CWB

Wow!!!!! Who says us yankees are nothing but perch jerkers that can't bass fish?

X2 on colors.

I like the Pure Poison. Seems to be better made. Experiment with retrieves. Like a spinnerbait or rattlebait, sometimes just chuck and wind and sometimes stop and go works better.

I'm starting to like BPS less and less and Tackle warehouse more and more. One advantage is you can actually go into a BPS and see what they offer. For online, TW seems to have better selection and definitely better prices.

You make great point. I have a couple of Spros but haven't used them yet. Now thanks to you I might have to feed the bait monkey and get a couple TT's

5/0 belly weighted Gammie either 1/8 or 1/4 will work but 1/4 will let you throw it a mile and keep it straight on a faster retrieve which is what you sometimes need

A very angy muskrat. Next would be a seagull.

First or last light are prime time but you can nail 'em anytime conditions are right. Keep one rigged for when you come across a school chasing bait on top. You never have the right lure tied on when you stumble on this and the bite is usually over by the time you rig up!

Can I be your Buddy? Anyway, I love the color. Usually first I tie on in all but darkest water.

Anyone else out there from the Windy City area?

Throw a frog over the top and a Slug-Go thru them. Slug-Go will way outlast any style Senko type bait in the pads and catch just as many if not more fish as you can rig it to twitch on top.

Yum Wolly Hawgtail Baby Brush Hog Larew Hoo-Daddy Power Hawg

Been posting a while and haven't posted here yet. I fish around the Chicago area, mostly the natural lakes about an hour north. Bass fishing can be fantastic but you have to be able to ignore the pressure and all the other activity going on. The fish seem to be pretty used to it. Be prepared for toothy critters as I have caught muskies up to 52" while bass fishing and have also lost some pretty expensive swimbaits. By far my favorite way to fish is to get into the deepest slop and cast my Bobby's Perfect frog. Boldy go where no man has gone before. It can pay off bigtime! For all you motorguide fans out there, you won't be able to do this without a push pole. Minnkota is far more weedless and on high, I can leave a wake going through junk you can walk across. Most people won't bother but to me this is the final frontier!

Snaps make changing lures easy, especially in cold weather. I have used them on everything except plastics. This is something you don't want to skimp on. I use Sampo.

It never hurts to have some topwaters and frogs and some cranks when you need to cover water. I really like the Redeye Shad for covering water as it can be fished shallow or deep, fast or slow, and falls with good action. Spinner baits and buzzbaits have a place also.

Spro BBZ-1 4" and Tru Tungsten 4"are smaller baits that pack a big wallop and can be thrown on gear you probably already have (or will get for Xmas) I use my 7'6" froggin/flippin rod with 50 lb powerpro and 20 lb flouro leader. Or just 20 lb. flouro.

Agree Senko77 and RW are wise beyond their years. I would get some 1/8 oz pro model slider heads to make rigging simple, put on a 6" curl tail worm or lizard, and spend some time casting the inside weedline of your closest natural lake. You'll get the feel in a hurry and being in shallower water will help. As your skill increases you can utilize a variety of techniques but building confidence and being able to detect even the slightest bite will put you on the right path.

If you want to use soft plastics, Lunker City makes several of their baits like the Slug-Go or Fin-S-Fish in alewife color. Agree with Micro. Anything shad colored would be fine.

Just got 2 from Tackle Warehouse and 2 more off ebay. Haven't tried as we are strting to get ice here in the Windy City but they look great. Check out video on T.W.'s website. http://www.***.com/descpage-SBZSFS.html

I have not used a net in 3-4 years and have landed some big fish, including a 51" musky, all by hand. I must be lucky because I haven't lost anything at the boat except a couple that have jumped and thrown the hook but a net probably wouldn't have helped. That being said, I do carry a net in the boat and agree with Roadwarrior. Rubber mesh. Will probably use net more often as my thumb ends up looking like hamburger after a good day or 2. I also have a nice scar from a decent musky that got me with his teeth and gill plate but I didn't let go. The mentality that only sissies use nets is outdated.

Bought a couple of toads and nailed a 5 lber on first cast. Not the same quality as bobbys or spro but not too bad for the money. Be sure to sharpen hooks. Work like any other frog. Stop and go. Twich etc. Let fish tell you if they want it fast of slow.

Tried em all and powerpro #1

Thick meaning choked to the top- Frog. Thick but not choked- T-Rigged jerk bait. Semi thick- T-rigged worm or jig or senko. Pitchin a jig will work in all 3.

Can't throw the tackle without a combo. He can always mooch tackle off you. Good combo will make fishing much more enjoyable. Slowly add tackle as needed