Thad

Thanks, I appreciate it.

Just seeing if it's ok to store soft plastic swim baits in Plano boxes. I plan on putting some Matt Shads, some Berkley Hollow Bellies, some ABTs, some River 2 Seas, and a few others in there. I don't know if any of these can be ruined in the boxes and I don't want to waist money losing them. I just need a better way of storing them rather then using a bag and leaving them in their original boxes. I did loose a ABT Soft Wagtail by leaving it in its original box. The tail was bent in the box and now it is permanently like that and won't run straight.

Like GMAN said, go with the oven. Turn it on about 250, pop in your jigs for 20 minutes, get them out with pliers, dip in the powder, and put them back in the oven for 20 more minutes after dipping.

That's a good point roadwarrior, I've read a lot about good catches with the Baby Brush Hog so that's what I've went with, for now anyways. I'm going out Saturday and plan to spend most of my time jig fishing. I got some Jewel Football Jigs, some of the Tru-Tungsten Jason Quinn Jigs, and some of the Finesse Evolution jigs. The other day I filled up my bat tub and dropped all of them in just to see their action, along with one I made, a football jig with round rubber. The two that had the most action were the Jason Quinn's and the one I made. I just sat them in there and stirred up the water a little bit. Also the Jason Quinn just stoop up better than the others. I don't know if any of it mattered but it give me more confidence in my selection for Saturday.

I think the point is, some work much better than others. Getting advice on a specific jig sifts through the trial and error we all face when fishing something new or different. 8-) Exactly roadwarrior, I've yet to have success with jigs, haven't given them enough time to. So this coming year I really intend on fishing them more and I want to settle on one brand and forget about that part and just fish them. I've spent a lot of time reading articles on it over the past few months and this coming year I'm going to make them work for me.

Well my jig box is filled with several different brands of jigs. Football, flipping, etc. fill the box. I'm not really looking for what type of jig but what brand you guys use and why you use them over all the other jigs that are made almost exactly the same. The whole purpose is to settle on one manufacturer so I can clean up my jig box and save some money in the process. Thad

Yes it is, I never really took a look at this bait till RW mentioned it.

I appreciate all the responses. I grew up fishing with my dad and if I have learned anything from him it has been patience. He is by far the most patient person I have ever fished with. He has fished the Texas Rig almost exclusively since I can remember and it's not because he doesn't know anything else, it's just that he prefers to fish slow and also because the majority of the water he fishes contains a lot of grass. So for most of my life, at least until I was about 16, I fished the Texas Rig. I started reading B.A.S.S. magazines around that time and started trying other things but I always found myself losing confidence and returning to the Texas Rig. I would say besides the Texas Rig my most productive lure has been a spinnerbait. I'm really just looking for something that I can gain as much confidence in as I do a Texas Rig and also cover water faster. I have several bags filled with hundreds maybe thousands of lures but I always return to some sort of Texas Rig.

I'm just curious to see what you guys consider to be your most versatile lure/technique. I'm looking to add one lure/technique to the arsenal this coming winter for next season and I want to choose something versatile. Something I can gain confidence in no matter the situation. Now I know the jig will probably rule this discussion and if that's your choice that is fine but I'm looking for something that covers water a little faster. I found myself not really having a confident bait this season and that has to change. Thad

You can use just about any paint. The durability has nothing to do with the paint, that is what the top coat is for. I personally use automotive paint but you can use craft paint or the model paint you're use to. Number of coats doesn't matter either, just enough to achieve the look you want.

I'm not sure about existing molds but you could make your own. With something like a tail you could carve what you want out of wood, seal the tail and then make a mold with it using something like DAP. Or you could just take the tail from a lure you like and make a mold from it.

Haha, no chance I'm changing it again. I've already done that way too many times. I've decided to go with the advertising route, it's what I enjoy and I can apply that to fishing and business.

Well I have found two 4-Runners in my price range. One is a v8 and the other a v6. I don't know which one to go with. I know the v8 would obviously be better in all phases except the gas. I guess I just need to sit down and figure out exactly how much more gas would cost me on the average.

I plan on getting a used vehicle in the next few months to start tournament fishing. For now I will be using my dad's boat, a 17' aluminum Crestliner with a 90 on it. Not much to pull but I want to consider the possibility of getting a bigger boat soon. I know for a fact that I will not buy anything other than a Toyota. My question is how big of a vehicle do I really need? I really prefer the 4-Runner. Would I have to get a v8 or would a v6 do? My dad has been pulling the boat with his 2001 v4 Tacoma for the past couple years. I really don't have much of an idea of what I would need. Will a 4-Runner do a good job with a bigger fiberglass boat? Thanks, Thad

I'm about a year away from graduating and need to choose my major. Well I'm majoring in Communications but need to pick my concentration. I can go with Public Relations or Advertising. I want to run my own business in the fishing industry but if not would like to work within the fishing industry in something like trade shows and events. I ultimately would like to make fishing a living and would like to consider sponsors while choosing my concentration. I really enjoy advertising but can go the PR route just as easy. If anyone has any knowledge to pass on I would appreciate it. Thanks, Thad

Same thing happened to me this past spring. We were in the middle of a cold front, freezing, and we won the tournament on a x-rap. The rest of the anglers in the tournament were using rogues, we won by a pretty big margin.

Finished this one today. It looks pretty realistic, especially in the water.

Looks great. I'm in the process of making something similar. So far the process hasn't left my head, haha, but similar to yours.

Yes, when I take a picture of it with my camera it shows a lot of gold but to the naked eye you see more green, orange, brown, and even some blue. As the bait wobbles in the water you can really see the color change. And you said it best man, this paint is just sick. I've got some local tournament guys drooling over them, haha.

Here is one I just finished in a bluegill pattern.

Here is a Mann's Baby 1- in a chameleon color. It looks amazing in the water, changing colors as it wiggles.

5$? Mustad Triple Grips 31¢ x 2 = 61¢ Not even a 5th of a tube of epoxy: less then 40¢ Split rings: 15¢ tops Let's just say that equals $1.50 I use expensive paint but there is no way I use enough of it to equal $5. And all that's not buying in bulk. The real cost comes from time and creativity.

Went out to the lake yesterday to try out a few new lures I made. I was throwing my version of a Wiggle Diggle, made from a Rapala Jointed Floating Minnow. I was throwing from the bank and was standing under a bunch of trees. My throwing lane was bad and I got a little backlash. As I was getting it out I heard a huge kerplunk. A huge bird, was too excited to see what it was, looked like some kind of stork or heron, came down and attacked my lure. It got it with it's feet but dropped it after the line got tight. Was the craziest thing I've had happen to me so far. Didn't catch a fish on it but I would call it a successful shad imitator ;D.

I am shaking right now, literally, from finding this out. I have wanted to get into this so bad and if its true with them providing the boat then I am entering this week. If anyone pays attention to this from Radford Univeristy, I'm recruiting.

Woops, my mistake I meant to put pitching.