Big Tom

I think the old guys do alright at best these days. Props to them but they just don't get it done in current tournaments like some of the younger Pros. Thats not saying that they aren't as good it just seems different now.

Wow, thanks for this opportunity! I sent the email. Hopefully I can bag a fish like the one shown there. Megastrike does it right!!!

Does the XPS have pretty decent castability? I have debated trying it but I never want to dish out the shipping or gas to make it mine. If it has good manageability then I will probably give it a try.

Bassmaster used to have all of the top catch videos up but I don't think they do anymore. They are all a pretty entertaining watch. Although he isn't a favorite pro of mine, Iaconelli pulled off something crazy here. He didn't even get his hat wet. Props.

I have noticed some weird things while using vanish. For some reason, I cannot keep it on any low profile reels. It screws up after every cast. I used to use Bass Pro round reels and I NEVER had a problem with Vanish on those. I don't know what the difference is but for some reason Vanish and low profiles just do not get along....at least for me anyway.

I have a high speed reel and I really don't care either way about it. I like that I can get my bait back fast but sometimes the fast retrieves cause my baits to spin which eventually leads to really annoying line twist.

I picked Cave Run because its the only lake on your list that I can actually say I have fished. I catch em on rock ledges right of the bank using mostly soft plastics. Any Kentuckians ever fish Yatesville Lake?

My friend has used a 6'6" medium rod for Carolina Rigging for a long time. He catches fish on it just fine. As mentioned before, you need some backbone because you are moving quite a bit of line on your hooksets. As long as your leader isn't really long, you shouldn't have many problems in using your rod until you get another.

Thanks for the advice and the estimate. I sure hope I can find somebody close. I only have 40 in the rod anyway but I really like it and I hope I can get it back in working order again.

I have a Bass Pro Shops Pro Qualifier Rod that one of my friends accidently stepped on during a fishing outing. It bent one of the eyes pretty bad (its the third eye from the reel seat and its a Fuji Alconite guide) and cracked the epoxy covering the thread that wraps around the guide foot. Does anyone on here repair these types of things and if so, how much do you think it would be to repair this?

I have heard a lot about this as well. I almost bought it off of ebay not long ago. I have heard its the best console fishing game they have made in a long time. I wish they could really capture the essence of fishing in a video game. They are all way to arcade oriented. I would like one where there is no underwater views and bites could be felt only through the vibration feature on your controller. It would be hardcore but I bet it would be fun.

I have one myself. Its a 6'6" medium. Its got to be better than an Ugly stick. I will say to be wary of the actions. IF you can, go to a Bass Pro and try one out. Mine is extremely limber so I use it for crankbaits.

HELP: Expensive Lowrance GPS problems It's a Lowrance LMS-520c It has the latest software. The sonar works fine and always has, but the gps won't lock onto satellites now. The lgc-3000 little hockey puck keeps going bad. This is the 3rd gps unit that has went bad in a year and a half. The other two were under warranty and Lowrance replaced them quickly with practically no hassle. All three times it has done exactly the same thing and as soon as I plug a new lgc-3000 into it, it works perfectly for about 6 months. I do not get the message GPS NOT RESPONDING. In fact it doesn't give any message, it just doesn't lock on. If I go to the status screen and watch it try and lock onto satellites it never finds one. The status screen actually changes when I have this problem. When it is working correctly it lists all the satellites along the bottom of the screen with their bars above them showing signal strength for each one. When the gps module goes bad, the screen changes to only show one satellite at a time. It no longer lists all the satellites at the same time. It shows one satellite and the signal strength bar above it for about 5-10 sec and then the satellite changes to a different one. All the satellites are always 0% strength. I know the problem is with the gps module because of how many times it has happened to me but I thought maybe one of you might know why. I'm not going to spend $200 on another gps module and it only last for 6 months. The fishfinder is mounted at the console and the gps module is also mounted at the console about 1 foot away. I know a lot of people say that you shouldn't mount them within 3 feet of the unit or they won't lock on properly but I've never had any problems locking onto satellites when the thing is working. My Lowrance book that came with it didn't say anything about a 3 feet mounting distance but I'm still wondering if that has something to do with it. Has anyone ever heard that mounting the gps module to close to the unit can somehow damage the gps module. I have both the head unit and the gps unit wired into one of my trolling batteries. The head unit and the gps unit are wired through individual toggle switches and both are running through the fuses that came with each. After the first one went bad I thought that somehow the onboard charger had fried it by possibly leaving the gps switch on. I don't know this, it is just a thought, but since then I have been positive to make sure the switches were off before charging the trolling batteries and I would think the fuses that came with it should also protect this. Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks for the video. Swindle is one of my favorites. It was neat seeing the more serious side of him. I would like to see him win an Elite event soon.

That really is awesome. Thanks for the videos!!!

Wow, you just answered an age old question for me. Thanks!

I have stripped down to my boxers and swam to retrieve my favorite Zara Spook. The water felt pretty good so I didn't really mind.

Does anyone really know why the folks at Bass Pro put such a large tip guide on the Johnny Morris Elite Trigger Rod? Are there any advantages in doing this or is it just something Johnny wanted? My roommate has one and the large guide sticks out like a sore thumb until you get used to seeing it.

Carp do in fact jump, a lot. I cannot tell you why but sometimes they do it like its going out of style!!! I hope somebody can tell you why cause I would like to know myself. If you aren't getting any bites when you cast to the areas they are probably carp.

The only time I ever had any problem is when I first signed up. It took about a month to get my magazines and my membership information. Once I started getting them though they have been here every time, right on time.

For those who don't get the opportunity to drive very much for whatever reason, Drivers Ed is probably the best tool available. If implemented correctly it can cause the most inexperienced permit drivers to develop the skills necessary to become a competent, complete driver. I got to drive a whole lot before taking drivers education (had an awesome dad) and it helped me to correct some of the bad habits I picked up after getting comfortable doing certain things over a period of time that would have given me problems on my actual drivers test. I think its totally necessary but it sure can be intimidating. Especially if you have a drivers education instructor who actually does his/her job correctly.

I was fishing one of my favorite bank spots on a local lake. This spot is a long rock point that you can walk to the tip of and it pretty much holds fish from late spring to early fall. I have had other fisherman pretty much cast over my line and have even had swimmers jump into the water DIRECTLY in front of where I am fishing and then proceed to tell me not to hook them. I was fishing with an original Zara Spook at the time so I should have just let him have it. I just kinda got really disgusted and left. Stupid people.

I have used 12 and 15 pound CX premium in the moss green color and to be honest with you, both line sizes were not that invisible. I still think they are more invisible than regular ol' mono but I can still see the line with relative ease. I have caught quite a few fish using it this year but my lakes aren't exactly crystal clear either.

Although I do not use the Fluke as much as I use Senko type baits, I throw all of my weightless lures on a pretty limber baitcasting combo. The limber rod is one of the most, if not the most important aspect of fishing light baits with a baitcaster. When I do fish a Fluke, I use a 4/0 Mustad Wide Gap Hook. I also use a barrel swivel about 10 to 12 inches above my bait. I also use a fluorocarbon leader. Back to the topic at hand. I am relatively new to fishing weightless baits and have more experience fishing baits that require slow presentations along the bottom. The following is just what has worked for me. I fish all soft jerk baits according to the conditions at hand. If it is pretty windy, I won't even really consider throwing one as I do not have the patience to fight with the wind. First I will cast the bait out and let it sink naturally on slack line for a few seconds (the time I let it sink depends on the water depth) and then begin working the bait with a series of jerks and pauses. The amount of jerks and pause times always vary usually depending on what kind of mood I think the fish are in. If they are active I jerk more and pause less and if they are less active I do the exact opposite in jerking very little and less often and pausing for extended amounts of time. One of my friends used to insist on using 14 pound line on his spinning reels that were sized for lines close to those with a 10 pound line diameter. Fourteen pound line is very hard to manage on a spinning reel and I have found that it really decreases the distance you are able to cast while using a spinning combo as well. I would say downsizing your line diameter and using a barrel swivel will pretty much eliminate your spinning reel woes. Hope this helped.

I have played guitar now for about 12 years and I have absolutely loved every minute of it.