papajoe222

Welcome. I keep it simple. I use an 4ft. telescoping push pole to get into the weeds with both my TM and outboard out of the water. When I get to a spot that looks productive, I'll lower both motors and that will pretty much hold me there. If you can approach the weeds from down wind, you can drift over them and lower the motors to slow or stop your drift.

I'm guessing you fish from shore where loosing baits is a much bigger concern. Otherwise, why wouldn't you throw that LC?

Don't confuse Price with quality. In many cases one does reflect the other, but there are many quality fishing lures that I don't consider pricey. Then again, to me $8 for a crank, $7 for a spinnerbait, or $4.50 for a jig isn't pricey while to others they may be. A $4 crank that I need to switch out hooks and split rings, to me, isn't a bargain. Getting that $8 one for $6.49 is. Yes, that $4 crank will catch fish and a cheap set of socket wrenches will get the nut off of a bolt, but if you work on cars regularly, their ugly side becomes apparent in short order. In the long run, I believe you get what you pay for.

Original Rat L Trap. Other lipless cranks have produced for me, but I've never caught anything with the original. I gave up on them about ten years ago. I opted for the Hot Spot and the Red Eye Shad and haven't looked back.

Just curious, as you said this is a SB rod, how and what type of rear grip you'll be using after extending the rod? I see you mention a baseball bat handle. Did you plan on tapering it down to a trim ring diameter and reducing the knob with a lathe?

What MIke said about withstanding pressure. That is the reason you don't see many muskie, steelhead, or saltwater rods with single foot guides. I also like a double foot guide as a stripper guide for the cosmetic value, especially when using tiger or multiple color thread wraps and trim rings. For longer +7ft. heavy action rods I'll normally go with three double foots from the grip up, but that has more to do with purchasing guides in sets than there being a necessity to do so.

Sounds like a hat trick and that's almost always a winner. I got two outa three and it's worked for 45yrs. I prefer having a companion along, especially if momma doesn't know.

Deep diving cranks had been a consistent summer producer for as long as I can remember. For bottom presentations, that is. This year, I can count on one hand the outings where they produced. Football jigs with big trailers and shakey heads with straight tail worms, on the other hand have been my most productive bottom presentations. Don't get me wrong, as long as I'm catching, I'm a happy camper. What puzzles me is the lack of interest in the faster, more aggressive presentation. I was just curious as to whether it is more of a trend on the local waterways or if anglers around the country had noticed a similar trend.

Butt on the left and tip to the right. I also wrap the stripping guide first and work my way to the tip, but that's a personal preference.

I attach a small crank to the center arm and run it where I'd be running a deep diving crank in the summer. I can sometimes pick up a finicky fish or to from a school that wouldn't take the DD.

If you can't visually locate where they're taking on water, fill your sink with water and submerse the lure (without hooks). Holding the lip and the rear of the bait, attempt to twist the body. If there's a leak, you'll see an air bubble escape it. I only have a few 6XDs and have never experienced this. Over the years, I have had maybe three Deep Little N's develop a leak, but that was after a full season of banging rip rap with them, not just one day. Hopefully you'll get an answer and or replacements from them. Let us know their response.

For me, that's pure luck. Hooking shoreline trees on every other cast IS a pattern and one I can repeat without much effort.

There was a popular saying back in the day. It wasn't coined in reference to fishing gear, but it still applies: "Buy the best you can afford, the cheapest will disappoint you and the more expensive is only beneficial to the person selling it,rarely to the person buying."

You could use it for packing material in that 8ft. tube you were thinking about sending me. I'll be more than happy to use it for cranking until next year. I'd even pay for the shipping....one way.

I watched a video on how to tie it today. The knot looks to be an awesome one for attaching a leader to braid. It does, however look to have a severe learning curve. He didn't look very comfortable tying it. Then again, he was trying to talk during the demonstration.

Can't wait to see the video, more so to see you guys sticking some pigs than seeing the rod fail. Glad to see you can look back on the experience positively, both from your CS experience and from your poor sense of humor.

If you're collecting items because you have some personal attachment to them and something like the Bill Dance Quantum items does, go for it. If you're collecting with the idea that it may increase in value, I have boxes of baseball cards I will sell you.

I had a similar experience with a three pound smallie. That was the only time I didn't enjoy watching a smallie jump. It seemed like forever before I was able to cut the hook off the crank and free myself from what I can only describe as three pounds of TNT on a short fuse.

Yea, it's way better than sugarloaf. There's some music trivia for you.

The palomar knot tied with fluoro has failed me more often than not. Then again, I'm always attempting to set the hook and boat the fish in one move, so that's asking a lot of any knot. (Longfellow would be proud)

What rock have you been hiding under? They just had their 15th Anual Anti-angler Convention in Vegas in early July! Nobody knows what's said by the speakers because no one can translate bass speak.

A bit off topic, but I'm wondering why you're limiting yourself to lines that sink. There are only a few applications where a sinking line makes a noticeable difference. Topwater (negative) and weightless soft plastics (positive) are two that come to mind. Also, why copolymer? Fluoro is great for applications where sensitivity is a concern, but braid is more so and there are abrasion resistant monos that equal, or better many copolymers. Personally, I don't get caught up in all the merchandising claims of copolymers. Something is always sacrificed when combining or coating one material with another. I go with whatever line is best for the application and that includes fluorocarbon (yuck) for deep cranking.

The play in the handle is likely due to the spring getting weak from age/use. That could also be the reason for the spool stop delay. If I recall, the 5500 didn't have Instant Anti Reverse, just a clutch on the main gear. The clutch lever could be worn, but I'd put my money on the spring. The clicking noise is the lever attempting to engage the gear.

With the exception of topwaters, hard baits (cranks-spinnerbaits) haven't been producing regularly this year for me. No excuses about the weather or whatever contributing to it, the numbers just aren't there. I'm talking close to 50% reduction over the last two seasons on cranks and I've all but abandoned spinnerbaits for swim jigs the last three or four weeks. Is anyone else noticing a swing away from hard baits being productive this summer?

I started a thread on this exact topic last year. You can do a search to see some of the replies. I prefer a floating jerkbait over a Fluke for fishing over submerged weeds. I can cover more water faster and because, I think, I'm working it faster it seems to me the fish attack it more than just inhaling it. I've also used them as the business end on a Booyah Bo Rig with some success. More for walleye and pike, but in the right place it produced some nice bass.