papajoe222

W.W. Grainger sells a liquid,plastic coating for hand tools. You dip the handle of your hand tool into it and it gives it a thin coating of soft plastic. One coat is about the thickness of a couple of wraps of electrical tape without concerns about heat and the tapes glue messing up the works. It's also great for your trailer's swing hitch pin.

My inspiration was my dad. He introduced me to fishing as a pre-schooler and had his fateful heart attack as we prepared for our first fishing trip of the year. I learned more (and forgot a lot of it) from the writers of Fishing Facts, Spence Petros, Dan Gapen, Carl Malz, not to mention Buck Perry, the 'father of structure fishing.' Despite all the marketing done on their shows, I still watch and enjoy Jimmy and Bill.

That's why I carry my trusty Visa card. I just put a few on charge. It may take a while to pay them off, but it beats the snot out of getting skunked.

Blame the weather. You won't catch bigger or more fish, but you'll have someone else to blame. It works for me. I, of course, am never faced with such a sad situation. If I were, I'd have to do something about it. Don't ask me what, but I'm on great medications and I don't let things bother me like before. I can't remember yesterday, but it don't bother me. What was the question?

I, for one, am totally fed up with the weather this fishing season. Fronts moving in and out almost daily. Most of us haven't seen three days in a row of stable weather since May. I believe it's time to voice our concerns to the Man in charge. I'm normally one that doesn't like to bother him with trivial, personal matters, but, as this affects more than just myself, He should be made aware of our concerns. So the next time you talk to Him to thank him for all his blessings, why not add a little request for a week-end or two of stable weather before Labor Day? If we all do this (I pray that you all do thank him on a regular basis) and maybe mention it to a friend or two, I truly believe He will acknowledge that it is a major concern of his people. I also believe that He has His own itinerary and acts at His own pace, but it couldn't hurt. Could it?

I do a mid-summer clean up/check up of most of my fishing stuff, mostly to reorganize tackle and clean up my reels. I was wondering, as I do a lot of trailering, if I shouldn't break down the hubs on my trailer and flush/lube the bearings. I keep the Bearing Buddies full of grease throughout the season. Would it be worth the effort to do?

These http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-XPS-Extreme-Tender-Tube-Jigheads/product/20806/#desc-tab Their only downside is that they don't come in a 3/16oz. size. I like the stouter hook, but if you prefer a hook that bends easier, their regular tender tube jig heads are okay

X-Calibur ( I think that's how they spell it). Big and heavy. I can cast it a mile, or pitch it with ease. Did I mention that it flat out catches?

Glad to hear it and I bet I'm not the only one. Good luck with your new roomie (and you thought a wife was expensive)

I tried monkey porn for a while and it does work. The problem is it gets expensive adding to his library all the time (he doesn't like reruns). I decided to stop buying and use the money I'm saving on fishing gear..

One day at a time brother.

Missed the sale (the bait monkey was on holiday), but placed an order on Sat. Only a handful, but more than I really need. Sometimes, it just feels good to buy stuff, especially things you know you're going to use.

You say that you feel bites. What are you feeling? Tapping, a hard jerk, dead weight? Determining what species of fish is biting is like trying to determine the size of a bass by the way the bite feels. A 12in. bass and a 12lb. bass can take your offering the same way and there is no way to know by the feel of the bite. The same goes for bluegill, crappie, catfish, etc. Bluegill will sometimes feel like a machine gun tapping and crappie will sometimes take your bait and run with it, but so will bass. You could try using circle hooks. With them, you can let whatever the fish is take the bait completely. You don't set the hook, but reel with the rod tip around 11:00. the hook will catch the lip of the fish as the eye exits it's mouth. If you come up empty, it was likely something small that wasn't able to get the bait entirely in it's mouth. If it's a bass, you got him.

Welcome. Many things could contribute to the numbers difference. Other anglers may have reduced the numbers, the forage base may have been depleted forcing the fish to seek out a variety of food in different locations, I could go on. Best spot? Best Lure? Those types of questions require more information and even then, general areas and a number of different lure types will be the type of answers you'll see the most. There is a ton of information on this site in the form of, not only the forums, but articles, videos,etc. Do a little surfing on the site and you'll likely be able to figure out a good strategy or at least be able to supply the members here with some specific information to help you determine the answers.

You really can't choose colors without discussing the water clarity they'll be used in. Green pumpkin is great in clear to moderately stained water while black/blue and Junebug may be better in stained to muddy water. Natural colors will produce under most circumstances (after all, most forage doesn't change colors), but there are times when some other color will produce better. The only way to determine is to try them. PB&J just doesn't get it done on the waters I frequent, but something like a bumble bee swirl does and will out produce the natural colors at times.

I, also welcome you. A-Jay is right on the money about the weight. The 1/8oz. was just enough to give his kinky beaver a slower fall and keep it on top of the weeds. Your sweet beaver has more plastic and combined with the heavier weight was both falling faster and likely penetrating at least the tops of the weeds. When it comes to distinguishing bites from weeds, try this. Hold your rod tip between 11:00 & 12:00 and use your reel to move the bait short distances. A weed will transmit slow resistance that increases as you reel. A bite will either be a tap (or multiple taps), loss of contact with the bait, or just a heavy, mushy feeling.

You caught that beast in NY? Sweet! BTW, did anyone here ever mention that you look like a young RoadWarrior?

Like turtle, I rarely adjust the tension settings on my baitcasters. Then again, most are technique specific, so I'm throwing basically the same thing. I do have a new reel with 30lb. Stealth that I have to constantly adjust the tension a bit tighter on, especially with lures with more wind resistance like buzzers. Some reels are like that, I guess.

If I'm working it very slow, I like a floating worm, normally a Havoc. If I'm dragging and shaking it the Trick Worm. That's it.

Welcome to the site. Sounds like you have a nice spot to hone your skills on. I won't suggest how to fish it, but I will recommend using a stronger line. As this is an old gravel pit, I'm assuming the water is fairly clear. Braid with a strong leader of 15lb.+ should get them to the bank without the leader spooking them. If you don't horse them in and let them spend some energy, the chances of them wrapping you up in the weeds is reduced. Attempting to duplicate anything is a good place to start, but don't stick with anything that doesn't work for any length of time. That rock pile will likely produce some nice bass, but only when they're active. If you don't find them there, the deepest water close to it will likely be their non-active holding area.

Well, I looked into both the GMC and Chevy mid-sized pick ups and with the options I want and momma 'needs' I can save over $10K vs. a mid-size SUV even with the addition of a cap. Of course, I'd loose some interior space. That's not a big concern and a sliding rear window along with the cap gives me everything but the extra seating. The GMC doesn't have the variety of option packages the Chevy does, but it does offer everything on my list and aside from the fact it says GMC on it, it ends up being cheaper.

I fish a lake in Indiana that is very similar with thick pads along the entire shoreline out to around 4ft. or 5ft. From there out to 15ft. or so there is miilfoil with a brittle, narrow leafed cabbage mixed in. The best spots are a point that extends out to the deepest part of the lake and cuts and points in the secondary weed-line. Looking at the map, the main point on the north shore would be my first target followed by the two small cuts on the northeast side. Both have access to deep water and that deep cut that looks like an inverted point is one that is likely overlooked by others. If you can fish the morning or evening transition times, you could sit on the shallow end of that cut and fish the weed-line. During the day, I'd sit on the west side of that drop.or the east side of the point working my way from shallow to deep.

I like a NetBait Super BK tube as I've just started using this technique. A tube is my confidence bait, so I figure to stick with it seeing as I have so many.

This is the reason I carry suspending cranks. Regardless, you can trigger a response from those inactive fish and the best way to do it is with a fast, erratic presentation. If you choose to stick with a crank, pick one that will run true at that depth (or just above it) on a fast retrieve and then pop your rod tip multiple times during the cast. I like a suspending bait because I'll stop it dead at least once during every cast. Just like a lipless crank, you can fire up a school this way and limit out quickly. More often than not, however, you'll just be practicing your casting.