BobP

This time of year, if you simply MUST beat the banks, a jig and pig is hard to beat for quality and a small crankbait for numbers. If you know how to use sonar, by all means move off the bank into deep water and spoon jig. It will beat anything when the bass are grouped up on shad schools. There are lots of ways to catch fish but these are the ones I count on this time of year in SE reservoirs.

It's late fall, but any time of year I see a sonar pic like Randall posted, I break out a jigging spoon! Nothing catches active fish grouped in one spot faster.

Those are nice! I think that's marbelizing, like is done on a rod. Not throw it?! If you aren't gonna fish it, it's just brick-a-brack.

I like to tie my own with a 3/4 oz egg sinker and barrel swivel. It allows the weight to sit in place while the line runs out when a fish bites, and the bass doesn't feel the weight until you set the hook. Not saying that matters most of the time, but if it gets 5% more fish, well, that's more fish.

Not sure how much patience you have, but deadsticking a Senko doesn't have to mean you sit there forever, IMO. Once the bait shimmies to the bottom, it's "bite me" dance is over. I give it 10 sec on the bottom, then lift it one time for a repeat. If no bite, I'm done. I also think wacky rigging can be lots more productive if cover permits because the bass don't see that often and wacky gives them a very different action with subtle twitches. It's still one of my favorite baits but I think the bass are becoming wary of them, like any bait. When first introduced, Senkos were bass catching machines. Now they're still good, but not so hot as before - JMHO.

Lowrance, Eagle and Humminbird (plus a few others) all use Navionics cards. The Navionics Hot Maps Premium series is the most popular for bass fishermen. They cost $150 each area, and you'd need 2. You can also buy H'bird units with comprehensive Navionics data pre-installed for a discount price. Hot Maps Premium includes quite a few popular lakes with "HD" 1 ft depth intervals. You can go to the Navionics site to see the lakes on each area card. The coverage is pretty comprehensive. The maps are updated yearly and you can trade in an old card for $100 if desired (no reason to unless they come out with more detailed maps of the specific lakes you fish). Now, there is also Hot Maps Explorer, a DVD of the lakes compiled by Fugawi. It sells for less than $50 but you have to pay a few bucks online to download really detailed depth maps of each lake (one is free with the DVD). Explorer allows you to "prospect" on your home computer and transfer waypoints back and forth to your GPS. I've used Garmin and like them but am wary of having a unit that can use only software sold by Garmin. I've been happy using Hot Maps with my Humminbird 987C. It's straightforward and easy to use.

If it's out of warranty, unscrew the back and put it in zip lock bag with some dry rice for a few days. The rice will absorb the moisture. A big cause of fogging is leaving sonars on the boat while stored outside between trips. The pressure changes caused by changes in temp, especially under a boat cover, eventually cause the seals to leak.

Fluoro is unaffected by UV rays and doesn't absorb water so lasts much longer than mono. I cut off a few feet after a trip to make sure there's no frayed line at the end, but other than that, I use it until the spool gets too low. If it gets too much spool memory, run it off the reel and stretch it, and it will respool like fresh line. If you're an Elite Pro and get it for free, change it every day!

Ben, I think what Marty said is a variation on the same way I make them. I bend the "L" in the wire before I put it in the lip so it fits tight against the bottom of the lip. Then I run the wire to the rear, put tension on it, and crimp it back over the top, into a slot I cut in the back of the lip. That way, the lip becomes an integrated package. In the lip slot, you need a groove for the wire in the bottom AND the top. I just push a 1/8" drill bit in a Dremel into the slot to form both grooves at one time. I like this method because you don't have to fiddle with the lip and the wire as separate assemblies when it's time to glue them in, and I feel the lip package is stronger than most alternatives. BTW - Nice paint!

You never know what effect adding anything to bait will have. It could hurt, it could help! On baits with high buoyancy, a little DN is usually not going to affect the performance. Might be a different story on a suspending jerkbait.

I build baits that catch fish but I don't build every type of bait in every depth/action/paint category so have to fill in my fishing arsenal with baits made by others. Some custom, some commercial. No shame in that! And the baits I buy from others teaches me a lot about how to build my own baits better, so it's a "Two-fer".

In my experience, P-Line, Seaguar, and BPS all work well. I'm sure the Trilene is good stuff but it's also very pricey. 12# is the size I use most often for worms, 20# for jigs.

I use frisket material too. It's a clear vinyl sheet with an adhesive backing and is peel-and-stick. It's soft enough to conform to the round sides of a bait. Buy it at an art supply store. I cut my stencil with an Xacto knife but then I never peel off the backing. That way, I can flip the stencil over and use it for both sides of the bait (dry the paint on it first!), and I can also save it for use on other baits.

Ditto. They last as long as you can keep water out of them. Once water gets in, the balsa expands and cracks the finish, no matter how strong. Then it's toast.

Nice one, Jon. If inspired by GF's makeup, I now know why you are ***** for purple.

Assuming your ProMax is a round reel and has the original gears, they are 5.3:1 You got a steal! I've bought ProMax's on Ebay and they go for 10X what you paid. They are superb reels with a lifetime warranty and Abu Garcia still stocks parts for them. The original cost was $169, in the late 60's-early 70's. Put Rocket Fuel in the spool bearings, install 2 black or 1 white brake block, loosen the cast control until the spool has a tiny bit of sideplay (i.e., all the way off) and it will cast lures or pitch jigs all day with nary an overrun. I have a bunch of new reels but the ProMax still casts better and fishes like a dream. You can change the gears to 6:1. I switch the handles on mine out for handles from a C3/4600. The bearings under the paddles on the ProMax tend to rust and bind. The simpler C3 handles are a good color match and work better, for a $5 investment. BTW, the spool bearings are 3x10x4 mm, same size as a Curado 200. BTW, the real 'little brother' of a 3600 is the ProMax 1600. Same reel, just 1/2" narrower. I'd call the Black Max 'poor brother' : Casts as well as the ProMax but not quite as smooth with fewer bearings. But its black finish holds up better than the flaky stuff they put on the Promax!

I crank with soft tipped graphite. It's more sensitive and doesn't require a change in my casting action like slow action glass does, and I'm more accurate with it. Having crankbait fish come unbuttoned is very rare so I figure if it ain't broke, don't screw with it. If you are frustrated by lost fish, glass is worth a try if you have eliminated other causes like bad hooksets, stretchy line, or dull trebles. It works for some guys, others not.

Actually, I hear Loctite bought Devcon. That's why you only see Loctite in Wally World now. If you're in Texas and want Devcon, check out texaswoodcarvers.com

You can save $$ building a rod on a high end blank vs buying a factory rod with that blank. As blanks get below $100, you begin to lose that advantage. But if you want a split grip, no foregrip, spiral wrapped rod, you either build it yourself or buy custom.

CXX is plenty strong but it has a relatively soft surface finish. I like a hard finish line for crankbaits, like XT or Izorline Premium because the line surface is slicker and it casts farther.

Definitely bubbles from your prop and transom edge ventilating as it gets up on plane. You want the Xducer away from the prop, 12-18" if you can get it. However, if you're happy with FF performance when on plane and at low speeds while scoping out areas, I wouldn't worry about it. After all, what do you need the FF for when getting up on plane? Now, we gotta get your sonar set up to best detect fish and structure. Step one - get rid of the fish symbols Turn down/off the noise filter, set sensitivity to 75-90% max and learn how to interpret the detailed data shown in raw form on your screen.

I store my boat outside and have used several brands over the years including BassPro and Cabelas. Most last 3 yrs before they begin failing (regardless of the "5 yr warranty!). The best brand I've found so far is the Attwood Road Max 600. It's heavy gauge polyester, heavily treated for water resistance, and has lasted 50% longer than the others I tried. Plus the price is reasonable. Be sure the one you get has the click-in strap buckles. They are easier and faster to use, and after you adjust them the first time, just click them closed and you're done.

I also have a 12' polyurethane Porta-bote (see the ad to the left!) outfitted it with a 6 hp motor it will do 20 mph. They have room for 2-3 people, are durable, very stable (you can stand to fish in calm water) and unsinkable. Weight for the 12' is about 80 lbs and it fits in the back of a pickup when assembled. Folded up, it's the size of a surf board. JMHO, you're going to be happier fishing from a 10+ ft boat and if you want true convenience, get an inexpensive trailer for it (cost $250-500). That way, you can transport it ready to fish and just dump it in the lake. Makes a big difference.

Crackle is fun but it can be hard to get both sides of the bait to crackle in similar patterns. For those who want to try it, get some acrylic crackle medium, comes in a bottle just like regular acrylic latex paint. The directions say to put on the medium and dry it. It usually works better to leave it wet and overspray it with your color, then dry them both with a hair dryer.

There are a lot of chemical makers, I think it will be a temporary problem. BTW, I use DN and spray a little Bloxygen finish preserver gas (mostly argon gas) in the jar after dipping lures. Bloxygen takes all the drama out of using and storing moisture cured polys like DN.