Willzx225

I vote for Shimano. The Crucial Line is amazing! I can't wait for to try the Cumara's though. Could spell trouble for the St. Croix possee. HaHa lets see how that stirs the pot!

What StringJam said x 2 I believe that the Rico is by far the best popper style topwater in really clear water. I grew up fishing a deep clear lake (6-10ft visability depending on area of lake) and the Rico would demolish any other topwater popping style bait day in and day out. I have proven that to myself way to many times over the last 10 years. I will lean more towards louder rattling baits when the water clarity deminishes but for clear water its a Rico all the way for me. My favorite Rico I have put 5 or 6 feathered trebles and painted the mouth atleast half a dozen times. It isn't the prettiest bait in my box but the most productive

Is it the Drop Shot rod in the Crucial line up? If so it is definitely a sick combo. That is basically the exact combo I use and love it. I've caught bass out of 50' of water on that rod.

How much?!?! j/k ;D

I was just thinking about it. One of the Elite Series pros is sponsored by Aligator board. It is a Metal Pegboard system that seems very nice but I've heard its pretty pricy as well.

Just a heads up - I was at Home Depot this weekend and they had a 75% off sale on home storage stuff. IE 4 drawer rubbermaid items, etc. I didn't check to see if they had peg board on sale though. I use the drawer system for my maps, plastics, and other items I buy in bulk and I really like it. I have 4 that I use in my system currently but I could go with more as my tackle grows (Thanks to the Bait Monkey of course, he upped my monthly quota)

It costs more initially, but IF YOU USE IT, it will save you a bunch of money in the long run. Just think about how many spools of line you have that you bought 300 yards and only could use 250 yards of it. If you bought a 2000-3000 yard spool you would not have the extra left overs but maybe one time. Another thing to think about with bulk spools is that they tend to have less memory since they are spun on larger diameter spools thus fewer wraps per yard.

I will agree that Fishing w/ Larry Nixon was a very informative show. You did not see any Helicopter Lures or Dancin' Eels ;D

I choose Morons.... I hate the jet ski morons who cut between you and the bank while fishing. Also when you are coming up behind a large cruiser and there are 3 or 4 of them jumping wakes; I feel like I am being tracked by heat seeking missles. You go right - They go right. You go left - they go left. MORONS. Also a close second would be the morons at the boat ramp. Mostly pleasure boaters out for a lazy day cruise. They tend to come out of "hibernation" around the first 85Degree day and EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM has a dead battery. Last year, I actually saw one drive their Jeep down into the water to jump their dead battery. Figured I would move on a ways out from the dock just incase Last but not least. Guys who fish the BFL's and other large draw tournaments will understand this but I hate trying to find my non-boater at 4:30am in the dark when you have 100 other guys on the bank doing the same thing. And then after that you have to bang around with 199 other boats until you can take off.

Yesterday... Sorry, but if it makes you feel better all but one were dinks. (the one non-dink was almost 3lbs)

I want to work on making better decisions on the water, learn my electronics better, and learning techniques to keep my mental focus as high as possible so I can power through slow bite days.

I agree with Megatron I use the BPS Magnum Flipping Tube. I usually buy the 50 pack and its pretty reasonably priced. (Less than $20/ 50). I think its a good tube and I have caught a bunch of fish on them over the years. All in All, get a tube that comes in a color you have confidence in. You don't have to spend a bunch of money on tubes because they are all very similiar in design and function.

I typically use tubes (for Largemouth) for flipping and pitching to specific targets where I usually will get a bit on the innitial fall, similiar to where I would fish jigs in heavy cover. IE Docks, Blowdowns, Edges. I usually use worms when I am not certain where the fish are positioned on cover or in open water techniques. IE Points, Grass Beds, etc. I use a tube much like a finesse flipping alternative to a jig. I do not fish the northern waters where Smallmouth abound but I'm sure my views on tubes would change if I were using them on a leadhead and dragging deep humps and flats for the Brown fish.

I actually fish a 3/0 Owner Wide Gap Plus hook. It is a heavier hook than some use for this technique but I also probably fish my wacky rigged senkos differently too. I typically fish them in more of a power technique than some people do. I use a casting rod 6'10" MH with 12-20lb fluro (depending on cover/ size fish). The heavy weight of the hook causes the bait to fall faster and (IMO atleast) have more side to side wobbling action.

Just curious as to if anyone has tried these yet? I like to looks/ idea of them and everything else this company has put out has done very well for me.

What The Natural said x2 It is a really good looking bait. I just wish I had this thing back in September instead of now when the water is in the 40's

Hey GTHunter, Don't be too embarassed if you know what I mean :-[ I did that at a club tournament this spring at Murray. I realized at that moment that I had turned into the guy that we usually cuss for taking too long on the ramp ;D

I fish tournaments for $$$ with a strong desire to compete at a higher level. I have been fishing the BFL/ Weekend Series for going on 8 years (Since I was 19). I've had some success, but with the exception of one year, nothing to alert the press about. (The one year that was the exception was the first year of the Weekend Series and I made it to the Championship in Florida as a boater) I have one pretty good sponsor (no money of course) and I am currently trying to expand on that but, due to long hours at work, find it very slow and pretty difficult. I am hoping this year to have an above average year both in tournaments and in increasing my relationships in the industry.

-SmallieKing - A crawfish that is missing a pincher may seem unnatural to us but in nature it is probably more common than you or I think. I was always told that sometimes when a bass is chasing after crawdads they will often bite off a pincher trying to eat them. Also I was thinking that if one craw got in a fight with another one for dominance then they might lose a claw. Also with a crawdad missing a claw it signals an easy meal to a bass and they are opportunistic feeders. Now all that being said, I still don't have as much confidence in a single craw bait vs a normal bait with 2 claws.

x2 to the time on the water! Also learn atleast the basics of every technique. You don't have to be awesome at every single one but if you can use each technique when you identify the time and place where it is applicable you will be a very versatile fisherman. Try to develop a few (2 or 3) techniques that you can excell at so when the time comes where they are the primary technique you will be able to put yourself in contention. One thing that I am doing more of now is fishing as many different types of water. I am planning a trip in March to Guntersville so I can work on my grass fishing techniques since we don't do a whole bunch of it here in NC. All of this equals the need for a lot of money ;D

To me a slump is an extended period of time where I don't feel like I am "connected" with the fish. It usually takes place over multiple tournaments instead of going a few hours without a bite. This is something that I really struggle with. How do you bring yourself out of the tailspin that is indicative of a slump? How do you turn the season around after you have gone multiple tournaments without a decent showing? I sometimes find that fishing harder gets me out of it. That will work sometimes but more times then not I end up slowing down and fishing a bait that gets me bites. The bait that I pick up when I am in the worst of slumps usually is a Texas Rigged Zoom Lizard in Green Pumpkin. That is a bait that I don't hardly ever throw unless I am in a slump. It is a bait that I can always catch fish on.

Brian- Sorry to hear about all of your stuff man! I agree with only buying the constant producers first and then expanding from there. I feel your pain, I lost everything I had when a dealership did some shotty work on my electrical system in my boat and it caught on fire and fried everything I had! Learned a good lesson about insurance too :'( Hang in there and just be smart. Another tip that helped me was to save and buy in larger amounts (not necessarily bulk but don't go and spend 20 bucks here and 20 bucks there), by buying $20 here and $20 there I always added that one lure each time to "try" and in the whole scheme of things I probably spend 100-200 bucks that I could have used on proven stuff.

I guess I would have to say the Horny Toad. yeah I know that is pretty strange but I really haven't thrown it a whole bunch since I don't fish a bunch of grass lakes where it seems to produce better.

I wonder how many in the fishing industry are nervous about JVD. I know I have aspirations of fishing at the Elite level at some point and to hear that there is a second Vandam out there makes me nervous. I know the whole deal about fishing against the fish not the fishermen BUT lets face it when you are fishing along side someone of KVD's caliber it is hard to beat the fish better than he does. Now there might be a second. For anyone who does not know what I am talking about. Kevin's nephew, Jonathan Vandam, fished his first open tournament and was a threat from blast off! He finished 3rd on the St. Johns River and he is 19. Good job JVD.

I would go with the heavier actions. I have the 6'8" and I bought the MH thinking I could possibly even use it for some shakey head apps but it is way to light IMO to fish the shakey head on. The tip, even on the MH, is pretty noodle like. Awesome rod though for a drop shot. I will be buying the 7'2" later.