Fishes in trees

Using the rooster tail brings back memories. Back in the day, throw it out, count it down and if there were any "features" on the bottom, that rooster tail would find them. Oh yeah, and every so often you'd catch a fish too. Back to the original post. The Smartcast was/is a remote depth finder. I am uncertain if they are made anymore. You had a floating transducer that you would cast out and it would remotely send a signal back to the unit. You could get it as a wrist band or a little unit that clamped on to a rod. I never owned one, but I knew a couple of guys who had one. They worked ok, definitely told you depth underneath the transducer and gave you some idea of hard or soft bottom. Ran on batteries. As I recall, they ate batteries, but lots of toys eat batteries. Spend money and get rechargeable if you're worried about that. I thought it was a cool toy. Have a dedicated rig to throw this with. A snoopy rod & reel works great. Change out the line to 20 lb test.

Jimmy, I think you're right. If you are bugged by losing a couple of jig, jig fishing isn't for you. Jig fishing is hard. To paraphrase Homer Simpson, " If something is hard, it probably isn't worth doing." Trying to learn to jig fish will just open up another can of worms, so to speak. Please be aware that by not learning jig fishing, you are skating on your responsibilities as a bass fisherman, which are to frequently buy more tackle, own much more tackle than you "need" and in that way support the entire bass fishing industry. Just saying.

Where?? That would help. End of March, water temps vary quite a bit depending on what neighborhood you live in. I live in Missouri - I haven't been out yet due to fiscal and employment issues, maybe probably next week. Anyway, if I were going out tomorrow, I wouldn't necessarily fish slow all the time. Anyway, you've got lots of options that you can read about on this site, and try to apply that stuff to your neighborhood. Me, I can't offer any advice without knowing where.

I been there, not necessarily with the shoulder but I've had tennis elbow, that hurt to the point that on several occasions I stopped fishing to ride around and look at stuff on my depth finder rather than fish. I remember thinking that lighter rigs would help, they helped some, but not a whole lot. What worked for me were taking a couple of Alieve gel tabs while I was driving to the lake. Using 2 handed casts, like J Franco recommended, helped quite a bit. Paying attention to technique helped too. Paying attention to every action of the cast, and not twisting my elbow or wrist too much. Hope it gets better.

WW2 Farmer is right. I don't know about carrying a bushel of shear pins, but I would carry several. Carrying an extra prop for your trolling motor is a great idea as well. No one local? Really? I would think that anyone who sells trolling motors and/or spare props should carry shear pins. If they didn't, I would complain and raise the issue.

This question has come up before. I've still got the same answer. I haven't found a better all around square bill than a Timber Tiger DC8. Color depending on water clarity. Most of the time I use their Texas Shad color which is a whitish silvery grey color with rose tinges on the sides. Really muddy water I'll use a purple/chartruese color.

Yeah, spinner baits and crank baits on the same rod wouldn't work for me. I generally throw spinner baits in shallower ( less than 6 or so feet ) water around woody or brushy cover. 17 or 20 lb line just seems more efficient to me compared to trying to throw spinner baits on 12. Way over half the time the spinner baits I'm throwing are around a half an ounce. I would snap 12 lb line every so often doing pitch and snap roll casts. I couldn't handle 1 rod for cranks. Too many distinct cranking situations that require dedicated equipment, at least as I see it. A - square bill rod with abrasion resistant 17 or 20 lb line. B - A deeper diving crank rod with 14 or 15 abrasion resistant line for throwing DC13 and DC16 Timber Tigers around deeper trees and bushes. I like to get down to 12 or so feet with this set up. C - A distance cranking rig, spooled with 10 lb mono for throwing Norman DD22s or Long bill bagleys or Fat Free Shads, baits of that ilk. I like to throw these parallel to the outside edges of deeper weed lines or bounce the baits off of deeper rocky points in 15 - 20 feet of water. D - a dedicated rod for throwing rattle baits, generally over the tops of weed beds on flats, 1 to 5 or so feet deep , roughly. I find 20 lb abrasion resistant mono or 65 lb braid most suitable for this task. E - A dedicated rod for throwing light crank baits , like 5/16 shad raps and similar baits. Currently I am using a 6'6" light rod and a spinning reel with 12 lb. nano fill., which has the diameter of roughly 4 lb test. I also generally carry an "all purpose" rod & reel in case I I backlash a reel or bust off a rod tip. I will carry a couple of bait casting reels as well. I carry a drop shot rod and a bubba drop shot rod, a Shaky head rod and a bubba version of the shakey head. I could go on buy you get the idea.

To clarify what I mean by "back boating", it is when the angler consistently and deliberately positions and moves the boat so as to minimize the co-anglers chances of catching fish.

I am not a tournament co-angler this year for a number of reasons. I have fish co-angler both in local club tournaments and BFL level. The whole notion of co-anglers sharing expenses, each club or tournament has roughly defined standards that you learn over time. I think some money for gas is totally fair. I have an issue with statement "If you were to charter a bass boat for a day of fishing it could cost you $200 to $500 per day." Operative word is could - different lakes have different standards as to what guides are getting for a day trip. Anyway, if you did do that, you would fish out of the front of the boat and get first crack at fishable water. To use that statement as a justification for why you should give a boater money is ridiculous. No boater is going to give his co-angler first crack at fishable water, unless he has a MAJOR sack already in the boat. When you enter a tournament as a co-angler, you aren't buying a guided fishing trip. You are fishing a tournament as a co-angler. I don't know about every tournament organization, but in BFL there are two different pots - one for boaters the other for co-anglers. Just saying, should one fish a tournament as a co-angler, the polite thing to do is to offer some money for gas. When you practice fish for a tournament , the polite thing to do is to offer some money for gas. As a co-angler, I don't believe that one isn't obligated to share traveling expenses, boat insurance, and the multitudes of other expenses associated with boat ownership. One of the most irksome things that happened to me as a co-angler was being a nice guy, giving the boater gas money up front, at the evening tournament meeting and then getting consciously back boated the next day during the tournament. I know that in a tournament, occasional back boating cannot be avoided, buy to consciously do it to a co-angler the whole day is just wrong. This guy would have finished up there - not a winner but top 8 for sure, if only his co-angler would have signed his weigh slip. I couldn't do it, I couldn't let a guy back boat me all day and then expect me to sign his weigh slip. He was ticked - so what - the rule don't be an ******* works both ways.

Just set your spare down on the ground while you are fishing.. Where is it going to go?

I use Fireline more than braid, but to relate to this thread, I like fishing braid on a slack line, especially the Fireline crystal. For the most part, Fireline reacts very similar to braid. The whitish color stands out very well against the water, and with the minimal stretch, for me it works like a strike indicator, like trout fishermen use. My line twitches a little, I tighten up and set the hook, more often than not the hookup is there. Just saying, for me, as soon as I move the bait, I want my line to go kinda slack. For me that is when bites happen.

This reminds me of the old zen koan, where the guy walks into the potters shop and says, "I desire the best pot in your shop. I must have the best pot in your shop!!" The potter gently waves his hand all around his shop and says, "Take your pick."

For me, squarebills and spinner baits are both search baits. I tend to throw a square bill unless it is too weedy, then I throw a spinner bait. A chatterbait gets thrown into the mix somewhere, but I'm not sure exactly sure where, just sometimes I throw a chatter bait instead of a square bill and sometimes instead of a spinnerbait. I don't have a hard and fast rule as to what I throw when, other than I am most likely to throw a square bill unless it is too weedy. If you are throwing your square bills into sunken bushes and assorted wood cover and getting them stuck, you should try a Timber Tiger. I really like the D8, but I've got several of all the different sizes in the boat, all the time.

This is a great post. Gives me something to think about, what with 6" of snow still on the ground, etc. I think everyone should read all the posts so far, and then pound a few beers before replying, then we will have a record of what we really think - kinda. Anyway, Senko Sam - back to the notion that fantasy catches more anglers than fish. Well - DUH. I don't know about you but I feel that the time I spend in my fantasy world to be much more enjoyable than the time I'm forced to spend in the real world (whatever that is). So, whenever I am in a place that sells fishing tackle (which is frequently) and I see something that I might want, I ask the question, "Is there a chance that this bait might catch me a fish some time?" And if the answer is yes, I will probably buy it, given my momentary disposable income status and what not. 60 lbs of seldom used baits? Is that counting all the plastic boxes you need to hold that stuff? Don't be a piker - go for the century status - assuming your boat will carry it. Don't sink your boat just to prove a point about buying baits, etc, that will only occasionally see water. Really, as soon as you fish a second bait, you are trying to be versatile. That is what most of us do - try. If I was a master of versatility - you might be buying fishing lures and assorted gear from me. I think that buying gear and baits and learning how to use them is one part of learning how to fish. Seasonal patterns, understanding different types of water is another part of learning how to fish, maybe seperate from this current topic. They are connected - kinda - but to say that I'm not going to buy X rig or X bait because it doesn't jive with my current understanding of seasonal patterns, etc, again, makes me say "HUH". To only buy gear that agrees with my current understanding of seasonal patterns, etc,. . . . seems kind of limiting to me. My current approach is to try not to over think things. I know what season it is. I have an idea of what fish should be doing - in a perfect world. Now, how does today fit into that perfect world scenario? This is where the lots of choices in rigs & baits comes into play. You try something, it don't work, try something else, that don't work try something else. All the time, you are trying to figure out conditions - wind, light, water temp, air temp, barometer rising or falling (yeah, I keep a barometer in my boat and look at it from time to time) Just because you try something and it don't work doesn't mean that it won't work later that day. One of my areas of emphasis this year is going to be water clarity. Every one has their own idea of what is clear, stained, dingy, muddy and so forth. I made a secchi disc. This year, instead of thinking to myself that the water is "slightly stained", I will know that the water has a secchi readinfg of 6', or whatever. Well, I've ranted enough - hope no one is steamed. This is a great topic to discuss how & why we fish and how we hope to get better. I'm looking forward to reading what other guys think.

Here is what I know. I know you won't become a versatile fisherman unless you try different techniques. I know that just because you aren't proficient at some technique, isn't any reason not to try it. I KNOW that you won't try different techniques, unless you have one rigged up and ready to go. Yeah, I am aware that every so often, by switching rods every 10 minutes or so (like I often do), I might get out fished by that guy who just keeps the same bait in the water all the time. My response to that is " So what?" That might be important if I was meat fishing, like I often did in my misspent youth, but I don't do that anymore. It isn't that I don't like to eat fish, I do, but generally after a day on the water I am tired and sweaty and the last thing that I want to do is clean a mess of fish. I would rather stop somewhere on the way home and get something to eat. This applies mostly to bass fishing, on those rare occasions when I go crappie fishing or cat fishing, I am aware that at then end of the day I am going to have to clean some fish. Yeah, I carry many lures when I go fishing. So what? If I had a bigger boat, I would carry more. On an average day, when I go fishing by myself, I will have 20 or so rigs in the boat. Even if you just have a few baits for each rig, that adds up. Why so many? Easy answer - You can buy rods & reels & baits. You cannot buy fishing time. Just can't - it isn't for sale. If I can save fishing time by just picking up another rod & reel that is already rigged up - as opposed to stopping, cutting lines, selecting different baits, retying, etc., that is what I am going to do. The problem of fishing time is one fishing problem that can be partially solved by throwing money at it. I don't mind losing baits. I don't mind re-tying as part of normal fishing maintenance, like every so often, when you are throwing square bills into bushes, you need to re-tie every so often as your line gets nicked up. Stopping just because I want to try a different technique irks me. When I used to do tournaments as a co-angler, I would carry 6 or 8 spare spools for my spinning reels and 3 or 4 bait casting reels. If I got a back lash and determined that it was going to take more than 3 or 4 minutes to untangle it, I'd just swap out spools or reels as necessary. I know that is carrying time management to an extreme, but hey, we all fish differently. About fads - I like fads - they give me a reason to buy more tackle. I have been on both sides of the fad thing. I have seen guys, right in front of me, load the boat using a technique or lure that I wasn't comfortable or proficient in. Also, I've been the only guy on the lake with a wacky rigged Senko, fishing within talking distance of guys who were throwing jigs into trees, and right behind them, drifting a wacky rigged senko down the shady side of a tree trunk and getting bit cast after cast. As a responsible fisherman, it makes me feel good that I am doing my part to support the fishing tackle industry. I spend as much money in my local fishing tackle stores as I do with the larger, national stores. The local fishing tackle store is one place where I can go, and KNOW that they will be nice to me. I know that is indicative of deeper, self-esteem issues, but again, hey, so what. I read many articles about fishing. I am fortunate in that I have the time at work to do that. I never take that they are saying at face value. You always have to adapt, in your mind, how what they are writing about might or might not work on lakes on waters you are familiar with. Long ago, that was one of the founding principles of In-fisherman magazine and how well the article helps you do that is the difference between a well written or poorly written article. So, anyway, I think that versatility is something that you strive for, just as part of the trip to become a better, more talented fisherman. This year like every other year, I have things in my mind that I want to get better at. For instance, in the past few years I have gotten away somewhat from light line finesse fishing, so this year I'm going to be fishing a Ned rig some. I am going to fish light (5/16 or less) crank baits more, so I put together a spinning rig that will let me do this. I am going to focus on Eakins jigs more ( or similar brands & weights) kind of a finesse jigging approach. This doesn't mean that I am going to leave any of the other rigs at home. I just like having all the options in the boat, ready to use. So that is going to be my initial approach to fishing this spring, like everything else in my life it is subject to change. I am not a major fan of change, but I'm not feared of it either. We'll see.

I use a trailer more often than not. I think it makes a spinner bait look complete. I use different brands, Zoom & BPS & Lucky Strike. I think that if they feel something squishy, that moment that the strike happens, then that gives me an extra moment to set the hook. Believe me, I need that.

I switched lipless crank rod last year for no good reason. I had a Bud Erhardt 7' cranking rod. It was an early 90's graphite cranking rod. It worked great. It was getting old and it really needs a new set of guides put on it, so I put it on the bench for a while. I bought a Falcon Bucco 7' trap caster I saw at Walmart. It has the micro guides. Yes, I paid full price for it, I am so ashamed, but it was a weak moment. Anyway, it works good, maybe 5 or so feet extra distance, with an average effort cast. I'm using a 7 ball bearing Calcutta and generally throw 17 or 20 lb mono.

With this crowd, would probably be easier to ask "Who didn't"

I am firmly in the home made anchor camp. I don't fish the ocean. I seldom anchor in choppy water. I seldom anchor at all, really. But on those very rare times when I get an anchor stuck, I don't want to give a d**n when I cut the rope. Back when I had a pond boat, it didn't handle wind very well and I got blown all over the place. I made a drag anchor out of window sash weights, I'd throw it out to slow down my drifts. I'd use a 50' rope and tie it off close to the end of the rope, it didn't get stuck very often.

In many ways, I'm an old hippie. Personally, I just don't get tats. I can't see the point. To echo Tomustang, good luck to ya. Just saying, for the price of a tat, you could buy a decent reel (or 2).

This year, many factors, too numerous to mention, have limited my winter tackle buying. I haven't got anything new to speak of, other than a couple of reels I bought my self as a Christmas present to myself. There aren't any plans for anything major this spring. In the next few days, I am going to go to Walmart and pick up some close outs, mostly 17 & 20 lb mono for spinner baits & square bills. I look outside and see lots of snow. Even though it is starting to melt, I think that I'm still a few weeks away from first trip of the year.

17 bags of plastic really isn't that much. If you are serious about drop shotting and tx rigging, you probably carry that much weight or more in weights & hooks. The rule of thumb for carrying tackle is as follows: You should only carry what you think you will need. Plus what you think you might need. Plus what you think you might like to try should you stumble on a hot bite, Plus whatever else that you think might make your fishing trip more enjoyable. The great part of this rule is that you get to decide what these components are, and it really doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. . . . OK, Snitch, I just re-read your post. You are going to "endure" our knowledge? That is a great phrase, I'm going to have to find ways to work that phrase into every day conversations. What I like about it is that it is humble and smartass at the same time. Very few conversational phrases can achieve that status. As a student of language, I applaude that phrase.

Last year, I didn't throw jigs a whole lot, but when I did more often than not I had some kind of rattle on it. I am rethinking that for this year.

Look up transducer shield & saver. I've got one and it works good. You can get one for either the skimmer type transducer or the pod style.

I don't have that problem. Usually cover and snags find me.