dwiebenga

Falcon Cara Amistad $225

Bill recommended the Falcon Cara Amistad rod last year to me, and I love it! I flip, pitch and throw football jigs on it. Great rood with a multi functional capabilities.

I use Chompers spray most of the time, but I think with Table Rock being so clear for the most part, bass relate more to sight and sound. That being said, I kind of believe in the idea of appealing to all the senses to get them going. Just my 2 cents

I will use anywhere from 1/8-1/2 1/8 for shallow pitching 3/16 for shallow pitching 1/4 to 3/8 for most applications between 20-50 feet depending on the wind 1/2 for those breezy days when boat control can be tough. Get it down quick Dave

Happy Birthday!!

IMHO...hire one of the fabulous guides and learn how to jerkbait fish. I did this 2 years ago, and I have increased my catch 10 fold and it is my favorite technique in the winter and spring. Worth every penny. Dave

I use Maxima for all of my mono. Love the green! As far as flouro, I use Berkley 100%, but I back it with about 1/3-1/2 spool of mono so I can use the flouro on more reels and not break the bank.

I agree with Exiled! Great dealer on ebay! Affordable too

Falcon Cara Amistad rod is perfect. It is one piece and can also be used for large jigs and Alabama rigs

I agree. It is my time to unwind and forget about things for a bit

Grey Bear, I don't have a local deal unfortunately unless it is BPS or Wal-Mart. Also, your not in my house, so don't judge my life. I meant for my post to be some ideas for guys looking to save some money and fish too. Not a political statement. You seem more interested in ranting politically then helping fisherman out with ideas. Just to let you know, I will not respond or be drawn into a political debate surrounding one of my favorite past times. Good Day to you sir.

Falcon also has a great return policy. I have snapped a couple tips and they replaced it. That is why all my rods are falcons....Great American company

Not going to jump on the political grenade, but I hope to bring this back to fishing. Here is a little about me...teacher, stay at home wife, two kiddos, and a small side business. We live modestly. I pay close attention to the economy because I worry about our ability to maintain the life we have chosen for our family. Here is how I have adjusted my fishing. I have cut down my buying of tackle to only resupplying baits that I use all the time. For example, I have sold a number of crankbaits that I have not used in 2 years. I have also learned how to get the most out of my lines by using backing for flourocarbon so that I am not using as much on a reel. I also do much of my shopping when online tackle dealers have their 20-25% sale on the entire store. My fishing partner and I will often times split $50 order because we can get it tax and shipping free. We have also started making our own spinner baits and buying plastics in bulk when available. I still fish at least once a week from February-December. We have just been smarter about our expenses. I hope this can turn the topic to a helpful post for those looking for ways to cut cost and still enjoy the passion of fishing. We are buying smarter and trying to fish smarter! Best Wishes Dave

I need to switch out the split rings. Who makes a good lite ring? Would like to purchase in bulk. The bass almost tore my hooks off my STX last week, and it seems to be a good winter project with the snowstorm we go today! We maybe done in Kansas City for the year

SOLD...Thank you

I have a reel that needs some repairs. I am having troubles with the breaking system. It is too fast on the cast, and I am getting a number of backlashes. I have tuned all my Citicas, and this is the only one I have problems with. Also, I have a broken peice on the "star drag" that needs to be replaced. Is it best to send to Shimano, or is there an alternative you would recommend. Thanks in advance. Dave

Has anyone else caught any LM recently with a fungus on them? I caught 2 this weekend. What is it?

My good Jim and I headed down to my family's place in Shell Knob for 4 days of fishing this past weekend. After reading all the post tonight, we did pretty well. We started out trip on Friday morning throwing top water and ended up with 5 fish including a nice keeper spot. The rest of the day we "junk" fished looking for some sort of pattern. We caught a few on drop shot, jigs, and c-rigs. In the evening, we picked up the topwater rods again and landed 3 nice keepers (2 LM and 1 SP). Saturday, we struggled with the top water and only managed 2 fish. One keeper SP on a drop shot and one keeper LM on a spook. We headed up near Campbell Point looking for some sort of blade bite but no wind. In the afternoon, the wind picked up and we got a bit of a blade bait. We had 8-10 fish with maybe 2 keepers. All on War Eagle blades and homemade blades. Jim got another nice spot on top at the end of the day. Sunday, we woke up to fog and a good topwater bite in front of Basin Hallow. We threw Red Fins from 6:20-8:30, and landed about 15 fish including 4 nice keeper SPs. They were chasing shad, and we also had some blind hits just throwing into the fog. We also started targeting deep trees looking for a drop shot bite. And we found a few trees holding fish (See photos). I am starting to learn more about side imaging, and we are taking advantage. Just need to get more comfortable with the unit and the display. The fish in the timber were pretty easy to see, and Jim proved we were correct. We probably took 15-20 fish out of the deeper trees using Chomper drop shot worms. Today, we had a similar top water day. We landed combined about 15 fish, but we struggled to find the drop shot bite again. We had to head back to Kansas City so called the day short.

Use Green

I agree...the depth seems odd at times, but this is an effective technique. I have a fairly economic rig Falcon Lowrider Dropshot rod Shimano Symetre 8lb Maxima 8lb Floro leader (approx. 3 feet) lots of Chomper drop shot worms I have used this technique all they way into November and anywhere from 22-100 feet. I can not emphasize the importance of a good graph. Really makes a defference.

Planning to sneak away for a couple of day long floats. Planned to stay with Russ and JeanAnn, but they are going to be out of town. Need a recommendation on a place to stay and I will need a shuttle. Any information would be great. Thank you Dave

I 2nd the Spinnerbait. For the last two years, I have come down in November and put my back to the wind with my favorite spinnerbait and caught numerous fish on wind blown points and banks. It is fun and would be a great way to introduce someone to spinnerbait fishing because of the consistent action.

Slayer, are you a Dutchman? I am a huge Oranje Army fan! I am also a big fan of the Elk and smallies! Not too often I find someone with that in common. I think we have a good shot this time

Any one every fished the Wisconsin River near the Dells? Heading up tonight and might fish a couple days with dad. Any advice would be great. Dave

Excellent Report....wish I was heading South instead of north!!