bugman

Heading to Lake Chickamauga March 21st with Dad and two brothers and I'm looking for information on best area of lake I should start off at this time of year. Also would appriciate suggestions on what is the best boat ramp and a near by hotel, Bait shop ect... Am I correct in thinking that LM & SM Bass will still be in pre spawn? I plan on fishing flats and bays in the 12' to shore with U-rigs, traps, jerkbaits,chatterbaits and spinners. Any other suggestions are greatly appriciated.

I'm looking for a fishfinder for the front of my boat. Most likely I will get the Elite 4X DSI or Elite 4X. My question is if the DSI model is always in DSI mode or can I change it to traditional sonar? I have a Lowrance HDS 7 with structurescan for the dash and I find that structure scan is great for structure but I like traditional sonar for seeing fish better. One other question is do I have to turn the dash unit completely off when running the front fishfinder or can I just have it in chartplotter so I can set waypoints but not interfer with the front sonar. Thanks in advance, Gary

The newest edition of KVD Bass strategies. I found that it really explains all aspects of bass fishing in a easy to understand manor. I am getting to a point that I think KVD is over exposed but it is a great book.

Called Poor Richards and Gary said that there is still some ice in the bay. I'll check back next week and post after ice out. In the past there was a web cam that showed the bay from downtown Erie. Can't find it this year. If anyone has info please post. Tight Lines

Hey Bassinleo, Good to hear from you again. Hope all is well. I see you are getting some river fishing in. That's great, I plan on hitting some local rivers with backwaters here soon. But as you know I can't wait to get over to PIB. Had a good year in and out of the bay last year. Still learning new areas and patterens but that's one of the best things I like about PIB. There are not many places that offer the verity of fish and different habitat as PIB.

Anyone been to Presque Isle PA. this March? Would like to know if there is much ice in the bay/lagoons. Thinking about some early Northern Pike fishing. Don't want to make the two hour trip and not be able to get the boat in the water. Thanks

Here up North I throw the SK red eye shad about half the time when smallie fishing on spawning flats. I like to use the pull a few feet then reel in the slack retrive. Most of my bites happen as i'm reeling in the slack. This works very well in 3 to 15 feet of water that has sand and rock bottom.

I've only used ultra soft on both BC & spinning. 12# on BC & 8# on spinning reels. Is there any advantage to using Hybrid over Ultrasoft on BC reels? I will be respooling all my reels this spring and would appriciate any feedback before I buy the line.

I fish the Shimano curados from the old "mean green reel" up through the E series. The new G series curados seem to be a down grade. I picked up another E series on clearance from Gander Mnt that I will keep for future use. Might look into Lews when it's time for a new purchase.

Thanks for all of your feedback. It's always interesting hearing what other fishermen thoughts are. I was leaning towards copoly for all my rigs but the braid guys have got me thinking. I may go with copoly (Yozuri or Izorline) for most of my BC rigs and try Sufix 832 for spinning and frog / jig.

Over the last few years I have fished every type of line on the market. I agree that each line has it's good and bad points for different applications. My issue is that I have gotten to the point that I feel that I need a different setup for each type of bait I use. I'm starting to think that too many options in fishing gear is taking away from the enjoyment of fishing. This winter I took off all my line from all my reels and plan on using only one or two different types of line. Pure Mono is out because I only use it for topwater baits. I really like Fluorcarbon and Copoly but I'm thinking I could get away with using one or the other. I do use braid on some spinning gear and my frog / jig setups but could use Fluorcarbon for those applications. I would like to hear from anyone that has cut back on using many different lines to using one or two.

Same blank as Avid with micro guides. I don't have one yet but will be looking for a jig rod this spring. May try the St Croix Rage.

1/4 oz jig with a kalin 5" grub slow rolled across spawning flats for smallies here on lake Erie has been the ticket this spring.

Lipless cranks are my downfall. Strike King Red Eyes are hard to pass up. I wish I could say lures are the only thing I buy that I don't need. I don't even want to get into the rod and reels that I have and don't use. lol

6' with a x-fast tip for short pin point casts. 7' fast tip for open water 7'+ for flip/pitch, c-rig or frog

I'm self employeed and understand the importance of good customer service. It's refreshing to see that a company the size of SK also understands this. I will try to gather up any of the defective baits and send them to SK. Thank you! Gary D

My dad and I are having a problem with some of our SK crankbaits falling apart at the seams. We both have had about 5 or 6 lures come apart. Mostly on Red Eye and series 5 cranks. It looks like they are seperating near a seam near the line tie. We don't store them any different than our other Crankbaits and have not had a problem with any other brand. We both really like SK baits but not sure we want to spend any more money on baits that don't last. Have any of you guys have any problems with SK cranks? I have thrown away my mistake lures but my dad has kept a few of his. I will take a pic and post asap.

Thanks for the reports. Cold front shut things down here also. Will give the bay a shot soon as the temps go up.

I have waited to the first week of April in past years to take my first trip to PIB. With this years above average temps I was woundering if the Bass bite is early this year. Please let me know how you did if you fished the bay already. What is the water temp? ect.....

I like to think of the Drop Shot rig as a way to keep your bait off the bottom. It can be fished at any depth and water color. Just adjust the distance between the weight and hook for the depth your fishing and how far off the bottom the fish are. Up here on lake Erie many guys use the drop shot for suspended fish in deep water and the weight never get near the bottom. You can fish verticle or cast it out and drag it back to the boat. I know you can use a bait caster with a XF tip but I always have used a ML spinning rod 7' or over in length.

Can't go wrong with the old "Mean Green" just make sure the reel is in good condition. Most of mine are used often but hold up great. A good repair guy can replace worn parts if needed. I bought five a few years back at wal-mart for $49.00 each just after the model change. Gave one to my dad he likes it as much as he high end reels. Some say the Shimano Citca is comparable but I have not fished one.

with this warm winter is there any ice on the bay if not when should we start fishing for smallmouth in the past I'd always wait for ice out have you experienced these conditions before if yes when did you start fishing

Very Nice! I will be down to central Fla on the 23rd, would make the trip to catch a few like that. Lake Erie (Presque Isle) is my favorite Northern fishing destination. Do you think the smallies will be in the bay early this year due to the warm winter?

North side near locke #7. will launch where rt. 441 dead ends. Thanks to all that replyed. Bugman

Will be heading down to Okeechobee this week and would appriciate any suggestions on where to fish. Not asking for way points of ypour hot spots but would like to know what part of big O would be the best to start out on. I understand the shinner fishing is hot but would rather fish artificials. Pitching plastics, casting spinnerbaits and lipless cranks are my go-to baits but i'm willing to learn from the locals. Thanks, Bugman