Willzx225

It's funny how rumors start. I spoke to the owner at a tackle show the other day and he said that he can't produce enough of the swimbaits they just came out with. I can vouch for that since my local BPS can't keep them on the shelves. They have also come out with a bunch of new products (ie TruTungsten plastics). I don't have any insider info that says they aren't going under but I highly doubt it! JMHO rumors just hurt people and are not often true.

How 'bout Ike showing BR a lot of love! That is an awesome interview and I like the new Ike more than the old Ike. It seems as if he has found the perfect balance (for him) between "Space Monkey" (As Zona calls him) and normality. Congrats on a great tournament. I have a feeling Classic victory number two is just around the corner.

Turned out to be a Kidney stone. OUCH

Congrats to Skeet! Well deserved and greatly appreciated. He will be a great ambassador for BASS.

disagree ;D I think he was refering to Bandits color called Mistake. The Chart/ Blue is my favorite color for all of those.

How does Ike go about breaking down a lake that they have no experience on in 2 1/2 days? Does he focus on one major tributary or try to see the whole lake? If he practices in a certain creek, does he disect the whole creek or just enough to get a feel for it before moving on and then dig deeper during the tournament?

x2 on the Crucial 7' MH

I have a couple and love them so far. ( I have only used them once or twice for short periods so I don't have a lot of experience yet) Bmadd - The reason it has the larger diameter is due to the composite structure. The glass in it makes it have a larger diameter but it is still a fairly light rod considering it is a composite.

One of my favorite baits! I started fishing it last year and now have a 3700 box dedicated solely to Speed Traps. Jeff Coble once said that the only plastic crankbait he ever throws is a Speed Trap. That did it for me.

I always look for good local or regional baits that I can not find anywhere else or are no longer produced. I am a sucker for an old Mom and Pop store. On hardbaits, the more dust on certain baits the better ;D My latest find was a bunch of old # 5 Fat Raps.

I've got the 7'10 and 7'4 and they seem to be good sticks. For being composite construction they are light and load very nicely. I have only made 10-20 casts with my 7'10 with a FFS and really like it. It will get the bait out there for sure. I would recommend it if you plan on doing a bunch of deep cranking.

What techniques are you hoping to use this rod for? I would take a look at the Shimano Crucial series. Awesome rods and very affordable ($130) I have 3 of the 7' MH and they are my favorite all purpose rod.

Yeah I fished the Clarks Hill Elite last year during the end of April/ first of May and the Herring spawn was just getting ready to get good. I second the magic swimmer 125 for the herring spawn. Check out the new weighted ones as well.

If you fish Champlain then Buggs will be a kiddie pool! I have fished it with winds in the 40mph range (Can't believe the TD let us go that day!) and the waves got up in the 5ft range but nothing like Champlain from what I hear. Fishing should be phenominal in April! Hint: Take some floating worms!

I think it is a horrible idea. Especially on Smith Mountain during Aoril! I grew up fishing SML and these guys need their space for a 4 day event that very well could be a sight fishing extravagansa! I think the whole idea is disrespectful to the people who have worked their whole life to get to that level. I don't like it one bit! Anybody for golf in Augusta during the PGA events? I think I know someone who might be able to hit a drive farther than some of those guys. ;D Not going to happen!

I have used the BassMagics and they are ok. I prefer the Berkley Hollow Belly 10-1 over the BassMagics though. They have a thinner profile and I believe that causes them to swim better. Plus the Berkley baits don't have the horrible plastic smell nearly as bad as others. If I am fishing over cover or in open water I use a minnow shaped jighead with a big hook (They can be hard to find but I love the bite-to-catch ratio with these ). Other than that the Owner Beast Hook should work well. I have not used them but did see them at a tackle show a few weeks back and they should be the deal.

My theory on what makes a production bait "magic" is the way it was manufactured. You have a bait that is already a good design that catches a lot of fish but for some reason when they were constructing that particular bait something was just a hair different. It could be that the line tie was 1/ 100th of an inch off or the internal weight was a fraction of an inch farther forward or towards the tail of the bait. Stuff that is not visable to the human eye can cause that one bait to have a different wobble or cause it to "hunt" at a certain speed where the next 20 that came off the line after that one do not. That being said, if I had the available resources, I would prefer to have more "custom" baits from small shops since the likely hood of getting one of those "special" baits is greater since it is being manufactured by a human instead of a machine. Just my 2 cents.

Now that you mention it String, I don't know how I ended up with the one I have either. I must have gotten it from the Charlotte BPS. It is a good little bait but I want more. Ichiban shows it as discontinued. :'(

Stringjam- I too have had great luck with the Dartist but can't find them anywhere. Have they been discontinued or do you have a way to get them?

I just got my KVD 7'10" yesterday and really like the way it loads up. I haven't fished with it yet but I think its going to be a winner.

I fish mine similiarly to a standard sized jig just a little slower. I don't really finesse mine as much as most. I just use the smaller profile as the "finesse" part of the presentation. If the bite is way off then I will slow down and drag it more than hop it but most of my bites are on the fall as it is. If I am fishing structure then I tend to drag the jig instead of hop it but that is just because I am trying to get the jig to "transmit" what the bottom composition is.

Hmm thats nice. They can keep it for that price though! ;D

My vote would definitely be for the Crucial. I have a 6'8" MH (very light tip though) and love it! It also doubles as a great cranking rod for a #5 shad rap.

Yeah I just found a way to get a discount on a rod I had been eyeing for a while but the flea bag talked me into wanting two of them now that I am not paying full price. So instead of shelling out one amount now I am looking at 1 1/2 times the amount I had negotiated with the monkey. HE GETS ME EVERYTIME.

And very personal, customer friendly service as well!