Fishes in trees

Good question - real answer is I don't know. I am going to try to get better in my locating skills, I'd rather spend more time fishing rather than searching. I'm going to try to keep gear better organized, so I don't spend as much time sorting through stuff. I'm going to try to get beyond local this year, maybe a once a month trip to a larger reservoir - Truman or Stockton or Pomme de Terre.

I'm considering getting a Power-Pole this year. I'd like to hear from guys who have one. How well do they work? How quick do they deploy? How often do they break? Is it possible to get one stuck? I'd like to hear any and all experiences of guys who have power poles.

So, on further review, the answer is "maybe". For the past few years, I've determined that most of my hook setting issues, soft plastic, crank, spinnerbait, whatever, were caused by "operator error". I have a decent selection of rods, both in quality and numbers. Now, I think if I could shift the majority of the blame for my hook setting woes to my rods, I'd feel better about myself and the bait monkey would be thrilled. I need more money. I must re-allocate my assets. I'll go on a diet. I'll feed the bait monkey instead of myself. What a concept.

What is and what ain't a decent rod gets real subjective real quick, doubly so when the subject is spinnerbait rods. My only advice to you is to keep looking til you find one you like. I'd never buy a rod I hadn't touched first. I was in close to a grand before I found a spinnerbait rod I really liked. Then I bought 6 of them. For comparison purposes, I liked the All Star SBR2 6'8" Zell Rowland Spinnerbait rod. All Star has since been purchased by Shakespeare, and their warrenties and customer service suck now. That is a subject for a different rant. Good luck findiing a spinnerbait/chatterbait rod.

I have 2 that I fished with last year. Absolutely no issues. I used 14 lb fireline. Previously I used a Shimano Spirex (2500 size) on a 6'3" medium light rod to throw jerkbaits (primarily Pointers - 100). The US Reel 240 SX, same line, same rod, same bait, extended my range considerably - 15 to 30 feet depending on the wind. I like the reel enough that when I found them on sale, I bought 2 more. For what it is worth, Guido & Dian Hibdon arenow using US Reels. Guido had represented Diawa for like, forever. Rogers Lures in Liberty, Mo has the US reels on sale right now for $50. Anyway, I've used 2 of them for about a year and I've had a no issues with them.

Depends, finesse drop shot or Bubba drop shot. Last year, I fished the heavier gear much more than the finesse. Bubba drop shot = Flippin stick - 20 lb fluorocarbon & 1/2 ounce weight. Primary reason for the heavier weight is to get to the bottom qucker. Once it is on the bottom, you're essentially fishing a weightless bait. One of my goal this coming year is to experiment more with 3/4 and 1 ounce weights.

Last year, Senko imitations were my most productive dropshot baits. Bass Pro Stickos, paddle tail sticko, Chompers, and Gulp sinking minnow. These are all thicker plastic baits that last longer than the softer Senkos. I'd use the Gulp bait all the time, except it dries out quick when you're not using it.

I try to keep plastics in their original bags as much as possible. Same styles, different colors are kept together in gallon zip lock bags. Gallon bags are stored in larger nylon or canvas tackle bags. I don't keep any gear in my boat, due to a theft issue I experienced several years ago. Because my boat has no lockable storage, anything stolen out of my boat isn't covered. If I lock it in my SUV it is covered. That point has been fully researched by my insurance agent. Since I started this system I haven't had anything stolen, even though the back of my SUV looks like a tackle store. (windows are smoked, it isn't easy to see inside) That goes for all my baits and rods too. Cranks & spinnerbaits are all in utility boxes which get transfered into the SUV at the end of the day. Rods go into overhead storage. I can fit 2 dozen rods/reels into my rod rack. It sounds like a pain in the butt, and it is, but my insurance agent is happy with it and he's got a current inventory (relatively) of all my gear in my file in his office. So, if anything bad happens again, this time I'm covered. Loading/unloading takes 15 minutes if you hit it, 30 or so if you take your time. The next time I upgrade boats, my plan is buy a boat with smarter storage and put locker bars on all compartments. That is a ways away for me right now.

There is another solution to the problem of mounting a transducer on an aluminum boat. I had broken 5 brackets and 2 transducers on my Lowe aluminum boat. This stuff was getting old. Something had to change. Vexilar, an electronics company out of Minnesota, makes a product called the Alumaducer. It mounts inside the hull and allows you to shoot a signal through an aluminum hull. It is compatible with many different brands of electronics via adaptor cables. Researching this product was a pain in the butt. No aluminum boat company wanted to talk about it. No other electronics company wanted to talk about it. Finding dealers was a challenge. Finally, I found a company in St. Louis, Tri-State Trolling motor repair had had experience installing this item. I asked their sales people how the product worked, they said they didn't really know, but that they had installed ten or twelve of them and no one had come back to complain, so he figured they worked OK. In 2007, I bit and had one installed in my Lowe, as part of a major electronics upgrade. It works great. I used to not get worried when I was around a multitude of stumps and such. Now I sneer at them. I 'll probably bust other stuff on my boat from time to time, but I'll never break another transom mount transducer. If you're doing a mounting a depth finder on the console, check out the Alumaducer. My experience is that it works good.

2 different subjects. For flippin, all a reel has to do is hold line. Pitching is a different story. There are lots of reels out there that will meet your needs. Go to Bass Pro or some place that has lots of choices and find the one that fits your hand the best. Me, I like round reels over low profile reels, a couple of buddies have opposite opinions. I used to use a Calcutta. It worked great. Then I upgraded to the Calcutta 200 TEGT. The 11 ball bearings are a signficant upgrade that will extend your pitching range alot. My advice is to find the one that fits our hand the best.

Shimano - wouldn't know about their customer service - never broke one.

I have a separate case for each of the sonar units on my boat. They cost $5 each, maybe less, I don't remember. Anyway, every so often Walmart will have a close out of their small soft sided coolers, or lunch bags. I needed a little extra foam, so I cut some out of an old life jacket I found. They work great as far as protecting my electronics and I know for a fact that no one else is likely to have a neon pink and neon blue electronics case.

Bass Pro Shops sells double sided tangle free hard bait organizers. At least they used to. I just referenced my 2010 Master Catalog and my 2010 Spring fishing catalog and they aren't in there. They are in the 2009 catalog. Go Figure. These boxes work great. I sort out baits using a combination of size, diving depth and brands. For instance, I'll carry 2 boxes of just Timber Tigers and another box of assorted cranks. These same boxes work great for jerkbaits as well. For the big deep diving cranks and Rattle trap style baits, I think the Plano Flipsider storage systems work real good. In addition, I have another set of boxes that I keep empty, so that should I be fishing out of another guys boat, I can pick and choose and not have to take a dozen crankbait boxes with me. I think I'm like many other guys in that I have perpetual tackle storage issues.

A couple of years ago, when the soft swim baits first became widely available (in MO), I bought several different brands. No let me rephrase that, every tackle store I went into, if they had a brand I didn't have I'd buy several. If they only had brands I already had but had different colors, I'd buy that. I'd describe my results as mixed. The Strike King 6" Shadalicious (chartreuse shad) attracted the largest fish I'd ever seen in one particular lake, but it didn't hit. It just followed the bait for 10 - 15 feet or so and then just lazily swam away. That same day I caught several 18 & 19 inch fish on that bait. My plan was just to throw it as far as I could (17 lb fluourcarbon) and swim it back. If I could see it real good, I figured it was too shallow. If I couldn't see it at all, then that was too deep. This was in pretty clear, shallow to medium depth water (3 -8 ft). I was never able to duplicate this, so after several trips, while I would have a swim bait rod rigged in my boat, I didn't throw them all that often. Last year, similar results - a few fish but nothing outstanding. Reading In-Fisherman magazine, the primary editor Doug Stange, writes that his most productive swimbait style bait, by far, over the past few years, was the 5" Berkley Powerbait Saltwater Swim Shad, fished on 1/2 or 3/4 ounce jig heads. I bought some of those, that's still a work in progress, except I haven't had the kind of results that Doug Stange writes that he's had. Fast forward to earlier today, I spent up all my Cabelas points and got 4 packs of the Sebile soft magic swimmers. We'll see how those work. They are a little over 5" long and they weigh 3/4 ounce according to the catalog. My initial plan is to throw them using a 7' MH spinning rod, 14 lb fireline and a 15 or 20 lb fluorocarbon leader. I recently got a decent deal on a US reel Supercaster 240 ($50 from Rogers Lures in Liberty, MO) so that's the reel I'll start with I think the deal with swim baits is that you need fairly clear water (3 or more ft of visibility) and that doesn't always happen on the smaller conservation lakes I normally fish.

There is no rule of thumb, other than pick one that looks correct on the bait you've chosen. Thicker soft plastic baits require a wider gap hook. The February 2010 issue of In-Fisherman had an article describing why you should use a straight shank hook for flipping.

Eakins jigs or PJ jigs or some other finesse type jig are common in the Ozark lakes I fish. Unless you are fishing deep with no brush, in which case I'd use a 3/4 ounce football head. You're from Alabama. You have lots of different kinds of water. I don't have a clue right now where I'd start if I had to go jig fish in Alabama. Probably an Eakins jig - most of the jigs in my bag are Eakins jigs. Who knows what color. Probably PBJ to start. Personally, I only fish jigs when I feel I've got to & I'm not real good at fishing them. I miss many fish on them. I'm certain it isn't an equipment issue, more of a problem with timely strike recognition and reaction. Good luck learning how to jig fish. They say that if you learn how to jig fish you can catch fish anywhere. I'm not a good example of that.

I have a hibernet. Best for storage by far (the net stores inside the tube) & it deploys pretty quick.

I use the BANG spray scents, primarily because they're convenient. My thought in using them is that I'm trying to mask my own stink. Scent or taste is a manufacturing component of most soft plastics, isn't it? Nobody markets their products and says, "these look good, but they will taste like poop to the fish."

I have a Lowe, a WF 180 new in 2002. I looked at the Trackers at that time. I thought they were very similar. My decision came down to the fact that the Lowe dealer was flexible and the Tracker dealer wasn't. For instance, the Tracker dealer was reluctant to swap out trolling motors. The Tracker at the time came with a 46 pound thrust Motor Guide, and I wanted a much larger Minn Kota. Basically the Tracker dealer was selling the package as is, deal with it and the Lowe dealer worked with me alot more, getting me what I wanted. The Lowe started out a package, but I ended up upgrading the trolling motor, electronics and switching from a 2 stroke to 4 stroke. The tracker did have better thought out storage. IMO Several of the bins in my Lowe are prettty much useless as they are a pain in the butt to access. If it was my decision, I made it on the basis of which dealer I felt better about, because sooner or later, you'll break stuff on your boat. It is inevitable.

You should buy them all. After a while, you'll know which one you like. Trade the others or let them become borrower rods. Don't stop there. Buy more rods. Make all your rods compete for your attention. When you are loading up your fishing truck, all your rods will scream at you, "PUT ME IN, COACH!"

I read that book a while (10+ years) ago. Your post reminded me that I loaned or traded it to some one for some thing. I want it back. At some point I'll remember who I loaned or traded it to.

I don't necessarily go for an exact match, but the trailer has got to "look right". I don't know how to be any more precise than that. I've messed around with different trailers quite a bit. Currently I carry Paca Chunks a few different Zoom trailers and pork.

Aren't you missing a "thumper" i.e. a large or medium framed 1/2 or 3/4 ounce bait with a big single colorado blade? I don't throw spinnerbaits a ton, but when I do, the thumper is in the mix. JMO

Throwing a spinnerbait,everything effects everything else & backyard practice with 1/2 ounce practice plug ain't the same as throwing a 1/2 ounce spinnerbait on the water. Going to a lighter rod will probably give you more distance, but you will lose some hook setting ability. Heavier line will let you cast into more knarly stuff with confidence that you will get your lure back, but your distance will suffer some. Wind is always a factor. Obstacles and boat position are factors. For me, throwing off to the left, I tend to use pitch casts more. Throwing off to the right, I'm more likely to use a Jimmy Houston type roll cast. Water clarity is an issue. Clearer water makes you want to cast farther than muddy water does. Although I've had plenty of clear water bites relatively close to the boat, I still think distance is important in clearer water. The bait you use is an issue. The more wind resistant your bait is the more accuracy becomes problematic. You aren't the only spinner bait challenged guy on this board. All the advice you're getting on this post is correct, you've just got to practice, and you'll get better - probably. Currently, I'm at the point where I avoid spinnerbait fishing where ever possible. It has to be so weedy that crankbaits absolutely, positively will get hung every cast before I'll consider a spinnerbait. Am I limiting myself? I don't know, I am aware that the answer to that question could be maybe. This post got off subject - sorry.

I like the Falcon weighted hooks with the wire weed guard. I'll use both the 3/0 and 6/0 and mostly the 1/16 ounce weight. When I am wacky rigging I always use an O-ring. 3/8" OD (outside diameter) x 1/4" ID (inside diameter) seems to me to be the size that fits the senko best. Strike King markets a 3/0 wire weedguard hook that works pretty well too.