Quote Originally Posted by dansdad View Post
Early morning or when you have a good chop or cloud cover I tend to fish in the 5-10 count range. As the sun comes up and or wind dies down I generally have better luck closer to the bottom. I often stop my retrieve 3-4 times on the way in for just a few seconds. Many times fish will hit on the drop. Also if you miss a hit I give the lure a drop back to trigger a second strike.
As far as keeping the tangles to a minimum. Right as the lure is just about to hit the water I grab the line for just a split second with my finger. This straightens the weapon out and allows it to fall without tangling. I then let it fall to my desired depth before closing the bail. I also will rip the line off the pole by pulling the pole back. This allows the lure to fall more straight down vs coming back to you. I believe this keeps bait in strike zone little longer