bassnleo

If the lake has mats then there will be fish under them. Often times you just have to cover water and find the fish. Where the fish will be positioned is relative to the time of year. Mats close to spawning areas will hold pre and post spawners. Mats close to deeper water may hold summer fish. Like already mentioned, knowing what is below the mats really helps narrow down where fish will be in vast expanses of grass. A shallow ditch running through a grass flat may be a goldmine. Good luck!

I was given a pack of the flippin hooks when they first came out. I gave them a try.......broke two of them on hooksets. Break occurred just below the eye on the shank. I'll stay with BMF and Gammy.

I snell 100% of the time on my flippin/pitching rods.

One thing I don't do alot of is jiggin blades like a sliver buddy. Will be using this technique for cold water smallmouths. Need advice on a rod/line setup. My thoughts will be to use a 7' M or MH spinning rod, reel spooled with 8 lb braid, and with an 8 or 10lb fluoro leader. Any advice appreciated.

PI open, Shenango open, Arthur still has ice. (according to a guy I spoke to yesterday, said it was still ice as far as he could see from 528). Sunday's forecast looks crappy but I'll more than likely be on the bay. I like a challenge!

Another train of thought about jerkbaits........ Like already mentioned, bass don't read the books. Watch a jerkbaits action on a steady retrieve (no jerks). Quite a few models perform a wide X action on a moderate speed retrieve. That action displaces quite a bit of water similar to a wide wobble crankbait. In clear water bass will react to the erratic jerk & pause normally associated with fishing a jerkbait. In very stained to muddy water bass will track to the wide x-ing a jerkbait offers, you just have to think outside the norm and fish it differently. A few years back I had a 50+ fish day (smallies), in visibility of about 1 foot, just casting and winding the bait back.

No , Shades is East of PI, I think it's about 6 miles. Easiest way to tell your at the Shades area is to look for a rock break wall along shore. There is actually a launch at Shades now, the break wall protects the launch.

Stinkin, slimy, lure loosing pike, great . There's a reason for me NOT to go. I loose more tackle to those things there. A couple summers ago a shattered a flippin stick on one in heavy weeds. All kidding aside, first chance I get I'll be up. Your boat or mine Ben 8-)?

I use a Reaction Innovations BMF 4/0 hook, tungsten weights. Weight size varies according to thickness of cover, type of cover, activity level of the fish, etc.. Could use as little as 1/4 oz, as much as 1 oz. An important thing to add, I use a snell knot with the above hook. When tied properly, the knot rotates the hook point up on the hook set. Some of the guys asked why change if your catching fish. I'm with you......If I were catching fish on a crank or moving bait, I'd also be looking for another back-up pattern or something that would produce a larger bite. If I recall correctly, the top finishers at the 2009 Classic were kinda doing the same thing, catching fish on moving baits early then moving to a flippin pattern for larger bites.

A coule of years ago I was pre-fishing for a club tournament. I was on a pretty solid spinnerbait pattern, slow rolling it down the sides of bare laydowns. I was catching a mixture of sm and lm. I finished up a retrieve and swung the spnnerbait out of the water and to my hand for another pitch, I was already looking for shot placement when I hear a THUD. I look back into the bottom of my aluminum boat to see a smallmouth about 15 inches long flopping around. Although I didn't actually see the fish clear water because I was looking for my next target, I can certainly tell you I did not have it hooked. There is no other explanantion other than the fish had to be following and had come after the bait when I swung it out of the water. Unluckily for him, he jumped into my boat .

If you're looking for the "big bite" I would fish a jig with either a craw or beaver trailer. A texas rig beaver will also get you bites. So, it's really up to you on how/what you prefer to fish or what bait you have confidence in. If it were me, I'd fish the jig

bugman, sent you a PM.

Freshwater: walleye, crappie, perch. Saltwater: blackened tuna, mahi mahi, grouper

I'm there as soon as the ice is off. I'm planning on next weekend, we'll see......

From word of mouth, bay is still frozen. Some areas are opening up though. I'd guess that by next weekend there will be fishable water, may have to dodge a few icebergs coming in from the lake although. I'll keep you up to date.

Ever notice how the sunlight fades colored items such as clothing? Ever notice how quickly the sun fades a newly paved black asphalt road? Wonder what it does to an unprotected eye? I don't know about you but my eyes are covered with quality sunglasses every time I'm out. The ability to see in the water with polarized lenses is just a bonus.

Yep, wanna punch myself in the head over and over again. I guess when I bought the boat I thought I could trust the Tracker name. We'll see...... According to the dealer, I'm to call or e-mail them in a week. I e-mailed pics yesterday and they were sent off to Tracker by the dealer. I did call Tracker's customer relations, they tell me that the dealer should be able to turn this around quickly, but I'm not holding my breath based on my friends experience. Part of me just wants to take it and get it welded but I know it won't last if I do that and I'll be stuck with the thing after the warranty expires.

I suspect the cracks occurred last year. While using the boat in summer/fall I would occasionally hear a loud cracking noise. I figured it was edges of the floor contacting the outer perimiter of the ribs, the floor was kind loose. What I heard was the edges of the cracks rubbing against each other as the hull flexed as is evident from looking at the cracks and how they have worn. Like I mentioned, I have a fishing friend that had the same thing happen to his 2004 Grizzly. His was actually worse than mine and his welds also cracked causing the boat to take on water. His whole boat was replaced. My boat is stored inside, always has been, so the cold environment was not the cause. I'm coming to the conclusion that there is no way that it could be fixed and not happen again. Even if the cracks were welded, they would crack again. Some design flaw had to make the ribs crack in the positions they did. I did so much work on this boat......livewell, electronics, wiring, trolling motor, carpet, etc.... Hours and hours......all down the drain.

Another

Today I decided to pull my 2005 Tracker Grizzly out and get it ready. I bought the boat new in 2005. I installed a thin aluminum floor in 2007. It just basically sat on the support ribs. I removed the floor to find that EVERY rib had cracks. Some really bad ones, some just starting. A fishing friend had the same issue with his 2004, his whole boat was replaced but it took the dealer months. Tracker tells me my boat is still under warranty and I have to go through the same dealer as he did, it's 70 miles from me . I'm gonna be without a small lake boat for awhile I suspect and I'm really bummed. Here's an example of what I discovered, I'll keep everyone filled in on how this ordeal goes.

Me too! My club scheduled club Tx there for April 11th and with the amount of ice we have this year, that's gonna be a dicey weekend, ice may be gone, it may not be.

I'm probably only going to come up for that Sunday, I'm only and hour away. If May 30th is the day we end up doing, just come over for the day. Money should not be an issue, just whatever it will take you to get there that day.

IMHO you are comparing apples to oranges. Your rod selection should depend on what techniques you plan to use the rod for. For some techniques, the Ugly Stick may suffice where the Cabelas rod would not, same is true the other way around. Decide what techniques you will use the rod for, examine both lines of rods, choose the right model to fit your needs. If they both have models to fit your needs then look at other things such as warranty, craftsmanship, etc. to help you lean one way or another.

It will be busy, no doubt , but PIB has been that way for the past couple years just about every weekend. Honestly, I've never seen so many trailers w/ out of state plates and PA plates alike, meaning the past couple years in the Spring. Picking a date has been difficult with all the stuff that goes on in the Spring for me (and everyone else). May 30th is about the best I can muster. It's a big lake

till I run outta snow and the temps are above 50. Wonder where that would put me? Ready for Spring