AUF Anglers

[AUFAN78 3,894]

2 hours ago, ShocksMyBrain said:

Any colors to be on the lookout for? I've been throwing ghost shad, but I feel like I might need to expand the color spectrum. 

Red, white and chartreuse work well in off colored waters.

[autigeremt 6,599]

On December 27, 2016 at 5:39 PM, AUFAN78 said:

Putting this girl on the block soon. If anyone is interested shoot me a PM.

 

 

Upgrading? 

[ShocksMyBrain 9,363]

2 hours ago, AUFAN78 said:

Red, white and chartreuse work well in off colored waters.

Noted. Think I'll stick with lipless. Diving cranks just don't work for me from the bank from what I've played around with. 

[AUFAN78 3,894]

2 hours ago, autigeremt said:

Upgrading? 

No urgency, but definitely considering the tin route. Thinking along the lines of a 19' with a 150HP Optimax, at least a 24V MK, decent electronics and PowerPoles. Been researching Ranger, Xpress, Triton and Crestliner. We'll see what happens. Still have a couple years plus on warranties, so taking my time.

Are the big spots still chomping at Martin? If things don't improve quickly up here, I am going to head that way. I am hoping with all the rain we finally get some color around here and slow down the ARig clan.

 

Edited January 2, 2017 by AUFAN78

[AUFAN78 3,894]

1 hour ago, ShocksMyBrain said:

Noted. Think I'll stick with lipless. Diving cranks just don't work for me from the bank from what I've played around with. 

Nothing wrong with that. I meant to add earlier that my favorite cranks are bluegill patterns for clear water.

Edited January 2, 2017 by AUFAN78

[AUFAN78 3,894]

On 12/31/2016 at 0:52 PM, ShocksMyBrain said:

Hooked a crappie on his dorsal. 

Have you tried tossing a roadrunner style bait around for those bad boys? You'll likely need to do so on your spinning outfit with light line. Just something else to consider at BassPro.  I think the BassPro version is called  Stump Jumper. I've had good luck on these lures for multiple species, i.e. bass, bluegill, stripers and crappie.  

[ShocksMyBrain 9,363]

29 minutes ago, AUFAN78 said:

Have you tried tossing a roadrunner style bait around for those bad boys? You'll likely need to do so on your spinning outfit with light line. Just something else to consider at BassPro.  I think the BassPro version is called  Stump Jumper. I've had good luck on these lures for multiple species, i.e. bass, bluegill, stripers and crappie.  

Honestly, I've never set out to catch crappie. I've caught two on the same crankbait pattern though. Both about the same size, both foul hooked. They were fun to catch through, pretty feisty.

How do you retrieve the roadrunner? How light of line? 

Edited January 2, 2017 by ShocksMyBrain

[ShocksMyBrain 9,363]

44 minutes ago, AUFAN78 said:

Nothing wrong with that. I meant to add earlier that my favorite cranks are bluegill patterns for clear water.

It's so hard for me to determine what is clear and what is murky. Often times the water will be stained(not clear), but I can see the bottom about a foot or two out before it gets dark, or what I would think would be considered murky. 

[AUFAN78 3,894]

14 hours ago, ShocksMyBrain said:

Honestly, I've never set out to catch crappie. I've caught two on the same crankbait pattern though. Both about the same size, both foul hooked. They were fun to catch through, pretty feisty.

How do you retrieve the roadrunner? How light of line? 

Simple straight retrieve varying speed to determine what they want, but typically slow at this time of year. I use 6lb test, but anything 4-8lb should suffice. I use 1/16 up to 1/8oz roadrunners.

[AUFAN78 3,894]

14 hours ago, ShocksMyBrain said:

It's so hard for me to determine what is clear and what is murky. Often times the water will be stained(not clear), but I can see the bottom about a foot or two out before it gets dark, or what I would think would be considered murky. 

The water on the river has been extremely clear, but I suspect that may well change with recent rainfall amounts. Guessing the same could be said for the lakes you fish. The colored baits should start to produce a bit better.

[SaltyTiger 7,792]

16 hours ago, AUFAN78 said:

Have you tried tossing a roadrunner style bait around for those bad boys? You'll likely need to do so on your spinning outfit with light line. Just something else to consider at BassPro.  I think the BassPro version is called  Stump Jumper. I've had good luck on these lures for multiple species, i.e. bass, bluegill, stripers and crappie.  

That is my favorite in small lake/pond type fishing. hung a few fish with it that made wish i had used heavier gear, but then i would have been using a different bait.

[ShocksMyBrain 9,363]

Here's the haul. $50 doesn't go very far at BPS. Gonna find out if Live Target and Strike King lures are worth the money. And the BPS lures for $3.

 

@AUFAN78 or anyone else, does line deteriorate over time? I ran across some 15yr old 8lb test that I wouldn't mind trying on on those roadrunner-type lures on.

These look more like a spinnerbait though, but the bar moves parallel with the bait: 

Edited January 3, 2017 by ShocksMyBrain

[AUFAN78 3,894]

Looks like some good choices to me. So, I change out my line frequently and would never use old line in a tournament, but for fun fishing why not?  You could always take a three foot section, wrap it around your hands, snap it hard and see how easy it breaks. Should tell you what you need to know.

Oh, that does look a bit large for crappie, but they hit the rattle traps so......

 

Edited January 3, 2017 by AUFAN78

[ShocksMyBrain 9,363]

2 minutes ago, AUFAN78 said:

Looks like some good choices to me. So, I change out my line frequently and would never use old line in a tournament, but for fun fishing why not?  You could always take a three foot section, wrap it around your hands, snap it hard and see how easy it breaks. Should tell you what you need to know.

That's what I figured. I was snapping used line with the slightest of ease when I was stripping my old reels. 

I'm assuming you veterans change lines frequently. I just can't wrap my head around stripping an entire spool for new line. For instance, I'm at the complete end of my spool on my Abu Garcia. But I will strip it soon. 

[AUFAN78 3,894]

20 minutes ago, ShocksMyBrain said:

That's what I figured. I was snapping used line with the slightest of ease when I was stripping my old reels. 

I'm assuming you veterans change lines frequently. I just can't wrap my head around stripping an entire spool for new line. For instance, I'm at the complete end of my spool on my Abu Garcia. But I will strip it soon. 

Well you can't go wrong with the snap test IMO. I have some 20lb. fluorocarbon on my jig stick and I ain't scared and it is a year old. I have some 15lb. test on my spinnerbait rig and not changing it either. You'll cut your hands before you can remotely break it or it comes off as far as I'm concerned.

Not to mention, a full spool or at least 95% full spool throws much better on casting reels. For spinning reels I go 90-95% full.

 

[AUFAN78 3,894]

Lets go cheer for the Tigers bro. WDE!!!

[ShocksMyBrain 9,363]

Well, if I ever needed a sign to take a break from a pond I've been fishing a lot(and also striking out quite a bit recently), this would be it:

Yes, I hooked that. Yes, I left it on the lure and tossed it back out. No, it didn't help. 

I also lost two cranks on hidden "structure" that previously hadn't been there--thanks, presumably to the residents of the neighborhood discarding their Christmas trees in there. 

I was out there for about 2.5 hours tossing jigs, cranks, spinnerbaits, and they simply weren't interested. Just not a good day. 

[SaltyTiger 7,792]

2 hours ago, ShocksMyBrain said:

Well, if I ever needed a sign to take a break from a pond I've been fishing a lot(and also striking out quite a bit recently), this would be it:

Yes, I hooked that. Yes, I left it on the lure and tossed it back out. No, it didn't help. 

I also lost two cranks on hidden "structure" that previously hadn't been there--thanks, presumably to the residents of the neighborhood discarding their Christmas trees in there. 

I was out there for about 2.5 hours tossing jigs, cranks, spinnerbaits, and they simply weren't interested. Just not a good day. 

Just not a good day. Shame on you Shock. Sure it was a good day. You were fishing

[ShocksMyBrain 9,363]

1 hour ago, SaltyTiger said:

Just not a good day. Shame on you Shock. Sure it was a good day. You were fishing

You know, you're right. I was out in the quiet solitude of nature. Which beats being inside or sitting at a desk any day of the week. 

[ShocksMyBrain 9,363]

So what does everyone prefer to throw in cold(below 40) overcast/cloudy non-rain conditions?

[AUFAN78 3,894]

10 hours ago, ShocksMyBrain said:

So what does everyone prefer to throw in cold(below 40) overcast/cloudy non-rain conditions?

At this time of year, if we are simply speaking air temps, I pitch or cast a jig and occasionally a jerkbait, crankbait or spinnerbait. If we are talking water temps below 40 degrees, I stay home.

[SaltyTiger 7,792]

11 hours ago, ShocksMyBrain said:

So what does everyone prefer to throw in cold(below 40) overcast/cloudy non-rain conditions?

A good single malt scotch while standing by the fire 

[autigeremt 6,599]

A little practice fishing on Lake Martin yesterday bagged some nice 2-3lb spotted bass like this one here. Best 5 weighed around 11lbs. Thirteen total caught with only one non-keeper in the bunch. Most of the fish were caught on a Strike King Lipless crankbait in natural shad color or a white War Eagle Spinnerbait double willow. And as always...a couple on my BPS/XPS Cajun Baby square bill. With cold air moving in the fishing will be tough for a few days behind this front. Right now the water temp is between 56.2 and 56.8 degrees.

[ShocksMyBrain 9,363]

4 hours ago, AUFAN78 said:

At this time of year, if we are simply speaking air temps, I pitch or cast a jig and occasionally a jerkbait, crankbait or spinnerbait. If we are talking water temps below 40 degrees, I stay home.

It was a windy 34 degrees("felt like" 28) when I went out today, with about an hour of daylight left. Threw lipless crank(pictured above), shad colored spinnerbait, and a black and blue chatterbait. No bites, but plenty of grass/algae--I fished it once before with no luck and really hoped the slimy stuff would've died off. But I did learn that smacking the lure into the water does a good job of getting that crap off it instead of picking it off after each cast.

I wasn't really expecting much. The pond is an old rock quarry, really clear. But the bait fish circle way out in the middle which is where the bass tend to reside. 

 

Edited January 6, 2017 by ShocksMyBrain

[ShocksMyBrain 9,363]

And on a separate note, if those remember me mentioning the wildlife resource crew stocking another pond with trout--they definitely did. Once word got out, the pond had been covered with folks every time I drove by, so I bailed. The pond is so small, that 7 or 8 people can basically have the water portioned off without tangling each other's lines. 

That said, it was cold and misting the other day and I decided to drop in because it was empty*. Fish were busting and jumping out of water all over the place. A good sized fish took a run at my crank and missed. "Surely I'll land something, no way they won't hit anything I'm throwing". Then I remembered that the pond was stocked with trout, and took notice of the actual species jumping out of the water. Talk about disappointment, seeing decent sized fish busting everywhere and knowing I basically have no chance at catching them. 

*I overheard a pair of joggers passing by saying "I can't think of anything more lonely than fishing in this weather". Joke's on you buddy, I was perfectly complacent. 

Edited January 6, 2017 by ShocksMyBrain