Scott F

Different days and locations call for different retrieves. I mostly use lipless cranks on flats with submerged vegetation. My aim is to keep the lure just over the tops of the weeds. Fast retrieves when the tops come to 2-3 feet, and I slow down more the deeper the weeds get.

That’ll cut down on the number on the number of big fish videos we’ll see from you. 😂

Turning a pastime that I’ve enjoyed since the early 60s into a competition is the last thing I’d ever do. It goes against everything I value in fishing. I don’t want someone else to tell me where and when I can fish. Before retiring, I used fishing to escape the pressure and stress of my job. I can’t imagine going fishing just to put more stress and pressure in my life. Being out with friends and sharing our knowledge is a big benefit. Who in tournaments would ever share information that would cost them money? Where I live, smallmouth bass are the hardest fighting fish and I can fish for them on light tackle. My question is why does fishing have to be a competitive event?

A volt meter at the valve should test if there is voltage at the valve. If you don’t have voltage there, it could be in the control that sends voltage to the valve. Best to check that out before you start throwing parts at it.

Glue on a new tip, fish it and see how you like it. The most it will cost is the price of the new tip. Not much risk involved. I broke the tip off the same rod twice losing 3-4 inches. I can’t tell the difference.

You can take a Q tip and run it over each guide. Cracked or broken guides will pull on the cotton so you can see which ones are bad.

I’ve caught literally thousands of pike in my life. If you are geared up for them with wire leaders, they are a lot of fun to catch. They aren’t in the least bit line shy. Most bass lures will catch them but they will tear up soft plastics and put holes in soft wooden baits like older Rapalas. One reason I like them is because I can use my bass tackle and are usually found in waters that you’d expect to find largemouth. Many anglers with little experience are rightly afraid to handle them. Once you learn how to avoid the teeth and have the proper tools, it’s no problem. In the states, people often kill them before they have a chance to get big so large pike aren’t very common. Even in Canada, where most of the really big fish live the monster sized fish aren’t common. If you are bass fishing and not using wire or heavy mono leaders, pike can be a nuisance, biting off lures, sliming up your landing net and slicing up your fingers. Most guys who don’t target pike would rather not deal with them but they are my third favorite fish to catch after smallmouth and largemouth bass.

During the early spring season and later in the fall when the air and water temps are changing, wind will also push warmer surface waters around. If the bass are looking for warmer water, fish where the wind is blowing in. Same thing if they are looking for cooler water, fish the shores where the wind is blowing from.

Replying to a post made almost exactly 18 years ago! As a matter of fact, I have at least 4 Zara Gossas in 2 sizes I believe. I used to do well on pike with them. The pike used to tear up my Sluggos and these are a hard body version. If you need more I’ll sell you what I have.

The only time I have baits pre-rigged is if I’m fishing and staying at the same place. I don’t keep rigged up rods in the boat’s rod box as they get tangled up. I have a rod holder mounted to the inside roof of the cap on my truck but I don’t like lures hanging down where they might get snagged on other gear. I seldom if ever fish with more than 4 rods so it doesn’t take long to string them up and tie on baits.

One of the reasons I use braid is because of how little effort is needed to get a good hook set compared to mono lines.

I’m guessing you don’t find much of their jewelry

I don’t have a problem with line twist on my spinners. If you do, it’s because the entire lure is spinning, not just the blade as it should.

Shouldn’t make any difference at all. Here is my motor mounted on the port side of the hull. Boat tracked just fine.

My fishing got so much better after I joined a fishing club where the members freely shared information. Being able to fish with a variety of other good anglers taught me more than reading all the books and magazines or watching videos.

I knew I was getting old when the girl ringing me up at Burger King told me she gave me the senior discount. I was 45 at the time…..

The funny thing about that tiny little smallie is that he must have been a year old! He was caught in the spring, pre spawn! The ice had only been off the lake for a couple of weeks.

This little smallie hit a jerkbait.

My mother, who would have been 100 years old, never understood why I always released all the fish that I caught. My father, who got me started on fishing never threw anything that was legal back in the water.

I love my Apple Watch. I use it for things than I could have imagined when I got it.

The maze of branches that surround a beaver lodge are perfect for holding bass. I NEVER pass up a beaver lodge.

Probably in the same circles as those who believe that bass only spawn on the full moon.

I’ve never heard of that autumnal equinox theory. Around here, any movement towards wintering areas happens much later when water temps are a lot colder. I’ve fished well into October when air temps were in the 80’s and the bass were still where we found them during the summer.

Years ago, my partner and I were getting bites on every cast using Senkos. As it happens with Senkos, they were really getting torn up and we were running out of them. We did have a bag of one of the scented Berkley Gulp worms. We watched as the bass would swim up to the Gulp, get close, then swim off. When we put Senkos back on they’d hit it every time. I doubt that the same thing would happen in every case, but I only had to see it once to see scents can have a negative effect. My other experience with scents is having some spill on the deck of my boat. Scents are no longer allowed on my boat!

The first time I fished with a guide I was with a friend and we were on Rainy Lake in Minnesota fishing for walleye. I was in the front, my friend was in the middle and the guide was in the back. We were fishing a drop off it was about 5 feet deep under me and dropped off to about 20 feet under the guide. We were all fishing. Guess where all the walleyes were. Exactly at 20 feet. I was getting skunked while the guide was getting one after another. He never even attempted to reposition the boat so my friend and I had a chance to get some fish. First and last time I ever let the guide fish while I was paying.