Fishes in trees

What about planking them, they was you see Salmon cooked sometimes?

Wish I could go, but I don't see a weekend free until August, for me. While scheduling things far out, think about the Leavenworth Bass Clubs Fishing for Freedom event, October 12 & 13 - 2013. Last year, I made a long weekend out of it, got down to Truman early Thursday morning, 3 full days of fishing by myself and took a veteran fishing on Sunday. I had fun and met people I still correspond with from time to time. Several good free meals are involved, my major expenses were lodging & gas. Many motels in the area are familiar with the event and I got a room discount at the Hidden Lake Motel without even asking - they asked me if I was there for the Wounded Warrior project. If you've got a boat that you feel is safe enough for Truman Lake, I'd encourage everyone to participate in this event.

Yeah - every so often. My most successful conversion was a 7'4" BPS Extreme rod. I got one because I saw Woo Davis at a seminar, and he mentioned he had just designed this rod for BPS and it was now his favorite pitching rod. At this point in time, split grip rods weren't common. So I got one. I didn't like the handle and I thought it had too much tip to be a decent pitching rod. Just didn't like it for pitching. Anyway got to thinking after a while, and I got a large roll of handle bar tape, like you'd use on a bicycle or a tennis racket. I rolled it on and after a few tries, ended up with a grip that fit my hand really well, I adjusted the taper quite a bit. I needed a square bill rod at the time, so that is what I tried first. Turns out it is a great square bill rod/ an overall good crank bait rod really. When I saw them on sale for $60, I bought a couple more. They still suck as a pitching rod, as far as I'm concerned.

I got one from Cabelas this winter for $40. A Hibdon 800 SX. Guido and Dion endorsed it, says so right on the box. I haven't fished with it yet, but I have played with it in the yard with a half ounce practice plug, and 17 lb mono. It worked ok. I plan on using it first as a spinner bait reel and it could throw that practice plug as far as I've ever needed to throw a spinner bait. Practice plugs are smooth and cast easy. It remains to be seen how it will cast a spinner bait with the wind resistance of the bait and what not.. When there is no resistance, the wave bar doesn't seem to lay the line down very smoothly. When there is resistance, it works fine - so far.

I used to have a couple of these reels. I found that they were good crank bait/rattle bait reels, as long as I was throwing a half ounce or more. Distance suffered when I tried to throw quarter ounce baits. I had one filled up with 10 lb line that I'd use for deep cranks. Another that I filled with 17 or 20 lb Iron Silk and I'd use that one for rattle baits or square bills. I got about 4 years out of them and then the free spool button started to not work from time to time. They got retired, a year or so later I had them rebuilt. I filled them both with 25 lb mono and now they are catfish reels. They get used a couple of times per year, when I go catfishing so I don't have to tear up any of my good bass fishing reels. Just checked - mine were the IR4 CW. I guess the W is the wide spool version of that reel. Bottom line is that they were ok reels that I managed to tear up after 4 years or so. As I recall, it didn't cost that much to have them fixed.

To echo pappajoe222, spinnerbaits are a good choice for a bank bound newbie bass fisherman. He is correct that they can be an effective all season bait. One of the great things about bass fishing is that there is very seldom one right answer. Back in the 70's, early 80's I was bank bound much of the time. My primary lure was a jig & eel. It has been a while since I've seen a split tail eel (a pork bait) in a store, although I am pretty certain that they are still made. I haven't fished a jig & eel for years, because now I think that there are lots of better baits out there. If I was in your shoes, given current technology, I'd have a 6 1/2 or 7' spinning rod Med or MH. A decent mid range spinning reel that will throw a light braid - 14 or 20 lb and a fluorocarbon leader. In most cases, when bank fishing, a longer rod is better but you need to be aware of your surroundings, you can snap a rod tip on bushes or what not if you aren't careful. Let's face it, if you are bank fishing, sooner or later you will snap a rod tip on a bush or some other shoreline obstruction. For bait, I'd use a 3/16 or 1/4 oz Brewer Slider heads and Zoom trick worms or something similar. I'd use a technique that Charlie Brewer called "polishing the rocks" This means moving your bait slightly above whatever bottom you've got, as slow as possible, while only occasionally actually touching the bottom. You'd learn how to count your bait down, you'd learn what different bottoms feel like, that bait is relatively snag free, and you'd learn what a strike feels like soon enough. Jaiden's answer about a wacky rigged senko isn't a bad answer either, though.

Craww - the Berkley Frenzy rattle baits just seem to work better for me. They seem to swim more flatter, on a horizontal plane, whereas the Lewis Rattle Trap looks like it swims with more of a nose down presentation. All I know is that I don't have any confidence in Rattle traps at all. They look pretty similar, but to me the Frenzy looks "better" especially coming through the water. One thing that the Frenzy Lures and the Rattle Trap lures have is common is that the metallic shiny finishes on both lures suck. It is pretty easy to ding them up, but I don't necessarily think that is a bad thing.

To add to what I posted earlier, should you decide to get an Aluminum boat, look into the Alumaducer by Vexilar. It is a way to mount a transducer and shoot through the hull of your aluminum boat. Prior to getting the alumaducer in 2007, I smashed 2 transom mounted transducers and half a dozen brackets, fishing in stump infested waters. On the front depth finder, transducer mounted on the trolling motor, it is a slightly different story. Every so often I will smash one up, never the same exact situation twice. I got a transducer shield a couple of years ago, and while that protects the puck, it doesn't protect the cable. It is possible to sever a depth finder wire by smacking into an underwater branch. This I know. Aluminum or Fiberglass, every so often you are going to smash up a trolling motor mounted transducer. Just happens.

Many tournament circuits have a minimum length limit. I believe in Walmart BFL it is 17'. Maybe a club in your neighborhood has a shorter length limit, maybe not, I don't know. I think that you would really be handicapping yourself, trying to fish even a club tournament out of that little boat. In a tournament, time management is important and the ability to go from point A to point B in a reasonable amount of time is important. Tournaments don't always happen on perfect days, that 10' boat you've is approaching being dangerous in a 10 MPH wind. I don't see you going anywhere when there is more than a 6" chop on the water, and that happens frequently. If I were you, I'd start as a co-angler, even at the club level rather than fish out of that boat. (I went over to the boat forum and found the picture of your boat. The way the seats were mounted, at the extreme ends of the boat, just doesn't look safe to me. Any kind of a live well would make it even less safe.) JMO

My plan this year is to focus on jigs this year, specifically 1/4 & 5/16 Finesse Jigs. I've got my Falcon Eakins Jig rod, a Curado 50 E and I'll put 10 lb abrazx line on it and start fishing. Lets just find out how many times I get snapped off in gnarly cover. I'll still throw my share of reaction baits, but when it is time to slow down, that will be the primary rig in my hands. At least that is the plan. For now.

I can't have a glass boat. I know how I fish, and I know how single minded I get when I am fishing. I smack into stuff ALOT. I run my boat up on to stumps ALOT. In any given cove, if there is a hidden stump in it, I will find it. If I had a glass boat, never mind scratches, I would have punched several holes in it by now. I got a 2002 LOWE WF 180, the older model with a 100 gauge aluminum hull. It sneers at stumps. Most of the time, I can just drive right over them, occasionally I have to get on the big motor and back it off. If I had a glass boat, I'd have to change my approach to fishing. I know a few pros and semi-pros who have a fishing style similar to mine, i.e. get in close enough to gnarly cover to pitch. They need larger, faster boats for tournaments on Truman, LOZ, Stockton, ect. They solve this problem by getting a new boat every year. I can't do that, wish I could.

I've had polarized perscription sun glasses for years. Wouldn't be without them, when ever I go outside, even on the cloudiest, grey day. When I'm running by boat at any speed at all, I'm wearing goggles over my prescription shades. I don't want to find out how my sun glasses stand up to june bug at 20+ MPH. That is what goggles are for.

I nearly always have a top water or 2 tied on. (when you fish by yourself most of the time and have 20 rods rigged and ready, you can do that) Generally a popper or a spook on one rod, and a frog with braid on another. I throw them in similar spots to what other guys have mentioned earlier. I have mixed results with top water baits, especially frogs. My experience has been that for every bite I get with a frog on top of the mats, I can get several dropping a senko on the deeper edge of the weed line, and it is the same general area. So, I guess that there is a time and a place for top water baits, but for me it is just a minor period of time and only a few places.

I like to fish rattle baits, but not that one. First choice would be an older Berkley Frenzy in a shiny threadfin shad color. (Long since discontinued, I've got 5 left.) Second choice would be a Cordell Spot.

I always remember to bring some Lance Crackers, or some other food that doesn't require refrigeration. Sometimes some meat & cheese & crackers snacks like Lunchables. Sometimes a sandwich from Caseys or a half sub from Sub Shop. Sometimes celery & carrots. I've learned my lesson about fishing all day and not eating, i.e. that isn't a particularly healthy thing to do. I always carry plenty of water and generally I'll carry a few beers. Even if I'm only going for half a day, I carry water & food.

Do not fear. The Chiefs have been and always will be the Chiefs. They will find a way to mess up their #1 draft choice. They will persevere in their struggle to maintain mediocrity. As long as they get $20+ bucks for parking to see their current product, they won't change. The chiefs need more than a change in attitude. They need a change in management, ownership, team name, colors, the whole bit. The whole chiefs culture is rooted in mediocrity, and it will not change. Arrowhead Stadium used to be a great venue for summer concerts. They should have more of those.

It is Thursday. I am still snowed in. It is past noon. I think I'll have a beer. I've been snowed in for a few days. My beer choices are getting limited. I'm swilling my last New Belgium - DIG - right now. My last 3 Shiner spring seasonals - Farm Road 966 - evaporated yesterday evening. I promise I'm not going to get to the point to where I'm drinking " mistakes "... These were beers that I thought I might like or got recommended to me and it turned out I DIDN'T like them at all. For instance: Mothers Brewing Co - out of Springfield - Old School Octoberfest & Tow Head Blonde. Both of these beers qualify as RANK. Magic Hat Brewing out of Burlington, Vermont #9 - EXTREMELY RANK. My last fishing trip last fall, I felt guilty when I gave a few of these away in the parking log. I think that they will still work for cooking. Over the last few years I've tried any number of IPA's , "American" IPA's, & APA's. I've come to the conclusion that I like the lighter, crisper tasting beers better. Pilsner Urquell - I like a lot. Scrimshaw - a Pilsner style beer out of North Coast Brewing in Fort Bragg, California, I like a lot. The previously mentioned New Belgium spring & summer seasonal beers DIG & SOMERSAULT are very good beers, IMO. Boulevard Pilsner is a very good beer, IMO. I realize that Missouri isn't beer nirvana, and there are many beers mentioned in this thread that I honestly have never seen in any liquor store near me. Too bad for me, I can't taste anything that is unavailable. One more that I will share, that probably is readily available in most places is - SCHLITZ. Schlitz is back, in the original 1960's formula, and it is good beer. It is light, and crisp and takes me back to high school with every swill. Try it, as yard beers go, it is outstanding.

I am not a "bait bigot" The only baits that I won't fish are ones that I don't own. I don't fish any $25+ JDM crank baits, because I don't own any. I haven't talked myself into buying any Vision 110s yet or any Hud trout baits for that matter. Maybe this year, I have spent money on stupid stuff in the past. I really don't have any favorites either though, my favorites tend to be whatever is working lately for me. I got tennis elbow pretty bad last year, and that limited my crank bait and spinnerbait fishing some, just because it hurt when I was casting. I haven't pitched tubes very much in the past few years. I wasn't getting bit very often and when I did get bit my strike to hook up ratio was less then 50%. A beaver bait or Zoom Super Hog or Brush Hog, thrown into similar areas seems to get more hook ups for me.

Yeah, it looks like a puddle jumper. The little curl at the end of the legs make me think that it is some puddle jumper knock off, where they changed it just enough so that they wouldn't get sued. How long is it from end to end? All all the puddle jumpers I've seen were 2" or less end to end, more of a crappie sized bait. Is it flat on the other side? If it was, that would lead me to believe that it is some one's hand pour. Is there a name some where one it. Many companies put their name in the mold some where on the bait? It is a mystery. I really don't know who made it.

Color selection is simple. Ask yourself this question: "Is there a chance that sooner or later this color might catch me a fish?" If the answer is yes, then you owe it to yourself to buy a couple of bags. Don't buy just one, because that style/color of plastic might get discontinued and then where would you be? On a more serious note, the 2013 In-fisherman Bass Guide had a really interesting article on color selection. It explored the attitudes of guys who think different color shades are important compared to guys who favor a few basic colors, and it attempted to offer scientific reasoning behind both choices. I'm more or less in the lots of colors camp, but it gave me new stuff to think about concerning color.

I've done that for spinning reels. If you just let the spool flop around on the ground while you are spooling I think that it adds an unnecessary amount of line twist on the new spool. I think that if you use a few bricks or what not, and keep the spool steady and upright while you are spooling it works good.

That sounds like a good deal. . . . BUT . . .All I've got to say about that is Karma, Karma, Karma. Me, I wouldn't want any part of the feud between that nameless guy and that woman. All you know is her side of the story. There are two sides, and many times more than two, to every story. Not to say that the dude doesn't deserve it, but, I wouldn't touch any of that gear, just wouldn't, that's just me. If I knew the guy, I might buy it all and then call him up later and offer it all back for cost. I don't know, it would really depend on how much spare money I had that particular week.

It is a simple decision. One says Shimano on the side and the other doesn't. Get the one that says Shimano.

The two questions to ask when it comes to changing line are: A- Does it need changing? B - Can I afford it right now? All things being equal, I think that mono wears out faster than fluorocarbon line does. I've went several years using the same spool of braid without any noticeable decline in quality. So basically your answer is when ever you want to or feel the need to. On a side note, this is the time of year when Walmart is doing their seasonal close outs, getting ready for next years stock. It is a good time to pick up some discounted line. I've found the Spider Wire XXX Super Mono in 17 lb test to be a good square bill/spinnerbait line. I've had good experiences with the 17 and 20 lb Stren Dura-tuff. I've had bad experiences with Berkley Big Game and I won't buy that stuff any more.

That reel is so light that many rods will feel "tip heavy". Once you find a rod that you like, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. What will you be using the rod for most of the time? My guess would be worms & other soft plastics and not so much reaction baits like top waters and spinner baits. I'd get a rod that best suits your primary application and "make do" with the other techniques. How many Dick's are in your neighborhood? In the KC metro area there are 4 or 5 that I know of and while their tackle departments are similar, they aren't the same. Different managers will have a different blend of rods. Baitcasting vs Spinning as well as low end/med prices / high end.