papajoe222

I have my 2022 calendar with the date already circled. I have only one question I need to answer before then; Braidwood, or LaSalle? Once the holidays are over I start with fishing projects. Those include building a new rod for myself or a family member, tying up a bunch of hair jigs and a few feathered trebles, along with getting the gear and boat ready for the season. I'll also make finite plans for two fishing trips for the season, one to the south early and one to the north in July. I also spend a lot more time here than I do during fishing season. Kind of like group therapy, it seems to help.

If I were you, I wouldn't change the mainline (braid). I might change the leader to 6lb. but I doubt it would make a difference. If you fish around thick vegetation, that could result in some lost fish.

I never met the man, but he introduced the Gapen Bait Walker sinker that is still one of the best bottom bouncing weights that doesn't hang up in rip rap. There are a couple of pictures of him hanging at the local Bass Pro Shops. Likely the best river fisherman the midwest has seen in decades.

There a just to many to choose from. Personally, I'd check out the St.Croix line. The Mojo, Bass X and Premier series are in your price range. The best way to determine which rod may suit you is to take the reel you intend to pair it with along with you and put it on a few rods. There is a comfort factor than many overlook when purchasing a new rod, similar to buying a shotgun. when it feels right, you know it.

I can no longer spend eight straight hours chuckin' and windin' standing on the bow of my boat. I learned how to sit and work a few lures with my rod tip up rather than down like I did when standing.

What color soft plastics I use for bottom presentations are based on two things, the clarity of the water and how dark or light the bottom is. I fish, almost exclusively, clear to slightly stained water, so I stick with the more natural colors, but I'll go with lighter color if the bottom is gravel or sand. Watermelon seed or baby bass. o If the bottom is muck, I go with something that is a stark contrast like white/chartreuse or anything with a chartreuse tail.

The Orochi XX doesn't have an offering that will work with the bait you mentioned. The Destroyer line does, but it's a little long. Megabass Destroyer P5 7'1" Dark Sleeper. When you consider the handle is over a foot long, it's in the ballpark, provided he can work a long handle rod from shore. In case you forgot, I'm your nephew too. I could use a new rod and would be elated if you gifted me that St. Croix rod I mentioned.?

Yes you can, just not with the hook, line and rod he's using. Try attaching 20yrds of 10lb. mono on to a stationary object and walk backwards two steps and you'll see why I said the rod was too short to generate enough power to get that 4/0 hook to penetrate. I fished mono exclusively and successfully for over 40yrs. including muskie and flathead cats.

It sure sounds like mismatched equipment. 10lb test line, other than braid, just isn’t the right choice for that big of a hook. With a short rod, you can’t move enough line to make up for the amount of line stretch and still have enough force to drive that hook home. I’d switch. To either a heavier line, or light wire hook and possibly a longer rod.

There a way too many to list brand wise. For the type of fishing you mentioned, he'd likely be good with a shorter rod in the 6ft.-6ft.6in. range. He won't get the distance out of a cast that he would with a longer rod, but would eliminate most of the hassle with overhead tangles. For power and action a Med. Heavy, Moderate Fast to Fast action (the mod/fast will help increase casting distance). Look for something with a high graphite composition. IM6-IM8. As I said, there are a lot of offerings in this category with prices ranging from under $100 upwards. St. Croix Bass X Casting Rod 6'6" Medium Fast This would be a big upgrade from anything he could find at Wal-Mart. Don't let the price deter you, St. Croix rods are top quality.

Tell us about the lure/presentation that you're using. I'm assuming that it's a single hook of some sort. Whatever you use, make sure your hook is sharp. There are videos on how to sharpen hooks here. Second, make sure your equipment is up to the task. Med. Hvy power and a faster action, or heavier. Lastly, if you're pulling the fish up out of the water to you on the bridge, your hook-set may not be the reason. The hooks could be tearing free once the fish is out of the water.

For the shallow water you mention, I'd say it's a faster technique. Punch through, let it fall to the bottom, let it sit for maybe two seconds and pull it out cast to the next spot. The only time I slow down when punching is in deeper water (10-12ft.) when the bite is slow. I'll let the rig fall to the bottom and kind of shake it in place, then bring it up to the bottom of the canopy and shake it there before I move on. I wouldn't call it slow, but it does take a little longer.

Other than oxygen levels and the availability of forage nearby (that fact is relative to the fish's metabolism being much slower and what one considers nearby), in my neck of the woods predators also influence bass location in cold water. Not being the top predator in many of our northern, natural lakes, security plays a much more important role in where you will find winter bass here.

It likely isn't your hook choice, but your hook-set. Depending on your leader length, there is a lot of line behind that sinker and a normal, quick upward hook set can only move so much line. Try reeling up all the slack while pointing your rod tip at the bait. When you feel the weight, continue reeling and sweep your rod to the side (the same way you sweep the rod when moving the bait, but quicker). That will take all of the slack out of your leader and allow for good hook penetration.

My wife constantly catches more fish than I do. She will, however, admit that I put her on the location, tied on whatever lure she was using unhooked and took pics of her and her fish. I'd like to say it's because she spends more time actually fishing, but it occured to me that while I'm doing all that, she isn't fishing either....................? I've concluded it's that woman's touch that the fish just seem to like more. BTW, I'm partially color blind, so she is the one that picks bait colors.

No doubt about it, a noisy buzzbait is one that catches fish. Along with some of the modifications mentioned, I drill a few holes in one side of the blade or bend up the tip on one side. This puts the blade off balance and that will make it noisier.

I didn't know SK offered a silent model.

There are many soft plastic baits/presentations that won't catch vegetation (depending on the type of vegetation) and, in clearer water would likely be a better option than a hard bait. For hard baits, you can't beat the original Floating Rapala, IMO. A #9 or a #11, or a jointed version will give you the option of presenting them as a jerkbait as well as a crank.

I’m a big proponent of throwing something different than what most everyone else is. Over the last few seasons, silent cranks have boated a bunch of bass on the high pressures waters. I’m searching for a silent, lipless crank or a hack to turn a rattling one into a silent one. Suggestions/recommendations?

One of the reasons I don't use a tube jig for deep structure is the loss of bottom feel. I'm normally looking for changes in bottom composition, or weed edges. With an internal jig, I all but loose any information transmitted up the line. They are, however a killer on a C-Rig or split shot.

My lakes also dont have shad. One color that I rely a lot on is Tenn. Shad. As mentioned, the lake doesn’t have to have shad for the pattern to work. Sexy shad is popular in my area of natural lakes. Another consistent producer for me is a red craw. Odly enough, for lipless cranks.

Tubes are right up there with craws on my list of favorite soft plastics. Dragging is a presentation I use more in colder water. I’ll drag it a few inches and pause almost like short stroking a C-Rig, but slower. My favorite rigging is with a football jig rigged internally. A light weight one (I use Siebert’s). If the bottom is rock strewn, I’ll go heavier and rig it like a trailer on a skirtted jig. As I said, it’s a cold water presentation for me, but I throw tubes all season long.

This is why you should never marry a woman that doesn't fish. I took mine fishing on our honeymoon. She was hooked and though she may roll her eyes when she sees a new crankbait in the shopping cart, she knows where I'm coming from. We've been married 50yrs.

I use the off season, yes we have one up this way, keeping busy making and modifying tackle. Normally I don’t begin until after the holidays, but I’m already epoxy coating jigs that I’ll eventually be tying. Is anyone else getting an early start with their tackle making, or is yours a year round hobby?

It could be the single cable steering, which by its design requires gripping the wheel when underway. I’m not sure if there is a way to eliminate that.