Fishes in trees

When I had this issue I tried various brans a of scissors with mixed results. I didn't know about the Boomerang snips at the time. I happened to be in the Michaels craft store, shopping for beads for my jika rigs and passed the scissors aisle. I got a smallish size of tailors scissors - forget the brand - $20 more of less and they work for me.

Falcon makes a wide variety of rods. Fenwick makes a wide variety of rods. Loomis makes a wide variety of rods. St Croix - Kistler - Dobyns and the list goes on. The only way to know for SURE which collection is best for you is to buy them all and try them out. If you're really OCD that shouldn't be an issue. Now consider that in your neighborhood there is probably someone who builds custom rods. That guy could make an assortment of rods in nearly any pattern you desire. Knock yourself out. Hey - I get the idea of a " matched set." Personally I haven't taken it that far - yet - but I do apply that concept to cranks, i.e. an assortment of wiggle warts all in the same box, set of Shad Raps in their own box, set of Rogues individually boxed. The same goes for all the different sizes of Pointers I own and Timber Tigers and so forth. Some boxes get mixed up - Topwaters for instance, will have Spooks and Sammys and poppers in the same box - sometimes you've just got to compromise. Compromise is a concept you might apply to your rod collection - just a thought.

If you're bank fishing and shore line vegetation isn't too outrageous, I think longer is better for distance casting. I'm pretty certain that 7' would work fine, but if you're custom building 7 1/2 would work better and I think 8' would work better yet. I also think that the extra length would come in helpful in controlling fish that hit close to the shore line. Years ago, I had a bank fishing situation - fishing for whites and hybrids in the Truman Dam tail race. I got an eleven and a half foot Predator rod out of the Cabelas catalog. It was marketed as a heavier action European style bank fishing rod. Anyway, that rod with a large Diawa 2600 reel filled with 14 lb Fireline could throw a quarter ounce lipless crank way over a hundred feet. Put an ounce and a half lipless crank on it and a hundred yards was doable ( it took a wind up and some practice ) I only caught a couple hybrids on this gear - the issue wasn't the gear, it was timing the situations when the hybrids chased the shad that far up the tail race. Different story. Any way, the point is if you're wanting more distance throwing quarter ounce lipless cranks - and you're considering building your own rod - go outside the box and build a true distance caster. JMO

A couple of years ago, I thought that mending plastic baits could be a good idea under certain circumstances and so I bought a bottle of Mend-it. One day on the water I opened the bottle and repaired a couple of Strike King Shadalicious swim baits that had gotten torn up. So far so good. It occurred to me that once opened, the glue could get really thick and/or dry out. I took precautions. I sealed the bottle as tight as I could, fitted a piece of duct tape around the cap - holding it on and hopefully fully sealing the air out. I put the bottle inside a zip lock bag and put the package inside the step bin in my boat. Forget about it - didn't need it. Late that fall, when sorting/cleaning out the boat I found the bottle still sealed in the zip lock bag. It was done - useless - too thick to use. I threw it out. I throw big plastics so seldom that I just get out a new one if I've got to throw big plastics - soft swim baits, etc. I think that storing Mend-it is more trouble than it is worth.

Seems like you're really pressed for time. Buying a rod & reel requires some decisions that all take time. You seem really busy. Tell you what, send me the $700. I will purchase an outstanding rod & reel combo for pitching & flipping. I will even break it in for you. A relatively short time later, I'll send it to you, a fully broke in, ready to fish flipping & pitching rig. We won't bother with brands & models right now. Trust me that I can pick a good one with a $700 budget.

My advice would be to lose the snap and tie a knot.

I 've made my reservations for the Fishing for Freedom project that the Leavenworth Bass Club and Long Shoal Marina sponsor every year. I've done this event for 5 years now and every year I've had an interesting time - meeting and hanging out with folks that otherwise I probably wouldn't. It is the weekend prior to Columbus Day. 4 out of the past 5 years weather has been ok to GREAT and the one year it was a little chilly it was still ok as long as you were geared up for it. I know it is at Truman and some guys would rather fish other lakes than Truman, but hey - the owner of Long Shoal Marina on Truman is a co-sponsor of the event. Truman can be a challenge to navigate, but it can be done, just don't be dumb. The more boaters they sign up earlier the more soldiers they can commit to sponsoring. Plus it is a great time of the year to take a weeks vacation. Our forum was severely under- represented. I'm thinking four months notice might help. If you have the time available, it is an interesting/fun weekend. To find out more - go to the Leavenworth Bass Club web site and then click on the appropriate stuff.

Maybe it is just me, but given that I don't have unlimited fishing time, if I feel like I need a jig trailer I think that there are better options out there than a tube. But really who knows. Fish it for a while and find out for yourself. Back in the day, a tube was considered strictly a finesse bait. Then Denny Brauer won a Classic pitching a tube. All of a sudden a tube is a heavy cover pitching bait. That is mostly how I use a tube.

Lews are ok reels. I have some buds that use them. Me - I'm a Shimano guy - have been for almost two decades. Last time I got talked into/talked myself into a brand that was "just as good and less expensive" than Shimano, I was ultimately disappointed. Never again, when I decide that I'm entitled to a new reel, I get another Shimano. Bait casting - spinning - I don't care. When I decide I need another reel I get another Shimano.

While I throw different brands of square bills from time to time, more often than not I throw a Timber Tiger. IMO no square bill I've ever used comes through brush better. They tend to run true as well.

Man up - make your own fishing rod decisions based on the conditions you think you'll be facing most often. Begging other people to make decisions about what rod for you to buy assumes that they know more about the varying conditions that you fish under that you do. Is that true? In that case my advice would be to buy them both and switch off from time to time until you decide which one you like. Go to the store and fondle, . . . er, handle them and make your decision. This is why I never purchase a rod via the internet unless I'm ordering a duplicate of one I already like.

I have some. I don't tx rig all that much. I've tried them on jika rigs with mixed results. I think that there are better jika rig baits out there. For me, Culprit Fat Max worms haven't been banished from the boat bag yet, but they aren't a first or second or third choice either. For me, they are in that large pile of baits that I bought because it seemed like a good idea at the time, but over the, results are not so much. The reason I don't fish them is because I have LOTS of different options.

If you haven't broke your carrot stix yet, even considering that they've seen considerable use, it is probably because you take care of your gear and don't over stress it. You probably don't nick it or ding it when transporting them either. You are probably one of those guys who generally just takes care of his stuff. All that being said, when they were built, Carrot stix basically sacrificed strength for sensitivity and light weight. Sooner or later that Carrot stick is going to break. It is in its nature.. This is coming from a guy who had and uses 2 of them - 4 or so years old now - haven't broken them yet, but I have buds who've broken half a dozen of them. So, anyway, I hope you continue to take care of it and it continues to last.

Back in the day, I was a meat fishing bush hippie, I bank fished a lot. It has been over a dozen years since I have seriously bank fished for bass. (Bank fishing for catfish is a different story.) Here are some of my current thoughts on bank fishing. For the most part, I preferred spinning gear to bait casting gear. Just easier to deal with considering all the brush/weeds and other stuff that happen in bank fishing that doesn't happen boat fishing. If there is lots of gnarly cover close to the bank, this is where a MH spinning rod with braid comes in handy. I've said this before and probably will say it again, but in my opinion the piece of equipment that will improve any bank fisherman's catch the most is a good pair of hip waders. This will let you get off the bank enough that throwing casts parallel to the bank are much more productive. Bank fishing is its own challenge. Glad I don't have to any more. Good luck.

I use the Yamaha product Ring Free because that is what the dealer told me to use when I bought the boat in 2002. Still use it, nearly every time.

Jimny Cricket said, "Let your conscience be your guide." In this case, that 's good advice. If you want to cheat on your taxes, that's your karma. Basically, what you're asking for here is permission. Skimming over the past few posts, you've got your answer.

Your line is snapping because you've stressed it when you've backlashed. If you're coming from a spinning reel back ground, understand that you can't make a snap cast with a bait caster like you can with a spinning reel. It is a different muscle memory than you've used for spinning. Best answer is to practice until you learn it. Learning it takes a while.

I carry a lot of soft plastics in my boat. I keep them kinda sorted by type in original packaging and then grouped in gallon zip lock freezer bags. Often the issue is "Where is the correct zip lock bag?" BPS used to sell canvas bags that would hold 30 or so bags of soft plastics, but they were kinda expensive at $15 more or less. Once I caught then at a close out for $6 or so each and I bought a dozen of them. Of course, sooner or later I needed more and I'm unwilling to pay MSRP of around $15. Happened to be in Harbor Freight yesterday, fully loaded, by this I mean I had a new coupon book, cash, check book and a Mastercard with no balance on it. Paid it off a few days earlier. Anyway, I was wandering around, looking at stuff, "What do I need?" In the tool box section they have Voyager Canvas Tool Bags. They come in various different sizes, from 8" up to 19 ". The 15" size is just slightly bigger than the ones I bought from BPS several years ago on sale. Slightly heavier canvas, much higher quality heavy duty zipper - Six seventy something on sale with a coupon. I bought one. Next paycheck I'm going back to get 5 or 6 more. I envision a new era in soft plastic storage for me. Now all I need to do is find the time and a sixer to get some serious soft plastic sorting done. Each problem solved creates another issue . . . Seriously, check out the canvas tool bags at Harbor Freight. When you got a coupon, the price is right. When you get on their coupon program, they mail you a bunch of new coupons every month. Oh yeah, also right now they have the smaller sized plastic ammo boxes for $5 each, with a coupon. Unbeatable, dust proof small tool storage for your garage.

I carry both types - the "hound dog' type and an extendable pole. Situations happen when one will work better than the other. Unless it is a lure that I REALLY don't want to lose, I have a 3 to 5 minute rule, i.e. if I can't get the bait off in 3 to 5 minutes I'm done. At that point I get a little loose line, wrap it around the boat cleat several times and back off with the trolling motor. Problem solved.

Here's what I think. There is such a thing as "heavy" fishing gear. There is such a thing as "finesse" fishing gear. Having said that, to me, "finesse" fishing is much more of an attitude thing than a gear thing. For instance, some day you might be on a "schoolie" bite, where swarms of similar size fish periodically surface and you can see the school of shad being threatened. Sometimes crappie do this, more often white bass or hybrids, but from time to time there are bass doing this as well. More often spots or small lies than largemouths but it happens. Anyway, one of the best ways to deal with this situation is to bust out your ML or L spinning gear with 6 or 8 lb test, tie on an in-line spinner heavy enough that you can throw 40 o4 50 yards if you have to and throw over and across the surfacing school and bring the spinner back through the school. You're using lighter gear to do this, but there isn't a lot of finesse involved. By the same token if you're throwing quarter to 3/8 oz jigs or soft plastics to lay downs in 2 to 8 feet of water, using bait casting gear and 15 to 20 lb fluorocarbon, there is a whole lot of "finesse involved. For instance, if you splash too much, you won't get bit more often than not. If you consistently pitch too high and get your bait stuck above the water, you're unlikely to get bit. This is a situation where you're using much heavier gear (out of necessity, due to cover and whatnot), but if you don't present the bait in a finessful way, you ain't getting bit. Just two situations, I probably could come up with more if I wanted to. Point being, IMO, finesse fishing is more of an attitude about how you present the bait, moreso than the gear used to do so.

If you want to throw cranks in weeds, from the bank, you are pretty much limited to lipless cranks or a minus 1 type baits. Line is pretty much a secondary consideration when it comes to crank bait depth. In your situation retrieve speed is more important. JMO Other posters might have a point in that there might be better lures to throw than a crank type bait. A tx-rigged senko comes to mind. Another option is just to be hip to the notion that if you don't get bit before your bait contacts the weeds, you're going to have to pull off weeds. These days, if I'm convinced that the fish are in the shallow weeds, a top water frog style bait - hollow or soft plastic like a horny toad is my first choice. A tx-rigged senko or more likely a slightly stouter version of the senko like a BPS Sticko would be my second choice.

I use the same rig that I use for spinnerbaits. Currently that is a 6'8" AETOS MH- Ex fast. Reel is currently an older Calcutta TEGT with 17 lb mono.

If you are hard on your stuff, better rods come with better warranties. I'm a big fan of Fenwick AETOS rods, also the Fenwick HMG series. Quality rods, available in a wide variety of actions and a lifetime warranty.

I'd rate Spider wire mono as better than Big Game. I buy it when it closes out at Walmart. I only buy 17 and 20 lb and I use it for spinner baits, square bills, lipless cranks, stuff like that. I abuse it and change it pretty often.

I fish trees quite a bit. Some things to consider. The particular area you're fishing in - would you fish there if there weren't any trees there? What I mean by this is that is there a drop off? bottom change, creek channel? Start by taking the trees out of the equation - where would you fish in the lake if there weren't any trees? All this does is help you sperate low potential areas from good potential areas. What water color do you have? With 3 feet or more of visibility, I think that drifting a wacky senko is a great option. 3 feet or more, I'm going with some whale of green pumpkin or watermelon. Less than 3 feet I'm going red shad or black & blue. I frequently use a Falcon K-wacky hood for this, the 1/16 oz weighted one on fairly stout fluorocarbon or braid. If visibility is less than a foot, I'm probably throwing a 3/8 oz jig, maybe a little heavier, Black & blue - a jig & trailer or soft plastic like a paca craw, something like that I pay attention to wind when I'm fishing trees. First because I don't want to bang into trees and stumps. That is how you fall out of boats. Secondly, I think that the wind determines somewhat how the fish are positioned on the tree, i.e. I think that they face into the wind. At the bottom of every tree, more often than not, is a fairly extensive root wad. Fish often hang out here. I think that this situation is best fished with the bubba drop shot rig. I try to get the bait as close to the root wad as I can without getting it stuck and then once it is placed, shake it some. I fish these kinda slow, each cast takes around a minute or so. Trees can be cranked. The best bait to crank trees with, IMO, is a Timber Tiger. I prefer the DC 13 or DC 16. What I am looking for here is lanes between the trees. What you are really looking for is that major horizontal limb, extending from the trunk that is 5 to 9 feet down. Timber Tigers can crawl over this and never get hung - well almost never. Bites happen when the bait is finished crawling over the horizontal limb. Turman Lake has ALOT of trees. A common pattern on Truman is throwing a 10" worm or large creature bait down into the trees and swimming it back . 20 lb Fluorocarbon and 5/16 or 3/8 oz weights are common. Most of your bites happen on the initial drop, less often they happen as you swim it back. Hope this gives you a place to start.