papajoe222

Not only was it my first, but they've had a spot in my tackle bag for the last 50 years.

I joined that group a few years ago. Besides, four hours of chucking and winding is about all this old fart can handle. Give me a 45min. nap and I'll be back on the water at 6:00

Haven't seen them mentioned, so I will. Live Target makes some of the most realistic looking baits and in the clear water I frequent, the bluegill pattern is tops. I really like the thin body and the hooks are top shelf.

I tend to get a more follows in colder water than in the summer. The good news is that you're doing something right. Regardless of the water temp, the first thing I do is change things up. First on that list is the retrieve. In 60 degree water, I'd speed things up first. Shorter pauses, stronger twitches are examples. Not working, or not seeing any more followers? Slow down. The second thing I do is change the size of my presentation. Smaller, larger, or even a different profile can be all it takes. Lastly, I'll change colors of the exact baits I was getting follows on. You can change the order of how you'd do it, but if you're getting a lot of follows, or the ones you're catching are hooked on the rear treble, change is the answer.

Are you talking finding them to purchase, or finding them where they should be?

Great job! thank you. I bet I know someone that had a big hand in initiating change. Thank her too.

Low & Slow and then go slower.

For me, hands down, it's a C-rig (or its baby brother the split-shot). Everything from trick worms on light wire hooks to 10in. ribbon tails. I get more feedback from that big, heavy weight. My worm stays on the bottom or just above it and I can cover a lot of water fairly quickly with it. I will use a T-rig with a 5/16oz. tungsten weight at night only because bites are easier to detect.

Going heavier will help and as mentioned, keep your rod tip low to keep the line out of the wind. I'd also recommend using a swivel to attach the leader to your main line as it will eliminate line twist. That, or use Spinshot hooks from VMC

Yes, fall rate will vary depending on the lure's size and shape. The easiest way to determine what it is, is to count down the lure to a known bottom depth and then figure out what count down will get it to the depth you want to fish. Maintaining a specific depth during retrieval is a different topic altogether, but, again, is dependent on size and shape because they affect its resistance to movement through the water, creating lift. Both become skills that are acquired over time. For years I could not retrieve a spinnerbait at a consistent depth. When I was finally able to do so.Then, different blade configurations humbled me.

I find that it's easier to remove the hook hanger. After taking the original hook off, replace it with one with a split ring and slide that over the narrow end of the hanger. Replace the hanger by adding a drop of superglue to the holes prior to screwing them back on.

I keep my decision simple. Worms and tubes get T-rigged and peg the sinker. Craws and beavers go on a skirted jig, or weighted hook. Creature baits are a toss-up, so I decide based on how fat the body is.

The Havoc bottom hopper is my favorite floater, moves with the slightest twitch or current. The Zoom Shakey Head, with its taper is another that has a lot of movement, but isn't a floater.

I suggest lures with built-in action. Hard baits like lipless cranks and Colorado bladed spinnerbaits can be fished with a chuck and wind approach, varying the retrieve speed looking for one that works. For soft plastics, ribbon tail worms, boot tail swim baits and RageTail craws, etc. that have that same built-in action are good for learning bottom contact presentations and can be fished anywhere in the water column if needed. For muddy water, stick with dark or bright colors. Black soft plastics are a good place to start.

I had exactly what you describe. It's called trigger finger. when it occurs on the thumb, it is much worse that on the other fingers. When it unlocks is when the discomfort becomes pain. There are two solutions. The first is an injection of cordizone (sp?), which can sometimes permanently eliminate it. The other is surgery, which will take a while to recover from I waited until the fishing season was over to have the surgery done. With some physical therapy, I'm back. Glad I had it done. Talk to your Dr. He/she will likely recommend you see an orthopedic surgeon.

A black pattern (Black Shore Shad) Super Spook Jr is one of my most productive daytime producers.

You just don't hear a lot about white jigs being used for flipping, but they do work. I use a white Arky jig a lot in the fall as a combination pitching swimming presentation. I'll pitch it into cover, let it fall and then slowly swim it back to the boat if there are no takers on the initial fall. Some days I'll get more fish on the initial fall and some days they only want it swimming, but I really feel that where the fish are positioned has more to do with which works better. .

I'm an advocate of octopus circle hooks. I snell them for wacky rigs. No gut hooked fish, I very rarely will loose a fish and they're easy to remove. Like waiting to set the hook with a topwater, the reel set with the rod at 10:00 or 11:00 takes a little getting used to. They're great hooks for teaching kids, too.

Unlike most, I prefer a short leader 18-20in. All season long. I gut hooked too many fish and missed too many hook sets using long leaders when I first started using this presentation. Rather than adjust leader length based on the time of year, I adjust my presentation speed. BTW, I use the same length of line between the weight and hook on my split shot rig.

My boat sits covered in my driveway through the winter. My plastics sty in the boat. Haven’t had any problems as far as the baits go.

Although I occasionally use spinning gear and finesse presentations (theDark Side) when conditions dictate, my confidence lies in ‘power’ presentations. This season has found me with at least one spinning rod rigged and ready on my deck and it calls out to me even when my confidence baits are producing. I thought the bait monkey was a pain. When I don’t have cash though, he is easy to ignore. Not so with the Dark Side. It’s soooo easy to pick up that wand that wand is so easy on these old bones. I need help, or a good disguise (I even disguised a spinning blank as a casting rod for a recent build). The bait monkey is even getting on board, enticing me to look at yet another spinning rod build. Are there support groups out there? Medications? A fairly inexpensive, smooth tequila? (Actually, I found one, but am open to suggestions)

I hadn't fished a local lake in a couple of weeks and when I did, I noticed all of the vegetation, except the pads, had died and floated to the surface. The result was a collection on top, that would change location with the wind. Would those dead weeds pose a significant threat to the oxygen level of the water beneath them? I've never dealt with this happening so quick or early. I targeted some of my deep spots with zero success, but stuck with it as I feared the shallows were oxygen depleted.

Even using a punch rig in deep weeds can be frustrating as the line between the surface and bottom can tangle in the weeds and not only catch them, but deaden the feel of any bites. I don't know what type of lake you're talking about, but it sounds like it may harbor an off shore population. It may not be as big a population as the one that exists shallow, but at least you'll be able to present a lure to them. Don't make the mistake of only looking for fish on your electronics as there are often times they don't show up. Look for a break line, or a bottom composition transition that extends for some distance. Any type of cover, or quick change in depth or bottom can be fish magnets in deeper water. The other thing to look for is baitfish near those structural elements. Don't give up on those fish in the weeds after the sun comes up. The top water bite there will likely be productive a lot longer that you would think as light penetration is reduced by the thick weeds.