detroit1

I kinda agree with tyrius for the most part. I start confident, but if i'm having a tough time getting bit, i start leaning on patience...

If you like throwing cranks 1/4 oz or less, a ML would be ok. In the summer, you can use it as a dropshot rod. But baits over 1/4 oz, go with a M.

Not sure if wide=craws and bg's, and narrow = shad,(we have no shad) but i use them both. This is how pick my choice. Tight: water temps under 60 (spring or fall), no clouds, flat water, or when burning. Wide: water temps over 60, cloudy, or windy. So, if you are sharp, i guess i don't fish them when the water temps ARE 60. :-?

My dad used to like 10-2, but it had nothing to do with baitfish. (i don't think) He was a dock and shade fisherman. He would clip a Kelly's plowjockey (pre-rigged worm) onto a sampo bb swivel and cruise the shore fishing docks and shade. It doesn't get much easier than that. O, those were the simple days. I wish he was still alive to see how i'm catching them now!

sometimes.....(sorry)

Like most of us here, i switch baits with the seasons, although i have a dropshot is rigged all year. The other 5 rods: big spinnerbait,dd22,big shallow crank, Flash,jig or big worm.

I'm pleased with my year so far. Quantity & quality is up from last year(largemouths), smallmouth #'s down("keepers")are up, but pike-not so good. Also, finally, i got to take my football partner out fishing, and now he believes me when i tell him about the fish i catch. But my best progress is not with me, but my best friend's. He doesn't get to fish as much as we wanted (in the past), and pretty much just fished with a little Storm pre-rigged grub. This year i taught him how to fish dropshots, senkos, and to slow down and how to fish deeper than 6'. It really paid off for him as he caught a 19.75" LM yesterday afternoon. (his biggest bass) It was his only bite , and now i think he'll hang in there a little longer when the bite is tough. He now understands that you just never know what might happen on the next cast. Only got about 6 more weeks of fishing this year.. :'(

Any Crankbait Corp.'s Fingerlings, Dance's Craw,Heddon's Prowler & Shal-a-minr, Bomber's Speed shads and original Bomber,Normans Little Scooper,Jethro's Shotgun spinnerbaits, and some Storm jerkbait that floats at a 45* angle,with the back 2/3 below the surface (insert name here). Just a few....

yes, once again the Lions season is over. This time in the first quarter! The Falcons were there for the taking...new head coach, rookie QB, small d-backs, etc. Marinelli's defense gives up 21 pts. in the FIRST QUARTER ! and he is a supposed defensive guru. They couldn't tackle ME. I thought that the lions would go 6-10 before the season started, with one of those wins against the falcons, now am not sure if they can win any. I'm afraid to take a radio with me the next lions away game for fear that they would screw up my fishing too! Pi@#$d off in D-town.... >

Ouch! Roland is getting beat up pretty bad. I don't have a problem with him, he has had a good t.v. show for many years and i have enjoyed watching him. Whose fault is it for buying a helicopter lure or a bazooka rod anyways? I bet that there's probabally some folks out there that would buy a jar of salmon eggs if KVD said he always puts a pink one on the front treble of a sexy shad and the jar had his name on it. When i'm in the market for a new rod, i'll look at them.

Don't forget some dropshot stuff like XPS quiver minnows and Luck E stike razor worms. And some deep cranks.

SEXY? I'm sorry but i just don't think a lure or color is sexy.

I've been "assembling" my own for so long i can't remember the last time i bought one.

No.

I remove them if i can get a cross-lock snap on the line tie. They stay on if i can't.

DD22's are my favorites also. I have used a 3.8 to 1 reel but got tired of reeling 2300 times on each cast, so it is retired and now use a 6:1. (i pull or sweep alot on the retrieve) 7'6" M flipping stick is my favorite rod for cranks, spinnerbaits, and soft plastic swimbaits. My smallest bass on a dd22 was 8" long. (eyes WAY bigger than his stomach)...

RW - i will not say a thing this time. :

Remember the tv commercials when they first came out ? (70's or 80's) 100 mph on the cast! Hunh? Anyways, i bought 2 when they came out and they were my favorite rods for a number of years. These new ones don't look too swift. 6 guides (including tip) on a 7' rod? Haha maybe only 45 mph on the cast....

You never know how bass will respond to our retrieves, one hour they want it wild, the next they want it mild. Offer all and let them decide. 8-)

I still have a pack of Lindy's , and 1 pack of Knight's tube worms that will not be opened. Culprit black/grape 5"(?) and 7.5" are the only "regular" worms i buy. I rig them on a slider-type jighead. (don't like t-rigging worms).

Took my buddy out yesterday and he had a 30" on and another pike about a foot longer was CHASING it!!! The line broke so we never got the chance to see if that big one took a nip...

WRB-i agree that dragging or bouncing a bass on the carpet is an ugly thing. So is jerking & swinging them into the boat. These are some of the problems i have with tournements, no matter they be pros or the weeknight guys. I also agree that putting 5 fish in a livewell isn't that good of a deal either. I think that the redfish guys have it right with a 2 fish limit. Or how about a biggest fish tourney? That way you only have to keep 1 alive, and cull as you go. I know you tourney folks think that i am "a little" off on this one, but think it through for a little while. Anyways, as long as people follow the state laws, i really don't have a problem.

My pike numbers are WAY down from last year. I haven't even caught a keeper yet. I have been keeping a log since '99, and though it's rare that i purposely fish for pike, this has been my worst year yet. Last year was my best year for pike...go figure. Anyways, feel free to chime in, i was just wondering. :-?

Burley - you're scaring me.

Depends on how deep you intend to fish. May i suggest "clam shot" instead of split shot.. or better yet- peg a worm sinker.