papajoe222

Only five, huh? Well at least you're not limiting us to one! 7'6' Med cranking rod 12# fluoro Daiwa Advantage 7' MedHvy Fast rod 30# braid 7.1:1 (worms/jigs) 7' Hvy Fast rod 60# braid Daiwa Advantage (frogs/buzzbaits) 6' Med action rod Daiwa Sol 14# Original Stren (topwater) 6'6" med action spinning combo (tubes and finness) No room here for a spinnerbait combo, but if I had to do without, that'd be the one I'd leave at home.

If there is other cover available, I'll abandon the weeds as soon as they start turning brown. If not, I'll stick with them until they stop producing. That's about the time they start decaying or are brown from stem to tip. The exception would be cabbage weed. Shallow weeds will die off first and some deeper ones will stay green over the winter on a healthy lake.

If you want to avoid hanging up in the rocks, a three way swivel with a few split shot on a piece of mono off the bottom swivel will get your crank back the majority of the time. A drop shot weight would also work as either would pull off the line with a steady pull. No need to use a deep diver when c-rigging a crank. I like a wake style crank or my good ole standby a #9 Rapala. I still crank the deep divers, I just can't do it all day like I used to and I've been dragging a c-rig crank for more years than I care to mention.

There are basically only two top water baits I'll throw in the fall; a buzzbait and a loud chugger style hard bait. I'll work that chugger with aggressive pops and long pauses. With either bait, hits are rarely explosive and I've actually had fish just grab onto the skirt of the buzzer. As the water temp. drops into the 50's I'll lengthen the pause time and once the water temp. drops into the 40's I'm pretty much done for the season so I can't comment on their effectiveness then. All that said, there are much better presentations for this time of the season as far as numbers are concerned although there isn't much more in the way of downright fun that can compete with top water.

I go walleye fishing every April out of Muskegon MI and I can tell you that between the cold temps (mid to upper 30's) and the wind on Lake Michigan it's the worst I've ever delt with. I purchased my 100mph gear three seasons ago and have only used them four times. They're worth every penny. If you're not inclined to pay the price for them or Cabela's equivelent, a set of Carharts along with a decent base layer will do you good. Add a couple of those chemical pocket warmers in the pockets of your flannel shirt and except for your fingers and toes, you should stay fairly comfortable.

I think it depends more on whether you're fishing deep to shallow or shallow to deep in your search as far as lure choice/ rotation. This time of year I'm opting for a shallow to deep search pattern, so I'll start on top and work my way down the water column. My lure choices are based on that plan of attack.

I've been sicking with a pitzen on everything but braid (palomar) and haven't had a knot issue since. For cranks, I'm assuming that you're tying to a split ring, so there really isn't a need for any type of looped knot. If not, I'd suggest a quality snap.

Up until a few years ago quality two piece casting rods were hard to come by. I wanted a couple to keep in the car so I ended up building a couple of PacBay kits I ordered from Cabela's. I was really impressed with the rod blanks which were M/H with a fast tip. One of these two is now kept in my rod locker. If storage space is a concern of yours, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a quality two piece rod. They've come a long way from the old models with that stiff, dead spot in them.

Early in the season, it's a numbers game for me. Months without wetting a line and all I can think about is catching. By the time the fish have spawned, I'm all about quality. There have been outings when I've come up empty, but there've also been ones that get me through the winter just thinking about them. Quality AND Quantity.....doesn't happen often enough.

Three days should be sufficient if the guy's schedule permits. This time of year and just before the season begins are busy periods for rod repair. You may entice a repair guy to bump up your project, but repeat customers normally get that type of treatment.

Are the worms getting pulled off the jig head when you get snagged, or are you loosing the entire set up and what are you getting snagged on? If weeds are the culprit and not rocks, I'd suggest a lighter jig head at won't penetrate deep into the weeds. If it's wood, as with rocks, a different style jig head will help reduce losses. As for color, pumpkin and watermellon are good standbys for clear to lightly stained water and PBJ or black neon in more stained water.

The amount of exposed hook determines how well it hooks a fish. If you hold a lure and look down on it, the farther out past the side of the lure the hook rides, the better hook-up ratio you'll have with it. The problem lies in the fact that a longer shanked treble will swing out farther to the sides and below the lure causing not only tangled hooks on multiple trebled baits, but more hang ups. The wider gap on a larger hook is a plus, but the longer shank isn't. A short shanked treble gives you the advantage of going with a bigger gap without the drawbacks.

Normally that movement (fall to winter) won't occur until the lake turns over and the water temp. stabilizes from top to bottom. If the cooling down happens at a slow rate, the turnover won't be noticeable visually and the only way to determine a stable water temp is to measure it from top to bottom. There is no specific temperature where this occurs in all lakes as a shallow body of water can turn over at water temps in the upper 50's in northern lakes and as high as mid 60's in some deep/southern resevuoirs. If you don't have the ability to measure water temp, the presence or absence of baitfish in the shallower sections of the lake is a good indicator.

If given the choice, I'd prefer to fish pre-frontal conditions vs. post-frontal. The approaching front will normally turn the fish on and sometimes that will continue as the front passes through. Even when conditions stabilize, it may take a couple of days for things to return to 'normal' when it comes to fishing action. If you have the option, be on the water both days and you will experience first hand how an approaching/passing front effects fish behavior. You'll swear there is a switch somewhere that gets turned off as that front passes and the bite dies.

I always TRY to concentrate on what my lure is transmitting back to me. What almost always happens is I'll hook and land a fish only to forget what I was doing when I hooked it. Loss of short term memory is a b+#ch............What were we discussing???

To be honest, the only time I use a trailer is in the spring/ pre-spawn. This time of year, I opt for a short armed single willow blade and the only trailer I use is a trailer hook. I'll also thin out the skirt. That said, I would immagine adding a couple of inches to your trailer may make a difference. The longest trailer I've ever used was a 6in. swimbait

Welcome to the forum. Be sure to stop by the introduction forum and share some info about yourself.

Locating schools of quality sized bass is both difficult and rewarding as often times schooling fish are smaller fish. Larger fish tend to not roam around wasting energy, but will hold along structure used by baitfish. They're relating to the baifish, but don't often follow their movements. Bends in creek arms or points on a drop off are prime examples IF the baifish are schooling in the area. The best advice I can give you is to put your rod down and do a little exploration watching your electronics. If you feel the baitfish are following a creek arm or a drop off, point, etc. Look for irregularities on that structure for fish and if the baitfish are close by, get your line out there.

X2, also vary the speed during the retrieve by either lifting your rod tip or stop cranking.

I tend to use a Paca Craw on a T-rig (the full sized one). I have the option of changing the pegged weight size depending on the fish's mood and the claws on a Paca give plenty of action without catching the weed's stems. A beaver bait has a tendency to glide after entering the water, so I shy away from them and anything with legs that have a spiral action.

Early to late fall fishing can be fantastic, but if you're like me, you only have so much time on the water. The catching during this period is easier, but the finding can be more difficult, especially when fishing alone. Aside from my electronics, the one tool I use in my search is some sort of double presentation that can cover different parts of the water column. Two of my favorites are a top water with a small jig tied to the rear hook hanger on a drop line and a football jig with a shallow running crank attached via swivel and some sort of keeper (like adding a trailer hook on a spinnerbait) with a two to three ft. length of heavy mono. If the fish are in the upper water column, but reluctant to strike a topwater, the jig will pick them up. If they're in the lower part, the crank will pick up fish holding off the bottom. Give one of these double rigs a try when looking for fish this season and you can do a little more catching and a little less searching.

If you're literally spooking them vs. them shying away from your presentation, you'll need to follow the advice about being stealthy AND avoiding quick movements on your part as that will also put them on alert. If you can make long casts without much arm movement, all the better. If the fish are shying away from your presentation, downsizing lure and line size along with 'matching the hatch' is likely your best option.

Don't fprget the original floating Rapala. A #9 on spinning gear and 8 or 10lb. mono works great and you can work it fast and still keep it above the weeds.

So my wife loves to fish and I actually enjoy when she goes out with me. Problem is she'll only use her Zebco 33s and even the higher priced ones are problelms waiting to happen, to say the least. I've attempted teaching her both spinning and baitcasting, but she prefers that push button. That said, I'm looking for a better spin caster for her. Any recommendations?

Thanks guys. I figured it was likely too much tension as the off center design is appearing near the center of the wrap and that is when I'm working directly in front of me and where I"m likely adding more tension. I'll keep practicing as I don't want to attempt a closed wrap until I can consistantly repeat each pass.