BigAngus752

What I use to pull my Ranger RT188 (or haul my little Jon in the back) is the same thing I drive to work every day. I bought it after I bought my boat and as @Fishes in trees would say, I decided to go "matchy-matchy" LOL! I like to be organized and having my truck and boat match seems more squared away to me for some reason. I have a mental disease.

Is one digital and one analog? Are you properly translating from tenths of a pound (digital) to ounces? If your digital scale reads 5.5 pounds you need to correct it (.5 x 16) to determine the fish is 5lb 8oz. You won't know if your scale is accurate until you follow @Scott F 's advice.

Looking for some info about Green River Lake in KY. I saw that this lake made the top 25 for this year and when I was showing it to my wife and she saw the floating cabins at the marina she told me to make reservations immediately. I know this lake draws down from Sept. to Nov. and we would be going close to the end of draw down on a weekend in November. Can someone tell us what we can expect for boating, ramps, and bass fishing in November at this lake? Thanks in advance.

Wow, this is so close to what I have done all year. I have a buddy that is a tournament fisherman and he was looking at me like I was a freak when I told him how successful spawn and immediate post-spawn was for me when I was fishing a weightless Ultravibe in the thickest brambles I could find. I had a great pattern going. If the laydown was in the shade and had a bunch of tiny little branches that your line inevitably tangles around then I could pull a fish out of it with a weightless Ultravibe. I would have to stand on the bow and jiggle it up and down and back and forth to get it to fall through the little sticks but I was literally calling the targets I would pull a fish out of. It was a great couple of weeks. Later when we got tons of rain with the water high and muddy it was all The General. Wacky or T-Rig they find it by smell.

The Zoom Ultravibe is always a top producer. This year I'm trying Berkley's The General and it's running a close second to the Ultravibe. That horrid smell is a magnet for bass.

I think Yo-Zuri Hybrid is the best non-braided line you can put on a baitcaster. It is the smoothest casting, strongest line I've every tried. I've found, though, that it's Achilles heel is that if it gets any kind of sharp kink, even if it's not a hard bend, the line is done. Absolutely done. Guaranteed to break at that slight bend after one or two casts. If I had some light Hybrid sitting around I would absolutely give that a try but all I have is 6 and 10lb mono and 10 and 50lb braids. That's a good thought, though. If I hate the braid I'll order some light Yo-Zuri to try. Thanks

I realized later that I misspoke when I mentioned I would be using this for Ned rigs. I have a dedicated Ned rig rod (Falcon ML w/6lb mono) and I'll use that when I want to skip a Ned under a dock. I agree about the line visibility. Yesterday I was pitching wacky Senkos into laydowns using 20lb Hi-Vis neon-colored Sufix 832 and I caught fish in the same lake I'll be skipping docks. I'm going to give the braid a try and if I hate it I'll try something else. Thanks for the input. I was just using 10lb Sufix 832 yesterday for pitching laydowns. I have never had an issue with it around wood. We have very few rocks so I've no experience with it around rock. I actually have a new spool of 10lb Sufix and I considered using that since the EZ braid floats and the Sufix is "neutrally buoyant" but the new spool is Hi-Vis and the EZ Braid is moss green which matches the water better. I'm not a big believer in bass being "line shy" but I figured to give myself every possible advantage. 832 is my favorite braid by far though.

I'm putting together a spinning set-up just for skipping weightless plastics (and the occasional Ned rig) under docks. The majority of the time I will be skipping wacky rig stick baits. Looking through my stockpile of line I will either be using 10lb Trilene XL or 10LB Spiderwire EZ Braid in moss green (no leader). My question is, since both lines float will the mono slow the fall rate down more than the braid since the braid is only the diameter of 3lb mono? I'm barely patient enough to wait for a weightless wacky to fall on a line that doesn't float. If the 10lb mono is going to slow it down a lot then I'm going with the braid. Thanks in advance.

That's awesome. Like @A-Jay said, you definitely deserve this. You have been so patient and positive about your previous boat issues that it has actually inspired me to work on my own patience level for all things mechanical. Enjoy this new boat!

Mine was 40 years ago. I was just a kid. Family vacation at Lake of the Ozarks. Dad made me get up early one morning to go fishing at a state or county park that was on the lake. We walked the bank and he spotted a point with enormous, VW Beetle-size boulders stretching off the point just a few feet under the water. He said, "That's the spot" even though he'd never been there before. We waded out, walking from boulder to boulder. He warned me not to slip a leg between them. We got out a ways and I started casting an inline spinner. After awhile Dad let me use his brand new Rapala Floating Minnow. I was so proud that he let me use it because he didn't spend much on fishing lures and this thing was new and it was his favorite lure. I started casting and jerking it. A bass came out from between the boulders and hit it like an attack dog. I set the hook more out of shock than fishing skill. I started reeling and to day I remember as clearly in my head as if it happened yesterday that fish jumping, bending back and forth in the air trying to shake that lure that was stuck front and back trebles in it's lip. I remember the sun reflecting off of it in the air. I was thrilled and terrified. Dad was bounding from boulder to boulder toward me and pulled it out of the water for me as I got it close. It was 5 1/2 pounds (I can't tell you exact ounces because Dad only had a ratty old spring scale). I remember Dad holding it up and telling me it was the biggest bass he'd ever held. I remember how heavy it felt and being scared when I held it that it would swallow my hand with that huge mouth. I remember it all clearly, like it just happened. Dad's been gone 29 years. I still have his Rapala. The trebles are rusty and I never, ever use it. I just started bass fishing again a couple years ago. I know I'll catch a bigger bass eventually. I've come close a couple times already. Some days I go out and I want to catch an 8lb bass. Some days I just want to keep my PB that I have already.

I generally hang a paddle tail off of my vibrating jigs. I will give the bug a try! Thanks

Thank you for this. I was thinking the Rage Bug should displace a significant amount of water. And I left out an important part of the pig description...it's a bag of Bearded Grass Pigs. It is designed to be a swim bait but it looks like a freakish shrimp or squid. It's heavily salted and has a very heavy body. I've not had a chance to get one in the water yet but I would think a bass would eat it just because it's so ugly. LOL

Have you actually handled both? I have and I feel a noticeable difference in them when I operate them. I own a Fuego and it's my favorite spinning reel. If I were shopping in the price range of a Regal then without any doubt I would buy a KastKing Sharky. I own two of those. They are nearly as smooth and refined as a Fuego. Almost. Next time I find a Fuego on sale I will buy another one. Researching and discussing can only take you so far. Try them and see what you think.

I might have the opportunity to go fishing this weekend. This is incredibly rare for me right now as I'm working two jobs so I don't get to be picky about conditions. We have flash flood warnings right now and the water will be high and muddy this weekend. I'm still trying to stick with my commitment to fish only jigs and plastics this year but I don't have a good understanding of how to identify plastics with not much "action" and those with a lot of "action". I will need something flappy and noisy if I go this weekend. Here's a list of some of the craw/creatures I have in dark colors. If anyone can shed some light on which have the most action it would be much appreciated. If you could tell me the difference between the ones that do and don't and why that would be a bonus. Rage Tail Structure Bug Rage Tail Menace Yum crawdad Berkley Crazy Legs Chigger Craw Berkley Bearded Grass Pig Doomsday Tackle Devastator 3.8 Yum Christie Critter I also have some monster-size worms (some with bright-colored ribbon tails) and some lizards if you recommend those instead. I'll also be throwing some larger profile jigs with rattles but I want to be prepared with some T-rigged plastics. Thanks in advance.

I had the same problem and realized that the of the fish I boated, 80%+ of them the Ned head would just fall out of their mouths when i got them in the boat (when there was finally slack in the line). I realized I was losing them to slack in the line while they were in the water. I switched to using a Falcon drop shot rod that's softer and I bring them in slowly and concentrate on never allowing slack in the line. I haven't lost another since I switched to that rod and focuses on a tight line. Don't pull them in fast or with a stiff rod. You'll get "bounce" in the line and that's just enough for the little Ned hook to come undone.

Gosh, for $150 you can get a Daiwa Aird X from TW, a Daiwa Fuego from eBay, and still have money left over to get some new jigs from @Siebert Outdoors. It's like Xmas without the tree.

I'm with @Sam. There are too many variables. For the sake of argument lets just say you stumbled into some conditions that you weren't expecting, as in the weather and water are completely different than you thought they would be. When that happens I just throw through the whole water column both fast and slow. I usually start at the top (spook, pop-r, whopper plopper), then something in the middle (lipless crank, spinner, Shad Rap, underspin with a paddletail), then the bottom (slow rolling a vibrating jig, T-rig, Carolina). My "no skunk" technique is the Ned Rig. 1/2 of a Zinker Z on a 1/10th mushroom head will always catch something. Usually a T-rigged Zoom Trick Worm will catch a bass and a lipless crankbait will catch something that swims. Could be a crappie. Could be a water snake. Everything likes the lipless.

Good call!

In Illinois if you don't bring your own realtor and just call the realtor on the sign then at closing you have to sign a document swearing that you understand that the realtor is working on the behalf of the SELLER and NOT YOU. That's their license to "not tell you" stuff. You have to find it for yourself. Always hire a reputable home inspector and if the property is not on city water and/or sewer then you need to hire separate inspectors for the well and the septic system! It amazes me that people don't have wells and septic systems inspected. It costs $10,000 for a new deep well or aeration system.

I'm with @Scott F on this one. It may or may not survive. It's definitely not going to affect the bass population in any meaningful way. Since you are 1.5hrs south of Chicago, look up Evergreen Lake located in Comlara Park just outside of Hudson, IL which should be only an hour south of you. https://www.ifishillinois.org/profiles/display_lake.php?waternum=00305 It's only 900 acres and it may be the top Muskellunge fishery in the state plus it has some good bass fishing too. Looking forward to getting out on it this fall when I'm no longer working two jobs! LOL

I am typically this frugal also so I don't blame the OP for asking, but here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06ZZHKWF4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 100 for $6.99 and they work great. I've used them two seasons now. I'm frugal but also smart enough to know when I'm wasting time that could be spent doing something else. LOL Or if you reuse these you will be the most frugal person on the planet!

What @Catt said. I have a jon that size that is not powered. I carry it in the back of my truck. I made two floor sections for it using ground-contact-grade plywood. I framed them to match the floor contour and fastened the framing to the plywood but did NOT fasten the wood to the boat because I carry the boat by hand to the water and the wood added weight. This way I can carry the boat to the water and drop it in and then carry the two sections of floor and drop them in the boat.

I fish this lake all year. This lake is a convergence of two small rivers. They meet at the dam and the power plant sits between them. The plant intake is on the west side and the discharge on the east. The temperature buoy is located on the west side near the intake. Daily readings can be found here: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=05578300 and they show the coldest area of the lake. I was on the lake two weeks ago and the "hot" side was 76 degrees while the "cold" side was 59. The disparity is much greater in the winter. I was bank fishing in February on a bridge just a few hundred yards downstream from the discharge. The plant runs so hard in the winter that the water temps at the discharge can be in the 90's (that section of the lake is closed as a "waterfowl refuge" in the winter). As you stand on the bank in the "legal" area to fish in the winter you get covered in steam which quickly freezes on you and your gear. Fishing with braid at this time is almost impossible because it holds so much water and it freezes even while you're reeling in. Back to the OPs question: When is the spawn on this lake? I have talked to guys that routinely place in tournaments on that lake and no one has ever been able to answer that. Spring is the most confusing time to fish Clinton Lake. Two weeks ago I fished for seven hours through the whole lake from 59 degrees to 76 degrees. I caught one bass. I talked with a guy that was loading up at the same time I was. He has been fishing that lake for over ten years and he fished all day also. He caught no bass. Neither of us found a bass on a bed on any part of the lake. Clinton can be a great lake and every year the top five tournament bass are 8+ pounds. I love fishing it in summer and fall and even bank fishing in the winter when every other body of water is frozen, but I'm done with spring fishing on that lake. I went to Lake Mattoon today and with bright sun and 70-73 water temps I did extremely well. My day started with four bass out of laydowns in a 100 yard stretch at Mattoon. I can't figure Clinton out around spawn. I'll wait until the summer pattern is in full force before I go back. You should take a look at this website if you haven't yet: https://www.ifishillinois.org/profiles/selector.php The fish surveys are getting older now. The most recent are 2016 and some are several years older but some of the lakes have recent fishing reports and those can give you an idea of what stage the lake is in. Feel free to PM if you have questions about lakes around here. I've only gotten back to bass fishing just a few years but I have some tournament-fishing friends that provide me with a lot of info.

If you buy one of the cheap digital scales, keep in mind that the majority of them do not weigh in ounces. They weigh in tenths of a pound. You have to convert by multiplying everything after the decimal point by 16. So if your scale says "5.2" then you multiply .2 x 16 and your fish weighs 5 pounds and 3.2 ounces. I just had a buddy that thought he caught his PB at 6 pounds 7 ounces and I pointed out his new PB is actually 6 pounds 11 ounces.

thanks!