Fishes in trees

I don't think you can go wrong with Fenwick rods. I don't have any experience with Elite Tech. I have several Fenwick HMG rods, spinning & casting, in various actions and they work good, what I like best is the lifetime warranty. I've had to use that a few times when I did something dumb. If possible, spend a few extra dollars and go AETOS. I have a couple of 7/2" MH extra fast tips that are my go to jigs/soft plastic rods. They handle 1/4 to 3/8 oz (total actual weight) finesse jigs real well and they handle 5/8 oz jika rigs too. Next time I need another jig/soft plastic rod, I'm buying another AETOS, same length & action.

A number of years ago, I had a great season - post span to fall turnover fishing tubes. Tx rigged with a 1/4 or 3/16 internal weight, thrown on 14 lb. fluorocarbon, they were my first choice for tx rigged plastic. The next season they weren't nearly as effective and since then I've struggled to get a bite on them. For the most part I've stopped carrying them in the soft plastic bag, although I have many in storage in my fishing shed. Can't explain it - no clue as to how they worked good one year and not so well since then.

I like to think that I can multi-task, i.e. be deeply engrossed in random thought and still set the hook when I need to. I like to think that. I don't always do that. I don't get too bent out of shape when I miss a fish, though.

Balance is a subjective thing. Some guys like the vast majority of the weight right in their hand. Other guys don't mind a little tip heavy. Me, I'm not as concerned about " balance " as I am about overall feel. My main question is , "Does this reel feel right with this rod?" For me, these days, the smallest, lightest one that will do the trick is the one I choose, with a few exceptions. I crank a lot with spinning gear. I have an old Diawa 2600 (a large, fairly heavy reel) that I absolutely love for cranking. I'd think that the 1000 size Shimano will work great on the rod you've got.

I remember being told in high school shop class to "use the right tool for the job." BPS sells a crank bait tuning tool that makes the whole process simple. Much easier than using pliers. $5 well spent.

I "bubba shot" more often than not. I use half ounce weights - 20lb Abrazx fluorocarbon line and a pitching stick. Half ounce is necessary because I don't like waiting for the bait to drop to the bottom. I use the Gamakatsu wicked wacky hooks - 1/0 through 5/0 depending on the thickness of the plastic I'm nose hooking - I use 2/0 most often. I lie the little tube wrapped on the shaft of the hook that you run your line through. I think I get a more consistent hook set. For baits, I like the Berkley Crazy legs chigger craw. Recently I had some results using a Guilp sinking minnow.

I'm not a big fan of glass cranking rods. I've had a few over the years - just too "whippy' for me. Going outside the box for a moment, several years ago BPS marketed a 7'4" rod in their Extreme series. Woo Davis endorsed it, his favorite pitching rod, so he claimed at a seminar one time. Anyway, its medium action just didn't work as pitching rod for me, however, it works for me as a great square bill cranking rod. Tippier than an MH rod, I get good to great casting distance without too much effort, and should you get bit you can lean on it strong and get the fish up and out of the stumps. Works for me. I'll throw nearly any reaction/moving bait on that rod and not be worried. Buzz Baits - Minus 1's - Heavier Wake baits. I'd throw spinner baits with it if I had to, but I don't, I've got several dedicated spinner bait rigs - but that's a different subject.

Not a big fan of BPS reels - not a big surprise, as I'm a Shimano guy through and through. Several years ago, I purchased a couple of bait casters - forget the model # but they said David Fritts on them. They were marketed as distance casting cranking reels. They didn't cast as well as any of my Shimano's. However, load them up with 25 lb mono and they make decent catfish reels. It is good to go cat fishing and not rear up and of my bass gear.

What's to be stumped about? Plan A didn't work, so you went to plan B, C and you found something that did work. It often happens that way. Suggestions: ( be mindful that most of my suggestions require funds) A Hummingbird Fishing Buddy portable depth finder is pretty reasonable and will solve many problems. The depth finder will give you a much better idea of what the bottom actually consists of, and will help you find the edges faster. My guess is that the deeper crank fish were relating to the edge in some way, where the vegetation stops and the soft bottom starts. You caught a spinner bait fish off a point. If you keep throwing spinner baits around points, that will happen from time to time - that's all there is to it. You caught a rip rap fish on a wiggle wart. That fish was probably feeding. Many crawdads live in and around rip rap and wiggle warts imitate craws, so , go bigger. Fish by your gut feelings if you want to - me I find that sometimes gut feelings are real, more often they are just gas. I find that a depth finder with a temp gauge give me more reliable info than my gut does. I'd call 5 or 6 feet visibility relatively clear water. To know for sure, on your body of water, you need a secchi disc and a many samplings. That will, over time, give you a visibility range. This helps in that it offers info on how fish might be positioned on structure/cover. In my opinion, fish that live in murky/muddy water all the time fish differently than fish that live in clear water that occasionally turns murky. My experience has been that fish living in clearer water get turned off by somewhat murky water, while fish that live in continually murky/muddy water don't seem to as much. You got to the water around noon and didn't catch a fish until 3:30. What were you trying that first few hours that didn't work? Fish #3 off the point. My guess is that you caught the most active fish on that point at that moment. My guess would be that there were more fish in that immediate vicinity. What happens when you float a wacky senko down the deeper side of the point into the fallen timber near the overhangs? My guess is that you get bit. Pertaining to the rip rap fish, my experience has been that if I'm occasionally getting bit on rip rap throwing a crank, I'll get bit more by slowing down some and throwing a shaky head/bubba shaky head/ jig worm and try to polish the rocks in the same area. When I had a little pond boat, similar to yours, it took me a while to realize that the wind was my friend, that I had to learn to fish with the wind and not continually fight it. A drag anchor helps. Mine consisted of 3 feet or so of heavy chain attached to 50 feet of half inch rope. The reason that you use half inch rope is that it is easier to haul up and doesn't tend to tear up your hands as much as thinner rope sometimes does. Hope this offers some insight, so you can catch more next time.

I prefer spinning gear for jerk baits. Wind knots can happen if you aren't paying attention. I recommend paying attention. Close the bail quickly, by hand, immediately after the bait lands.

The past couple of years I haven't bought very many rods. The few that I have bought have been Fenwick HMG's or AETOS. I like the actions and I like the warranty.

I think that the best time to use a lure is when you think it might work.

If you have zip ties in your boat, you have a tourniquet if you need one. I keep an 18" clear tube in my boat, filled with many sizes of zip ties, from big to tiny. I keep a first aid kit in my fishing truck and my boat, with most of the stuff previously mentioned. I'm not a first aid expert, I just bought some first aid kits and expanded some from there. I did "waterproof" my first aid kit in my fishing truck & boat, i.e. I put all the stuff in separate zip lock bags, so if the box gets really wet, all the stuff inside probably won't. The product that I go through the most of in my fishing truck kit is Solarcaine. I lead the league in forgetting to put sun screen on and then getting a nasty sunburn - at least once or twice a year. The spray sun burn stuff is the difference between a tolerable ride home and a miserable ride home. I know - I keep sunscreen in the bathroom, in the fishing shed, in the fishing truck and in the boat, but even then, sometimes I forget to apply it until it is too late. Can't remember everything all the time. The original poster is correct in that we should all keep a first aid kit in the boat.

My hand held scale lies. I think it is a Quarrow. It is hand held. It measures dead weights with extreme accuracy. Every fish that I put on the scale is a pound and a half to two pounds light. I can't explain it, other than maybe the scale doesn't like bouncing around in the boat very much and so it lies to me when called upon.

Every lure in my boat is a "confidence bait" (or at least was at one time, i.e. the time of purchase) Anyway, I'd tell the students to be aware of the seasonal patterns and them make their best, most educated guess at the time. Some days a bait does seem like a "magic bait" , but in my case I like to think that it was the reasoning process that got me to that bait which was more important. Now, having said that, when I don't know what to throw, my default choice is some sort of jig worm. My current favorite is a 1/4 oz Brewer Slider head and a 5" Paddle Tail worm. BPS makes a paddle tail version of the Stick-o and that is my current favorite. Zoom paddle tail worms are a fall back choice. For rookies, I'd recommend that they throw this bait on spinning gear using 10 to 20 lb braid and a short fluorocarbon leader. Retrieve is dirt simple - polish the rocks or whatever bottom is there by making intermittent bottom contact. If you are on the bottom all the time, you are going too slow. If you never tough the bottom you are going too fast. Get a copy of Charlie Brewer's book ON SLIDER FISHING and have all your club members read it. I don't know what kind of reference library you have, but you might want to start one. I have most of the in-fisherman magazines every published ( the older ones, when it was owned by the Lindners, have much more info than the more recent ones, but recent ones are ok) The old BASS FISHING INSTITUTE which was active from 1980 to 88 or so, published an excellent text book, which covered all the basics of bass fishing in extreme detail. There are lots more books you might want to collect as well, in addition to the plethora of advice you might find on-line. Next, if you're looking for winter projects, you might teach them how to pour lead and/or soft plastic baits. Allegedly, the GUIDO BUG, an outstanding craw fish imitation, was invented by his son Dion as a grade school project. If you need funding - you're on your own - I don't have a lot of ideas on how to fund a high school fishing team, my guess might be that there are some fisherman in your area that might want to help. My guess would be that the ones who have the most time to help wouldn't be the ones with the most funds to help. My next question would be, why stop at a bass team? Why not a fishing team - go multi species. Catch some crappie - catch some carp - catch what ever is biting. What is your inventory? How many Dads/ grand dads/ Uncles, etc, have boats? What are the fishing opportunities available? Close or within reasonable driving distance? Thanks for letting me rant. If yo think about it, club growth is really a marketing issue. If you think about it in that context, there are many avenues for growth.

Wasn't that article in In-fisherman a few months ago? "Cigars in Space" or something like that ? If that is the article I'm thinking of, there were several caveats about how and when that strategy would work and when it was unadvisable. Don't remember all of them, but I do remember the article. As I recall, it was mostly an attempt to deal with very clear water and boat shy fish.

I don't C-rig very much. This year, a lizard on a home made jika rig has been a very good producer for me. Best lizard so far this year is a YUM Zellemander. Ties for second would be a YUM Sallemander ( like a regular lizard with little boot tails on the various appendages) or a Berkley Lizard. I find that a regular bend 3/0 hook (Gamakatsu or Trokar) , skin hooked, gets better, more consistent hook ups than a wide gap hook does.

IMO - measuring casts per hour is a meaningless statistic Too many variables to make it meaningful, without a lot more information. Focus your attention on evaluating the current situation, what ever that might be and trying to make the best cast possible in that instant. Fish it until you're done. Then do it again. Fish the moment, not the memory. You can evaluate what the fish are doing, but you can't "dictate". . . . . . Sorry, went zen for a moment . . . . When I'm out fishing, I only get to go once a week, sometimes I find myself thinking too much . . . That is a perfect moment to pause and pop a top. Current favorite is Founders All Day IPA.

There are lots of small boat options out there. Be sure and check them all out before you decide to build decks on a boat that is already "tippy" like most 12' job boats are. Back in olden times, prior to getting my current boat, I had a Water Buster "Trophy". 4" by 10" - very stable ( you could jump up and down on the edge and not tip it over ) It even had a build in live well (not very useful, but good for occasional use tool storage) and a built in cooler (very useful, keeping beverages close at hand but out of the way). It was heavy enough that you couldn't car top it, it came on a little trailer. It didn't take up too much room in my garage at the time. I don't think that Water Busters are made anymore, but a Pelican 10' is pretty easy to trick out, a BPS Pond Prowler is a good choice also.

Aceman 387 posted earlier to the effect that "someday you will consider building a pole barn . . ." Anyway, I did that in 2001. Should have built bigger then. Seriously considering rebuilding. My advice is to spend what you want to on fishing. Should it happen that you spend "too much" rest assured that you could have spent that money on dumber stuff. As you acquire more fishing gear, you will become very familiar with the semantic difference between "need" and "want".

If "m going to shaky head fish, a Zoom trick worm is most likely where I'm going to start. I generally use the screw in jig heads, so I'll cut a quarter inch or so off the front of the worm so that it fits flush against the jig head. If I'm getting bit and the area where you skin hook gets messed up, I might trim back the worm several times before going to a new worm. More and more so far this year, the BPS Mag fin-eke worm has out produced the trick worm in terms of size, probably not numbers. That worm is 6 inches long or so and thicker than a senko. Use a jig head with a 4/0 hook.

My cold weather gear is a set of Cabelas Guide Wear (non-insulated) that I supplement with various layers underneath. For long boat rides at 50 MPH+, I find neoprene gloves and a snug fitting insulated hat are essential. I have a Save Phace sport utility mask that is very handy. Don't forget your feet - insulated boots work ok - I find a liner sock and oe or two layers of wool socks work better for me. If it is going to be cold and wet and I have to be out, like in a tournament situation, I have a set of lightweight stretchy rubber over shoes that I got at Orschlens that do a great job of keeping the cold out and the warmth in. Downside of this is that it doesn't breathe and so your feet can get hot and sweaty if you aren't paying attention. I don't use the overshoes very often, but I have them if I need them. Now that I've lost a little weight the past couple of years, the insulated snowmobile suit that I bought 20 years ago fits me again, so that is another option. That suit is water resistant - not gore tex and so it often isn't the better option. One thing about cold weather gear is that its a problem that can be solved by throwing money at it.

You make a couple of points here and there about bank fishing, HOWEVER - your statement that "Fishing from shore is only backwards fishing from a boat." simply isn't true. There is more to it than that.

I have a few of those US Reels Super casters. The highest praise that I can give them is that they work ok. Since they first came out, I've seen them priced at somewhat over $100, then $99 and they got cheaper over the years. Rogers Lures in Liberty still has some and they can't give them away at $40. At one point I had 4 of them, because I figured that all a spinning reel did was hold line and spending more money on spinning reels didn't make much sense at the time. Two of those reels are in full time retirement now. One, a 240 size, is my jerk bait reel. It works ok, but I'm not real impressed with how the gears feel, it has kind of a herby/jerky feel. When I get some spare money, it will get replaced. The other US reel that I use is a 180 size spinning reel. It is pretty light and I like how it balances with the rod I've got it on. I use it to throw tx rigged senkos & flukes. It is going to stay in the line up for now. Good luck with those reels. Hope that they work and do what you want them to do. Only way to know is to try.

It isn't that simple. What lake? What time of year? Boater or Co-angler? Seasonal patterns? When I was fishing Ozark BFL as a co-angler, I'd bring 15 or so rigs to the tournament and wouldn't make any final decisions about what to pack until after I'd spoken to the boater after the draw. A few examples: It probably isn't necessary to bring a jerk bait rig to a summer tournament. Early spring, boater says he is fishing primary and secondary points, probably unnecessary to bring a decimated spinner bait rod. Boater says he likes to move fast & cover water, the Ned rig might be in the way. These days, if I were fishing as a co-angler, I'd bring a shaky head rig, for sure and a couple of jig rods. Every other decision would wait until after the conversation with the boater after the draw. If you know who you are fishing with days prior to the tournament, make plans accordingly. Basically it isn't as simple a question as you might think - better information would get better answers. There are few all purpose answers.