Champ188

What is this "Fin" of which thou speaketh?

Love it, Jim.

You're right there, Dave. Too much personal attention -- especially the wrong kind -- can be worse than too little.

Johnny make you pay for the coffee?

I'm not sure there's a more "tired" subject on the forum than old warts vs. new warts. Makes me want to wrap my head in duct tape so it doesn't explode.

To provide a little context, we are blessed in Rogers to have the Hook, Line & Sinker tackle shop owned by Aaron Jolliff. There's always a pot of coffee on the warmer and a handful of guys lounging around shootin' the breeze. Aaron's store is well stocked, and between being a fisherman himself and listening to his customers, he has all the "good stuff." If there's something you want that he doesn't have, he can generally order it and have it waiting for you the next day or shipped to your home. Yes, you can probably find it on the internet and order it yourself. But not as quickly or efficiently as Aaron. HLS also is the parent company for Bass-X Lures, which are some of the finest jigs going. If you have a special color request, they will gladly handle that, too. I can't go plop down on a stool at BPS or Cabela's, drink free coffee and visit with my buds. Heck, at BPS, I can hardly find someone to help. Those are some of the reasons I support the little guy -- regardless if it costs me a little more at times.

Are old Warts really better than the new ones? Is there any real difference in the two?

I will go to the big chains if I need something and no one else has it, but buying everything strictly for the best price is writing the death certificate for the few remaining little guys. I try to buy local.

Very well stated. And know this ... not all guides are of equal fishing knowledge or social skills. Shop around. But I'll bet you this ... if you go with Bill Babler and are not satisfied in any way, you are just one difficult person to please.

Guys, I'm not picky to the point of wanting (or paying a premium price for) a Trokar or Gammy hook. I do want a black nickel finish over bronze. Just personal preference. Not interested in the flat top either -- plain ol' ballhead is fine. I just pulled that pic off the web for an example of the coil spring bait keeper, which is a must.

Would like to buy 100-200 shaky heads in 3/16 size, unpainted with the screw lock as pictured below. You can find them all day long for $1 apiece average in small packages (usually 4-5) but I'm thinking a guy should be able to beat that price significantly by buying in bulk. Thanks in advance for any info on where to get these.

Your boat and gear would be safer if you just loaded it on the trailer and kept it at your campsite.

To answer the original question, what to try after dark? I generally try going to bed so I can get up early the next morning. Night fishing doesn't agree with my body's preferred schedule.

Sounds like a fun and relaxing trip. Glad you got in on some of this really good action of late.

So you do that, too? I love hearing someone else admit it. I swear, the minute I get into them sometimes my mind starts spinning, thinking of a dozen other things (or places) they'd bite better. LOL

Sprint is right. Fish die sometimes despite our best efforts. It's been a challenge on some days lately to set the hook before they swallow it. I'm happy to say that Donna and I have only killed one in the last few weeks but it could've been a lot worse if not for us being diligent to set the hook before they swallow it. Good call to keep it instead of throw it back dead (or mount it). Having it go to waste would have been far worse than it dying and going on the dinner table.

Right on. It'll end up being the best money you spent in a long time.

Drove over there once specifically for some 15-pound fluorocarbon line and they had NONE ... not even in their own BPS brand. That place is a joke.

Good job. Thanks for the report.

Friday was a really good day for this old man in several ways: (1) I got to take a day off work and go fishing and (2) the fish bit really good. But (3) far outweighed either --- I had the distinct pleasure of entertaining forum member Ranger185 in my boat for a day on our wonderful lake. Things started out a bit slow but heated up quickly as the sun rose and began to warm the waters. As it has repeatedly over the past few weeks, the shaky head (3/16 with a green pumpkin candy finesse worm) was our top producer. Nearly all of our fish were on gravel/chunk rock points, and many were keeper spots. In fact, of our 40 fish, 25-30 were keepers. We did have 3-4 largemouths and a couple of small brown ones. Also had a keeper meanmouth to complete the Table Rock Slam. Here's Ranger185 with one of our better K's.

F&F, myself and everyone I know always find black bass fishing tougher on striper-stocked lakes. Maybe we're all idiots. Don't have your wealth of scientific data or your vast experience at fishing various bodies of water from coast to coast. But I am smart enough to drive to Table Rock or Grand. So enjoy your stripers. I won't be in your way at any of the ramps on Beaver.

Now that's funny.

I'll stick with Excel or Maxi mono. The Excel is cheap enough that I don't even bother pulling it behind the boat or otherwise trying to get the inevitable twists that come after a day or two of fishing it. Just strip it off and spool on another 100 yards.

Thanks, Vernon. Kind of you to say. There are lots of people here who help make this forum the great resource that it is. Just happy to be among them.

Good job, man. As Tim said, nothing like that blade bite!