Rattlinrogue

I've been a Saints fan since I was a little boy.Unlike alot of my friends,I stuck wth 'em year after year instead of changing teams every couple of years(depending on who was the dominate winning team at the time).I live an hour from New Orleans and my daughter attends Tulane,so they are OUR regional team.Just to prove that statement,I've always liked the Raiders(and still do)even though they stink AT THE MOMENT!Geaux Saints!We love y'all! Dem boys are making us proud!!!

First off,I like Roland Martin,but his show is pretty much a 30 minute advertisement.As for the "Gun" rod and reel,it does seem ridiculous to serious bassers,but from what I hear the kids love 'em.If you look at it from the point of view of getting smaller kids interested in fishing,it could be a good thing.I personally don't like all of the ads,but maybe the latest ad will turn on a few more kids to a healthy recreation like fishing.Who knows,years from now many of these former kids will get their kicks from the outdoor activities instead of drugs,booze,and other negative activities.

I use #20 lb test Yo-Zuri Hybrid for pitchin'/flippin' jigs,tubes,and creature baits.I've tried several brands and lb tests,but what I'm using now pitches really smoothly and with no break offs so far.

I like Quantums and Abu Garcias equally.

I voted Norman,but I also like Rapalas DT series just as much.Those are my favorite (especially deep diving) crankbaits.

Yes,I do get skunked as everybody that fishes enough will from time to time.On a bad day,I can usually come up with a dink or two,but there are those days that nothing you do works.On days like that,I'll usually get on my depth finder and try to find little known structure(for me...LOL).That can be fun in itself.

I've been using Berkley Vanish for my dropshot and splitshot presentations.I know that many detest this line,but it has worked well for me.I use it in 8 lb test.

I like Strike King for spinnerbaits,jigs,tubes,and 3X lizards.Yammys for Senkos.Rapala,Norman,and Smithwick for hard baits.

I use 10 lb Big Game for all my crankin'.

I use a 4/0 or 5/0 EWG hook when pitchin' or flippin' tubes and creature baits.

I've caught a ton of bass on Strike King spinnerbaits.I also like Booyah and Terminator spinnerbaits.When bassin' gets tough,I'll downsize to an H&H spinnerbait.It has saved many a bad day.

I catch 'em on white,chartreuse,black,gold tinsel,and silver tinsel;but #1 for me is definately white.I catch,probably,80% of my spinnerbait bass a white skirt.

My two crankbaits of choice are Normans and Rapala DTs.They are good looking baits that catch fish.I haven't noticed that they hang up any more than what is normal.IMO,if you're bass fishing with a crankbait,you're gonna hang up from time to time.

I really am impressed with ALL bassers that are masters at pitchin'/flippin'.Clark and Scroggins both are in that group!

KVD and many of the other pros are excellent anglers.They could catch 'em without the gizmos,but most all of the pros are great so naturally they have to use "tools" to give them an edge.The distance between good and great is small in the big leagues so anything to give an edge is acceptable.These guys are playing for millions,and the competitive drive in these guys makes it a must to use the most state of the art equipment that they can get their hands on.

Although I prefer a spinnerbait as a search bait and to a certain extent a crankbait,I use a floating jerkbait as a searchbait from mid spring to mid summer.During early spring,I'll also use a suspending jerkbait.It all depends on the conditions and time of year for me.

1)Zoom or 3X lizard 2)Finese worm 3)Senko

In 30+ years of bassin',I've caught more bass on some form of T-rigged plastic worm.

My C-rig setup is a mainline of 20 lb Yo-Zuri hybrid with a 10 lb flourocarbon leader.It works well.I seems like I can feel every pebble as I'm dragging the sinker/bait.

I'm predicting a 7 or 8 and hoping for a double digit.In the lake I fish,a 10-12 pounder can be done if you spend a lot of time on the water,but if things don't improve from last year I think I'll be stuck in the 7-8 lb range.

Good and bad.I caught three or four bass over seven pounds.That was good.I didn't do nearly as well as I usually do.I honestly believe Katrina had things really screwed up in my favorite lake because things that used to be money in the bank were almost bankrupt.On the good side,I learned to catch bass with a drop shot because of the all the problems I had using conventional methods.I also got pretty darned good pitchin'/flippin' for the same reason.Not a terrible year but not a great year.

My first move is to downsize my bait.Moving offshore is also great advice because most fishermen are bankbeaters.I also love the dropshot.It can put fish in the boat when things are really tough.And the advice to not only fish it vertically...how true!

Comparing a tournament fisherman to a trophy fisherman is like comparing a PGA pro to a Long driving champion.About the only thing they have in common is a golf ball.About the only thing the two types of bassers is the bass.Two different sports if you ask me.Both can be great in their own right.

This my last post on this subject,honest.Didn't mean to get you all riled up.By the way, Tom Flores won TWO Super Bowls and had a great career with the Oakland Raiders.He's still waiting for his call to the Hall of Fame.He was also the first Hispanic American(and for all I know the only)head coach in the NFL.I think he certainly deserves to be in also.

Right handed