Fishes in trees

I have a mount of what used to be my personal best, a 7.5 largemouth I caught out of a local pond. I have a dozen fishing themed plates that my mother made at her ceramics class before she passed. There are a dozen or so fishing/outdoor themed water colors I've acquired over the years. I still have a working Billy Bass in my living room.

Back in olden times, I fished with several university professors, some of them were nearly as broke as I was. We had access to several places to fish where row boats were available. One of my professor buddies had a hand crank trolling motor. The prop was maybe a foot in diameter. The gizmo was metal and mounted to the transom using a bracket just like and electric trolling motor. There was a 2' long or so shaft with worm gears on either end. The idea was that you would pump the lever up and down and the prop would turn. If you started the action with a downward pump, the prop would turn forward, starting the pump with an upswing would reverse the prop. I remember that it didn't work worth a darn when we were near vegetation, as a matter of fact you had to lift it out of the water, and the bracket allowed for that. But when you were in open water, going from one end of the lake to the other, it was faster and easier than rowing. Does a device like this ring a bell with anyone? I believe the original device was acquired in Wisconsin, but that was many years ago. I remember seeing a back page ad in one of those outdoor magazines, Field & Stream or Outdoor Life, but I've had no luck searching. I know I'm not imagining it, my question is has any one else seen one or know where one can be acquired?

I fish reservoirs with quite a bit of timber, both obvious standing timber and less obvious totally immersed timber. The advice of fishing trees on structure rather than just randomly is a good idea - for the most part. I've had days when that part of the puzzle didn't seem applicable. Sometimes proximity to routes that schooling bait fish take trumps structure. Don't know exactly why, but sometimes it does. Trees that are isolated in some fashion generally offer a better opportunity for success. Try to pay attention to what kind of tree - a hardwood or a cedar or a rotting softer cottonwood (perhaps the lowest percentage of the 3) Back to the isolation idea - a lone cedar amongst a bunch of hardwoods or visa versa. As far as baits go, I've found that a wacky rigged senko to be a better timber bait than a jig & pig as long as you've got the patience to let it fall uninterrupted. On those days when I didn't have the patience to wait, a 10" worm with a 1/4 of 5/16 oz weight worked better than a jig & pig. I admit I don't experiment much with lighter jigs (less than 3/8) very much anymore. I think that the "sweet spot" when fishing timber is that major horizontal branch that is located 5 to 8 feet down, assuming that it is in a shade pocket. I think that immediately under these style branches is where the better fish hang, when they are in the trees. My goal is to drop the bait past them, in the light immediately next to the shade pocket. Another option is to throw cranks. Bubba up the crank bait line, go from say 10 lb to 14 or 17 and throw a DC16 Timber Tiger into the crown of the sunken tree and bring it out. In standing timber or sunken timber, these baits don't get hung very often. The heavier line is more abrasion resistant and I think that 10' or so is a deep as you need to get when cranking trees. If they are locating deeper than that they will feel the crank and if they want it they will go get it. I've had big fish, 20" or so strike right at the boat after I've pulled the bait through the crown of a sunken tree 10' deep. Comparable to your jig & pig, cranking trees is often not a high percentage presentation, but occasional big fish to happen, at least for me. There you go, that's my current thinking on fishing trees

I'm pretty sure that plan will work. After the line transfer, if I got the chance to drag the line behind a boat, and let all the curls and twists spin out of it, I would do it. If you decide to do that, pay enough attention that you don't get the line tangled in the prop. That is a mess when that happens, a classic case of operator error

Back when I had a boat similar to yours (a 10' Water Buster) I replaced the Minn Kota 65 that it came with and upgraded to a Maxxum 55. I presume that you are wanting to stay at 12 volts, so get the biggest one readily available. Go with variable speed, that is a very handy function. The 2014 BPS Master catalog doesn't show a Maxxum transom trolling motor, but on page 463 does show and Endura Max which has all the features you are looking for. A couple of pages back there is the BPS brand 55 lb thrust trolling motor, with 5 speeds and it is a little less. As long as the one you got is working, I wouldn't see it as a major priority, but when you get spare money, it is a neat upgrade. You will be amazed how much your top speed will improve and you will be able to crawl at any speed you want to.

I use two basic retrieves with spinnerbaits. One - the slow roll, where I'm trying to keep it a little off the bottom, bumping into stuff and the bottom, not all the time but pretty often. Secondly, a little more subsurface retrieve. I want to keep it moving. I'm not burning it, but I'm not going real slow either. Depth seems to be the primary component of this retrieve. If I can see the spinnerbait real well during the retrieve, I'm too shallow. If I can't see it at all, I'm too deep. A perfect cast, I catch a glimpse of the blades every 10 to 12 feet or so. As I get closer to the boat and the bait gets easier to see, I slow it down a little or drop my rod tip some to try to keep it at the correct depth. Honestly, over the past few years, I've used a spinnebait less and less. Now it is the bait I choose when the cover is a little too gnarly to work a square bill through, and if you use Timber Tigers, the cover has to be really gnarly before you can't get that bait through it. I have very little experience fishing spinnerbaits deep, trying to slow roll in deeper than 6 feet of water or so. That's something that is on my list to work on, but it seldom gets done.

There are several facts in play here. Fact #1 - somebody owns the land. Fact #2 - It is a relatively easy process to find out who owns the land, for the most part all it takes is time - either on the computer or a trip to the county courthouse. At my courthouse, there is a large map of the whole county with the most recent listing of who owns what parcel of land. Fact #3 - Often it is easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission. Fact #4 - You're a grown man, according to your personal information you're 49 years old. That is old enough to know the difference between right and wrong and what is accepted practice in the neighborhood where you live. My advice to you would be the same that the Cricket gave Pinocchio. i.e. "Let your conscience be your guide."

These are such handy devices I just figured every serious fisherman had one. I have two, because it is easier than you think to lose the clamps that fit on the spool rod. Once I got a second model, then the clamps magically appeared on the floor of my fishing shed. Now I have a spool rod set for filler spools and a spool rod set for service spools.

Back when the buzz bait craze first started - late 70's where I was living at the time - I acquired an original Lunker Lure Buzz bait. I used it for years and in certain situations it worked great. It is gone now and I don't know what happened to it - probably lost it in action but I don't know that. Now I own lots of different brands of buzz baits and they all work about the same. That being said, I don't catch a lot of fish on a buzz bait, conditions for them don't happen all that often on the lakes that I fish. Thanks for reminding me about the Cavitron. I do own one and next time I think a buzz bait might work I will tie on that one and see what happens. For me, every time the fish are in the 4 to 7 foot grass and you think a buzz bait might work, swimming a worm through the grass seems to work much better for me.

Wider is better. If you're going to deck out a 14' 32" wide boat, you are probably going to have stability issues. Tinboats.net has lots of information on this subject as well as lots of pictures. There are guys on that site who have done what you're thinking about doing and report few issues. I wonder if they had an issues if they'd write anything. I'm in my 60's and I've been pretty clumsy all my life. It wouldn't be smart for me to stand up in a boat that narrow for any length of time, and I'm sure that clouds my attitude about it. I say do your research and then do what fits your budget. If you end up with a foot control trolling motor and a chair up front, that isn't the end of the world. In my last boat, I learned how to pitch setting down, it isn't that hard, but it is a different technique than stand up pitching. Also, learn how to do one of those Jimmy Houston style side arm roll casts, a very handy cast to know if you fish setting down very much.

I understand that having the box makes an item more "complete" and if you're a collector that is how you want it, in a perfect world. I was at an old fishing tackle swap meet once and there was a guy selling just old boxes of different fishing tackle and related gear. I thought that was weird. However, I have seen and done dumber stuff, therefore ever since then I've taken all the lure boxes and packaging, reel boxes, depth finder boxes and so forth and kept them in totes. I believe that I have 5 or 6 totes full of that old stuff now. I've got plenty of room in my tackle shed, so storage isn't a problem, maybe when I hit my 80's I"ll bust that stuff out and see what it is worth - or I'll have material for a bonfire - who knows?

That is a different interpretation of the old In-fisherman seasonal patterns concept. In-fisherman presented a similar concept in a more linear fashion, and in much more detail. Also, it seems to me that in In-fisherman concept defined 10 seasonal patterns, whereas that wheel only has 9 by my count. Why do the patterns go counter-clockwise? It made it difficult to read, for me.

What is this special color and why is it so secret that you can't describe it? I would point out that it hasn't caught a fish for you yet.

The tip about replacing the rubber band with a tiny zip tie or wire is a good one. I do that quite a bit. The local fishing tackle store that I go to too much, Rogers Lures in Liberty, MO, carries a good selection of War Eagle and Terminator replacement skirts. I like the War Eagle colors. They carry some of the Do it skirts also, but I haven't tried any of them, for spinnerbaits. Now, jig skirts, once I tear up a jig skirt that jig goes into the used jig box. There are a lot of entires in the jig box. Some day I figure I'll get into making skirts but until then, I just have a large box of used bare jigs.

Go to Michaels or any other sewing store, Walmart might have it and ask for a needle threader. It is a handy tool. If you sometimes have issues with the tiny micro guides that are on some rods that tool helps with that issue as well..

You could get the larger ones to 12 feet or so on 10 lb line, the smaller sizes maybe 8. I've still got a bunch of those cranks. The issue for me was getting them to run straight. they required much tuning and the tuning didn't stick. Currently all those baits are sealed in a plastic shoe box. They are "collectors editions" now. All I got to do is wait another 40 years or so and they will become valuable. An exception to these baits is the Frenzy trap style bait. That bait for a few years now has been my first choice for rattle type baits.

Whether a piece of gear is "sponsored" or not never figures into my decision to get it or not. The questions I ask are: Does it fits niche in my arsenal of gear? Do I think it will catch me a fish? Who sponsors and who pimps what doesn't ever enter into the decision making process. That being said, I liked the paddle tail worms that Ike developed for Manns several years ago. I don't have many left.

I don't own any rods over $200, so I am ignorant and can't speak to the qualities of rods over this price point. However, last year I got a Fenwick AETOS 7'2" MH and that has become my favorite soft plastic/jig rod. It can easily handle quarter ounce jig worms and 16 to 21 gram jika rigs (weight before adding plastic) I really like the rubberized cork handle.

Depending on where you're going, you might want to consider just bringing money, buying a couple of rigs to fish with while you're there and then shipping them home when you're done. If you're fishing with buds, they ought to have enough terminal tackle & soft plastics to cover you for a few days. Call ahead, maybe your buds can spot you a rod & reel or two, or three, depending. . …. Carrying your own stuff through the airlines without a LOT of planning seems like a pain.

Good luck. Here's my suggestion. A few guys - bank bound - restricted to public waters = a change in species & approach. I'd rig up for catfish and go to Smithville, fish one of the main lake points that you can walk to. Over the past few years there have been a few threads about how to gain access to private fisheries. The gist of these threads involve first locating a given body of water, through word of mouth, Google, whatever. Find out who owns it - this generally involves a trip to the courthouse, not always though. Then use whatever people skills you got to get permission to fish. In my experiences, the best private fishing spots generally belong to rich people, who for the most part don't care that you don't have a good place to go fishing. You have to be creative talking to these people. Back when I was bank bound - mid 70's through mid 80's, I had lots of different places to go fishing. Gaining access to each place was a different and unique negotiation. It always started with a recommendation from a friend of a friend of a friend. I had very little luck with cold calls.

Right now, IMO thats as good as you are going to get, considering the unit and whatnot. When you upgrade is a function of when you've got the disposable income to commit to the project. When you do, I'd sternly recommend the alumaducer as part of the upgrade package. If you fish in waters where smashing up transducers isn't much of an issue, then disregard this post.

On an aluminum boat, nearly any transducer will stop tracking as you get up to speed and on plane. This is a function of mounting the transducer outside of the hull. You will read lots of stuff about mounting the transducer where there is a "smooth flow" and stuff like that. No matter what, it might or might not read for a while, then you catch a wake and you might or might not lose signal. It is a hard thing to stay on top of. If it is reading on the console while you are idling, that is about the best you can hope for. That is the speed you are going at when you are looking for offshore stuff anyway. Have a couple of marker buoys ready to toss if you see anything interesting. The thing that you should be more concerned about with your external transducer mounting is that if you fish around timber and stumps for any amount of time, sooner or later you are going to smash up your transducer. Most of the time, you only tear up the bracket, every so often you tear up the transducer or rip it free from the wires. I've go an aluminum boat, and after I had torn up half a dozen brackets and a couple of transducers, I found out about a product from Vexilar called the alumaducer. I've had mine for 5 years now. I get about the same results running at speed that I did from external mounted transducers, i.e. sometimes it works and often it doesn't. Putting around, looking for structure at no-wake speeds it works well, just like an external transducer will. Where it works best is that while I'm fishing around trees & stumps, which I do most of the time, I haven't torn up a bracket or a transducer. That makes it well worth the money to me. You can get adaptor cables for nearly any brand of depth finder. Check it out and see if it is the solution for you.

If you try not to think about how much money you spend on soft plastics, you will be better off. What I'd recommend is that every time you get down to the last few baits of any given kind of soft plastic, make a note of it. Then when you get into a tackle store, get 3 bags of whatever you are short of. Do this for a dozen years or so and over time you will accumulate a decent assortment of soft plastic. Also, your investment in each individual bait becomes less, a small portion of your entire stash of baits, so you don't get bent when you tear one up. Don't ever buy just one bag of any given color or shape, that will guarantee that the bait will catch fish and you will run out of it at an inopportune time. For instance, I wish I would have bought more 8" power bait lizards when they were available, they are discontinued now. I wish I would have bought more Berkley powerhawg creature baits in the green pumpkin/copper flake color. That color is discontinued now. Those are two of dozens of examples I could recite. Back to the point, none of these dilemmas would have happened had I been concerned about how much money I was spending on soft plastics. My advice is don't worry about the cost of soft plastics. Use them as necessary. They will make more, most of the time.

How much room do you have? How yo organize your jigs is directly related to how much storage you've got, both on your boat and in your fishing shed. I separate mine by brand, weight, skirted or not, purpose (finesse or whatnot). I carry 7 different boxes of jig heads, football, tx style shaky heads, spring style shaky heads, brush jigs, tx style brush jigs. It goes without saying that there is some overlap between styles and as you are putting stuff away at the end of the day, stuff gets put in wrong boxes quite a bit. I carry a box of "ready rigs" jig, skirt & trailer already attached for specific situations that I run into from time to time. I think that any jig storage solution in inherently arbitrary and every storage solution has flaws. After you fish with it for a while, those flaws become apparent. So, I've pretty much given up trying to be hyper organized as far as jigs go. To add to the dilemma, over the last year or so, I've gotten into jika rigs, which allow you to present any soft plastic as a jig, kinda. Basically I think that any jig storage solution is a compromise, I hope you find one that works for you.

I understand "don't over think stuff" I also understand that by restricting yourself, focusing only on the basics, an important piece of the puzzle can get overlooked. You can never be totally cognizant of all the different factors in play at any specific fishing moment. You can make an effort to be conscious of the "big picture" while you are fishing. While I definitely think that over thinking stuff is possible, I truly believe that under thinking stuff can turn into an intellectual tar baby. I think that it easy to get stuck on keeping it simple. That is one of the reasons that I generally go fishing with10 to 20 rigs, rigged up and ready to fish. It is also one of the reasons that I fish alone most of the time.