a MidWest Outdoors Publication
In This Issue   Weather NWS forecast Enter city or zip code              April 2008 Features: Swimbaits Crash Into Bass Action – John N. Felsher Tickling Early-Season Crappie – Jason Durham Catch More White Bass With This Topnotch Lure – Gary Nelson Surefire Spring Solutions – Jim Saric The Jig Evolution – Travis Peterson with John Peterson Quick Draw Slip Bobber Tricks – Ted Takasaki and Scott Richardson Wiggling Your Way To More Bass – Steve Mattson Small Cranks For Spring ‘Skis – A Hot Tactic For Early Season Action – Colby Simms Mid-South Tailwaters – Troy Basso Year-Round Panfish Jigs – Dan Galusha Float Fishing For Appalatian Trout – Mike Yurk Plastic Makes Perfect – Mark Martin On the Cover:   Slip bobber adjustments can be made lightning quick, thanks to Mr. Slip Bobber, Greg Bohn who designed the Pro-Series Slip Bobber Rigs for Lindy Fishing Tackle. MONTHLY FEATURES Fishing Tips * Knowing What Makes A Fish Tick Will Boost Your Catches * Cartoons by Richard Stubler * Collecting Lures by Dan Basore * Web Directory * Reader’s Tips * Just For Laughs * Destinations Plastic Makes Perfect  BY MARK MARTIN A lot’s changed since my early days of walleye fishing. Baitwells and coolers full of live bait have been replaced, for the most part, with re-closable bags of polymers—soft plastics, if you will. Now don’t get me wrong, there are times and places for live bait, but I find those places shrinking ever smaller with every fishing trip I make. Some of today’s plastics, well, aren’t really all that plastic. They’ve been infused with biodegradable compounds that stink, literally, not only grabbing a walleye’s attention visually, but by smell and taste as well. Soft plastics work well, too, because they can be used nearly anywhere, anytime, and by nearly any means. Read more Small Cranks For Spring ‘Skis A Hot Tactic For Early Season Action BY COLBY SIMMS Photos by the Simms Outdoors Team A sports/ show and speaking engagement forced me off the water during one of my favorite times of year. After a very long weekend indoors, doing nothing but talking about fishing, I was chomping at the bit to get back out on the water. FAILING PATTERNS     After several days, I was back at my home lake only to find out that the patterns had changed. The methods that were producing so well for me and my guide team less than a week ago had all but fizzled away to nothing, I was told. It was time to knuckle down and get back to work. Read more Wiggling Your Way To More Bass BY STEVE MATTSON Look in every bass angler’s tackle box and you will find crankbaits, probably lots of them. Most of these crankbaits were lucky to hit the water even just one time. Some of them may look worn with rusty hooks attached, but that’s just because they have been bouncing around in the box for a few years. The fact is, for most anglers, the crankbait did a better job of luring the angler than it did the fish. And although crankbaits have been around for a long time, they still have and will continue to be an excellent lure to catch fish. And with all the advances in manufacturing processes, process control, imaging capabilities and super sharp hooks, the crankbaits of today are fantastic replicas of the real thing. So let’s start putting them to use and start catching more fish too. Read more   Quick Draw Slip Bobber Tricks BY TED TAKASAKI AND SCOTT RICHARDSON The fastest draw always won the shootout in the Old West. The same holds true on the water when the walleye bite is on. Fumbling around trying to keep bait in the water costs time and missed fish. “The walleye bite happens quickly and ends quickly each day,” said Mr. Slip bobber, Greg Bohn. “There are periods of high and low activity, and you need to be ready. Sitting in a boat watching dead floats is not my idea of a good time. I want to see those bobbers getting jerked down, getting hammered. Getting those floats to be productive, that’s the key.” Slip bobber adjustments can be made lightning quick at times when fish come one right after another like rapid fire from a Colt 45. That’s thanks to recent advances in tackle design, packaging and storage, he said. Read more
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