papajoe222

I add CB's Hawg Sauce to my baits as I use them, but will put them in a plastic zip bag when finished, for future use. I'm partially color blind, but I don't notice any bleeding of colors. I don't see any benefit to adding it to a whole bag of baits.

I'm not familiar with either unit. I would advise you, however, to get a unit with the most features your pocketbook will allow. You may not start out using every feature, but you will with experience. If you go with a unit with fewer features for simplicities sake, you'll be looking to upgrade in no time.

Yes and no. I've added a Colorado blade to the back of a single Colorado bladed spinnerbait so it gives of multiple/different 'sound' vibrations. I don't see where the added flash of a willow blade would be beneficial in a low visibility situation. Then again, you never know until you give it a go.

Pack 'em up and send 'em to ME. Seriously, it's likely a case of wrong bait/wrong time/wrong place. Under what conditions were you using it? I'd bet a downsized plastic would have likely rendered a few bites when the Boss wouldn't.

I'll add one thought; There is a possibility your bites weren't from bass. Bluegill and crappie can grab the tail of your bait and turn/run with it hard enough that you'd swear it was a 'nice' bass that grabbed the bait, especially when bluegill are nesting. I'd keep doing what you were doing and only change something if the problem persists under multiple situations.

In the minority? Likely, but if that's what you like, who are others to say different. The good thing about a calm day is the fish aren't going to move around a lot and if you know where were yesterday, they'll likely be there today. When it comes to locating active fish, the presence of wind is a big part of the equation. It can, just by it's presence, change the mood of the fish similar to an approaching front which it likely signals.

Despite a portly sum, my fishing budget is kept manageable only through severe mental abuse. I constantly beat myself up over what I consider non essential purchases, especially when they top $100, which is about the least I am able to spend on my frequent visits to BPS. The mental abuse helps me limit my visits to two trips a month. (the other two trips are to Cabela's)

Welcome. I echo the majority of responses so far (I got a big kick out of the 'old' moderator comment) and would add a couple of suggestions. When asking questions, be as specific and give the members as much information about the body of water as you can. Before asking, use the search option to access any information already posted on the subject.

If you use a short rod, it would make the task easier. The distance of your pitch would be reduced, however. Filpping could be done with any length rod. Because of shoulder problems, I'm unable to pitch without enduring severe discomfort. To compensate, I use a roll cast. With practice I've been able to accomplish a similar, low trajectory and soft entry into the water using it rather than attempting to pitch.

So I was out today giving a modified punch rig a work out. The heaviest tungsten weight I have is 1/2oz., so I piggy backed a 1/4oz. atop it. My bait of choice was a RageTail Menace. I was surprised to discover the fall rate was slower than I expected. Although I didn't catch anything in the two hours I was experimenting, I did get a good feel for the rig, which to me is very important. Thanks to all for your assistance.

There isn't a lot you can do to protect yourself at night. If you were old enough to carry a gun, I wouldn't recommend shooting at noises, no matter how frightening. Your best offense is a good defense. And the best defense is to know your adversary. Determine what animals could be a threat and how active they are at night. The flash of an extremely bright light will temporarily blind most any animal. At the very least, I'd invest in a good tactical flashlight.

Shallow; frogs, jigs and wake baits and buzzbaits Mid-depth; cranks and Spooks Deep; football jig, cranks and C-rig Any depth, or most anytime; Jig, Tube, Worm

My 19 is a Gen4 so it came with the assortment of back straps. I really like that beaver tail, though I didn't think I would. The trigger is set at 5.5lb. which took a little getting used to and I ended up switching out the sights. I'm also getting used to carrying it, but it's only going to see limited duty as such. The M&P is a dream to shoot now. I just wish there were more competitions I could enter with it. It's trigger breaks at 3.5lb. with much less take up and a shorter reset. Well worth the investment. Looks like I'll be doing a bunch of reloading during the cold weather. I already have 600 pcs. of brass.

I love taking my 22WMR bolt action to the range, but I've been out of it's favorite ammo for months. I can find other brands in bulk, but even then .223 doesn't cost much more and I have the 300yrd range to myself.

We don't get them up here, or alligator, scorpion, or Tex-Mex either. Then again, I ain't seen a pair of Daisy Dukes yet this year. Just sayin'

I'd be on the bow with a bat and a batting helmet. Three strikes and you're out, any contact with the bat and a fish is a run and a HPC (hit by carp) ends your game. Batter Up!

You know you have a fishing problem when you return to work after an off 'sick' day with a beet red face and neck (except for your racoon eyes) and your fellow workers all give you a look that tells you, not only is lunch on you, but you're going to be cleaning the presses for the remainder of the week.

Do you guys choose the weight of the punch rig or jig by how thick the canopy is, or how deep the water beneath it is?

Norman makes a fat sided crank that runs 2-4ft. The bluegill pattern (I forget what they call it) is a killer a on the inside weed line and shallow dead falls. I tried untuning one to purposely run to the left for fishing docks, but haven't put it to the test as of yet.

I only use 30lb. braid and I do notice the line digging into itself on the spool after catching a big fish, or getting snagged. If I attempt a long cast immediately after, I will backlash. It's no big deal to make a short lob cast to loosen the line tension on the spool. When it comes to the noise, I look at it the same way as the noise from my ceramic bearings: if either was a big deal, I'd forgo the benefits of them.

For drop shot, go with braid and a leader. Braid is more sensitive and line twist isn't as noticeable.

So you're not only bashing the classic spinning reel, you're saying you don't care for a good vegetable beef sandwich?

Finding a braid that maintains its color is going to be a trick. As for a floating braid, I believe you'll find that most will behave similar to the Maxima. For presentations that warrant line watching, floating or sinking characteristics of a line would matter little to me, my ability to see it is my major concern.

Great info. Learning something all the time on this site. You know at least one of the guys that pours his own plastics will be experimenting on a one leg craw soon. We should come up with a name for it: 'RageTail Pirate Craw'. Stick a toothpick where the other claw should be and blacken one eye to look like a patch.

Here is what I've found out through experience. Low gearing on a baitcaster does reduce the amount of work when fishing deep cranks. I started out with a 3.9:1 Curado. Great reel, but I found that it took quite a while to get the bait down to it's running depth. I moved up to a 4.9:1 and things improved a little. I didn't notice much difference in the amount of effort on my part when reeling, but it still took a while to get the bait down to running depth. Now I use a 6.3:1 that retrieves 28in. of line per turn. I have to work harder and I now tuck the rod against my hip with my elbow when reeling to avoid excess strain on my wrist. Cranks designed to get to running depth quickly do so and even my old standby DD22's seem to. A long rod is a benefit in more ways than one, but the biggest is in increased casting distance. I used a 7'6" cranking stick for years and just ordered a 7'11" M/H Mod/Fast If you know someone that uses a low gear reel, ask to try it. Using one is the only way to determine if you will like using one. They can also be used for slow rolling spinnerbaits and swim jigs.