Junk Fisherman

I live in Tinley Park. I just set prices $20-$40 less than what they should sell for and they end up selling. I also make pickup at my house. I've sold 5 Dobyns rods over the last two offseasons.

Spinning- YGK Soul braid and 6 lb Gamma Edge leader for everything Pitching, Worming, Jigs: 15 lb fluoro Topwater: 15 lb Big Game Chatters and spinnerbaits: 15 lb fluoro (braid/leader?) Jerks and medium cranks: 10-12 lb fluoro I have been experimenting with using a braid/leader setup for more casting applications. I had a good outing with a braid/leader setup recently for chatters so that might be a change I make. Going to keep experimenting with that setup for pitching as well.

I've never bought any used rods or reels. I've sold many though. I don't even try to ship rods anymore due to the ridiculous shipping cost. Living in a heavily-populated area, I just set an attractive price and I always end up selling them.

Was that the After Dark podcast? It was nearly a 3 hour podcast with about 10 minutes of atual information that can help our fishing today. Guess I shouldn't complain when it's free.

I had my first outing of the year yesterday and I was trying some different combos with different lures. I have primarily used 15 lb flourocarbon with ch@#$&$baits and spinnerbaits but yesterday I was trying a braid/flouro leader setup on an 892 GLX with a mini-chatter (Tackle Tour suggestion) and then the same setup with my new Steez utiility rod. I was crazy-impressed with the sensitivity and easily feeling the bait. I felt it was easier to understand the action I was imparting on the bait by fluctuating my reeling speed and twitching or shaking the rod to flare the skirt. Now I know I have to back off on the hookset and let the fish completely take the bait so I don't pull it from its mouth but the increased sensitivity offsets that IMO- or at least that is my current line of thinking. I caught multiple keepers and some big hybrid stripers (6.5 lbs). I might have found a new setup for my bladed jigs. So anyways, how say you? Do you like braid for the chatters or are you using something else? Thanks for any suggestions.

Got out on 3-3 to Braidwood. Wind made it tough but I did catch a fat 19"er, several 16"s and other keepers. Caught a 6.5 lb hybrid? caught a few others in the 3 lb range. It was a spinnerbait/ch$%$#bait/crankbait sorta day because of the wind.

At Dick's today- buy 3 get 3 free. $133 worth of baits for $66 The EVOs are for me while the originals are for my HS bass fishing team.

Good for you! How'd you do? As I was drinking coffee at the kitchen table at 7 AM, I was thinking of those guys zipping accross Braidwood at that time. It was 20 degree and I could hear the wind. Sounded brutal!

Thanks for the reply and I agree with you. I exchanged messages with the club president and I completely understand his mindset. He didn't want anyone not to fish. He's a boater and while he's not happy about it, he's going to just deal with it.

Wow- that sounds bad. I've fished 3 in my boat a couple times but just for a few hours and I did not like it at all. Luckily, I was the only boater who was paired with a single nonboater. I would have withdrawn from the tournament if I was given 2 nonboaters.

Just looking for opinions on this issue since it has come up in my club. For our first tournament this season, we have 7 boaters and 13 nonboaters. 4 members who are typically boaters cannot bring their boats for this tournament which is why the numbers are so lopsided. When the draw was done 6 boaters were assigned 2 nonboaters. There is no rule for this and I was surprised it wasn't voluntary for the boaters. I get it from both sides. The club is trying to keep all the new members it has (most of them are nonboaters) and not allowing 6 people to fish would be a major negative. On the other hand, should a boater who has spent thousands of dollars on their boat and are the backbone of a club be forced to take on a 3rd angler in his boat if he doesn't want to? Several guys have an 18' boat and my 19'er is narrower than most. I'm going to bring this up at a future meeting but I'd like to hear the opinions of others on this. Thanks in advance.

Georgian Bay: 1st week of June

I was just listening to a Bass After Dark podcast about Chatterbaits and they were specifically talking about using flat trailers around wood.

What defines me? Husband, father, HS science teacher, bass fisherman, outdoorsman, fitness enthusiast, and sports fan. Besides bass fishing, I enjoy spending time outdoors by biking (mountain biking and road cycling) and hiking. Staying fit and lean is important to me and I blend my exercise with my hobbies of biking and hiking. I used to be a runner but I enjoy biking and hiking more especially considering how much longer I can do those activities. Besides my outdoor activities, watching sports and being a member of multiple hockey dynasty leagues is an obsession of mine. Without question, I'd pick following hockey and my 4 dynasty leagues over fishing. I spend a lot more time watching games, reading articles, anlyzing stats, and listening to podcasts about hockey than anything else. Besides hockey, I follow cycling and Nascar. I am a very casual fan when it comes to all other sports. Personality-wise I'd be described as a cordial, introverted, loner, homebody. I spend most of my time fishing by myself and take multiple solo trips a year camping and fishing. I have been studying stoicism for about 5 years and those principles are the blueprint for how I want to live my life. A little over 9 years of work left till I retire and spend every April to November in Northern Michigan fishing and enjoying the outdoors for hopefully the rest of my life. I also plan to take long winter trips down south to hunt for trophy bass and help shorten the winter when I retire.

Once I started going to bigger trailers, especially boot tail swimbaits, on chatterbaits, I started catching bigger fish.

Pretty much what the title says. I have used Zakos, Spunk Shad, Swimming Shiners, and swimming Flukes with good success. I never really use craw or grubs on bladed jig. My general rule of thumb is to use the Zakos and Spunk Shad when looking for a little more subtle of a presentation and the boot-tail swimbaits when the water is warmer or if the water is more stained. How say you? Any info is appreciated.

This sounds fun. I'm in. Thanks for setting this up.

I'm a little surprised that you use your 844 for the baits you listed. I have an older 844 GLX that has always been my jig and C-rig rod. How happy are you with using the 844 for chatterbaits and spinnerbaits? I could get more use out of my 844 if I used it for those applications. Thanks for the info.

Garmin for me. I've had issues with 2 of my last 3 Humminbirds. We pay too much and use our electronics very little in comparison to other electronics for them to have issues. My 859 Hbird was completely fried when I tried to update it. I went step-by-step by the procedure and I had a frozen, distorted screen. Hbird wouldn't even look at it without a minimum charge of $100+ or so. My current Helix will not take a mapping card in the right slot and occassionally freezes. I have to unplug it and plug it back in. My Garmin 106 has been flawless as were my Lowrance units on my last boats. No more Humminbirds for me!

But getting rid of weigh-ins would eliminate the hero shots needed for social media.

I LOVE my Steez 761 and it has a crazy lure range of 1/16th to 3/4 oz. I have used mine for a variety of different techniques but it is my main Ned rig rod. It's also great for drop shots, hair jigs, tubes, and finesse swimbaits. There is nothing I throw with a spinning combo that the One wouldn't handle. I can't compare it to the NRX+ or the other rods you mentioned since I've never owned any of them. There was a Tackle Tour review of the One and there are several Youtube videos reviewing the One versus the NRX+ comparative. From what I've read from people that have both rods, it seems more people slightly prefer the NRX+ but it is really spliting hairs. I just ordered the 7'1 ML and the 7'3 MH Utility Steez this week so I am sticking with the Steez line due to their incredible sensitivity, lightness, and their AGS carbon fiber guides. Good luck with your decision.

I'll get any reel as long as its a Daiwa or a Shimano.

I agree. I use my Talon mostly at the dock or if I want to anchor and retie. For fishing purposes, all I need is spot lock. Nice boat OP. I had a Lowe's boat for a number of years and it was a excellent boat.

I use my 843 GLX and it is a fantastic stick for that bait.

Tournament fishermen are fooling themselves if they don't think tournaments and delayed mortality are negatively impacting tournament waters. I'm glad that my club has moved almost exclusively to paper tournaments.