Fishes in trees

In olden times, when I had my little 10' Water Buster, I bumped into what I thought was a floating log on Grindstone Reservoir, near Cameron, MO. A head came up and a beast of similar sized looked at me and seemed to say, "If you leave right now, I won't mess with you." I left the area as fast as my 50 lb thrust electric trolling motor would take me.

Basically, what is your pants inseam? That measurement is a good place to start. Get an adjustable post because you will want to vary your leaning position from time to time during the day.

Don't lie to yourself or the bait monkey. It's demeaning to both of you. As long as you have a VISA or MASTERCARD in your pocket, you can buy baits between paychecks. This I know.

4 or 5 inch Chompers, green pumpkin color, 1/4 or 3/8 oz shaky head, spinning gear, 8 lb fluorocarbon line. That is where I'd start. If it is really rocky, I'd probably use a football style jig head. Option #B would be a Brewer slider head, 1/4 oz, on 6 lb test. In the words of Charlie Brewer, "polish the rocks"

I don't know how to patch gore-tex. Call up gore-tex and see what they say. If it is just a minor slice on the knee, I probably wouldn't worry about it. The worse thing that could happen is that you knee might get a little wet. I'd be tempted to go all Red Green on this issue and patch it with duct tape. If the bibs were really dirty, I'd wait until after they were cleaned before I patch them.

I haven't had any issues with them and they come in some colors that you can't find in any other brand. I like the Ozark Smoke color. I generally fish in waters that have a 3 1/2 foot or better secchi disc reading. I generally use chatter baits interchangeably with spinner baits. They aren't my favorite. My current favorite is a Gambler branded bait. It is tied on a football jig head, has a brush guard, and comes in a kind of bluegill color. These were discontinued at Rogers a couple of years ago, and I have 2 left.

12 years ago, when my boat was new, I got an adjustable pro pole that has worked great for me. Spring lock, I think - not sure. I bought mine at a marine supply store, and I happened to have my boat with me. The sales person informed me that there were several different brands of posts and, walked out to my boat and then gave me the right one. Have you tried contacting your boat's manufacturer and getting their supplier? That is where I'd start. I would point out that "cheapest" and "most durable" seldom play in the same neighborhood, so which do you want?

That's not a bad reel, I wouldn't ditch it. You might want to fix the tip on that rod. I'd suggest fix the rod, have it for a back up and go to Walmart and spend roughly $40 on a Berkley Lightning Rod. in a similar weight and action.

In olden times, I had one of those reels and I never did get any good at using it. Couldn't get any distance and when I tried back lashes would happen. I think that reel soured me on bait casters for a couple of years. It wasn't until the mid 80's, when I got a Shimano with magnetic brakes, that I finally got the hang of using a bait caster. I had some buddies who also owned the same reel. They liked theirs. I would complain about mine. They would pick up my reel, minutely adjust the cast control to their liking, fire off a few casts with no backlashes and hand it back to me - "There's nothing wrong with this reel. . ." I ended up trading that reel and an 80's era Diawa flipping stick for a couple bags of glaucoma preventative medicine. I hope your experiences with that reel work out better than mine did.

I have a few of the BPS Extreme 7'4" medium action rods. They were originally marketed as a Woo Davis Special. At one seminar I went to , he recommended this particular rod for all lighter pitching activities. I bought one and tried it for pitching - didn't like it - too "tippy" for me. Later on - one or two seasons later - who remembers - I decided to use that rod for throwing square bills. I think that rod is a great square bill rod. It has enough tip that you can get good distance using a Jimmy Houston type roll cast and enough backbone that should you get bit you can lean on that fish a lot. Originally, I didn't think much of the handle, but now I've modified the handles quite a bit using a couple of rolls of bicycle handlebar tape and now they fit my hand great

I wouldn't store rods with a curve in them, just wouldn't, that's all I'm saying. If they develop a curve while resting in your truck rod holder, you might want to consider 2 piece rods. You really don't lose much sensitivity or strength using 2 piece rods.

Sorry it took me a while to get back to you. Tri-State Trolling Motors in Hazelwood is where I got my alumaducer installed and I live outside of KCMO. They were the only people I could find who (a) knew what an alumaducer was and ( had installed several of them.

Other than when I am using an in-line spinner (which isn't often) or a carolina rig (even less often) I am not a big fan of snap swivels. It think that outside of those two applications it is just an unnecessary piece of hardware. For the most part I trust my knots.

You live in the St. Louis area, right? You are lucky, in that one of the best trolling motor repair shops/electronics dealers is in your neighborhood. I remember driving there when I had an alumaducer installed in my boat, but I don't remember exactly where I drove to. Anyway, google them and have them look at your motor. They do good work - at least my experiences with them have been positive.

Doesn't Tackle Warehouse have some sort of try out program? I'm not certain, but I seem to remember that from somewhere. Be careful. You might find out that, for the most part, more expensive tackle is better, and then you will become pals with the bait monkey. People wonder why we can't just use one rod. Do carpenters use the same tool for every carpentering issue? Do artists use the same brush every day? Sculptors have different chisels for different cuts, right? It is the same deal with fishing gear. I'm a big fan of using the best gear you can comfortably afford. I've had some cheaper reels that had issues shortly after ownership. I have some Calcutta's that are going into their second decade of service. That's my experience. These days, even mid=range gear is really good, compared to olden times when I started fishing. Buy what you can afford, take care of it and it should last until you tear it up. Sooner or later, we are all capable of tearing up gear.

Timber Tigers - cover most depths with the same profile. DC 4, DC5, DC8, DC13 & DC16. Most of my crank fish are caught with the DC8 & DC 16.

Anyone who knows anything about this subject, knows that there is only one answer to this question. The answer is YES - rods & reels are important. One MORE important than the other? I dunno. I don't think that you should let any one opinion or group of opinions make that decision for YOU. You make that decision for yourself and allocate your resources that way that YOU see fit. If you ain't happy with the results, then change. Rods & reels work together as a system. You get to decide how to construct the system. I'd recommend that you do your own research and make your own judgements and make your own purchasing decisions and not let a group of opinions tell you what you OUGHT to have.

Your first question is what does the ramp in this creek look like. Can you get in? More importantly, can you get out?

Bluebasser 86, there is a program that is kind of in your area, and works along the same lines as the one hooah212002 is participating in. Check out the Leavenworth Bass Club Fishing for Freedom page. This is an event that the Leavenworth Bass Club (with lots of help) puts on in Warsaw, MO and Long Shoal Marina at Truman Lake. It is always the same time every year, i.e. the weekend prior to Columbus day, in early October. I've participated for the past few years as a volunteer boater, and I've had a good time and learned some stuff. Last year, I was boat # 138. This year I hope to be boat # 150something. Anyway, check it out by going to the Leavenworth Bass Club page and seeing if it might be something you're interested in.

I'm sorry lawns make you feel bad. My lawn isn't anywhere near a lake. I keep around 5 or so acres around my house mowed. I think it looks cool, most of the time. I like mowing the lawn. I have a 48" deck John Deere riding mower. It has a beverage holder. For 2 and a half hours in season, all I have to think about is what is directly in front of the riding mower. It is incredibly cathartic, for me. My lawn also serves as an all-terrrain bocce court, which is fun. I don't put a bunch of chemicals and stuff on my yard, dandelions and whatnot don't bother me all that much. Any thistles I find, I poison them right quick, stepping on a thistle bare foot isn't fun. I think mowing the yard a decent distance all around the house is a good idea. It serves to keep snakes and other critters a decent distance from the house. I own 120 acres, critters can play on that acreage all they want, just not in the area immediately around my house. I am sad that the lawns in your neighborhood are making the ponds in your neighborhood grow old fast - that blows. Anyway, that's my counter-rant.

I've had multiple opinions on what is a good square bill rod over the past few years. Last year, I thought I would upgrade to a Fenwick Aetos. After half a season, it broke - my fault, and since then I've decided that a more value oriented approach to square bill rods is in order. Therefore, I went back to the rod I used before I got the Fenwick - a BPS Extreme ERT74MT. It was originally marketed as a light action pitching rod - a Woo Davis special. It sucked as a pitching rod - too much tip. But it is a great square bill rod, in that it has enough tip and lots of back bone. It is a decent value at its regular price of $99 and it frequently goes on sale at $20 off. If you live close to a BPS, you might want to take a look at that rod.

Let me see if I can help. Back in the day when I decided to go from a pond type boat to a larger one, I went with aluminum over fiberglass because I figured as a learner I might be smacking into stuff from time to time and the metal boat would be more resiliant. A dozen years later, that proved to be a wise choice. I put the first scratch in the boat ten minutes after I first launched it, tying up to a metal dock in a cross wind and I can't count how many different scratched I've put into the boat in the years since then. Most of the time you won't use the front live well. That is more of a crappie fishermen's amenity than bass fishing. However, it does serve a function as a built in cooler. You will have to buy more ice than you might for a regular cooler. For me, that got old after a while. Now I use the front live well for storage of stuff that I will only use once in a blue moon, stuff that I can package so that it is waterproof and dust proof, or stuff that I don't mind if it gets wet or dusty. For me, this is emergency clothes and some of the stuff that is mandatory to carry on your boat, like throwable flotation, tools, etc. As far as tools and "necessities" on your boat, you've got to decide what is what. A complete list would cover several more paragraphs. A partial list might be tools, first aid, fire extinguisher, lights, whistle and then whatever fishing gear you might need for the day. When you get your boat, a call to the Water Patrol will tell you what is mandatory to carry on the boat in your state. The dealer might know, but he might forget something also, so contact the Water Patrol on this subject.

Cut the skirt off the second spinnerbait and throw it away. Replacement skirts are readily available. I like the War Eagle replacement skirts because they have lots of unique colors. I'd go with Table Rock Shad on that second spinner bait. How much does it weigh? Remove all that rubber stuff off of the buzz bait and put a new skirt on it as well, or don't. I've had some buzz bait success using no skirt and just using some plastic trailer. A 4 1/2" boot tailed swim bait in some bait fish color appropriate to your neighborhood would be a place to start there. I wouldn't throw the jig away, rather I'd start a shrine of used tackle that will never see water again and put it there.

When I am fishing shallow in stained/muddy water and I'm looking for a reaction bite the first bait I reach for is a Timber Tiger DC8 Chartruese/purple back. The second color I try is the same bait in their Texas Shad color, which is a white/grey/silver shading - a dark dorsal stripe and rose shading on the sides. Changing the subject just a little bit, if you are really serious about determining what colors work best in what color water, you should get a secchi disc. Make one or buy one. This too helps you assign a number to water color and get away from using adjectives to describe water color. For instance, in my neighborhood, "clear" on the Lake of the Ozarks means a different color than "clear" on Truman, both of which are different from "clear" on Table Rock. "Clear" on Bull Shoals means that when the light is right you can easily distinguish bottom features in 15 to 20 feet of water. All of these lakes give you a different secchi disc reading and help you quantify water colors more easily. This is just in my neighborhood. I'm sure in other parts of the country there are similar subtle variables in water color.

Got a boat? Are you bank bound? Both? Got buds with boats? All pertinent questions. If you are bank bound, I think that spinning gear is more versatile. Sometimes distance is important and you can generally cast further with less effort with spinning gear. However, you want a bait caster. Sooner or later everyone who fishes for bass does. While the reel suggestions pointed out in earlier posts are adequate, I would point out that should you get a new Curado or Chronarch, they are both easy to learn on and you will never have to upgrade them. As for rods, everyone has their favorites. My current favorites are Fenwicks, either in the HMG or the AETOS series. Can't go wrong with a 7' MH to start. The BPS Extreme rods mentioned earlier are an under appreciated rod series. I've got several of the older 7'4" M action BPS Extreme Sticks and IMO they are great square bill rods, as well as an adequate lighter pitching rod.