Scott F

I’ve noticed something like that on some PowerPro Super Slick 8, but only at the knot or where the line was cut. As a guy who uses nothing but braid, I’ve never seen that before. Do you let the line run between your fingers as you reel in? You’ve changed the rod, reel and line without getting different results. You are the only thing that hasn’t changed.

I’ve been using barbless hooks on my soft plastic jerkbaits for years. When a fish gets gut hooked, the hook pops right out. Barbless hooks are the law on the lakes I used to fish in Manitoba. I have no problem with them. Unlike a lot of anglers, It doesn’t bother me if a fish gets off. I’m not fishing for food, to compete, to get a photo or to get a personal best. I’m going to release the fish no matter what. If he gets off before I haul him over the side, that’s fine.

My Grandfather built this gun cabinet around 75 years ago. I inherited it and because I don’t have any guns, I added a few shelves and store my reels in it. The rod racks were purchased from BP or Cabela’s.

I’ve got the Curado K. It does exactly what it’s supposed to do. It holds the line, when you crank the handle the line comes back in. It’s smooth and quiet. What do you think a Tatula can do that the Curado K can’t?

The theory is that the forage is smaller early in the year and will get bigger as the season progresses so if you are trying to match the forage, start the year small. That thinking may or not be true. The only general rule I use when choosing the size of my baits is that smaller baits will get more bites. You may not get as many bites on larger baits, but they often get the bigger fish.

Everyone of the best fishermen I know are ALL excellent casters. If you spend anytime casting around docks, you are well aware of how important accurate casting is to increasing your success. When fishing rivers, as I like to do, accurate casting is critical. If you can’t consistently get your bait to within a few inches of your target, you’ll come up empty a lot more often than you’ll have one of those memorable days. Every time I’m outfished by the guy I’m with, it’s because he hit more of the targets that hold fish than I did.

If what I’m seeing are very large scales, it looks like it might have been a mirror carp.

By the title of the post, I thought you were telling people to leave the state. If possible.....

Size depends on what I’m doing. I often fish them on weedy flats. If the weed tops are two feet down, I’ll use a quarter oz. and burn it over the weed tops. Deeper weeds, lets me use heavier baits.

There are many species of fish that will eat bugs off the surface and not all of them are game fish.

Educate me on what makes Craftsman tools junk. I used almost all Craftsman tools on my job as a service technician for 36 years. I was still using the same hand tools I was given when I started when I retired. Junk tools to me, means they would have worn out or broken soon after they were bought.

That article is 8 years old. Any more recent articles that might reflect the current technology?

Everyone just wants to get their device up and working as soon as possible. If you have no clue how to do a repair yourself, what do you do? Either you search out a repair service and wait who knows how long or at what cost, or you run out and buy a new one. The manufacturer has no interest in making them easy to get repaired, they’ll make more money by selling you a new one. Service outfits must charge enough money to stay in business that makes it too expensive to repair lesser expensive items. At an earlier time, things were simpler, mechanical, and easier to fix. Nothing was electronic or computer controlled. Most high school kids learned how to work on cars. Who does that today? I repair as much as I can myself, but too many things are just beyond what I’m capable of.

Thanks for the clarification. That’s good to know.

Not exactly red, but but I have had a lot of success with the Strike King Red Eye Shad lipless crank bait in the Orange Craw color in spring on largemouth, musky and pike.

Gotta get out of the current. High water pushes bass very tight to the bank in eddies and deep into the bushes where there is no current.

With the stay at home order in place, I don’t think fishing qualifies as essential. I don’t know how the enforcement works. It looks like you already are aware of the Fox and DuPage. Other than that, ALL the rivers in Northern Illinois have quality smallmouth. The Kankakee, and the DesPlaines Rivers have bass. If you want to go farther, the Rock, the Kishwaukee and the Apple all are good.

Has the water clarity changed? Has the current speed increased?

I use a St Croix Premier 7’ ML/F with a Quantum Smoke 15 spinning, 10lb. Suffix 832, without a leader for my Ned Rigs. I’m usually chasing smallmouth with the set up, but it works very very well. I’ve always been a spinning reel first fisherman so I don’t have any issues with spinning gear to overcome.

While searching, look for musky rods. St Croix makes a 2 piece musky rod but the least expensive they offer is the Premier at twice what you want to spend.

New? Used? Price range?

The funny thing is that my wife of 40 years is still surprised that I fix can anything. Even though I fixed stuff for a living every day for 36 years.

Didn’t have any shop classes at my high school, 4 years of math, & science. I was lucky that I learned about electrical, plumbing and heating systems on the job. I’ve repaired my furnace, replaced disposal, hot water heater, kitchen faucets, and light fixtures. Added ceiling fans upstairs and electrical outlets in the basement. My on the job training and tools also allowed me to do all the electrical work on my boats over the years. It sure is nice not having to rely on outside contractors to do all the minor repairs around the house that creep up.

Usually if a creek goes from clear to stained, it’s because of a good rain which also makes the current run faster. Faster current will keep your bait from getting to the bottom as easy. Could this be what happened?