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Ive been using P-line tactical this winter & it is working out well so far, about 5 trips with it throwing small baits. One tip that will help you, take your spinning rods, cut the bait off & let about half or so of your line out as you idle or troll along. The faster you go the more tension you put on the line & the better it packs on the spool & it also takes the twist out. Do this once a day, at the beginning or end & it will help alot.

Congrats to expressjet and thilton on the win. Congrats to TNBF on same day results

Agreed. Less time consuming ways to catch them. I've caught fish dropping a Damiki but I hardly ever do it. After spending an entire day doing it, I couldn't move my head the next day. Last thing I need is another technique where I'm tilting my head down staring at my bow display. Makes my neck hurt just thinking about it.

The beauty of this area is versatility. You can find what you’re looking for on most of our area lakes. If you want to go super shallow and flip or frog you can do that and if you want to go deep and crank or finesse fish you can do that too. Keep asking questions, keeping a log is a great idea as airborne posted above. Some days you just have to chalk up as a learning experience and if you keep good enough notes you’ll learn just as much, if not more on the fishless days as you will the slug fest.

First of all, thank you for your service, Devil Dog. You are (and always will be) a member of an elite fraternity. As for your questions: the only stupid ones are the ones you don't ask. Many of the doods on here will learn from the responses to your questions above. Your reports will help reinforce that learning. Power fishing is a relative term when fishing highland bodies of water. There will be times when the fish come up shallow (<10'). There will be times when 40' may not be deep enuff. Crankbaits may not be the power fishing bait of choice. You may need to consider weighted swimbaits, spoons/blades, underspins, heavy spinnerbaits, and heavy swimjigs to cover water quickly and efficiently. The Tokyo rig may be another. I've not used it but have seen it used as a power fishing presentation on some videos. The key is using something you can get and keep (the important part) in the strike zone. Ledges are an interesting kind of structure. Not all ledges are created equal. You'll want to target ledges that are close to shallower flats and channel swings. These will be places where fish can move to feed and back quickly, effortlessly. A little map study will help you ID these kinds of places. A little time over your electronix will help you dial in the locations that are holding fish. Couple things to keep in mind as you prepare to make your deep water power fishing trips: 1) Use the right gear. Throwing deep diving crankbaits will flat wear you out if don't have the correct rod. Do some homework on how the pros fish deep cranks. Ask some of the doods on here how they do it. Same-same for heavy swimbaits, swim jigs. 2) Semper Gumbi - remain flexible at all times. You may have 10 or 12 rods out for these trips. You'll want to cycle thru them all to get to the best solution for the conditions you're fishing. BPT tie on lots of different stuff, changing colors, body shape, bill length, etc as you work thru options. 3) Keep a notebook handy. Take notes on what does, does not work as you work thru your outings. As you build up a few pages you'll then have an informed start point. You'll gradually eliminate the guesswork and get to a place where you have some confidence in finding/catching fish. Finally, congrats on retirement. Airborne retired 11 years ago after 32 years on active duty. I find solace in fishing now. Many of my trips are with my Bros from my active duty days. Good luck w/ your move to KY. B

You'll find that there will be times when one style of plastic bait is better than others. The challenge is finding the balance - of options, of time to learn how to use those options, of space in which to store it all. Same-same for techniques (like shakyhead, football jig, etc). There are no hard-n-fast rules on when, where, or how. That's what makes this sport so addictive. There's always another piece of the puzzle to solve. Based on my [limited] experience here's how I pattern soft plastics: - winter - small finesse worms (ned rig, drop shot, and shakyhead), small flukes and worms (drop shot), small beaver style baits for jig trailers - spring - creature baits (c-rig), lizards (c-rig), larger finesse worms (shakyhead, wacky rig), stick baits (weightless, t-rig, and wacky rigged), swim baits (solid and hollow body) - summer - big worms (t-rig), creature baits (c-rig), small and large finesse worms (shakyhead, wacky rig), stick worms (same as above), big beavers (punch baits) - fall - swim baits, creature baits, flukes, trick worms I keep my plastics sorted by type and store them in small tote bags. That enables me to plug-n-play for an outing based on season, info from reports, and info from my journals. All of this is kept in one of the small compartments on the back deck. Not a lot volume-wise but a good variety. I'll adjust (add, subtract, upsize, downsize) based on what I learn in practice. Other things to consider: 1) Buoyancy. Not all plastics are created equal. Infused (salt, scent) baits are denser than water and sink. Others (Softy's baits, Robo-worm) are not so they float up off of the deck. Both catch fish. There are times when the characteristics of the plastic formula make the difference. 2) Hook size and weight. Light wire hooks for small profile finesse baits. Heavy wire hooks for big profile and punch baits. You'll want an assortment of J, EWGs, drop shot, flipping, and other kinds of hooks. Easy to pack a nice assortment into a small box or bag. 3) Weights. Think about weights and shapes. Heavier weight if you're fishing deep. A bullet shaped weigh if you're working it thru cover. Then there are specialty weights for drop shotting, flipping, wacky, the list goes on. The key here is to match the hook to your desired presentation and bait profile. Others will chime in here on metals used for weights. Some swear by tungsten. Others use lead. Others use brass. As with the hook, match your weight type to your presentation. This was a great question. You're thinking about the right kind of stuff. Keep it up!