Team9nine

I've fished it for years (and years). Bad news is you've missed out on the easy fishing out there. Was a bass factory up until about 2 years ago. Getting tougher and tougher to make a big catch out there now. Still a fun fishery though. Stay shallow in the spring and fall, then move to the breaks in the summer. The area around the ramp as well as the dam gives up bass all year long. -T9

Looks like you'll have to look around a bit. I see it is still listed on the PowerPro website, but the place I've always bought it from (American Legacy) is showing 'out of stock.' Some looks to be available on Ebay. As a fallback, you can go with the 5 lb. PP and be fine. Easy to find it at most major retailers. It's a great crossover line between panfish and bass. I use it a bunch for Ned rigging with 6 and 8 pound leaders without any issues. I just like playing with the extremes in tackle to see what I can get away with. A great learning experience. -T9

Me, too I bought an 11'8" (3.6m) Daiwa carbon fiber long pole to fish panfish this year. Instructions said to not use any line heavier than 5 lb breaking strain with the rod - big fun! -T9

Yeah, it really comes down to what Tom stated, whether he is truly using ultralight gear and baits or just light or ML fishing. If he is using 1/16-1/64-oz. jigs, etc. or similar tiny baits, then 3# PP will fish circles around 10# PP (.006" dia.) when it comes to casting distance, as well as bait control and feel in deeper water regardless of leader. 3# PP microline is about .0034" on the micrometer, or about 8X tippet material in fly fishing, which is about 1.75 lb. actual breaking strength equivalent nylon/fluoro., about half the diameter of 10# PP. For comparison, 2# Trilene XL is .005" in diameter. If he's fishing 1/8-oz stuff, then much less of a deal with the 10# PP. -T9

One I haven't seen mentioned yet is Toray. Expensive stuff, even more so than Tatsu, and not easy to find, but very good line, especially their SH Upgrade. I like Tatsu a lot, also. Never tried Sunline, but it would be the other line to make my Top 3 list based on everything I've read and researched as "best." Lots of other less expensive "good" fluorocarbon lines I've used. Haven't found any that were "worst," though I have heard all the Vanish horror stories like everyone else. Seems like the one spool I tried worked fine - just have more confidence overall in a lot of others. Why take the chance? -T9

Don't overthink it. For me, it simply comes down to speed control. If they want to chase something fast, then I throw a buzzbait. If they want something sitting dead still, then it's more likely a stick bait. For anything in between you have the poppers and prop baits. There is power in a simple approach -T9

Is this really an ultra-light setup? 10# or 15#? No way... I'll throw my vote in for 3# PowerPro Microline. Wicked good stuff, especially in yellow. Use with either a 2#, 4# or at most a 6# leader. If 3# scares you, you can go with either the 4# or 5#, also PP. I use only 3#, 5# or 8# PP for nearly all my finesse fishing. -T9

Nope, not really. There are 6 "official" retrieves now that Ned espouses, and he goes over many of them in the following video: http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/154445-ned-rig/?do=findComment&comment=1738841 -T9

Both will work, but the heavier you go, the more you get away from what makes the rig somewhat unique. Most purists use 1/16 and 1/32-oz heads because they are trying to achieve the "no-feel" retrieve. Instead, try and think of "Ned" more along the lines of weightless wacky or trick worming, and less along the lines of traditional jig or worm fishing. Most times we want our baits just swimming and floating along in the water column, just somewhat shy of neutrally buoyant. -T9

Not quite... Elaztech is great because it lasts so long, so it is both frugal and efficient. Remember, 101 bass in 4 hours is the goal, and if you can use just a single bait to catch those 100 bass, you have achieved the ultimate level of frugality and efficiency. The fact that it so buoyant is a nice side benefit, though. That said, not every effective bait shape comes in Elaztech material, so in those cases we have to use other companies baits. Some are better than others in regards to durability and how well they fish on the mushroom head. Shakey is what Ned terms "power finesse." Most shakey head users start at 1/8-oz and go up - too heavy for purist Ned rigging. Ned starts at 3/32nd and goes down, attempting to achieve "no-feel" retrieves, not to mention small open hooks, shallow water, etc.. Definitely different. -T9

FG knot Alberto/Modified Albrght 'J' knot -T9

I'd pretty much stick with 6-12# leaders with that line depending upon the specific application being used... -T9

Pure speculation, but my guess would be so that there wasn't a direct overlap with the same sizes of Gopher Mushroom heads. As for weight of heads, perhaps you need the heavier jig heads for some reason out West (really deep water?), but purists like myself start carrying at 1/10 and always go down in weight, not up. I could see where you might need the 1/5 or 1/6-oz. though if you're trying to crack engine cowlings or bust boat windshields .... jk -T9

Ditto this....

Another vote for sticking with the 2500. Yeah, the little 1000s are cute, but.... -T9

Gophers and ShroomZ, mostly 1/16 but also 1/32nd. 1/8-oz. is a brick and would be relegated to deep water or straight swim retrieves. Ditch the baitcaster -T9

Of course there are. Even Ned himself rotates through about 10 different soft plastic baits fished on the Gopher heads. The Finesse ShadZ and Finesse WormZ are both really good, as are Hula StickZ. In the late spring, two of my favorites are the tiny brush hog and the Zoom 4" lizard. I also use the Zoom finesse worm a lot. One other bait I've had good luck with is the Erie Darter Jr., but it unfortunately doesn't have the durability to last more than a few fish, which is a slight negative. Don't go crazy, but don't limit yourself either. -T9

While this is a very common practice, or at least theory among anglers, the problem is trying to find any scientific basis for the action, to which I haven't really been able to find any. The most commonly suggested reason as to why this supposedly works is due to the citric acid component of soft drinks, but that theory has two problems associated with it; Citric acid is actually an anticoagulant that prevents blood clotting, and Cola drinks, when compared to most other similar beverages actually have a very low citric acid component to them. Most every other citrus type drink including orange juice, lemon juice/lemonade or pineapple juice have from 2X to as much as 7X's the citric acid. If that's the primary reason, why not recommend one of those other drinks instead? Other reasons I've seen speculated relate to the coldness of the drink acting as a vasoconstrictor, but if that was the case why not just use or recommend ice-water. Another theory is that it's the carbonation in the drink (CO2), but again that doesn't make any sense as blood normally carries carbon dioxide, bicarbonate, and carbonic acid as part of normal kidney/waste fuunction and regulation, trying to eliminate it from tissue. Too much of any of these in the blood actually leads to a serious medical condition. A more likely scenario going on when you pour your drink on the fish is probably a stress reaction to some form of shock, very possibly related to the pH levels of the cola. Most common soft drinks we carry around with us have a range of pH values between 2.4 and 3.7. Mountain Dew and 7-Up both run around 3.2, while Coke, Cherry Coke and Pepsi are down around 2.5. It is very possible that the acid is either triggering a response due to the pH shock, as literature suggests that a common fish reaction to such a sudden change in pH is often excess mucosal production of the gills to try and protect itself, or even a chemical burn or weak cauterization of the delicate gill tissues and structures due to the acid influx, neither of which may be beneficial to the long term health of the fish. Actually, there is probably a much better way to handle this situation should you ever encounter it without having to use the cola treatment, and that is to simply get your fish into the water, either released back in the lake or into a treated livewell, as soon as possible. In the case of the former, it has been found that fish blood clots about 35% faster in water than in air. You may have actually experienced this and not realised it. You have a fish with fresh blood running down its side from a wound, yet as soon as you release it in the water you notice little strings of the blood floating around in the water, almost like little strands of gelatin, and not some stream of red like food coloring. This is the blood gelling and coagulating upon contact with the water, most likely from a water-erythrocyte reaction. In the case of the latter, most livewell treatment formulations have chemicals that act as stress relievers, sedatives, and/or antifungal/antibacterials that will all benefit the fish as soon as he is exposed to them, not to mention the immediate water immersion to speed up blood clotting. Bass are pretty tough and resilient creatures, and the above tactic may not actually harm the fish. But until we better understand the mechanism for why it seems to work, for most normal hooking instances where a fish is bleeding, a quick release into the lake, or a few minutes of recovery in a properly treated livewell would be my first choice of action. -T9

I've only ever won 1 boat, so I'm no expert, but some of the things that come to mind in making a decision would be; Team or individual event? Won in 2015 or 2016? How will/did the organization classify the winnings on a tax form? Value they associated (or will associate) with the boat? Your personal tax situation in regards to fishing (have you ever claimed as a business or hobby expense on prior tax years)? How good of records (records, receipts, expenses, etc.) have you maintained? Those are some critical first questions that need to be answered before being able to add too much more. Good problem to have though Congrats! -T9

"Famous"....? Lots I'd really enjoy fishing with, but I guess I could narrow my top 3 or 4 to Buck Perry, Rick Clunn, Al Lindner and Bill Binkelman, in no particular order. -T9

^^This^^ Tackle: If it can't fit in a pocket or be clipped to a belt, then it doesn't need to come with me. 1 rod - 1 reel. It's all about mobility from the bank for me. Simplicity in tackle allows that. -T9

I'm not certain how "confidential" they make the buy in amount, so let's just say it is a 5 figure amount for each angler to fish the Selects for a year (min. 2 events). Select winners do get a paycheck if they win an event, but I honestly don't know how much. -T9

Actually, just the opposite. As I understand it, MLF is co-owned by the 24 elite anglers who founded it, along with the Outdoor Channel. It is a "made for television" tournament show. The anglers are all basically part owners in the final product, as is the cable TV company (Outdoor Channel). Basically a 50/50 split, I believe. No entry fees and no tournament winning payouts. Instead, it is some form of a revenue sharing arrangement with the Outdoor Channel. Consider them all stockholders if you will. Each of the 24 put up their own money to help initially fund and create the venture. As such, no one is ever "eliminated" unless they choose to sell out their ownership stake in the company. The newest anglers (MLF Select) is their first attempt at bringing in some "new blood" to the group and slowly expanding. These guys were by invite only, and all had to pay a "buy-in" fee to accept the invite. -T9

Nothing wrong with using fluoro for crankbaits. I use it all the time - most pros on Tour do, too. If you haven't messed with it much, then stick with something basic initially and you'll be fine; InvisX, XPS fluoro or Trilene 100%. -T9

Updated my original reply, so check that out. Hopefully Paul will drop by and fill in more details...to me, at least, craw crushing makes no sense because it's the back "crushers" that do the work and not the "lips." Additionally, you would think that bass that feed on craws all year long or at other times of the year would display this tendency, but it seems limited to cold water periods. -T9