FrankW

I have worms from 1970/1972 stored in anise oil and they are good as new. Frank

I use 20lb braid on a spinning rod for some top water and square bills. The braid will get tangled in the trebles on some lures. I fixed that by adding a 4" to 6" piece of stiff mono on the braid. This completely eliminated the problem. Frank

That small bait shop by the lake may be very useful. Make it a habit to buy something every time you visit. Doesn't have to be much but it will increase the chances of getting good information. If your fish are all caught with a jig or worm deep in the throat it may indicate you are not feeling the pickup. In my opinion it takes more skill to fish a jig than a worm. You might want to fish some with a Texas rigged worm. A Zoom Trick Worm is a good worm to start with if you have a lot of cover on the bottom. A Trick Worm comes through grass better than a worm with a ribbon tail. Black, Black/Blue, Junebug or Green Pumpkin are good colors. Frank

Hi Joe, If you fish this lake a lot and it has a reputation for Bass, then I would hire a guide. A guide is the quickest way to learn what you are doing. The weather/temperature and time of the year has a lot to do with it. You say you are new to Bass fishing. How did you catch your other fish? If you caught fish on a worm/plastic was the fish hooked deep or on the lip? There is a good chance that you are getting bites and not feeling the take. You need to pick the baits that are catching fish at this time of the year and not fish everything in your tackle box. Is there a local tackle shop you can go to? Local tackle shops can be a great source of information if you become a customer. Not a Big Box store but a local neighborhood shop. Frank

I had a Humminbird mounted next to the console on a swivel mount. I could switch it around and see it from the bow for the GPS. It worked but not very convenient. It is much better to have a GPS at the trolling motor also. I didn't have any problem keeping the location straight. When you look back at the chart the left side of the chart is the left side of the boat. I found in my shopping for the bigger units that Lowrance was more expensive. Frank

I have wore glasses for most of my life and now 81. No-lines are sold to many people who don't need them. The basic bifocal works way better for me than the progressive lenses. Some people have problems with basic bifocal because the bifocal is set too low in the lens. If your doctor says you have cataracts and you will eventually need to have cataract surgery, do it early, don't wait till it gets worse. After cataract surgery my eye sight was greatly improved. I can now see iron sights on a gun again. Frank

Dave makes an excellent point. If someone checks your boat for safety equipment on the water, your PFD will not count unless you are wearing it. I was checked by Fish and Game in Florida on the water with no other life preserver on board. He said I would have gotten a ticket if I hadn't been wearing the PFD. I would check your state regulations. Frank

Hi Smug, I can highly recommend the Kistler KLX Finesse Jig, Worm, Tube rod. It is rated for 1/8th to 3/8ths and weighs 3.3 ozs. My favorite Kistler rod especially for the price. Kistler has the 6'9" on sale right now for $189.95. You won't find a better rod at this price. Very similar to the Helium rod you are looking at with good sensitivity. I fish in Florida over grass a lot and my Finesse Jig rod was just what I needed. Light tip to throw lighter stuff but good back bone for setting the hook in the grass. Frank

I second the Norman Speed Clip. I operate them with long nose plyers and have no problems at all. With hard baits I remove the split ring and fasten the Speed Clip directly to the bait. I also use twisted loop spinner baits and use the Speed Clips to change spinner baits. Frank

I suggest you take a look at the Feather-Craft Meat Locker fly box. It works great for big flies. It has slotted foam and you back the hook into the slot. The head and body lay on top of the foam I have not used it for jigs with the heavy head but it should work. It may depend on how big of a jig head you have. Frank

Your best bet for historical information is the Collector sites. Some of the collectors know a heck of a lot about their particular interest. Most will answer questions if you contact them. One problem is most people collect quality equipment or very old equipment. When I started fishing you had two choices of equipment. A bamboo fly rod or a bamboo casting rod. No spinning equipment, no mono. Fly lines were silk and we used catgut leaders. If you wanted to learn to fish you taught yourself or friends and family to help. There were no guides to speak of especially at local lakes, rivers or streams. I learned mostly from Sports Afield, Field & Stream or Outdoor Life. Frank

Hi Blackbird86, I use to trout fish a place just like you describe. I have a pair of slip on boots with aluminum channel cleats on the bottom. There are the best I have ever used. The aluminum channel cuts through the moss/algae and grips the rock below. Dan Baily use to sell Super Stream Cleats that are somewhat like mine. You could buy the aluminum channel and rivet or screw to a cheap pair of slip on break-up boots. Look up Dan Baily Super Stream Cleats and they should give you some ideas. Much better than the metal studs being used today. Frank

Kistler is having a Labor Day sale this weekend. Frank

The worse I have tried to use was the Molix Frog. I bought one when they first came out. I unpacked it in the garage that had a indoor/outdoor carpet on the floor. As I got it out of the package I dropped it on the floor and the tail fell off. Picked it up and replace the tail thinking it wasn't in tight like it should be. I decided to drop it again to see if the tail falling off was a fluke. Nope, came off again. No problem, I will glue it on. Couldn't find a glue that would work. A beautiful frog that I never got to fish with. The tail design doesn't work for me. Frank

I have a couple of these binders and they are my favorite by far. Quick to open and find what you want. No zipper to fail or take time to open. Cheap to buy. The plastic bags are reinforced at the holes. With them being cheap you can selective put your baits into the binders. One for worms, one for creatures, one for tubes. Works really well for me. Frank

You can steam a Bucktail fly and straighten it out. Lay it out straight and it should dry straight. Frank

If he is closing the bail by reeling then that is probably his problem. If he closes the bail by hand and pulls the line tight to the reel, this won't happen. Having too much line on the spool also causes this problem. Frank

A log can be a great help especially if you fish multiple lakes. I don't find logging particular fish does much. That is what your fish finder is for. What does help is to log the Date, Time, Temp of water, Temp of air, Water level, Spawning, Schooling, water depth/cover and general weather for the preceding week. No need to write a log on the water or in the car. Do it at the computer back home and just describe your trip and success. If I make a trip to Toho or other long distance trip the log helps me figure out when to go. If you fish five or six different lakes only a few times a year, a log can be very helpful for Bass fishing. Frank

I live in Florida and like Junebug a lot. This year I have been using Junebug Red and like it better. Always have a Trick Worm in Junebug Red on the deck. Frank

Hi Bass&PanMan, OK, so you want to use small hooks and baits. That is OK but not for every setup. I suggest you change your Texas rig to a 3/0 worm hook with a 6 1/2" Zoom Trick worm in Black or June Bug. I personally like June Bug Red. This is not a big sized bait that you can skin hook or not. I like a 1/16oz Tungsten weight. You can cast this a good distance and it will catch all sizes of Bass. Even if you don't try this suggested combo you should have at least one setup that isn't Finesse. Maybe even a 1/4oz jig. You need to broaden your horizons if you want to be a successful bass fisher. Frank

Give the Trokar Tube hook a try. It has a deep belly and works great on tubes. No reason it wouldn't work well on the Fat IKA. It has a hook holder built into the hook. Frank Lazer Trokar Tournament Tube Hook:

I fish a Xpress 17' Hyper-lift hull I bought in 2000. I looked at all the aluminum boats in my area. Every aluminum bass boat I looked at had one major fault if you fish lakes with a lot of wood. They use ribs on the bottom. A aluminum boat with ribs on the bottom will trap stumps/wood between the ribs. My Xpress has a stepped hull and I don't trap stumps like most other aluminum boats. My express is a very dry ride and fast with its hull design. If someone is considering buying an aluminum bass boat look at the bottom hull design and compare it to an Xpress. The Ranger and Tracker have nice appointments and well equipped but they don't have a good design on the hulls bottom. Frank

Years ago when I was using 10lb Power Pro I did have some Palomar knots that slipped. Started to use the double Palomar and the problem stopped. I have never had 20lb or higher braid slip but I still tie the double Palomar just for confidence. Frank

They are available from a lot of online storms. Even Tackle Warehouse I think. They seem like a lot of money for not having Gore Tex. Frank

If you have good sun glasses and can't see what others see try tipping your head to the side. Sometimes shifting the polarization a bit helps. However, I think the problem is more than just tipping your head. You are wearing prescription glasses because you have a vision problem. I have never been able to see well at distance and seeing objects colored the same as the background is hard, really hard for me to see. The prescription helps you see but some people can just see everything and glasses are not going to make much difference to you. Just accept the fact you can't see as well as some other people. Frank