papajoe222

Yea, $20hr. Was good money back then, but the 15-20 hrs. overtime a week is what contributed to my retirement @ 58. That and not spending $99 on a Curado ?

I didn't see you list rigging backward (one of my favorites), or with an internal jig. I'm guessing you'll be fishing vegetation. If that is what you'll be fishing, don't count out punching with a tube. I haven't used anything but a tube for punching since I first tried a tube.

That $10 difference was a half hours wages for me in '94. If it were only that now, I'd likely be a Shimano guy........NOT, but it's a logical argument.

I do just the opposite of J F. I start slow and speed up if I'm not getting any reaction. Sometimes giving the fish a good look at your bait is a good thing, but like others, I switch up speed prior to changing color. When I really think about it, I'll change the size or type of bait before even considering color.

Ultra dink. I like that, especially because I fish for them on a regular basis. I have to admit though, that one is really impressive .

When fishing with soft plastics as well as jigs, you are going to experience many different types of bites bisides seeing your line move off to the side, or a profound bump. When you se your line moving off to the side, the fish already has the bait in its mouth, a solid bump on the other hand, could be a number of things including the fish sucking in your worm, but on the other hand she could have had it in her mouth and spit it out and that is what you felt. i always assume the fis has taken the bait and set the hook. How you set the hook is just as important as the equipment you use. Even with the best of both, you'll still miss fish if they don't have the bait and hook completely in their mouth. Give them a second or so after you feel that bump, drop your rod tip, reel in the slack and set the hook. oh yea. Welcome to the forums.

Like anything else, if taken care of your cork handles will last a long time without treatment. Cork sealer will prolong its life by sealing out the elements that can lead to dry and pitted cork. The added benefit is you get a better grip on the rod. My suggestion is to use the rod until you can get some U40 cork sealer and then do as WRB suggested. After applying it, if you prefer the feel of untreated cork, you can always wash it off.

LOL I haven't fished a Fluke in a few seasons. I recently broke out my box and the first thing I did was nose hook it. I couldn't remember who first showed that way of rigging to me. Come to find out it was someone on this site eight years ago.

IMO, a tube jig with a sixty degree line tie is one of the easiest to skip with. You can vary the size tube you use from 3.5in. to 5in. and rig them with the hook either exposed or 'stupid' style. Add a rattle, or stuff the tube with a packing peanut for a slow, enticing fall. With the right tackle, you can skip a tube under and out the opposite side of a dock with little effort.

My first choice for fishing rocks in 15ft. or less is a craw colored crank. I will follow up with a worm or jig

Thinking of upgrading on one of my reels and switching out the ceramics on another. Any preferences or are they about the same?

In early fall, you'll normally see baitfish in the upper water column. A two step approach can put you into some fish. Target the upper water column with cranks and spinners and go deeper with your soft plastic presentation. A falling bait is where I'd start and to be honest, it wouldn't be a worm. If you're limited to just using a worm, I would suggest using it as a jig trailer and hopping it up high off the bottom and letting it fall on a fairly tight line. Isolated cover on some sort of structure will still hold fish, so don't discount it. Fish it the same as you would during the summer. Pick your presentation based on the type of cover.

When faced with rising, muddy water and a high barometer what is your go to finess presentation? The water in the strip pit I fish regularly is normally gin clear, but the river that runs parallel to it has been running over into it for the past couple of weeks. Clarity is down to less than a foot and the water level is up almost two feet. The fish were where I figured they'd be, but were really tight lipped. I opted for a 3/8oz. black/blue jig with the skirt cut to the hook bend and a Tiny Paca Chunk trailer and was able to grind out some decent fish. The only other presentation that got any attention was a RocketShad pitched to similar locations. If I didn't give 'em something small with a quick fall rate, I may as well have been practicing in my back yard. Don't get me wrong, I was happy for the bites I got. I just think I may have done better with something different.

I don't know if there's one out there with it, but bass turd in poop brown or diarieah would be a good one.

I kept a log for years and very rarely entered more than a measurement. For three years, on a private lake,I tagged every fish I boated over 14in. in an effort to determine growth rate in inches. Although I no longer keep a log, I still have the habit of unhooking a fish, lying it along a measuring tape permanently mounted on my boat for a quick measurement and then releasing it. Anything over 18in. is considered a good fish, and I'll be the first to admit that I'm guilty. I can catch a dozen fish and if asked will say nothing good.

At least you overcame your stubbornness. I fished a lake today that I've fished for years but haven't been to this season. Despite my own recommendation to others not to, I fished 'history' for four hours. Nothing, but that didn't stop me. I kept pounding the outside weedline of the only point and then worked the steeper drop on its inside turn. Two more hours and still nothing. I started up the outboard and headed in. On my graph I could see baitfish and what may have been bass at 15-18ft. in 35ft. of water. Had I taken the time to check before I grabbed a rod, I may not have gotten skunked. My head has had a few more years than yours to get harder. Hope you can continue to overcome your stubbornness, I'm a lost cause. Awesome fish BTW

Single hook presentations mostly as it's easy to switch out a treble and easier to ruin the hooks point in an attempt to sharpen it. As stated previously, less is more a couple of passes on either side and one up the underside is all that it takes to get a spinnerbait or jig to hang from my thumbnail. I couldn't find the one I use, but this on is similar. http://www.cabelas.com/product/Diamond-Knife-Hook-Sharpener/702057.uts?searchPath=%2Fbrowse.cmd%3FcategoryId%3D734095080%26CQ_search%3Dhook%2Bsharpener%26CQ_st%3Db

I wouldn't be comfortable towing with the Patriot and the Nissan Pathfinder is a poor choice for a number of reasons. Toyota and Honda both make nice, mid-size SUVs with more than enough towing capacity. I've been towing my Tracker TX with a Honda Pilot for the last 10yrs. You also may want to consider something used, especially if you only plan on keeping it a year or so. That, or waiting until the 17's have been out a while and finding a new 16.

Using a MH mod/fast, Med/ Mod, or any combination cranking rod becomes a personal preference decision. The same goes for glass vs. composite vs. graphite. I personally use a Med Mod/Fast graphite rod for mid-range (6-12ft.) baits in the 3/8oz. catagory and a MH Mod for heavier ones. You may find yourself purchasing a few rods before you arrive at one that suits you.

I use 30lb. Seaguar braid for a mainline and 12lb. Stren mono for the leader. I prefer mono for the leader because it floats. Brass or tungsten weight depending on how snag infested the area I'll be fishing. Water depth dictates what size and hook size depends on the bait which lately has been a tube. The rod is a 7'6" MH fast with a TDA in 6.31

Prior to wrist surgery, I tried everything. The only things that did give temporary relief were wearing a wrist brace in conjunction with taking 600mg of ibuprofen and a shot of cortisone that helped for a few months. You can try the first, but like others, I suggest seeing a Dr.

There are basically two situations when I reach for a drop shot. The first is similar to what WRB mentioned, once I've found fish. In my case, that means I've caught one and am confident the spot holds more. A follow up presentation for lack of a better explanation. The other is under cold front conditions on a piece of structure that has good potential, or that has produced regularly. As I fish shallower bodies of water that are very clear, I'm casting with a long leader on a long rod to keep the bait up off the bottom.

OMG, someone actually suggested using an anchor Listen up! Using an anchor without some instruction can be harmful to your trolling motor, not to mention the exposure to rope burns and getting the rope tangled around your ankle just prior to tossing in over into 30ft. of water.

Two baits I rely on a lot during late summer are a RocketShad and a Booyah Boo Rig with a small crappie size crankbait. I can follow up with a drop shot or shakey head with a french fry.

I don't change baits, for the most part. I change locations because the fish do. The only different bait I throw in the fall is a white jig/trailer. I can present it like a spinnerbait, or any number of jig retrieves. It occasionally produces in the spring, but nowhere near the way it does once the water temp. Starts to steadily drop. That is when I consider fall to begin.