papajoe222

When tying an Albright or Alberto knot, is the braid always used to tie the knot? The reason I ask is I tied 8lb. mono to 40lb. braid using the thinner mono to tie the knot and it failed. I was careful tying the knot and was wondering if the fail was due to using the mono to tie it. I was under the impression that the thinner line was always used to tie the knot, but in the video two different size monos were used.

I hold my rod different when fishing Jitterbugs, CrazyCrawlers and buzzbaits. I'll keep the rod tip up around 11:00. When a fish hits and the rod loads up, I just raise it up and reel. Even with that big, single hook on a buzzer, I rarely miss a hook up or rip the lure out. As someone already mentioned, a moderate action for most treble hook topwaters eliminates a majority of mishaps.

The jig head and worm choices are almost endless. For starters I would choose one of the stand-up styles in 1/8 or 3/16oz. A floating worm in a couple of lengths and colors of your choice will get you started. ( I like the Havoc baits)

I use both types. My telescoping pole reaches 15ft. Anything deeper than that, I use a knocker with the line mounted on an old reel and butt section of a rod.

Catt beat me to it. Tubes are easy for you to see and the tentacles will move around in the slightest current, so you don't need to impart any action to them. If you are unable to see the beds, the best approach I've found is a PopR worked with a couple of short twitches and then allowed to sit motionless. The addition of chicken feathers to the rear hook (not too long) will add action while its paused. The object is to pause it directly over the sweet spot of the bed, so when you do go to move it again, keep it at a very short distance. This way you can cover both the front and backside of a potential bed. Also remember that not all bass will spawn at the same time. Full moon or not.

Welcome to the board an also insight into the humor often exhibited here.

I love my Costa 580g's but for durability and eye protection, I don't think you can beat WileyX.

I don't want to burst your bubble, but that really isn't enough boat for you and your buddy. You're maxing it out with just the two of you and your gear. A 14ft. may be the way to go. It'll be a little wider and give you both more room. Jon boats aren't designed for rough water and so they don't handle waves very well, especially from the side. I had a 2003 Impala that I pulled my 14ft. semi-V with. With the added weight of the deck and carpeting, I'd say trailering weight was somewhere around 800lb. with a tongue weight somewhere around 60-75lb. It did an okay job, no problems launching. I live in Illinois, so it was mostly flatland towing.

This is a little on the late side, but here's hoping that everything turned out okay with the family emergency as well.

I fish Havoc Bottom Hoppers on my ultra light both nose hooked with a circle hook and T-rig style with a 1/0 light wire EWG . When using the latter, I keep my casts short to reduce the amount of stretch on the 4lb. line and set the hook more than once. I loose a fish occasionally, but that's fine by me. It works great for crappie cranks and beetle spins too.

SuperSpook Jr, but if the buzzbait bite is on, you know I'll be throwing a black, double blade.

I'll be fishing the St.Croix area in northwest Wi opening week. Water temps on the two lakes I fish (both under 1000 acres) tend to be in the low to mid 50's. I should mention that they are both natural/deep lakes with clear water and hard bottoms throughout. Even on shallower lakes with muck or silt bottoms, I doubt if the water temps would be much above 60 which means bass and gills will not be on beds yet. The good news is the fish should be active if the weather is stable for a few days prior to the opener. They may even be cruising the shallows in the afternoon. More than likely, though, they'll be somewhere close to shallow coves or flats the majority of the day, Either that, or suspending in the warmer upper layer of water in those same areas. If by chance there has been a steady breeze from the southwest fo most of the day, or a couple of days, check out the northern coves and flats. They'll likely hold the most active fish.

I'm always amazed at the number of good size bass I catch while fishing for pike and muskie. I don't know if it's because they don't often see forage that size, or because of the areas I fish. My thinking leans toward the latter. Location is the key, no matter what species you target. Bass that live in waters where they aren't the predominate species tend to expand their forage choice, so bigger baits are a good option.

I was also going to suggest going with a lighter lipless. Also, try starting your retrieve as soon as the bait hits the water and if you're using spinning gear, reel faster as the line recovery is less than with a baitcaster

You can upsize or downsize the bait and/or weight as you see fit to. I prefer a smaller hook when nose hooking the bait and larger when I T-rig.

My guess is that, like some shotguns, they are meant to be collector pieces.

Unlike safety pin type spinnerbaits, you can't change the blade on an in-line for a deeper presentation. Lighter line isn't the answer either. Your only options are to either go bigger, or add weight ahead of the bait. Using one on a Booyah Bo Rig might be an option, but I haven't heard of anyone trying it.

BBQing melons? Those California guys! Next thing you know they'll be putting pineapple on pizzas. Awesome color for a tube though.

When I'm fishing weeds, it's some variation of green. I'll often dip the tail in chartreuse. If I'm fishing rock or sand bottom, I try to match the bottom color with something having black or red flakes.

Are you looking at spinning or casting?

Glen did a video on learning how to detect bites with soft plastic baits and a jig bite is often very similar. http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/feel-bite.html If you are familiar with fishing a T-rig, you should be able to detect a jig bite. One suggestion: slow down. If your line is always moving, you're fishing too fast. Pause between hops, or after dragging the jig a short distance. Dragging it along the bottom, using the rod to do so, will transmit valuable information about the bottom and the presence of cover more than hopping it. The majority of hits when fishing a jig occur on the initial fall. This is why it's the perfect presentation when flipping or pitching and why it's used more for 'target fishing' than say covering a flat with multiple casts. Check out the pinned topic at the top of this forum. There is a bunch of great info in some of the responses.

That would depend on a number of things, the most important being; Where are they and how deep are they? If they're holding or suspending at 10-12ft. it would be an option, but if they're at 20+ft. I think you know the answer.

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/zara-spook.html

Up until a few seasons ago, hair jigs were my go to presentation when faced with cold front conditions. I just recently got into using spinning gear and for some reason never tie one on. A bulky buck tail has a nice slow fall an when tied with some body hair moves with the slightest current.

For sub-surface, I like the Bill Norman line of cranks. The DeepLittle N is a great numbers crank. For top water, I'm normally a Spook guy, but early post-spawn females seem to prefer a CrazyShad fished with long pauses. If they are really tight lipped, a wacky rigged 4in. stick worm seems to get them to open their mouths.