bass wrangler569

X2, I think theres a chance that hes going to come in with a huge bag. Not to be conspiratorial but I wouldn't be surprised if BASS is claiming that they don't know where Ike is for dramatic effect. Ike's always good for some media attention, it would be very dramatic if they claim that they have lost contact with Ike, only to have him show up with a monster bag at the weigh-ins. Just a thought...

I agree that singling her out wasn't necessarily being bigoted and if that quote was the only negative statement I would say that people are being too sensitive. However, I thought that the commentating took a decidedly negative tone against her as well, featuring pros saying why she shouldn't be in the classic and others saying she really doesn't have a chance. Its everyones right to have an opinion but it seems hypocritical to, on one hand, say that her presence is a milestone, and on the other hand say that she has no chance and she really didn't qualify fairly.

Yea, Kim Bain is ahead of KVD!!! (not that theres anything wrong with that ) How is Bain-Moore at 46 with 3-6 lbs. ahead of VanDam at 45 with 4-4 lbs.? :-? I was looking at the first standings posted which had Bain-Moore at 42 and KVD at 46. I should have used the updated standings. :-[

;D ;D ;D So true

by music do you mean those overated sell outs Metallica? ;D X2

Yea, Kim Bain is ahead of KVD!!! (not that theres anything wrong with that )

The visions will probably be better suited when the water warms up some. I fish regular LC pointers until the water starts warming up a good bit, then I'll start throwing slender pointers (they have a more erratic action than the regular pointers). The key right now with jerkbaits is to sloooow down. Its nothing to wait 30 seconds or longer between jerks when the water is cold. Bring the vision back out more towards spring when the water temp starts going up but until then stick to the pointers. When summertime comes around, you don't need to stop throwing jerkbaits. A lot of guys have the mindset that jerkbaits are fall through spring lures but they are killer in the summer too, you just have to speed up the retrieve some. I like to find the clearest water I can when fishing jerkbaits, but don't be afraid to fish stained water as well. Also, do everything with the tip down when fishing jerkbaits. This means jerking, setting the hooks, and fighting the fish with the tip down or to the side whenever possible. I can't count the number of times I've ripped hooks out of bass' mouth when fishing jerkbaits because I was fighting the fish incorrectly. Additionally, I find that a 7:1 reel helps get line up quickly between jerks. Also, make sure to keep a pair of good pliers in the boat because I've seen plenty of bass swallow big pointers whole. Hope this helps.

Definitely a must have. The only colors I have ever needed are ghost minnow and chartreuse shad. If you only have the cash to buy one or two I would get 100s, they're a good all around size. Although, if you like catching huge smallmouth, 128s are absolutely killer.

X2 The only question I woud ask him is if he needs to borrow a rasor. It looks like hes doing Locks-for-Love with his face lol

I have several of the blue tour editions, both baitcasters and spinning and I like them a lot. The only thing I will say I'm not super impressed with is the spinning reels. They're good but for what I paid I expect more.

x2

Get the mojo, I haven't fished with them but I've handled them and they are a lot nicer than the extremes.

There is a very long list of places (such as Maryland, several third world countries, Hell, the Sahara desert, etc.) where I would rather live than New Jersey.

Until you pop a hole in it. I've seen plenty of guys run right over big rocks in aluminum boats and keep going, I'm not advocating that but can tell you one thing, if you did the same thing with a glass boat it would put an end to your day really quick.

Loomis and st croix warranties cover that...ship the borken rod to them +$50 and they'll send you a new one I'm aware of that. But the IMO the shakey head rod is at least $50 overpriced.....So they cover their butt from the initial purchase. Don't get me wrong. I love the rod. But at $150 I can buy a similar Rogue rod that is as light or lighter and as sensitive or more. And has a lifetime warranty. Loomis has everyone beat in that they offer way more technique specific actions/lengths. I do still want the 7-1/2ft Bronzeback spinning rod. ???

I'm getting ready to build another rod and I really would like to build one with a split grip tennessee handle. Have any of you done this or do you have any suggestions how to go about doing it? I've done several split grips with cork before but I have no experience with the Tennessee tubing material. I'm planning on using a loomis sj782 blank. I've attached a link below with a pictures of a split grip Tennessee handle rod. http://www.shakedownrods.com/Bling.php This guy makes some sick rods!!!

Worse than eagle claws? I could break the points off of all my gammys and they would still be sharper than eagle claws. To answer the question: I fish gammys but I wouldn't feel disadvantaged at all if I had to use owner, mustad or VMC, they all make awesome hooks.

There's a reason why they're on sale 8-)

I personally wouldn't use it unless you really need it. It will probably be worth money some day.

It's true, the vast majority of large tackle store employees are incompetent. I went into Gander Mountain's fishing section the other day (for the first and last time) and this is the conversation I had: Do you guys carry lucky craft pointers Whats a pointer? Its a jerkbait Is that a company? No, lucky craft is a company, jerkbaits are a type of lure Oh, well I don't think we have lucky craft or jerkbaits, we have plastic worms though, are they similar? At that point I turned around and left. Strangely enough though, at the local BPS all of the employees are actually really knowledgeable and you can actually have intelligent conversations with them. So to answer the question, what do I look for in a store? #1: There is a complete lack of morons #2: refer to number #1

I don't know too much about physics so I'm probably dead wrong but wouldn't the extra time it takes you to rotate a larger handle negate any gains in speed over a smaller handle. To me it would be like running 4 quarter mile laps versus one one mile lap. Ones bigger than the other but your going to arrive at the finish in more or less the same amount of time.

I usually fish with 8 rods and I have another 8 at home that I don't use much. Do I need that many? Of course not. Do I want more, lots more? Absolutely!!! One of the great things about building rods is that when your wife/girlfriend/mother asks you why you're building another rod, you can say "well, I didn't get the last one quite the way I want it and I really could use the practice, hopefully this one turns out right or I'm going to have to build another one"

I'm relatively brand loyal but if I found another brand that I like better I would switch (I'm currently switching from Quantum to Shimano). I'm comfortable with the brands I fish with which is why I use them. My primary setups right now are all G Loomis rods and Quantum Tour reels (the old ones) but I'm working on upgrading the tours to curados. I prefer to have the same rods (in different actions of course) with the same model reels. Maybe I have mild OCD but I like to think that it lessens the variables and keeps things relatively the same when you switch between rods.

This is just my personal experience so someone may have a completely different opinion but all of the lures I have encountered that have been done with automotive paint have had a terrible smell. That's not to say you can't use it but that may be something that you want to consider.

I own three of them (all bought at the sale prices) and for $100-120 they are fantastic reels. A lot of people on this forum hate quantum but at the $100 price that they can be found for now I don't think anybody would disagree that they are excellent reels for the cost.