Jrob78

I very rarely fish for food so I normally go home empty handed. In the winter during the trout stockings or if I go crappie fishing, I will keep and eat my catch.

Cut them off when you're done fishing. It saves them from getting hung in the carpet, in your hand, in your dog and it insures that you tie a fresh knot next time you go out.

There really isn't a whole lot of correlation between lure size and fish size, at least not in "normal" bass baits. A big bait will catch a little fish and a small bait will catch a big fish.

My favorite balsa baits by far are the Zoom WEC baits. They have lots of different shapes and dive depths and they are very well made. If you want a top notch balsa bait, this is it. They aren't cheap though. Peepers Baits has a big selection of Zooms, Simmons on ebay does as well. Also, check out Lee Sisson Lures at sissonsdesignsdotcom, he makes a few different baits, they are very nice and cheaper than the Zooms. The selection is much less though. I've bought some of the new Bagley's and I've had mixed results. The baits look nice but I've gotten some with crooked bills. If you buy these, make sure you look them over. For cedar baits, check out Stanford Cedar, TW sells them. These baits are top notch. I have some of the Patriot Shad crankbaits and some of the Razor crankbaits. They don't float as high as Balsa but they are more durable. I highly recommend these baits.

MirrOlure baits are huge here on the TX Gulf Coast. They are a staple for inshore anglers. I have a few of their topwater walking baits and they work great for bass. Just make sure you know what you're buying, a lot of their walking baits are sub-surface walkers. You can't go by looks alone.

7' Med/Mod baitcaster 7'3" Hvy/Fast baitcaster 7'3" Med/Fast baitcaster That wouldn't be ideal but I could probably cover my bases with those 3 rods. Definitely no spinning set ups for me.

They will be some heavy tackle boxes.

That's very noble of you but I don't think it's necessary either. Mashing down the barbs should solve your problems. The hooks will come out much easier and not tear up their mouths, plus, it will be easier on you should you hook yourself. Also, single hooks can alter the performance of some baits.

Don't really know, I've never fished one but RI is about to re-release them. The Swamp Donkey and Vixen are available for pre-order at certain online tackle stores.

I like it too and I'm glad Zoom came out with a proper stick bait. That said, it isn't a new design by any means. Yum had a Fork Tailed Dinger for a long time. I guess it didn't do well so they stopped making it a couple of years ago, I'm pretty sure I still have some somewhere.

I'm familiar with it but I've never tried it. Rumor is several big pro tournaments have been won in the US over the past 5 years using that technique but they never let the cat out of the bag. It sounds like a good technique to try, something the fish probably haven't ever seen.

Agree completely. PED's are not all about just gaining size and strength, there's a lot more to it than that.

I agree with you regarding using the full size craws to save space, I do that as well. I also like the Zoom Super Speed Claws. They are bigger than the Ultra Vibe. I also use the Zoom Super Chunks and Super Chunk Jr's. When I do use a chunk I like to thread it on instead of just hooking through it.

After fishing all of them, I've settled on the Jackall Iobee and Snag Proof Ish's Phat Frog. I think those are the best two frogs on the market right now. I am interested in trying the Spro Bronzeye Shad when it comes out though.

Keeping in contact with your bait means to keep a controlled amount of slack in your line. You don't want a tight line but you want to be able to go to a tight line instantly. You have to be able to detect bites and set the hook while still allowing your bait to fall naturally. I generally manually feed line out as the bait falls, trying to keep pace with the falling bait. By watching your line after the cast, you can usually tell how much line to let out.

It's croppie here in TX.

If your safety is at risk, it isn't worth fishing there.

I follow the Elite Series pretty closely and keep up with FLW, BASS Opens and the PAA. I think there are definitely some anglers that are the very top of the class. I don't know how many I would put in that list but it's probably less than half. Those would be the KVD's, Edwin Evers, Jason Christie, Skeet Reese, Brent Ehrler, Todd Faircloth, Brian Thrift......guys like that. The guys who are a danger to win every tournament they fish and always finish in the money and always make the end of the season championship. Below them, I don't think the caliber of fishermen drops off too terribly much in most cases. You have to remember these guys travel all over the country and fish these lakes on two and half days practice. It's one thing to go to a lake in your state or region and do well, it's another to fish Lake Falcon in south TX and then St. Clair for smallmouths, all in the same season. You have to be able to find fish and catch them, with very little practice time, in conditions and locations that you've never seen before and you have to do it for 4 days in a row. Add to that the travel and the pressure of fishing for your livelihood with cameras watching your every move. I think all these guys are "Elite" even if some are better than others.

I've had the best luck just rigging them on a darter head.

That's what I was thinking too.

I've had good luck with Sufix mono. I don't really use regular mono anymore but Sufix Elite is what I would buy if I were going to.

Nice fish! Shaky heads are great when the weather gets hot and the fishing gets tough.

That makes sense, I didn't think about tying a leader directly to your main line.

I guess if you're talking about big boat rods and other off shore rods, it wouldn't make as much difference. There is no way I would ever do that to a bass rod, it would ruin it. There is a noticeable difference in balance and weight after you apply finish to the guides, let alone the whole rod.

I would use straight fluoro for cranking. If you use backing, you can cut down on how much fluoro you have to use. I just don't like braid for cranking, it doesn't have any forgiveness. I also don't think a leader is necessary for cranking. It's a reaction bite, line visibility shouldn't matter.