VolFan

That's a chunk of a pickeral. What state are you in if you don't mind me asking?

I figured it out after I thought about it; I'm sure it was an awesome fight until you reaized what it was, then it was just good . We used to catch them below Ft. Loudon dam while fishing for stripers; they give a god account of themselves.

What's a 20 lb dumb dumb? Carp? Buffalo? Catfish?

I've never had much luck with things like that other than as catfish bait. You can bend them to loosen them up a little and use them as jig trailers, but that's usually more mess than it's worth. However, your cat will love you. But not a bad bait for cats, especially in moving water.

Ditto what Ghoti said. It's probably headed south or west, only to get headed north or east again.

He's looking pretty good so far, especially for his advanced age...

Put a jitterbug lip on that mama and you got yourself a great topwater.

If your boat's very big, make sure you hit the marina when the tides in somewhat, otherwise it's very tough to lauch (if not impossible). The grass around there is pretty hot lately.

Looking better and better.... I wish UT had better special teams...

You used my two favorites; they're both great baits. Depends on the day what I'm using, but I keep both of those around.

Well at least the giant, talking, transforming, emo robots part was realistic... :D Seriously the movies have soiled my childhood memory of the cartoon, but, oh, Megan Fox.

As Herm Edwards taught us all (at least I think it was Big Herm)...YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME! Peyon Manning statistically was a better QB than Tee Martin...Tee Martin got the ring. With the omnipresent media, stats have become entirely overblown. What matters is can a guy make a throw, and will he make it wen he needs to.

If you leave a hook in a salty plastic too long, the salt will eventually degrade the hook. Also happens with moisture in your box rusting them ever so slightly. With the strength of some of the braid people are using lately, bending a hook doesn't really sway me at all. Bent points can happen, mine are usually from setting the hook on a rock. I don't don't really believe I've lost a fish from a "faulty" hook of any brand. Now me keeping them sharp? That's another matter.

I use an old cotton sock full of rock that I pick up at the river. Need to slow the drift? Add more rocks. Sangged? A decent pull either tears the sock or frees it. Cotton is biodegradable. I never et more than a couple trips out of an old sock, but i seem to have plenty around.

4/0 should be good; it'll give the tail better action. Make sure you slit the belly so the hook doesnt have to go through all that plastic. I use them weightless, alot like a wake bait, with pauses every few feet, or just buzzing them. Swimming them around riprap with some weight has also been a good technique, as has been working them over and through submerged grass. It's really just a big paddle-tailed grub.

My pics wouldn't tell you any more than it's a Dagger Delta sit-in. But above that, keep it simple in a kayak, one rodholder that's easy for you to get to, but out of the way when fighting fish, and maybe one or two more behind the seat for spare rigs/trolling. I carry my tackle and a camera in a small waterproof backpack between my knees or pushed up in the cockpit. I keep the stuff in the backpack light enough to float (trust me on that). I have a portable fish finder but don't use it unless it's deeper or unfamiliar water or I'm catfishing. Above all, keep it simple, my best trips have been floats down a small river with one spinning outfit and a small box of baits. More stuff in a small space like that just gets in the way and/or snags line.

Fish big bluegill swimbaits around dropoffs and holes around the cypress trees. Big line, stout rod, 'cause if they get in the roots, your swimbait is gone, and that gets expensive. You can carolina rig flukes through the trees as well as work jig and pigs around the bases. Green/pumpkin was always our best color, with motor oil and/or redd shad tequila sunrise next. When all else fails, take an ultralight or a 3 wt flyrod and catch HUGE gills, it's as fun as anything.

Hands down my free BassResource.com membership.

Spooks and the like are great for stripers, the bigger the spook the bigger the stripe. Oddly enough, roostertails and/or roadrunners in white have also proven good for me here on the Potomac. whatever you use, work it fast.

The sinker doesn't really affect the action, as long as its a foot or more away from the bait. It would probablydampen some of the really wide wobblers, but if using this technique i usually use shallow divers/narrow action baits anyway. It would probably work really nice with crappie baits as the weight tends to ride over the cover and the floating bait tends to stay above it.

Ditto with the guys about corn and or white bread. The white bread works better in ponds that have ducks that people feed, but still works pretty much anywhere. Just moisten it and squeeze it around a small treble or octopus; small circle hooks are also great for carp. Careful if you're going to throw handfuls of corn or bread in, make sure that chumming is legal where you are fishing. Also, if you flyfish, brown wooly boogers or numerous nymphs worked slowly past tailing carp can be a TON of fun.

What Sam said. This also works with floating Rapala-style baits if you need it to suspend off the bottom. Use a floater with just enough weight to get it down. Great as a search bait.

I've seen a few of these "Braid breaks Midcast" threads and we might consider this: Due to braid's limpness, especially Powerpro, a loop of slack can for during a cast, if this loop catches, even momentarily, on a rod guide or anything else, the shock can snap the line at the weakest point, usually a nick or manufacturing defect. Just throwing it out there.

For bass, try the res and it's many offshoots as it runs through town. Bull Run Steam plant is a nice place in the winter, but it does get crowded. Work your way downstream from the plant and there're a bunch of stumps that usually hold some smallies. Clinch River upstream of the res is great for trout, smallmouth and stripers, depending on where you fish it. The Obed River in Wartburg is fantastic for smallies. There's alot of TVA water around you as well with Ft Loudon, Tellico, Norris, Melton Hill, etc etc.

Has anyone used these much? I'm looking for a 2 piece casting rod for jigs and worms, Something in a 6'6" to 7', MH fast action. Opinions? Suggestions?