papajoe222

My biggest surprise was the rebirth of a spinnerbait as my numbers bait. It just flat out produced all year. My biggest disappointment was a jig. I completly lost confidence it what has been my confidence bait. My fishing log proves that I wasn't mistaken. Less than 30 fish caught on jigs this year. I actually caught more fish on tubes which I rarely use.

On the topic of JJ's Magic, I don't think you need to worry unless the temp. in the garage gets below freezing. Even then, it would have to freeze itself for it to be adversely affected if at all.

I could give you a list as long as your arm, but I'll only add one to the ones mentioned. Berkley makes a ruler that you stick on your rod (they also make one for your boat) that resembles a long piece of black electrical tape. For me, it's much easier to quickly measure a fish using this vs. a tournament style ruler that I have to dig out of the locker. It'll give you a fairly accurate measurement without laying the fish down which eliminates the possibility of adding contaminates on the fish and really reduces the amount of time the fish spends out of the water. On your idea of getting a fish scale, I have one word of advice, unless you're fishing a lot of tournaments and cull fish on a regular basis, DON'T! You will be very dissappointed when you lip that five pounder only to discover it's only three and a half. Take the measurement accurately and let you vast angling knowledge give you and educated estimate of the weight. Note: On a fish you consider your personal best, that estimate can, and will, get heavier over time.

'Lunkers Love Nightcrawlers' It not only covered fishing with them but was a testimonial to structure fishing. My copy was falling apart at the binder when I retired it.

Lazy Ikes and a crank bait that was distributed by K-Mart back in the early 80's. I still have a couple of the smaller Lazy Ikes that are killers on river smallies around hereand there's something about the action/sound of that unknown crank that makes it my secret tourney bait that only comes out when I need to make my limit by weigh-in.

I'm in the same boat. I could name five or six and maybe it was one of them and maybe it wasn't. If I had to bet on it, I'd say an original #7 Rapala. Black back, silver body. I remember saving two months worth of allowance to buy it.

Worst case scenario; the rod breaks with a fish on. Undue strain is being put on one or more parts of the rod. Next worse would be having a guide pulled off with a fish on. Either way you end up with a useless rod and likely a lost fish, so despite the fact that it's perfect for throwing those 1/4oz. cranks, unless all you plan to do is practice with it, don't take a chance. Give Cabela's customer service a call and explain your situation. They may have a solution for refunding or crediting you without your having to dirve back to the store. BTW, forget having someone replace the guides with more or different ones. Way too costly

Thanks guys. The only one I was able to find locally was at BPS and it's only a Med power. It works just fine with the light stuff, but I like throwing cranks and spinnerbaits and this one is just a little too wimpy for them. I did find a rod building kit from Pacific Bay that Cabela's has in a 6'6" MHF. I think I'll give it a shot putting it together and see how I like it. I don't expect it to be all that nice to look at, but as long as it's funcitonal when I get done with it, I won't be too critical of my own work.

Two piece casting rods are disappearing from tackle stores and on-line supply houses while two piece spinning rods are still readily available. I know that demand is what drives the market and was curious as to why. I keep a combo consisting of a two piece in my car along with a small tackle bag, throughout the season and was looking to upgrage the rod. I know that a lot of sensitivity is lost vs. a one piece, but for many of us that like to keep a rod handy, they're not practicle. Do you guys own and use any two piece casting rods? Do you know of any company that still produces a selection of them?

I've been using a Daiwa in 4.9:1 for cranking for a couple of years now. I believe the line recovery is around 26in. per handle turn. Prior to that I used a Curado in 3.8:1, which i found to be a bit too slow. Of the two, I prefer the Daiwa, but more so because it's a little faster than for any other reason. If you've never owned a Zillion, you'll be very happy with it as it is on par with the Lew's you mentioned as far a quality and smoother, not to mention the addition of the magnetic anti-backlash. Oh yea, If you decide you don't like it, shoot me out a PM and we can talk trade.

Man, that's a monster especially in your part of the country. The location of that fish is a good indication that the docks will still be producing fish. Not only that it directs you to the shallower part of the docks closer to shore. If I were going to target docks a day or two after catching that brute, that's where I'd start my search. BTW, you can tune a crank to run under those floating docks. A slight bend in the line tie to the right or left will do the trick. Don't overdo it, or you'll ruin the action, but on a long cast you can get it pretty far under the dock casting parallel to it.

I normally keep five rods rigged on my deck. Two on either side and one in my hand. When not in use, I let the lure hang just outside the boat while the rod lays flat on the deck. This way, if I need to do a quick follow up cast with say a Fluke, I can drop the rod in my hand, grab that rod and make a cast without wasting time unhooking from a hook keeper or unwrapping the rod or lure. I'll keep the rods on deck about six inches behind each other so the lines don't tangle, but when I'm moving from spot to spot with the big motor, I'll secure both the lures and rods before moving out. That's when the wraps, and or hook keepers come into play for me. If it's a short run, I don't bother with a rod or lure wrap, I just use the keeper. If it's a lengthy run, I'll either cut the lures off, or add a rod sock. Don't be afraid to add some tension on the line when using hook keepers. Not so much that the rod bends excessively, but enough to keep tension on the keeper. The only way you damage a rod is by putting a bend in the rod, and then storing it that way. One note on tackle organization. When I cut off a lure and replace it with a different color, style, or size, I don't return it to my tackle box. I'll hang it on the inside of my gunnel. At the end of the day, I have a better idea of how well I developed a plan for that day. If there's more than four different styles hanging there, I totaly missed the boat and re-examine what made me dicide to start with them. If there's a mirade of different colors or sizes, then I know my lure selection wasn't my downfall, it was not successfully locating fish. Next time out, I'll have a different plan as to lure selection, and or possible fish locations.

There's also a possibility that thie fish you were catching came from a school that ran shad up on the flat from deeper water, especially if all the fish you were catching were the same size. That water temp is a little warm for this to be happening around my part of the country, but in deeper southern lakes, it's a possibility. During the late summer when I see fish feeding on schools of baitfish I'll often catch light colored fish that have pushed the bait to the surface. I see it when night fishing also as some of the deep holding fish will migrate to the shallows to feed.

I'm guessing that there is a specific reason you want to switch from the Trilene XL. If the manageability of the line is your biggest concern, no, the Ultra Soft in the same pound test won't come close to the XL. If you were to drop to 10lb. and use a line conditioner you would likely get similar results. Personally, unless sensitivity is your reason for switching, I'd stick with the XL. I went back to it for cranking, spinnerbaits and top water after trying out a number of different lines. The only way you'll know for sure is to try it for yourself. What works for me may not be your cup of tea.

The odds are against you, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't give it a try. Keep in mind the same information about fishing docks holds true in the fall as it does in the summer. Docks closer to deep water, wood docks, docks closer to the water, older docks, etc. are still your best targets. Don't forget to try them at different times of the day now. The bass will be moving a lot and may not be using the dock the first time you try, but could return at another time. One of the positive things about docks at this time of year is the fact that cover is disappearing and docks may be the only form of shallow cover available which can turn the odds in your favor.

I've had the same problems and decided to go with a small spinnerbait with a hook weight crimped onto the shaft. It gives me the small profile and heavier weight of a RocketShad and holds up better. Another advantage is you can trim the skirt short for a smaller profile, or leave it a little longer for slow rolling it down deep. The only advantage that I see with the RocketShad is when you rip it up off the bottom and let it flutter back down. A regular spinnerbait, even a single spin, doesn't have that same triggering flash. I've gone to a Strike King RedEye Shad for that type of presentation.

Sorry if I gave you guys the worng impression about my fish coming unbuttoned. My frustration is not with the hooks, it's with the way many of those fish are hooked, on a single hook near the outside of the mouth. I don't see that much fishing cranks or my favorite topwater and I'll switch things up a little with them if I do. With lipless cranks about the only change I can make is to a smaller bait, but that smaller bait will run shallower. Hence my frustration. I've gone to a softer, overall action rod and use mono to give them a better chance at getting the bait and not just the rear treble in their mouth, but have to revert to the M/H and braid when ripping them off the weeds. As I said; it's a love/hate thing with me. The good thing is I love them a lot more than I hate 'em.

The speed of my retrieve doesn't slow down much until the water temps dip into the low 50's. What I do change is my lure selection, or should I say lure profile. Larger baits appear to move slower than smaller profile baits. Take a spinnerbait for example. If you switch to a larger blade or an Indiana or Colorado, on the same lure, it will appear to both you and the fish to be moving slower. Same goes for a crankbait. A larger, or fatter lure, with a wider woble will also give the appearance of moving slower. Add the larger size factor into the equation and you have a win, win situation when it comes to choosing a larger bait in the fall. Almost all of a bass' forage has reached maturity going into the winter, so larger prey is the norm for a bass at this time. Although my retrieve speed won't slow much now, I do pause more during the retrieve and most of my strikes come as I start the lure again. Don't get me wrong. You can, and will catch fish by slowing down and going smaller. But covering water is as important now as any other season so, until the fish slow down, I don't. As far as lure selection, for a 'slow' lure in cover, you can't beat a jig/pig combo and for open water structure, a crank will keep you at the depth you want to be with longer pauses than a spinnerbait which would be my second choice

Mine is a love/hate relationship with lipless cranks. There have been times when they've saved the day, frustrated me, caught the most fish, frustrated me, caught the biggest fish, oh yea, and frustrated me. My frustration comes from lost fish. I have more fish come unbuttoned on lipless cranks than any other treble hooked lure I've ever used. That said, I keep throwing them because they trigger some of the hardest, aggressive strikes I've experienced in bass fishing, they can load your livewell in no time when you get into active fish, and can get a school of fish fired up when nothing else will. They can be run at a constant depth, but like a spinnerbait, it takes a little work on your part. Aside from experimenting in a swimming pool (don't have one, you?), it's a trial and error learning curve. And like spinnerbaits, there are times for different retrieves. One of my favorite is similar to stroking a jig and I do it with braid. I don't loose many fish with this particular presentation as they hit on the fall and more often than not, that whole bait is in their mouth. Add a couple to your tackle box and don't limit their use to spring and fall. Just like spinnerbaits and lipped cranks, they'll catch fish all season.

I fish two lakes on a consistant basis, one of which I'm on an average of three times a week. I haven't fished a river in a few years, but I do visit four other lakes throughout the course of a season. BTW, the lessons I've learned on my 'home' lake have made fishing new water much more exciting. I'm much more adept at developing a game plan and at recognizing a developing pattern. I try to fish two new bodies of water a year. This year it was three and although I was skunked on one of them, I was able to locate active fish and develop a definate pattern on the other two. It's great to know a body of water like the back of your hand, but applying that knowledge in other theaters is when you can confidently call yourself and angler and not just a fisherman.

I get the same thing with the Gulp products. I used the TurtleBack worm a lot during the spring and was dumbfounded as to the number of cats I was catching. I wasn't surprized to catch a catfish while bass fishing, but like you I'm talking numbers not the occasional cat on a crank or spinner. One of the guys at my club hooked a 23# cat on the exact same worm, so I know it wasn't just a fluke thing for me. I stopped using them for a couple of reasons, price and the fact that if you don't use a hook with a keeper they're constantly sliding down the hook shank. BTW, I used them in a catfish contest later in the year and got skunked. Go figure

Well, today marked the final outing of the season for me. If I'd let the weather dictate my decision to go or not, I would've stayed home. Windy,rainy, changing conditions are not what I'd hoped for, but that's what I braved to get out one more time before waterfowl season starts. My rain gear proved it's worth and my persistance paid off even though I was driven off the water by lightning for the better part of an hour. My final tally was 17 bass and two walleye and although none of them were anything to brag about, I was happy to end the season on a high note. Now it's calendar watching time. Second week-end in March the power plant lakes open. Let's see, that's how many days?

So I decided to try my hand at rod building this off season and started out practicing wraps on a couple of rods we already have. This is the wife's favorite, so I did it in her favorite color and then added a little splash of color to the reel. I added the butt cap and did the guides with a silver under wrap and lavender over wrap. I know it isn't the best, but for a first try, I think it turned out fairly nice.