Junk Fisherman

My wife never gives me a hard time about what I spend on fishing. She told me for years before I bought my boat to get a new boat if it would make you happy. I told her the last rod I bought was $500 and that I wanted to buy Panoptix and it would run roughly 3K. She told me buy it but I am waiting.

You just never know. I have had days when a thunderstorm moved through and shut everything down. I've had other experiences where the fish were biting before and then after a thunderstorm. Generally speaking, I like fishing in overcast, rainy. Storm on Monday, fishing on Wednesday- I would be more concerned if it was a big cold front. I've always heard the 2nd day after the cold front is the worst and then it gets better on the 3rd day.

I fished there once but I spent most of my time on the Kank in the State Park or by Area 7 (or is it 9?) up to the Warner Bridge. But I'm talking 15 years ago when I was on a wading kick. If I was starting from scratch I would focus on the Dupage around Shorewood. Seems like that stretch kicks out a lot of nice fish. Also, they are catching a lot of nice pike in the Des Plaines. Both of those places are closer too.

Back when I used to fish the Kankakee a lot, I crushed the postspawn smallies on Mother's Day Weekend in some eddies. I had some epic days in the State Park back when the Kank was kicking out a lot of 20" bass. That pattern worked every year. So by that timing, smallies should be spawning right now in the rivers.

Dropshot will load the boat with them. I have caught them with Ned rigs but I like the control of the dropshot better. I love when they spawn and all the anglers go fish beds. I stick to the prespawners and catch bigger fish.

I love Fluoroclear but only for certain applications. It casts great, has reduced visibility in the water, and is cheap. It is not very abraison-resistant compared to other lines so I don't use it for bottom contact baits. But I love it for jerkbaits (10-12 lb), chatterbaits/swimjigs/spinnerbaits (15 lb), and A-Rigs (25 lb). Leaders? I definitely would use straight fluorocarbon over Fluoroclear but you can't knock your success and confidence.

10 to 20 lb braid with a 12' 8lb leader to start. Once I get to about 6'-7' I will tie on a new leader.

Change your knot. Why not go to a Palomar? I don't use it anymore but it is strong, easy to tie, and many, many people rely on it. What's unique is that you are tying the FG knot correctly which is usually the knot that gives people, including me, problems but are having issues with your terminal knot.

Thanks for the update. I am going to have give Heidecke a shot this summer when Braidwood gets too hot.

Do you ever find yourself using the same few lures over and over again and feel like you are missing out by not experimenting more? So far this year I have primarily used a swimbait, chatterbait, a couple different jigs, and a couple different Ned rigs. Naturally, my boat is filled with everything a typical bass angler would use. And while I have done well so far this year, I feel like I am missing out. I know the easy answer is to force myself to use different baits but my default mode is to keep using what works for me which I have a high confidence in my ability to fish. How say you?

I sometimes take a break in the dog days of the summer for a couple weeks. I definitely take a break from longer, overnight trips at that time but I usually still sneak out around the house locally. I have historically taken my last extended summer trip at the beginning of August and then not go anywhere again till the start of October. But I will say that I took a Labor Day trip last summer and the lake was relatively quiet (It was a HP-restricted lake so no fast boats). No tournaments and a low number of fishermen made for a very nice weekend. Think I might make that a trend moving forward.

Agreed. This is what I would go with. If you could get them onsale, you might be able to get the Tatula Elite AGS and a Fuego for around $300. Those AGS guides are fantastic and for a dropshot rig you want the most sensitive, high-end rod you can afford. Good luck.

I have trouble with an FG knot slipping when using light braid (14 lb) and an 8 lb leader so I use a doubled Alberto knot. I have no issues with the size of the knot and it is very strong. I use the FG knot for 30lb+ braid and 12 lb+ flouro leaders without issues. I don't have the slippage problem with the heavier line. The FG knot is more important on baitcasters since I am using heavier line and I need the thinnest knot possible. With light braid on spinning, a thicker knot is not a problem. Good luck.

It just comes in cycles. I had 3 good weekends in a row in March. Then, I had a week off for a fishing trip and a massive cold front hit. I feel your pain.

Let's hope so. I had a club outing there on a Saturday in March and it was an absolute madhouse. A 7 lber? Dam!

There are times in the summer where a dropshot and a Ned make up 95% of what I cast all day when smallmouth fishing. I don't even own a Whopper Plopper.

I used to do this but with the day of fishing overall. If I went the first couple hours without much luck, I felt defeated and destined to have a bad day and just kind of went through the motions until it was time to leave. But with experience and time on the water, I have learned that often times the fish turn on later in the day or I change tactics and/or location and it makes all the difference. One of my best days ever on smallmouth up north started at 11 AM where I hadn't had a single bite for the previous 3 hours. Then the wind picked up a little and several 5 lbers later and bunch of 4 lbers, I had a 24 lb bag.

Nothing I own compares to my Steez rod but at over $500 those are not very practical for building an arsenal. My Dobyns Champion XP and HP rods are fantastic and in the $200 to $300 range so I'll say them.

Rivers or Lake Michigan? Lake Michigan smallies start in early to mid May while in rivers it should be starting just about now.

Is something wrong at Braidwood? When I got to the launch at 6:15 on a nice Saturday morning there were 2 trailers in the parking lot. I was stunned how few people were there on a nice Saturday in April. I know the fishing has been tough compared to previous years and a lot of people are pointing at last year's fish kill but I was still surprised. I had a decent day but things are still slow out there. Caught some nice stray catfish which were fun.

And one of the great things Sturgeon Bay/Door Co is that if the wind is high with rough seas you can always go to the other side of the peninsula. Numerous times the waves were bad at either Sisters Bay or Rowley's but relatively calm on the other side.

I thought this question was going to be about boat color. To answer your question, it usually depends on water clarity for me. Clear water- natural Stained/Muddy water- colors that stand out. Sunny or cloudy conditions play a role as well.

I fish too slow, don't change my lures enough, don't vary my retrieves enough, don't use my electronics enough, and fish too much based on history. I too often grind with confidence baits. I am working on all these things.

I calculated my mileage one time towing with my Tacoma on my old, lighter boat. I never did it again since it was so depressing.

You have gotten some great advice on this thread. I use my Talon much less after getting a spot-lock trolling motor. Overall, I use my Talon more for convenience (at the launch, retying, taking a break, ect.) than fishing. Make no mistake, it is great at the launch. But I do think the Talon is loud and the couple boats I've been in with Poles were quieter. If money were tight I would not get one but it sure is convenient. For my purposes, I would only get one. I definitely don't think getting two at 4K-5K total is worth it.