papajoe222

I take a lot of guys out that have never fished from my boat and the first thing I do is go over saftey proceedures with them. Then I tell them my two unwritten rules that may not apply to other boaters, but in my boat they always do; Get your line out of the water when the other is playing a fish and don't cast forward of the middle of the boat. I make sure there is plenty of unused water for the non-boater to fish. If they feel that I'm front ending them or fishing too fast or slow, they should speak up

The most important thing to examine when purchasing a used boat is the condition of the motor. The majority of it's value is there. Pull the cowling and check the hoses and wiring. Check both the carb. and steering linkage for slack. Look into both the carb. throats and the cylinder heads after removing and examining the plugs. Check the prop for excessive, or big dings which is a sure sign of misuse. Lastly, start it up. Make sure it starts easily, runs smoothly and is spitting out a steady stream of water.

I don't have favorites, I have multiple colors of each. Between water color and clearity, light conditions and the fish's preference on any particular day, I don't want to limit my success by throwing a favorite color that, likely, wouldn't be productive. If you're looking to limit the colors of the baits you use, or willing to do so, go with the natural colors of the forage you're imitating. Forage doesn't change it's color much and although it may not be as successful as a different color, on any given day it should produce.

On an early Tues. morning eith years ago I had the best top water fishing in my life. I boated 21 bass in under two hours and only three weren't caught on top. Sadly, I had to leave for a fishing trip to Wisconsin an hour later. I seriously considered canceling, but didn't. I sure am glad because upon arrival I was able to boat eight smallies in the 2-3lb. range and one nice 43in. musky. I can't imagine what kind of day it would have been had the drive not been over six hours up there.

The biggest differences between what is refered to as a shakey head jig and the old stand by ball head jig is the addition of a bait keeper and a longer/stouter hook. They may have different head designs and line tie positions and angles, but they all share those two.

The type of jig you use can make all the difference in the world when fishing muck bottoms. The best I've found is a tube jig. For one, it won't burry itself into the muck (unless you're using too heavy a jig head) and it's action on the fall is unsurpassed by other types of jigs. Dragging a tube along the bottom is a great tactic, but don't forget where a jig got it's name. The action on both ends of the jigging motion is where a tube really shows it's stuff. Try stroking a tube jig in deep water. It may take a little longer to get down to the bottom, but you may just find the wait is worth it.

" Usually when i think of a jig it is flipping and pitching into shallow cover.." That is exactly what that pro was doing, you just don't consider weed beds as cover. Cover they are and IMO the best there is. A weed bed not only has pockets you can flip or pitch to, it has points, inside and outside turns, transition areas where the bottom content changes or where another type of weed takes over, etc. The main reason many anglers like pitching and flipping in this is because water clearity doesn't have the effect it does on other forms of cover. A fish holding in the weeds has limited visibility vs. one holding in wood, or rocky cover. Even fish holding under a dock have a better view outside their surroundings.

How much blood loss and stress the fish has gone through makes a big difference in whether or not that fish will survive. Blood loss can be all but eliminated if the fish is immediately immersed in the water after hook removal. A fish's blood clots in the water and not when exposed to the air. I've known guys to actually remove the hook while the fish is still in the water. How much stress a fish goes through before and after it's released is more difficult to control. Getting a bleeding fish into the livewell quickly will stop the bleeding and to some extent reduce the stress it's experiencing. Leaving a fish in your livewell for extended periods causes stress whether or not that fish was bleeding and reduces the survival chances for that fish.

A lure that's overlooked by many guys that target musky is a spoon. On CastleRock in WI, a 5 of Diamonds and Daredevils consistantly produce............. Oh yea, and buctails

Colored blades are killers on pike and musky and at times on smallies. The thing is, I've caught plenty of largemouth while pike fishing. Last year in Wisconsin, I landed a 5lb. LM, cast back in the general area and had a BIG musky or northern take the same bait. I lost both the fish and the lure when the line was cut off on the fish's teeth above the wire leader I was using. That reinforced two things I know to be true. Bass are not line shy when you're fishing reaction baits and a 12in. leader is too short for musky fishing!

:sad-012:Thanks................I guess

Evergreen Report. I was thinking of going there later this week instead of Delevan, but I havent heard anything.... can anyone give us a heads up?

Let me know how you did. I'm heading up there on Thurs.

Just a head's up for those of you that may be heading here soon. The walley have move out to the big lake except for the small percentage that normally hang around all year. The bass are active on the weed flats and small jigs like fuzzy grubs have been taking some big females.

Whatever you're comfortable with. Just know that light mono that is recommended for cranks isn't a good choice for spinnerbaits. That large, single hook is difficult to set with 10lb. mono. Go too heavy and you kill the action of your crank. I'd suggest a minimum of 20lb braid or 12lb. FC. either would be a compromise and not ideal for either presentation and still function satisfactually.

Cleaning out the bearings, gears and drag washers on a new reel comes down to personal preference. Although some reel makers do over lube to give their products a false sence of smoothness, that practice alone isn't reason to justify a cleaning after purchase. Also, inexperience can and has led to the destruction of a brand new reel. If you're determined to attempt it, do a search on reel maintainance. Greasing gears and oiling bearings with products designed for the industy (not WD40 or auto bearing grease) is the way to go. I would also suggest flushing the bearings with water after cleaning.

It's always a good idea to inspect your equipment after use. Not only rod guides, but line guides on your baitcasters and bail rollers on your spinning reels can get gunked up after just one outing under the wrong conditions. Warm, soapy water will usually do the trick.

Thanks for the responses guys, but both of these are the large blades used for musky spinners. I'm looking o switch out blades for a little night fishing for bass.

I've been looking for spinner blades with beveled edges similar to the ones on Terminator spinnerbaits. I'd like to find both Colorado and willow styles, but as of yet haven't found a supplier. Any suggestions?

BPS Crankin Sticks are a good choice for shallow/med. cranks, but I'd recommend their Carbonlite in an action suited to your liking. I just like the added sensitivity.

I own both and for cranking the Lews TS1SMG is my choice. Longer handle, bigger paddles and the lower retrieve ratio = a reel that was made for cranking. The only thing my Tatula has over it is casting distance, but I've yet to really dial in my Lews.

The only time color comes into play for me is when I first choose a lure and again if I find they are short striking a crank or spinnerbait. I try to stick to some basic colors when starting out and unless I have the depth and prefered retrieve locked in, I don't change colors.

Two trains of thought when it comes to clear water and it all depends whether you're going for a reaction bite, or you are trying to entice a fish to eat your bait. For reaction bites, faster retrieves in clear water seem to be much more effective. For any lure that a fish has time to look over, there is the concern over line visibility. As far as lure choices, I don't let water clearity change my approach. Going smaller may get you more bites and there is a chance that, if you're in the right area, you can catch a big one, but if you're targeting big fish you shouldn't concern yourself with numbers. As WRB mentioned, the lure, presentation, and cover, if any will determine line choice. For me, clear water baits are spinnerbaits with smaller than normal blades than I can burn. Lipless cranks and heavy swim jigs with a curly tailed grub for reaction bites. Jig/pig, C-rigged big worms, and jumbo tubes get my nod for enticing the big girls. OH YEA, don't forget a buzzbait that you can burn accross the surface without it flopping on its side.

Just remember that if you apply before you get on the water, you'll need to reapply at some point depending on the SPF rating. An application of 50 SPF will protect you longer than say 30 SPF, but one application of either won't last all day. I've gone to using a wide rimmed hat, buff and shirt formulated to protect against exposure. My hands are basically the only area exposed and I use a sport stick for that area as I can apply it without getting it on my palms. The problem with sun screen isn't as much as it may put the fish off, with me it makes my grip slippery especially if I'm sweating.

First thing I do is look to see how the fish is hooked. If the entire lure is in it's mouth, I won't attempt to lip land it. I'll either use long nosed pliers to remove at least one set of hooks or both. With only one setin it's mouth, I'll either grab the bill of the crank and lift, or lift with the line until over half of the fish is out of the water. This tends to imobilize them for a second or so as the majority of their weight is out of the water. At that point I'll reach into it's mouth to lip it while continuing to lift. The motion is kind of like racking the slide on a gun. Pulling with one hand and pushing with the other. The trickiest situation is a fish that's hooked in or close to it's toung. That's when the pliers come into play. You could also belly land the fish, but you'll still need to remove the hooks and then the fish and the lure will be in the boat with you.