Reader’s Tips

Readers are invited to submit tips for this column. Length of tip should be less than 150 words. Tips should be helpful ideas to help people enjoy fishing, hunting and camping.
The reader whose tip is selected will receive a fishing product and be eligible for a drawing for $100 worth of fishing merchandise. The drawing will be held every month.

Send your tips to: Tips Editor, MidWest Outdoors, 111 Shore Drive,
Burr Ridge, IL 60527. Our email address is info@midwestoutdoors.com.
 

This month’s winner is Ronald Beasley of St. Louis, Mo. Ronald will receive a package of outdoor products in addition to the gift sent to every eligible contributor.

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Dear Tips Editor:
    If you fish with plastic worms, Senkos, or similar baits, you have probably used “wacky” rigging. Most people I have encountered just position the hook through the middle of the lure and fish it with the ends providing the action. This is a very effective tactic and seems to be irresistible to big fish. The accompanying photograph illustrates several different and effective ways of wacky rigging that you may want to try.
    The lure on the top right is a standard rig, as described above. Alternatively, the chartreuse lure on the top left has the hook pushed through the lure, turned sideways, then pushed back almost through the lure. This gives somewhat less chance for hang-ups, and works just as well for hookups. Also shown, the hook point is left buried in the lure, giving a little better protection from hang-ups.
    On the bottom right are shown lures using O-rings as hook holders. This rigging was observed being used by a Mexican bass guide who had made a tool similar to the one shown here for putting the O-ring snuggly on the lure. The barrel of a ballpoint pen (or some other tapered metal tube) is used to hold the O-rings. In this case, a washer was slipped over the end of the pen barrel and then a screw was inserted in the small hole to keep the washer from slipping off. The lure is inserted into the larger opening of the tube and an O-ring is slipped or rolled onto the lure, providing a snug fit. Now the hook is pushed between the O-ring and the lure. Whether you’ve tried wacky rigging before or not, these ideas can provide some interesting variations to the standard rig.
Ronald K. Beasley
St. Louis, Mo.
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Dear Tips Editor:
    Here are some tips for wacky worm fishing. Make sure you have a rod with good tip action. Select a rod that you can work with just your wrists. If no action occurs on shaking and hopping the wacky worm, slow swim the bait in and try again.
    For a money-saving idea, go to the hardware store and buy some 1/4-inch diameter lock washers. (You may wish to paint the washers black before using them.) Place one on a wacky worm about a third of the way from one end. Skin-hook a 1/0 circle hook under the washer. This setup will help the worm go “wacky.”
Harry Russell
Rockford, Ill.
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Dear Tips Editor:
    Keep a few fish on ice for the table. Place the fish in a plastic greenhouse plant tray or flat on ice in your cooler. The type of tray that I have is about 21 inches long by 11 inches wide by 2.5 inches deep and looks like it has a screen on the bottom and cut-outs on the sides.
    The fish, slime, and debris drain through the tray onto the ice. It is easy to drain the water and replace the ice. Simply lift the plant tray full of fish out of the cooler, or go directly to your filet table. No more digging fish out of the ice.
Richie Masters
Williamsport, Pa.
Editor’s Note:
    In researching the availability of such a tray, we found two websites that carry this type of product. You may also want to try a local greenhouse or garden supply store. Here is what we found:
www.greenhousemegastore.com has #1020 Daisy Trays in a Hobby Pack for $9.00/10 pack and www.farmwholesale.com has #1020 Potting Trays for $5.95/4 pack.

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Dear Tips Editor:
    Many different pork baits come in little jars. To store them, use a 10-inch cookie tin that is at least three inches deep. This size will hold about eight jars.
    Make sure that each jar is labeled with its contents on the lid. This will make it convenient to find the right jar when you need it.
    Poke a small hole in the lid of the cookie tin and another in the bottom part of the tin. Now, thread a heavy string or shoelace through both holes. Tie a knot at each end of the string to keep it from slipping back through the holes. This will keep the lid from getting lost while you have the tin open.
Allan Swangren
Melrose Park, Ill.
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Dear Tips Editor:
    Anglers often clean their fishing reels while neglecting their fishing rods. Try using a little furniture polish to clean your rods. This will keep them looking shiny and new and will help keep scratches to a minimum.
Gary Schacht
Kenosha, Wis.