D.T. good for the U.S.A.?

[Senkosam]

For me, when choosing a lure or a set of lures it boils down to lure speed and action. The lures you all mentioned are basically steady retrieve lures. I go from wide and narrow lip crankbaits when I troll but never troll a spinnerbait - long or short arm.
Long arm spinnerbaits are mostly horizontal retrieve lures whereas short arms with trailer are my drop & hop baits similar to skirted jigs also with trailers.

When it comes to lure speed, the fish tell me what their willing to chase. The slowest and a numbers technique is slower-with-pauses regardless of surface or subsurface in disturbance. To me, DISTURBANCE it everything! Fish aren't used to them when made by unnatural manmade moving objects disturbing their peace. And, IMO, that's what lures do - DISTURB THE PEACE of peace-loving animals supersensitive to everything that moves - even the tiniest lure.

Lures that make a scene in a fish's environment, THUMP the lateral line; small finesse lures that barely move, TICKLE the senses. Both have a time and place. For me, the latter type lures are numbers-lures that catch anything that swims including 7 lb catfish, 6 lb carp, bass of all sizes, large numbers of panfish and of course - pickerel.

The fish-annoying motion I impart to p.o. inactive fish is primarily using slight reel handle turns with pauses. The lures dart slightly, glide, slightly change depth and stay in one area longer than all other lure types. Ticklers, as I call them, include wood and plastic surface lures, slow bottom-hoppers and suspending or slow-rise crankbaits. Of course, the strike can be super subtle yet always very obvious even from the lure seemingly disappearing as the fish comes towards me with thing in its mouth. By accident, I found the perfect tickler - a 3" curl tail grub with tail removed rigged on a 1/32 oz ball head jig. Some call it a NED rig copy, but I started catching fish with it 4 or 5 years ago and modified the shape - one looks like a neon bulb!

No one on any forum has indicated they have tried it. Their loss. But I always consider tips shared and like to share them including one wire grub-grip I discovered 10 years ago that keep lures secure without using glue.

[monte300]

I don’t have a ton of confidence in the chatterbait but I have caught a few on it. It tends to catch quality fish. I also like lipless in the fall, especially cranking it on a weed line. There’s a time in the early spring when lipless is good, especially before the water reaches 60 degrees. I never understood why a fast moving bait like a lipless catches them when the water is still cold? I throw a red 1.5 squarebill 95% of the time. It gets bit a lot, catches its share of dinks but also catches some good ones. I use straight 65# power pro braid for everything with no leaders. Either tied directly or tied to snap. I use this setup because I throw into heavy cover and I can usually strip tulies with ease. I’ve learned there’s no such thing as a perfect line. I like to make long casts and besides stripping tules, I like the limp memory free qualities and of course no line stretch with braid.

Here’s a fish I caught in the fall 3 1/2 years ago on the squarebill. My scale decided to not work and I couldn’t find anyone on a weekday with a scale. I released the fish and when I entered the length and girth on the internet I got an estimation of 7.8 pounds. It looked like a legit 8 pounder to me.

[Senkosam]

For sure 8 lbs.!!! Congrats!

[monte300]

For sure 8 lbs.!!! Congrats!

Thanks my PB is 8-12 from 20 years ago.

[JVGondal]

Nice fish! That is 8 for sure. Closer to 9 from here

I need to go cranking more often

[JVGondal]

Watched Some CNN today. They have these government employees complaining how they were let go

They keep reporting how they are all probationary employees
WTF??? If you have a probationary job that means you are not hired on permanently yet

They have no grounds to complain
CNN and the rest of the left is dirty rotten scum

They are not even telling the activist to stop the violence to Tesla. AOC the great leader just brushed it off and said the republicans said mean things but had zero examples of the conservatives acting out violence
These people are disgusting and will continue to loose

[Senkosam]

Hmmmm. You could be right. BUT,
Statistics don't lie and ones that matter to you and me will be posted in the next few months that include:
rate of unemployment
rate of inflation
CPI (Consumer Price Index)
GDP (gross domestic product)
stock market trend (bull or bear)
how many businesses shut down including foreign car dealerships
energy prices and production
crime rate
value of the American dollar
Trumps approval rating
pessimism or optimism about the country's direction
government efficiency because of DOGE and executive actions
crop production and subsidies
global trade into and out of the U.S.
educational levels
the Federal deficit
tax revenue - less if unemployment rises and business bottom line drops
and 15 other indicators

To ignore the above when things go bad and accept Trump's excuses and his blaming others for his failures, will be a rude awakening for millions of Americans that voted for him or not that are personally affected.

BTW, the price of eggs will not come down any time soon as he promised in Nov. along with all the other promises not being fulfilled that I listed. The Panama Canal, Greenland and Canada as a 51st state is laughable if they weren't so preposterous; Russia will not defeat Ukraine and illegal immigration stats will be telling.

[JVGondal]

Each and every issue you called out are exactly why Trump was elected
To fix all those problems created by democrats
Use California as an example

We won’t see any change here because the left is in control for how many years?

Who cares about the price of eggs anyway?
How about get rid of exclusive democrat gas tax so Ca can have fuel prices closer to the rest of the country?
That alone would save Californian families thousands of dollars a year

[Senkosam]

Who cares about the price of eggs anyway?

Uhmm, millions of Americans that cook - DO!
There are hundreds of recipes that require eggs besides the fact that eggs are the biggest part of breakfasts nationwide. There is no food source as eggs that are packed with nutrients and protein. Eggs are a basic food and the huge cost for American families is now a big part of the inflation.

Incompetence isn't a Democratic or Republican thing just as corruption isn't party affiliated. It took both parties years to increase the deficit through waste and pandering to a minority of voters who paid the most to get the most - including rich donors.

When it comes to incompetence, neither party is clean and now the idiot-in-charge proudly speaks volumes. When asked about the Atlantic having secret military information leaked by his idiot in charge of defense, he said he hadn't heard of it. Why the **** not?! He's supposed to be kept informed of everything - especially highly confidential national security and military information. The fiasco has been labeled - Houthi & the Blowfish for want of a better description and buried.

But D.T. does have his national priorities straight such as proudly endorsing IVF (invitro fertilization) at a news conference and new ways to store sperm. The Commander-in-Chief is now aka The Sperminator-in-Chief by his adoring far right supporters that are against abortion but have no problem with unwanted kids being stuck in foster care.

Time will tell and maybe the incompetence our attention-seeking blowhard is so proud of will bring attention to what voters should base their votes - lies, misinformation, excuses and theatrics not one of them!

[JVGondal]

far right supporters that are against abortion but have no problem with unwanted kids being stuck in foster care
[/quote]

Please explain ?

[monte300]

They keep reporting how they are all probationary employees
WTF??? If you have a probationary job that means you are not hired on permanently yet

The problem I have with firing all probationary employees is they aren’t all created equal. For example many government employees are married to military spouses. Because the military moves their people to new locations every couple of years, the spouses move with them. Every time they move the employee takes on a new role within the government and is constantly on probation. Hence there are many government employees with many years of service that are still on probation. I for one and most of us agree the government needs to be downsized. The haphazard way Trump and Muck are going about downsizing is the real problem, IMO.

[JVGondal]

Seems to me the soldiers are much happier with a commander and chief that put America first
No matter what people are going do complain about loosing government jobs. They much rather have the government closed to stay home with pay

I can’t blame them
Wouldn’t you ? I would be out fishing everyday

You been out fishing Monte? I unfortunately have been stuck at home for a while now.
That’s about to change however
I might try some fly fishing

[monte300]

I

[JVGondal]

Do you ever run far north and fish areas like soughgrass or the north molkumee?

[monte300]

Do you ever run far north and fish areas like soughgrass or the north molkumee?

I never go that far north. I store my boat at whiskey slough and rarely fish above Turner Cut. Spend most of my time down around middle river and south to Victoria. How about you?

[JVGondal]

I been that far north years ago

I fish the far south most often
I do fish around Stockton bear creek. Smith canal
Main channel near ladds
All around whisky and turner cut.
Frank’s tract to Sherman island.
Holland. Rock slough. Orwood

The Deep South is closet to me so consequently I fish it the most. I get tired of the same area over and over so I go out exploring.
Thu k about the north now

[JVGondal]

If you ever need to know somthing about the south let me know. I can probably help

[monte300]

If you ever need to know somthing about the south let me know. I can probably help

Thanks JV. Decades ago I fished Rock Slough a lot, but it got so choked with weeds it became very difficult to fish. In that same timeframe I also fished Franks, Holland Cut and Orwood quite a bit. I’m less adventurous in my older age.

[JVGondal]

Yes I experienced the same in Rock and other dead ends there. Not sure if it’s actually called rock slough but go under Becky bridge

It has changed a lot. It’s been a long time since it was good. But it might be now. The weeds are less
The problem for me is the water is too clear
I like shallow dirty waters

[monte300]

Yes I experienced the same in Rock and other dead ends there. Not sure if it’s actually called rock slough but go under Becky bridge

It has changed a lot. It’s been a long time since it was good. But it might be now. The weeds are less
The problem for me is the water is too clear
I like shallow dirty waters

I rarely fished past Becky bridge. I always liked the center tule berm a quarter of a mile before the bridge with a crank bait, spinner bait or lipless

[JVGondal]

I always fished the banks and not the islands much

But that is changing. I’m starting to fish areas I use to ignore
Thanks for sharing. Little confidence goes a long way

[JVGondal]

You think lipless crankbait might be good right now ?

[monte300]

You think lipless crankbait might be good right now ?

It’s worth a try. I prefer lipless in early spring and fall don’t throw it much in summer. I like the bank there too. The south bank was always less weedy and easier to fish. The north bank where the road is often has bank fishermen on it. My favorite was to throw lipless over the top of the center berm on high tide

I stopped fishing Rock Slough long before a bladed jig was ever invented. I agree the water there tended to be clear with all the weeds. Clear water there never stopped us from catching fish. I’m talking 30 years ago. I caught my first fish over 5 pounds on that center berm with a spinnerbait a 7-7

[JVGondal]

I never tried the north bank with the road
It looks like it’s very shallow and full of weeds

I did most my fishing on the north bank a mile or so above Becky bridge.
I did well on the south bank on this side of the bridge too.

[monte300]

I never tried the north bank with the road
It looks like it’s very shallow and full of weeds

I did most my fishing on the north bank a mile or so above Becky bridge.
I did well on the south bank on this side of the bridge too.

You are correct, the north bank is shallow, weedy and hard to fish.

[JVGondal]

I don’t understand why there is always bank fishernen on that area. I can’t imagine the catch fish

[monte300]

I don’t understand why there is always bank fishernen on that area. I can’t imagine the catch fish

Maybe they are catfishing?

[JVGondal]

Yeah the must be. But still. There must be some holes or somthing

[JVGondal]

Went out couple few hours today. All I could get bites on was black 3/4 jig
Caught 5 or 6. 2 pounders
I trued blades and senko. Lizard and brush hog

[JVGondal]

Smashing toy Teslas. Burning real cars?

Yup. Mature adults. Some 65 years old

The party of peace and joy?

I will proudly wear a MAGA hat and take the chance of some nut job with crazy hair and rings in the face attacking me before I claim to be left

[Senkosam]

Smashing toy Teslas. Burning real cars?
Yup. Mature adults. Some 65 years old
The party of peace and joy?

I will proudly wear a MAGA hat and take the chance of some nut job with crazy hair and rings in the face attacking me before I claim to be left

Where do you get this stuff while ignoring what Musk stands for - radical to the EXTREME - and not conservative! He and his circle jerk buddy are leading the U.S. down a path no one expected and that most fear. Approval ratings are dropping and will continue to do so once tariffs spark the trade war sure to come, causing more inflation - not less - as promised.

Musk has earned the ire against him and for so many of his shocking statements and actions. Granted, you as a Musk-ovite adore him and maybe agree with his actions, but nothing he's done or about to do will be admired except by antisemites, racists and the rich. The middle class certainly will wish they had the guts to vandalize more Teslas as more lose their jobs and find expenses rise due to across-the-board tariffs.

He and his buddy are despicable, divisive, arrogant, self-centered, without shame nor introspection much less patriotic. It's sad that so many believe everything they see and hear from our professional denier-liar-in-chief.

If the GOP congress want to be re-elected, they will put the brakes on future extreme actions that will turn this country into the opposite of what the founders intended or evolved into.

As far as banning abortions, many aren't fit to be parents or parent material. Bringing a child into this world by accident still requires a home conducive to raising a child all the way to adolescents with love and respect - by BOTH parents. Financial security is also a must which many lack at various times and kids without it would be better off in foster care.

[JVGondal]

Your hatred for people who succeed in life is just that
I would argue your views are racist


A child in the womb has no rights? I thought you believed in DEI? Instead it appears you prefer to kill human life by the actions of it parents.
People tell a woman it’s too difficult to have a child instead of encouraging them. Woman are strong and can indeed raise fine people without your standard of living requirement for life
Some of the greatest people alive come from a hard childhood.

Your accusations are false and have no argument

Tell me how Elon is hurting us

The people who hate Musk have envy of success and suffer from stupidity of not wanting to cut waste, fraud and abuse. I don't know Elon Musk, but I know how stupid they actually are.

These people are actually, in addition to being the enemy within, they're actually stupid. The morons who are keying Teslas and protesting outside dealerships are unaware that Tesla is a publicly traded company. Musk owns somewhere between 12% and 20%.

The rest is mostly owned by institutional investors. the people that run pension funds and mutual funds and ETFs, all the things in most people's retirement accounts. So by marching outside Tesla and trying to destroy the company, these morons are actually inadvertently driving down their very own retirement funds.
All it takes is a glance and it’s obvious to all that these are racist domestic terrorist who hate white people and success in America
. See you at the Bernie sanders rally

[monte300]

Don’t

[JVGondal]

Don’t bother because you can’t make up good enough lies to be believed
It’s that simple. Kinda like a cult. Hate this man because We said so ?
Couple years ago he was the lefts hero saving the planet from fake man made climate change

Again ignore the fact the earth has had extreme weather events killing life since long long before man was here to make a dam thing

How is it obvious he is a weasel. One example please? Because he sees how corrupt the left has become? Wake up. I know you guys can think and reason

[monte300]

Don’t bother because you can’t make up good enough lies to be believed
It’s that simple. Kinda like a cult. Hate this man because We said so ?
Couple years ago he was the lefts hero saving the planet from fake man made climate change

Again ignore the fact the earth has had extreme weather events killing life since long long before man was here to make a dam thing

Are

[JVGondal]

I never thought America could come this close to communism
I don’t see MAGA with teeth missing any more than I see lefty with hair dye rings in the face committing domestic terror
In fact I see MAGA great people in law enforcement
Our military out patriots
You are stuck in the 1950-1980 democrats that were once great
Now they have been overthrown by communist left
Sorry but everyone knows it true. The democrats have zero credibility. Not one of them make any sense or care about you
All they want is to take your rights and freedoms
Take a look at Ca.
Enough said

[JVGondal]

As a matter of fact take a look at all the people in England and the EU
Democrats want us to be like them with social services
Notice the lack of DENTAL care. Talk about no teeth

[monte300]

I never thought America could come this close to communism
I don’t see MAGA with teeth missing any more than I see lefty with hair dye rings in the face committing domestic terror
In fact I see MAGA great people in law enforcement
Our military out patriots
You are stuck in the 1950-1980 democrats that were once great
Now they have been overthrown by communist left
Sorry but everyone knows it true. The democrats have zero credibility. Not one of them make any sense or care about you
All they want is to take your rights and freedoms
Take a look at Ca.
Enough said

Was

[JVGondal]

What do you call setting cars on fire then???

Obviously you side with criminals

I’m pretty sure you would want prison time for a criminal that set your car on fire

[monte300]

What do you call setting cars on fire then???

Obviously you side with criminals

I’m pretty sure you would want prison time for a criminal that set your car on fire

[JVGondal]

bologna
It was called domestic terror during the fake pandemic when they stole dodge ford and Chevy

How did you forget

[JVGondal]

Seems to me they are just looking for an excuse to riot and loot

[monte300]

Seems to me they are just looking for an excuse to riot and loot

[JVGondal]

I don’t recall any fires.
That hardly compares. Come on. You can’t do better that that?

[monte300]

I don’t recall any fires.
That hardly compares. Come on. You can’t do better that that?
[/

[JVGondal]

Don’t worry they will loot for your agenda soon

As if fires and vandalism is not enough

I give up. I really believe you guys have a mental disorder. Nothing else explains it

[monte300]

[JVGondal]

[JVGondal]

You guys are complaining about Elon looking to stop fraud and paying those who do not qualify for social security
Mean while the Ca democrats are proposing a bill today that will charge us 6 cents per mile we drive and will also determine the cost of a speeding ticket fine by your income
All it is to get more of our money to support their wasteful spending witch apparently some of like ?!
Come on. Wake up

[monte300]

You guys are complaining about Elon looking to stop fraud and paying those who do not qualify for social security
Mean while the Ca democrats are proposing a bill today that will charge us 6 cents per mile we drive and will also determine the cost of a speeding ticket fine by your income
All it is to get more of our money to support their wasteful spending witch apparently some of like ?!
Come on. Wake up