shanksmare

Over the yearsI have tried different lines for spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Up North in the 1970's I mostly used 14# mono. After moving to FL I tried the 14# mono as well as 15# Flouro and 50# and 30# braid. I was not impressed with Flouro. It was stiff in colder weather (50 to 60 degrees) and coiled a lot. It was expensive and had to be changed frequently. Next I went to braid which I felt was unforgiving and resulted in many missed strikes due to its extreme sensitive nature. Finally I went back to what worked before and now use mono. The size of the fish and density of the cover will probably dictate the strength of the line you should use, I used 17# test for a while and now use 20# test. It works great with spinnerbaits and chatterbaits. It is fine for crankbaits since getting deep is not an issue in most places I fish. Since I always fish SBs in heavy cover I would never use line testing less than 14# , North or South.

Papa, You may have some difficulty locating the types of blades since they appear to be proprietary to Terminator. They describe the blades as being: "The exclusive beveled edge blades also create more flash and a more realistic baitfish look in the water than standard blades.". So I guess its exclusive to them. Wouldn't you achieve the same result using deep cupped blades, which are available?

Ted Williams was indeed one of the greatest flyfishermen ever. This is from his book: Ted Williams today is an expert fisherman, perhaps the most expert of our time, the way Zane Grey was considered to be in his. The unique drive that made him desire to be, in his own words, "the greatest baseball hitter that ever lived" turned out to be transmutable: he wouldn't mind at all being called "the greatest fisherman that ever lived." His expertise is vast. He has fished black marlin in New Zealand and tiger fish on the Zambezi, and he has won international tournaments catching near-record sailfish and tarpon. No kind of tackle, no kind of river or body of water has escaped his attention. The weight of his experience has led him, now, to certain hard-held beliefs on the subject. Of all the fish that swim, Williams believes there are three worthy of a sportsman's consistent attention: the tarpon, the bonefish, and the Atlantic salmon. He has now caught (and released for the most part more than 1,000 of each. He considers it the triple crown of fishing. The first two he fishes for near his hometown in Islamorada, in the Florida Keys. For Atlantic salmon, he spends the greater part of every summer and fall, from June to the end of October, at his camp on the Miramichi River in New Brunswick. Every sportsman will delight in reading this unique, anecdote-filled volume in which Sports Illustrated staff writer John Underwood first tells about the actual experience of fishing each of "the Big Three" with Ted Williams. And then no angler will want to be without the secret technique that Williams himself reveals for catching these three elusive game fish - a compendium of knowledge that is applicable to any fish, in any water. --- from book's dustjacket Many fishermen fish all their lives to catch a single Atlantic Salmon and he caught over 1000 of them. He had the time, the means and the talent to do so.

Bobby Orr, the greatest hockey player ever fishes, He used to fish often with my late old friend Bunny DiPietro for stripers.

I have used the Z-man soft plastics for several years and can certainly attest to their durability. I used them mostly in saltwater. The bait I used the most is called the MinnowZ I believe. It is a 3" paddle tail. One day I used it in combo with a 1/8th oz jig and caught 4 or 5 seatrout, 4 snook, 19 small (15" to 22") redfish and a 10 lb tarpon. All of these were drom short along a 100 yard length of bank using the same MinnowZ. When it got torn up I mended it with super glue. The downside to these paddletails is if you use a very slow retrieve the paddletails don't paddle. A jerk will often solve that problem. The other downside is don't let them come in contact with other plastic baits. The reult is a mess. I used the original Chatterbaits with mixed results. The skirts would slip down, you would have to super glue the trailers to prevent them from slipping down and the hook was so so. I also did have a blade slip off the jig while just reeling it in. The Chatterbait Elites are much better and address these issues. The CB Elites in contrast to other flat bladed CBs give off a more high speed vibration, whereas the other flat bladed CBs give off more of a thumping vibration. Sort of comparing the vibration of a willow leaf bladed spinnerbait to one with Colorado blades. The flat bladed CBs will "hunt" more than the Chatterbaits will. Sometimes one is more effective than the other. The trailers that I've used with the CB Elites are Super Flukes, TriggerX Slop Hopper, Lake Fork Live Magic Shad, Strike King KVD swimming shad, 2/3rds of a BPS Stick-o (at bluebasser86's suggestion), a GYCB Swimming Senko and other paddletails. I'd say my favorites would be the Slop Hopper, Stick-o and the LFT Live Magic shad 3.5". I noticed that I missed a lot of strikes using the CBs and othe flat bladed CBs when using a fast action graphite rod and braided line combo. I switched to a glass rod and mono and my strike to catch ratio went way up. I guess my reflexes are too fast even at 71 yrs old.

The Massachusetts state record was reportedly caught in Sampsons Pond in Carver. However, people who knew the record holder say it was caught in a little pond along the Agawam River chain. So do what the MA record holder did, modify the actual location of the catch.

A rod is just basically a lever. I'm sure practically any rod will work. If you or I miss a fish or lose a fish its no big deal. On to the next one ... right! But for pros that lost or missed fish can cost them thousands of dollars. I found a few glass rods online. W&M makes a Skeet Reese model, Lamiglass has an Excel, St Croix has a Mojo rod. Old time pro Tommy Martin endorses a Seeker glass rod. Shimano makes a composite rod using the TC4 technology found in the SW Teramar series. Mosat of those rods are in the $100 range. Some are listed as MH but have the same specs as the discontinued H action Rick Clunn W&M rod I have. I certainly won't be spending $800 anytime soon on a fiberglass rod (or any rod for that matter). Neither will I spend the money on the Sunline FC that Hite uses. Its one thing if someone is giving it to you and another if you have to pay for it yourself.

Brett Hite is probably the best chatterbait type fisherman on the planet. He has won close to a million dollars using this lure, so when he speaks, I listen. If you listen to what he says about CB fishing, he believes that a slower action glass or composite rod and flouro line with more than normal stretch are key for him. He believes the way the CB springs off of weeds when jerked using a glass rod is more strike enducing than when using a fast action graphite rod. He also believes that the slower action glass rod allows the bass to engulf the CB easier than a faster action rod. He states that worst combo is a graphite rod and braided line. No less an authority than Rick Clunn also believes in using glass rods for all reaction type baits. He tried graphite rods and braid with reaction type lures but found it wound up costing him fish. For close to forty years my most used lure for bass fishing has been the spinnerbait. Of late I have been using the chatterbait type lures and swim jigs with good results. I was using a moderately fast graphite rod and mono for a while. I then switched to braid and noticed I was missing quite a few hits. Lots of times I could see the fish hit the lure. It appeared that they were hitting short. I changed to a heavy action glass rod and mono line. My success with these lures has increases dramatically. I'm sure I was reacting too quickly, with the less forgiving tackle, and pulling the lure away from the bass before they had a chance to fully engulf it. But its like anything else, use what works for you. I tend to listen to those who are successful at the highest level. It doesn't always work, but what does?

Cgrinder, I like you found the Leatherman Micra to be ideal for cutting braid. I carried one for years in my shirt pocket while plying the night surf for stripers. I now simply use a cheap pair of small Fiskar scissors which also work very well for bank fishing for LMB.

When I was growing up, I used to catch a lot of large perch on a small Al's Goldfish lure retrieved very slowly. Later when I'd take my son fishing when he was about 6 yrs old, he would catch small ones on worms.

Primetime, I must have gotten some Daiwa Samurai from the same batch as you. I used it on a heavy spinning outfit (big snook and medium tarpon). I found it to be the worst line I ever used. It was super prone to wind loops. Even though it was 30# test, I could break it between my hands. I was never able to do that with 20# power Pro or 20# Fireline Original fused line. I would never waste my money on it again. It was super smooth and very thin diameter. It cast great when it didn't break. Tuf Line Duracast (20# I think) was great on a baitcaster. I could cast 10 or 15 yards further with it than mono and it was super sensitive. I bank fish so I only used one outfit (it gets all the usage). I'm retired so I fish 3 or 4 hours a day. So I give my equipment a serious workout. After about a month I noticed what looked like twist in the line. Closer inspection revealed the outer core was slipping on the inner core. Once that happened I got a lot of breakoffs on hooksets. Finally I discarded it. I had no such problems with 50# Tuf Line. The 50# Tuf Line is much thinner diameter than the 20# Duracast. I would not hesitate to recommend either Tuf Line for a baitcaster (never tried it on a spinner) or Power Pro.

The plot thickens: rumor has it that good old Magic is interested in buying a share of the Clippers .... must just be a coincidence!

If the possible noise of a bail clanging shut concerns you, close the bail by hand. At the end of the cast grab the line with your right index finger and close the bail with your left hand. A side benefit of doing this is that you will eliminate wind loops. Night time surf fishermen have been doing this for years.

A couple of things that are for certain are: The more sensitive the rod is, the more it will cost and the easier it will break. My first rod for bass fishing was glass. I caught plenty of bass on it. I never felt handicaped by it. Then along came the first generation of graphite rods. They were skinnier and somewhat lighter than glass but otherwise not much different. I certainly didn't double my catch on them or even increase it probably. However I did manage to break my first rod ever with these new fangaled graphite rods. As time went on the rods became faster and faster and lighter and lighter and more brittle and expensive. Yesterdays state of the art, elite level rod becomes todays entry level rod. Marketing 101 to catch the gullible. For moving baits I have found that a glass rod results in more hook ups and landed fish than a fast action graphite rod. Many times I've seen bass come up behind chatterbaits and spinnerbaits and felt them hit, while using a fast action graphite and braided line. I'd set the hook and miss the fish. I thought the fish were striking short. The reality was that I was jerking the bait away from them before they had it fully in their mouths. With a glass rod and mono line I have many more hook ups and many fewer "short strikes". Even for fishing jigs and worms I don't really care about the sensitivity of the rod. Why? Because I watch the line and I move the bait with the line across my finger. I find this combination to be more "sensitive" to bites and the bottom than any rod. The bottom line is to use whatever works best for you. You might be surprised at what actually works.

You can make a dryer from an old barbeque rotissiere motor. Epoxy a bolt into the square hole that the skewer goes into. Use a couple of nuts to attach a butt cap with a hole drilled in it to the bolt. Build up the butt of the rod your workiong on to fit the attached butt cap. Voila, a cheap dryer!

Bass-master, It is off of Purchase Street in Carver.

If this lake contains smallmouth bass and fishes during the spawn anything like the NH lake my brother-in-law used to fish I would consider the following. Search for the fish in the NE part of the lake. The prevailing warm weather wind direction is SW, so the warm water piles up in the N or NE part of the lake. Just about the only lure he and his friends employed were tube lures. They were that effective!

Many years ago I experienced a similar occurance. There was a small cranberry bog reservoir in southeastern Massachusetts that had exceptional bass fishing. Myself and a friend fished in this small shallow pond often with excellent results. Then we had a particularly severe winter during which the small waters remained frozen for months. During this period they were also covered with deep snow. In the spring when we fished the pond we also found many dead fish. The fish probably died from oxygen depletion. The once fertile waters seemed devoid of fish. I don't know if the fishery ever came back there. I never returned. Other larger,deeper waters in the area seemed uneffected by the severe winter.

Just a quick question, how do you bend the blades. Do you just stick the last 1/4" in a vise and do it by feel? Nice fish by the way. I tried your tip of using 2/3's of a stick-o as a trailer and have had very good sucess with it. It has a unique swaggering action. Thanks for your help.

You've gotten lots of great advice. I'd try digging my thumb into the spool between casts. If its not rock hard and feels mushy, make an easy cast and retrieve the line between your fingers under tension to get the spool hard again. I used that technique many nights fishing the Cape Cod surf with a spinning setup to prevent problems. This will help prevent the line from digging into itself.

February 2004 - seems to be just as valid today as it was then.

I have been fishing spinnerbaits for close to 40 years and by far my favorite rod is one I purchased a few months ago. It is an Eagle Claw Rick Clunn heavy action fiberglass rod. Dicks had them on sale at the ridiculously high price of 2 rods for $50. I found that using more sensitive rods, especially with braid, caused me to pull the lure from the fish before it was fuilly engulfed. The slower action rods allow the bait to be fully engulfed before it is moved by the hookset. This philosophy is shared by Rick Clunn, bass fishing legend and Brett Hite who's expertise with a chatterbait is fast becoming lengendary and many other pro fishermen. These parabolic action rods are also preferred by the sharpies who ply the night time surf fro striped bass. If you think that rod you are about to buy is worth $250, you should try building a couple yourself before hand. Its easy ... even I can do it. Once you do that, you will become more cognizant of the components used. Trim wraps, diamond wraps, inlays and such are just window dressing and contibute zero to the fishability of the rod. I noticed a long time ago that the rod companies didn't use much better components on the over $300 rods than were used on the $100 rods.

Since moving to Florida I've seen a few unusual animals. I see Ospreys, hawks and alligators frequently, Bald Eagles a little less frequently. I've also seen Sand Hill Cranes, Caracaras, otters, white and brown pelicans and all sorts of wading birds.

Hi Rick, There is a handicap accessable pier at the mouth of Bass River in Yarmouth on Cape Cod. I realize it is not very close to you. But it may be something to look into.

What about these? Phenix Vibrator Blades Version II at TW