Fishes in trees

I've never seen rain suit bibs with a removable liner. Hate to be the bearer of expensive news, but you're probably going to need 2 sets. You're in Arkansas, I'm in Missouri, we fish kinda similar seasonal weather conditions. I need 2 suits, just because wearing unlined Guide Wear in the summer time would make me sweat way too much. #1 - Go unlined and layer underneath as needed. I'm a fan of Cabelas Guidewear for early spring & fall conditions. Late spring, through the summer, early fall - I think the much lighter Frogg Toggs are better. Again - you can layer or not layer underneath they as needed. Northwest Arkansas ain't that far from Springfield - go to BPS and see what they got - bring your MasterCard. Maybe Branson is closer for you, I don't know. I do know that you should take your time and get a rain suit that fits, allowing for some layering underneath.

I thought that 5" Chompers were made for half ounce football heads. Pick your favorite color based on regional color preferences. I like the black/chartruese laminate, but lots of other colors work. I don't think that I"ve ever fished a football head with a skirt and an trailer, like you might with an Eakins jig.

As mentioned by a couple of previous posters, "cheap" is a relative term. "you get what you pay for? is true I bass fishing lures, just like most other situations. For spinnerbaits, I like Terminators & War Eagle brands.

BPS Makes a 7" stick worm

I'd go look in the pawn shops in your neighborhood. This year I've found several very cool bait casting rods in pawn shops.

How old are you AND what percentage of your total disposable income are you prepared to spend in the quest to "get better at bass fishing"? BE CAREFUL how you answer this question. When I think about how much disposable income has been donated to the cause of " getting better at bass fishing ", over the years, and then I think about baits, rods & reels, a few different boats, a few different tow vehicles, ( and the associated maintenance expenses ), who knows how many road trips to seminars, 10 years of BFL competition as a co-angler ( with all of those associated expenses ), don't forget the actual time well wasted on the water, and the associated opportunity cost. ( I maybe could have done something more productive mentally & fiscally ) When I think about all this stuff all at once, I cry & smile at the same time and reach for another beer. I get it that everyone has some kind of jones and me, I seem to be addicted to fishing in general, bass fishing in particular and I'm ok with that. Oh, yeah, where are you from? That does make a difference in terms of seasonal patterns and available resources.

To echo jbsoonerfan, man up, son. You've saved up some money that you want to buy some toys with. Go buy toys.

Where is this local bait & tackle shop in St Louis? I have a bud who makes regular trips to St.Louis, dealing with elderly parents. How cheap is " on sale"? I can see having my bud drop by the shop and get me half a dozen or so of the various baits, just to add to my collection.

I think you've got to let the cover tell you what to throw. A spinnerbait isn't a bad choice, but if it is a situation minimal vegetation, an in-line spinner is a great option. A swim bait on a jig head is a great option. A square bill is an option. If you've got a foot or so between the top of the vegetation and the surface, a Minus 1, or something similar will out fish a spinner bait nearly every time.

I consider quarter ounce Brewer Slider jigs and a 4 to 5 inch worm a finesse presentation. My current rig to present this bait is a Falcon Lowrider 6'10" Finesse jig special. This used to be called the Eakins jig special, I guess Eakins & Falcon rods parted ways at some point, so the rod got re-named. With a Curado 50 E and 10 lb fluorocarbon, I feel like I detect 90% or more of the strikes that I get and it does a good job of setting the slider jig hook. If for some reason I need to throw a bait similar to that on a spinning rig, there are lots of different choices.

Those baits never appealed to me in a "I'm certain that crank will catch fish" kind of way. However, I did think that they looked cool, and if they were cheap enough on sale, I would buy some just to add to my collection of "cranks that caught me but not fish." My plan is one of these winters make some display boxes to hang some of these baits on the wall, probably not this winter. I'd probably go to that store and buy a dozen or so, you'll kick yourself if you don't. Who knows, 30 years or so from now, what is going to be the hot "collectable" lure from the 2010 - 2020 era.

I've seen those around - can't place the brand right now. Apparently it is a smaller jerk bait that floats. Given the angle of the lip, it ain't going to dive real fast or very deep. Several quick jerks is probably as deep as that bait is going to get. If you're getting 5 feet out of that lure, that's pretty good IMO, given the angle of the lip. If you want it to dive and stay down, not rise as fast or at all, start experimenting with suspend dots and suspend strips. These are sticky little pieces of lead tape that you place on the bait to affect diving, how fast it rises (if at all) and it attitude when it is suspending. In olden times, before suspend dots became readily available guys experimented with wrapping different gauges of wire around the shaft of the treble hook. You can also melt some solder into the inner gap of the treble hook to create a weighted treble. At the golf club store, you can get weighted lead tape that you can cut and shape and affix to the belly of the bait. There are lots of different ways to weight a jerk bait or a crank bait for that matter. I think that wiggle warts work better with one suspend dot centered on the keel of the bait, between the lip and the first hook hanger. With most baits, that area is a good place to start your weighting experiments.

I think that the spoon plugging book is required reading, it gives you an extensive knowledge about what structure meant to Buck Perry. Over the years, structure has come to mean different things to different folks at different times, but that book gives you a place to start. Every so often I go back and re-read Charlie Brewers book on Slider Fishing, more or less to reinforce the notion that finesse fishing is as much an attitude as it is any particular bait.

Continuing on this topic, I think that throwing cranks into the wind, with spinning gear or bait casting gear, is asking for it. If I'm controlling the boat, I won't do it unless I got to. First, I'll try to maneuver to where at least I'm throwing cross wind, and only if there aren't any other good options will I try to throw into the wind. In that case, throw side arm if possible, keep the bait as low & straight as possible, understand your distance is going to be less and don't try to muscle it. Never fished from a Kayak so I've no clue about the mechanics of fishing from that position. I have fished a little bit from canoes from time to time (not lately) and I wasn't a big fan of it. I have a buddy who has a Blazer, a brand of Ozark Float boats. It is 18 1/2 or so long, maybe 4 feet wide, raised at both ends. It is designed to fish Ozark float streams. That boat is great to fish out of, that that is just standard sit down fishing, just like the old days when you fished sitting down out of your bass boat.

I've got a few. I like my Bucco Trap Caster - had it for 4 or 5 years now. I've got a 6'3" Diawa LT Finesse spinning rod, purchased 2000? 2001? I keep trying to bench it and get a better shakey head rod, but I keep coming back to the Light & Tough.

First, my guess that that you might want to learn seasonal patterns for your area. Putting hours in fishing where they ain't is frustrating and counter productive. Next, never mentioned if you were bank bound or had boat access. Makes a huge difference. If you're new to boat fishing, the whole process of operating & fishing out of a boat can be real intimidating. Viewing videos can help but the only real solution is time on the water. Next, you mentioned a few rods & reels and (in my opinion) a modest bait selection and you felt "armed to the teeth" Trust me when I say you ain't. I fish out of an 18' floating tackle box and I routinely fish with 20 or so rods scattered around the deck, with the requisite amount of gear (or more) for each rod and believe me when I say I'm aware that there are many holes in my current arsenal. I'm close to maxed out on the number of rigs I can carry, so I need to get smarter about what I carry when. Much easier said than done. The point of this last paragraph is to point out that every person who fishes has stuff that they need to work on and get better at. When I was first seriously learning about bass fishing, I focused on one bait - although I carried a few others. My bait of choice was a Charlie Brewer Slider head with the 4" Brewer worm. I had a 6' graphite rod (not real common in 1977) and threw the slider head 90% of the time - almost always on 6 lb test. I'd use the 1/8 oz head fishing from the bank and the 1/4 oz head when I had boat access. If I had to do it these days, I'd go with 10 or 12 lb braid instead of the 6 lb mono. A short trip to the Brewer web site will reveal that there are a dozen or more Brewer Slider heads, trust me when I mention that Charlie Brewer had a good reason for each variation of the slider concept. Another reason why I mention the slider head/worm combo is that I think that the jig worm concept is easier to learn on than a tx rig with the weight sliding on the line. In tx rig fishing with the sliding weight, you're never sure where the weight is in relation to the hook. Using a jig worm, you know that the hook is an inch and a half behind the weight. That did wonders for my confidence - knowing where the hook was. If you're going to stick with the senko/weight option (and that isn't a bad idea, some sort of stick bait pitching rig is always on my deck ). I'd be pegging that weight right up against that bait all the time. Bobber stops are easy to learn how to use, but tooth picks are cheaper. Good luck.

I've tried various iterations of this concept over the years. I have the big Diawa 2600 spinning reel, I've put it on a 7'6" Medium spinning rod to throw deep diving cranks. ( used 20 or 30 lb braid as the main line, 2' fluorocarbon leader) Experiment worked ok - not great. I've tried several other combinations with mixed results, using light braid, wireline, and mono lines. again - mixed results. Biggest hassle was wind knots caused by throwing into the wind and cross wind. Casts with the bait caster offer less distance but much fewer wind knot issues. No doubt, spinning gear is the way to go when throwing lighter cranks (primarily size 5 & 7 shad raps, with all various lip sizes ). Currently using a 6'6" Med Light rod (Fenwick I think ) and a 1000 size spinning reel. Haven't noticed a significant difference between the 1000 or 2000 size reels distance wise - so currently I'm just going with the lighter one. I have a couple of the old US reels Supercasters, with the much bigger spool, might try those again next year. They work ok, but I was never impressed with the loose feel of the reel in general, so I quit using those. I did get a little bit better distance with those reels though. ( and more wind knots, which I think comes with increased distance ) So for me, cranks & spinning gear is a work in progress. Now if the subject is lipless cranks, the jury is in. The Falcon Bucco trap caster and a Calcutta 250 TEGT - 17 lb mono - works much better than any spinning rig I've tried ( half ounce & better baits). I can throw over 100 feet (with the wind ) and be confident I can set the hook at that distance.

My first thought would be to squirt some spray oil into the mechanisms and see if that helps. Maybe something that sprays & stays, like garage door lubricant. I've never heard of a trailer jack breaking before, unless you did something "not smart". I've done that, not on my boat trailer but on my utility trailer, I raised the jack enough to get it off the ground, on the ball, then didn't fold it up to the traveling position, and so there it was, just an inch or so above the roadway., and I took off down the roadway. Hitting a larger rock on the road wasn't enough to bounce the trailer off the ball (it was secured with a trailer lock) but it was enough to bend & warp the metal enough that the jack didn't work anymore. You didn't do anything like that, did you?

I wouldn't ever pay full price at Academy, just because sales & close outs happen pretty often and when they do happen the stock doesn't last that long. The pat few months I've gotten several All Star rods at better than 50% off. Had I waited to go there with a reel, those would have been gone. You're in or near Kansas City, right? Rogers in Liberty has close outs from time to time. 3 years ago, I seriously upgraded my finesse spinning situation when they put a bunch of Fenwick HM spinning rods on sale at 50% off or more. I got four 5'9" Med power, extra fast tip spinning rods at $50 each. Totally upgraded all my float stream fishing gear. To the question of matching the rod to the reel, when I'm at Rogers I just borrow one of their reels to check for weight & balance. Of course in that situation, you're not accounting for the weight of the line, but I haven't had to get that picky yet.

I don't believe in " do everything" reels, mostly because these days I don't have to. Back in the day a "do everything" reel was a matter of circumstance, not choice. To address your question of which reel to get, if you're going to be throwing reaction baits, then I think that the Curado DC will get you a little better distance when you get it dialed in. If you're throwing "feel" or bottom contact baits, I don't think the computer controlled braking is necessary, so I'd go a different direction. For me, that is the smaller 50 size Shimano reels. For pitching, they just seem to fit my hand better and they are a little lighter. 15 years ago, I didn't care much how heavy a reel was, these days that is a major consideration. My 50 size Chronarch and Curado 50 E reels are all a few years old and no where near needing replacement, so I can't speak to the variety of reels Shimano has come out with lately, with then exception of the Curado 150 DC - which I got last winter and I like a lot for throwing spinnerbaits. I'm pretty sure it would work great for any reaction bait, but I've got other reels for those duties right now.

Seems like back in the day, Cabelas Guide Wear came in shorts, longs, stouts, etc. My set of Guide Wear fits me great, I'm roughly your size - 5'7" with a shorter inseam - 29", 30" or even a 31" on some brands, but I bought it back in 2000 or 2001. My set is old enough that they still offered the shorter bomber style jacket or a longer parka. I don't wear it all that often, so it is still in great shape. My suggestion would be to get a set of Guide Wear that fits everywhere except the length and then go to a good tailor. I think that rain suits that go for $400 more or less for a set of jacket/parka & bibs need to be tried on prior to purchase Tailors can move zippers, and do lots of other things to get stuff to fit better. Can't hurt to ask

I own a Ned rig and I fish it occasionally. As a "fair weather" Ned fisherman, I only fish it under conditions I deem optimal, so I've no clue about fishing it in muddy water or stuff like that. My advice would be to call up or e-mail Ned and ask him. I would imagine that you could contact him through In-fisherman magazine - he has that monthly midwest finesse column on their web site.

I kinda live in your neighborhood - my current dealer/mechanic has gotten old and quit the business. I'm looking for a new one. If you would please pm me and let me know the name of the shop that spilled all the oil, I could cross one off my list.

I like "voodoo science". I think it is fun. It lends itself to more speculative interpretations/ guesses/psuedo facts than regular science does. That being said, I don't fish that Morning dawn color very often, so I'm not qualified to speculate on how different bass might see that color.

I haven't seen any of those in a long while either. My first thought is that they would make great Ned rig baits fished on a 1/16 oz mushroom head jig.