A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to BR ~ Looks good and I like the Old School Hula Poppers. A-Jay

Hello Matt and Welcome to BR ~ A-Jay

That happens to me all the time . . . A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to BR ~ A-Jay

When the conditions are right, both smb & lmb come up to clobber topwater baits. Whether it's frogs in some vegetation for Green bass or walking baits through the boulders for bronze backs and in some rare and very special times and places, you get both large & small mouth hitting the baits. I can not declare either one a better surface feeding fish over the other. A-Jay

Hello Jake and Thank You for your Service. Welcome to BR ~ You may want to wait a bit to build your arsenal all the way. Once you get out on the water you may find that you'll need / want something different than you do now. Good Luck A-Jay (USCG Retired)

Thanks for posting this link ~ Some really sweeting looking baits right there ~ ! A-Jay

Hello Kirk and Welcome to BR ~ That was a Great Introduction. A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to BR ~ A-Jay

Training continues to go quite well. My #$%^ is Tight ! A-Jay

I used it a few times season before last. Not impressed. Though not as durable as the original stuff, it's still tougher than plastic. However, it doesn't stay on the hook very well. This turned out to be my biggest problem with it. Most literature covering it does not mention it, but the product comes with (an requires) the use of a small rubber O-ring type of do-hickey to keep it on the hook. It is is both in-effective and a huge PIA. Also, I don't like having to take it on and off (especially as a trailer) and re-package it after each use throught the day. Otherwise, like gulp, it will dry up. My assessment - pass. A-Jay

Hello Ian and Welcome to BR ~ From the tip of the mitt. A-Jay

Hello Geg and Welcome to BR ~ A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to BR ~ And Congratulations to you & your wife for making the single best commitment you can do for yourselves. A-Jay

I've read your posts and I do believe you know this but here's my input anyway. Right tool for the right job. If you are looking to learn how to drive a nail you probably would not use a screwdriver. If you're looking to learn & gain confidence in crank baits, a shallow grass filled body of water may not be your best option. As for the cost of baits today, my PB came on a $5 SK Red Eye Shad. A-Jay

I've caught several fish, including bass, with hooks, lures and all kinds of rigs still stuck in and around their mouth and face. Yet they were still apparently unaffected enough to still strike a bait. That said, I Rarely leave a hook in a fish. I don't fish live bait much so a single hooked soft plastic is about the only bait that comes into play here. I initially purchased the tool pictured below to be used on the larger variety of pike that often swallow plastic offerings here. However, it has prove invaluable for freeing up swallowed hooks in bass as well. A-Jay

I'll second that. And so the challenge is to do the best you can where ever you're at. A-Jay

That's pretty crazy. Here's another shot. A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to BR ~ A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to BR ~ A-Jay

Hello Bob and Welcome to BR ~ A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to BR ~ A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to BR ~ A-Jay

That particular fact provides me plenty of potential to reach my goal . . . . A-Jay

Perhaps - but I'm always striving to finishing looking Better than when I started. A-Jay