papajoe222

For years, the only way I used them was on a C-rig. Then about ten years ago, I started fishing them on a true Texas rig at night. First time out I caught three bass over 18in. and four more decent ones in one hour. I began using them occasionally during daylight outings and although they didn't produce numbers for me, like jigs, they produced big fish.

Two, actually. Chatterbaits and Multi-Jointed Hard Body Swimbaits. I'm not super excited to give the bladed jigs a shot, but the swimbaits have me chomping at the bit. I'm an old fart and as such, I don't like change and I know and am confident in other lures that will produce in the same situation, but I'm also a big time tackle junkie. I live by the saying; If I'm buying it, I'm trying it (you can use that if you like). I've already purchased a few of each.

My suggestion is go to a smaller/lighter lipless and fish it on heavier mono. With spinning gear, I wouldn't go much heavier than 12lb. and you can keep a 1/4oz. SuperSpot running 2-3ft. with a 5.2 spinning reel. If you're set on a bigger bait, give a Zoom Mag Ultravibe Speed Craw a shot, you won't be disappointed.

I fish three different lakes, each with its own form of cover. One has an abundance of dead falls and milfoil early, but by May, the weeds have been killed off. For structure there are numerous drop offs and a few flats close to deep water. Another has milfoil and hydrilla and the shore is lined with docks. There are only three main lake points of which two have a steep drop on one side. The last has 6-8in. lillypads that exted from 15ft. to 20 yards fro the shoreline encircling the entire lake. There it mixes with hydrilla out to around 10ft. of water depth. There is only one point on this lake and it extends out to 45ft. of water. On the first lake, I target the weeds and the flats and after the kill off, I target the deep structure as the dead falls get pounded by just about everybody. The second lake is all about the weeds and docks. The deep weed line doesn't see much pressure and there are enough bottom changes that it isn't a straight line for more than 20yards or so. The walleye anglers and meat fishermen focus on the other cover, flats and points. The last one sees very little fishing pressure and I do well punching the pads for the bigger fish and work that point heavily after the spawn for numbers.

I switched to SuperGlue Gel a few seasons ago because I grew frustrated sticking my fingers to the jig/hook shaft. I'm going to check out the Loctite gel this season.

I don't limit myself to any particular brand of these. 3.5in. Tube 7in. Ribbon Tail Worm 5in. Trick Worm Craw style Trailer (Rage Tail, Paca Craw, etc.)

wish they had fishing flea markets around these parts. I have a ton of gear I'm looking to sell off, but don't want to hassle with trying to sell on Facebook MarketPlace. The lures I can list here or on FleaBay, but with the cost of shipping rods, there are few inquires.

I think those people are more concerned with their own comfort than with how the wind affects the fish. You also have to consider what one person considers wind and another considers it a breeze. Either way, the wind factor during the winter is the 2nd least of my concerns (the first being lure color) as it has little effect on fish location IMO. The side of a cove or shoreline that gets the most daylight is a much stronger determining factor then.

Single blade, Torpedo Double blade, Wood Chopper. I don't know if it's still in production, but the one I have has paint chipped off and teeth marks from pike. A River2Sea Big mistake is a slightly larger version of one.

For me, it depends on how I rig the plastic. weightless and pegged weights, I use a palomar or Pitzen and an unpegged weight I use a snell. For trick worms, I normally don't use a straight shank. I'll use a round bend worm hook, or nose hook them with a weedless hook for more action.

I've always relied on blade size (and cup size) and adjusted my retrieve speed accordingly. If you're looking to keep it deep and still move it along at a good pace, a heavier bait in combination with a blade with enough vibration for you to feel, can be the ticket.

Sounds like an informative read. Looking forward to maybe seeing it.

I mainly target the upper water column when searching for ice-out bass. #1 choice for that is a suspending jerkbait. If the fish appear to be actively feeding I may switch to a soft plastic swim bait, or a lighter blade bait that I can work slowly and still keep up high. If it happens that they're still holding on the bottom, it's jig time. Small profile and little or no action on the trailer. I'll drop down to a 3/8oz. Arkie or football jig with the skirt trimmed short and add a chunk trailer. The other thing I may try is a crank that's rated to run much deeper than the water I'm fishing. That way I can crawl it along and maintain bottom contact.

I have had nothing but great service from ordering from their web site. So much so, that I went out of my way on a return trip from NW Wisconsin to stop at one of their stores. I was very impressed with the staff's overall knowledge, not only of the department they worked in. The closest one to me is in Springfield, IL, which I plan to visit on my next trip south.

Let us know if he’ll be on FB, or have a web site.

They are great on a split-shot rig, but no matter how I rig them, I cut the front arm of the forward appendages. Cut from the nose end, they add more action on the fall.

Welcome to the assylum

What he is saying is he uses his electronics to find structure in shallow water. Bottom changes, depth changes, etc. A shoreline can be full of cover, but the majority of catchable fish will be in the cover closest to some structural element.

Add me to the latter group. A S/SW wind is when the fish are the most aggressive for me. Notice I said wind. Bluebird skies and a light breeze can be just a tough as wind out of the north or east, provided that wind hasn't been blowing for more than 12 hours or so. More than that, I'm hitching up the boat and heading out.

It's extremely difficult to use any moving bait when fishing through a hole in the ice, but I'd pick a marabou jig.

That surface layer of water would be warmer than on the bottom. One of the baits that produces under blue bird skies like you mentioned, is a floating worm. Bubblegum is my color of choice, but you may need to try a few different ones. Also, if you're attracting nippers, pinch off a section of the worm for a smaller presentation.

For drop shotting, there are other hooks, IMO, that are better suited (designed) for it. As for the rods, it will depend on the line that you'll be using as much as the rod itself. If you'll be using braid, the M/F would work well.

I ran across one of these at a WalMart while driving through Iowa. Hadn't seen one in ages, but I do remember them being a good producer in the spring from ice-out until the spawn was over. Any of you still use one? If so, do you limit it's use to early season, or is it a year round offering for you?

If I only count the days I fished for more than four hours, it's somewhere between 60-70. If I add the number of times I got out for an hour or two, you can double that number. If the lakes and ponds didn't freeze over, I could hit 200 np.

What he said.