Crestliner2008

Now that is just plain awesome! OMG.....the freakin' bait monkey hits again. No rest. LOL!

Just curious if any of you have ever used these type of targets, such as Champion Duraseal or the Do-All Outdoors targets? I want to try one to change up the range a bit, but not sure just what is best to get. Will be hitting them (hopefully anyway!) with .22's and .357 mags. Thanks!

I would really like to find an 8 footer, but in my price range, the 7'6" ML is about the best that I could find. I can get the Shock at Dick's for only $37.00. That's a far cry from $60.00 for the Fenwick. Reason for needing the extra length is so I can "lift" the braided slack off the surface of the water quicker with a longer rod. And since I'm using a slip bobber, the longer rod would have a decided advantage over shorter rods.

Looking for a medium-light action, 7'+ spinning rod for a specific float technique I use for suspended smallmouths. Checked out these Shock rods online and they kind of impressed me. I even found a video from an informational iCast seminar on this rod. Has anyone had any experience with these Berkley rods? Thoughts.....comments. Thanks guys.

Thanks for the heads up! I just entered.

Try a Fat Ika tossed up stream of the log jam and let it tumble on into it.

You can still get the venerable Jitterbug in red head/white body.

I use a tiny #12 Spro PowerSwivel on the end of my braid. Then I tie my fluoro leader to that. The length to the hook is primarily dependent on the water clarity and how finicky the bass are. But around 2 - 3 feet should be fine, even in clear water. As far as the length of leader, from the hook to the sinker goes, that is predicated solely on the water temperature, time of the year, and the mood of the fish. This is where you change up to get the best results. Right after ice out up here, we go with a very short length of line between hook & sinker - as short as the length of the worm you are using. As the season gets warmer and the fish more active, this length is increased. By mid summer I'm using about a 3' - 4' length of fluoro between the hook and the sinker. But then again.....it's up to the conditions you are facing and the mood of the fish. That's the fun part.....experimentation!

Fat Ika.

I'm assuming you are talking about monofilament? That being the case, it will keep well in a cool, dry environment for many years. However, if you keep it in your truck, closed up in summer, I'd toss it after the season is over. If, on the other hand, you are talking about braid, the answer is indefinitely, regardless of the environment. JMO.

Over 50 years of fishing, I've caught the majority of my bass on a plain 1/8 oz. ball head jig dressed with a 3" curly tail grub. The last 15 years or so, the 5" Senko has probably accounted for even more yet. Caught my biggest LM bass on a 7" Senko Texas rigged. My biggest smallie with a 4" Roboworm on a drop shot.

Well, let's see here....been fishing for 60 years now (just turned 70 this month). I remember, as a boy, being thrilled to get my hands on a spool of "real" Trilene 6# test monofilament for my Johnson Century! Since those early years, I've used a LOT of mono, with everything from heavy bait casters to UL spinning rigs. Use to use a lot of dacron back in those days too. Most folks don't even know what that is! Then they came out with Fireline back in late 80's. I tried the original smoke line in 8# test and loved it. Have also used GorillaBraid, Spiderwire, PowerPro and Fireline, of course with a fluoro or mono leader, depending on whether or not I'm fishing on top or underneath the surface. Within the past 5 season, I've relied more & more on Fireline and PowerPro for many of my presentations - quite successfully too I might add. The only rig I have filled totally with monofilament now is my heavy swimbait rod, This rig has an Ambassadeur 6500-C filled with 25# test Triple Fish Perlon (great line for swimbaits by the way!). Have caught some decent bass and more than my share of big northern pike on that outfit. Very satisfied with mono in that kind of heavy application. Lately my (past 3 seasons) focus has been on using 2# test Fireline Crystal on three of my UL rigs for crappie. I use a three foot 2# test fluoro leader on these rigs and will never go back to mono again. Sensitivity is increased, along with casting distance and dependability. And I don't have to re-spool with "fresh" mono 3 - 4 times each season. I do not think I'll be going back to mono any time soon.

I agree. KISS (keep it simple stupid). I'm meaning that in a nice way. I suspect that a line tied to that wire loop will cause you more trouble than not. Besides, the Little George will do just fine by itself. JMO.

You would be defeating the purpose going with the swivel. Instead, carry a small spool of solder wire. Wrap a few turns around the shank of the front treble and you can adjust your suspension/sink/float rate quite easily that way, without affecting the plugs action. All suspending jerkbaits will either suspend, sink or float, depending on the water temperature. No one make/model can be guaranteed to perform in all water temps.

What kind of limitations does he have? Some folks his age are still quite agile in body & mind. You just have to give him a chance. And I agree with blackmax135 in that if you put him in charge, your outing together will be much more enjoyable. And ask him questions about what to do and how to do it. It will make him feel great. The biggest problem I had taking my older brother fishing at 80 was having to tie knots for him, due to his arthritis in his hands. But the outings were always very enjoyable.

I've always wondered about the most detailed baits and their effectiveness over the more mundane run of the mill representations. Take a tube for example. Certainly it's a crawfish imitation or some other type of bottom dwelling critter. Not much in the way of detail there, yet they certainly account for a lot of fish. The Yum Crawbug is another tube example that is much more detailed and yet is still related to the tube family. Yet, after fishing both on many occasions, the plain tube seems to be no less effective. I'm wondering if all this detail and extra cost is really value-added....or just something to sell to anglers.

More & more I've switched to braid for main line applications. All of these rigs, from panfish to bass, have fluorocarbon leaders. I do have one musky rig set up with 25 lb. test Triple Fish mono that I use with my swimbaits and for northern pike fishing. I'm not really seeing a need for mono main lines anymore, unless you're talking topwater fishing and/or some panfish applications. Braids have come a long way.

I am big fan of Gamakatsu hooks. Not the most expensive, but not the cheapest. Good quality hooks. They've never failed me yet.

I don't usually wait until ice out is complete. Rather I find some coves where the ice edge is about 30 - 50 yards out. I'll cast a 4" wacky rigged Senko up onto the ice and pull it off and let it sink. If there are any fish there, they will bite. If I'm fishing the cold water period after ice is completely out, then it would depend on the species and the lake I'm fishing. Normally I'd be tossing an X-Rap or Pointer if the fish are somewhat active. If I can locate some fish that are reluctant, then I'll put my drop shot down to them. Again, there are a lot of variables involved, including the body of water I'm fishing, the depth & temp of the water, etc.. Blade baits are my go-to if the above doesn't work.

I rig mine on a 6/0 EWG worm hook. The one in this picture I've rigged with copper ground wire on the shaft for a little bit of weight and painted it black. This is my rigging: Here's one of the LM's I got on the day I photographed the rigging:

A 4" Roboworm on the drop shot. Same fish, two pictures:

As long as the weeds are not too thick, an unweighted Texas rig will do just fine. However, in thicker vegetation you need to get down into it where the fish are more bottom orientated. I especially like the 7" Senko rigged this way on a 7/0 offset worm hook. If there are any "big" bass around, this will get them.

I start off the season with a very short length, sometimes as short as the worm is long. As the water warms and the fish become more active and move deeper, I tend to increase the length. Especially if the water is relatively clear. In summer, fishing deep water structures for smallmouths I use about 3 1/2' in length. Local water color, temperature and conditions will dictate what to use, but a lot of this is based on experimental trial & error methods.

Since most bait fish reside (due to O2 levels) above the thermocline, I see no reason to fish below it. Most bass and predatory fish stay at or above it most of the season long. The exception being lake trout.

Since you apparently can fish directly over them from the bridge, I'd try a 1/4 oz. Silver Buddy vertically jigged. Drop it in. Let it sit on the bottom for a few seconds. Then just pop it off the bottom quickly enough to just start to feel the vibrations. Then quickly let it settle back down and repeat. If that doesn't get them, then try a wacky rigged 4" Senko on 6 lb. test fluorocarbon line. If all else fails, I've heard that grenades are almost fool-proof! LOL!