WIGuide

I usually use an ultra light when going after crappies and panfish. I try to keep the length in the 6' to 6'9" range, but that's just a personal preference. I'm not sure if you are fishing with live bait or artificial, but I've always fished for them with minnows and I know with those you have to wait before setting the hook. Also, when you do set the hook you have to do it in a very soft manner. More of a lift and reel type hook set instead of a jerk. They don't call them paper-mouths for nothing.

What can I say, I was amazed. LOL

I feel bad because I honestly don't remember mine, but then again I started out pretty young too....

What were you targeting as far as cover/structure?

Welcome to BR! You'll like your bass hunter. I used to have one and it was a blast.

Go with the St. Croix Premier. You'll have a good rod for your extra t-rigs then too.

I think a lot of ledge fishing is finding out how the fish are positioned on the ledges and along with that the casting angle that will catch them. I see having 3 general options the first being casting up onto the flat and bringing the bait off the ledge into the deeper water. The second being parallel, and the third being bringing the bait up the ledge.

I used to wear a blaze orange Bass Pro hat because it was the lucky hat. I caught my PB Largemouth AND Smallmouth while wearing it, and my dad borrowed it one of the days I wasn't hunting during gun season and he shot his biggest buck with it on. I may have caught my PB Walleye with it on too, but I'd have to go back and reference pics to see for sure. Needless to say that hat isn't really blaze orange anymore. It's a light washed out orange and I don't really wear it anymore, although I do keep it around just in case I get down on my luck. After going back and checking out the pics, my PB Walleye DID come while wearing that hat also.

I'd give the blood knot a try and see if that'll slip through there.

I think that's going to depend on what size and style of swimbait you are throwing. Something like a Big Bite Baits Cane Thumper, or a Berkley Havoc Grass Pig, you would probably be alright with a medium power rod. If you step up to some of the hollow belly swimbaits, you're going to want to go to at least a medium heavy due to the bigger thicker hook. You'll need some of that extra power to drive it home. For the bigger yet swimbaits, I would imagine they'd be using at least a heavy action rod just based on weight of the bait alone. However, this style of fishing is outside of my expertise one of the big swimbait guys can chime in on that.

7" Cluprit Original Worm Zoom Lizard Big Bite Bait Fighting Frog

x2

Unfortunately the bait monkey has the Mike Iaconelli attitude of NEVER GIVE UP!!! Dang monkey!!

You should give Yum Dingers or the Big Bite Bait version. A little more than the house brands but still cheaper than a YCB. The brands I like are Yum, Big Bite, Berkley Havoc, and Missile Baits.

I'm not sure if they can see better at noon or night, but I do know that a bass's eyes can gather 5 times more light than the human eye which means that they can see a lot better than we can in dim situations. I don't really think wind effects a fishes vision. It does prevent some light penetration, but it's not like the fish just go blind because of it. Personally I don't necessarily switch colors just because I'm fishing deeper or shallower. Maybe I'm wrong, but I seem to do just fine doing what I do.

I can see this being a benefit for flippin' and pitching as well as hollow bodied frogs, toads, and buzz baits. My two main uses would be for pitch/flip and as a frog reel. If you swing on a fish with a frog and miss you can get that thing back to the boat and right back out there considerably faster.

Haha yeah tm wise it'll be different but you'll adjust pretty quick I think. I was referring to driving it around though. There's a lot of speed in a boat like that and going out flying around can be dangerous especially if you aren't used to it. (assuming you will be fishing some non tm only lakes as well) For loading and unloading it's pretty easy. Give yourself a running start with your tm pick it up before you get to the trailer and let it coast up as far as it will go. Step off on the trailer frame clip it and crank it up. Off loading is even easier, step on the trailer tongue un- clip and push off. Or if there's two people just have them back you in with it un-clipped and you'll just float off. A keep protector is a great investment. If the area is sandy it won't hurt it much to pull it up on the sand.

I just use a spin-shot hook and then I don't have to worry about it.

No doubt in that, lighting is a sight variable that goes along with water clarity, but one can change without the other changing.

Hooks are free hanging and you're launching them into the air, they're free to swing any which way and if there's not enough room in between the bill and the front hook hanger they'll hook on it sooner or later. You can remedy this by putting on a smaller hook or a short shank.

Square Bill- Xcalibur XCS100 Lipless - Xcalibur XR50 Jerkbait- XPS Suspending Minnow Topwater- Heddon Rattling Super Spook

Well you have to remember a few things about water clarity. Fish can see in a much lower light than we can and also, when the wind blows that affects OUR visibility into the water because we're looking through the disturbed surface. A heavier wind will not cause the clarity below the waters surface to change unless close to the bank where the wave action will wash sediment into the water. Waves will however effect the amount of visible light under the water's surface so those fish will become a little more active. I may vary my search depths throughout the day based on that, but more so due to the conditions changing the shallow bite will be more active and I can go to more of a power fishing style instead of having to slow down as much.

A mix of both of these.

Did you try the hook trick using line? You'd probably have to cut the one hook off so it wouldn't rip that one too but the one on the right looks like a better candidate to pushing all the way through anyway.

I usually pick the style of topwater I'm going to throw based primarily on surface conditions. If it's windy, I want something that's going to create a little commotion to let the bass know it's there. Calmer, and I want something that is more subtle. If I am in a situation where the water is particularly muddy or low visibility I want something that will create a racket even when it's calm. Also, with low visibility it's going to change my retrieve. I don't want to leave it on a pause too long because I feel bass have a harder time tracking something intermittently moving. I base this on the fact that in muddy water bass have to rely much more on their lateral line and that picks up vibrations, so if the bait isn't moving they seem to have a harder time finding it and really homing in on it.