jimmyjoe

Thnx. Yeah, I can see I'm kinda fixated on spoons from fishing the river(s). Why willow blade spinnerbaits? Because of the clarity of the water? I ask because I think I have .... one. Just one. It's buried somewhere at the bottom of one of my junk bags. Colorado or double colorado always work better in the river. I can see I've got a lot to learn about fishing in clear water! The fish here are largemouth. (At least I don't have to worry about pike.) As a general rule, for any and all types of lures, does clear water indicate a smaller size of lure or a larger size? jj

Good evening. I fish casting spoons in the river, mostly Eppinger and Thomas. I've always had good luck, with the understandable off-day thrown in. I've been turned on to a new lake, and it has slightly stained water that's clear to about 8 feet. So far, nothing works except soft plastic; senko, beaver and 10' worm lures. I'm frustrated, a bit mad and puzzled as to why I can't get ANY response out of spoons. Nothing. Not big spoons, not little spoons. Not twitched, not jerked and not steady retrieve. Not high and not low. Is there such a thing as a lake that doesn't respond at all to spoons, or am I missing something? And yes, I have about every color under the sun. Can anyone give me any advice? jj

Tuesday I asked here for some advice. Yesterday Choporoz suggested the Rage Tail Anaconda. This AM I went to a local store and got one pkg red shad, one pkg watermelon. This PM I caught bass ..... but only on the red. That's the way it's been for 2 years now. I go fishing with 2 friends, and they catch bass off browns or dk greens or lt greens. I catch fish off dk reds. Oh, well. A fish is a fish. Thanks, Choporoz! Ain't this place great? jj

Looked at the Rage Tail Anaconda. That looks just like what I want. Thanks! jj

Just going by what has worked for me. jj

I had melanoma removed 1 year ago. I protect myself. I don't care what it looks like or what someone thinks about it. While you're at it, get the microfiber long sleeve Henley shirts. They cover your lower arms and even the back of your hand. The salesmen said they were cool in hot weather, cooler than loose cotton. I thought they were full of BS, but my son got me to try them. I love them. They evaporate the sweat, and I stay comfortable. Great way to protect myself from the sun. jj

Today I finally ran out of my stash of the old Havoc Federale 10" worms from Berkley. I mean the solid body ones, not the ribbed ones. Can anyone point me in the direction of a fat body 9 or 10 inch ribbontail worm to try? I rig weightless in the shallows and a 1/32 nose weight in deeper water (6 to 10 feet deep). I prefer salty worms, not scented worms. Scented never did anything for me. Thnx. jj

Bought the StC Mojo Bass 2-pc Plastics (MJC71MF2) 2 days ago. Am totally impressed. Good all-rounder, and best worm rod I've used. After the second or third cast, I never knew I was using a 2-pc rod. Until it came time to go home, that is. jj

Just saw this. Been there, done that. My advice: DO NOT draw any leader knot in through your tiptop or guides. I did, and I replaced Alconite rings. So I was smart; I used stainless steel inserts. Hah! Yeah, right. It dings and scratches over time, and then you wonder why the heck your line breaks so often. Solution? Keep all metal leader connector knots OUTSIDE your tiptop. All you need is 8 inches, anyway. I know, casting is clumsier. That's the price you gotta pay. But you save money by using cheap, commonly-available premade leaders, like South Bend and Eagle Claw. You don't need strength, you need TOUGHNESS. Then again, this is me, and you're you. You paid money for this advice ..... right? jj

According to the WHO, ......" There is an increased risk of infection of water-borne diseases contracted through direct contact with polluted waters, such as wound infections, dermatitis, conjunctivitis, and ear, nose and throat infections. " The water where you fish is probably pretty clean, but unfortunately it's not where I fish. The Mississippi has more in it than just mud. That's another of the reasons I practice catch-and-release. jj

I have no idea where you are. The gold standard for me is the #5 Mepps Aglia in shallower water, and the Comet in deeper water. I also make my own; 1/2 to 3/4 oz. won't drive Smallies away. Blue/silver, blue/white and chartreuse/white do it for me. But then, I'm fishing the Mississippi, and that's pretty muddy water. Clearer water could change that around a lot. Personally, I wouldn't use line lighter than 8 lb., and I use 12 much more often. That's because I have pike to contend with, no matter where in the river I fish. If I didn't have that problem, I might go lighter, but not much. I'd not go lighter than a #3 spinner, which is 1/4 oz. For 1/4 oz., I might drop down to 6 lb. line. But to me, that's crappie territory, not SMB. 1/2 oz. colored Panther Martin spinners -- the FishSeeUV with the marabou -- have been productive also. (I love it when some steelheader sees me using those and tells me that I can't catch bass with a steelhead lure. Don't believe all the negative things people tell you.) Whatever you choose to use, go slo-o-o-ow. If you decide to make your own, use two or three different body weights for a certain blade. The lightest will go slowest, the heaviest will go deepest. And don't think that you absolutely have to use french style blades. Indiana work well also. Good luck! jj

Old man once told me, " Your retrieve is twice as fast as it should be, and the lure is half as deep as you think it is." I slowed down and been OK ever since. jj

Amen, brother!

Just called Daiwa. Woman on the phone wasn't even aware it existed. It pulled up in their system, though. Info is limited; you need to e-mail Daiwa. jj

Got my Fuego CT today, 7.3:1. Put 10 lb. Trilene XL on it and took it to the lake. First, the negatives: 1) It makes a "whispering" noise during retrieve. Don't quite know what that is. Doesn't seem to affect performance. 2) Sounds hollow. 3) Doesn't cast under 1/3rd ounce real well. Acceptable, I suppose. But not real well. Now that we have the negatives out of the way, let's go to the positives. My original question had to do with casting into the wind. And man, does this baby do it well! This is the first Daiwa casting reel I've had, and I can tell you one thing .... the difference between this system and all the other magnetics I've had is amazing. This is consistent. It is easily controllable. I can birdsnest it, but it gives me plenty of warning that I'm getting to that point. That means that I can adjust for maximum distance easily. It's a wonder on spinnerbaits. Oddly enough, it doesn't cast stuff like Kastmaster spoons as far as my centrifugals do. Close, but not quite as far. OTOH, this is my first day with it. Things will improve .... Thanks everyone. jj

Thanks to all. Looks like I'll have a Fuego CT coming real soon. jj

Thnx. Spinning gear is out. Looks like magnetic is in. Now the only things to ask is ...... which magnetic? Spinnerbaits are all 1/4 and 3/8 oz, so about 1/2 and 5/8 oz total. Crankbaits are 3/8 balsa (Bagley's). Sale price would be nice. What about Lew"s magnetics? Are they as consistent as Daiwa's?

I'm a shorecaster. In spring, northern shores warm up first with a southerly wind, so I'm casting into the wind a lot. I hate casting into the wind, especially with a spinnerbait. (I'm used to centrifugal reels, not magnetic. I figure I can maybe learn, though, if need be.) So .... which works better into the wind with non-aerodynamic lures, a magnetic or a centrifugal? Thnx. jj

Closed eye spinnerbaits: http://www.j-maclures.com/twisterseriesspinnerbaits.aspx https://www.ebay.com/itm/***-spinnerbaits-DOUBLE-DEEP-CUP-3-4-oz-BLACK-HOLOGRAM-spinner-bait-lure-/362245388408

Yeah ... like the Bumblebee Chopper Bee from circa 20 years ago. Got me the most keeper bass in 1 day that I ever got. jj

I see. Another example of "one step forward, two steps back". jj

I've been trying to get my head around the concept of fairly light power baitcasting, and I've been going twenty different directions at once. I know, that's not a good idea. A few days ago I saw a Daiwa Spinmatic-D Kokanee trolling rod for sale. It was 40 bucks. Idly, I flexed it. It seemed the same as the 7' ultralight Spinmatic spinning rod, with which I was already familiar. The blurb from Daiwa said the action was " fast". Take that with a grain of salt. I have no idea what possessed me, but at 40 bucks, I figured I could re-sell it and not lose much. So I bought it, put my new Curado 70 on it with 8 lb. Trilene XL that I had laying around, and took it out to the middle of the park to see what it would do. Long story short, it's FANTASTIC! The rod is rated 1/16 to 1/4 oz., and I definitely will stay at 1/4 max. I cast a 1/4 oz. Thomas Buoyant and a 1/6 oz. Cyclone. The 1/4 cast as far as my 7' ultralight spinning. The 1/6th cast aaaaalmost as far as the spinning. Then in a mood to see how far I could take this, I put a 1/8th oz. Teeny Wee-R Rebel crank on, and let go. Sonofagun, if that thing didn't go about as far as the spinning gear would throw it. I still have to set up measuring devices to get the real straight skinny on this, but I'm as happy as a cat in a fish market! I never would have considered a rod this light for my new Curado 70, but temporary insanity overrode that, and I'm glad it did. Now I can get the advantage of 8 lb. line where I used 4 lb. before. More authority, despite the whippy rod. With whippy rods, I don't fight the fish with the rod anyway; I use the reel for 90% of the pressure, and lift the rod about 10-15 degrees (only) just to take up some slack. It's not the same technique that I use with a M/F or MH/MF rod. Now don't take my initial enthusiasm as the final word. It's the middle of winter, and things can change a lot when ice-out finally gets here. But for right now, I'd say that my quest to see how light I could go with a baitcasting reel has been satisfied. :)) jj

Terminator looks like a really good spinnerbait, but what I was specifically looking for was a smaller profile. Terminator seems to only make the standard size spinnerbaits. Someone said they used to make something smaller, but evidently not anymore. It still looks like the best idea might be Stanley. I hope so, anyway. The only other route I could go is to have someone make me a run of custom stuff. I was hoping I wouldn't have to go there. jj

Thanks. I think Mr. Stanley and I are going to have a meet-n-greet. :) jj

That brings up an interesting thought. I have taken all blades off some 1/4 oz. spinnerbaits, and then put only one back on. Usually, it's a colorado. But sometimes, I get a wild hair and put only a single willow back on. It tracks true, it holds a predictable depth, but it DOESN'T CATCH FISH. You're the first person I ever heard of who used only one willow. Let me guess .... you fish clear water, right????? jj