snakesandarrows

Could you imagine the winner of the Bassmaster's Classic reporting on T.V. that he/she won the tournament using one these colors? "Well, I'll tell you - we had a hard time at first! The fish just didn't seem aroused. But as soon as we tied on those flirts, we able to to pull them out of the grass!"

I used to use jitterbugs a lot-until I discovered a crazy crawler. If you are looking for a hot topwater bait for night fishing, check out the #24 (black frog) crazy crawler-the dull-white belly actually glows in the dark if you shine a light on it for about 15 seconds. One of my favorite ultralite lures is a frog or perch colored jitterbug. I agree with the last post, however; if the bait is introduced correctly, color is secondary, unless you are fishing extremely clear water under bright light conditions.

I concur; just about the only line I ever use, for both ultralite and medium/heavy is Berkley Fireline. It's DA' BOMB. I can definitely say that I have increased my success with Fireline. I just bought three spools of smoke 14# on e-bay last night for $19.89! (And at this rate, it'll probably arrive before my first BPS package that I ordered on June 3rd!!)

I need some advice on what tactics I should use when fishing for smallies on Long Lost Lake in Clearwater County, MN. Below are some links to maps of the lake and some other general info about the lake. Last year my buddy hooked into a couple of smallies while casting to the bank with a spinner bait, but we didn't stop due to the fact that we were trolling for northerns. What tactics and lures would you use for bronzebacks on this lake? Lake Info: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/showreport.html?downum=15006800

I called back today to check on my orders; everyone I talk to gives me a different story. Come to find out that my first order, which was placed on June 3rd, and, according to my e-mail confirmation shipped on the 4th, was actually not shipped until the 5th. Now they are telling me that it should arrive by Thursday or Friday this week (June 14th or 15th). As for the second order, which the lady told me she would try to do a complimentary 3-day ship, was also sent regular mail. The order was placed on Friday, June 9th, but wasn't actually shipped until today. The first guy I talked to today stated that they tried to change the shipping venue, but it was "too late." Another customer service agent told me that I should get the second order prior to leaving for Minnesota next Wednesday. Whatever...Right now I'm worried about receiving my first order on time! They must be using freaking horse and carriage to ship their orders-it's only around 1500 miles from Springfield, MO to Goldsboro, NC. GEEEEEEESE! My buddy ordered his stuff from Sportsman's Guide and Kyle Lafountain's Buy Fishing Stuff.com last Wednesday. He received all of his stuff this past Saturday, and didn't pay any more than $5 shipping from either place. In fact, he got a $20 giftcard from Sportsman's Guide for re-upping his membership. Dreaming of MN; Worried in NC! >

I don't use frogs a lot, but I'm really curious to know how the bass on Heart Lake in Northwest MN are going to react to the Bronzeye. Last year, the hot bait was a crazy crawler (bullfrog color). I kid you not; I threw every topwater lure in my box on this lake, and never had the same success as with the crazy crawler. Of course, the bronzeye can be thrown into the lilypads. My only concern are the Northern Pike. We probably catch one Northern for every five Largemouth on Heart Lake. How will the bronzeye hold up to a mouth full of teeth?

Have any of you ever experienced problems with Bass Pro Shops online store? I guess I just need to vent, but unless they change their outrageous shipping charges and incredibly slow shipping methods, I will never order from them again. I am planning a fishing trip to Minnesota in about ten days. I ordered several lures and whatnot about a week ago and still haven't received my package. I placed a second order on Friday night, and still haven't received a confirmation e-mail. I called customer service yesterday, and the girl told me that my first package was in Georgia; she said I should receive by Wednesday. She went on to tell me that my second order wouldn't reach me until June 22nd. "Okay," I said, "I will be in Minnesota by then; can I change the shipping address?" "No!" was the reply. I used to order a lot of stuff from Bass Pro Shops when I was younger; I couldn't wait to get my catalog every year. And I assumed, because of my experiences with other online stores (Amazon.com, Cabelas.com, etc.) that BassPro.com would be a safe bet to get my stuff to me on time. Heck, I've ordered tons of stuff from Amazon and I always order over $25 worth of stuff or more, which qualifies for super saver shipping (FREE shipping via regular mail). Although their site tells you that it could take up to 10 days to receive merchandise, it has never taken over 3 days to reach my front door. It has never taken over three days for Cabela's merchandise to get to me via regular mail. I started to order a spool of Fireline with a $25 BassPro giftcard I received (knowing that I would have to make up the rest with my credit card. The line costs $28.49; shipping would be $6.95. The total would be $35.44. Then it will take 7-10 days to get to me! I'm sorry, but that's RIDICULOUS! The only reason that I ordered from BassPro to begin with was the name and past reputation, not to mention that they carried crazy crawlers. A friend of mine ordered some of the same stuff from another online (independent) vendor a couple of days after I did, and received his stuff in three days-regular mail. And he paid a flat $5 shipping fee. Altogether, I paid nearly $16 shipping (both orders combined) from BassPro and may not get it in time for my trip. :'( The girl in customer service at Bass Pro did say that she would "try" to get my second order shipped via complimentary 3 day shipping. We'll see! It really does pay to shop around - even online. What have your experiences been with Bass Pro Shops online store...and others?

A buddy and I were catfishing on the Neuse River one night using chicken livers. We were using chicken livers wrapped inside of strips of panty hose (an old trick to keep the liver in place and from sliding off of the hook). However, about halfway through the night, we ran out of livers (not to mention Natural Light), and we found a half of a snicker bar. We wrapped it in hose, embedded the hook and threw it out into the current. We were shocked to get several strikes prior to landing a 2 pound catfish. I've also caught carp using chocolate chip cookie dough!

I just purchased three spro bronzeye frogs: colors: green and black, green and yellow, and white and red. It looks like a promising topwater bait for several of the lakes I plan to fish in NE Minnesota in a couple of weeks. Last year I discovered that the hottest topwater bait for many of the lakes with lots of lilypads was a heddon's crazy crawler. Of course crazy crawlers are somewhat limited to the outskirts of the pads, whereas the frogs can be fished in the midst of them. I'm really anxious to try them, especially in one particular lake where we slayed the bass with crazy crawlers. The only concern that I have are the pike. I've read that the pike go nuts over the bronzeye frogs. How well are they going to hold up after a couple of 3-5 pound northerns get a hold of them?

A buddy and I plan to fish for smallies in some of the lakes in northeast Minnesota in a couple of weeks. I'm kind of at a loss as to which baits we should use. He caught a couple on spinnerbaits last year in one of the same lakes we plan to fish this year. Should we buy live crawfish? I've thought about getting a couple of Dance's Craws, but I've never had a lot of luck period on plastic craws. Any suggestions?

I caught a few while fishing in Minnesota last year; most of them on beetle spins. All of the ones I caught looked like they had parasitic worms attached to them. I wouldn't eat 'em; they looked nasty.