Branuss04

$20 to $30 for a GOOD swimbait is one of the "cheaper" ones I said it and as a single college bachelor I am not wealthy I am not sponsored by any of those bait companies yet alone ANY company I pay for EVERYTHING and am not spoiled Just wanted to clear that up... thanks you BTW - besides the M.S. Slammer, you can get all of those baits I mentioned for less than $20. Good Luck in your swim baiting journey. ;D

As far as quality, cheap, proven, and effective swimbaits start off with these. They are great beginner baits and most of them you can throw on a flippin stick so no extra gear is needed. *6" Huddleston *3:16 Mighty Minnow *3:16 Mission Fish *Mattlures Bluegill *Mattlures Baby bass/Trout *M.S. Slammer *Baitsmith This is just the tip of the iceberg as these are some of the smaller swimbaits that are great for beginners as no swimbait gear is needed. I'm sure there are more baits and more members might chime in, but these are highly regarded baits in the swimbait community. Good Luck.

Good choice man... it's just like everything else in fishing, it's always better to have too much than too little.... I guess that's why us fisherman are real bait ho's!!!

I would go with the 53lb. You will regret downsizing to a 40. While you probably won't notice it during normal use, there WILL be times when you need the extra power and you won't have it. I have a 55# on my 16ft fiberglass boat and sometimes I wish I had a bigger one.

Hands down. For the money it cannot be beat!!

Hey Chris, I own the Powershot A720 IS and while looking for an underwater case for mine I found a cool little pouch in place of the expensive ones you were talking about. They are called dicapacs. (www.dicapac.com. While they aren't as nice and functional as the expensive ones, they are waterproof, submersible, and allow you to take underwater photos. I think they are around 20-30$. Might want to check it out

A.I. BucketGrabber

Survey done. Thanks

2 = WORD!!!!! The dude has most likely got more DD's this year than this whole forum does.... ever!! The guy is a STUD!!!

http://www.delonglures.com/snake--green-pumpkin.html Giant worm... HAHAHAHA... just noticed the retail on their website is $3.49 and BPS charged me around 4.99 Another case of BPS overcharging :

11/0 owner hook.... Don't store with any other plastic. I stored mine with some other big worms and there was some sort of reactions between the two... now the Snake has got a stiff tail :. Still works though. Haven't used it yet as I mostly use big worms at night. I work the worms slow. I seem to have good luck with big worms in and around rocks... especially rock dams

There is no reason to look at Loomis's unless it's a IMX or GLX. It seems like the GL2 and GL3 models are just not worth it. You can get better rods for the same price or a similar rod for cheaper. I would cross the G. Loomis GL2 off of your list

I bank fish this trophy bass lake at night fairly often. One night while alone, I was next to some bushes fishing a spot that numerous teen fish have been caught from. I hear a grunting noise from within a giant bush. Being alone, I got a little freaked out, but not enough to do anything. So I fish for another 5 minutes and this sound gets closer and closer. I turn on my light, but I see nothing, so I pick up a 15 pound rock and chuck it into this bush, only to hear one of the wierdest sounds i've ever heard. It's was like a grunt, scream, yelp, and fart all in one. This pretty much scared the crap out of me and I ran to my car while dragging my $80 across the rocks trying to reel it in. The same night after that incident I came in the middle of a street fight between two gangs of raccoons. They are kinda scary up close and personal. I would move out of their territory and they would follow me. It's like they were trying to corner me and shank me!! Also on the same night I was fishing I had a pack of coyotes circling my car. I had to set my alarm off to scare them away so I could get back in my car... So all in all that was a pretty crazy night. I did stick some 4 pounders on a wake jr... that was fun, but... Nighttime + Bank Fishing + Being alone= No Bueno!!!

Somehow associated with BPS.... Tends to judge other peoples planning skills. Likes to insult people... and is from detroit

Just your daughter. - Burned

I had a poop yesterday that was epic. It was one of those that I held long enough that when I finally let the flood gates open, it brought tears to my eyes. Not even the fart fan could extinguish the havoc I left in my bathroom. I had to evacuate the crime scene for a good 20 minutes until the toxicity of the air was at a safe level....

lol, $80 replacement lenses for a $90 pair of glasses.

No info on the two you mentioned, but I have found the Okuma 7'6" heavy to be a GREAT all around SB rod. I have found it to excel within it's lure rating (1-5 oz). If I can only bring one of my swimbait rods with me on a trip, it's this one. I can throw anything from a 8" hudd to a 3:16 mighty minnow and everything inbetween. The price on these rods is hard to beat and the warranty is killer as well. I (along with many other people) highly recommend this rod. Good luck

Please tell me that's on a scale from 1 to 100..... PLEASE!!!!!! I'll never order from them... First order ever I ordered a rod/reel combo.... There were no emails saying they would be shipped separately (Obviously different boxes but at least the same day). After 2 1/2 weeks I got my rod but no reel. The invoice had both on it. After 45 minutes on hold I found out that they were "processing" the reel. I don&#39;t understand!!!!! I ended up getting my combo over two different months.... I hate BPS with a passion . <----- that's a PERIOD!!!!! >

Well me and some buddies have a couple hiking trips planned to some fairly remote trout lakes. While starting my preparation for these trips, I realized I desperately need a good backpack to haul in a float tube, waders, water, food, and a sleeping bag. This will most likely be two day one night trip, but I'm looking for suggestions on a good bag no more than $150. I've looked at Sierra trading post and found some there, but the problem is I don't know how much space I need. Will 2500 Cubic inches do? Or will I need more. Obviously I will be taking a trip to REI soon to get a feel for the size of these bags, but I'm looking to you guys for some basic recommendations. My biggest thing is having a main compartment to hold a float tube. At 6'6" 210#'s I'm able to handle a fairly large pack. Any info would be great. Thanks.

I don't know Justin, I've seen pics and heard stories about the whaler. :-/ . I'd probably look at you wierd too and ask you to "Git da buket!!" ;D. Most of the anglers that I know who are "good/great" fisherman don't drive bass boats.... well I don't think any of them do. Most are Aluminum V hulls, or John boats, or fiberglass tri hull... with the exception of the whaler. I hear ya Fish, I give the cold shoulder to most guys when I start smelling BS. Those lakes tend to always smell like that :. But having pics to prove it is a great idea!!!!

Thank you Wayne!!!

The live well is in the middle of the boat. It's a 16ft Fiberglass tri hull. There is no designated passenger seat. But a majority of the time, they sit in the back part of the boat when moving, opposite side of the boat from the driver seat. The only significant weight in the front is the trolling motor (50# 50" Foot controlled) and the front of the deck. The vast majority of the weight of the boat seems to be in the middle (Live well and 1 battery) and the back (1 battery, 6 gallon gas tank, Driver, engine and passenger). Thanks

Thanks for the info... it's much appreciated!! ;D

Put some KVD L+L on it. I was using 20# CXX on a cardiff 400 throwing a 6" hudd. After putting the KVD on it I gained at least another 20ft of casting on it.