papajoe222

Speed worm

So after an early morning outing, I returned home to discover my worm satchel missing. Big bummer. I seriously doubt that I misplaced it, but no matter the reason I need to replace around 25-30 bags of worms. I just hope the person that has/found my satchel knows quality plastics when he sees them.

I always back off the drag AND spool tension after every use. Some of my reels have carbon drag washers. I look at this the same way I do using scent on baits; it can't hurt.

God willing and the creek don't rise, I plan on making both. I timed my surgery to be healed up by fishing season up here and was recouping for the first Baked Potato Classic. Missed seeing some and the opportunity to meet others, not to mention a chance to fish that legendary water.

Prior to a storm front can be the best fishing, but most dangerous times to be on the water. A fast approaching front is often accompanied by lightning and despite the great fishing, I don't recommend being on the water when the sky is lighting up. Keep an ear on the thunder frequency and severity when deciding whether or not to abandon it. A falling barometer seems to accompany most active fish periods and the faster it's falling, the quicker the fish will turn on. Fishing before and during a storm from will be the best as a rising barometer will turn them. Three years ago I was lucky enough to be on the water as a storm was approaching. I caught 23 bass in an hour and a half, drove over four hours and fished a lake up there with better than avg. success. The majority of fish that day came on topwater. The next day brought bluebird shies and tough post frontal conditions.

You are talking baitcaster, right? Most spinning rods won't have a fast enough tip.

Caught my first bass on a punch rig yesterday, although I was fishing coontail. The pads up here are only around 4-5in. diameter and there's space between them, so 1/4oz. would work. Another lake I go to has pads that are 6-8in. and I swear you could walk across them they're so dense. I would imagine it would take an ounce ore more to get through them. Just an observation; my presentation benefited when using plastics having a more subtle action. The ones with a lot would catch the different moss. I know the stems of bigger pads want to catch on to action tails also.

Ole Monster and Culprit for 10 in. threaded on a 3/0 straight shank worm hook. I thread it about 3in. down from the head, exit on an angle and skin hook it. Weight depends on the depth I'm fishing and wind conditions. I started adding a swivel a short distance up the line as it will roll on you if you attempt to work it fast.

Not being familiar with that particular model, I can only offer some conditions that may have caused what you experienced. Occasionally your line will slip behind the spool and when that happens, it can either prohibit the spool from turning or begin accumulating around the spool shaft. In the first case, depending on your drag setting, you would still be able to turn the handle with some difficulty and possible some noise. The second thing and more likely the culprit, is that an excess of grease was applied prior to assembly. Your spool release may not have re-engaged completely despite the thumb bar returning to it's normal position. The noise you heard could have been the trip lever being struck by the cam that would normally trip it. A little jarring on your return may have been just what was needed to bump things back into place. If that is the case, it may never happen again or it could become an intermittent problem. The only way to determine the problem would be to either open the reel yourself and check, or take it to a reputable reel repair guy. You could also contact Lews with an explanation of the problem and follow their recommendations.

When it comes to fishing lures, it is rare when a company comes up with a unique one. That is not to say that all crankbaits, or spinnerbaits are the same and also why your 6XD may outproduce my Deep Little N. On days when it does, I want to have one at my disposal. If it cost three times my Norman bait, it's worth it to me. Besides that factor, there is the cost of production that goes into the final price of all our gear. The majority of anglers paid a much higher price for Rapala lures for decades because they were hand tuned and made from balsa, both of which added to the cost of production. I giggle too when I see baits costing $20+, because I would never pay that much. I also wouldn't pay $65K for a glorified Jeep, but that's just me.

I could see this happening in one of the many small lakes in your area. A lake is limited by it's size, among other factors, as to how many fish it can support. Removing 300 quality fish from say a 100 acre body of water, although only reducing the numbers by a ratio of three fish per acre, could affect the number of decent sized fish for a few seasons. The same thing applies to fish size or slot limits on a lake. The results of initiating either would be seen much quicker on a small body of water. Regardless, Lund Explorer has a very valid point concerning a healthy body of water. Those same slot/size limits imposed on a body of water with, say, an under developed forage base can have similar results to what your lake is experiencing.

You're correct when you say that bass can't remember what they did thirty minutes ago, but I beg to differ about the affects of fishing pressure. My home lake is only 70 acres and it gets pounded on the week-ends. By Sunday afternoon, you'd swear a cold front had moved in. It seems like every fish in the lake is in a negative mood. Not knowing the reason why doesn't mean I don't take that fact into account in my attempts to catch them. If you ever fished a week-end tournament on a pressured lake, all you'd need to do is look at the numbers for the last day to see the effects. Fishing pressure, cold fronts, low oxygen levels, etc. all affect the mood of the fish and when two or more are combined, you can bet on it being neutral at the least. Your grandpa was a wise angler. Many times I followed a line of boats down the same weed-line or shore lined with docks and picked up fish throwing something different than the dozen or so boats in front of me.

Just wondering what your favorite(s) are for summer muskies? Mine are a TopRaider, Believer/Swim Whizz and a Kwikfish. Needless to say, I'm not a big fan of Bulldogs or Cowgirls.

I've been having the worst luck with the weather on the days I have been able to get out and fish. Today, finally, I hit the jackpot. A low pressure front was moving in, the pressure was dropping and the fish were chasing bait. Despite the calm, spinnerbaits and buzzers produced the majority of fish and I was able to see many of those fish dart out, or follow my presentations. Everyone should experience days like this a few times a season, just to have fresh memories to get them through the winter. Nine fish in just under three hours. The smallest was a chunky 15in. and the largest a 20in. that went a tad over 4lb. Did I ever mention that I absolutely love the summer season?

I would take a long, hard look at your netting technique. I'd venture a guess that as you got the fish up, you immediately attempted to net them. That last jump on a short line will do you in more often than not. I don't attempt to net a fish until I can lead it to the net rather than take the net to it.

My average, I would estimate, is somewhere around 11lb. although there were more than a few tourneys that I never brought five to the scales.

The title says it all.

It amazes me how we, as humans, attach our feelings and reactions to different circumstances to the animal world. It also amazes me how minority groups can sway the opinions of the uninformed. The brain of a fish doesn't contain a section governing emotions, it has none. The above water environment contains more oxygen than a fish's watery one, but to the uneducated, their argument makes sense. WE MUST BAND TOGETHER and voice the truth about catch and release to the uninformed multitudes before these half brained morons turn them into puppets for their cause...................Too over the top?

Under what conditions do you normally opt for using a spinnerbait? Your answer will point you in the direction of the rod that will suit your needs. I fish from a boat and most often use a spinnerbait when casting to targets, so I opt for a MH in the 6ft. to 6ft.6in. range. If you slow roll spinnerbaits over deep structure, you may want something in the 7ft. range. I prefer a Mod.Fast tip as my favorite presentation is with less line. I'd talk with a custom rod builder. Often, they can point you in the right direction for you after asking a few questions. Then, too, if that option (a custom rod) is within your price range you may want to purchase from him.

Yep, it looks like a version of a spider jig with a twin tail grub as a trailer.

The beauty of these baits, as with many soft plastics, is the many productive ways they can be presented. I, for one, would never have thought to use a plastic with high salt content on a C-rig, but it is at times a better option than any of the others. I would venture to say that on your next outing the results may be just the opposite. BTW chelboed, you implied that a sinker was used when you said traditional rigging. A Texas rig is the traditional plastic worm rig to most anglers.

I seriously doubt if they were late spawners. The lack of male bass, as WRB stated, plus the fact (or so I've been told) that the larger females are the first to spawn would rule it out. Late post spawners will often return to their spawning grounds in search of forage as bluegill and other species use similar areas. Reguardless, the presence of these fish warrants your attempt to catch them, time of day shouldn't hold you back. The only one to tell you when is the opportune time to catch a true lunker, is a true lunker. My PB was boated at 11:30AM, but my prior was caught a half hour after sunset. Those hawgs may want a meal or just a snack at 10:03AM for all you know.

I know that Michigan has one for walleye (30in.+), but am unsure about other species.

What size boat do you have? More importantly, what size motor. I took my 14ft. V hull out on lake Michigan a number of times and although it did get tossed around on occasion, my 25hp Johnson got me out and back with little trouble. If yours is a flat bottom, the wind is going to make it extremely difficult.

If you add a little garlic and a basil leaf or two to the bottle the ILMB will swallow it before you can set the hook, so be sure to use circle hooks. We don't have any Italian smallies around these parts, but I'm sure they'd like it too.