Resourceful Tips

[John Sheehan]

 Any one remember the feature in the old Field and Stream Magazines called 'Tap's Tips'? I always read those .Here's a place to add your resourceful tips . A few Float Fishing Tips I've come up with : Save the hook guard tubes  from Storm Swimbaits and cut them into several pieces to use as spare fixed float line cinchers .Also use the rubber ends of Bungee cord clips ,you'll have to cut off the closed end but they fit tightly over some floats as do the guards . Another in a pinch float cincher ;cut a small tube bait and use the tip/mid section .

 Jig Heads that have rusted hooks still have a use .Bust off the hook and discard and use the head for a pounding  or drop shot weight below a new hook baited with what the fish are hitting .

 Those rubber football float stops have other uses besides float stops .I've used them to block beads and spinners on clevis's from sliding  on the line when casting  and you can slide them around into place any distance you  want from the hook or lure .They also work out coils in line when you slide them around .

  Found a wine cork sliced with a Filet knife makes for a good line coil straightener.

Need a Strike indicator for an ice fishing rod ?Ball end light gauge Acoustic Guitar A string attached with electrical tape works a charm !

 

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

You're plenty clever - I never heard if that.
Well I didn't know it had a name!

[John Sheehan]

In-Fisherman video is where I think I got the pounding weight concept .I sometimes think fish are "envious"(Ha)  if they see something that looks like a feeding scenario, they gotta investigate and get in on it .I always felt a spoon tipped with a worm or a Spinner rig hook/bait mimicked a vulnerable two bait combo ;a small fish feeding on a smaller organism

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Anglers who use the Carolina rig in its native environs take advantage of this "stirring up" idea.
The "old ball and chain" stirs up a trail or cloud of bottom gunk as the weight is dragged along. Most Southern impoundments have clear, open bottoms. The trailing bloom kicked up by the weight is part of the techniques effectiveness, helping fish home in on the bait.

Makes sense that it works for ice fishing.

[John Sheehan]

"ball and chain", INTERESTING !   I think even an anchor used with some subtlety can create a feeding frenzy if one is patient enough .We've all heard about kicking up or throwing clods of dirt/bait upstream from Trout in a stream .Seems like a similar near natural way of "stirring things up ' for a forced feed. Fishing after a rain ,when this happens naturally ,sometimes is an extremely good time to be catching fish .Love it when every one else is at work and I get to test it out with no one on the river .

[Slip Sinker]

bluegill and crappies feeding in a silt cloud formed when picking up a mushroom anchor in 29 ft of water

pretty cool huh?

[John Sheehan]

yes very cool

[Jim Gronaw]

That's crazy!

[Slip Sinker]

Looks like I'm being profiled... Lol

[John Sheehan]

haha ,your fault for spilling your guts! Some of us pay attention

[Slip Sinker]

ive learned plenty from this site... thank you

[John Sheehan]

yes, we love to share our successes

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Same here.

A not insignificant amount of what I've learned came from you two.