The_Natural

The 'ghost' colors seem to dominate clear water for me (ghost minnow, ghost perch, etc.) during sunny or mostly sunny days. During heavy cloud cover or while deep cranking I use your usual opaque shad or perch colors, due to the lack of light penetration. I preach a faster retrieve while also periodically ripping your crank with a quick sweep of the rod (I do this in stained water as well). The bait that instantly came to mind when you mentioned the conditions you fish is the Lucky Craft BDS 1 in ghost sunfish. I guarantee it to work. It can be a hard color to find though...Tackle Warehouse sells out frequently. Here is the larger BDS 3 in the ghost sunfish color...

Buy some ISG tubes and their won't be anything left to desire. All the tenticles on the ISG baits are evenly cut and aren't sticking together. They are also 'true' 4" tubes (2" body and 2" skirt). I use their original tube, the Willy's Intimidator which they've had for years. It is greatness.... http://www.isgfishing.com/acatalog/intimidatortubes.htm

That is my favorite trap color, period. I just wish that color was available from Jackall, Excalibur, or Lucky Craft. I end up throwing the trap I think is better (the aforementioned baits), but that is the best shad pattern IMHO.

Of course you need to know the details to make an accurate selection for a given trip, but there has to be one or two that you generally throw during a given season. Mine are: Spring- Jackal TN/70 in Red Craw The rest of the year- Excalibur XR 50 in sexy shad

Brian makes an excellent crank...although I only own one of them (little . Brian had a little hot streak with his cranks winning a couple of tournaments several years ago, and they peaked in popularity and the higher price followed. However, I don't find them to be higher quality than Ed's Chambers baits, and the Zoom's are cheaper (the readily available ones anyway).

I use 6lb and 8lb at times on my spinning rigs. Works well. Don't go over 8lb though

They are very nice rods, but you have to factor in the law of dimenishing returns with any high-end item. It is a better rod than your carrot stick, but maybe not 3x better. They are a pretty safe buy though....if you decide it isn't worth it, the Steez products have probably the highest resale value of any equipment I've sold.

It's a good bait...not necessarily better than some of the others, but it is impossible to find, and I lost the only one I had. It is the only WEC crank with a rattle (it has a ticker rattle). It is Elite Pro Jeff Coble's favorite spring crank. Another tidbit from Coble... "....Because Coble is not sponsored by any particular crankbait manufacturer and he has experimented with them as much as any angler this side of fellow Carolinian David Fritts he incorporates a variety of wooden and plastic cranks, and is refreshingly candid about the subject. Coble is a big fan of WEC Crankbaits, named from the initials of Zoom Bait Co. founder Ed Chambers Sr. The handcrafted, hand-painted cranks are made of balsa and top-quality hardware. The WEC flat-sided Tapp earned Coble $100,000 in his 2000 Red Man All-American victory on Arkansas' Lake Hamilton. "Ed makes fine baits," Coble says. "I think his crankbaits are a cut above. His are just more consistent."He spent a lot of time developing and learning how to make crankbaits. He's bought a lot of little crankbait companies that went out of business. He bought their tools and learned how to build them."

'Classic' is a great color...I have a few in that color, and it is indeed a great all-arounder (as any shad color is I suppose) Gone_Phishin'- The Blazer is new, and I don't know anyone that has fished it.

Very different cranks. The Sand Flea is smaller than the Wobbler - also has a bit more of an aggressive action. For sure. The Sand Flea has comparable action to the RC 1.5, only the Flea thumps harder. Great little crank....

If anyone come across a Z1; I'll pay top dollar or work out a trade that will favor you.

Great baits....you can't go wrong with any of them. It's hard to tell you to buy a certain bait. I go back and forth, but the Zoom Tapp and Sand Flea are the baits I'd buy if I could only buy two. The Wobbler and Z-flat are a close second, and were previously my #1 and #2. Ed's baits are the only crankbaits that I will pay the retail price of $20 for. They are worth every penny. I'll add that it is kind of a 'golden age' for WEC's right now as far as availability. Zoom Z-flats haven't been made since '04, but were recently re-introduced in a limited run, and E2's have been extremely scarce for years, but are abundant at Simmons Sporting Goods (check ebay). You used to only be able to get WEC cranks at Peepers or Bubba jacks, and they only had limited selections. Simmons has more models, styles, colors, etc. than I've ever seen....they never seem to run out. I'm beginning to think Ed Chambers is having an affair with the Zoom buyer over at Simmons.

What anglers call 'rules' are merely a good foundation on where to start. In the fall, most bass move back into the creeks chasing shad...often schooling (not a rule...a fact). Fall bass are predictable and fairly easy to catch....they are visibly making themselves known a lot of the time. The active bass are caught on your average shad imitating moving baits, and the fish 'resting' in the area that aren't chasing shad at the moment can be caught in traditional holding areas in the creek on jigs or plastics. I find catching fall bass on cranks and lipless cranks to be some of the most predictable fishing of the year. My favorite fall bait is the Moonsault cb100 by Lucky Craft. Traps work great in the fall, as do crankbaits. This bait combines the two.

I looked them over pretty good at BPS last week. The head and skirt are beautiful....extremely nice and detailed....just like a little minnow. However, the blades seemed to be a little on the small side, whether it be the tandem or double willow....they justed seemed smaller than the blades on comparable 3/8th or 1/2 spinnerbaits. The blades were pretty good quality, but not clear coated like War Eagle or Nichols. I didn't buy one, but I wouldn't make fun of someone who did I guess.

I mist my rods and reels with Meguiars quick detailer, and wipe them down with a microfiber towel. All my rods have a coat of Klasse sealant glaze on them, which is a clear synthetic wax. I apply the sealant glaze once a year, and it offers UV protection and helps the finish resist scratches. Most importantly, it is a clear fluid so you don't get white crap in the crevices. I'll put the Klasse on anything that isn't a matte finish, so I don't put it on my steez reels. The microfiber towel is important as well....regular cotton towels scratch finishes. http://www.autopia-carcare.com/kus-kls-gla.html

That made me laugh....it 'rumbles'. It probably has a Hemi....

6.2:1 Old school thought is slow, and slower. I'm more of a new school power fisherman with cranks, and I tend to rip them around and cover water.

Oops....I'm speaking of the Loomis drop-shot rod.

I think it's pretty simple. Either you fish the Elite Series, the FLW Series, or you are a full time guide. Even if I made a complete living winning every local jackpot tournament around, and also fished a lot of BFL....I wouldn't dream of referring to myself as a pro. Pro's are the best of the best.

I don't own one, but have read countless positive reviews on it. I can tell you that it is a gorgeous rod....I love the lime green wraps.

Quantum makes as good of a rod as any other mainstream rod that is made in China. Their Tour Edition PT rods @ $99 may be the best at that price point.

Texas-rigged with a bullet sinker is the standard. Senkos are generally fished without a weight, and you generally dead-stick a senko (just letting it fall). I'd start out by rigging your power worm with a 3/16oz sinker and a 3/0 or 4/0 hook. Let it fall initially and give it a second. Most bites come on the drop. After giving it a few seconds....lift or 'hop' your bait back to the boat or shore moving it only a couple of feet at a time. This has worked since 1300BC if I'm not mistaken.

Fishing isn't about gear for the most part; gear is another hobby in itself. Similarly to cars. Some use their cars to get from A to B....some customize and show their cars. Some (like me) use them for both. However, unlike cars, money won't make you a better fisherman. Money will indeed make your car faster....and the reason I got out of that hobby.

Fishing isn't about gear for the most part; gear is another hobby in itself. Similarly to cars. Some use their cars to get from A to B....some customize and show their cars. Some (like me) use them for both.

I'm not sure what you paid for those, but I think Japanese plastics are way overpriced for the most part. Yamamoto even sells the same plastics we buy over here for $9.99 over there....he knows the japanese will pay that for plastics. The Japanese have perfected the plastic crankbait, but America still has the best soft plastic designs IMHO. Japan has a few weird and unique designs, but for the most part...they seem to be be based on American designs. The Jackal Cover Craw is a prime example....we've had the LFT Craw Tube for years, and the Lake Fork has the sold upper tube design as well. Just rambling.....