papajoe222

I have yearly licenses for three states. Not counting those fees, I like to keep costs under $100 for fuel, supplies and launch fees for trips under 100mi. Local lakes don't have launch fees and my tow vehicle gets better than average fuel mileage, so I'd say $25 for everything.

Not giving tactics a chance to prove themselves. I've yet to throw a bladded jig (I own a few), I only tried a Ned two weeks ago, I have a box devoted to drop shotting, but have only caught a handful of fish on one. When I do try one, I really don't give it a chance because I have zero confidence in using them vs. something I 'know' will catch fish, but usually doesn't.

You can save some $ by visiting your local hardware store. Take one of your finesse worms along and match it to the O ring. Some of the bigger stores offer bulk packaging for pennies per ring.

WINNER.....WINNER......Chicken Dinner

I punch my way through a 1/4mi. stretch of lilly pads that sit in 2ft. of water. There are many times that it never touches bottom.

I'd bet that you thought this was going to be about the fall rate of a jig/trailer. It isn't, but the information can be applied to jigs. I'm talking about the fall rate of your wacky worms, tubes, neds and plastic worms. I'd venture to say that the majority of anglers fish a wacky worm either weightless, or with a very light weight. After all, it's that slow fall and enticing wiggle that'll get you bit. What if I told you that there is a time when a faster falling presentation will put more fish in the boat? That time is NOW! Most seasoned anglers know that faster retrieves work better in the summer, but never consider a faster fall rate for their vertical presentations. I started experimenting with heavier weights on these baits a couple of years ago. The weeds at a local lake would reach the top in 15ft. of water and I needed a punch rig to get through them. That 3/4oz. weight rockets to the bottom, even with a bulky plastic, yet almost every fish I tied into hit that thing on the fall. When I fished my home lake, which has very few weeds and is very clear, I experimented with heavier weights. First with my tubes and later with rigging straight tail worms. Originally I figured; If nothing else, I'd be able to cover water faster. What I found was that a faster fall rate worked exceptionally well when the fish preferred a vertical presentation.

I use lighter weights for finesse presentations. For worm, or creature baits, I use a heavy enough weight to maintain contact with the bottom. The exception being my punch rigs, which get a heavy enough weight to get through the vegetation.

The only time I don’t swing at the first indication of a bite, is when I’m throwing big worms. I’ll hesitate a fraction of a second then, but never five seconds.

I do the same, but with a much shorter drop to the hook.I learned the drop shot technique watching Bill Dance. He rigged it with a barrel swivel 12in.-18in. above the hook. Been doing it that way since.

IMO, it depends on the 'grass' A light weight jig and worm combo won't penetrate thick milfoil or coontail which is beneficial if that vegetation has plenty of water above it. Count down until your line goes slack, that'll tell you how much open water there is above it. Popping it off the tops and letting it fall back will pull active fish up out of the weeds. Pond weed and other grasses, I'd personally shy away from using it. A T-rigged, weightless Senko would be my choice.

welcome tell us a little about yourself

Spare compartment??? Stop, please! You're killin' me.

How does it work on braid? I have one reel that’s spooled with an unknown braid that I like, but this season it seems to be holding a lot of water. I was going to give a line conditioner a chance.

I not only enjoy tackle prep prior to an outing, I enjoy mentally planning different strategies for it. Then, I reorganize everything based on what I decided was the best approach. What I end up with is a disorganized tackle box and a confused Papa.

I started using circle hooks for wacky worms when taking kids fishing to prevent gut hooked fish. I've long since switched to using them myself. I haven't seen any reduction in hook ups and, as stated, once they're hooked, they stay hooked.

You're dealing with a lot of variables (unstable weather, rising water, the fish's activity level,etc.) along with restrictions, shoreline access being the biggest. Knowing where the fish may be/finding the fish is your first step to success and it's going to take a lot of trial and failure to figure which of the spots you have access to will be productive. The best way is to cover one area with search style baits (cranks, spinnerbaits) dividing up the water column (top/middle/bottom). If you contact fish, stick to that depth and presentation. If you don't, repeat the process with slow presentations (Fluke, drop shot, shakey head) . You can all but eliminate an area with this process, or you can discover both a prefered depth and presentation.

The older St.Croix rods ran a bit heavier than their listed rating. I have one that's listed as a ML and it's closer to a Med. power. Sounds like it'll work just fine for the applications you mentioned, but like T9 mentioned, you may want to keep your selections on the smaller side, especially for creeks and rivers. Don't eliminate bottom contact presentations. A Ned is a great river bait.

I find that the fishing is better in a pond or lake that has an inlet of some source after a heavy rain. That incoming water tends to turn on the food chain. In natural lakes, however, it has a similar effect on the fish as a cold front. The bass will hold tight to cover, or the bottom. The exception I've found is when the water rises considerably. Then it can be a turn on as the bass will move into any newly flooded cover to take advantage of the forage it offers.

As long as there is forage in the area, those dock bass will stay in the area. If they're actively feeding, fan casting around the docks with a spinnerbait or buzzbait is a good approach. If not, you'll need to fish the dock the same as you would during the day. Docks that have lights anywhere around them are usually the better ones as the lights will draw the bugs and in turn the baitfish. Sadly, that also includes the biting variety of bugs, so be forewarned.

Back in the 70's, a reaper on a stand-up jig head was the hot bait on the Madison chain. A fellow from In-Fisherman magazine introduced them to a buddy who, in turn, introduced them to me. I caught what was then my PB on a black reaper/jig. I only carry a hand full of them anymore.

I keep all my RageTails in their original packaging. A Flambeau Half Satchel holds the ones I keep in the boat with me and the others have a place on my pegboard. I'll take a couple in a plastic bag for a quick trip to a pond, however. Steve had a fit when StrikeKing packaged the first run of RageTails in a plastic bag and went as far as paying for the tooling of plastic packaging for them. I figured if he's that fanatical about the packaging, I'll follow his lead.

First off, Welcome to BR The person that got me interested in fishing was a live bait only angler, but that didn't deter me from my curiosity in lures. He (my dad) would sit in one spot for hours watching a bobber or letting a crawler sit on the bottom while I walked the shoreline casting a knock off Rapala that I'd spent a months allowance on. We both caught fish and we both enjoyed the way we went about it. As others have said, do what appeals to you. You'll have good days and bad and I can tell you from years on the water that you learn more from those bad days (if you're so inclined). Tight Lines