nomolites

Definitely fish in the moment, although it does not hurt to fish where they live. The days I never forgot are those that had me setting the rod down and taking a break because I was worn out from the catching. Best yet is putting a neophyte in that situation. Mike

Congrats! Mike

The only time I went up there to troll cranks I put in at the route U ramp west of Florida and fished the flat just to the northwest. There is a good drop on the north side into the channel and a bit of a hump out on the point. I did not catch any walleye that afternoon, but I caught everything else(crappie, whites, bass, catfish)…if it was my I’d start looking in that area. Mike

That is a tank! Nice. Mike

My buddy Dan and I left out about 1030 this morning looking for hybrids and walleye….after failing to locate any schools we decided to fish jerkbaits in the hopes of picking up a couple. We did pick up one hybrid, but the multi species bite was absolutely off the charts today. No pics of the LM or drum, just the two spots I “removed” and the other miscellaneous fish we kept … all on jerkers. We finished up about 5. Decided to dispatch the spots, whites, and green sunfish immediately. Delicious. Chunk rock. Bluffs, ends. 3-25 FOW. Mike

I ordered 2 a couple of months back and they were back ordered….maybe I’ll get mine soon. Shad spawn time on LOZ. Unlike most of you, I will be looking for hybrids and stripers with them…although I catch many nice LM while I’m at it. Mike

X2 on Hargrove’s - they are exceptionally friendly and helpful. Mike

Ouch! We just had little stuff…that’s ding size. Mike

https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwi9qvHQ3Kr-AhWuKUwKHVthB1wYABAOGgJvYQ&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAASJuRouMzqopOLdRVcXRki2eWKZiHFgdqAY8PjlZN78lypXXr7gWoM&sig=AOD64_1qiE0I35UThuSUIgy0SzZN3y4M_A&ctype=46&q=&ved=2ahUKEwi66-PQ3Kr-AhXJmWoFHVcxCg4Q5bgDKAB6BAgFEBI&adurl= I modified one of these, also have another (hound dog) but this seems to pull them out of brush better. You MUST put a stronger cord and attachment on for best results. Mike

I used to lose baits too…rarely now. I have a chain type lure retriever on 70’ of braided trot line cord(had to modify the cheap original tie in point) works like a charm. Those uncle Rico flickers are hard to get. Mike

I had a smallish gafftop flip while unhooking and bury two spines in my hand ONCE; those things are barbed and carry some painful venom. I did the fdance for a bit and my hand throbbed for hours. I had my grandkids with me so I smiled the whole time…… Mike

Ohhh they hurt to get stung….I don’t care for them things. Never considered cleaning one. Mike

My son has one of those, he took it apart and relocated his RTD for the defrost cycle and it has been running perfectly since. It is always something, I got tired of fighting my Maytag washer and bought a new one yesterday(LG)…I’m kind of turned off on Maytag at this point and willing to try something new. The new machine is actually a bit cheaper than the old machine which I purchased 6 years ago. Mike

Agree blue and purple or chartreuse chromes outperform black, and definitely catch the larger females suspended as they tend to wait to move in until late in the day. I tinker around with baits and colors until I find the favorites of the day then replicate(I am a crank bait a holic); run two deep and two shallow(er) lines if by myself - can run 6 with boards if I have help but usually 4 keeps me busy enough. I have a few bandits and I know they are popular, but I am usually prospecting for walleye as well and tend to go with longer baits like Reef Runners 600s or # 7 deep tail dancers paired with wiggle warts. They all catch fish if you run them at the right depths.

You can pick them up on the way in to spawn as well; they will suspend in the larger spawning coves prior to moving in and again on the way out. As a general guideline they like to do this at the midpoint of the water column i.e, if the depth is 20 they will be around 10, if 40 the. 20, etc. Your electronics should give you a good idea. A bright colored wiggle wart at 100’ back is a great choice for those fish in that 20’….try to stay 1.2 - 1.5 mph. And as mentioned above, it’s hard to be purple/white/chartreuse combo like the “Uncle Rico” or “Purpledescent” in a shad imitating bait - they are excellent. Mike

Ouch. Mike

Know exactly where. Nice! Mike

That’s commitment…I commend your tolerance and you obviously love your wife lots. Mike

You can buy a 5 day either way for $30. Above the hatched area is freshwater license, below is saltwater license.

You can buy a 5 day freshwater for $30, but you can’t fish below the salt line w/o one of the saltwater permits. Most of what I am interested in is below the salt line…permits there vary, but the short term permits specify with a guide/outfitter. Mike

I have heard if you admit you have a problem you are on the road to recovery. I’m not interested in surrendering here; I love tackle. There are always new techniques to learn and try. Now, keeping track and organizing is another topic altogether. If I had a nickel for every time I didn’t have what I needed handy, I could buy even more tackle. Mike

Agree with your complaints on the traditional offerings and those certainly look like they will catch fish. I went looking last year and bought a handful of the Savage Gear fat tails to try in 3/4 and other than the price I have been quite pleased with them. I cycle them through when deep spooning for striper/walleye/LM - they can be fished multiple ways( snapped, counted down, straight retrieve) with good effect. They have enough mass to facilitate good contact, a quality thump, and sticky hooks. Tail spinners are a good choice for offshore work. Mike

It was on my list to get down to DD to pick some up, now it is not - just ordered a few to try! Mike

Sounds like a PETA collar. A good collar will stand up ANY dog, and at a good distance. I’ve not messed with those ultrasonic jobs, but the collar itself should function independently of the gizmo and once tripped get your boys attention.. Mike

I’ve caught lots, mainly channels, fishing terrestrials and poppers for bluegill during the spawn. They are in shallow at the same time. Over pea gravel in shallow cuts, wood is better. Mike