Lucky Craft Man

http://www.tackletour.com/reviewkistlermg.html

Since learning how to use a Senko type bait, my fish catch total has tripled. I don't know why fish love them so much, but they can't seem to resist them. I took my father out bass fishing this weekend (he never threw a lure in his life) and taught him how to fish a Senko (essentially cast out and count to 30 without reeling or moving the bait). He caught 2 LM and 1 SM in about a hour and I caught about 20, all on Tiki Sticks (Senko knock-off). Now he is talking about going to the store and buying 100 packs of these things, because he can't believe how easy they are to use and how effective they can be. For those who are having trouble with them, the only thing I can say is make sure you let the thing sit on the bottom long enough and study your line.

The Pflueger President Baitcasting Reel is a very good reel. I would give this reel a try before you give up on Pflueger Baitcasters.

Rig the minnow weedless without a weight. Cast it out and let in sink to the bottom and let it sit for about 15 seconds. Watch your line very closly and if there is any movement, wind in the slack and set the hook. If nothing happens after 15 seconds, slowly lift your rod and let the lure settle back down to the bottom and wait another 15 seconds. It is a relativley boring process, but when that fish swims off with your lure, it is exciting winding down and setting the hook. Good Luck.

Since I respect the opinion of those out there, here is my question. Would you purchase a Cabelas XML 6'6" MH Rod - Abu Garcia Revo SC reel combo for a spinnerbait set-up or would you purchase a G Loomis 6'9" MH Spinnerbait rod and use an old reel (which in my case would be a pflueger president baitcaster)? In both cases, it will cost me $200 (I have two- $100 gift certificates burning a hole in my pocket from Cabelas). Thanks for the help.

Take a picture of it and post it. I would like to see this guy's response when he sees that he has been discovered.

When I first heard how good Flouro was supposed to be, I put it on everything (except for a few rods that have my braid). Then over time I strarted to go to hybrid and copoly lines, because I didn't see the so called advantage (or cost justification) of the flouro. Now, I only use flouro on my jerkbait rod. The only advantage flouro has from my experience is that it sinks (which helps my suspending jerkbaits get a little deeper). I also found out through my experience that XPS Flouro performed the best for me (which the test seems to confirm). I wonder how this research will hurt the Flouro fishing line business? It will be interesting to see.

Hey, RW. Just to let you know you're not losing too many brain cells, I picked up on your humor. You and those darned Senkos, G.Loomis rods, and Shimano reels . . . . . when are you going to learn? You forgot the Yo-Zuri Hybrid Line (also offered in Ultra Soft)

Someone waited waaaayyy to long to set the hook on those fish.

RW stole a little of my thunder, but when I see conditions as you desribed, I grab my G Loomis Senko Rod and throw Tiki Sticks in small holes in the weeds or on the edge of weeds all day long. I look forward to those days.

I wrote this in my other post. I don't really think one works over another. I think it is a matter of confidence. If you have confidence in your Senko or Tiki Stick or Dinger, then you may tend to have the patience to let it sit a little longer (which I found produces strikes) or you may concentrate on the line movement a little more with a bait you have faith in. I personally love the Tiki Sticks and use them more then any other Senko type bait. What I like about them is that they fall slower then any other Senko knock off (or Senko itself). I dropped 8 different Senko type baits in a tub full of water and the Tiki Stick sunk twice as slow as the rest. So if I want a little faster fall out of my Tiki Stick, I just add a heavier gauge hook and if I want the slow fall, I use a lighter gauge hook. I like having the versatility with the Tiki Stick that no other Senko type bait gives you. As for colors, watermelon, junebug, cinnamon, and red shad are my favorite.

My friend and I did an unofficial experiment with the Wave Worm Tiki Stick and the GYCB Senko. We fished a weed bed for about two hours. He was using a GYCB Senko in dark green (I don't know the actual color name) and I was fishing a Wave Work tiki stick in watermelon (almost the same color green as my friends senko). In the two hours, we both caught 10 fish. He used 5 GYCB senkos in that hour and I caught all 10 of my fish on 1 Wave Worm Tiki Stick. It seems to me that both lures are effective at catching fish and it is dependant on you confident level with that bait. I am confident with the Tiki Stick and my buddy is confident with the Senko. We had that same result, but if we switched, maybe we wouldn't have caught as many fish.

I have three of the BPS Extreme travel Rods (Two Baitcasting and One Spinning). They are very good rods for travel. The rod tube is durabile and since they aren't that expensive (They are on sale for $64.99 right now), you won't have heartburn if one happens to break. I travel a lot for work, so they are great to throw into the car or to carry on a plane and they have a certain level of sensitivity. I think you will be very pleased with one.

I would say Cross Creek was a hidden gem 10 years ago. I used to fish from shore back then (which is limited) and still caught some nice bass. I went out last wednesday on a boat and caught six (all under 13" and one around 5", which hit a 6" worm). That lake is soooooooo over fished and I'm sure there are still some nice ones in there, but catching them is a little more challenging then it once was. Canonsburg Lake and Peters Lake are not very good either. Peters Lake could be a very nice lake with some management and Canonsburg needs some rehabilitation (the sediment in that lake is unreal). Unfortunately, to find some good fishing oppurtunities, I have to drive a little ways, but the good news is that there are some great fishing spots less then 2 hours away in various directions.

If the Revo SC is the same reel as the Revo S, but with two less bearings, then why is the Revo SC $30 more then the Revo S?

Cabelas RipCord Si Plus - I've used many braids and this is the best in my opinion.

The water is crystal clear with a bottom composed of rocks, some of which are pretty large. The smallmouth are in 7 to 10 feet of water and it's hard to tell if they are on beds, because unlike silty bottom, where you can see a distinct bed swept out, there is no clear indicator. The smallmouth seem to travel a long way following the jerkbait, sometime even to the boat, therefore; they don't seem to be tight to any area.

I am seeking some advice from the more experience smallmouth bass fisherman. On the lake I fish, the smallmouth seem to have flooded the shallows, but won't hit a thing. They will follow a jerkbait, but soon lose interest in it. I've tried drop shot, senkos, gruds, tubes, spinnerbaits, rattle traps, and crankbaits. The only thing they have any interest in is the jerkbaits, but still won't touch them. Does anyone know a tip in how I can get these suckers to bite? It is very frustrating seeing a 5lb. smallmouth look at your lure only to turn and swim away. Any hints or tips would be much apprecitated. Thanks!

You may want to be careful Avid, I don't want to see you on MSNBC with Chris Hanson.

wow...well, you have a pretty complex request. There are hundreds of ways to catch fish and these hundreds of ways change per season, per weather condition, per water temperature, per lake, etc. You must be doing something right, because you are catching fish. Plus, I have seen tournaments where the pros catch nothing after 8 hours of fishing, so all I can say is keep reading, asking, learning, and fishing. These things will help you catch fish. By the way, welcome.

I think the SPRO Frog could be part of the problem as well. I used a black SPRO frog last year, because I heard so much about it and I could not hook a freakin' fish (I was using braid and waiting after the strike). I think the body on that frog is just too dense (I did buy an early version of the frog and have heard the later versions are softer). As for the original question, I like to use 30lb. braid with frogs, because the thinner diameter really cuts through the weeds (especially lilly pad stems, which seem to be a strong as steel) and I have never had a problem with the line breaking.

So let me get this straight. In Utah, you need to be a "member" of a bar in order to get alcohol and a state lottery is not allow, but spear fishing for anything that moves is legal? To make it far, while the guys are underwater spearfishing, it should be legal for fisherman on the surface to tie up huge hooks and try to snag the spearfisherman. Imagine the fight one of those spearfisherman would provide. The Largemouth Bass bothered me, but when I saw the Tiger Musky, the really got me.

Man, where do you guys live? I have been fishing for 20 years (and most of that time was spent hiking desolate streams and lake shorelines) and the worst I can say that has happened to me was my line was crossed. I never even dreamed of getting robbed or having to carry a gun while fishing. I guess I have been very lucky up until this point.

I use Cal's Grease on both the gears and drag (where needed). It seems to work well.

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