ClackerBuzz

here's a better rig for wacky senkos. they won't come off the hook like rubber bands do (I like the 3/8" ID for 6"; haven't found the perfect 5" yet but i'm sure heat shrink has a good diameter; I like the electrical tape idea). also a 1/8-1/4" section of clear drinking straw works perfect for smaller diameter worms like Zoom finesse. http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/142538-the-secret-to-not-losing-so-many-senkos-heres-the-solution/ here's a great way to make any jig weedless (I prefer 2 wire guard pieces. 30 or 60lb Malin hard wire leader is great stuff). the vid also shows that you don't need to pour lead in order to make ur own jig heads. I live in an apt and don't have the option to pour jigs. flick/shake heads cost a small fortune so I make them like this using a Do It 785 wacky hook and 1/16 oz round split shot w/ wire guard. http://www.basspro.com/Malin-HardWire-Stainless-Steel-Leader/product/8581/ I use the same fly tying/thread method to attach a bait keeper to the hook shaft of my chatterbaits. only I use a small paper clip bent forward this guy has alot of great vids. much cheaper way to make weedless wacky hooks: I'm a big fan of screw locks b/c they save you a ton of money on soft plastics. the off set bend on EWG hooks just tears the heck out of plastics whereas the screw lock holds them in place during a fight. i also like 60 deg hooks b/c they come over rocks and they are super cheap to buy for jig molds compared to individual $1.25 Gammy hooks. you can make a weedless hook for .20c. i tied on a rattle and wedge of lead to get this one to get it down faster and give it some noise. it's a great way to make hooks weedless w/o having to add a guard. they pull thru weeds well compared to guards. punch hooks cost a lot and you have the problem of them tearing up soft plastics but the worst part is the plastic slides down the hook and needs to be adjusted every other cast. you can buy extra stout Mustad hooks for .20c and just add the screw lock/hitching post and ur beaver will never slip again. http://www.***.com/Do-it_Hitching_Post_25pk/descpage-DOITHPS.html

I'm sure you'll have plenty more opportunities to catch or release. if this was a salt water forum guys would be recommending their favorite recipe. congratulations on a killer hog

Hmmm I wonder why people love owning tv stations, radio, websites, billboards, newspapers, magazines?

same here. so nice not to have to buy it every year. i switch out bags/gear often depending if i'm fishing from my canoe, kayak or jon boat so i'm guilty of forgetting my physical license. i never forget my smart phone so took a pix of my license. i also bought my license at Dicks sporting goods and had them email me a receipt for back up.

Very nice! "So me and buddy Pete both watched this show 'How to Become a Millionaire in 1 Day' so we packed our lunch and headed out. Here's some pictures of our piles of cash

good vibes going out to all of you.

there are 1.5 million people in my neighborhood so you always see weird s@#^. i def wasn't expecting to come across this sitting on an ice covered trash can. I laughed wondering how many people walked by scratching their heads before i snagged it up

zman elaztech products. I can't believe i don't read about more guys using them. nothing like catching dozens of fish on a soft plastic.

don't forget the vertical aspect. nothing better than working a lure 'uphill' back to the bank. i love letting a spinnerbait hit the bottom and slow rolling it uphill...only to bump a 12" ledge and have a bass hammer it. keeping ur rod tip low while the lure is 100 ft out keeps it on the bottom. slowly raise ur rod tip as you get closer to shore to prevent it from hanging up. also works great if you can cast over the entire weed bed and slow drag a weedless shaky head till you feel the first sign of weeds. stop, shake and wait for them to creep out of the weeds and ambush it. or cast a chatterbait past the weed bed and rip it off the tip of the first outer wall.

x2. I try fast and slow till i find what works. you never know what mood they're in at a given hour of he day. i have a tendency to go shallow and fast in more sunny shallow areas where the bass are warming up during the peak sun warmth from 12-4 pm. and pick shallow areas that are near deep drop off b/c the fish spend less energy moving up vertically to suntan .

here's a vid of a homemade trolling motor mount. I used the same concept but made the 2x4 extend equal lengths on both sides of the canoe. the trolling motor gets mounted port side and my fish finder transducer gets mounted with a clamp starboard side. i've gone thru several canoes and i really like 14' b/c you can lay ur rods flat in front of you and have the rod tips inside the boat. there is a learning curve w/ wind, boats wakes, circumstances etc that will have you pushed into a bush/tree before you know it with ur rods, lines and hooks tangled in branches. and i often take a friend and its much more comfortable fishing with two guys in a 14' vs 12'. I've tried lots of anchors and prefer a 10 lb mushroom. the side of canoes are much higher so the wind takes them like a sailboat compared to a kayak. the 10 lb holds you steady even in 15 mph winds (though it's not much fun being out in a canoe in worse conditions). forget about a 2 lb grappling hook anchor unless ur always around weeds. if you didn't buy ur trolling motor yet make sure you get one with variable speed. they are much better on battery life.

this is what I do. I have all my lures in 7-8 zip lock bags. they all fit in a rubbermaid container which fits in a duffel bag w/ shoulder strap. if i'm going out on my boat/canoe the whole bag goes with me. if i'm fishing from kayak or shore the bag stays in the truck of my car but i cherry pick what i'll need and stuff a fanny pack for the conditions/body of water. and i can always run back to the car in an emergency. i chose a rubbermaid container w/ a lid b/c i can easily snap it shut during a down pour and none of my bags get soaked (i have a jon boat so there are no lockers to keep things dry). all soft plastics stay in their original bags and just get put into zip locks w/ extra wide bottoms and zip lock tops.

the big advantage to ur situation was that you could see the fish. that means you can see any positive reactions/ curiosity if ur on the right track. and quickly move on if there is no interest. i would start by working dramatically different angles. start by casting upstream. then perpendicular. then stand upstream and let the current naturally swing the lure across their point of view/feeding lane. you'll probably find better river/angle approach videos on youtube by searching fly fishing vids. after angles i'd play with lures..and the skies the limit. don't be afraid to put a tiny crappie tube or hair jig 24" under a bobber and let the current do it's thing. sometimes the best river presentation is one that is naturally floating with the current.

thanks mike. I know enough to quit while i'm ahead so i gave it a cautious try and quickly aborted the mission. it's a fly reel so i doubt there are any bearings or parts under there that need mandatory cleaning. it would be nice to clean it but it's nicer to have a non damaged reel

Finally cleaning my fly reel for the first time and it seem like i can't take this nut off w/o a special tool. I very carefully wrapped the spool shaft in a dish towel and tried to hold it with a needle nose pliers but the shaft slips and I know better than to risk damaging it. Even soaked the nut with WD-40 for a few hours. Any suggestions? i emailed Redington and asked for schematics b/c I'd like to have them but the said they don't give them out b/c of 'proprietary reasons'. Ever heard of this? Not the most welcoming news for a customer but not a big deal b/c these reels are much easier to work on vs spinning/baitcasters. Mike, Do you know if the nut should spin clockwise or counter? It freely spins both directions so I get no hits as if it's a reverse thread or not.

I agree that shorter rods fit the bill much better. i like pitching with my 6'7" far more than my 7'+ rods. I'm so much more accurate and the physics/fulcrum point feel better. ultimately i load up my rods for the day depending on the body of water i'm fishing ie i know exactly when i'm taking my 6'7" vs vs 7' vs 7'6". i have no problem pitching 10% of the time with the 7'6" if I know the majority of the day i'm going to be casting. and I won't leave the house w/o my 6'7" when going to my pitching/weedy/lily pad spots all day

how many lures did you break off today i up my line test when bank fishing to prevent so many break offs. plus sometimes you really gotta put muscle on bass when on the shore to stop him from running into cover. And you have hogs in Texas. If i lived there I'd be using minimum 15lb fluoro from shore. Straight 65lb braid around weeds.

always finish ur cast pointing at 12 o'clock (ie ur target). this will help with accuracy and also prevent backlashes when using baitcasters. stopping abruptly at 10 o'clock with a baitcaster leads down a dark tangled road you don't want to go

^yup i'm all about sheep and ducks. i use all the layers mentioned but wool is a must..along with a down jacket. I'm always running cold but my down jacket has me sweating in no time. last year i became a huge fan of flannel lined jeans. i can't believe how that extra layer of flannel takes the sting off the cold wind when walking in the city let alone when bundled up fishing.

x2. yup i forgot to mention marker buoys. use SI to find bait, 2D to examine it more closely for feeding bass (don't be afraid to criss-cross over bait many times; they won't spook), and finally drop a buoy when ur ready to cast. you'll be amazed how fast/far a 9 mph wind can blow you 150 ft off a spot. Wayne, thanks for the clarification

great boat safety advice. i wish i better documented my transition but i remember most of it. i went from walking the banks to paddling to trolling w/ sonar. a lake can seem like a big ocean at first but after awhile you can rule out 90% of it. w/o addressing sonar i'd say the easiest way to have fun and catch fish is to stay shallow and work the shoreline. you have tons more shoreline real estate from a boat compared to bank fishing. make sure to have a spinning rod w/ a wacky senko rigged. you'll be able to catch easy bass just by skipping docks and overhanging tree branches/bushes. working visible cover is fast and easy. but i would recommend to not fish forward. take the time to troll 1/4 mile of shoreline and then back track to the best spots. you'll save time and 1000's of casts by being more productive. fishing blindly forward, even with 'search' lures is time consuming (although it catches hogs in spring!). working shallow cover along the shoreline will get boring fast so then i'd move to weeds. weeds are ur friend. shallow weeds hold smaller fish. the deepest weeds in the lake hold much bigger fish. you could spend an entire season just learning weeds. the bottom composition/structure underneath is most important. the weed wall that touches deep water produces well. when you catch one bass in weeds there will be more. learning where the bass are holding in the weeds during any given day can be a puzzle in itself. when all else fails, i head for the weeds. i mentioned skipping trees and fishing weeds b/c it's a great back up plan while learning ur sonar units. learning sonar is a multi-season, ongoing process. this is my second season and i consider myself a newbie. my first season w/ sonar i made the mistake of studying structure when in reality baitfish are most important. someone just posted the indian proverb 'to understand the owl you must study the mouse'. bait balls are key so only fish around them when using ur sonar. side imaging makes it easier to find them. i always keep a crappie rod handy so i can catch/identify the bait i'm seeing on my unit. it's easier to catch bass that are feeding on bait balls that are relating to structure. vs it's hard to catch bass that are feeding on suspending bait. now that you have sonar stop blindly casting search lures (http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/139745-whats-the-best-search-lure/). last week every ball of bait in my reservoir was between 13-23 fow. i won't bother trying to fish bait balls suspended at that depth over 40 fow. it's too advanced for me right now. so i found bait balls that were relating to the bottom (15ft). i found several but w/o bass arches. the magic starts to happen when you find bass feeding on bait at that depth. catt talks about identifying the biomass depth and relocating to structure in that zone ie fish 15ft ledges or creek channels even if there is NO bait present. i'm sure it works but i didn't experiment yet b/c i have a hard enough time catching them when bait is around Image Interpretation/screenshot threads are invaluable (including anything posted by Wayne P ). learning how to read sonar is like learning a foreign language. Fish ID alarms are extremely accurate now so make sure you turn it on (I have my HB set at 7). a small fish icon generally represents 1lb, medium icon=2lb and large icon=3lb+. on Humminbirds a blue fish is smaller and orange/gold is bigger. i believe these are Waynes pix where he scanned a brush pile on different days. he won't stop to fish the brush unless the Fish Id shows bass on it. if i was hunting any other animal for 8 yrs i'd be a semi-pro. yet i consider myself at best an intermediate angler. i laughed the other day b/c i realized the reason is you can see deer, birds, foxes etc and immediately learn their behavior. but you can't see bass b/c they're underwater. sonar is a game changer b/c you can see the fish, understand why they are in a location, how they are relating to it, if they are feeding etc. unfortunately it's not a magic bullet that's going to allow you to instantly catch bass. so have fun in ur boat and catch shallow bass with ur confidence techniques while ur learning bigger water w/ sonar. http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/127481-screenshots/