Burning Babies

Likely it is some bacteria, parasite, or virus in combination with common spring stresses like rapidly changing water temperature and spawning. The idea that a natural resource agency is introducing viruses or the like to fisheries is absurd, however.

Rapala minnows twitched on the surface have caught more than their share of big bass for me. Large rubber frogs are also a great big bass bait, and will produce better during the day than most other topwaters. Buzzbaits cover water quickly and have probably been my most consistent producers. Zara spook juniors have produced well for me at times, as have tiny torpedos and a variety of poppers. I find good topwater bites tend to be sporadic. Some days just aren't topwater days. Other days, you don't even need to move them before a bass takes them out. Don't write these baits off if you don't have success on them right away.

I expect these surveys will be a continuing part of their ongoing fisheries monitoring program. We have a similar monitoring program in Ohio.

I'm a fisheries biologist for the state of Ohio. I coordinate creel sampling, habitat mapping, and angler access projects in the northeastern portion of the state, and I will be working on motorboat access soon as well. I also assist with many other sampling programs we run out of our office. We keep busy.

I've fished largemouth bass longer, and am far better at catching them, than any other species, so I'd have to go with them. When I'm catching fish though, I'm just as happy to fish for smallmouth, walleye, northers, or muskie.

Congrats. The first one is a redhorse, probably a golden.

Generally, I think color is far overrated. My system is usually to purchase a gradient of a couple colors from realistic and subtle to bright and gaudy. For hardbaits, I usually buy a silver/dark back finish, a white finish, and a predominantly chartreuse pattern. I make my selection based on overall visibility of the bait, as influenced by water color, clarity, and sunlight. I'm generally looking for something that that fish can locate fairly easily, but not see clearly enough to pick up flaws.

Longears are beautiful. One of my favorite Lepomis spp.

I'd agree they take up too much room, but it's nice to have them in bags to ease switching things around in the tacklebox. My solution is to use ziplock snack bags - about half the size of a normal sandwich bag and a couple bucks for fifty of them. They also weigh considerably less than the original packaging, which adds up when you are carrying a hundred plus packages.

When fishing with an R bend spinnerbait and wire leader, add a small split ring to the bend before attaching the leader. It will keep the leader from sliding up the wire and occasionally ruining a cast, or completely torquing the frame when you get a fish on.

I don't fish a spinnerbait without a premium hook and ball bearing swivel. They make a big difference in catch rates. Premium silicone skirts can make a difference as well (especially translucent baitfish patterns in clear water). Many companies make high quality spinnerbaits. I've been really impressed with Bass Pro Shops laser eye pro baits lately - they have them on sale down here for $3 a pop, and so far seem just as good as the basic Strike Kings, Booyahs, etc. The only thing I do to them is add a layer of epoxy over the eye stickers to guarantee they don't come off.

What's up Hookset? I remember discussing this with you. I used to throw a lot of small rubber frogs on spinning tackle for largemouths. I've got the day off today, hitting a local reservoir, so I might give that a try if it looks like topwater is an option.

Are you looking for a rod or a combo? If you already have a reel, take it with you and see how it feels on a variety of rods. Run the line through the guides and get a feel for how much backbone and speed you like. I find 6'6" MH baitcasters are the most versatile for my style of fishing.

Not really. More likely he, like myself, has seen many similar add campaigns for the newest "super lure" amount to nothing more than a fat paycheck for some entrepreneur. Ever see one turn up in the money in a tournament circuit? I haven't.

I shop BPS a lot. Right now I've been snapping up their Lazer Eye Pro spinnerbaits at $2.99 a pop. Absolutely killer baits for the price. I really like their Bionic Blade and Extreme rods, and the XPS balancing system on their baitcasters - I'm sad to see them going away from it on some models.

Yeah, I find mono (or flouro) a bit more forgiving than braid. I fish spinning and baitcasting gear almost equally, and wouldn't give up either. Basically, if I'm fishing spinnerbaits, bass jigs, crankbaits starting around 3/8 oz, similar sized topwaters, etc, I'm fishing a baitcaster. If I'm throwing around fallen timber, or thick vegetation, I'm fishing a baitcaster. Their strengths have already been discussed ad infinitum.

It's more of a handling issue - ultra thin line, heavy baits and baitcasters are a difficult combination to work with.

I'm playing with fluorocarbon again this year (the new Berkley), after having shied away from it because of some bad experiences. I've also got some Invisibraid I'm going to try, and I hope to get a spool of Fireline crystal when I've got more cash.

I've got a long shaft 15 hp tiller on my 14' tinny, and a short transom (hey, I only payed $100 for the motor). It hauls, and is physically easy to operate. I'm sure I would be better off with a short shaft, but I get along fine with it. No excessive spray either.

I've only been to the Gurnee Mills BPS in Chicago.

I really wasn't impressed by the Dundee store, compared to the Bass Pro Shops I've visited. Actually, aside from a few specialist items, I seldom shop Cabelas for fishing gear any more.

I fished with both a box (for hardbaits) and bag (with soft plastics) for the last five years. Both have advantages and disadvantages, but this year I'm switching to soft bags only. I picked up two Cabela's Stormproof bags, which hold a total of around 22 3700 size boxes (depending which boxes you use). They are bulky, but I can spread out my gear a lot better now with the flexible stowaway boxes, and not have to deal with trying to fish crankbaits out of a crowded compartments half covered by the tray above them. A Plano 3780 provides nice flexible bulk storage for things like line and pliers, and the Plano Flipsider boxes are the best spinnerbait boxes I've seen (with a little modification). I plan on picking up a smaller, more ergonomic bag (around 6 x 3700 capacity) for shore fishing. This was my biggest complaint about my previous bag. Plano Stormproof bags are supposed to be waterproof. I haven't put mine to the test yet.

In my limited experience with pike fishing, 6'6" and 7' MHs have worked well as well. Given that the OP's question has been pretty unanimously answered, perhaps I can add a similar one. On the few occasions I have gotten to fish pike, I have spent a fair amount of time fishing bigger baits than a MH can really handle: 7" Bomber long As, big 1 oz Reaper spinnerbaits, etc. I have been using a Bass Pro Shops 7' H action, medium to slow power Spiralcell rod for these. The action and overall length feels about right, but the 12" handle feels too short, and I find casting it hard on the wrist. I am considering a Pete Maina 7' MH rated for 1/2 to 2 oz lures, but I am concerned it might be too stiff: I have a Maina 7'6" MH which is way stiffer than I would want for this job, but it is also rated for far heavier baits (2-10 oz). Does anyone have experience with this rod, or have an alternative recommendation with a similar length and handle size? Edit: Jeeze; I didn't read Mistyjr1's post completely. Is Maina pretty comfortable for throwing bigger pike baits? How does the action feel compared to an MH bass or muskie rod. I guess I'm looking for something in the middle.

Yes, assuming you left the tuner on while you are playing. Obviously, Gibson thought of that and added an on/off pull pot.