papajoe222

My favorite river bait was a Lindy Fuzee Grub. Not too expensive and they really produced some nice fish despite their small profile. Don't rule out a tube jig either. They're a little difficult to feel the bottom with, but the action they give off when sitting still in the current is hard to beat.

Try to determine what baits you will likely throw before heading to the water. Put them and whatever terminal tackle you think you may need it a gallon ZipLock. Grab whatever rod will handle those baits along with your jig rod and a handful of jigs and go for it. Worst case scenario, you figured wrong. Put that rod down and start tossing the jig .

I really don't think anyone that purchases a custom built rod feels that the rod will make them a better angler. They may feel they will be able to detect bites better, exert less effort, or it will reduce fatigue. What most of the guys are looking for in a custom built rod is a rod that is unique to them. Whether it's the specific action, length, cosmetics, type or make of the handle and grip.........they are the ones that decide exactly what they want and don't want.

As A-Jay mentioned, your body needs to get used to the increased activity levels. Until it does, I recommend taking fish oil pills and a couple of ibuprofen prior to heading out. Fish oil helps reduce binding of different muscles against each other.

Nope and don't really care to know. I just know, as with buzzbaits, sometimes it makes a difference. If I were to venture a guess it would likely have something to do with the surface tension of the water.

Welcome to BR. I'd love to help you out a bit, but I'm not from the area. Try moving your topic to the local fishing forum. More folks from your neck of the woods may see it and most here are willing to help a fellow angler.

It's really a combination of both IMO. If I'm looking to get their attention with flash, or when there's less wind, I go to a hammered blade. When I need more vibration, I go to a Colorado or Indiana blade

What type of weeds? A punch rig works well on weeds with stems that 'blossom' nearer the surface and a drop shot can be worked in many grass type weeds. Spinnerbaits and cabbage are a deadly combo. Unsure? A Texas rigged straight tail worm with a pegged sinker is a good place to start.

Original floater 7 or 9 gold/black back or silver/black back

Tourney time isn't the time to go looking for fish from the get go. I'd suggest doing what is done the most; get your limit first then target bigger fish and cull. You do need to have a back-up plan going in. That back-up can prove invaluable even when you get your limit as it can produce the fish that will make the difference in cashing in. If you have confidence in a few deep spots, by all means start there and your shallow pattern can be your back-up.

Right after ice-out, I'm into numbers over size. Four months or more of not wetting a line has me itching to catch something and the more something I catch, the happier I am. From mid to late pre-spawn on, it becomes a size thing so I'm targeting females until fall. It becomes a numbers thing again in the fall which will keep the itch away for a while after the water gets hard again.

Yes. In the situation you described, northern lake with green water and visibility as such, the water is clearer under the suspended plankton and algae. The downside is those suspended particles reduce light penetration and change the the color of the light. This is why firetiger is such a good choice under those conditions.

I's stick with the drop shot for a number of reasons. First and foremost, you can adjust the distance off bottom easily and can even fish it on the bottom if need be, without re-rigging. Second, regardless of the plastic bait used, it's more visible to fish both from a distance and close up. A jig is a great presentation, but the fish either need to be looking down, or willing to move once it's spotted. Either way, they need to be somewhat on the active side. The drop shot appeals to them no matter what mood they happen to be in.

One thing I always suggest on pressured water is to throw something different. If you don't have anything different, try a different color or a retrieve you don't see others using. (slow roll, or burn a spinnerbait for example) The other thing I recommend is to downsize. A 1/8oz. spinnerbait shows them something different, but basically the same. I throw a tube quite a bit for these reasons and do quite well fishing behind others working the same spots.

Two identical lines, different diameters? The thinner line would be more sensitive, I would think. putting the rod blank and line movement that's observed aside and focusing strictly on felt vibrations. Using identical wood dowels, the 1/4in. is much more sensitive than the 1/2in. given the same stimulus. Given WRB's statement about water's density dampening of vibrations, the thicker line would move more water and therefore dampen the felt vibration.

I'd just turned 10 when my folks bought a place just north of Wisc.Dells. My dad and I would fish a causeway with a bridge from shore. We were targeting walleye with white hair jigs. I snagged someones discarded line and attached to the end was a brown and red hair jig. We weren't catching anything, so I cut off my white jig and tied on the one I'd found. On my second or third cast with it I tied into a smallie that likely went somewhere between 14-16in. That fish turned me every way but loose, jumping and running at me only to turn and head back out toward deeper water. Although I continued to fish for walleye with my dad until he passed a few years later, whenever I had the opportunity I'd be out chasing bass.

Have you tried fishing at night? The other presentations I'd recommend are drop shotting small plastics, dead sticking a shakey head with a floating plastic and burning either a lipless crank or spinnerbait with smaller willow blades (I use a RocketShad). My most productive presentation for daytime summer fishing is dead sticking a tube on a drop shot.

I stopped using the Owner weedless hooks as the weed guard is too stiff, IMO. I, too, now tie my own weed guards I use the fiber weed guards off old rusty jigs

I'd stick with dark colors like you have been. I'd venture a guess that bullhead make up a portion of their diet and that along with the muck bottom could account for your success with dark colors If you're going to use a jig and target where the drop levels off, parallel the drop for the same reason I mentioned about using cranks. Youll need to experiment with size as too heavy a jig will burry into the mud. A mushroom/stand up style jig will help prevent that along with a trailer with big or numerous appendages. Start with small hops and experiment with retrieves.

I'll start with color preference by asking a twofold question. What is the main forage and what is the water and bottom color? Color preference is normally related to one, or all of those Your presentation of choice would dictate how to approach fishing a drop off. With crankbaits, parallel retrieves will keep your bait in the strike zone longer than attempting to work them up or down the drop. They also work well when fish suspend just off the drop Working a jig or worm up the drop will allow you to maintain bottom contact much easier than working down it. The other advantage is, once you contact fish, you can switch up baits and concentrate on that depth. The downside is if the fish prefer a falling bait. If you're confident the fish are there, try both up and down the drop. The fish will let you know what they prefer.

I've done it more than once. First time I was leaning over the side of the boat pulling on a limb of a submerged tree in an attempt to retrieve my crankbait. The limb pulled back and in the drink I went with both my wallet and iphone in my pockets. Luckily my TM tangled with the tree and my boat didn't drift off without me. The other two times I hit a submerged boulder with the TM turned up and got ejected into the water. Both times I had to swim quite a bit to catch up to my drifting vessel and, oh yea, my iphone was in my pocket. Now I wear an inflateable PFD and my phone and wallet are kept in my gear. With my luck, next time the boat will sink just after I take off my jacket (PFD first) with my wallet, phone and keys. I can't win.

Welcome to BR Generally speaking (there are no absolutes in bass fishing), bass are sight feeders. If you can get their attention with something that either is noisy, gives off a lot of vibration, or moves a lot of water, that they can see, you have a good chance of catching them once you find them. A Colorado bladded spinnerbait with a trailer that moves a lot of water like a RageTail or Kalins Lunker Grub and a jig rattle combines all those attributes. So does a fat body rattling crankbait. A jig with a thick skirt, loud rattle and a trailer that moves a lot of water is a great target bait. Combine any of them with a color that is either visible, or contrasts the darker water and all you should have to do is find them.

Check the spool bearing retainer pin to make sure it's centered on the spool shaft. An off centered one may not engage the pinion completely until the handle is turned.

I do more of a sweep and reel than a straight upward hook set. The only exception is when I use circle hooks, then it's just reeling with the rod tip up high.

If you're not stuck on Shimano, the Daiwa zillion TWS 100P can be had for under $200. 5.1:1 gearing and will spool 120-130yrds of 10-12lb. test depending on the line's diameter.