J Francho

Is that a deep diver? ;D

I have never said, nor will I ever say this, unless quoting Jackie Brown.

Welcome buddy!

I've got some spots that look like a spray chart. I mark fish, rocks, break lines, and even spots where to position the boat to fish the spots, LOL.

That because it uses a worm gear to drive the spool oscillation, instead of the usual offset cam/idler gear. Same mechanism as a levelwind on a baitcast, same tiny bit of play. I'll check mine when I get home, but I'm pretty sure that's normal.

Its wrapped in a plastic bag. There are also some plastic inserts to protect the knob, which was wrapped in foam, IIRC.

Gotta come up with a catchy phrase. Out of business is dumb. Maybe a baseball reference.... At the fence, looking up, see ya!

Electronic scales need to run on good batteries. I change mine once a month. Otherwise, you get wonky weights. A good spring scale is more accurate. Look into Chatillon. They have a whole class of scales for anglers.

Nate, Bite Me! tube jigs and Venom jigs both have plenty of bite. The issue with a tube jig isn't the gap, its the weight. A good smallie, given a chance, can use that weight as leverage by shaking its head, and creating a bigger hole. This is especially true with the big 3/4 oz. jigs. Most guys remedy this by using a moderate to mod-fast action rod, at least 7'.

Look into a Daiwa Goldcast. Will last you years. Very well made spincast reel.

I know three people that have DD's in the past 18 months in VA. I'll say this: Look for small waters. Learn to fish a frog and snack sized swimbaits.

They cast as well as any reel in my arsenal. I use them for t-rigs and frogging as well. In fact, I spent about 24 hours of tournament fishing a frog exclusively, and my partner couldn't believe how far I was flinging a Scumfrog rat. At least 5 yards farther than him, and I could skip under docks. Left his Citica in the dust. ;D

You'll toss a few rolls of quarters into the lake if you wacky rig with a baitcaster, unless you use o-rings or something similar. No problem on a weedless worm hook with a medium/fast rated rod. Check out the links for more info on Senkos.: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?virboard=gen_bass;num=1253486034 Otherwise, this thread is out of business.

This is one the truly great "lefty reel for a righty" form factor. Dan, you can find lefty TD-X class on the cheap, if look hard. I bought a bunch for like $40 each, used. New they were $200. Great reels. Very nice add there Russ. I'd love one.

The slow sink shad is just 7/8 oz, and the fast sink 1 oz. That isn't very dense for a 4" bait. Most other similar sized baits are at least 1.5 oz, and heavier. Horrible in the wind, and wind is where you want to be with this bait. Gave all mine away.

Take a look at my new catch phrase <----

Actually, I don't fly fish at all for trout anymore - I'm a knuckle dragging pinner. joined the Dark Side a couple years ago. I do sling a fly for northerns, though.

I'm glad for that. In other situations, a new mod would be announced, and the rest of would be like, "Huh? What THAT guy?" I'm just as delighted to help.

I had the EXACT same experience with this bait. In fact, if it weren't for the fish I caught following it up with a Sebile Magic Swimmer, I probably would never ventured into the realm of real swimbaits.

What is this "spare time" you speak of? ;D

I actually did catch this one, LMAO. I'm more a brunette guy, so you''ll have to pick up some Just For Men. Thanks for the warm welcome everyone.

That's part of the strategy. You try to pick "your lake" but really its fall, and no one has any track record this late. I think our classic will be Oct. 24. It could be 70 or it could be snowing, LOL.

Thats great J Francho, we also have a classic in Feb. or March at Toledo Bend with no entry fee or motel bills(all paid for thru club dues, raffles and tournament fees) everyone that fishs it goes back home with a payout no matter where you place. It's a great time.....Mike 8-) The top 4 boaters and co-anglers meet at a diner at 4 AM. We each put a name of a lake in a hat, and pick the lake. We draw for partners, and head to the lake. Pretty cool.

They are a base layer. They insulate, and wick off persiration, keeping you warm and dry. Jeans? Cotton kills.

30% mortality means 70% survival. I'll take those odds for the fish I catch. That sounds better than 100% in a bucket, or nailed to a leader board. We do our best to improve those numbers, but really simply by releasing those fish, there is at least an opportunity. "No fish ever became a trophy in a frying pan." -Bob Lusk. As far as meat hunters go. Who cares? No really, they typically do not catch as much as you think. Nate, if your river spot was so good, then it would have refilled with new fish. Yes, a group of anglers can disrupt a spot, but not permanently. Fishing for spawning bass in rivers, hmmm. I don't fish rivers. I'm not going there, LOL.