have caught a ton of crappie on them. The rod is more than able to handle larger fish as well.

Pure eye candy for me! Love those abu's!

The #6920 will do you just fine. I have 4 of them now.....and will be adding more. Very dependable and great for UL fishing. You will not regret purchasing this reel.

Forget about it. Not an issue. I've got Fireline Crystal on no less than 6 of my spinning rigs. I pay no attention to line twist. Have had some of these with the same line for 3 seasons. Like I said.....not an issue.

Let me know if you want to sell a couple!

Well, I'm not one of those guys that spends hundreds on a spinning reel, but $15. is a bit too cheap even for me! Can't imagine how it would last a couple of seasons for you, but who knows? The thing is.....will it self destruct when you've got that once in a lifetime fish on? Not worth the risk in my opinion.

Wind knots with braid on spinning reels is usually caused by trying to "force" the cast. That is, trying to get the most distance possible by making a hard, aggressive cast, opposed to allowing your rod to load evenly. I've got some reels, that are in regular seasonal use, with the same braid for over 2 seasons. I do not see line twist as the primary culprit. JMO.

I've fished a lot of poppers over the years. The only one I use now is the Pop N' Image by Bill Dance. Extremely easy to walk the dog with. Great variety of popping sounds. Inexpensive. And, best of all, it flat out catches bass.

Tough job fishing from the bank for sure, but not impossible. Concentrate on using two lures most of the time. First is a 3" curly tailed grub on a 1/8 oz. ball head jig. That has probably accounted for more walleye for me than anything else. The second lure of choice would be the paddle tailed swimbaits coming into popularity these days. Great fishing catching baits for all species - and especially walleye. Use 4" size with a 1/4 oz. jig head. Keitec Fat Swing Impact is a great representation of this type of lure. I recommend these because you can thoroughly cover areas you select from shore. You will have to move around a lot, but sooner or later you will score.

After replacing the inexpensive friction rings on two of my much older Symetre's, they are working fine. But I know Shimano has no intention of alleviating this vexing problem. Otherwise the problem would have vanished by now. The real kickers is that they kicked UP their pricing on their reels! I'm sure they've received a lot of complaints. Why they do not address this problem is beyond me. I'm a fan of the Pflueger Presidents now. Less expensive and after 3 hard seasons of using 3 of these reels, I am more than pleased. No more problems or worries.

Why not just add a prop to the back of a Heddon Crazy Crawler? Upgrade the hooks and you should do just fine. The notion that a particular lure is "the" one that you've got to have, may keep the manufacturers in their Mercedes, but will do little for your success. Fish aren't that smart.

I prefer the subtle action of the 8" more than the 6". The smaller one requires a bit more speed than I like. But I'm getting old and I don't like speed all that much anymore!

For almost a dozen years now I've been using the Gamakatsu In-Line Oct Circle in size 1/0. Now this hook has an "up turned" eye. With this design I snell the hook vs. tying direct to the eye of the hook. Extremely effective for wacky rigging a Senko (any size) under a slip bobber. When the bobber goes down, you just start reeling. The fish will be hook solid and in the right place. I pre-tie a bunch of these snelled leaders ahead of time, to facilitate changing quickly. Any hook will have to be re-tied after no more than 3 bass have been caught. Bass teeth are extremely abrasive to fishing line - of any kind. I've caught a lot of bass, lake trout, salmon and rainbow trout on this hook and have no reservations about highly recommending it.

When I got out of the service in '69, I was into trout fishing more than anything else. A friend took me to a local Oxbow with a tub of shiners and I caught my first bass.....maybe 2 lbs.. That was IT. What a fight! And the jumps sealed the deal.