papajoe222

Catching a LM over 5lb. has been extremely tough the past few seasons, mostly because I haven't been targeting waters known for better than average fish. I plan on hitting a couple of power plant lakes in March and have a feeling that is when (if) I break the 6lb. mark this season.

5'6" pistol grip was what I used when I first started baitcasters. I still use one for fishing Spooks, though I've gone longer since for cranks and jigs. I can fish it tip up, or tip down and it feels balanced in my hand. I doubt, however, that I'll ever go back to using one for any other application.

I love square bills and was looking for one that runs deeper than the norm. The LuckyStrike Series 2 The Freak looked like the ticket so I got a couple and plan to give them a run during the pre spawn and again post spawn

I only have one question: Why do you guys take pics of your backlashes and more importantly, why do you keep them? Just asking.

For most fish, mine was a Forecast SP841 blank and TD Alphas casting combo, 8lb. Invizx line and a 1/8oz. hair/feather jig. For size, it was a Browning Boron/Graphite and TD Viento combo, 40lb. Sufix Performance braid and a 1/2oz. Arkie head jig/RageTail Craw.

For me, a split-shot rig is a downsized version of a C-Rig and I fish it almost the same way. The difference in my presentation is shorter sweeps of the rod, only moving the sinker a foot or so, and longer pauses. My biggest concern when using it is keeping it on the bottom using the lightest weight to do so. Thus the short movements.

Boca Bearings has a search by reel bearing finder that has, not only the different catagories, but sizes that a reel uses.

I wait until I either see the line moving off or the rod start to load up. My son-in-law can't believe how long I wait to set the hook using hollow body frogs.

I would say that the one thing I do differently is fish early afternoon during the summer. Two of my biggest bass were caught between 12:30 and 1:30 in July and both on topwater. I still fish a plastic worm differently than most and much slower.

Only because I haven't seen it mentioned and I use them because they don't have rattles; Cotton Cordell Wafer Shad.

I have a collection of his books. There's at least one memorable quote in each of them.

FS or Trade-Abu Gargcia Revo S, left hand retrieve. I have two. both show signs of use, but were well maintained and work as expected. They are the 6.4:1 gearing, 9 bearing models (don't ask what gen because I don't know). No box, Pics available upon request. Asking $60 each TYD, OBO. I will consider a trade for a similar RH baitcaster. The 5601 is the blue side plate, gold frame/spool version and both it and the Record are like new and spooled with braid (it appears to be 40lb. and 60lb.) No Boxes $150 each +shipping; your choice ground or priority. You know what they are worth, so any reasonable offer will be considered. As with the others, pics available via PM

Right on the money. I purchased a St.Croix PC56MF Premier about four years ago. It was the only offering they had with a pistol grip and it works great for almost all my topwaters. I ended up building a 6ft. MH power rod with a pistol grip for Spinnerbaits. I like a shorter rod for more control of my cast as I use them for target fishing. I perfected my roll cast years ago with a BPS rod with the powerhump handle that was only about 4in. long. Sadly, it's long gone.

You may want to try a line that's a combination of both. Yo-Zuri Hybrid comes to mind. Less bow than mono for cranks and doesn't sink as fast as fluorocarbon. It's a compromise, but an alternative to two combos.

When I first began fishing tubes, I gave up on them in short order. I just got hung up too often and even though I could occasionally rip them free of the weeds,that exposed hook just seemed to catch anything. I tried T-rigging, but there was no action on the fall which Is when I did catch fish with the exposed hook jig. I played around with an internal casting sinker and was able to get a decent spiral on the fall, When I started rigging 'stupid' style, one of the first things I tried was bringing the eye of the jig out farther back then a normal tube jig. The difference on the fall was something to behold and now I adjust the spin depending on the cover. I'll still, occasionally, use an exposed hook tube, but that is only on the rare occasion when I'm fishing deep weed edges, or gravel bottoms.

Mann's Jelly Worm, Culprit and Zoom Ole Monster. Unlike many of my brother anglers, I use round bend, offset worm hooks. They sit farther back in the worm and have more bite than most EWGs. They also have a thinner diameter which I find beneficial for long distance hooksets. For worms like the C-Mac. I just upsize to a 5/0. https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/gamakatsu-round-bend-offset-worm-hooks

My wife and I were fishing a power plant lake, south of Chicago that was known for trophy size smallmouth. She tied into a big girl and was trying her best to gain some ground on it. It had gone under the boat and made a number of acrobatic jumps on the other side. My wife never saw them as she was looking on the other side of the boat. The fish stayed behind her and she was able to gain enough ground on her that I was able to net it. Her, not realizing I had the fish, broke out in a series of profanity like I'd never heard thinking she'd lost the fish. I didn't say anything until she'd reeled in her crank. I thought she was going to cry, so I told her to look in the net. She was so excited to see the fish that when she lipped it to lift it out of the net, she lost her grip and the fish fell back in the water. I attempted to comfort her by reminding her that she was going to release the fish anyway, but she wouldn't accept that logic. Tears followed.

Along with the lakes I normally frequent, I plan on fishing two new lakes in Indiana, one in Michigan and a muskie trip to northwest Wisconsin (three lakes there that I've visited in the past). The big trip I plan on taking this year is to Georgia, but I can't decide whether to hit Lake Eufaula,or Lake Seminole. The time of year I go will make the choice much easier.

I've had to file mine down because of nicks a number of times. Put an edge on it afterward and replaced it when it got nicked up again. I tried a two blade metal prop a number of years ago, but there was a big performance loss over the Ninja

Aside from jigs, which I use over50% of the time, a double prop topwater saw action from late April through September. That and the BPS version of a plopper. My favorite Spooks saw very little use.

Hollow body frogs. There was a massive weed kill just prior to Memorial Day and the weeds never came back. You can add a punch rig as it was best used in early May. I did cut down on cranks quite a bit. My right shoulder would yell at me for hours after I got off the water if I fished them for more than an hour, but they were of great value in finding active fish. Shoulder surgery this month and hopefully back to it come ice-out. I'll miss out on opening day at the power plant lakes unless I give trolling a go.

If the hooks are hung correctly, two of the three belly hooks will ride up on either side of the bait. For running around wood, I cut off the hook on the bottom. Do the same for the rear hook, the one that rides down gets cut off.

Watching this is the same as going golfing..........................a waste of good fishing time.

I don't count the hundreds of retention ponds in the area southwest of Chicago, only lakes and although there are a handful within an hour's drive, the power plant lakes that are home to the big girls are much farther. A normal 'day' of fishing is actually only four hours on the water and three to four driving. I love to drive, but I love fishing more, so I put up with the fishing pressure on my local lake the majority of the time.

It's because the younger generations of men lost their balls when the women in their lives joined the workforce. They've become dependent on her income and because of that, they are at the mercy of their women. That's the way it should have been since Adam and Eve. I know this to be true because my wife told me so and she's always right as are all women.