ww2farmer

10 lb braid with a flurorcarbon leader connected with an alberto knot, I usually use 8lb fluoro for the leader, but will go down to 6, and up to 12 on spinning gear.

I don't want it both ways, I'll gladly...........well not gladly, but am willing to lose all the $5-$10 baits I do to catch the fish I catch.Since I started using fluoro leaders tied to braid, insted of straight braid the bleeding has stopped a little, but not enough to jump into the pool of donating $15-$30 baits, besides, it's hard to argue with the results I have with the less expensive stuff. I am 100% confident they way I fish, a steel leader would be at the best a hindrance, and at the worst cost me bites. My time on the water is too valuable to me to spend it unproductivly.

No...........we actually want to catch fish.

I don't know what your deffinition of "cheap" is, but you will get alot of bang for your buck with Zoom softplastics, and Strike King crankbaits.

I have a buddy who has the Minn Kota with autopilot. After using cable steer on my boat I find it hard to adjust to the electric steer, so much so that when he offers me the front of the boat I decline. At least on the inland lakes around here where I am trying to follow grass lines or manuver around docks up shallow. Out on Erie tho, it was great for keeping us locked on waypoints inthe wind out in deep water in the middle of no where.

Like most have said, in summer the whole tackle box is in play. Not knowing where you fish, or what the make up of your lakes cover, structure, and forage base is it would be tuff to give you an answer reguarding your situation. A typical summer day for me, on a shallow lake, with grass, docks, and other shoreline cover as the primary areas I fish, and with bluegills,perch, and crayfish as the main forage would go a little something like this for me. Early AM, if it's calm I would work top water over the submerged grass that grows from the bank out to 10-12 fow, if they are biting it I stay with it till it dies. If I am getting alot of slaps and misses or it's too windy for TW, I will pull a sqaurebill crank through the grass to see if they are willing to play on a moving bait. If they don't want that I break out the weightless soft plastics. Alot of times early in the day they will come up and suspend in the grass, but not really be in the mood to chase. If none of that works, I know it's going to be a long day LOL. By mid morning when the sun finally is hitting most of the water, I slow down and start pitching and flipping jigs, and t-rigged plastics tight to cover, sometimes out in the weeds, some times shallow around the docks. Alot of times it's just my gut, or trial and error telling me what direction to go. Now if it's overcast, with some wind, I'll deep crank the outer edge, or fish bigger jigs faster to cover water looking for active fish. Come evening I go back to the AM routine. Then of coarse there are the days where it's flat calm and they want crankbaits, or it's windy and need to babied into biting a drop shot on isolated cover outside the weeds, and only they know why it's like that on that perticular day.

I'd like to stop being such an a-hole............maybe just downgrade to a d-bag.

A lot of trial an error over the years has refined my spinnerbait selection, but IMHO to keep it simple you can't go wrong with a 3/8's ounce willow/colorado tadem blade configuration, with a chart/white skirt too start with, then expand form there. That's a good all purpose spinnerbait. Lots of good brands out there, I like Strike king.

Who knew I made such a poor choice in jigs? Certainly not the 1000's ............yes 1000's of bass I have caught on them. They are designed for flipping,and thats how I use them most of the time, but I have caught many casting or dragging them as well. I vivdly recall one magical hour a few years ago where I boated 20+ fish between 3 and 5 lbs casting the 1/4 oz flipping version up on to a rocky point and dragging it back. But how could that be? The only way I can figure it out is the jig must have transformed into the "right" jig under water where I couldn't see it, after all every one knows dragging anything but a football jig, or casting anything labled a flipping jig.....not to mention I didn't have a rage tail trailer, is a sure fire way to fail. Fish away with them, they will get bit, and you will put fish in the boat with them. Would I have caught more fish that night if I had the "right" jig......who knows? They were biting what I was using, so I kept using it, besides there were weed pockets all around that point I was pitching and flipping too without much luck and was too lazy to tie on a football jig to drag the point, and what do you know? It worked out fine. This sarcastic reply is not to infer that a jig is jig is a jig, there are jigs made for certain applications, learn as you go. Sometimes there are too many "experts" on here that want to overwhelm someone just starting with all the little nuiances of this situation, that situation, etc....and give the impression that if you don't spend $10's of thousands of dollars on stuff or carry a sporting goods store worth of tackle around your just wasting your time. Not many people advise going the simple route, and expanding from there, which IMHO is a big mistake. But...........thats just a product of an internet message board, alot of guys think it's a wiener stretching contest and have to dazzle the masses with what they know.

I like Jackall stuff, but not these. They won't do anything or catch any more fish than the cheaper cross tail shads, or the alot cheaper Zoom tiny flukes. Case in point, a buddy and I pulled up on some deep cover last summer, dropshoting zoom finesse worms and tiny flukes I put a dozen quality keepers in the boat in 15 mins, he was using the clone fry........not a bite. I even swung the front of the boat out into no mans land and let him have at by himself for 20 mins.........nothing. After listening to him whine that I caught them all, I swung the boat back around and caught another limit in short order. Nothing fancy, just dead sticking a drop shot. I know I am not that good, nor is he that inept, so I saw all I needed to see to know that it would be foolish to pay $9 a pack for those. But they are pretty to look at.

Summer- t- shirt, shorts, flip flops and a baseball hat if I am going fishing from home. T- shirt, jeans, baseball hat and work boots if I am going after work. Sunscreen on face and ears at all times.......if I remember LOL. Spring and fall- jeans, hooded carhart zip up sweat shirt over a t- shirt, work boots, baseball hat if it's warm, knit carhart winter cap if it's cold. I often bring a lined lighter weight wind breaker type jacket as well. Winter and ice fishng- flannel lined jeans, heavy carhart socks, same hooded carhart zip up sweat shirt over a long sleeve t-shirt, same carhart knit winter cap, and insulated waterproof winter boots. I will also bring my heavy winter coat and gloves for when I am out of the shanty, or walking to a new spot. But I like to dress a little lighter than most, I have plenty of "natural" body insulation LOL,and I run a heater in the shanty.

. I leave work everyday, beyond filthy. The GMC has black leather, and black carpet throughout. Drywall dust, mud, and filth stand out like a sore thumb on black. Same here, except it's grease, oil, mud, and cow manure. Thats why I drive the old beater Jeep cherokee.

I am over 6' tall and north of 300lbs, we had a 2002 Focus and I thought it was pretty roomy for a small car. Thats one of the reasons we bought it, and as soon as we are done with car seats, strollers, and that kind of junk I am getting rid of the mini van and going back to a focus.

In additon to what the wife and kids bought me, I went out and bought myself some stuff with part of my Christman bonus money from work. I got a St Croix 6'3" M/XF Eyecon spinning rod for skipping docks, a St Croix Mojo 6'6" M/F casting rod for a new jerkbait/topwater rod, a St Croix Mojo 7' MH/Mod crankbait rod, and I took advantage of St Croixs holiday promotion and sent in for a new 7'1" MH/F Rage casting rod. This will be my new frog/swimjig/spinnerbait rod.

1) Zoom horny toad: Greenpumpkin/pearl belly color 2) Weightless, weedless texas rig 3) Gamakatsu 5/0 EWG superline hook.

Very popular and productive dropshot bait in this area, esp. for SMB. Personally I don't care for them too much, not because they don't catch fish, but Gulp is a PITA to "care for" compaired to normal soft plastics. And honestly I don't catch any more with them than any other 3" drop shot bait that I apply my own scent on to bother with them much. They do seem to have a more multi-species appeal than most other traditional soft baits for some reason though.

Start as a non-boater and K.I.S.S.

Given recent history, that is to be assumed. But that is actually one of your better ones.

Depends on the rod, the power and action ratings between the different makers very wildly.

Fine rod, I have quite a few St Croix's and am a big fan. Be prepared for countless posts from every expert one here why x,y or z brand of $100 rod is better, but truth be told, most all the rods out there in the $100 range are pretty equal. Some are lighter, some are heavier, some have more "bling", IMHO though, you won't find a better built rod in the $100 range. St Croix has very few QC issues and puts out quality products in both there USA and imported rods. Now as far how the rod will fish....St Croix medium power rods are a little more "powerfull" than most other brands labled mediums. They make excellant "all purpose" rods. Use the lure weight and line size recomendations to guide you on what to throw with that rod and it will do many things well for you. I have use braid on all my rods for several years now and the guides are as good as new, so you shouldn't worry about any issues there.My oldest Mojo is going on it's 4th season of use, and I use that rod almost every day out on the water, well over 100 times a year. The finish is durable, and, also just MHO, St Croix has and continues to use the nicest cork in the business. Sensitivity will be more than enough for reaction baits, and be very good for "feel" baits........no not as good as rods further up the line, but on par with most, and exceeding some rods at that price point.

I don't have a 7' M/F Avid, but I do have a 7' M/F LTB, and my 7' MH/F Avid and my 7' MH/F LTB pretty much feel the same to me, so it's safe to say the 7' M/F Avid would be pretty combarable to my 7' M/F LTB. With all that nonsense out of the way....If I had to chose one to fish jigs, anytime, anywhere it would be the MH/F. It will handle jigs down to 1/4oz, and all the way up to 1oz +, and I would rather have the extra power for heavier cover situations. I do fish jigs on the 7' M/F, but it's in limited niche situations. So IMHO, stick with the MH/F, or do what I would do.....buy both. LOL.

Check your PM, I would rather not say, I do feel it's still one of my "dirty little secrets" LOL Not "noobish" at all, I do it often. Especially if the winds blowing.

Perfect example of "different strokes." Noel and I fish the same water, with the same baits, yet I like and do very well with 20 lb braid, sometimes with, sometimes without a fluorocarbon leader. There is no right or wrong, other than I am clearly the better cranker between the two of us, but that has nothing to do with the line choice. LMAO :grin:

SK tour grades, with the 6th sense punch stops.

Light cover and 10-15lb line St Croix 7' M power/fast action, heavier cover and 15-20lb line St Croix 7' MH power/fast action. I have both those rods in the LTB series but your budget being $100 the Mojo or Triumphs fit your requirments. I have several Mojo's in other powers/lengths/actions. They are fine rods for the money.