the reel ess

I figured all they're doing is looking for a mass to direct their anger at the noise they're hearing.

Thanks. Zip ties are a good idea.

What's your favorite replacement skirts for buzz/spinnerbaits? I'm looking for some with no rubber bands. It seems by the time I need them, the band is already rotten. I could tie them with a wire, but that won't help while I'm out fishing. Also, it occurred to me later that i could have used a black/blue craw for a buzzbait body while I was out. Do you ever use soft plastics or something else instead of skirts?

They already have some decent hooks on them that won't affect the bank one bit. This is not something I feel the need to do unless I really love a bait and the hooks got dull or rings rusted. I recently caught a turtle on a Spook rear hook. I tried very hard to get the hook back but I broke off one prong of the treble with my pliers. I replaced it with a hook off an old BPS Slim Dog. I would assume these hooks are not the same quality since the bait is $3.99. It works just fine.In fact, it feels just as sharp though it was more than 10 years old.

I have one of the sunfish swimbaits. I haven't caught anything on it after hours of trying, even when bass were on the bed and guarding fry. It sinks fast and the action of it is unrealistic to me. It 5/8 oz but casts so poorly I had to use it on a spinning combo. But I know it'll have a time and place. Hey, what should one expect from a $5 jointed swimbait, right?

1 Spook Jr in Frog pattern 2. Rat L Trap in Gold/black. But really with the finish worn off from use and fish 3. Chug Bug in frog 4. Shadow Rap in Gold 5. Rapala Minnow size 13, Gold Honorable Mention: Rebel Wee Craw

I used it this evening. I got 2 bites but missed them. I think that fish was small. I caught 2 on the frog, 2 on buzzbaits and one on Hula Popper. I got this 5 lb'er on a white Hart Throb buzzbait.

Good job. You've had better luck with LH than I. I had to retire my regular LH. Couldn't get it to hookup, it filled with water and a leg came off. 3 strikes and it was out. It was a shame too because the action was killer and it drew vicious strikes. I wondered if the fish weren't even biting it, just slapping it. I have the pocket size and I'll give it a fair shot as well.

He could. And eventually, he probably will.

Using: Booyah Pad Crasher standard size Don't like: The one with legs-ya'll know the one. Fills with water. Fish will bite it, but I get no hookups even after tuning the hooks a bit. Lost a leg. Junk!!! and now it's in the landfill. Gonna Try next time out: Live Target Field Mouse And an older SPRO in black.And I may buy an H2O or two from Academy if price is right. The smaller and weedier the body of water, the better the frog fishing thru the warm months. Somebody gave me three Matzuo crankbaits as a Christmas gift. I looked them up and they're sort of el cheapo, according to most people who've used them. I'll find some kid to give them away to at our next yard sale.

I know nothing of the Banjo Minnow, but I wouldn't buy any on principle just because it was an infomercial. Zoom Super Flukes have worked for me at times. It's a decent bait for a weedy, shallower place when fish get active. I usually use them weightless on an EWG hook and just give them twitches to jerk them up and let them flutter back down into the weeds. They fall with a flutter like Senko-type worms. If you're on a lake or river with stripers and happen upon a school feeding on shad, the fluke slays 'em.

Ned rig, seems to me.

Weightless Trick Worm. Frog.

Here's what I have. Old Town Rockport 14'. There;s a hatch under the middle seat. 750 lb capacity, 3 people. You can see some river rash on the bottom. No problem for polyethylene and why I bought this one. It has the slight concave in front of the middle seat. I think that's from storing it upside down, resting on the ends. if you put a foot on it, it goes right back to shape. The trolling motor is an older? Minn Kota 36 lb thrust tiller with 3 fwd and 2 rev speeds. Small bend in the shaft near the top. It works fine. I just checked it with my boat battery.

I have a rod like that I use for spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, Rat L Traps, cranks and a backup to my topwater rod. But if it's very sensitive I'd be tempted to use it for bottom bumping baits like T rigs.

http://www.academy.com/shop/browse/fishing/fishing-rods/casting-rods?searchType=2&searchTerm=&facet=mfName_ntk_cs%3A%22Tournament+Choice%26%23174%3B%22&facet=product_prc_facet%3A%222%22&facet=product_prc_facet%3A%223%22&beginIndex=0&orderBy=&pageView=grid&minPrice=&maxPrice=&pageSize=&

Check your messages.

I never really learned to fish offshore structure very well and now I usually fish small bodies of water. But I like to take the new techniques to my friend's pond that's full of stunted, hungry, stupid bass and gain confidence there.

It seems to me the shallower, weedier and smaller the body of water, the more likely it is to produce more topwater strikes. Pond bass may not have an endless supply of food like those in bigger lakes. And they live their entire lives closer to the surface. I like the quieter topwaters for slick water and noisier ones for when there's a chop. My current favorites in order are: Frog, Spook Jr., Chug'n Spook Jr., Chug Bug, Pop R, buzzbait. Use darker colors during lower light and lighter colors during daylight. I have caught more bass on one Strike King black/blue buzzbait than any other in my bag. I just keep putting skirts on that thing. Morning and evening is the best time, but I can often get some strikes during the day when there's some cloud cover. If it's raining, throw one all day.

You can plug the bait once and show yourself taking it out of the package and unhooking a fish from it. That's enough for the person with a 2nd grade education to understand. You just have to know when they plug a Spiderwire but you use PowerPro, they really just mean "braided line". When Bill Dance says "Stick-O" he means stick worm, like a Senko. When they say "side-finder" they mean something I can't afford. I have noticed that Bill has his sonor unit blurred out in some shows. Apparently he thinks more of it at times than he does the one he's sponsored by.

I really want to try live shiners under a float in my reservoir. They're in there and fish prefer the gold color on baits so it seems the most natural thing to catch the big'uns.

I only use them for T rigging and I only have 3/16 and 1/4 oz. But I use them with 50 lb braid so I haven't lost but one. Academy has unpainted ones at a decent price. I fish a rather weedy place and I think the small profile of these helps cut through the weeds better.

I usually do as everyone else and fish them early or late. But on a really weedy body of water I'll use them anytime. I've also caught some bass on a Spook Jr in the middle of the day lately.

Every word is sage advice. I do both of these, but I don't use any leaders. I don't fish anywhere I would describe as clear.

Is a tube basically the smallmouth equivalent of a 6" plastic worm as that bait relates to largemouth? I have tried tubes several times for largemouth with no luck. I think I just don't have the confidence in it like a worm or craw.