J Francho

I have various belly colors, most are dark, light or mottles. What I like is to be able to see the frog, so I like a colorful back.

Any metal frame reel with brass gears and crank shaft will serve for years of abuse. For increased drag, a dry Carbontex upgrade is something I highly recommend.

The article cites fraudulent credit card charges, not cell phone charges.

I'm not sure I understand the concept of the scam. A random call is made, you answer, and your credit card gets billed? How do they link a random call to your card? Makes no sense at all.

Usable for what? There ice fishing reels that are tiny, but I wouldn't use them for bass.

For general purpose fishing, the Stanley Weedless Wedge are great. For rocks, and slow rolling at the bottom, I like the Strike King Premier baits you can find at Dick's Sporting Goods. The bonus with them is they are inexpensive. My new all time favorite for weeds is actually from Siebert Outdoors. With it's wire tied skirt, and bullet head, it's durable and fishes very easily.

I use spinshots for fun fishing. They can take time to retie, though, so for tournaments, I go with either a Mosquito hook or the Gam. split shot hook. For hook size, I use anything from a #4 to 1/0 hook - match the hook to the bait you are using. If you have any fears about using small hooks, keep in mnd, my PB smallmouth was caught drop shotting with a #4 hook, a 5-12 Erie smallie.

I'll use a snap, and I'll use a swivel, but never a snap swivel. One part of the combination is usually weak. A duo lock snap, tied with a Palomar is great for cranks. You can remove the split ring connection, if you are committed to the snaps. Swivels are great for lures that randomly twist, like spoons or inline spinnerbaits. I use a split ring and then a swivel. You can tie direct to the swivel, or use a duo lock snap, if you want to make quick changes.

Post some pics of it - take some of the process as well. I bet some guys could benefit from it.

My buddy Jim uses a contraption that uses an 18v cordless drill. I was VERY skeptical, but it worked fine for 5" holes, which is plenty big enough for most panfish. I'l try to get the exact product from him today.

The more expensive model includes the Structure Scan unit, which adds side scan, as well as a map chip for detailed GPS maps. Purchased separately, this would be much more.

You won't be able to take it apart, without ruining it. Just mask off the joints, and paint it while hanging by the line tie.

It's specifically for product buyers and press only, not the general public.

Pick something - tossing something (even if it is wrong) is better than fretting about what to throw. I always start big. Why? I like big. If big doesn't work, I might switch to smaller. Or uglier.

Must haves: Auger A couple jig rods Shelter Heater Flasher You can go without the heater and the flasher, but they greatly enhance the experience.

Anytime I've used an internal weight, my hookup ratio declined. Maybe it's the hook I used, but I have believe it is the weight.

For spinning rods, I don't care so much about the split rear or full, it's all about how the three fingers in front of the reel feel.

That's cool. My dad had a 70 Monte Carlo. Mom, and us kids pretty much did that car in. Lived to over 200k miles, into the mid 80s. When I started driving, had a 77 Monte, silver with a red interior. The "Silver Bullet" was a sweet ride high school.

I guess my argument is that if you put the R&D, use quality materials, and build a solid fish catcher, the demand is a given. The maker rarely gets fully compensated for their total effort. Maybe I'm wrong, but my guess is that these guys aren't rolling in dough. Making money, yes. But getting rich? I doubt it. The best baits come from guys that do it because they love it and want to share their success. If they can fund development of new baits by selling proven designs, I'm grateful to be able to buy the baits. I don't remember what I paid for my hard floater, but it's money well spent. As for having a fancy bait just to show off…I've replaced the split rings and hooks a few times, and that's not because they were cheap. They wore out and rusted. The finish is a little chopped, but pretty much perfect after many northern bass. To say it's all about the money, and that prices are high because that's what we'll pay isn't really the whole truth. If they didn't work so well, they wouldn't sell. If the don't sell, no one is gonna make them for a loss.

These aren't Fortune 500, international corporations, usually just one or two guys working out of a garage or small shop.

Really, supply and demand? No consideration for R&D, materials cost, and labor? I think it's a little more complicated than simple supply and demand. They are handcrafted baits not commodities. Some of he best baits out there are the result of thousands of hours of trial and error. Often times when you buy one of these baits it's really just a snapshot in the evolution of bait maker's process.

I think guys forget that most of these high end baits are made by self employed, skilled craftsmen, not some faceless, massive corporation.

I actually know where one is sitting in a barn, in very good condition....it's not for sale, though.

Too "Belvedere-ie" for me. Cool piece of history, though. There was a true numbers matching 69 hemi rotting in a lot next to work that tortured me for years. I believe it was eventually snapped up by a restorer.

I saw this thread, and had a WWWD moment, lol.