Big Keene

but i was with Top_Dollar at the time. he might have been the "bait". 😉

haha. one look at me would disspell that myth! think Shrek just less green!😁

sorry...sorry..ive shared a boat with top_dollar numerous times and know the quality of his character. just got defensive at someone badmouthing my friend unprovoked. i try with all my might to keep it fishing on here all the time. this forum is awesome for all the info that so many people are willing to share(myself included) i love this sport. i love outdoors. i go out of my way to show people who want to learn or know about anything. a coupke of weeks ago i showed a stranger step by step how to fillet a walleye because she asked and i was there. she ate fish and had never seen how it had happened before. i even love seeing the jet skiers and boaters out enjoying the water...just not where and when i want to fish. i fish busch wildlife a lot and it sees quite a bit of public use. a lot of times i get youngsters who see me doing halfway decent and ask about what im doing. i give em some jigs and whatever color bait im catchin on, tell em exactly how im fishin and wish em luck. gave one little dude my spot cause i was done, and he was getting bit before i was finished loading up. that made me happy. it all comes down to not being an a$$, if you encounter someone who wants to learn, then teach! if someone who knows more about what you want to know is talking, listen. good luck, be safe out there, and most of all HAVE FUN! sorry for the rant

thats one heck of a crappie in the bottom of that pic. nice size channel cat too. smiling kids make for the best fishing trips!

what "frivolous accusations" were made? in an earlier post you were complaining about jet skiers and boaters bothering fisherman, and now your defending them against phantom attacks??

how is it an ahole to not want somebody fishing in a spot you want to fish. he didnt say to run em off. a jet skier enjoying thier sport on a public waterway is an ahole because they prefer something different than you? i think we found the real ahole

i have a mold for ned rigs that has a groove cut in it for adding a bait keeper. you can buy the keepers seperately. i imagine this is the same way, put the hook and eyelet in the mold, close and pour.

that link is to the do-it molds site. it is do-it mold model LBS-6-A.

i set mine low, but not that low, usually only a drum or bass trips drag on the strike. makes you wonder though, like Dan said earlier, braid is easier to pull through a crappie. im curious if a lighter drag would result in more consistant hookups on Sac-a-lait? and would there be consequences on more "solid" mouthed fish. you can thumb the spool in a flash if its a heavy hit. definitely going to do this experiment the next time im trolling.

http://store.do-itmolds.com/Live-Bait-JigbrSz-116-18-14-38-12-58brHk-571brCollar-Tapered_p_448.html this looks pretty similar

me too. i always figured faster=deeper. seems like speed affects weights. if your trolling with snap weights or in lines, the faster you go the shallower its going to run and vice versa. the bill of the crank gives it its depth. seems like speed just gets it there faster, with the amount of line out being the major limiting factor, and line type and diameter being minor factors(thin braid goes deeper than fat mono) ive never used a weight/crank combo, so i dont know, but i would expect the weight supercedes the crank, which makes speed a depth factor.

Thanks for sharing! Put my name on the client list if you ever do start guiding! i would love to get a days worth of your knowledge.

my issue with the marker method is that the length changes any time you have a break off or have to re-tie. and the metered braid is super durable, we just dont have to change it out very often. when we are long line trolling, its easier and faster for me to just count out 9 colors and click it in gear. but like everything else...what catches you fish and is something that your comfortable with is the "right" way.

what size jighead/hook do you prefer, and do you notice a difference between painted and unpainted jigs? how much crawler? i tried to catch some on jigs and crawlers a couple weeks ago, but all i got was a big bluegill. i tried a whole and a half crawler, tried casting and dragging back to the boat, tried strolling, nothing worked for me.

look into precission trolling. it has loads of info regarding depth and line out.

most baits tend to hit their max depth with about 180ft of line out. we have been using depth hunter metered braid line, and it makes it easy to repeat what depth you are at. Dan Hufferd is right about the #7 blue tiger flicker shad, and the lure retriever. a 2 mph boat ride should put you on fish! good luck!

i bet that carp was fun. every time ive ever caught one they fight like crazy.

that might have been a difference, we had 3 days with next to no breeze.

that seems shallow for how hot its been. is that normal for this time of year? we were fishing 15-20ft and while we caught fish, nothing like those numbers!

thats awesome!

we tried 5,6, and 7's in variuos colors. everything got bit to some degree, but no size seemed to be better than any others. we caught fish on 7's, then it would slow down, so we would switch, catch a couple, slow down, and repeat

we finally got to fish instead of living vicariously through everyone else! fished hawker area. thursday we caught a mixed bag of short fish jigging spoons on the bluff end transitions in the morning, trolled flicker shads in the afternoon ended up with 3 keeper crappie and 3 keeper walleye. trolled all day friday, and caught 3 short walleyes, 4 short crappie, and more 15-18" drum than i have ever seen in my life. today we trolled at first, and found 3 keeper crappie, but then we found some brush piles holding fish, and started jigging spoons around them. ended up with 7 more keeper crappie, 2 walleye, and a mixed bag of shorts and bass, until motor troubles chased us back to the dock! An immense THANK YOU! to everyone who posts info on this forum that helps weekend warriors like us have a successful trip!

looks like a great day on the water!

we have always done well on the various purple shades and patterns on Stockton and Table Rock. also Blue Tiger, Uncle Rico and Slick Green are always consistant producers for me.