papajoe222

I agree with Shane's thinking that the topic title is, at the least, an assumption on Tom's part. I don't, however, agree that he is ignorant. The discussion on the topic is very thought provoking and I must say that I do fish the same areas I did the day prior even if conditions have changed. I will, however change my tactics based on conditions as I believe bass do not change their general location under different conditions. I don't believe anyone questions Tom's or Shane's knowledge or experience, but the fire IMO is uncalled for.

I have a hearing condition called tinnitus which is a constant ringing in my ears. As a result, my love of music is limited to those times that it isn't contributing to the noise already in my head. Sadly, fishing isn't one of those times, otherwise it'd be jazz, classic rock and C&W in that order.

Both, depending on the size/weight of he bait I'm using. I prefer baitcasting and use a 7ft. M/Fast Prodigy rod paired with a Daiwa Sol an 12lb. FC line for the bigger/heavier stuff. For the smaller baits and jigs, I use a 7ft. Acadia rod and Daiwa spinning reel spooled with 10lb. FC. For me, sensitivity in the spinning set-up isn't as important as with the baitcaster as I use it more for shallow water or on top of submergent weeds and rely on line watching more.

What I've noticed (and this dosen't apply to just springtime) is that if you stick to a game plan or notion of where the fish are and what they'll bite and it isn't working you'll fail more often than not. I wore my arms off a few years ago burning a lipless crank as fast as I could in 45 degree water in the spring. Why? because the bass were hammering it and it was the only presentation that was working, It took over five hours of not catching for that lesson to get through my thick skull.

A depthfinder. I don't care if its an old flasher unit or a down/side imaging one. I gotta be able to find that structure.

You guys can fight over the hammock from Sun.-Wed. after then it's the sarge's. BTW, count me in for Wed. night.

Braid gets the nod most of the time, but I also use 17lb. Original Stren. It's easier for me to see and has excellent abrasion resistance.

If they're aggressively guarding the bed, I like a Pop R. If they're scoping out bedding sites, a shallow crank gets the nod and if they're on the nests, a tube in a bluegill pattern.

I prefer to approach fishing points casting from shallow to deep and working up the point. It's easier for me to maintain bottom contact and when hooking a fish, they have a tendency to head for deeper water. That means they're moving away from me when I'm playing them rather than them coming at me. There are only two times that I fish a point from deep to shallow and that's during the spring and when I'm using cranks which will stay in the zone longer that way than bringing them up the drop. Either way, if I establish a depth pattern, I'll move and cast parallel to the drop so my presentation stays at that depth for the majority of the cast.

I can't believe you guys fell for this nonsence and he should know better than to post it here (it belongs in the 'everything else' forum) and under a bogus screen name. BTW, The correct answer was a Spook of course.

My favorite, all species, hard bait. From crappie to muskie, a Mepps will catch them. I've also used Vibrax, but I'm more confident when I throw a dressed Mepps

Baitcaster right hand, spinning reel left. I'd likely reel with my right hand for both, but I learned on a spinning reel with the crank handle on the left and fished that way for years. I tried going to right hand cranking, but it's like patting my head and rubbing my stomach; I can do it one way, but not the other.

Well, I'm going to chime in on this one with the little experience I have on power plant lakes up here. I'm not familiar with the lake you mention, but I assume that the lake is either divided somewhat between the intake and output sides, or there is a considerable distance between them. That being the case, current flow will play a big part in your approach to catching. You'll want to focus on areas of increased current, or areas that contain obstructions that will redirect the current, especially if you plan to target smallies. Areas such as between islands, points, shallow bars, are all areas that will increase the flow of water. Deep holes, wider sections of the lake, etc. will slow the flow.The exception, especially for largemouth, would be spawning fish avoiding current. Here again current, or lack of it, plays a big part. The best advice I can give you is to fish it similar to the way you'd fish a gently flowing river. If you'll be flipping and pitching in current areas, the front side of anything that breaks the current will hold active smallies and the down current sid will hold both neutral smallmouth and active largemouth. Check your local fishing reports, as I would think that the smallies have finished spawning and it's also possible that some of the largemouth have too.

With Mother Nature's cooperation, I hope to be busy for at least the weeks prior to the trip. Muskegon MI trip the second week-end of April for walleye and down to Tunica MS the following week for a little gaming and crappie fishing. Hopefully I can keep myself busy with honey-dos and local fishing enough to pass the time quickly. This trip will be my first to a highland reservoir in 15yrs. Table Rock was a frequent destination back then, but since then I've only targeted natural lakes. Really looking forward to my re-initiation!

Thanks guys. I think I'll wait and see how he adapts to my older procaster. I can always get him a better reel later on.

I'm contemplating getting one of these for my grandson to learn using a baitcaster on. Just wondering if anyone can give me some insight? TW reviews are mixed, but I'm a Daiwa guy and the size of the reel is perfect for teaching a kid or lady not to mention I'm familiar with the casting controlls so I'd give it a shot unless someone has had a poor experience.

I was dead set against ever using FC line after trying three different brands until I applied line conditioner the first time. Now it gets sprayed on all my reels spooled with mono or FC before every outing. Thanks for the head's up on BPS's version.

My Bassett Hound Would go crazy when she heard me hitching the trailer up. It got to the point where I had to put her in the truck BEFORE I did it. She'd sit patiently until we got to the lake and would run around while I launched. Then she'd jump in the boat while I parked and would sit next to me when running from spot to spot, but when I was actually fishing, she'd curl up on the front deck and sleep. It's been two seasons since she left us, but I keep her collar around my steering column to remind me of my most enthusiastic fishing partner.

If I'm targeting deep water, a split shot rigged french fry worm. Shallow water gets a stick worm wacky rigged.

Smithwick Rogue and Bomber Long A are both productive baits that won't empty your wallet and they come in both floating and suspending versions.

I'll keep six on deck and another four in the rod locker. That doesn't count the spare rods and reels I also keep on board. As a co-angler I kept it to six or under as available space was an issue.

Check out the Tatula by Daiwa. They're on sale now at BPS stores. "No that would be the majority of US anglers." Not really, Daiwa has a tendency to overproduce a reel before it's introduction and that was/ is the reason the Z200 took forever to sell out the stock. How many guys are willing to shell out $700 for a unproven reel? Daiwa, like Shimano, makes quality products within the price range you can afford. Wether the T3 is for you, only you can decide.

My standard retrieve in the early spring is to cast it out, let it fall to the bottom, then drop my rod tip and take up the slack. A slow sweep of the rod and reel up the slack as I drop it back down, occasionally allowing it to fall back to the bottom. The only other retrieve I've ever used is an almost steady crank just under the surface similar to a spinnerbait, but I only use that when the water temps. get up near 60. Going to try jigging one like a jigging spoon. That tight fibration should give the fish around here a much different look from the spoons and jigging Rapalas most guys use.

Welcome to the board. Be sure to visit the introduction board and tell us a little about yourself. Use the thickness of the plastic you're fishing and the way you're hooking it to determine the size hook to use. If you'll be hooking through the body of the bait, you'll need a wider gap hook than if you're using a collar like an 'O' ring. Larger hooks shouldn't kill the presentation other than increasing the fall rate and sometimes that can make a big difference. Smaller hooks may keep you from getting a good hook-set, especially if you're hooking through the worm.

You'll likely get different responses as pre-spawn movements can mean different things to different people. To me, that movement starts when the fish start their move from deep to shallow and that takes place around here when the water gets into the mid 50's. To someone else, it may be when the fish are staging at the last deep structure prior to moving up on the flats and scoping out a spawning site. Many don't consider it pre-spawn until the fish are up on the flats. Reguardless of what your definition is, the good news is that once that initial move begins, the fishing will improve. Of course that depends on ones ability to figure out where the fish are.