SimonDM17

I have a 6ft medium power fast action that I paired with 30lb PP. (Once the spool runs out, I'm going down to 20lb). I like the 6ft rod as opposed to a 6ft 6in or even a 7ft, because i feel like with the shorter rod I can "hop" baits along the bottom better, and get a faster, more compact hookset. I think braid is invaluable for most baits, but especially for drop baits like senkos. Not only will you feel more hits, but even a sloppy hookset can still stick a fish. I stay away from the swivel and go uni-to-uni if I feel like I need a leader, which isn't often.

I hear the Reaction Innovations Swamp Donkey is a little easier to walk, because it's longer than the Spro. That said, I don't try for any side-to-side action on the frog when it's in motion...I swim it in a straight line, bobbing it up and down, then stop it, and then "walk" it left and right three or four times, almost in place.

1. 1/4oz. Bitsy Flip in black/blue with a Chigger Craw trailer. 2. 3X Z Too jerkbait 3. Spro Frog 4. Rapala F11 in silver 5. 1/4 oz. white colorado spinnerbait

Use the stick for snappers. If you don't have a stick, toss a sweatshirt or something over its head, yank out the lure (assuming it's snagged, not in the mouth), pull of the sweatshirt, and back away. Hook removers are a plus. If you caught a snapper in the mouth, the only thing I can think of would be getting it to take a stick and then trying to cut the hook...

I like spinnerbaits as search baits during or after rain...not sure of the immediate pre-tournament weather, but if it stays rainy or cloudy, I'd put a spinnerbait all over the water column until I found fish. If the water level just rose 5 feet, and the tournament isn't for a few days, I'd focus on the structure that is shallow come tournament time. If that doesn't produce, go 5 feet out.

I snapped a cheap *** rod (Okuma Centrific) using 30lb PP, but I've put it on my jig rod and soft plastics rod, both of which are a little better, and I've had no problem. To me, the keys seem to be either setting the drag for the rod's max line weight, or not using the rod to try and snap the lure out of snags (how I broke the Centrific). Any opinions on Suffix v. PP?

I have a couple color considerations-- Matte v. reflective: especially with the mann's 1-, I've had times when they wouldn't hit a black/white bait, but they'd hit a black/chrome one. Perch v. no perch--if there are perch in the water i'm fishing, I'm throwing a perch-colored bait 90% of the time. One pond I fish, early in the season, the fish will only bite perch patterns. My visibility--if there's a color I can see easier from above the water that the fish won't mind, I'll use it. Match the hatch--not a big concern for me, (except for perch), I try to get fairly close, with the other stuff coming first. For instance, the "Ice" color of 3X jerkbait is a dead-on imitation of the minnows in Walden Pond. So if they just happen to match up, I'll throw it.

I've only used Zoom Super Flukes, I've been very impressed with the action/hookup ratio for the bait on calm days. I just picked up some 3X Z Too jerkbaits...what size hook do you fish those on? I bought some 3/0 gammies, but they look like they might be a little small. IMO, always use an EWG hook...it provides a kind of "keel" to the lure. I'm rigging them either texposed, skin hooked or deep skin hooked, depending on the cover, 5/0 gammie for the Super Fluke. In terms of missing fish, my suggestions: 1. If you're sight fishing with the fluke, wait until you see the fish chomp down on it, and set the hook. With some finicky fish, they'll mouth it and then spit it out, so when the mouth closes, set the hook. 2. If it's a pickerel following the fluke, play with it. Wait until it's alllllmost there, and then give the bait a sharp jerk. Repeat. 3. Use braid. If visibility or abrasion resistance is a huge issue, use a mono leader. If you're not sight fishing, I think braid is a tremendous help. 4. Expose the hook as much as possible for the cover you're fishing.

I've never killed a bass...I've killed sunnies when fishing ultralights with live bait, but that's it. Nearly killed a bass recently, though...I think it bumped the jig I was fishing, and it got a hookset just above the eye...had to be real careful or I think I would have blinded it or hit the brain, but it swam off just fine.

when you're using the baby brush hog, are you cutting off part of it or rigging the whole thing on there? I like the Yum Craw Papi...a little expensive, but the action and scent are nice. I've got to try out the zoom ultravibe craw too...

I'm 100% bank fishing...Not loosing lures is key. I have shallow cranks (DT-4 is the deepest I'll consistently use), a couple Mann's 1-, topwaters, hard and soft jerkbaits, pretty much everything you'd think of. The other thing that I'm really getting into now is the jig. Fished with a good strong braid, it'll go anywhere you can put it and come back safe and sound. One thing I did find out, though--if you're throwing jigs from shore around timber, bring a pair of pliers. if you hook into a tree with braid, the hook is going to bend outward, and if you don't want to toss the jig, needle-nose pliers will bend hooks back into shape. also good for unhooking treble lures.

"fishfishfishfishfish!!!!!!!!" alternatively, if i've been using the "here, fishie fishie fishie" attractor, and a bass bites, it gets the "gotcha"

Try the mann's baby 1-. It's a shallow running crank (won't go deeper than a foot), rattles loud, wide wobble, and can be slowed down/stop-and-goed for some really nice early season action. Heavy enough to cast into the wind, and you can run it along the sides of and over barely submerged cover. If you're worried about hanging up, it might be worth trying a zoom super fluke fished weightless--they're pretty heavy, and easy to cast. Or you could pick up a weighted hook in size 4/0 and use that. Try twitching it over and through the branches. A t-rig with a pegged 1/8 or 1/4 weight could work really well too--creature bait, worm, tube, craw...

Matzuo asai shad (2-4ft diver) in perch pattern. Wide wobble if you crank it fast, tight wobble the slower it goes, slow riser, good jerking action if you want to change things up a little...

Yes, they sell all fishing licenses online, and one-day licenses have a printout option, too. (They may be printout only, I don't know.)

Bass will definitely hit a snake...I think it's a real "big fish bait" if you're trying to find a bass willing to eat it, but I've seen it be a d**n good reaction bait. The guy who makes slammers, Mike Shaw, also makes a swimbait snake...it has some pretty incredible motion. If I fished warm water with some rock/wood shore cover (snake areas) and I had the gear for it, I'd throw a snake... Also, someone mentioned earlier in this thread that watersnake bites seem to bleed and bleed. There are a few kinds of watersnake (I know there's one in the Northeast that looks like a coral snake, but with a different color order, bigger and a more triangular head) that have an anticoagulant in their saliva, so you bleed like hell. That said, I love snakes, and they seem all right with me. Although I was bitten by a garter snake once...that was really weird.

I hate pulling scum off my lures, too. Here's my suggestions: Find a crankbait that mimics the forage, make it run .5-1.5 feet off the bottom. Alternatively, do the same thing with a jerkbait...if you get a "suspending" one that actually rises slowly (like a small husky jerk often does), you can really work shallow bottoms without getting dirty. Fish the deep side, too...grubs, tubes, and stick baits...let them fall slowly, and then pop them as or right before they hit bottom.

First, an original rapala minnow or a baby 1- right over the top. no takers on that, i'll toss a creature bait (probably a baby brush hog) all over that thing. if that didn't work, a small curl tail worm, either weightless or with a 1/16 pegged weight, pitched into each pocket.

I'm from MA as well...greater Boston area. I just caught my first bass of 2008 about a week ago, fishing a new pond that still had ice on half of it. I think the trick with the colder temperatures is to fish either very shallow (where the fish go to feed) or very deep (where the fish hang out when it's cold). I caught the bass in about 2 FOW, on a baby 1-.

3-5 feet sounds like X-Rap territory to me...I just got a husky jerk, and I'm sure it's just as good, but I love the action on the X-Rap. Additionally, I'd caution against getting suspending jerkbaits that happen to be on sale. I have a BPS "suspending" nitro minnow, which doesn't. I also have a matzuo that, after a double hook change, MIGHT suspend (haven't tried it out on the water yet). So I'd say any Rapala is probably a good bet.

I use a palomar on pretty much everything. So here's my question: when fishing minnows, lipless cranks, etc, where there's a split ring already attached to the bait for a line tie, does it impede the action of the bait to put a snap onto that split ring? (or, to put it a different way, if i take the split ring off the line tie and just have the snap connected to the bait, will i get the same action as if i'd left the split ring there?) I hate to re-tie lures...rather just tie one good snap onto the end of the line and then change it a few times.

I fish in the Charles River in MA fairly regularly...while it's been cleaned up in the past few years, some weird stuff comes out of it. I know guys who have hooked into shopping carts, a couple bodies, rods/reels... My catches include: A purse (empty) A 4ft iron rebar A butternut squash A pair of blue jeans