papajoe222

Gotta love Buck Perry, he made anglers out of many a fisherman. The hardest part of fishing standing timber, is determining where in the water column the fish are holding. This type of cover is prime for fish to suspend in. The best way to find them is some form verticle presentation. Once you find that 'majic' depth, you can switch to something verticle that will cover that depth a lot quicker. Two things to keep in mind here; active fish will hold among the branches and inactive fish will hold tight to the main trunk. The other thing is, like the depth they're holding at, fish will tend to be on the same side of the trees in the same area. These two factors can help you develop a pattern very quickly when fishing standing timber, even if you continue to use the verticle presentation you initially used as you can eliminate a lot of water and concentrate on, not only the depth but, the proximity to the trunk and the side of the tree where the majority of the fish will be. A quick example. I was fishing a tournament with a non-boater that I had drawn a number of times that season. We located some nice fish suspended in isolated standing timber by counting down our jigs to around 15ft. or so. I was catching three fish for every hit he was getting as the only time he'd get bumped was when he'd start reeling back in to make another cast. The fish were holding just off the ends of the brancheson the sunny side of the tree and the only time they saw his jig was as it swam up and away from them. After limiting out, I coached him a little and we went from isolated tree to isolated tree, often behind other boats, collecting and culling some nice fish. We finished 5th (him) and 6th (me) that day and I went on to finish out the tournament in 3rd place.

I use mono exclusively when adding a leader as the only time I use one is when I'm C-rigging. That little bit of bouyancy that 18-24in. leader has may not make much of a difference, but it gives me more confidence than flouro. This is a situation where visibility isn't an issue because of the depth of water and the stretch in that short of a section of mono isn't going to loose me any fish. The only downside is that mono doesn't transmit information as well, but again we're talking short lengths of line, not yards.

There are two hooks that I like when T-rigging. One is the HP hook that Shaw Grigsby developed. It has a small clip at the line tie that holds the tube. the other is the Skip Gap by Gamakatsu. I personally prefer my weight inside the tube as that doesn't restrict the natural fall of the tube as much as when it's T-rigged and a tube jig is my prefered rigging.

A very knowledgeable fisherman (KVD) advocates matching your jig color to the color of the bottom. On the other hand, the 'Bass Proffessor' Doug Hannon recommends contrasting the bottom as bass, expecially in clear water, are sight feeders and can detect your offering at greater distances if it contrasts it's surroundings. Both are giving very sound advice from a view of where to start from. Color can sometimes make all the difference in the world when it comes to catching. I don't buy into subtle color differences, but I do agree with what I just said. I carry two jig colors. Black and blue and green pumpkin or green seed. My trailers is where I will add color often times with dye, but only if the combo isnt' or has stopped producing and I know there are fish present. On numerous occasions I have seen anglers switching out baits and colors when their efforts would have been better directed at locating the fish first.

The general term used to describe that type of weed is 'pondweed' It grows down to depths of 10ft. but rarely deeper and will top out just under the surface. It is, as you've observed, tough to fish. It's tougher for the fish to navigate. The first thing I would do is determine if the weed stems are as thick as the weeds themselves. It is rare that they are as most weeds are broader at the top than at the bottom. The next step would be how to present something to the fish that aren't willing to break through that mat and hit your top water. The last step would be to find an area of the pond that you; first can access and second offers the deepest water you can access. You are correct in assuming that punching through the mat is likely your best option as there are likely few if any openings within casting distance. Deadsticking your presentation after you punch through the weeds will acomplish two things. It will reduce your frustration when dealing with all the weeds that will cling to your lure every time you retrieve it and it will also give fish a chance to locate your presentation. I recommend using some sort of rattle, preferably internal worm weights along with adding some sort of sent. I very rarely recommend specific products, but I'm going to make an exception here as I am a fanatic about adding scent to everything I use. CB's Hawg Sauce is the best and most versitile one that I've found. It's available in both water based, which I would recommend for your situation, and oil based along with different 'flavors' Good luck going after that PB and let us know how successful you are at fishing that jungle.

Is that a Kimber Raptor you have as your profile pic?

Abu Garcia was the king when round baitcasters were the norm. They've had a difficult time convincing anglers that they make a good, low profile baitcaster. Will this reel eliminate that stigma? I doubt it. Shimano is like McDonalds in that it has top billing, but just like MickeyD's their share of the market has declined steadily as new competitors start eating away at their slice of the pie. If Shimano sits back on their reputation, they'll loose that top of the mountain to some eager beaver like Garcia. Daiwa and Quatum are likely more worried than Shimano IMO

Big or small, the choice is yours, but I'd try different retrieves if you don't feel you're getting enough bites. Sounds like that one that missed it three times had a little difficulty zeroing in on it. That tells me to slow down, or give the bait pause now and then. You didn't mention whether you were fishing heavy cover, or open water. If it's open water, I'd stick with the smaller baits as the fish get a pretty good look at your offering. In heavy cover, I'd go with a bigger bait to move more water and make more noise. Either way, mix up your retrieve when they stop paying attention to the one you're using or they're not sucking it in for a good hook set.

I wish I had a link to share, but any video you'd watch would likely only give you one or two ways to present this great bait. My advice is fish it according to the fish's activity level. It can be fished like a Spook, jerk bait. in tandem, weighted, drop-shot, etc. and those are just way to present it by itself. You can also use it as a trailer on a spinnerbait or jig. This time of year, I like to swim them on a weighted hook a couple of feet below the surface popping the rod tip occasionally. You don't get the darting, side to side action you do when just jerking it, but these things are great minnow imitations and minnows aren't always darting around.

I grew up fishing with a great guy and a fairly good fisherman and so I adopted a lot of his beliefs concerning many subjects. He once said that if I started cutting down trees to make a house, the house would need to get bigger as my family did and so I'd need to cut down more trees. I'd have a decent house when all was said and done, but not much in the way of game to feed the family. I'm a LOT bigger than I was then and I consume a lot more when I eat. I have no idea how this equates to fishing for bedding bass, but I thought I'd share it with you anyway. BTW, I've developed a few of my own beliefs over the years. CPR is one and leaving bedding fish undisturbed is another. If a lake has any size to it, not all the fish will be on beds at the same time. There are other trees to cut down, you just have to look elsewhere.

Don't really know if I'd enjoy reading about them as I prefer articles I can gather fishing information from. That doesn't mean I'm not interested in their personal history, I'd just prefer to read articles from them rather than about them. To answer your question; yes, in that context.

Turnover actually starts the first time the surface layer of water gets cooled to a temp. low enough to make it denser than the water below it. In other words when the surface layer gets colder than the water below, it will drop to the bottom. That water needs to be replaced and thus 'new' warm water rises to the surface. Chances are this process has started in many mid-west and northern states. The 'turnover' we as fishermen become concerned with is when the process happens quickly and the warmer water on the bottom is displaced in large volume bringing with it the loose bottom content ( dead weeds, leaves, etc.).You'll know when this is happening as you'll see that bottom content suspended near the surface as that warmer water reaches the surface. This mixing will continue until there is uniformity in temp. from top to bottom. That is when the debris will settle back to the bottom and is when turnover, as far as we're concerned, is over. The entire turnover actually takes months in some areas of the country, but is much faster that the warming process in the spring. Two reasons for that are; cooling water will sink to levels below it, warming water will sit atop the cooler water below until that water is warmed and air temps. tend to be more consistant during the evening hours during the fall than during the spring along with the nights getting longer. How long the turnover lasts is directly related to how quickly the climate changes. If the transition from summer temps. to late fall temps. is fairly abrupt, the entire process may only take a few weeks and the period of turnover we as anglers are concerned with will be short. If on the other hand temps. stabilize after the first week or so of cool evening temps, That same period could last for a month. Of course, these are extremes of both ends of the equation. So once you start seeing those dead weeds and leaves coming up, hope that the temps continue dropping quickly so we can get back to catching actively feeding basses.

I like to mix it up when it comes to baits. Some are more bouyant than others which makes them shine when fishing wood. Others are almost neutral and will rise slowly when paused or banged into cover. This style is great when fishing for suspended fish or those hanging around depth changes. I stick with just a few colors for the majority of my cranks. Color is the last thing I look at when deciding what bait I should be throwing.

If you fish smallies, definately go painted when it comes to blades. I've switched from a copper or gold blade that would only catch fish on the trailer hook to a bait with the same blade and weight configuration only chart. in color and they would hammer it without hesitation. 'It never hurts to experiment, especially when things have slowed down. Often times a color change is just what the doctor ordered and why not when it comes to blades.

If I'm flipping or pitching the jig, I'll trim the weed guard to make it stiffer. Then I'll shorten the front half of the skirt so it stands out to the side. If it doesn't have a rattle, I'll add one in front of my trailer and I never fish a jig without a trailer. Last, but most important to me is to check the hook for sharpnes.Not just when I start out, but frequently (this goes for checking the line for knicks too). I get nicked by hooks every time I go out, and although it's a great indicator of how sharp a hook is, I don't recommend doing it more than once or twice an outing.

I've caught many a bass on a T-rigged worm. I like the paddle tail as I can feel it thumping, but a Zoom OleMonster will get you some pigs. A fish's eye can collect more light than yours so their night vision is better. I still use darker colors at night, but that's more of a confidence thing especially when I'm using a faster moving bait up in the water column. This is a great time of day for faster moving baits and although you said that you're better fishing Senkos and such. Becoming a well rounded angler will increase your odds and enjoyment of the sport. Try a spinnerbait or a shallow running crank. You can cover a lot of water with them and the first time a bass hammers that thing, you'll be 'hooked' too. It's a great time of day to be on the water and a great time to gain some confidence in other techniques.

I look at it this way. I can fish a jig in the same manner and under the same conditions I fish a spinnerbait. I cant' fish a spinnerbait like a jig, except to stroke it. Does that mean I would? No, but if you're undecided as to which to tie on, go for the jig. If you start getting reaction bites while swimming or stroking it, switch to the bladded bait. Both baits are much more versitile than a crank and therefore a better choice to start with if you're unsure of the fish's location or activity level. Both baits have their devoted fans that wouldn't think of switching to the other even if it were a better choice. Don't become one of them. Remember, all baits are tools and should be approached as such. A crescent wrench will work on a number of different nuts and can be used to pound in a nail or two. If it's the only tool you have, use it but don't expect the same results as using a socket wrench or hammer.

I think I read that in a book somewhere, so it must be so. BTW, the book was 10,000 pages and I'm sure that 9,990 pages were filled with fair generalization. Take for example the often quoted: 10% of the water in any given lake will hold 90% of the fish. Sorry, to answer your question, no I don't think this is a fair generalization. There are too many other factors concerning light penetration, which is what is being refered to. Wind, clouds, water color, and time of day and year are just a few of the factors to consider when it comes to light penetration. Any one of those conditions would 'trump' the bright sunny day'. Although to a lesser extent, the same goes for overcast days. Overcast skies following a strong front don't necessisarily mean fish will be active in the shallows. If you start out your day with a certain mindset based on an all encompasing generalization, you will continue attempting to prove it instead of searching for what will work now. Remember, especially after post-spawn until fall, what works can change drastically over a short period of time as most fish will react to changes in their environment. If there is a generalization to head when it comes to determining your strategy on a given day it's; Keep an open mind and think like your quary.

Downsizing your offering is great on pressured lakes for a number of reasons, one of which may be the forage size in that particular lake more than the fishing pressure, although I'm sure that figures into it also. Changing the size of your offering, and sometimes the color can have a dramatic difference in your success. Keep in mind that many downsized baits like crappie sized cranks and smaller spinners work optimally with downsized line diameter. Heavy line will kill the action of most cranks and especially so with smaller bodied ones. Even with your plastics, going to a smaller diameter line can give you a slight advantage. Up your odds and go down. Both in the size of your baits and your line.

I don't use a swivel on any type of crank. The reason for this is that, unless the bait is tuned perfectly, there is always a little more resistance on one part of the bill than the rest. The majority of the time, it isn't noticeable during your retrieve. A swivel will allow that bait to spin on you much easier than just attaching directly to the split ring. Attaching a swivel is a great way to check that your bait is tuned properly, but if you're constantly bumping cover and changing retrieve speed (which you should be doing) it won't stay perfectly tuned and will end up rolling or running excessively to one side. That said, I do use a snap on many of my cranks, especially when I'm doing a lot of bait changes. It just makes it faster and easier on these old eyes than retying. Don't be fooled into thinking that it's a better way than tying direct to the split ring. Even if you remove the split ring and clip directly to the eye you loose a little of the lure's built in action. One more observation I'd like to pass along; check your line constantly when cranking. It's so easy to reel your bait in, and cast it right back out that it's easy to forget to check. I make it a point to check that line for a foot or so above the lure after every fish I catch and reguardless of how it looks, I cut and retie after getting snagged.

I can't speak for the lighter baits as the lightest I throw is 3/8 and most of the time it's 1/2oz. Very rarely will I not have a trailer hook on the bait. One exception is a bait I use called a Daddy Long Shank which is, as it's name implies, a bait with an extra long hook shank. I do, however modify how that trailer is attached depending on the conditions. A free swinging trailer is fine for open water or banging that s/b of rocks or hard bottom, but I'll use a piece of shrink tubing over the trailer hook eyelet to keep it from swinging and in line with the bait's hook. This will eliminate a lot of problems in weeds and wood cover. The majority of the fish I catch are hooked in the mouth with the front hook, but on occasion that trailer has saved my you know what in tournaments and from fishless days. I like to put the odds in my favor as much as I can. Frequent reties, sharp hooks, fresh line, sun in my face.....oh yea, and trailer hooks on my spinners and buzzers.

The techniques you mention are the only ones where I'm concerned about line visibility, especially in clear water. If the water you fish most often is stained, that 10lb. should be just fine. If it's clearer, you might want to drop down a notch or two. Lighter (thinner) line won't hinder your lure's action as much and most guys will tell you they get more bites because of that. You be the judge.

Like I said, go with a quality reel. Check out the auction sites, I picked up a TDA153HST for $60. Added ABE7 bearings and Carbonlite drag washers for under $20. Sometimes you can luck out and step up a little for the same cash as retail.

The one on the left is either a LazyIke or a FlatFish, the other two are spin offs of those likely made by the same company that makes Believers for muskie fishing. They're basically crankbaits designed before the first metal lipped cranks came out. The have a wider woble than today's cranks and don't run very deep when cast, but are real killers when trolled, expecially for walleye, pike, and the occasional smallie up on Delavan. I have a few that go eight inches in length and a couple that are less than two inches(they're great for river smallies).

When I fish for muskie and northern, I always give a second and sometimes a third set, and that's with braid tied directly to a wire leader. With a bass, however, the only time I attempt a second one is when I feel I screwed up initially. Sometimes, it's just a feeling, like you said. I'd rather loose a fish because that second hook set opened up a bigger hole in it's jaw that loose one that the hook never penetrated. I notice you use a fairly long leader and it seems to be paying off for you. The problem I find with long leaders is the fish moving toward me as I'm attempting to set the hook. You can reel down until you feel the resistance of the fish and their reaction will almost always be to turn away which will help in keeping the slack out of that long leader when you sweep that rod to the side and back. If you're not using that style of hook set, you may not be moving enough line to get a hook into them.