Bluebasser86

I just store them in a compartment in a 3700 box like I do crankbaits. I carry dozens of them like this without any problems.

I have a telescoping lure retriever that has basically a wire corkscrew on the end of it and I can't remember the last time I lost a crankbait since I bought it. They run about $30 for a good one and when you use expensive baits that's only one or two saved baits to pay for itself I'm fishing from a boat though so I can get close enough for it to be effective. They'll work from the bank, you just have to be able to reach the bait. If you're fishing from the bank you can make your own plug knocker with a 1 or 2 ounce bell sinker attached to a snap. Just clip it on your line and hold it as tight and high as you can and let the sinker go so it slides down and hits your bait as hard as possible. Usually the initial impact knocks it loose but if it doesn't you and raise and lower the rod so the sinker pulls up and down on the line right by the bait, that will pop it loose a lot of the time also.

As long as the water is soft there are fish to be caught! The water temps have more sway on what the fish are doing than the air temps anyways.

We have the same thing happen a lot with smallmouth on one of the lakes we fish a lot. Keep a fluke jr on a scrouger head or regular jighead rigged up and when those fish follow in just drop that in front of them while the other fish is still in the water, almost guaranteed to get one of the followers to bite.

That's awesome! I had a guy start screaming at me and a friend a couple years ago during trout season on a local lake. We'd found them schooled up right at the end of the boat ramp, I'm assuming eating bugs that people were blowing when they were loading up. There used to be a rule on the lake that you couldn't release trout but they'd recently changed it so you could release them if they were caught on lures, not powerbait or livebait, and they were in good enough condition to survive. So we were catching them left and right on spoons and releasing them without even touching them when this guy starts screaming "You can't do that! You have to keep your limit and leave!" I have a feeling somebody was having a hard time catching fish and it chapped his butt to know that he just hadn't found them. Well apparently he thought it would be a good idea to call the park ranger and report that I had 30 trout in the livewell and was still putting more in there. What he didn't know was it was a good friend of mine who was working the lake that day so he came over to have a talk with the poor confused individual. First I pulled up to the dock and showed the ranger and the guy the 3 or 4 trout we had in the livewell that were hooked badly and probably not going to make it, so we were good. Then the guy starts yelling again about how you can't release them and it says it right on your fishing permit. So my buddy the ranger asked him to show him where it says that. The guy whips his lake permit out and reads every word on it and of course it doesn't say it but he still decides to go on about how it used to say it and we still shouldn't be allowed to turn them loose like that My friend that was the ranger explained to him how we had broken no rules, but he had by lying about us supposedly poaching fish. The guy already had his boat loaded on his trailer so my buddy told him maybe it was best he just headed home and didn't cause any more racket and he'd just let him off with a verbal warning for filing a false report

I can't think of the brand but they do catch fish. Hybrids and whites love them around here.

Get some Gulp floating eggs, I like pink and white and usually use one of each on a small egg hook. Rig it on a light slip sinker rig or with a single small split shot. I hate using it for the reason you said but sometime it's the only thing they'll eat it seems.

Red hooks give me more confidence in my baits and that will put more fish in the boat guaranteed! I use VMC short shanks, they're the same price for red as they are black nickel and the short shank lets me upgrade the size of my hooks.

That's a great way to keep them cheap and have something to do during the winter time! Plus you can make any color combo you can imagine.

You're in the right neighborhood at least Nice fish.

I'm pretty laid back and do everything slowly, probably why a jig or shakyhead are my favorite baits but I have no problem fishing fast either.

I fished from the bank for 30 minutes and caught 5 largemouth and a smallmouth all on a shakyhead.

PB&J Okechobee Craw Burnt Pumpkin

I catch a lot more bass on Mepps than roostertails too, probably partially because I buy a much bigger size than I normally do in the roostertails. Congrats to your boys. I remember catching some of my first bass on a roostertail. Very rarely fish them for bass anymore but I still catch some trout on them now and then.

Did you make it out there? Slight chance I might make it out there today for a couple hours depending on how tired I am after work.

8 or 10lb Nanofil with a 10lb fluoro leader, about 2' long. I'm using either a 1/16oz ballhead jig or 3/32oz worm nose (mushroomhead) jig, and half a Zman Zinker. In a pinch I'll use half a BPS stick O but you'll only get a couple fish per bait with them instead of 20 with the Zinker. I also superglue the Zinker to the jighead, otherwise it will slip down the hook constantly.

That's a really nice rod for almost $100 off, I'd go for it.

Modern braided lines will not damage your rods guides.

Mustad was running a contest this year awarding up to a million dollars to any angler who used Mustad hooks to catch a state or world record fish.

It's probably the lack of tension on your line because you're fishing the weightless bait. Overfilling the spool can cause it also.

Jerkbaits, shakyheads, rattlebaits, jigs, and swimbaits are about all I use Dec-Feb.

X2, get a couple nice combos and worry about the small stuff later.

Something in the 7-7.5 foot range in a medium-heavy should cover a majority of the baits you listed as long as you're staying to the more average sizes of baits and rigs.

Don't get your hopes up too much about them stopping them altogether. They are in several lakes around here, one of those lakes just got them this year and it has zebra mussel inspections and spray downs before you can even launch, they still got in there.