papajoe222

This is an example of either; 1-fishing where they aren't 2-not knowing where to look 3- not knowing what to throw 4-knowing what to throw, but not changing up the presentation until you find one that works, or any combination of two or more of these.

I only use a scale on fish that exceed 18in. During the summer, that’s a fis over 3lb. my arm then re-calibrates and I no longer ‘need’ the scale unless I catch one over 23in. Ive caught two at that mark , one 6lb-12oz and the other 7lb-7oz. The scale doesn’t lie, it only humbles me.

So I got out on the water today with the sole purpose being getting to know my new depth finder. It's awesome, BTW. What I discovered sort of puzzled me on one hand, but on the other it made perfect sense. It seemed like all the bass were in the deeper water and they were all right on the bottom. Of course I started thinking about how I've approached this situation in the past and I had a senior moment of sorts, but this was a memory. Back in my early days of fishing my dad and I would target walleye on the Wisconsin River Chain north of the Dells right after ice out. We only used two presentations, hair jig/minnow and a tail spinner. We caught a cooler full of eyes every year, but we also would catch a bunch of bass from a spot and move on in search of our favorite table fare. Dad used the jigs he'd tied over the winter and whatever minnows we could find for sale and I used a tail spinner. Those bass loved that tail spinner (the walleye not so much). Dad passed when I was still in high school and I didn't fish again until after my time in the service. Sadly, mom got rid of all our gear and I started out fresh targeting bass with my new found Creme Worms and forgot about tail spinners until today. Needless to say, I stopped at BPS on the way home and picked up a few. Do any of you that live in areas where the lakes freeze over use tail spinners for ice-out bass? If so, share some tips please.

Spool up with neon braid and a mono leader. That will give you the benefit of detecting bites when using soft plastics as well as acting like a shock absorber when fishing faster moving baits Focus on one technique to start,I suggest a wacky worn or a drop shot, until you feel comfortable moving to another. Lastly, remember there is no magic lure that can guarantee catching fish every time, so don’t get caught up buying everything someone tells you is the best thing.

“Learn different styles and apply the one that’s best for where you are.” That applies to bank fishermen as well as boaters. Another way to put it is to fish your strong suit until it doesn’t work then try something else. it’s much easier to adapt to conditions than trying to change them.

I was introduced to tournament fishing as a non boater. For the first few seasons, I threw whatever the guy on the front deck was throwing. Sometimes it worked, but the majority of times I’d get only one or two fish all day. After seeing the same guys finish at, or near the top, I approached an older one and we talked over a couple of beers. Long story short, he does just the opposite of what the boater does and on the few occasions he’s throwing the same thing, his presentation is different. That mentality worked for me then and continued to put me near the top even after I bought my first boat. THROW SOMETHING DIFFERENT UNTIL IT STOPS WORKING and if you’re throwing the same thing, do something different with it.

N You're cheating. He said buying tackle,not tackle you make. Jeez, I wish I'd gotten into tackle making. It's a heck of a lot cheaper that the hobby I picked for the off season.

I just mounted this unit to the bow and have a Tripple -Shot (with side scan) at the console. How do I find out, before purchasing, if my lakes are included one the chip. any general tips would be appreciated. I’m not new to depth finders, but charts and way points are an area I need to learn.

If I’m fishing a BIG lake, I look for fish that haven’t spawned. They’re more willing to bite than spawn ears, or those that have spawned already. If it’s a smaller body of water, I’ll still look for pre spammers, bu won’t waste the whole day looking.

I read somewhere that the HP limit was removed and any size outboard is now allowed use as long as the operator adheres to the no wake policy. Is this true? I'd love to get back on that lake as my new boat's trolling motor can drain my batteries on a windy day there and I hate being stranded on the water, or interrupting someone's day by asking for a tow.

After loading about half of my Plano boxes into my boat's lockers, I came to the conclusion that I have and use so many hard baits that I'm missing out of the awesome performance of soft plastic baits because I don't throw them anywhere near as often as the hard baits. Even under cold front conditions, I reach for the hardware before 'resorting' to soft plastics. Just so you know, I normally carry about 40lbs. of soft plastics in my boat, so it isn't like having an assortment is the reason. I just love throwing the hard stuff. I also don't catagorize a jig and trailer as a soft plastic bait (I don't consider a buzzbait as a top water 'Lure' either, but that's just the way my mind works), or that percentage would be a lot closer to 50/50. So the change in my game plan is to only take one tackle box of hard baits in the boat for a few outings and see if I don't enjoy catching fish with soft plastics as much. Probably not, but I have a feeling my catch numbers are going to go up....... At least for those few outings. So am I the only one that is so dependent on hard baits that they neglect the soft plastics, or the other way around?

Such a rookie statement. I have enough gear to last me to well past my expiration date and I'm still buying. As to your question, maybe two weeks during hard water season. During fishing season.............. the local BPS has my credit card number on file and they just smile and hand me my bag of stuff and say see you soon.

Sorry to hear about your mom and uncle passing and your dealings with prostate cancer. Thanks so much for sharing the information about testing and early detection. A simple blood test, as you mentioned, is the key to early detection. I myself have been tested yearly for over 30yrs. So to all the members and their dads, uncles, brothers, friends: GO GET A PSA TEST NOW. I really can't stress enough how important this is.

This is worth repeating. As mentioned in the OP, dragging works most of the time. Being attentive to changing conditions is just as important when fishing during the cold water season as during the rest of the year. spring up and fall down is something I do unconsciously, but I forget about retrieving on an angle until I loose a couple of jigs. Then the lite comes on, sometimes.

Glad I never subscribed to that way of thinking.

If you approach a bluff the way you should any structure, you look for changes and any form of cover. Bass will hold somewhere along (down) the drop, so that is where you are looking for those changes. The base of the bluff can hold fish, but I’ve found that only bluffs that bottom out in 30ft. or less and have chunk rock, or cover productive.

This is a subject that I've devoted more than a few seasons studying. There was a time that I didn't give it much consideration. When one didn't work, I'd try the other (keeping it simple). But having a few inquiring brain sells among the dozen or so that I still possess, I questioned why one over the other. Because bites are few and far between at this time of year, I began observing what factors were present when one presentation worked and the other didn't. Water clarity, light conditions, barometric pressure, even Ph. What I found was that the bass would take a jig dragged slowly and with pauses much more often than a lift/drop presentation. When the latter worked best, it produced numbers and the bites were much more aggressive. What factors contributed to the more aggressive bite? Exactly those that you'd consider during the summer. Cold front conditions made the lift/drop/hop presentation almost ineffective and although production using the dragging method wasn't something to write articles about, I'd get two or three bites on it. My conclusion was, and is the reason why I choose one over the other to start the day, don't overlook the conditions during this time frame. You sure wouldn't during the rest of the season. ?

Realism, like color can be the difference maker in which bait will catch when others don't. The OP compared two craw imitators, but I've done a similar comparison with tubes vs. craws. The majority of time, when both were presented the same they both produced about the same. However when one was presented different (say the tube spiraling down) one would out produce the other by a wide margin. Sometimes the tube and other times the craw. This leads me to believe realism plays a back seat to action and presentation. I also believe one craw can out produce another at times, but just like stick worms the difference could be the density, or bouyancy of one over the other.

Sure will

Jerkbait Lot Used. $45 TYD Mix of 8 used jerkbaits; Rapala, Yo-Zuri, Smithwick, Bomber. There's one deep runner in the mix. Thinning out my tackle. Baits and hooks are in excellent condition Plano box included

Jerkbait Lot Used. Reducing my tackle You take advantage. Where else can you get 10 quality baits and a Plano box for $55 TYD Includes Rapala, Storm, Smithwick, BPS All baits are in good to excelent (a few have never gotten wet) No dull hooks! Will trade for a Daiwa baitcaster in good condition.

3lb.-12oz. could do it. I only know that fact because it happen to me when I was netting said fish. Short line, rod bent to the max and drag adjusted too tight. you’ll never know for sure, so just call it a seven pounder. Before long you’ll be doing so without thinking about it.

This particular post is about how many of us miss out on pre-spawn because we don't realize when it's happening. In an effort to help others avoid this mistake, sharing our mistakes can possibly help others avoid the same. The talk about spawn is more toward how we missed pre-spawn and didn't realize it until the bass were actually spawning. Of course, the thread took a quick left turn and headed straight to the spawn.

Great post. I've witnessed Big bass on beds in April with water temps in the low 50's here. the big girls want to drop their eggs ASAP and have no problem finding a willing male. What we all need to remember is water clarity has an effect on where and when fish will spawn. I've found that clear, shallow water where there is a darker bottom (not muck) seems to draw their attention. The other thing that dawned on me was the fact that my TM mounted transducer doesn't give an accurate temp. reading as it sits over a foot from the surface. When checking the temp. on my console unit, the surface temp. was considerably warmer. Maybe the eggs only need sun to hatch and water temp. is secondary.

I had it happen to me on TableRock the first time I'd ever fished it. There was a bluff wall that extended 300yrds. or so on the north shore of a cove. I found an outcropping of chunk rock in 20ft. of water. It wasn't very big, but if I missed it with a cast, nothing. When my casts landed past it and I crawled a worm up on to it, I got bit. It happened again on TableRock three years later, but this time it was 3lb. schoolers and a Cordell Super Spot was my offering. The school had encircled a ball of shad and kept them pinned in one area. Best day I ever had for numbers. I lost count, but it only lasted for 30min. or so