papajoe222

If you can partner up with someone that has confidence in fishing spinnerbaits, you an learn alot in a short time. There is also a lot you can learn right here. Nice job on your first. Those are very versatile baits, so don't get comfortable only fishing them only one way under one set of conditions.

Mono, fluoro or braid? Casting or spinning reel? Did you spool it on yourself or did you have it done for you?

Something you need to understand about how rods are rated. First there is a power rating such as med. heavy and then there is a tip rating, fast, x fast. That is basically how quickly the tip recovers after flexing. The other thing is that different companies rate their rods power differently. Some companies will also give you a general idea of what application the rod is designed for. With the budget you have I would seriously consider giving DVT a call. Give them a idea of the applications you want to use it for an the type and size of line and lures and they will gladly make some recommendations. Reels are a whole different can of worms and the fact that there are an abundance of quality ones available makes it mor of a personal preference thing. Generally speaking a 6.0-6.3:1 is a good all around gear ratio, but some guys like a faster reel. Consider what size lures you'll be using most often and choose the size and model based on that. Some reels are better at casting lighter lures than others.

I ended up using three coats of the U40 and after two coats of finish, the white is still as vibrant as when it was first wrapped. I did do a test of it with two coats and it came out fine, but I wasn't taking any chances with the actual wrap so I went with three.

They will and I have, but only once. I had the frozen water blues so bad that as soon as the majority of ice was melted I had rod in hand. I'm the type that won't give up until I figure them out or I have to quit and I had no place I had to be. I doubt if the water temp was above 34, so I was keeping things small, deep and slow. About an hour after sunset I tried suspending a neon tube below a slip bobber. I just let it hang there about four ft. under the bobber in 10ft. of water for May e five minutes or so. When I went to move it, the bobber went under and I felt the resistance of a fish. Not much size and I dont know how long the fish had been holding that tube in its mouth, but I figured if things were that slow, I'd wait a few days before giving it a try again. The water ended up re freezing and it was almost two weeks before I was able to try again.

Bass will strike the head of their prey head first the majority of the time and so will be hooked on the front treble. The back end of your lure then thrashes arond and often the back hooks will catch . The only way to 'fix' that would be to remove all but the front or back hook. You'll likely miss a good percentage of fish though.

Many only think of a drop shot rig as a finess tactic, but I prefer it anytime I want to present a bait up off the bottom. One way I rig it that helps me determine if they want a bait on the bottom, or above it is to use a jig as the weight. I like a hair jig and I'll vary the weight to suit the conditions. I'll normally switch out to something I can use a baitcaster for after I've figuredout which they prefer.

Here I went out and spent big bucks on a Tracker for storing my gear and I could have saved a ton by getting eight or ten of those mag bags. Why do you guys always wait until the bait monkey gets his way before posting this stuff? Here I thought we were all friends. Friends don't let friends let the monkey win big. Anyone willing to trade ten of those bags for an overpriced alternative?

I've had, and still do, WileyX, Oakley Half Jackets and Costa 580G and of the three, the costas give me the better view into the water. They're heavier and more pricey, but when you find what works for you, you stick with it. Kinda like finding an awesome woman,but she likes expensive shoes and she's a bit overweight.....you start to appreciate that little extra and how awesome those pricey shoes look on her and what they do for her....... Oops, kinda got away from the sunglasses thing didn't I ?

Try using a loop knot, either that or a split ring. If you're cinching a knot directly to the line tie, keep it higher and see if that doesn't help eliminate it from diving.

Anything with a blade. Spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, blade baits, tail spins and road runners with the willow blade just to name some. I've been known to remove the rear treble on a shallow crank and add a willow blade and swivel, but keep that one secret as the guys at my club haven't figured that one out yet.

My favorite lake is super clear and the major feeding time is from dusk until around midnight with another peak period beginning around 3:00AM. Both of these occur in shallow water from 1ft..-6ft. as the main forage here is minnows and they stick close to shoreline weeds. My night time baits are geared toward mimicking those minnows. Long/narrow cranks, smaller spinnerbaits with willow blades, and PopR's worked steadily for hard baits and grubs on darter jigheads and Flukes for soft plastics. During the 'off' period I'll move out deeper and switch to big, ribbon tailed worms, fat cranks and Colorado blade spinnerbaits. Jitterbugs and ChugBugs or PencilPoppers for topwaters This is the only water I fish from my boat. My other night fishing is restricted to ponds which I'll fish with the same baits I'd use during the day.

I just switched out the remainder of my reels to ceramic spool bearings. Some of my reels have Boca Orange Seals and some have HawgTechs. I've run the Bocas dry since day one and plan on doing the same with the others. Does anyone consider oiling these bearings and if so, why?

In the words of my son-in-law: 'UnderArmor' first." I can't stand the stuff against my skin, so I start out with a light cotton base and then the UnderArmor. My last layer is always something that breaks the wind from getting g through.

This time of year I'd concentrate on the oxbows and large areas of slack water. I don't know how much water in that category you'll be able to fish from shore though. If you can't locate slack water, the next best would be to target smallies in the current breaks in front of and behind bridge pilings and LARGE boulders.Both of those will produce bigger areas of slack water than rocks and felled trees. Many anglers ignore the upstream side of obstructions and miss out on some of the more aggressive fish. Just remember that those areas tend to collect the debris that is pushed down stream and adjust your lure selection accordingly.

I'll use a buzzer over submerged weeds about an hour before sunset just to get the fish looking up. Occasionally I'll get bit on the buzzer, but I get a lot more on a Fluke. Once twilight comes around the buzzer gets hammered. I've tried just using the Fluke first, but rarely get bit. Whether it gets them looking up, stirs them up, or is just a confidence thing isn't a concern of mine. I just know it works.

The bats from Bean Town are coming alive down in FL and despite some injury problems I believe the Red Sox are poised to repeat another 'last to first' ride. There is just so much talent on their bench and in their bullpen that I can't see them repeating last year's dismal season. Being an ex Cub fan, I can't help but think that their fans are headed for another let down by a team that could, in any other city, be alive late into the post season. I'm thinking Cards or Giants and Boston or Seattle in the series. Who is your favorite and which teems do you see still playing ball in September?

Although I do like buzzbaits and hollow body frogs, they aren't in my top three when it comes to favorites. What are your top three? 1. Zara Spook..................It just seems to be able to call up fish like no other bait, big ones too! 2. Chug Bug....................LIkely the most versatile top water both in the way it can be worked and the conditions it will work in. 3. Torpedo........................Great multi-species bait and a better alternative to a buzzer for 'target' fishing. It also covers water quickly when attempting to locate active fish.

I hope they were double footed guides, otherwise they would have been hopping in formation. If you have an addictive personality, DON'T DO IT. If you love fishing and it consumes you, DON'T DO IT. If you like to work with your hands, are a patient person, get a profound sense of accomplishment when you've completed a project, The answer is YES, go for it. The first time you catch a fish with a rod you've built is like finally scoring with that chick you've spent a weeks pay on, or so I've been told.

I'm old school when it comes to a lot of things; 'Till death do you part', manual transmissisons, fixing stuff rather than throwing it away, wood gun stocks and cork grips on my fishing rods are on a long list. To me, cork is a lot classier than black foam and for me, it holds up to hard use and my sweaty, greasy hands better too. I know it takes a little TLC to keep it looking good, but that is also one of the reasons why I choose it. I wanted to do a poll on this topic, but I'm not computer savy. So which do you prefer and why?

I just started watching it with the wife. It's a little drawn out and some of the acting is second rate, but over all, I give it a 3.5 out of five stars.

The GummyBear song. My grandson listens to it before going to school and it stick with me all day.

Let me know how that works out!

I agree with you that bluegill, in many instances, are not on a bass preferred menu. There are many times, however, that they will be at the top of that list. Early spring, before the crawfish emerge, is one of those times. Another is post spawn when the bluegill are in their spawn mode, the wheel will turn and those pesky bluegill that Mr. (and Mrs.) Bass had to constantly chase off their nest, they become easy and nutritional targets. Then there are lakes that are void of shad or bluebacks where, because of that lack of other forage, bluegill become the prime forage base. In spite of the fact that my home waters contain an abundance of minnows and craws, one of my best producing crankbait colors is a bluegill pattern. Preferred or not, bass are opportunistic feeders and I, for one, like to give them a bluegill opportunity often.

Finally got out and gave my newest Sol with the HawgTech bearings a tryout. Gotta say I was impressed with the improvement in both casting distance and reduction in spool over runs, which I didn't expect. They seemed a little more noisy than my Bocas, but I was comparing it to how I remembered they had sounded. After all, it's been five months since I made a cast. The noise bothered another angler, but it 's like my wife's constant rambling........don't bother me. I haven't had a chance to tryout the other reels, but I'm really not anticipating any huge difference. I am sur that I will be happy with any pluses.