CWB

An individual's ability and success was never in question. I agree with your evaluation. But for those of us that don't fish many tournaments, such as the post before, every bite and every fish matters so why use a different line.

Not sure I understand this either. When I'm fishing, tournament or not, I want to get as many bites as I can, and land as many of those as I can. I do understand in a tournament there is $$$ on the line but of im out and its not a tournament why would I use a different line for the same technique. If I was reeling in what could be a P.B. and my line failed it would be a big deal to me. JMHO.

Weightless stick baits and Fat Ikas rigged backwards..

Havoc and some of the BPS plastics. S.K. cranks are a bargain. Booyah Pad Crashers are darn good frogs for the price.

Strike King 5 and 6 XD.

Tough question. For catching, it would have to be a Senko type bait. For throwing and watching and anticipating a strike, it would be the Rage Shad. Better stop there.

Nice trip again guys! Like bassr95, I'm up here waiting for ice. Was gonna put a trip to Baccarac in the family grab bag this Christmas but limit was $100.00.

I usually match the trailer to the jig color. leave it on until I feel I need to change. I don't know what color combination the fish want if I have a trailer on the jig or not. Gotta start somewhere so it doesn't make much difference if you have one on. Change it up if you aren't getting bit or feel a hunch. As far as scent, megastrike and/or JJ's are always used. They never last too long anyway and haven't noticed any rust. Today's hooks are pretty corrosion resistant but you probably still shouldn't tempt fate.

I use insertless because I bought a ton of them on sale a while back. There must be a reason manufacturers put inserts in them though. Tungsten would be more abrasive IMO than a plastic insert unless the tungsten had the hole polished or the insert had a nick in it. I've used both kinds without a problem and usually put a red bead between the weight and hook for sound and color. Seems to work pretty good. For flippin', like said above, I use a bobber stop behind and in front of the weight. A trick learned from Big-O.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ What he said. Hated floroclear. Tried Yo-Zuri Hybrid some years ago and haven't looked back. Strong as heck, pretty manageable and abrasion resistant. Have used 15 lb. on spinning gear for skipping with no issues.

Have an STX that is about 7 or 8 years old. Very smooth, well built, long casting reel. Still using it. Can't speak to the newer versions.

The XR 50 One Knockers are the best lipless cranks out there. Dick's had a mid season sale where all Xcalibur baits were 1/2 off and also buy one get one free on top of that. Might have been a store closing the fishing dept but I bought every Xcalibur bait they had. They are good quality baits. You can fish them right out of the box.

All knots will fail eventually. I used a flouro leader with no problems and got complacent. Didn't re-tie the leader for quite a while. Had a nice fish take my swimjig and leader with it. Back to one or the other but no leaders. To each his own though.

I've pretty much given up on BPS. Prices are too high, selection not that great, but I go there when I need to see something live. If they didn't sell rattling KVD squarebills, I probably wouldn't buy anything there.

It's at Tackle Warehouse.

http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-federal-circuit/1188371.html Appears the Salty Frog was the first commercial salt impregnated plastic lure. At least according to the wording in the Arkie Lures VS Gene Larew Tackle lawsuit. Arkie sued Larew.

Have to agree with Ajay on the NON screwlock hooks. Baits last longer for me. And my fav. Is the Gambler Ez 4-1/4". 7 for 4 bucks is a bargain and these work the best of all I've tried. Personal preference on both hook and bait though.

Haven't tried the Rage Blade yet but I prefer the SK Pure Poison to the Chatterbait. As others have said, they seem flimsy compared to others.

Would the Elaztec material melt the frogs body? if not, pretty good idea.

Mike- Wouldn't a plastic hook break on the hookset?

Salt on the driveway.

1/2 oz. black double bladed persuader buzzbait, 1/2 oz single colorado blade spinnerbait as big as will work and not make the bait roll over, and a musky jitterbug. The last will get you some heart stopping hits.

X2

Tough to do from shore. From the boat, I make medium length pitches and let the bait fall to the bottom. Give it a few twitches and pulls and reel it up and do over. You're usually gonna get bet as it nears the bottom or on the first twitch. This is also after fish have been located on another type of bait like a buzzbait or spinnerbait. Fishing along the outside edge can be good if you can cast parallel to it.

JF- (and others) What brand of breathables do you prefer? Need something to put on my Chrismas list for the wife. I have 2 pairs of neoprenes and both developed leaks in less than 1 season. Looking for some for colder weather. Thanks.