papajoe222

Yes it is.The VUA is awarded to the entire unit en lieu of the individuals in it and so it was designed with the Silver Star's ribbon at it's center. The same criteria must be met, but the unit is considered as an individual when doing so. Similar to the Presidential Unit Citation only in that there is no medal awarded and it is worn on the right side.

I'm not as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I ever was.

I've done something similar, but found that adding an extra split ring, or small split shot to the front hook was, not only easier, but allowed me to remove the added weight when needed.

Check out the bottle cap lure. Easy to make and they catch fish.

I'll be attempting to do a wrap for a vet on his favorite rod. It's a split grip and this will be going in the split area. I'm thinking of going with a field of stars under the ribbon which is a VUA. The cork and finish on the rod are in need of some attention,but I figure I should be finished by opening day.

Really??? I love the guy, but................. come to think of it I gotta agree.

In the spring (pre-spawn), my choices would be a jerk-bait, lipless crankbait/spinnerbait and a jig. Using the same rods during post spawn through fall, A tube jig/stick worm, crankbait/topwater and a jig. In the fall it would be a soft plastic jerk bait/tube jig, spinnerbait/buzzbait and a jig. There was a time back in the day when I only used one rod, but as my selection of baits and presentations grew, I found it easier and more beneficial to have my gear a little better matched.

'Lunkers Love Nightcrawlers' Insight into both fishing with and raising nightcrawlers and an in-depth tutorial on structure and how bass movements are related to it. The book was written over 30 years ago, but the information contained within it's covers is still, not only relevant, but a great read for beginner to accomplished angler.

Welcome to the forum and back to fishing. I use them on the front hook up all my topwaters and shallow cranks, but rarely anything that runs deeper than 10ft. as red is the first color to wash out in deeper water. Rather than switch out perfectly good hooks, you could try Adding a splash of red to the underside of the bait by the front hook. If you become confident that it makes a difference then when it comes time to switch hooks you can opt for red ones.

That sounds like a healthy lake. Assuming that the natural forage base is mostly bluegills perch and minnows I would stick to those colors and maybe something bright like a foxy shad to show them something different

I use them on treble and light wire single hooks, but 3X hooks and many jig and swimbait hooks can be a chore to cut through with them. I carry a set of mini bolt cutters along with them.

Don't be shy about asking questions. The answers will range from simple to in-depth, but there is always something to be learned. Simple answers are likely easier to understand for a rookie,so here are mine. Yes, changing to larger hooks can help keeping a fish on, but only if you have them hooked in the first place (past the barb that is). The smaller hook size will likely penetrate past the barb easier. The rod you have is a good choice for jerkbaits. The line you mention using may be too heavy. I doubt if you're bending the hooks on a fish, so you're either overpowering the fish in an attempt to land it quickly or whatever, or your drag could be set too tight. If this happens frequently, there is a problem to be addressed. If it's an occasional thing, it's something that happens to the majority of anglers. Remember that this is a sport. Sometimes the fish win.

In early spring, I'll fish the wind blown shore as the wind will be blowing the warmer surface water there. During the spawn, I'll avoid those areas as too much wind will affect the nests. During the summer, I love a windy day as it will not only cause wave action which, in turn, will cut light penetration as well as keep me cooler. During the fall, I don't pay much attention to it.

My outlook is a little different, but similar. I donate to those in need of the gear, those that are just starting out. Be it veterans, children, or just someone that never had the opportunity to enjoy the sport. The charities I donate gear to are those with the same objective. On a personal note, I always gift a rod and tackle box to any child I take fishing for their first time. I have the means to do so and I've found that many of the adults I did that for as children still have that rod and reel, though most have replaced the small tackle box with something larger.

I own two and use them on a regular basis. One is the old gold one and the other I purchased two years ago. I love the size and although the bearing count is inflated on the newer one, it is really smooth considering the price of the reel. I had two others that I purchased later that are now in the hands of some youngsters. My grandson learned to use a baitcaster with one and I can't get him to give it back. The other one I gave away and I'm sure the young man is more than happy with it. BTW, the model I'm speaking of was made by Daiwa, the gold one, I believe was made by Pfluger.

Now you do. I'm up to eight times. One of which was a on a Jake still attached to a runt of a muskie with a heck of a lot of energy he was putting into shaking off the other hook. I have used barbless hooks on single hook baits, but the only time I file off the barb on trebles is on my muskie baits. I haven't seen, or maybe I refuse to see, any major difference in how many fish I net.

Hey, I can't think of a better way to be introduced to competitive fishing. Two things to keep in mind; Learn and Contribute. 'Student become teacher Grasshopper' is just as true as 'I owe all I know to my mentor'. Dont' be hesitant to ask questions or offer up a bit of your own knowledge.

I keep my dog's collar fastened around the steering wheel base of my boat. She was a constant companion whenever I'd go out and would drive us nuts until she was in the truck when she knew where I was going. If I forget to rub that collar, or at the very least acknowledge its presence, I'll have an extremely poor outing.

Generally speaking, if all that rain has increased the lake's level you should find active fish up in the newly flooded brush and grass once the weather stabilizes for a couple of days. If you plan on getting out before that time, I'd stick with the same locations you'd find them using under frontal conditions. The biggest problem you're likely to encounter then is murky or even muddy water. Big baits that move a lot of water fished tight to cover should get you some action and you can always add color and sound to the mix. All this is providing that there isn't any current. With the canals you mention, I would assume there would be some incoming or outgoing current. In that case, the areas where current is washing into the lake could be productive, especially if there is a defined area where the water clears up substantially.

I use #7's around here in the gold black back, but three pounders are very rare with the avg being 12-13in. What colors work for you? Don't be afraid to try the push area just in front of those big rocks, not just the breaks and swirls below them.

One thing your Dr. will likely tell you is avoid taking antienflamitory drugs regularly as the will only mask the condition at the least and could contribute to other conditions. He will tell you to increase your water intake and possibly to add fish oil pills to the mix. Both will help, I know because those along with an occasional 800mg ibuprofen got me through my last 20yrs.

For some reason, part of the link didn't come through on my post. If you're interested just key in fishingoutreachprogram.com/Home

Every year around this time, I make a donation to http://www.fishingoutreachprogram.com and seeing young gunsndrums1 post reminded me just how much a small donation to a person or charity can mean, not only for them but for this great sport in general. I've posted a link to my favorite site and I'm asking that you do the same. There are many worthy causes that don't have a web site, but I'm encouraging you to stick to web sites. I truly believe many of the members here would not hesitate to make a small tackle or monetary donation to a site that they could search out first. The only thing that could take away from that good feeling you get when helping someone is to know that you were scammed. The more web sites we see, the more others will have to choose from and you'll also be letting your fellow members know that you care about others and one of our favorite pass times.

A jerkbait is one of the few hard baits that a leader will alter the action of, the others being mostly topwaters. The reason is because it changes the attitude of the bait when it is at rest. That one change in the action can make the difference between catching and getting skunked. Most die hard jerkbait anglers will tinker with their baits to get the perfect nose down angle when the bait is sitting still. The fish in my Avitar hit a jerkbait that'd benn sitting for 15 seconds.

Only if it didn't improve the way the toast slid down your throat, or out your pie hole.