J Francho

I used up half a dozen packs of those last year. They're good baits, but limited. They actually have a more dramatic swimming motion than the hard swimmers they're supposed to emulate. As far as fish catchers, they catch - I did use up six packs - but I like a bait I can do more with.

Time to update....mine has the 6.2. It is an absolute riot in the snow up here. Did about 1100 miles on Sunday on it, still fits like a glove, and comfortable as hell.

^^^^^^ Good stuff in that post right there. I fished SML during the Elite tournament there two springs ago, and watched Rojas skip frogs tight in on the shoreline where there was zero cover. I thought to myself, no way he's getting bit, these fish have backed off the shoreline due to bright, cloudless conditions. Well, they didn't back off his frog....man, he was getting fish to come up and crush it. I asked him why he was skipping, and he said it was part of presentation, and less spooky. He didn't win, but I believe he fished the final day of that one.

I forgot to add that I paid for it twice, LOL. Try and have a sense of humor. These are GLOBAL corporations now. Support the companies that EMPLOY our citizens, and put food on our table. What this has to do with KVD's sponsor list has me baffled though, so let's keep it on topic. ****************************** Personally, I don't think Kevin has had to purchase anything he sponsors in a long time. I'm not sure the upper echelon of Elite pros has a clear picture of what it takes for the average bass angler to afford all this gear. We don't have the time or money to decide if one of five reels is better. So, they tell us what to buy. Half the time, I think they're right.

I love my somewhat made in Mexico, assembled by robots here, so the profits could go to GM execs Sierra. ;D

Looks like a teeny tiny Cowgirl. Doubled up blades are the rage for Esox. Its a mellower sound.

There's EXIF metadata buried in most image files. It can be faked, but....

"Custom" to me means I get what I want when I order. I'd have no problem paying for rattles, if I wanted them. Just make it an option.

Driving it....

Guys that can't tie palomars have trouble with palomar knots. They work fine with fluoro, especially InvisX.

You're just going to have to accept it. Its annoying to me to hear someone Texas Rigged a Senko, and it doesn't have a bullet weight on it. :

Nice writeup. Clearly, he was asking about hollow bellied swimbaits. Perhaps someone can answer that question. Personally, I use them as a change up to spinnerbaits and chatter baits.

We used to have a closed season for bass, from October to late June. You couldn't even target them. Add to this, hard water on the lakes 3 months out of the year, and you figure out ways to extend your fishing season. For years, many of us were avid multi species guys, simply out of necessity. if you wanted to fish, you fished for something else. With the advent of catch and release open season for bass, I don't fish for panfish at all, and trout fishing is strictly for when the lakes are frozen. I still love my transition pike, though.

Big blue gill, smallmouth, and steelhead are some of the craziest fighters in FW. I'll put king salmon in the mix as well, they have a silly first run that can go 100 yards or more.

Most of those are fakes. They aren't legit LC baits. its pretty ell documented here and other sites.

Personally, unless you're regularly catching LMB in excess of 5 lbs, or SMB better than 3 lbs. and looking for a fight....pick a different species. While I enjoy a good battle with a BIG bass very much, my location limits the odds of catching a truly big fish only a few times a year. The chase and competition is what bass fishing is about for me. For big fights, I look to the plethora of other species abundant here. Even then, they don't add up to a well earned bass.

For sure - native trout beat out our stockies in every way. Great looking fish ! Nope, this fish was probably stocked. They release tens of thousands in this creek every year. Some make it to the Lake, and grow big, and come back every year, either to feed or spawn.

I assure you, your trout are nothing like mine. They suffer at temps above 55.

LMAO. The one I have comes in one packs.

I have limited experience with trout but did catch 59 rainbows last year (between 12" and 17"). I had a pretty high loss rate on those fish. On hook-up they would just go berserk and by the time I got them to the bank or the boat, the were pretty tuckered out. They're great fighters, but I almost hated catching them. On the Mitchell 300 - I wonder if the millions of fish that were caught on them knew that they had mostly bushings and no fancy bearings... I still occasionally fish my mid-60s vintage Mitchell 408 - great reel - smooth enough, catches fish. BUT, I will say that the lack of a manual bail feature drives me nuts, as well as the noise and backplay from the ratchet & pawl anti-reverse system... ;D I also like the push-button spools on the old Mitchell reels so you don't have to change your drag setting when you change spools. Dink Stockies in warm water is a different story. The rainbow trout fishery in the south is "put and take."

Yawn....you guys get your news from the news too much, LOL. The world must be a really scary place for some.

I use that rod for heavier cover, and 1/2 oz. weights. For lighter stuff, I use a LTBC70MF. Both sensitive sticks.

I tend to agree with Chris here. Most fish don't fight to the death. There are a few exceptions. Northern Pike and Muskies. I get these guys in hot and green, and let them go without much fanfare. I don't even bring them out of the water most times. I don't know about the red muscle tissue/white tissue thing. Seems like Esox would be the exception. Salmonoids seem to wear out to the point they need reviving. I usually bring them in pretty hot and green, too. I've gone to using barbless for trout, makes it a hole lot easier to unbutton them in the freeing cold. A coupleof fly fisherman couldn't believe how quickly I landed a 11 lb. steelhead and released it as they were coming to help me. "You've done this before," they laughed. Now bass, large or sallmouth? I don't think in most cases you're going to wear them out to the death. Now, trends in gear? Yes, everything is a cycle. As young anglers learn about the old ways, they develop new twists on the old, and make it better. Do you think UL gear of teh 80's is anything like UL gear of now? Look at spinning reels. Ever fished with a Mitchell 300 or a Penn 704? Compare that to what we have now. You want to know what I think the net big gimmick could be? Certified weighted baits. Jigs guaranteed to weigh 1/4 oz, etc.

Pretty much the rig I use. Now if you're asking about bigger swimbaits, I'd say start with a 6" Hudd or a Mattlures Baby Bass.

Thanks! No, they were boat fish. The first is a Lake Ontario fish, the second is from Erie. This is a Lake O. smallie from the kayak.