A-Jay

Good Luck finding a hook to fit that bait - I've given up. I use them a trailers but that's about it. I've even drop shotted the small one with some success. A-JAy

With the spectator boats all monitoring the BASSTrakk feed, short stroking your weights a bit might keep the masses off your area a bit. However, you have to give it to Mike Ike, neither the growing crowd nor the busted boat has keep him from "Never Giving Up" and it looks like he's at or near the top. A-Jay

Cliff Pace just Blew up the leaderboard and is now "unofficially" in the Lead. A-Jay

Ok well, thanks for the props but this is far from something that I would ever claim as being mine. But I'd encourage you to try it. You've got nothing to lose. You won't disturb the water, you can still go back over the area with any number of "Search baits" By choosing a jig as your choice to "Search", you could see the biggest Bite First. btw - this rig is quite effective especially from shore. A-Jay

Brandon Palaniuk making a Big Move up the Leaderboard ~ ! A-Jay

Here is something to consider and this represents a bit of a reversal regarding your mindset when initially fishing a spot. I have changed my approach a bit when it comes to initially fishing a promising spot. Traditionally I would use "search" type baits to find biters and then slow down with a jig to find a bigger bite. But recently I have reversed the order and fished the jig first. Instead of initially beating the water to a froth by machine gunning a spinner bait through it for 30 minutes I spend some time sneaking a jig around the best spots. It's been a good deal for me and sometimes I end up never putting the jig rod down all day. A swimjig, worked a little slower, could be the ticket for you as well. A-Jay

Here's some info - A-Jay http://www.bassonline.com/florida-lakes/lake-istokpoga/

The SK line of crankbaits might not endure the industries highest quality control, they also do not carry the higher price tag of many brands. From my experience, SK baits for the most part, run true, are fairly durable and most importantly catch fish. To call SK junk, which is essentially regarding them worthless, IMO is a little harsh. A-Jay

That didn't take long . . . . . . . . A-Jay

KVD - The Gorilla has entered the room. A-Jay

Hank Cherry - 20lb bag WOW ! A-Jay

Home Town Guy - Jason Christie - 18lb sack - he's got a shot. A-Jay

Mike the McStick made a solid showing on day 1 ~ A-Jay

Talk about a Sand - Bagger . . . . A-Jay

Cliff Pace ~ Making it Happen ~ ! Setting the bar early. A-Jay

Very Nice - way to appease the masses . . . . . with the photos. That great rig will no doubt look even sweeter once you start dropping fatties in that massive live well. Congrats once again. A-Jay

Think of the Casting distance - Oh and the Hook sets ~ ! A-Jay

My wife always say the same thing - I think the stove heat actually may have the power to heal, at least a little anyway. A-Jay

I think he's been trying but it's a challenge with all that Drool on the camera lens . . . . . A-Jay

The manufacturer describes this model - "Featuring state-of-the-art Toray T-36 ton composite, carbon fiber woven blanks, combined with Phenix's "secret sauce resin," each rod is also uniformly balanced from tip to butt, and equipped with the dynamic actions you need for range of finesse applications." What is Toray T-36 Ton composite ? Are there any other companies using this material ? Thanks in advance A-Jay

Good Idea but can a poll here handle the entire list of competitors ? A-Jay

I tried them during the free offer deal. I have come to like and trust them. I do use Owner , VMC and Gamakatsu as well, but the Trokar hook has a slightly different shape, length and size which does fit certain baits just the way I prefer. The Trokar hook models I've used have been and stay sharp and I have not had any problems with the hook failing in any way, shape or form. A-Jay

Great point - and of equal importance is to ensure that you refrain from producing any Sound Signals. A-Jay

Thank you for your response. It was a close call for us on the either the Remington or the Mossberg both have off the charts reliability. Agreed, up close and personal a 00 buck pattern is tight. But it's a little wider than a single round of anything else. My wife & I both have many hours with both a 9mm & the 12 ga. (both retired USCG) The gun laws here changed here as of 1 Jan making ownership less of a PIA. Accordingly local supplies are low. We went with what we cold get and feel good about it. I just got a call from the "Gun Gorilla - the Bait Monkey's Big Brother" and a 9 is in the works. A-Jay