MSPbass

Big Phish: I have an Outcast Fish Cat Cougar and that thing is so slick. One of those little red fold up anchors works perfectly to keep it in place. You can keep your feet up on the foot bar and never get them wet if you don't want. A swivel seat gives you even more options. But in the middle of summer, it's nice to drop your feet down every once in a while. And it will get you into spaces like nothing else. Silently too. I've been scared on several occasions when drifting in the shallows and suddenly see a school of big *** carp under my seat. I keep my pontoons inflated and hang the frame on my garage wall. It doesn't take long to tighten all the straps and throw the thing on the roof of my car. If you do need to pump it every time, make sure you get a pump that blows air on the up and down stoke. I'm sure that web site has them. After some practice, you will be out of the car and on the water in 20 min. I bet. If you're interested, mine will be for sale soon. But I'm going to ask top dollar. The Cougar has some pretty big advantages over the traditional toons though. #1, the quad pontoons give you 9 feet of storage space on either side of you! Mine will have quite a few extras too. It's also been babied since I got it. PM if you have any questions.

Carmen, I was in the same boat ;D Let me start by saying, I love my pontoon. But I inherited a 10 foot jon a few years ago and was super excited. I had plans to floor it & make it into everything the pontoon wasn't. Unfortunately, it wasn't going to happen. The boat was small, loud and unstable. It was harder to load on my car and way more work in just about every way. On the water, I kept wanting to stand, but felt like I would end up in the drink every time. Drop one sinker or rod and it's like smashing two frying pan lids together. I know you're looking at those plastic boats, but you will lose a lot of the stealth advantage of the pontoon. I took the jon out 2-3 times and just happened to sell it last weekend. This summer, I just kept my pontoon together in a spot behind the garage that was all shade. That was a great way to go. Before that, I kept the frame together and hung it on the garage wall on those plastic covered screw in brackets and left the pontoons inflated. That way, all I have to do it strap the frame to the pontoons and throw it on the car. I guess I'm saying, if you can swing it, get the boat before you let go of your pontoon. It might not be the kind of change you're looking for. Good luck.

It said somewhere, in all of that web site, that he invented the Banjo Minnow. The frog looks really interesting though...said a guy who's been called a sucker more than once.

They look killer! I'll pick up a couple, but just in the Clone Series.

Wondering what, if anything, folks might say is a better bait than a Sweet Beaver. Sour Puss? Wooly Hawg Craw? Why? Action, Cost, Durability? How about the longer creature baits over the more stout beaver baits? Prefer one over the other or do you use them each differently? (I don't.) E.G. a Brush Hog over a Beaver and why? Thanks

Google "boat dolly" and you'll find a few different products. Do it in Google Images for a quick idea of what's out there.

I'm pondering what looks to be like a good deal on a nice 16' aluminum Nissan boat, with a Nissan trailer and 50hp Nissan motor. All 3 say "Nissan" right on them; however, I've never seen a Nissan boat before. Didn't find much on the Internet about them either. iBoats says they made them in 89/90, but that's it. Can anyone tell me anything more about Nissan Bass Boats? Thanks

Fenwick has one. http://www.fenwickfishing.com/prod.php?k=128037&sk=128036&u=FGC They call it their "casting" rod while the rest are called "triggerstick" rods. They're also prepping to roll out a new HMG and I have no idea if the new line includes the pistol grip. I use a 7' M power rod that has a Moderate Fast action and it serves me well. A few companies make "Senko" specific rods too. I believe Falcon and Kistler are a couple.

Wow, that was some great info Micro. I've only seen the new HMGs and they look pretty different. I've heard that they feel pretty different too. I'm not psyched about the update, myself, but things change all the time. (like eliminating the Techna AV, WTH?) You liked the rod when you bought it, right? I know I love mine! I say stick with it too. It's a great rod.

The President is a nice spinning reel. I love mine. A quality 6'6" rod (right in the middle of what you asked about) gets you a great multi-use set up. Enjoy your new rig dude!

HA! You did indeed and I appreciate that! I found another eBay listing from the same guy where it was two weights for just a couple bucks & free shipping. I can live with that if they're a bust.

Thanks for the info all. (I had done a search, but nothing came up.) I'm pretty interested in this idea. Those Cyclone Slip-N-Jig's have some great colors too. Thanks Catt. i may give both a try.

I ran across these while perusing eBay for jig deals this morning and have been thinking about it all day. It seems like a great idea and I'm going to pick up a few. Thought it would pair nicely with a Yum Money Craw or Rage Craw. Any long and solid craw/creature bait really. Wondering what others thought? Has this been tried before? http://cgi.ebay.com/UNCLE-SKIPS-TEXAS-RIG-JIG-4-LOT-8-JIGS-TOTAL-CUSTOM_W0QQitemZ300349211867QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item45ee3544db&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

I really enjoy my Native Eyewear glasses. I've got one with amber lenses and one with grey. I prefer the amber for fishing though. However, a neat feature of the Native frames is how the lenses are interchangeable. If you like, you can carry a couple colors and switch them out as conditions change. The price tag isn't too bad either; around $120 at REI.

I prefer a bigger 5/0 EWG hook on Super Flukes. This gives it a little more weight to cast with but not enough to hinder the darting action on the retrieve. It deadsticks nicely too. Here a thread from earlier this year on flukes. There's a lot more if you look around too. Flukes are fun, you can fish them many different ways. Good luck! http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1240800645/14#14

Sorry dude, I have to ask again: Fenwick told you the Techna AV is done? The whole line? I'm shocked. Myself, I would take a Techna over an Elite Tech any day. What am I talking about...I have! I never expected the TAV would be put out of production; at least not in the foreseeable future. It's such a sweet rod. I have no need to buy a new Fenwick, but I've always wanted to upgrade my Fenwick worm rod to a Techna. Dang. This is surprising. And a bummer.

Wondering what you had before? A World Class probably? (Love mine!) I would figure they'd give you an HMG as a replacement. They treated you well, I would say!

Yamamoto, Reaction Innovations & Vision Lures are 3 companies that I buy from without hesitation. Like so many here, I try out the latest must-haves and test the cheaper alternatives (mostly plastics) pretty often. But each year, I seem to be doing it a little less. There are other specific baits that I stick with (e.g. Zoom flukes. I won't even bother trying other flukes anymore) but I'm confident in anything I throw that is GYCB, RI or VL; and that makes these baits so much more effective for me.

I beleive they are! But how did you do with the buzzer?

It's not luck, they are both deadly. Get a pile. I fish the Dominator in Waterbug & Junebug, but wouldn't hesitate to get any color for $2. I've only used white Skinny Dippers.

I'm no pro, but I can confidently say these are super quality baits and that's why Secret Weapon lures cost a bit more than your average spinner/buzzer. They're really slick baits though. The colors are awesome, the hooks are razor sharp, the bodies are covered in thick, colorful, paint to match the skirts and, most importantly, they look different in the water. The blades flutter above the body attached to their clips instead of the spinnerbait arm. This also make the hook more accessible when a bass chomps down on it. You can even flip these lures because the blades do this helicopter thing as the bait sinks straight down. Just order a couple to try out. They are a little different so, who knows, maybe you won't like them. I doubt it, but I wouldn't drop $100-180 bucks on a bait I hadn't tried out first. P.S. My favorite is the Sidearm:

Thanks! These are great ideas. I have a trusted fluke presentation that I'm going to stick with, but I like the lizard! I will try that for sure. Space Monkey too.

I have quite a few weighted swimbait hooks that I'm not using since swimbaits were a passing fad for me. I'm trying them out on other soft plastics, but the results are mixed. I was fishing a YUM Money Craw on one the other day. No takers but it looked good in the water; especially when I let it fall and then swam it straight back. But, like I said, the bass didn't seem to agree. Caught a few on Sweet Beavers, doing the same, another time though. Wondering what other plastics folks have rigged on a swimbait hook, and how you fished them? Thanks

My favorite buzzbait company just started making in-line buzzers and they are sweet! Check 'em out and give the traditional buzzbaits a try too. But I agree, the in-line buzzers do not get hung up in heavy cover. I know folks hear freak over cavitron, but the Honeybuzz is my preferred weapon of choice! http://www.visionlure.com/servlet/the-Buzz-Spinners/Categories

Pflueger/Fenwick guy here.