papajoe222

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Hush................You can always claim you were calling the dog.

I can't tell the difference between them, so I'm never sure what color jig head I have tied on.

I saw little, or no mention of topwater baits. I've done well on northeastern lakes with Torpedos and WoodChoppers on breezy days along with twin in-line buzzers during the summer. They seem to produce bigger fish, for me anyway, than plastics.

Welcome and thanks for your inquiry and also for letting us know there are some members that prefer to just sit back and read all the great information posted on the site. You're likely to get more than a few replies concerning favorite plastics, not only styles but brands. There are a ton of styles when it comes to soft plastics. Worms, grubs, tubes, beaver and creature style baits, 'Flukes', swimbaits...........you get the idea. For decades, the plastic worm was the #1 soft plastic mainly because of all the various ways it can be rigged. Anglers have been discovering different ways to rig other plastics and I doubt that fact still holds true. As for your inquiry about that thin tailed worm, it was likely a ribbon tailed worm and just about every company has their own version of one. The original Mann's Jelly Worm was the first one I thought of, even though it isn't a ribbon tail, as it was the first worm I recall ever throwing that had anything but a blunt tail.

Welcome to BassResource It's obvious something changed, as often happens in this sport. The fact that you fish a canal adds to those things. eg. current or the recent passing of a barge. Without being there, it's extremely difficult for a second party to determine what changed and therefore what you should change in your efforts to catch the fish.This is why an angler needs to be aware of so many things, the most important, IMO, is the activity level of the fish and what conditions affect it. Your presentation choice (cranks) targets active fish, or fish in a neutral mood. Chances are the fish were in a negative mood and therefore a more subtle presentation would have worked better. This is why, to be successful on a regular basis, you need to learn different presentations and techniques. Oh, I forgot one very important fact: Very few, if any, anglers catch fish every time out. Even the Elite Pros have fishless days, so don't get too discouraged when you have one.

Remove the spool and before reinserting, check the thumb release bar. It should be in the up (spool engaged) position. Back off the drag. remove the spool tension knob and reinsert the spool and side plate. If you have to force the side plate, there is likely something stuck where it shouldn't be. Possibly one of the brakes you loosened. Check them to make sure they're not turned.

You also may want to check the spacer under the cast control knob. They can become dimpled from being under pressure by the spool shaft and you end up overcompensating by turning up the tension.

Welcome to BR. There are a lot of clues that the fish can give you (once you catch one). Their activity level is one that I'm always looking to figure out. If you hook a fish deep in it's mouth, or if it hammers your moving bait you can be fairly sure that the fish are active (just the opposite for lightly hooked or subtle bites). If your plastic bait has bite marks near it's head is also another indicator. How they want a bait at any particular time is another. Did you catch that fish while your bait was paused or moving, falling , sitting still, or moving vertically? The biggest mistake I see anglers make is not paying attention to what their bait was doing and where it was in the water column when they catch a fish.

I've been using CB's Hawg Sauce for the last ten years or so when I don't want to change the plastic's color. The gel holds on to both hard and soft baits, so I'm not continually reapplying. When it comes to dyes, Spike It has worked well for me. I rarely throw anything without some form of scent added. Garlic, salt, anise or good old fish oil.

All my extras are kept hanging on long hooks on pegboard, similar to the way they are displayed in the store. For the baits I use a lot of, I'll use one peg for each color, and for others, one peg will hold multiple colors of the same bait. Makes it easy to keep track of inventory, when I'm low on a particular bait, what colors are hot and more importantly, which baits I don't need more of. That peg-board started out as a half sheet and currently is three times larger. For the boxes themselves, I have this http://www.basspro.com/Organized-Fishing-Large-Utility-Box-Wire-Rack-NFR014/product/1202231129/

A lot of tubes on the market today have solid noses and the keeper on your jig head should hold fairly well, if not a drop of super glue should help. I'm in no way attempting to discourage your experimenting with your baits, but the action of an internally weighted tube on the fall is what separates them from other soft plastics. Not to say other rigs don't catch fish, it's a plastic bait with endless possibilities for rigging. As an example, the jig you mentioned can be inserted into the tube on a downward angle and reinserted into the body to give a weedless presentation that will also give the spinner more action. BTW, Welcome.

I WAS a better Spook fisherman than you. A spook was the first topwater lure I ever used and use it I did. As a bank fisherman, errant casts with treble hooked lures was a recipe for snags and lost lures, but I quickly found out that the fish liked to hang around and in those snags. After reading an article in 'Field and Stream' I decided to learn how to walk a Spook around objects. It took all of that summer, but I was able to master doing just that. The following season, I started throwing a Spook just after ice-out and did so on a regular basis until the end of the season. I experimented with a dozen different modifications, from bigger hooks, split rings, adding weight to the tail, feathered trebles and even moving the line tie location, not to mention different retrieves and rod angles. That was back in the 70's. An accident and two operations later, I have very limited range of motion with my wrist. I've learned to compensate, but still deal with pain. As a result, my skills have deteriorated, but my love for that lure still has me reaching for my 'Spook Box' with regularity.

Love my 580G's. (Green) Both for fishing and driving, which I do a lot more of. They really shine on bright, overcast days and bring out the contrast much better than my amber Oakleys.

2015 . I can't recall a season with as much weather fluctuation. Of course, when I was able to get on the water.....you guessed right. High pressure and bluebird skies. Overall numbers and big fish size really suffered. More often than not, after an outing, I felt like I'd worked a double shift without the pay

Looks awesome. The metalic thread really shows up nice on the whie blank. I was concerned about using it for guides as the epoxy doesn't saturate through it. I'm guessing you've used it before. Did you have any issues with bubbles in the finish? The one time I used it for more than 20mm, I did. It may have been that I was wrapping too loose.

Before I went custom, I used a Browning 6'6" Matrix paired with a Diawa Sol. Med. power and the action was between fast and mod.fast.

Welcome to the forums. Seriously, Upper right hand corner. Check it out.

Unlike A-Jay, I can't fit any more into mine. In fact, when I take a co angler with, I have to take out tackle so I don't end up overloaded. I find myself fishing solo a lot.

Both of the rods I use for tube fishing (including stupid rigging) are med. fast action rods, one spinning and one casting. The style of head on the jig you use makes a big difference when it comes to ease of rigging. Some thin walled, narrow bodied tubes will tear on you when rigging them.

Seeing as we had such a good response last year with the 'favorite movie line' topic, I thought this might distract us from the boredom of the off season. What's your favorite song lyric? You know the one you always quote or sing when something in particular happens, or just one that you identify with.

12lb. mono would be a good line to start with. Supple enough that it won't be jumping off the spool on the cast. Strong enough for single hook applications like spinnerbaits and worms, Although there is some stretch to it, that can be beneficial when using cranks and top waters and because it floats, it's a great option for top water applications. Oh yea, it's also the least expensive.

Simple question calls for a simple answer.......Braid Not to steal the thread from the OP, but the statement about slack line sensitivity makes absolutely no sense. If the line is slack, nothing will be transmitted back to you regardless of it's make-up . The most sensitive line is the one that has the least stretch and is the densest.

I've caught some decent ones from saddles, but that is a BEAST. I can't believe, with that full belly, that she was still feeding.

Other than a variety of bucktails, I'd say a 6in. or 8in. Jake or Grandma. A TopRaider and a Believer. For trolling, I like a Kwikfish and spoons.