dlathan answers:

Hang a live minnow under a bobber near the dock. Those fish take cover right underneath docks. I’ve caught some really nice Bass at my boat dock in my NC home when I’m out there. Works well for Crappie and Bluegills too.

I always use a 4′ leader, “Live Bait” hook, and NO weights . To keep the bobber upright, use a squeeze “Shot” weight of 1/4 oz. Just under the bobber. Let the minnow free swim. It’ll drag the bobber around a bit, but when the bobber disappears, you have a fish.

TIP: To save money on minnows, get a minnow trap at Wal-Mart. Toss in a handful of Purina Dog Chow as bait for the minnows. Toss into the lake for 30 mins. You should have plenty of bait for the day. I always do.

dlathan answers:

On sandy beaches there will be surfperch close in. They’ll eat just about any cut bait (chunks of anchovy or squid), or sandcrabs (dig them out of the sand right there) or meat from inside mussels (gather them off rocks or pilings at high tide). Hang the bait on about a #2 or #4 hook, on a leader a couple feet long below a 2-3 ounce sinker, and cast it out just past where the waves break. (You need a sinker heavy enough to hold bottom in the surf, if the waves are big you might need more weight.)

Surfperch are generally under a pound, so you don’t need heavy line for bringing them in, but for casting the weight you’ll want probably at least 8 pound test.

Fishing around rocks there are other varieties of fish (calico bass, small rockfish, etc.), and you can get these at times on plastics like AAs or Big Hammers.

dlathan answers:

The rod should state the capacity one the side somewhere. If the water temp is below 65 degrees f then stick to live local bugs, worms , or other live bait. If over 65 then try silver mepps # 1 spinners with no fuzz, and plastic worms. ( Black or green)

dlathan answers:

L use a curado 100 or a daiwa tdx on a light rod rated for 6 to 17 (in that neighborhood) lb lines, 6 1/2 feet long with 8lb mono.
You need to experiment with your spool tension and magnetic brake knobs though to control backlash. Particularly in the wind. L use a few split shot as my drop-shotting weight, adding or subtracting one when necessary. L generally use a 4 to 5 inch worm for this but mostly 4 with a size 1 or 2 straight worm hook or a tru-turn. Light wire.
L don’t use spinning for worms either. More sensitivity with a baitcaster and 100% graphite rod. Or a graphite/boron “phenix” which is my personal choice.

dlathan answers:

Don’t know about fishing but deer hunter tournament is the newest hunting game. But i don’t like it, like deer hunter 2005.

dlathan answers:

No, like any other adapter, it just makes the game more realistic.

dlathan answers:

Cabela’s Big Game Hunter is my favorite. You should try the site below. You can get 1000′s of games downloaded. It’s VERY cheap to do and is UNLIMITED and for life. Get all the hunting and fishing games you want then!

dlathan answers:

There are many. I play Fish World, Fishville. You can try these. If you actually love fishing, then you can try the new Fishing Cam app. The app allows you to have the best fun catch with your iPhone. You can download it on http://fishing-cam.com/

dlathan answers:

My favorite lake to fish at. Use ur jigs ang spinners. Stick with bright yell or bright green or bright pink skirts for the spinners. If after a lot of casts if ur not hittin the spinner dont give up on it. Change the skirt. It may work. If u think its the spinner in general then switch. Stay away from top waters. Cast out as far as u can and wait for your lure to hit the bottom. Then reel in slowly up ward till its about 3-5 feet off the bottom thats where they are around now. Then just bounce it all the way in. You should pick up some good ones. I dont know if you have a Pig in your tackle box but those are great!! Try to find some big weed piles on the bottom and toss a weedless in there with a pork grind attached those work great.

Good Luck!

dlathan answers:

Sometimes there is no predicting the size you’ll catch.

I’ve tried using larger tackle and caught smaller fish, even when the hook is bigger then the fishes mouth they somehow get it in there.
I’ve tried using smaller tackle when i wasnt catching anything big and figured i’d just catch a bunch of small ones, and hooked some monsters.

Http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=kinami+baits+gold+shad&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-Address&oe=UTF-8&rlz=1I7RNWN_en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=17238361067410266118&ei=Pj8NTcu2KIecsQPh9fDmCg&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCoQ8wIwAg#

that type and that color has caught quite a few bass for me. I’ve also used teh baby bass colored ones.
But i’ve had mroe luck with teh curly tail type, in that same white with dark peppering color.
I’ve tried other colors, and so far havent found a kinami bait that wont catch bass.

For the curly tails i use a 1/4 jig head, white painted for the white bodies, unpainted or a darker color for the others. And i’ve also tried pink jig heads with success on teh white bodies.

My buddy pulled a 10 lb bass in this year using the kinami gold shad curly tail. I’ve pulled a 6 lber in.

What i really like with those baits, the simplicity of technique.
I’ve literally gotten most my bass teh second it hits the water. If i dont get one then, i just let it sink and sink, i’ll let it sit for a minute or two, and then begin to slowly reel in. Often i get hit just as the slack in my line disappears. If i dont, keep on slow reeling all the way in.
I’ve also gotten crappie on teh curly tail, and they tend to be bigger crappie.

White body curly tails, big or small, work very well on bass when the weather is warm.

This time of the year, only thing that is producing well is real worms just above teh bottom using drop shot technique. Weight is at the end of the line, about 2′ above there is a hook, and since the laws allow me two hooks on the line, another 2′ above that is another hook. Get teh weight on the bottom and keep the line tight so you can feel any hits and set the hook, if you arent paying attention and ready to set teh hook the fish will be gone.

dlathan answers:

I like using smaller crankbaits in natural patterns (like baby bass, bluegill, crawfish) in clear water and chartreuse, orange and white in discolored water. Try fishing 5 in plastic stick-worms (in purple or watermelon seed colors) texas rigged with a split shot when things get tough. You may use bass fishing techniques that you use elsewhere too but we dont have reservoirs so this info may not directly apply to lakes in WI. I find alot of bass holding in or near weedbeds adjacent to a dropoff and this is usually a good place to start. Move deeper if no action! Good luck.

dlathan answers:

With live bait, change it every 10 minutes or less. Gotta keep it active and fresh. And drag it just over the weed beds (Smallie’s hunting grounds). Keep your bait in a cooler and away from heat so it won’t get sluggish. Good luck.