EastTexasBassin

wow, never seen those before. They look awesome, I'll have to try some.

My favorite is the GYCB Flappin hog, that thing is insane.

GYCB FLappin hog (color 301- green pumpkin w/green and purple flake) t-rigged and hopped slowly across the bottom. Its ridiculous.

I'm getting anxious to take my boy fishing, but he's only 2 months old so I guess I'll have to wait a bit. I got him his first rod&reel before he was born, I can't wait until he's old enough to hold it and cast with it. For now it waits for him on the wall of his room.

I would use a rattletrap. Burn it across the tops of the weeds, and sometimes let it get stuck a bit and rip it out with a big sweep of the rod. That gets reaction strikes.

I haven't tried it but I've heard of guys using a dab of super glue to hold a knot in place. Seems a bit messy to me, but I don't know.

Really? I've got a bunch of them and never tried them. I'll have to give them a throw next time I'm out.

Bass season down here begins on Janurary 1st, and ends on December 31st. I couldn't imagine living somewhere that had a season for bass. I really feel for you guys. (there's lots of land for sale down here in texas )

I pitch the 6 inch senko and the fat ika all the time. The fat ika has become my favorite pitching lure.

I didn't think it was made by Manns, but yes I've used it. I still do. Laugh at me if you must but the dang thing catches fish. My fishing buddies used to laugh when I tied one on but they quit laughing when I started out-fishing them. "Look, he's throwing that silly TV minnow lure" (5 minutes later) "Hey, lemme see that thing"

If you've been using it with a weight I can understand why you're not a fan. It works best weightless, rigged backwards.

I like the lizards a lot.

I realize the line didn't snap, but what I'm getting at is that if you were using heavier line it wouldn't have been a 6 minute fight. You would have been able to have your drag set a little higher and possibly catch the fish before the hooks turned loose. And as Brian said, the hooks that come on rattletraps aren't the best either.

The flappin hog is my FAVORITE lure. I've caught more fish over 5 pounds with it than anything else. I caught my first 10 pounder on it. Texas rig it with a wide gap 3/0 or 4/0 hook, and the weight will depend on the wind. Use the smallest weight you can use and still have a good feel for the bottom. I usually use a 3/16 or 1/4 bullet weight. I wouldn't advise using it weightless but its also deadly on a carolina rig. This thing has great action when hopped slowly across the bottom. I usually use the following pattern, or something similar- hop hop, count to 10, hop hop hop, count to 15, hop, count to 5, hop hop, etc... I hope you're using heavy line! Hold on!

Whatever it was, I doubt you'll be fishing with 10 pound line anymore. None of my buddies down here in Texas fish with anything less than 20, and at least 25 to 30 if fishing around heavy cover. Before I started using heavier line, I lost quite a few monsters and it drove me crazy. The hard part is not knowing, maybe YOU DID lose your state's record bass. Be ready next time.

I have a bad superstition about catching a bass on the first cast. Seems that every time this happens I don't catch another for at least a couple hours, and sometimes that first cast bass is the only fish of the day. These days when I hit the water I throw something "silly" for my first cast but even then I sometimes get bit.

I usually keep it to 4. One spinning rod for dropshots and mini-cranks, one rod for jigs and t-rigs, one for weightless soft plastics, and one for spinnerbaits and crankbaits.

I prefer the 6 and 7 inch senkos myself. Weeds out the dinks and gets some nicer fish for me usually.

I googled the phrase "winter bass fishing" back in late fall when it started getting cooler. That took me to the articles here where I read everything I could find about winter bass fishing. This past winter was the most productive time for me, better than the spring and fall. I caught more fish over 6 pounds than I have in any previous season throughout the year. I can't wait till next winter!

I take the skirts off of mine and replace it with a Lake Fork Tacke live magic shad or a fluke. Vary the retrieve, the 'best' way will be different on different days. I usually slow roll it along the bottom first, then speed up and work my way up the water column.

I have 2 rods with this reel on them and I use them on every trip. I LOVE the old black max! One day I'll pass them down to my son, I bet they'll still be working just fine.

You can also get a digital thermometer with a probe on a 3 foot wire at a pet store for $10. Look in the reptile section.

I bought a few and they were ok. I actually caught my first 10 pounder while using one but I doubt the weight had anything to do with it. The only real difference I noticed was that I was MUCH more ticked off when I hung up and couldn't get it back.

When I saw the infomercial I thought it was some kind of joke.

Mine would also be a 6" senko, but black with blue flake