Crestliner2008

What do you think guys? Do you use this color (plastics or hard baits) often? There is a pink X-rap that I have my eye on. Just not sure how effective it would be early in the season. I have used pink Senkos in past seasons....mixed results.

For me, I like the drop shot, split shot and shakey head....not necessarily in that order. I do my split shotting a little bit different though; I use a mini Carolina rig set up. I put a 1/8 oz. bullet weight ahead of a #6 Spro Powerswivel, followed by a 2' section of quality fluorocarbon leader. The business end sports a 2/0 worm hook and a 6" Roboworm. Slow crawling this bad boy, along any kind of bottom, WILL get you bit.

Netcraft has been carrying U-40 cork sealer for many years. Inexpensive and it goes a long way. I usually just apply it with a folded piece of paper towel.

Netcraft and/or Barlows carry it. I prefer a less "fluid" jig in cold (<50 degrees) water however; much like a sparcely tied 1/8 oz. bucktail. I slow crawl it over structures, giving the bass an opportunity to eyeball it. No hops or twitches. Most baitfish in cold water have very little movement, so this presentation replicates that pretty well.

Good advice A-Jay! I truly believe that heavy boat/ski traffic annoys the fisherman more than the fish. I try to "make believe" that I am all alone on the lake (difficult to do, but do-able!). I locate good structures that hold bait fish and target my presentations accordingly. I am a firm believer that anchoring is a much overlooked aspect of boat control. Everyone today seems to want to "run & gun" with their trolling motor on high. May not be such a good tactic, especially on heavy trafficked waters. Besides the trolling motor, I also shut off my sonar when anchoring. Sometimes I'll just sit there and have a sandwich before starting to fish. Let my boat "assimilate" into the environment. I've had some pretty decent catches doing this in many past seasons.

Western MA ponds are still covered with ice. Will probably be that way for another couple of weeks (at most!). I'm watching them every day! At first ice out, I'll be casting hard jerkbaits, 4" wacky rigged Senkos, jigs and the drop shot. It's amazing to me how quickly the water warms after first ice is partially out. Will be up in the low 40's pretty quick. And it will be in the 50's before you can blink, providing the sun stays out. Can't wait!

In over 50 years of fishing, I've only been approached by an EPO three times! Since the lead ban last year, I don't think any EPO really focused on checking for this - yet. I believe they held off, waiting until enough non-lead product has become readily available. And it appears, after visiting Dick's, that there is plenty of non-lead jigs & sinkers on the shelves now. So don't be surprised if an EPO does start ask to see what you are using. Remember, it is NOT illegal to be in possession of lead...you just cannot be using it when you are approached.

After over ten seasons drop shotting, I'll refer back to the drop shot guru himself - RichZ. He advocates using only the Gamakatsu Split Shot/Drop Shot hook, size #2, for consistent hooking reliability. And after trying those (and many others), I'm still a fan of those hooks today. It's the point of the hook that is most important. As RichZ would say, It HAS to be a STRAIGHT point, not beaked or curved inward. I've never done well with circle hooks on the drop shot, but I use them for a lot of other fishing presentations - especially wacky rigging Senkos. However, you are denying yourself the full potential of the circle hook design, if you get them with an off-set point. True circle hooks are "in-line" with the eye of the hook, not curbed or off-set. And you do not "set" the hook with this critical design; rather just start reeling. The hook sets itself.

I like the ole' Husky Jerk right after ice out around here. Clown pattern #13 is killer. As the season progresses, I move toward the X-Rap and/or Pointers in #78 & #100. However, this is by habit more than anything else. When bass are on the jerkbait bite, I really don't think they'd turn their noses up at anything.

If you do not already have a sonar, you probably should seriously think about purchasing one. That one tool can open up a whole new horizon of fishing opportunities for you. It will define current bottom structure (never rely solely on maps!) and most importantly, those structures that attract bait fish. Most of successful fishing depends on location more than anything else. Without a sonar, you are literally fishing blind. There are many deep water techniques to use. Hard to beat a jig. The drop shot should also be part of your arsenal. But again, that depends on the mood of the fish and their location relative to the structure you are looking at. The time of the year, water temperature and weather play important parts as well. (If fishing was easy, everyone would be doing it!)

Definitely change out the hooks and use a quality (Spro) split ring on each hanger eye. Another trick.....rubber band the two side hooks on top of the body. Will help with weeds and actually improve hook ups.

Reversed Fat Ika or just a plain ole' tube.

I only tried it twice last season. No luck on those occasions, but I'll certainly be giving it another whirl this season.

I feel your pain! A tough nut to crack for sure. There are so many lures I would love to throw, but just don't. I know better.

Any weightless texas rigged plastic should work just fine. Especially the big 10" Yum worm or 7" Senko. Also consider trying soft jerkbaits (Zoom Flukes). Push comes to shove, try wacky rigging a Senko under a bobber. I'm not a fan of crankbaits being presented from shore. Even the square bills get hung up. Can become a costly venture!

Excellent!

Fishing from shore certainly does present it's challenges, that's for sure! Biggest problem is finding a search bait that won't hang up easily. Especially since you do not have a retrieval method (if you hang bottom) in most cases. So that kinda limits you, depending on the type of area you are fishing. (You can't search with a rattle trap type lure if the bottom has a lot of timber for instance.) Good search baits would include the spinnerbait and most any top water - again, depending on time of year and structure you are fishing. The thing of it is, unless you have an un-incumbered shoreline to walk, you can cover the area you are fishing in about a 1/2 doz. casts to "find" active fish. And if you spook 'em doing that, you're less likely to get bit with a follow-up finesse presentation. I'd rather approach shoreline fishing as more of a "pick-apart" opportunity vs. searching per say. I pick away at the structure I have access to, with jigs, worms, drop shot and like finesse techniques. If you are boat fishing, that's a horse of another color entirely of course.

Straight tailed Roboworms and/or Zoom Tricks do it just fine for me.

Well, I really don't understand why you would want a knockoff. Is there a problem with the originals? Their ability to catch fish is for certain. And isn't that the name of the game? I suppose the knockoffs work (maybe even as well), but I like the original Senko. Folks claim they are too expensive, but there are many ways to extend their life in use. Just do a search here and you'll learn about many of these methods previously posted here. As far as cost goes, Overstock.com had been offering them for about $4.00/bag. Can't beat that, even with a knockoff.

As long as the water is wet I'm a happy camper. (I do tend to favor deep, clear reservoirs however.)

Good color choices for wacky rigged Senkos would be the green pumpkin and watermelon types. They blend in well with their surroundings. The fish sees the movement, but cannot precisely identify it as fake. Which is why it is so effective. As far as pound test fluoro goes, I favor the 6# or 8# test leader. Reason is not for the pound test. Rather for the extra abrasion resistance the fluorocarbon offers when bottom dragging.

Welcome aboard! I'm assuming the area you are able to fish from shore is rather limited(?). Hopefully, it's a place where you have access to a point, or other type of bottom structure, that leads to deep water. Under cold water conditions (ice out to pre-spawn), I've had a great deal of success fishing limited access structures using two presentations. First is a 4" wacky rigged Senko on 6# test Fireline with a 3' - 4' leader of fluorocarbon going to the hook. Second would be a finesse type Carolina-type rig. A 1/8 or 1/4 oz. bullet sinker on the main line, a quality crane type swivel next, followed by a short 1' - 2' fluorocarbon leader. Texas rig a 5" Roboworm on a 2/0 worm hook and you're in business. Slowly drag it back to you and watch your line. When it moves or twitches, set the hook and hang on!

When pike fishing, several lures are staples in my arsenal: 1) Swim Wizz or Believer plugs in the 8" - 10" size - great trolling lure 2) Wendel's Musky Harrassers - inline bucktail spinners - casting and trolling 3) Hard jerkbaits in the largest sizes available - casting 4) Standard floating Rapala in the #13 size - trolling Never leave home without them.

Yeah, that countdown version should be a great lure. Gives you just another tool in your arsenal. Good design.

Thank you muchly!