papajoe222

I'm tying my feathers to short shank trebles one size smaller than the original to help compensate for the additional weight. I never thought to use 140 denier to tie them. Thanks for the tip smalljaw. I only use long pauses when I'm working smaller baits and plan on adding a SuspenDot near the nose to maintain a nose down attitude. Tinkering with baits and such helps me get through the 'hard water' season. Not too many of the ideas I come up with turn out to be fruitful, but maintaining some resemblance to sanity becomes a major priority for the next eight weeks or so.

I use them on topwaters when I'm working them slowly and was wondering if they wouldn't also be a benefit when working jerk baits with long pauses. Any of you work one with the addition of one?

I rely on topo maps and my electronics. On the majority of lakes I fish, I don't look for fish with my electronics. I'm checking out the information I get from them with the maps and I'll make indications on the map of bottom content, presence of weeds, and any differences in the depth changes that are or aren't indicated on the map. I don't fish any big impoundments, so I'm able to check out the majority of spots that interest me before I begin fishing. After being on the lake a few times, I'll have enough info to forego that process. The biggest obsticle, IMO, to applying Buck's structure principles is to being able to apply them to whatever lake you're on. You may not use spoonplugs in your maping of an area, but fish location based on the structure and cover is where this game plan of his really shine. Water color, temps. (other than seasonal), and the presence or absence of a thermocline are irrelevent in the process. I didn't say they are irrelevent altogether, but to finding productive structure. If you're looking for additional reading material, check out Lunkers Love Nightcrawlers. Although the chapters on fishing structure mirror Buck's the use of spoonplugs isn't mentioned and it may give you a clearer mental picture of how and what to look for.

My sentiments also. The wife and I will be heading down to Branson in late June/early July. Maybe we can hook up over a cup of coffee if your better half is up for it.

The best producing color pattern on many of my local lakes and ponds is shad and shad aren't present in any of them. The same goes for crawfish, but jigs and craw colored cranks also produce well.

I've decided to do one more build, hopefully, before my surgery and would like to do a spiral wrap. I've read a little about it, mostly about performance and some technical information. What I'm in need of is specifics on guide placement. It's my understanding that the spiral is done on the base of the rod before the area where it begins to flex. I am also aware that there are a few different ways to achieve the final, 180 degree guide placement. The rod I'm building is a 7'6" M/XF, so I'm thinking three guides to achieve it, 60-120-180 with a stripping guide at 0. Is there a general rule for guide spacing. I know I'll need to do a static test prior to wrapping, I'm just looking for a starting point. Can anyone point me in the direction of a tutorial or link to a video that will guide me through the process?

You could say that I'm back asswords, I started out fishing a shakey head on top of submerged weeds. I would get a 1/16oz. jig and a floating worm to sit on top of the weeds and move it just enough to get that worm moving, but not so much that the jig would start working it's way down into the weeds. I found I could work it accross the tops of the weeds and let it fall when it reached the weed edge. I thought that this was their intended use as the only jigs marketed around here were the 1/16 and 1/8oz. ones. I didn't begin using them deep until I was unable to find the stand-up style jig heads that I'd used for years to fish reapers along gravel and hard bottom structure. A 1/8oz. shakey head has replaced those jigs and a trick worm has replaced the reaper ever since. Now I use them almost exclusively in different weights, with the exception of a Charlie Brewer Slider jig.

One suggestion I would make for anyone on a budget is to learn to distinguish need from want. You need certain equipment and even on a limited budget, you can fill those needs. What you want and your decision to purchase it is what can become a stumbling block reguardless of you income. If you can learn that simple lesson it will carry over into all the purchases you make in your life.

on more occasions than I care to admit, at least. While I'm far from being an expert angler, accomplished would be my assesment, I would say I'm well informed. Given that I've been fishing for over 50 years, I'd say that I have put more time on the water than many and therefore experienced. Due to some physical limitations I'm not the most accurate caster. Add to those the fact this sport isn't just a hobby, it's a passion and that, I have recognized, on many occasions is my stumbling block. When it comes to catching fish,I am my own worst enemy. I still have a difficult time sleeping the night before an outing and I can drive 12 hours without anything more than a break to gas up and grab a bite to go because I'm so pumped with anticipation. The problem that arrises from this is that I focus so intently on satisfying that urge to catch fish that I 'forget' most of what I've learned, ignore what experiences would dictate in a given situation and experience discomfort from attempting casts to totaly useless water. I see this in most of the youngsters I've schooled over the years (minus the aches and pains). The experience is new and exciting and it is very difficult for them to focus. I've also been in the company of anglers that are much more knowledgeable and experienced that have a completely opposite enemy, they over think, or suffer from a different form of tunnel vision because they are so focused they don't see what is obvious to most everyone else. Similar to an drinking addiction, I realize the first step to recovery is admitiing, or recognizing the problem and I have come up with a multi-step solution for myself. Do you have your own stumbling block and if so, what do you think it is? More importantly, what steps can you take to combat your own worst enemy? We all strive to be successful, but what if we ourselves are the reason we don't succeed on a regular basis?

I probably put somewhere between 130-175 days on the water and average around five hours an outing I actually put more time on the water when I was working. I've slowed down in more tan one way.

Went for some tests today and I'm really depressed about the results. I'll need two surgeries in the next week or so that will sideline me for 'spring training'. Carpal tunnel and ulnar nerve displacement which will likely be done at the same time. I planned on having that hand taken care off at the beginning of the month, but the wife's been in the hospital and I had to put it off. Doc says eight weeks minimum before I can think about holding a rod, possibly ten. Not only my fishing is delayed, but the work that needs to be done on the boat too. Jeez, the bait monkey hasn't stopp dancing since I got the news. Guess I'm gonna have to give moma the plastic to hold. I gotta have something fishing related to do, or the guys in white jackets will be here before I know it. Maybe I could take up writing my fishing memoirs like McManus or what's his name that wrote about them good ole boys' adventures. What we re their names? Harry and Charlie I think. Hey, I'm a fisherman to the core and we've been known to spin a tale or two. I remember one time........Dang this ain't gonna work, I can't remember.........What's that brown, smelly stuff called again?

Seriously, my list is empty. Of all the additions I made last year, only the StrikeBack spinnerbait showed me something different that was a genuine improvement over existing lures of the same style.

Don't get me wrong, I love my Sigs and my M&P, but the only gun I would carry when I worked securty was a 642. My employer all but insisted on us carrying a Glock 42 and spare mag. but relented to my reasoning. If a wheel gun is what you're comfortable with, you can't do better than this litlle beauty (IMO)

More and more research support what Catt is saying. Light penetration/ length of daylight has a profound effect on when fish actually spawn, more so than actual water temp. It is the sun's rays that are important to the development of the eggs. Similar to the interior of a car sitting in the sun, the exterior temp. can be much colder than the interior of the eggs. Bass will begin their migration/ pre-spawn movements with a change of as little as +2-4degrees. This is the early pre-spawn mentioned in one of the responses. Reguardless of what causes the movements and eventual spawn, what's important to the OP is the progression of those movements and the fact that they often reverse due to weather conditions. There is a lot of back and forth movement between the shallows and depths until the beds are actually formed and even then, a severe cold front can push the fish deeper. Often during these pre spawn movements fish will move shallower as the day progresses and often times become more active. So if you're contacting fish in 15ft. of water on a jig early in the day and the bite dies after noon, look shallower with a more active presentation like a spinnerbait or square bill, or deeper with a C-rig if the weather turns nasty.

Funny how my eyes went directly to that point . That area of the lake should be a producer year round the south-east side should hold fish duing the colder months with the sharp drop off and the north west side has a 'cove' at the end that gives access to both points for pre and post spawners. Summertime would likely find a good concentration of fish using the deep water off the east end as their summer home. Depending on bottom composition, the smallies could be attracted to the hump just south east of it. All this is assuming that there is forage and some form of cover in the area.

Just wondering if they offer any significant benefit over using a standard tube jig? I prefer this form of rigging over T-rigging as t doesn't take away from the action as much.

Torture it is. Best advice I ever heard was; ' if you can see the dis, they can see you'. Trust me when I say they are more interested and concerned with your presence than any bait that goes by.

As a carry, a .45 is a great choice. As a back-up, not so good. You might want to go with an Apex trigger. Not for the lighter trigger pull, but for the shorter and more pronounced reset. I Personally prefer a saftey on my carry. A little practice and the extra step becomes more of a continuation of the drawing process than another step.

Yea, but they're a pain to get through the rod guides when reelin' them in.

Wow, That's a lot of clothes to wear for only 30 degrees. What do you do when it gets cold?

Seeing as you have so many of them I really think you should trade me for one of my TDAs. Either that, or you can leave it to me in your will................I'm patient, My uncle Guido drives really slow.

FYI, the bushing in the cast control knob mics out the same as the one used on diawa alphas and the Sol. I saved the original bearings when I did the upgrades on my Sols so I just dropped one in to replace the bushing. A lot of grease in the cap also.

No button to push, or slide with my fat, non nimble fingers? Now there is a feature more companies should incorporate into their smaller reels! Thanks A-Jay

I know that many of you know how to dress to keep warm while fishing during the cold water period. I also know that what works for one person may not work for another, so I thought I'd start a thread about what does and why it does, for me. A discussion about what and why your system works can be beneficial to some. I am one of those that can't stand wearing a base layer such as UnderArmor. I always feel a chill even if I'm sweating while wearing it. My base layer consists of a cotton garment with the UnderArmor second. The next layer is totally dependent on the type of fishing I'll be doing. If I'm fishing from shore I want something absorbent as I'll likely be moving around and active. If I'll be mostly stationary, I want something that will block the wind and that offers some thermal benefit. A wind breaker with a light lining fits the bill perfectly. the last item is a single garment chosen based on the temps I'll be facing. That's it for keeping my core warm. Very little bulk, but more than enough to keep me comfortable. More is not only restrictive, but results in overheating which in turn ends up making me cold. Pants, boots, a hat and gloves round ot the remainder although I will don a pair if insulated bibs if I'll be facing extremely cold wind chills. What's your system?