General Music Chat

Okay...I've been fishing awhile now, & I've come up with some new questions for ya:

Why don't the fish seem to like the crunchies? I get these hard-shelled beetles (powder post beetles), & millipedes, & stuff, but I have never gotten a bite on one. Should I float them, sink them, or forget about them?

One of my reels seems to have a bit of a drag every second turn. It doesn't happen all the time. What can cause this? It actually makes a clicking sound as it comes around, until I crank it real fast once or twice, then it seems to go away. It ain't the line, cuz it did it even when I had it stripped of line. Are ya s'posed to lubricate these things?

On really hot days, I try to run my lures & baits really deep, but I still don't seem to make any headway on hot days. Is there a secret to it? I've been using dark & black lures & baits, but it still ain't coming around for me.

I got a little kid's rod & reel set that works really well for casting under low bushes & such at the lake, & I think I'm gonna put a better reel on it, cuz this one's pure kiddie junk. Any suggestions?

Tried any cool new lures lately?

The crunchy baits may not be working for a variety of reasons. They are most likely not that visible in the water, being camoflaged in coloration. Also fish tend to hold on to softer baits, both real bait and artificial, a little longer before they might spit them out. This gives you a little more time to set the hook. Berkely puts out a variety of brightly colored baits that will be much more attractive to the fish, you should check them out. I usually put a Berkely Crappie Bite on my crappie jigs. Crappie Bites look like miniature marshmellows and are easily impaled on the hook. They come in a variety of colors and add a little scent and color to the jig. This lets the fish see and smell them easier. Also try using a Wingit or other sensitive slip bobber above your bait offering. You may not be detecting light strikes but a Wingit will make it easier for you to see the strikes. Always try and keep a tight line when bait fishing. Any slack in the line allows the fish a little extra time to spit out the bait. Also PAY ATTENTION at all times. I know you're not one to get high while fishing ( ) but PAY ATTENTION, you might be missing fish.
I have no idea what's causing the reel to mess up but you need to check and make sure all the screws are tight and definitely lubricate the reels at least twice a year. Most good fishing stores sell a reel repair/maintenance kit with high quality lubricant for your reel.
Fish don't necessarily go deep when it's hot. It all depends where the baitfish are. Sometimes in extreme heat LARGE crappie will actually cruise the surface feeding on large baitfish. When it's windy and cloudy the fish will naturally be closer to the surface, primarilly because predators (especially kingishers, herons, ospreys, etc.) can't see them as easily and they feel safer. When it's sunny and hot the fish may be deeper but not necessarily. If you're fishing deep and aren't getting anything you need to fish mid-depth and then near the suface. Don't forget color contrast in lures: orange, red, pink , silver and black for green water (algae) and then chartreuse, gold, yellow and black in turbid (brown) water. Stay away from bright silver and gold on sunny days.
If you can help it don't use any kiddie "junk" rods and reels. If you need to, spend more of your money on a better rod. IMO the reel is not as important as the rod, although I try and use quality reels. And make super sure you have fresh quality line on. If your line is over a few months old get rid of it and replace it with high quality line. I prefer Hi-Vis Gold Stren for my kind of fishing, but a lot of people use Trilene.
As far as "hot" new lures I always check out the new Mepps lure colorations. Their research in color technology is second to none. I've been using the new for 2010 Mepps Comet Mino red and white blade color. I've already had a few huge fish on it (check out my previous post). Mepps.com is a great website full of fishing info. If you order lures directly off the website and order over $60 worth you get 20% off, free shipping, and they throw in a free lure or two. Occasionally I buy Mepps at the stores but I get a better deal on-line. My fishing buddy and I go in together and order Mepps. I've also been using the Mepps Aglia Marabou (sizes 0, 1 & 2) The chartreuse blade is AWESOME. It's hard for a fish to resist the pulsating marabou feather and bright green blade fluttering. The Mepps Aglia wooly worm (size 0) is a killer of LARGE bluegill. Black Furies come in a few new colors (fire tiger and pink), they are worth checking out. Good luck Phil...

The best terrestrials to use are the ones found right at the lake you're fishing. In trout fishing, it's called “matching the hatch”, referring to the most recent hatch of mayflies, etc. Any buggy critters around the lake's edge? Grasshoppers? Worms?

This time of year, the best fishing is usually to be had from just before sun-up to about 8 AM, then late afternoon/evening. Mid-day summer fishing is tough.

Blood in the water seems to work best for me.
Something that leaves a trail that they can smell.
Good old grubs or earthworms have worked best for that (for me).

But, I think it would be wise to listen to Bob, and not me.

I really only know saltwater ,but a group of swimmers were just attacked by a schoolie of BLUEFISH, Toes were severly bitten.
If I could choose a bait in this situation it would be human toes. Any donations?

I suggest White or Chartreus double tailed grubs. I use a 5/0
1/16 weighted hook with LG. grub. Very castable and good visability
as well as action. Lube your reel. Make sure of your knot at the hook
and fish here are deep in structure now. Weeds, docks, stump gardens.
Cast into the most difficult spots with weedless rig.

I keep buying those fish-lookin', hard, treble-hooked, swimming thingies, for some reason. I've caught stuff pretty deep with them, before.

I was just thinking that powder-post beetles, being black, rather large, & such, would attract fish, but they never do...prolly cuz they aren't likely to end up in a pond or lake or stream. It's beginning to sink in, guys!

My eyesight sucks, these days, but I do see some bugs around that might work.

I haven't gotten buzzed while fishing since I accidently tossed my brand-new rod & reel in while casting, bob. That was pretty embarrassing, & I'm glad no one saw me do it!

That lil kiddie rod is great for casting under those low-hanging bushes along the lakeside. I seem to have trouble with precision casting in those tight areas, unless I use a lot of weight. I've been working on my sidearm, but I suck at it.

I have a cpl Shakespear rods that are about 5 1/2 feet long, & a cpl Ugly Sticks that are a few inches longer. My son has a Zebco closed reel that he paid $70 for, but most of mine are open Shakespears, in the $20-45 range. I have them wound with 6 & 8 lb test.

I found some 2" long white grubs in a log, & the fish went wild for them! They also seemed to like the baby snakes that I find, sometimes. I like to use the snakes, cuz the skin is tough, & they last forever, & you can cut them up into several pieces. They also have generally fish-coloring, with the white & dark. I've used helgramites, but I hate them cuz they tend to bite really hard, like a centipede! Ppl tell me that they really like them, though I've never caught with them. I've also tried cutting up small sunnies for bait, but that seems to rarely work.

I think I'm gonna go back & try out some of those softer lures, like the white spin-tail grubs, & the black ones, & I have a cpl that look like worms & crawdads & salamanders. They are the only ones that I know how to rig weedless...

I'm also wondering what hook size has to do with anything. I rarely use small hooks, but I see trout fishermen prefer them.

The bobbers I use are either the slip-line type, when I'm fishing deep, or the clip-ons. I often go without, when I'm fishing deep or using crank-bait lures. Do you use bobbers when you use crank-baits?

I never heard of anybody using a bobber with a crankbait. I think it would interfere with its action. I have caught fish on crankbaits in the past but I seldom use them these days. I know they can work wonders in open water. Gold Rapalas were rated one of the top ten lures in a Field Stream survey a few years ago. I did a cabinet restoration job for a guy who fishes for nothing but LARGE Largemouth Bass. His #1 choice was a jig & pig. They can be rigged almost weedless and he uses almost nothing but black lures. He fishes in heavy cover with 17lb test. He has caught numerous 7-10 lb bass in the Kansas City and surrounding areas. Him and his wife fish as a team in mainly smaller lakes on the Missouri side of the state line (I live right near Missouri). You should see all the pictures and mounted fish he has in his home. He doesn't fish tournaments as he doesn't care about catching numbers of smaller fish, just goes after the hawgs. You have to have a lot of patience with that kind of fishing. If you're fishing in cover consider a black jig and pig. I also used to fish a lot with fake worms. They can be rigged almost weedless. I had the best luck on purple and black. Both with a jig and pig and fake worm you have to fish SLOW and learn how to detect light hits by big fish...

"I found some 2" long white grubs in a log, & the fish went wild for them!



That's your best bait right there.

You guys are killer.

Is there an o/l reference or dictionary that can explain all these crazy terms I see?

Flat-sided crankbait, lipless crankbait, countdown crankbait, flippin' this or shootin' that or whatever. I see so many specialty terms, 99% of which I have NO idea what they mean. It's quite confusticating, not being an experienced angler...

Screw that Phil, just impale some grubs, earthworms, moths, or whatever and throw em out there.

I also don't know the difference between crankbaits. Some are deep diving, others run mid-depth, some shallow. I know they are getting VERY expensive. I carry a fairly simple assortment of lures: many different Mepps spinners, various crappie jigs, Charlie Brewer Crappie Sliders in various colors, Bobby Garland jigs, some Beetle Spins (I usually use these without the spinner), a few small Dardevle spoons, Blakemore Road Runners in various colors, and a Wingit bobber kit that I use with my crappie jigs. That's it. I never use live bait. Sometimes I put a Berkley Crappie Bite on a jig but that's the closest thing to bait I carry with me. Oh and I usually douse my lures with a scent. I've tried various brands, they all work about the same. Berkley has a good one, it's got garlic in it (they say it works great on Italian fish).

LOL

I dunno what half that stuff is, either, bob!

I keep lookin' at vids & trying to find pics of all the stuff I see referred to, & it's getting even more time-consuming than actual fishing.

It's quite a science, isn't it? Between the time of day, the time of year, the weather, the barometer, the moon cycles, the water color & temp...whether the area has been heavily fished & the dish are spooked...the jigs, the rigs, the spoons & spinners & poppers & plastics & hooks & baits & lines & rods & reels & lure color & size & casting styles & hooks &....AAAAAAARGH!

I gotta find somebody who knows local stuff...like where there's fish, for example...