Shad_Master

Lake Fork Tackle Ring Fries and Baby Ring Fries - green pumpkin Zoom Ultravibe Speed Worms - junebug and junebug red

I've heard this argument about not being able to get the intent of the statement because it is just typed words before. But that should work both ways - if your "typed words" seem to get people mad at you on a regular basis - it could be you. A lot of guys would like to think they are funny (myself included) but sometimes it ain't funny - especially when it comes to name calling or ridiculing someone. I've been on this board a long time. When I first joined up, there were lots of "what is the best..." and questions about the "magic" bait, line, tackle, technique, etc. I finally got to where I could recognize these kinds of questions and most of the time just ignored them - but somewhere along the line the tone changed and it seems like each time somebody (sometimes even the Moderators) would jab away at the poster. I also noticed that this sometimes resulted in the person asking the question going away. I am glad that there is a group of guys who pal around both on and off the board - but if everybody isn't welcome then it needs to be made public so nobody is being set up as fodder for the inner sanctum. I have learned a lot by being on this board and have recommended it to a lot of people. Some of them are on the board now. But...

It is possible to disagree without being disagreeable

I totally agree - usually when someone is asking that sort of question they are fairly new to the sport and seeking advice from what is reported to be the "best fishing site on the web" - unfortunately though there are some here to tend to be rooted in their particular camp and are unwilling to consider other points of view. That is why politics, religion and such are hot topics. It would be better, in my humble opinion, if people just gave out their information, explained why they think one is better than another and then watch to see if someone else has more information. We tend to stop learning when we get so entrenched in our own opinions that we don't listen.

CanalStalkin, to try to steer the discussion back to your original topic - don't sell Community Colleges short and be cautious of those "trade schools". The reason most Community Colleges cost less is because they are tax supported while the "trade schools" are not. So the "trade schools" have to depend on getting you signed up for grants, but most likely student loans. I work with a lot of guys who are changing careers because of an accident on the job. Recently I became involved with a client who was half way through a training program at a "trade school" when I started working with him. He was already heavily in debt to the school and would have had to start all over at the Community College. In the end he graduated with the same degree, but was in debt for over $30K - where at the Community College the same degree would have cost less than $10K. I'm not disparaging all "trade schools", but you need to do an apples to apples comparison on your own before drinkiing the Kook-Aid.

They may look stiff, but they soften up when you wear them - one other thing - get a pair with the bibs to keep the rain from running down your back and into your (umh). I have seen them on sale at BPS for as little as $37

Don't you know fish don't like to get wet? Seriously dude, fishing in the rain can be some of the best fishing there is.

Frogg Toggs!

I don't know if anyone will suggest a specific brand or model - but I can give you a few tips that I have learned that may help you choose one. One of the biggest mistakes co-anglers make is taking too much stuff - spend some time thinking about what you are going to throw and try to narrow it down to no more than 6 set ups (rods and reels). I use a double layer hard tackle box - the upper layer is divided and I have sections set up for hooks, weights, other terminal tackle, crank baits, jigs, shakey heads, top waters, etc. In the lower section, there is a place to hold spinner baits and buzz baits. There is also a section for extra line spools, scents, sun screen, snacks, etc. Then I carry a small soft-sided bag to carry soft plastics (actually the one I use is the one BASS gave me when I renewed my membership). I used to carry a "big bertha" soft bag with 7 370 boxes and 4 360's - it was heavy and most of the stuff I had there was not anything I would actually use. It was always getting in the way and made boaters frustrated. Now I spend more time planning what I am going to do and as a result my fishing has improved.

I never want to use a heavy trailer on a Ch-bait as I am afraid it will mess up the action of the lure - when these things first came out - my take was that the heavy vibration tended to spook the fish and caused them to hold back - I overcame this by doing what I called the "yo-yo"(pulling up on the lure and then letting it drop back down - often I would get bites on the fall).

helms83 - the quotes are getting too long - but yes this is one way to start disecting the contour under the water - on my local lake I find that the bass tend to drop down into the channel during the heat of the day and then pull up on the flats on either side in the evening to feed. By following the channel and noting the time of day, I can some times figure out where the bass will be and what their mood is. Of course I have to take into account the time of year and weather conditions as well. Wow, sorta sounds like I know what I'm talking about don't it All this is just a starting point and figuring out the rest w/o a depth finder just takes time and practice.

Actually there is a [feces] that was supposed to go between goose and island, but the censor program pulled it out - I wouldn't advise drinking anything brewed up on this spot

I hook the charger up right away to keep the batteries in shape - with my level of luck, I also open the hatches to let them dry out from the rain :'( - the rest can wait 'til after the nap

I'm still trying to get a grasp on this "channel" thing, I'm fairly new at this. Is there anyway you could explain this with what you previously wrote? It took me a little while to catch on too - as you look down a row of trees - they may seem scattered and random - but if you look at them individually you will notice that some of them tend to have larger trunks - these were the ones closest to the water (i.e. the creek or stream) before the lake or pond filled up - this will help you mentally map out how the channel runs. You can also see where road beds and fence rows were as the trees will be lined up in a fairly straight row.

There is a spot on my local lake referred to as goose s**t island because there are so many geese the hang out and nest there - but is is also a great place to fish from bank because of access to the channel, laydowns, etc. A year or so back, I was fishing from the island and managed to upset a mama & papa goose with a whole flock of goslings - mama was leading them down into the water and as I walked down, papa flew up and slapped me in the face with his wing - knocked off my sunglasses and almost cause me to lose my balance on the rocks.

If the fish are blowing up on your top water - have a backup set and ready to throw (a Senko or T-rig) - if you are not in a tournament, just leave your top water out there while you throw back - this can some times get the fish to re-strike.

If there is standing timber - you can get a pretty good idea of the channel by seeing how the trees lay out - the bigger trees (the ones that were there before the pond/lake filed up) will be on the edges of the channel. Also, look at the bank and see how it angles into the water - this can give you some clue as to where points may be. As to cover, fish what you can see and then probe around for what is under the surface with a jig or T-rig. These are simple clues to get you started.

Two suggestions for improving Ch-bait results: 1) fish 'em slow -just enough to get the blade vibrating - if they get caught up in the grass - give 'em a snap and they will usually come out and be clean as a whistle 2) don't (repeat don't) throw 'em around wood - they are wood magnets and will definitely get hung up.

Excellent - thanks for sharing

My classic story about Ch-baits is the time I was fishing in a runoff pool after a big rain - the water had gotten up into the grass along the edges and was the color (and almost the consistency) of chocolate milk. I threw a Ch-bait to parallel the grass line and saw the wake of the bass as it tracked on the vibrations of the Ch-bait - after hauling him in, I noticed that he was blind in both eyes and had managed to locate the lure by the vibration alone - a buddy of mine commented, "you just caught a blind fish in muddy water with that thing!" Try 'em - you'll like 'em

Is there no way to attach an aftermarket rattle?

Actually in warmer water the bass should be more active - I think the key to your scenario is that other people were fishing in that area, which may have caused the fish to be less aggressive due to the "pressure". In that case, a finesse approach would definitely be more likely to get a response.

I'm not from Arizona - but found this pretty interesting http://mediamatters.org/blog/201006160058

I am surprised by the number of responses that talk about not using a trailer hook - I confess that if I am out strictly fun fishing and decide to tie on a spinner bait, I may not add a trailer hook - but if I think this is the lure that I will using when getting my stuff together, it only take a minute to put one on and if I am in a tournament, I defintely want one on there. Yeah they get snagged once in a while - so do jigs, so do crank baits, so do T-rigged worms. But it is the hook that catches the fish, not the trailer, not the worm, not the weight, etc. I guess to each his own, but I just found this really surprising.