BaitMonkey1984

I throw a lipless crank right after ice out just because I want to crank and wind after a long winter. Then, after having fun casting I drag a T rig craw or a jerk bait to actually catch fish.

Just thought of a better answer. Give him an old bass that had a long drawn out fight back to the boat (loosen up your drag if you must). Stressed fish/game tends to taste worse. One bad tasting bass to save the rest!

I have an uncle from Wisconsin who is 70+ years old and a die hard angler. Whenever he comes to visit me in MA he has free reign over the Tackle Warehouse hiding out in my garage. He only throws jitterbugs, regardless of the conditions, and he always catches them. Drives me bonkers. I used them when I first got into topwater like 10 years ago but haven't thrown for a number of years...maybe I change that this year. One of my go to iconic lures from back 25+ years ago when I started fishing would have to be an inline spinner. I originally threw the south bend lures, now i throw Mepps and the rooster tail. They catch every fish that swims with a simple steady retrieve .

I have been having great success with a jerk bait worked 6 ft below the surface in my neck of the woods. Moderate retrieve.

Senko. Spinner bait. Flipping jig. Chigger Craws. You can just about do every speed, and all of the water column with those easy to use baits.

Keep a few bass a year, less than 5 and I fish a lot. It is there for the taking, just stay within the rules. Plus, nothing tastes better than something caught yourself. Just prepare it properly and it is delicious.

A drop of super glue should fix that right up.

1.5 hours on each reel? Wow. I am definitely going to need to send you my reels at the end of the year, because I did not spend that much time on these reels and $20 per reel seems very reasonable. It will give me something to look forward in October when I put the boat away for Archery season. At least I can take some solace in the fact that my reels are getting some much deserved attention. Thanks DVT.

Or its the Wife's divorce lawyer. In my 4 years of practicing primarily domestic relations law I have forced the sale of two bass fishing boats. Hate doing it. I would contact Ebay and confirm that everything is on the up and up with regard to the boat. You may just have found a gem, but it certainly sounds like a scam to me.

12+ reels or so.

SO I have been using biatcasters for two years now. So I decided it was well overdue for a cleaning. All my reels worked great, but I wanted to give them a deep cleaning. I was not warm to the idea of paying a few hundred dollars to have someone else clean them, and I do not know anyone who uses them around here. So I have watched some videos and have been hesitant to do so. So I finally gave it a whirl last night and it was less intimidating then I thought. I was amazed at the amount of grime buildup near the bottom of the inside of the reel. And when I oiled the spool it was remarkable the difference. So for me, I fish maybe 3 days a week for 4 hours a day approximately 5 months of the year. I have around 30+ setups. So how often should I clean the reel. And, should I just clean and oil the spool, or do full and comprehensive cleaning including greasing of the gears? Thanks.

Yum Money Minnows in the 3" size are very good baits and they have a great color selection too.

I struggle and my water is clear but I would not say gin clear. Right now it is about 7ft of visibility, during the summer and after invasive species treatment it is about 5 ft of visibility. I really like fishing with tubes too, but in the clear water of my lake they really struggle. I have downsized to the small Berkley PowerBait in green pumpkin and just dragging them across the bottom, Only thing I have found to work. Good luck.

I love this lure for when bass are super shallow. The squid scent seems to provide a smell that the bass haven't seen before too and provides for more bites. I was using a 5" Yum money minnow on the yum money minnow keel weighted swimsuit hook and was too lazy to swap out the hooks. I put it on the easy shiner and it still provided much action to the tail of the bait and because the hook is so big, hookup ratios are close to 100%.

Fishes in trees had it backwards. Slow and Low. Great song too.

I am a bit anal and OCD about getting the boat, rods and lures ready. One thing that really gets me is when a few minutes in to fishing that guy has equipment failure on his end and needs to borrow a rod and then all of my baits at the same time. I also sometimes go crazy whenever I take anyone out and after I find a soft plastic that is working and they ask for a a hook and the soft plastic then go through a pack of both. Not knowing that gamagastku and high quality soft plastics cost what they cost. I shrug it off, people just don't know and I am glad to expose people to this wonderful sport.

The only spinnerbait I throw is the terminator t1 spinnerbait in bluegill. Catches hogs.

I use a keel weighted swimbait hook, my favorite being the yum money minnow swimbait hook. I can use the same hook for the ez shiner as a 5" yum money minnow and still catch them. With that stout hook, they aint coming off.

I have had great success with the EZ shiner but no luck whatsoever with the Fat Impact.

Welcome to the club. I would start fishing with 5" GYCB senkos. You literally cast them out there and do nothing with them and they flat out catch fish. I would advise you to read as much on this site as possible. I am a diehard and the information available on this site is always increasing and there is always something new to try. Additionally, there are several great youtube channels regarding fishing that are extremely helpful if you need a break from reading. Glenn did a great job with the BR youtube channel videos as they are very informative.

I fish Senkos a lot. One of my go to baits. I fish clear NE waters. Visibility caries from 6ft in spring to about 3-4 ft in the summer after vegetation treatment. I fish predominantly an unweighted wacky rig. My go to color is the watermelon creme laminate with the white portion facing down. It imitiates a baby bass in my opinion. Any color with the chartreuse tip is also deadly in these parts. Lastly, a green pumpkin with purple and copper is a solid color in clear water too. For your muddy waters, I would stay with the chartreuse tips and the solid black, junebug colors ought to work. Get a bunch of different colors and find what works for you.

Great job. It took me 10 years to break 6lbs. Quite an accomplishment- enjoy it!

And I thought I was good at docking.

I have never heard of anyone cutting down a trolling motor shaft. I think it becomes more of a headache than starting over and buying a new TM. On any given day, most people are on their trolling motor throughout the day. Also, TM last many years if not abused. Therefore, spend the money and get the right TM for your application. If you are worried about the TM shaft length, do not forget that MG allows you to adjust the depth of the shaft with a single knob. When I fish shallow, I move my 45" shaft up 10" or so, so I do not bang it into every rock, stump etc on a stretch of bank.

I agree. I have never heard anyone say they regretted going to a higher lb thrust trolling motor. The rule of thumb is generally get the biggest one you can afford. I have a 19ft Ranger with an 82b thrust MG and that is overkill on the faster speed setting for my style of fishing. I rarely go past speed setting 5 as I down fish rivers and it doesn't get all that windy on my small lakes. However, I am a firm believer that you do not want to get a trolling motor that is going to need to be run on max power the majority of time. That, in my experience, kills the batteries and burns the motor out rather quick. If you fish all day, or in wind, current you may very well need the 101. IF not, an 82 lb trust may do. One important factor to consider is the additional cost of third battery every three years or so- quality batteries are not cheap. If you have any doubt, get the 101.