Fishes in trees

You got options. A different buzz bait, waking a spinnerbait, popper, sammy type bait are among your options. Me, I don't throw top waters very much, primarily because I think that if there is a top water bite going on, there is probably a better sub-surface bite happening, You've just got to figure out the trigger. Perhaps a Minus-1, or one of the older Strike King King Shads (a jointed 4" bait that comes either as a wake bait or a very shallow diver) Depending on what the area you're fishing is like, a square bill or a diving crank is an option. You live in Kansas, a Ned rig is almost never out of place in Kansas. If lots of blow ups are happening, sitting in the back of the boat, ready, with a wacky rigged senko isn't a bad idea either. What is the weather supposed to be like? Lots of guys like to throw buzz baits in the fall, just be mindful that some days in the fall that don't work at all. I wouldn't get married to the idea of throwing a buzz bait all day.

I fished Hazel Hill once, 8 or so years ago. I went during the middle of the week, there were 7 or 8 other boats on the lake. I didn't do very well. I got the impression that being so close to Warrensburg that the lake gets hammered pretty regularly. I thought that 8 boats at 10 o'clock in the middle of the week were a lot of boats. I never went back. If I'm driving in that direction, Maple Leaf in Higginsville is closer to me and used to be a decent lake, I haven't fished in in 5 years or so, I'm not dialed in on current conditions there. Go another 40 minutes south and I'm at Truman, so those are my choices if I"m driving south from my house. If you're going during your lunch hour, you might be fishing the available areas as well as possible.

I don't like launching the boat in the rain, but if I'm already out I'll keep fishing. I've been out in rain so heavy that navigation was difficult, couldn't see very well. In that case I tied up to a tree and waited it out. I never leave the launch area without the rain suit in the boat, spring & fall - Cabelas Guide Wear, summertime I find that Frogg Toggs are sufficient.

When I fished BFL's as a co-angler I found it fairly easy to snag a ride in the days leading up to the event. Generally it was a guy staying at the same motel I was. All those guys had seen me around, etc. I generally stayed in touch with all the different guys I snagged a ride with and drew as a co-angler and over time it became easier to get on the water prior to a tournament, for pre-fishing and just getting out on different bodies of water. I would point out that I wasn't young when I was doing this - I was in my mid-40's to early 50's, so I looked pretty harmless. I don't know about snagging rides outside of a tournament situation. Good luck with that. I know that if you are personable and polite, people will often want to help you. When I was in college, I went fishing with several of my professors, eventually ending up with professors who weren't anywhere near my major, we just liked to fish together.

Basically no. It is the classic dichotomy of need versus want. Do I need any more stuff? - no Do I want any more stuff? - yes. And there you have it. I'm pretty sure I will upgrade rigs from time to time until I die.

What do the local guys in your area use? That's where I'd start. Your info says your favorite lake is Telico lake. I don't know anything about that lake. Is it a highland or lowland type reservoir? Connected to a river system? Clearish or more stained water color? I know in the lakes that I fish, at some point in the fall fish move shallow for a while, the conservation lake that I normally fish is smaller than many coves on LOZ or Truman. In the lakes that I fish moving to shallower areas and throwing square bills or spinnerbaits to cover water and/or throwing soft plastics at objects isn't a bad plan - but it isn't a fine tuned plan either. Try to check out and see what the other guys in your neighborhood are doing and go from there.

I'd echo what's been said earlier. Those reels are ok for throwing lures, but they would be great for cat fishing and other fishing applications as well. If for a couple of hundred dollars you could get 4 or 5 cat fishing set ups, that would be a good deal. Later on, you could pair them with some better catfish rods. It seems like a reasonable long term investment in fishing gear to me. Are all the reels as clean as the one in the picture?

I tie 15 or 20 lb fluorocarbon leader to 14 lb. Fireline and that knot has lasted for weeks and weeks. I've used the back to back uni knot because I didn't know how to tie any other knot. It works ok. I've got to check out the alberto knot.

I've looked at this post a few times and now I can't shut up. To the original poster - please - you've posted a half a dozen times and now you're going to lecture the masses about how & when to change your line. Really?? The bottom line is you change your line when you (a) - got to . . . . ( - need to . . . . © - feel like it. If you're fishing dingy water with fluorocarbon and after a while you feel like you've got to change your line - that's on you. I change my line whenever - based on the conditions that I fish in - and that's my decision based on current conditions and current budgets.. If you feel you've got to lecture someone on when & where to change line - well, maybe someone else will listen. JMO

As you spend a little more for bait casters, there are quality differences. My advice would be to spend the extra money, get a Calcutta or a current model Curado or a Chronarch or a Calais (I don't have a lot of experience with the upper end Shimano's, except to say that my Calais is 10 years old and it still works like new, maybe better because it is broke in now) I can't speak to the upper end models of other reel lines, because I don't have any. Of the Shimano reeks I mentioned, many of mine are more than 10 years old and use quite a bit and you can't wear them out, assuming normal use. JMO on bait casting reels.

I tend to take a "junk fishing" approach so for me, most of the time, changing baits is just a matter of picking up a different rod. My lakes are a little different than Franco's so my start up arsenal is a little different. Going from memory here's what I generally start with when fishing by myself. (With another guy in the boat, I will cut back somewhat so that there is some room for his gear in the boat) Finesse Drop Shot rig Bubba drop shot rig spinner bait rig chatter bait rig square bill rig deeper diver rig (sometimes this is a bait caster and some times a spinning rod, I got both) A couple of jika rigs - one with heavier line than the other tx rig stick bait rig (a spinning rod with braid) wacky senko rig (a bait caster) lipless crank rig a couple of bait casters with a jig/soft plastic combo that varies quite a bit. One will have heavier line than the other A frog rod a popper rod. a buzz bait rod I keep a ned rig in the boat but I don't fish with it very often. This is where I start. Now as far as changing baits on any different rod, I change whenever I think there might be a better option. For instance on the spinner bait rod I generally start off with a pretty generic single colorado half ounce spinnerbait. I might switch to a tandem blade or a different color, or I might put a spinnerbait on the chatter bait rod. I might put a wake bait on either the chatter bait rod or the popper rod, they each have different weight lines and whichever I think is most appropriate at that moment is the one I'll go with. The Frog rod is a 7'9" Heavy action Fenwich Aetos, which can also double as an A rig rod. The jika rigs and the wacky senko rig can all double as jig rods if that is what is necessary So there is some versatility built into this system. What I like most about my current system is that it offers a choice of instantly available options. What I don't like about it is that there isn't in infinite variety of options. That would require a bigger boat, which would require a larger tow vehicle, which would require a larger barn for storage and none of that can I afford right now. So I compromise - everyone has their lower case "t" to bear. So there you got it - my current opinions on how & when to change baits.

To start with, there is nothing that says you can't get a small file and reshape the keeper barb any way that you want. I've tried numerous shaky head designs both screw on and with keepers on the jig head and/or hook shaft and apparently I don't have a favorite because nearly every time I see a different style of shaky head, I buy some. The Chompers wedge head (which has a spring on the head) seems to come through most cover pretty well. Chompers jigs come in sizes from 1/16 all the way up to 1/2 oz, in various different hook configurations. I use the 3/8 size quite a bit to throw shaky worms on bait casting gear. Every time I go down to Table Rock, there is a brand of round head jigs that seem to be in every tackle store in the region - Hazy Daze jig heads - a ball head style with a keeper spring. I have some Bagley shaky heads which are a kind of ball head style with a cone shaped keeper molded on the hook shaft. There are lots of other different brands in my box that I can't recall right now. Over the past few months my most productive jig head has been several different styles of the Charlie Brewer Slider head, both in the original and pro models. The difference is that the pro models have a stronger hook than the originals do. These are all tx rig style jig heads. I use the 1/4 oz spider slider pro head the most, but I also use the weedless original slider quite a bit. Both of these heads have the hook coming out of the nose of the jig, not angled in any way. The spider slider had a bullet style of jig head, which the original weedless model has a bullet head, that is somewhat flatter. The original weedless slider had a fairly light hook, but I have pulled 4 and 5 pound fish out of cover using this hook - recently. So - anyway - you have lots of options as far as shaky head jig styles go. My current favorites are the Charlie Brewer ones - go to their web site to see all the different styles of bass jigs available and some of them might work for where you fish.

My opinion is that a pond boat with molded seats would be more comfortable to fish out of all day than that boat would be. There isn't any doubt that that boat is fishable. I presume that it has oar locks, so that is two different power sources when paired with an electric trolling motor. That is good. Me, if I could I would spend a few more dollars and get a pond boat with seats, that would be more comfortable. Get a long canoe paddle as a secondary power source and pray you never had to use it. If I was in that boat, I can see myself setting down, fishing, twist a little bit to make a cast and all of a sudden back issues arise, and that is why I'm not fond of that boat. My two cents . . . .

In fishing matters pertaining to technique or strategy, I don't count on BPS or Cabelas employees to be much help. In matters of inventory, I kind of expect them to know what they've got and where it is. I mean, they walk past all that stuff all the time, over time, how could they not get a knowledge of what is where, unless they really don't care. For instance, when I go into BPS and say, " I'm experimenting, trying to create a strike indicator for my Bubba drop shot rig. Where are your tiny foam floats?" I don't expect them to know what a strike indicator or a bubba drop shot rig is. I do expect them to know where their tiny foam floats are. In the clothes departments, I do expect them to know what is and what ain't correct fit. I do expect them to know what waist size in inches corresponds to large, extra large, etc. I do know that number is different for different manufacturers. Taking measurements isn't hard. I do expect them to have a tape measure handy and know how to use it.. Maybe I'm just an unreasonable geezer, I don't know. I know years ago when I worked in a hardware store, I knew the difference between common and uncommon o-ring sizes. I knew the difference between coarse and fine thread on bolts & nuts. I knew where the dozens of different chemicals were located on the paint and maintenance and lawn & garden aisles. I knew the difference between pesticide and herbicide. Just saying, I knew the environment I worked in. I don't think that is asking too much, even from a slightly above minimum wage worker. I guess I am a geezer, I just re-read my post and it kind of turned into a rant. Sorry, but not sorry enough to change anything or delete it.

I've tried all these methods. They all work. Spool connected to a drill works fastest. The trick is to have the right spare used line spool, a wide deep one works best. Connect it to the drill securely. I got a 1/4 " diameter, 12" long drill bit extender. Find a way to secure the spare spool onto the shaft. Duct tape works. I found that some metal rings with a set screw works better - a little slip starting up is ok and doesn't hurt anything. Once you starts the line transfer from the reel to the spare spool, don't stop. Backlashes and issues are most likely to happen when you try to stop in the middle of the transfer. Lock the reel down to something solid. I use the reel seat on my Berkley spooling station. Hose clamps, a small piece of 2 x 4 clamped into my shop vise work also. Transferring from the spare spool to the different reel, I use my Berkley line spooling station.

I have more issues fishing with someone else in the boat than I do fishing by myself. I have an 18' aluminum boat, but it balances different with another person on the rear deck. When I'm fishing with a passenger, I try to make an effort to see that they have lanes to cast to, etc. I try not to be a jerk and not back boat them. Sometimes I get tunnel vision and forget about that. A passenger means that you have to carry extra beer, water and snacks. On a positive note, a passenger means that you have someone else to hand you beer, water and snacks. I have a good fishing buddy, but we have distinctly different fishing styles that don't really complement each other very well. When I'm locked in on a square bill bite, I'm not big on dawdling, throwing worms at objects. When I'm trying to find fish on a deep weed line ledge, the guy in the back trying to throw spinnerbaits can be distracting. Just a couple of examples. Many times, we've went fishing with each taking our own boat. We have walkie talkies and we can carry on a conversation with each other no matter where we are, relative to each other on the lake. It is a good compromise. Sometimes when discussion serious life issues, it is best to have that conversation over walkie talkies rather than face to face.

The fish are shallow . . . or deep . . . or somewhere in-between. This is an old Buck Perry quote. What it means to me, pertaining to the fall, is that I start looking where I found them last time, then find them or don't. If I do, try to replicate the pattern on other areas of the lake. If I don't, fish the next most logical place, and so forth In the lakes I fish the most, there are almost always going to be fish 10 to 12 feet down, on shelves where the tree/brush line meets the grass line or bare bottom, depending on where in the lake. Brush to grass transitions, seem to be more bait fish oriented feeders to me. Brush to sparse bottom seem to be more crawdad feeders. At some point in the fall the fish seem to move shallow in the fall, in lakes with shad, that's what they are doing, following shad. In lakes without shad, maybe they are just hanging out in the slightly warmer water, chasing targets of opportunity, mostly various minnows & bait fish. I don't know exactly, I know thats a few places where I seem to find them year in and year out. I am also pretty sure that if you find a ledge 8 to 15 feet down that is home to crawdads, some fish are going to be hanging out there all the time, maybe not very active, but they are there. Your favorite lake is Lake Quivera, that is a private lake I haven't had to opportunity to fish, and its in Kansas, so I haven't bothered to buy a non-resident license. I have seen it a few times. I'm not nearly as into trespassing on private subdivision lakes as I was in my youth. My first guess is that every dock has brush planted around it somewhere, so find the brush. There is probably both deep & shallow brush depending on which dock and where it is. I might also look shallow and try to find a spinnerbait or maybe a buzz bait or chatter bait bite. That should give you some places to start.

If you want to throw cranks with spinning gear, a medium power/medium action Ugly Stick isn't a bad way to go. It is heavy. A larger sized spinning reel will work better than a smaller size one. For around $50, you can get a 7'medium action Lightning Rod at WalMart, or go with a MH if you want to. That would be a little lighter. I know for younger guys, weight of a rod & reel isn't much of an issue. I'm a little older and now it is. Every rig is a compromise though, so use your best judgement and go with it.

Son, between your stream of consciousness phrasing and your intermittent capitalization and punctuation, your posts are a challenge to follow. Just saying .. . .

Update: in one of my boxes of seldom used stuff, I found a worm blower. This is a little plastic bottle with a needle originally designed to inflate night crawlers. Anyway, I' going to experiment with putting little bubbles of air in the tails of different plastic worms and see what happens.

In olden times when I fished out of a borrowed row boat, with a Minn Kota 65 for positioning I often drifted. Figure out the direction of the wind, go upwind and let it blow you past your structure. It makes you think a lot about positioning your baits because you often only get one cast and then you drift past. Too good a cast and you hang up and your drift is spoiled. Back to the point of this thread, I often deployed a drift anchor. I had a set of 9 or 10 window weights and I could add or subtract one or two and just drag behind the boat to slow the drift. I never did get it hung up so bad that I couldn't get it back. Use heavy rope. 3/8 minimum, half inch is better, it is easier to handle in colder water. If you are messing with the drift anchor a lot, wear gloves. The boat I fished out of at the time had several tie off points. If you are fishing out of a pond boat, like a Water Scamp or a Bass Buggy, finding a tie off point could get problematic. I guess you would use one of the handles on the side of the boat. Bottom line, like Jimmy Houston says, "The wind is your friend." Sometimes fishing in it is a pain. We all have friends that are a pain sometimes. There is a learning curve to dealing with wind, most days though I have found that the wind is a part of the pattern. Changing the subject slightly, one time at an in store promotion, pro fisherman Dion Hibdon (son of Guido) told me that he always carried a wind sock in his bass boat and that functions similar to a drift anchor. He went on to say that he used it more on practice days than on tournament days, but he always had one in his boat. Furthermore, now that he had 36 volt trolling motors and better batteries it often wasn't his first choice. For your situation, I'd rig up some kind of drift anchor to try to slow down your drifts as you go by your targets. Use your trolling motor to position yourself upwind and then drift, saving your batteries somewhat.

Try to pay attention and avoid the stuff. If you make an error and get exposed, get clean asap. Keep a full bottle of Technu or Ivarest next to the shower and use most if not all of it. I keep a couple of bottles in my travel gear as well, because I got it once changing a tire on a fishing trip. Benadryl gel works ok at stopping the itch, other products do too. Be proactive and have all that stuff around, and replace it after you've used it so that you always have plenty. If you have to go buy some after you are exposed it is probably too late. I've never had to go to the doctor about that, but I have had friends and relatives that had to. Another little tip, if you are burning brush that has poison ivy in it, be mindful to stand upwind. Just saying . . .

I am presuming that more than a few of us have read the July/August Bassmaster magazine. In the article about why Terry Scroggins is a better big worm fisherman than you they describe his approach to how & why & where he fishes 10" worms. The article mentions that the worm has to float, so as to stand the tail vertically off the bottom. The article doesn't specifically mention which brand of worm is used. My question becomes which brand of 10" worm is best for this application. Berkley power worm? Zoom worms? I don't know. This article has got me rethinking how & where I throw the 10" worms and I want to throw one that meets the criteria set forth in the article. Opinions please.

I have an 18' Lowe aluminum boat and I frequently fish in areas that get unexpectedly shallow. When it is too shallow or gnarly for the trolling motor, the push pole becomes a necessary piece of equipment. I've always carried one, dating back to the times when I fished out of a 10' pond boat. I'm surprised more guys don't.

More on the subject of cranking trees, I wouldn't recommend a square bill for cranking trees mostly because it doesn't get deep enough. I recommend a Timber Tiger DC 16 or DC 13. These are designed to dive 16 and 13 feet respectively on 10 lb line. OK, fishing 10 lb line in trees can become problematic, although allegedly Berkley is reintroducing the Iron Silk line, which is very abrasion resistant, probably the best cranking line made IMO once you learn its quirks. Boost your line test up to 14 or 17 and you can still get a DC16 down to 10 feet. I don't know any square bill that gets down that far. You have to fish the Timber Tigers for a while to realize how well they go through wood. You might wedge one in a branch from time to time, which is pretty easy to retrieve. They very seldom get hook hung, which is much more difficult to retrieve. Regarding fishing the 10" worm in trees, the Berkley Power worm is pretty much the standard on Truman Lake. Research fishing patterns on Truman Lake (which is basically a flooded river valley/forrest) and you'll find lots of opinions of when & how to fish worms in trees. Me, I generally let them drop all the way to the bottom, as long as it isn't any deeper than 20' and my electronics don't show a drastic thermocline. On the bottom, I might hop it a few times, I might dead stick it, but not for long. The vast majority of hits I get worming trees are on the drop and for the most part they are pretty subtle. Hope this helps. Fishing trees & timber is seldom a numbers thing for me, it is more of a bigger fish thing. Guys who are really good at fishing soft plastics in trees catch a lot more fish than I do. Me, I kind of know what to do, and I have the correct gear for the most part, but I don't consider myself "expert" and it isn't my favorite technique. Just ask if you think I can help any more.