The Hound Dog looks like it does the job. I found the toughest water to retrieve a lure is a river. It gives me fits.

I had one I made but the cheap D ring quit so I threw $ at the problem. I can imagine that rivers would be a challenge and not the kind I'm looking for. 😂

Thanks, Pete. I had fun catching 'em, even when I lost some. Take care, Jim

Since I retired it has allowed me to fish during the week. Less traffic but I know what you mean. Take care, Jim

The lakes around here get turned into a salad making trolling almost impossible even in the prop wash !

@@recordfishhunter9234 I feel your pain. Been there and had to deal with that. I try to keep away from lakes that have heavy boat traffic and chop up the vegetation but sometimes it is what it is. Best time to fish it is early in the season and late in the season. Take care, Jim

​@@jjd8277 Right on Jim always enjoy your videos ! Good fishing always sincerely record 🎣

It's a 1/4 oz. bullet weight. But it all depends on the depth you're fishing. Less weight for shallow water, more the deeper you go. Jim

Half the rods in my boat have come from snagging them off the bottom. Catch includes reels, anchors, lures, muskie nets, lawn chairs, and on, and on. Spoonpluggers recycle! Jim

I can see that happening, that's great, not always fun.. My big motor is still down, so we haven't trolled too much. I can run 2.5 continuously w/80lb tm, but most of our good catches were 4-5mph. I'll get off my butt soon. Great to see you out there Jim!

Roger, How right you are! Jim

Roger, Water temps here are 67 degrees. Tough day yesterday: SLOW.

Willy, Hope you can get out soon. Water temps here are 67 degrees. Jim

It was slow last weekend, saw a lot on ffs but barely got followers. My outboard is down so I drug some crankbaits @ 2-2.5 mph. It should pick up. Thanks Jim.

Thanks, Pete. I will. Jim

Roger, It's getting slower up here. As the temps start to fall, that'll get 'em going. Jim

Pete, You better believe it. Jim

Willy, I try to get out 2-3 times a week, weather permitting. Thanks for watching the videos but you need to go out there and get 'em. Jim

Ralph, "... it's just good advice from close by." And sometimes, I even listen to it! Appreciate you watching. Go get 'em. Jim

Go on out. It's the only way to get 'em. Jim

Roger, We've got a change going on at this time of year so any catch is a good one. It especially helps to know what you're doing. Go get 'em. Jim

Bill, I'm trying not to repeat myself, too much, but the videos help me focus. I've caught a lot of fish trolling the smaller SPs and keep meaning to anchor and cast them. Well, lately, that's what I've been doing. Buck says when you catch them on the troll, don't switch baits, cast the same lure. Duh! The essence of Spoonplugging is to keep it simple. Follow the Guidelines and don't overthink it. I'm a work in progress. Thanks for you input. Jim

Willy, The stripers are difficult to deal with on regular tackle. When it comes to the light stuff, you've got your hands full. Their preference is for smaller baits, but that can be difficult when they're deeper. In the shallows, it's just a question of whether you can hold them long enough to get 'em in the net. Jim

I really want some wipers, we just have to travel a little.

Jim, There's a lot of us out there working the water. Jim

Charles, You understand what it takes. Keeping the lure at the right depth and controlling your speed is a key component of successful fishing. I spoke with another Spoonplugger yesterday, also fishing a deep lake, who got into big northern pike at 25' on the troll. He had a blast catching them for 45 minutes. Thanks for your input. Jim

You work with what you have. Been there, done that. Go get 'em. Jim

Roger, My sentiments exactly. Take care, Jim

It's just another tool to put more fish in the boat. Jim

You sir, are the only open minded spoonplugger I've encountered. I had to leave Facebook groups. But, this system works! You just need the right boat to be thorough.

@@KissmyBasss Willy, You are working with what you've got. Buck would be proud. Don't listen to those other guys and don't let them discourage you. Go get 'em. Jim

Bill, You're right on. Jim

Keep it low.

Mike, Trolling to me is as important as ever. Today’s electronics have certainly given an edge to the fisherman as it applies to mapping a lake and identifying fish on sonar. When it comes to catching, Buck said it boils down to two controls: depth and speed. When we talk about depth we’re talking about fish in the shallows, the deep, or somewhere in-between. Casting the shallows, and to a certain extent, the in-between doesn’t present a difficult challenge for most fishermen. But when it comes to deep water, they’re almost invariably limited to vertical jigging or controlled drifting. The bigger the body of water, where to do this comes into play. Buck states that you certainly wouldn’t want to fish the Great Lakes by casting/drifting/vertical jigging alone. Trolling serves three purposes: 1) to map the lake, 2) to quickly eliminate unproductive water, and 3) to trigger a fish to reflexively strike the lure. I’d likely add a 4th, which is to determine the makeup of the bottom and identify the breaks holding the fish. I’ve caught bass, walleye, northern pike, and muskies at speeds of 5+ mph. You cannot achieve that kind of speed casting. That’s even if you can identify where the fish are located that you’re targeting. In addition, trolling the sanctuary depths at 35’+ isn’t an issue. Trolling allows you to do all this in a timely fashion. I should also state that I’ve caught many fish while trolling using current electronics that I never saw on the screen. Lastly, trolling is just plain fun. There’s a certain thrill to having a big fish strike the lure and turn you around in your seat! I’ve been a fan of trolling from the beginning. Buck has also noted that when you know your lake, the productive structures, the contact point, and the breaks holding the fish, casting would be the way to go. Sitting at home and trying to interpret a map is what Spoonpluggers do in their down time. It’s an excellent exercise to get you thinking. After saying all that, how you approach your fishing is up to you. If you can consistently catch fish using mapping technology and sonar then you’ve found your answer. It boils down to SUCCESS.

@@jjd8277 Thanks for your thoughtful reply!

Troy, Running the Spoonplugs is a mechanical process, i.e. letting out the lures to the proper depth, following a breakline, etc. ALL Spoonpluggers have issues starting out but perseverance and patience is the key. Every trip on the water is a learning experience. Always go back to the book to identify any problems you encounter. You'll get 'em. Jim

Good suggestion. You can also try backing way off on the drag. Jim

I had the thought that casting the Spoonplug might be your issue but dismissed it since your were trolling. No need to cast when your trolling, let the boat do the work. This is especially true when fishing with a partner. You both want to let out your lures at the same time. The boat should be running in a straight line and never let out the lures on a turn. That's a sure way to get tangled with crossed lines. The only time I'll cast a Spoonplug on the troll is when I'm using different line to troll, like mono or braid. I don't cast NO-BO or wire. Trolling fast for muskies is not a bad idea but you should always start out at a slow to moderate speed. Speed is an essential control but it has to be checked. Sometimes in the heat of summer it's the way to go but sometimes even in the heat, they want it slow. You need to check it out. When it comes to changing conditions, and when it comes to fall weather, my experience has been that they want it slow. But again, you have to check it out. Go get 'em. Jim

Pete, I'm using a Daiwa Accudepth 17 Plus-B Line Walleye reel. Had it for a few years now and it does a great job. Jim

@@jjd8277 Thanx Jim. I do enjoy your vids.. keep up the good work

Hi Michael, Thanks for asking, I'm doing alright. I've been fishing so much lately that I haven't gotten around to editing the videos. Got into the walleyes, hybrid stripers, white bass, panfish, and bass pretty good. I just have to find the time but I will put them out. Thanks again for asking and take care. Jim

@@jjd8277 Glad to hear you're well.

Troy, Yes, you do need a swivel between the wire and the leader. Connect the wire line to the swivel and your leader to the swivel. Don't use a snap swivel to connect your leader to the lure. Are you running Spoonplugs or crankbaits? Try a different SP to see if that's the issue. As a matter of fact, I was using wire today and it's a very useful tool. Keep me posted as I've never had this problem. Jim

@@jjd8277 Jim, thanks for answering. I'm running spoonplugs, and they "roll" back up to the surface, and I don't know why? How does one "tune" a spoonplug to run true and deep? The snap is connected to a split ring, which is connected to the spoonplug. I don't know if bending the spoonplug where the split ring attaches will even do anything, because of the play with the split ring. Do you have any spoonplugs that do this?

@@troybelanger974 Troy, Usually, when you tune a Spoonplug it's because the lure is running to the right or left. When I've had a SP "roll" to the surface, it's because it is fouled: weeds or some type of debris. I don't think that's your issue. Or, what may be happening is that you are not "releasing" the lure under pressure. When you go to troll a SP, place the lure in the water and allow the forward motion of the boat to "pull" the lure from the reel UNDER LIGHT PRESSURE. Place your thumb lightly on the spool and allow it to feed out. If you place the SP in the water and it peels out without minimal pressure, it will spin and negate the trolling pass. This happens to me when I get excited and want to get it back in the water quickly. Place it in the water, engage the motor, and allow the lure to peel off the reel under light pressure. Let me know if this helps. Go get 'em. Jim

I've been doing more fishing than editing videos but thanks for asking. Am not able to make the Madison Outing but I will try to post a couple of videos in the near future. Where does the time go?!!! Take care, Jim

Roger, You're out of control! Way to go. You know how to get 'em. Jim

Roger, It seems we got into Spoonplugging around the same time. There are a lot of Spoonpluggers still going in the Midwest. It's great to get together with them and share info and talk Spoonplugging. It keeps you fresh. Take care, Jim

Roger, How long have you been Spoonplugging? Jim

Many years I got the little green book in mid eights I think then the expanded work I'm 74 today the water temp jumped to 76 during hot summer I troll into current small m are there in numbers

Roger, On average, I'm taking the big cats at a slower speed. More in line with speeds for walleye. But hey, you've got to check it out. Keep 'em coming. Jim

Way to go, Roger. Speed kills!

Just following the Spoonplugger Guidelines. In the spring, the water temperatures are cold and the fish tend to react to a passing lure much slower. So I slow down to give them a chance to hit it. You can still catch them but they're not chasing a lure as aggressively as in the summer when the water is warmer. That's a general rule but you still have to check it out. A fellow Spoonplugger was catching walleye at 4 mph. On that day, it turned out I was fishing to slow. The lure you use is dependent on the depth of the water being fished. Springtime has the fish moving shallow to spawn. Couple that with excellent water color, and your odds of making contact improve greatly. I was using the 250 SP because the fish had moved to that depth: 6'-9'. You start fishing in the shallows and work your way deeper. Never assume they'll be at any particular depth: strain the water. If you remember my video on the 2022 outing in Madison, WI, the fish were shallow, 9'. This pattern of shallow movement continues until about mid to late June. It is also dependent on which part of the country you live in. Down south, move the dates up; in the north move the dates back. Jim

Thanks so much for the detailed reply! The weedline on mendota goes so deep that I never used the smaller plugs last year. Looking forward to exploring more lakes this year that aren't as clear!