Fishes in trees

I'd consider trying an Ardent reel , if they weren't so hard to come by. The company is located here in Missouri, but very few local tackle stores carry them. The largest tackle store in the KC metro area doesn't carry them primarily because according to one of the tackle managers, they are a challenge to work with. You don't find them at BPS or Cabelas. Maybe in the catalog, I haven't checked lately, anyway I never buy a reel out of a catalog unless I've touched it live. I'e broken that rule a couple of times and those reels are safely stored in the back up reel bin in my shop.

If you are serious about fishing jigs, T-rigs & spinnerbaits, you need to get 3 rods. You will save a lot of time cutting line, switching baits, and so forth. I know this seems like additional expense but consider this; You can buy fishing tackle, you can't but fishing time. Anything you can do to increase your fishing time is money well spent.

I'm late to this discussion, but I'm in the 4 stroke camp. I've got a 2002 Yamaha 100 hp 4 stroke. With regular maintenance and yearly oil changes it is still running great. What I like most about it is that it is so quiet. I don't get it on large lakes all that often, but when I do I can run WOT down the lake and still carry on a conversation without yelling. Can't do that with a 2 stroke. It is harder to figure mileage on a boat. Some guys have to figure gallons per mile rather than the other way around. My boat has a 20 gallon tank and this fall on Truman Lake I ran from Long Shoal Marina ( on the Grand river arm) to Berry Bend ( on the Osage river arm) and back. This round trip is around 55 miles, not counting the time I spend putting around in coves. Late in the afternoon, when I fueled up for the next day I had to put 8 or so gallons into the tank. I thought that was pretty good, but I've got nothing to compare it to. I just think that overall 4 stroke motors are much less of a hassle than 2 stroke motors can be. I would add that in my week to week fishing, I putt around ALOT, with zero motor issues. When I fished tournaments as a co-angler some guys motors would carbon up and not start if you putted around too much.

I don't have either of the two rods you're asking about. I do have a 7'9" Fenwick Aetos that easily throws 4 ounces or so of A rig. It is also a good frog rod. Like all top of the line Fenwick rods, it has a limited lifetime warranty. I am happy with this rod, especially since it was a replacement that Fenwick gave me for a Technica AV rod that I snapped the tip on earlier this spring. Price wise, it is comparable to the two rods you've mentioned. Also, I use a Calcutta on this rod, a several years old 7 ball bearing Calcutta 200 TE. Just another option. I don't think that you can go wrong with any of the rods mentioned.

drift banks, cast with the wind, use your trolling motor to correct your drift. When you get to the end of your planned drift, fire up the big motor, run upwind and do the drift thing again. Sometimes you are protected from wind in the coves and sometimes you aren't. Maybe "reaction" baits as opposed to "feel" baits. I don't know, I do know that the best time to go fishing is when you've got time to go fishing. I'm planning on going Tuesday, it will be freezing at dawn, with temps rising to 50 or so according to Weather.com. It could get pretty windy. My response to wind is just to deal with it. Banks with wind blowing into them are often good. Everyone has their own idea of what is and what ain't safe. I am planning on fishing a 200 acre or so conservation lake. I know I won't be driving the boat fast, or even getting on plane, for that matter. Fishing a larger reservoir, with 3 or 4 foot white caps, I might re-think it and not go. The first rule of fishing in strong wind is , "Don't do anything dumb". You get to decide what is dumb. Be mindful that putting the boat back on the trailer in strong winds can be a challenge.

Marine grade plywood would probably be the cheapest. Another option might be some of that plastic, composite wood, like high dollar decks are made with. I have some plastic ultimate bunk boards on my boat trailer and I've been happy with them.

If you want togo distance casting, go all in. Get a rod somewhat on the order of a Cabelas Predator spinning rod - 11' long, mostly medium action with some backbone. Pair it up with a heavy duty spinning reel, like a Diawa 2600, that reel will hold 300+ yards of 20 lb braid or Fireline, something like that. With this rig and a bait weighing around an ounce, casts approaching 100 yards are doable. You can find something similar in a bait casting mode if you want. The good thing about distance casting issues is that for the most part they can be solved by throwing money at them. I bought the above rig to throw slab spoons in the tail race directly beneath Truman Lake. I can throw ounce and a half slab spoons 100 yards + and replicate the cast over and over until I get tired or I lose all my slab spoons on the bottom rocks. It took me a half an hour or so of practice to get that distance, it isn't that hard.

I am in the camp of many rods on the deck, primarily because my boat has minimal rod storage. Rods on top of the pile would be : 1 - a pitching rod 2 - a cranking rod 3 - a spinnerbait rod 4 - a bubba drop shot rod 5 - A spinning rod with braid. I'll carry duplicates and back ups of all these rods plus a few extra, i.e. a wacky senko rod, a reg. drop shot rod, a dedicated rattle bait rod. a dedicated frog rod, an A-rig rod, a ned rig rod, plus several I'm sure I am forgetting. A list like this is really handier for a tournament co-angler situation. For weekly fun fishing, there isn't any reason to limit how many rods I take, so I don't.

I'm in the sensitive graphite camp for cranking rods. If I had finely honed fishing reflexes, maybe I'd appreciate a glass rod more. Plus, glass rods are heavier, so when I am going for distance, that is more stress on my elbow, which isn't any fun. Every fishing rod is a trade off, so different guys look for different things in crank rods. Currently, I'm using a 7'4" BPS Extreme rod. It was originally marketed as a Woo Davis Special - a pitching stick. For me, it has too much flex in the middle third of the rod to be a decent pitching stick, but it works ok for me for cranking. Mine is a 2004 or 05 model and I've looked in the BPS catalog and see that they market the same rod, but the handle looks slightly different. That is good, IMO the original handle design (an early split grip model) sucked. One roll of bicycle handle bar tape and 1 large rod wrap later and now it fits my hand great. The rod tape didn't add too much weight and actually it made it balance in my hands a little better. This rod will do until I find a better/lighter one.

I'm in agreement with Catt here. Fish have small minds. So do fishing rods. Using that spinnerbait rod for anything other than spinnerbaits might confuse it. Don't take that chance.

I haven't cooked a turkey in years, I've worked on Thanksgiving most of the past 10 years or so. The last two I did cook, I cooked in the Weber - medium sized birds 12 to 14 lbs. I remember it was kind of chilly outside, but I built a larger indirect fire and as I recall the turkey was done in a couple of hours or so. I carefully watch the news on Thursday evening and Friday morning just to check because it isn't a real Thanksgiving until someone burns down their trailer trying to deep fry a turkey.

I remember reading/researching/wondering about this subject quite a bit when the Color-c-lector first hit the market. I was working in a fishing tackle store at the time and a regional tackle rep loaned me a Combo-c-lector. I didn't return it for several months. I remember the tackle rep was probably more enthused about the ph function of the unit. I remember that it was very easy for the ph calibration to go "off" and it was a genuine pain to recalibrate the unit. When I say off, I mean that you could stick the probe in a glass of orange juice and you'd get a ph reading of 7. It quickly became more trouble than it was worth. I still think that Loren Hills work about ph-clines compared to thermoclines was/is valid. I think that all things being equal, bass will seek out the most comfortable ph level available. All things aren't always equal. I'd like to have a sturdy, hard to screw up, ph meter, where I could check ph levels at different depths from time to time. For me to use it, it would have to be as easy to use as a secchi disc. Now, about the color part of the color-c-lector. Basically, it is just a waterproof light meter. Loren Hill never could prove what colors fish would bite the best. He could only prove what colors fish could see the best. Not the same thing. As a practical matter, using the color-c-lector was a pain. You could drop the probe into 6'deep weeds, at 9 am, on a sunny day and get one color. Half an hour later, cloudier skies, drop the probe in the same place and get a different color. Move to the edge of the weed line, get a different color. Move 50 feet down the same weed line and get a different color. Limestone bottoms read different from sand bottoms which read different from clay or gravel bottoms. Time of day made a difference. Water clarity made a difference. Every single ambient light variable that you could think of made a difference, sometimes significant, sometimes not. It wasn't always predictable. Meanwhile, day in and day out, my two best baits were a black/brown split tail eel and a green/white spotted pork frog. The color-c-lector very seldom told me to use black & brown or green & white. All of my combo-c-lector experiences took place in Central Missouri, on strip pits, small to medium sized ponds and small to medium sized conservation lakes in and around Columbia, MO. I can't say my experiences would be duplicated elsewhere around the country, but I can't say that they wouldn't be either. I think that as a practical matter, you are better off using other methods to choose what color. Close your eyes, reach into your worm bag and pick one would be just as reliable. I've still got my combo-c-lector but it has been several years since it has gotten wet. I think all of that 80's color/ph research was interesting, but for everyday fishing, the info needs a better delivery system to make it worth your time. Oh, sorry, I digressed and didn't answer the question. The reason I limit myself somewhat in color selection is because it is just easier. Just pick a color, based primarily on prior experiences and go with it. If that don't work, then pick another one. Me, I've got to throw a color for at least half an hour before I'm convinced that it isn't working. Also, I think that the reason any particular color doesn't work is because I didn't put it close enough in front of a fish. So basically, my answer is "I dunno. . . ."

The Excelsior Springs BBQ restaurant that Seibert Outdoors was referring to is Wabash BBQ. I agree that they are pretty good. If they were the best, they would win the American Royal BBQ contest every year. They don't - they have won once or twice, but they don't sweep the series every year. The KC region is blessed with numerous great BBQ places, in addition to a regional culture of home BBQ. It is a great hobby - similar to fishing in that there isn't any limit on how much money you can spend to get higher quality gear. Me, I'm just a piker. I've got a couple of Webers, one ancient and the other 8 or 9 years old. I can do an acceptable beer can chicken and smoked pork loin. I find ribs & brisket hard to get perfect. I am really more of a grilling guy, steaks, burgers & chicken K-bobs are more my speed. In another aside, there is a Wabash BBQ in Chillicothe, MO that is a clone of the Excelsior Springs location. I know about the Chillicothe location because it is conveniently on the route home from one of my favorite fishing lakes and their parking lot is large enough that it is easy to park my truck & boat. The Excelsior Springs location has adequate parking, but not if you are towing a boat.

For what you are looking to spend, you could get a pretty cool trolling specific rig, with a line counter reel and a trolling specific rod. My buddies who are more into multi-species fishing than I am tell me that correct gear for trolling can make a huge difference. Line counter reels help a lot. 8 to 9 foot medium action trolling rods help when controlling fish near the boat. Really, I don't know. Go through his gear when he isn't looking and decide what he needs. For medium end trolling gear, my buds tell me that Cabelas has better gear than BPS.

If you can get Abu stuff at 50% off, what's the question? Me, I've got a very simple rule for reels, i.e. if it don't say Shimano on it, I am unlikely to buy it.

Of al lhe different rattle baits out there, I prefer a Berkley Frenzy rattle bait. These were discontinued several years ago, but I still have 3 or 4 of them left. I throw them on 20 lb mono so hopefully they will last until I wear the paint off of them. I've never really been impressed with the Rattle Trap, I've bought a few of the Red Eye Shad and I'm really not a big fan of how them drop. I own a bunch of rattle baits, various brands, from a time6 or 8 years ago when I experimented with them quite a bit. Other than the Berkley Frenzy, very few of them ever get wet.

I think that the phrase "the trolling motor spooked my fish" is a great excuse and I use it myself from time to time. Practically speaking, I don't know of an easier/better way to slowly move my boat down the bank against the wind. I have caught fish with the trolling motor on so maybe those particular fish weren't spooked, or they were "spooked" into biting. What a semantic dilemma. I think the easiest rule to follow using the trolling motor while fishing is "don't be dumb" I haven't caught very many shallow water fish immediately after blasting a shallow area with prop backwash. I've caught enough shallow water fish while intermittently running the trolling motor, that blaming the trolling motor when I'm not catching fish seems disingenuous. The bottom line answer to this question is "I dunno.?."

I don't know about you, but I won't buy a rod on-line unless it is a replacement or copy of one I've already got. I've got to hold one in my hand prior to purchase. Anyway, are you telling me that there aren't any fishing tackle stores in Indiana besides Gander Mountain? I'd do some more research, that's just me . . . . . Should it happen that there aren't any worthy fishing tackle stores in Indiana, I'd invite you to come to Kansas City, actually Liberty, MO. Go to Rogers Lures and drop the screen name of any of the guys who are active around Kansas City. The people at Rogers will take care of you and hook you up. They carry low- med - high end Shimano, Berkley, St Croix, Fenwick, Loomis, plus a smattering of other brands. Perhaps I'm joking here, but the point is that I think buying a fishing rod on line that you haven't handled before is a bad idea.

I've got a very nicked up prop that has got to be replaced this off season. I'd like to go an off season with no major gear upgrades, just for my wallet to know what that feels like. What is the chance of that happening? There isn't any doubt in my mind that sometime this off season, I'll have a "poor me" moment and I will solve it by throwing money at it.

So, you got it a few years ago, it worked then and now it don't? Son, that reel is broke. I wouldn't waste any more time on it. Put it into retirement. Go to Walmart and get something similar for $10 to $20 and use it until it wears out. '

Don't just think of drop shot fishing as a deeper water/lighter line style of fishing. Drop shot fishing is a way of presenting a bait with a weight. Just like jig fishing, or tx rig fishing, or split shot rigging, or carolina rigging or whatever. I carry several different drop shot rigs in my boat every time I go fishing. More often than not, the "bubba shot" sees the most play. By bubba shot, I mean fishing with a 7 1/2' pitching rod and 20 lb Abrazx fluorocarbon, generally a half ounce drop shot weight. Just saying. . . . if your are limiting yourself to lighter rigs & lighter lines you are limiting yourself. That being said, the prior posts about the lighter line/rod suggestions are right on.

I wouldn't blame the weather as a reason why I'm nor catching fish. When I have a day or a month where the catching is slow to non-existent, I am always aware that the fish ARE in the water. The issue is with the grey matter between my ears and I have to tell myself, "Figger it out, Jack." Don't look for excuses, look for reasons - reasons offer potential solutions.

Me, in the situation you're describing, I'd throw something similar, but different. If he is throwing the 5/16 Eakins Jig, throw something that weighs 3/8 or 7/16, something in that range. Some people might suggest a carolina rig, given a favorable cover situation, that might be an option, dragging it behind the boat, remember to turn your reel handle every so often so that is officially a "retrieve". Me, in that situation, I'd probably go bubba drop shot, at least a half ounce weight and fairly short dropper line, around 6 to 8 inches. A shakey worm on a 5/16 or 3/8 jig head isn't a bad idea. This is a situation where you need GOOD gear. Fishing behind a decent jig fisherman, you need to be able to consistently make 60 foot pitches, and be pretty accurate about it.

BPS, Cabelas, Tackle Warehouse. They are a readily available bait. They haven't been discontinued or anything. . . . . Just checked the Berkley website, they are available at from Berkley.

Are you trying to throw cranks from the bank? In my opinion, aside from some of the shallow divers mentioned above, the Minus - 1, BPS Egg and a few similar baits, throwing cranks from the bank is more trouble than it is worth You are just asking to drag in weeds and crap every cast. I am not saying that it can't be done, just saying that more often than not it is a pain. I think a spinnerbait is a better bank fishing option than a crank. Now if you are fishing from a boat, my favorite crank that meets your criteria (wide wobble, dives to 5 feet or so), is a Timber Tiger DC8 or DC5, fished on 17 lb line.