Marty

As a recreational angler, I enjoy Bassmaster. I used to like Bassin' also, but I dropped them a number of years ago because I despised their business practices.

Ditto to what Will said.

Welcome Matt. I guess we know what your favorite lure is. 8)

http://www.blpstudio.com/index.html

Heddon Deep Dive River Runt, Arbogast Hustler, couple of Beno Eels, old Bomber (the one that looks like a Mudbug) and assorted rods and reels. Just can't throw anything away, even though I never use it. The lures range from 25-35 years old, so it's not like I've got any antiques.

I don't know about wire reinforced, but Stamina sells Lexan lips. Maybe Barlow's does too. You could also try a Google search or one of the tackle-making sites. http://www.staminainc.com/plug_hardware/lexan_lure_lips.html

Each state has its own regulations, just like each province has their own. As far as I know, the majority of states allow bass fishing all year, but some of the northeastern states have closed seasons. In New York, I think our bass season opens later than any other state in the country, which is on the 3rd Saturday in June.

Fishing licenses, regardless of what state is the most expensive, are ridiculously cheap relative to the value they provide, at least in my case. I'm retired and fish almost every day for six months. If licenses were $200, $300, or more, I wouldn't hesitate to buy one, even though I wouldn't like it. I don't know how much it would have to be for me to give it up.

I think the only thing that matters is your attitude about it. You may not save money, but if you enjoy the hobby and get a big charge out of catching something on a lure of your own making, then go for it. Otherwise, you might as well just buy what you need off the shelf.

Sounds pretty similar to mine, as mine is cylindrical also. Probably a matter of whichever is more convenient, as they certainly will both take a temperature reading.

I'm not sure what a pool thermometer looks like. I use what is commonly called a "stream thermometer." It's about the size of a ballpoint pen, costs $10 or less and is often found with fly fishing gear in stores and catalogs.

It started on Jan.1 and runs on ESPN2.

I make sure that the hook gap is about double the diameter of the worm. I'm a line-watcher, because almost all of my soft plastic bites are detected visually, that is, I see the line moving off to the side, then I set the hook. Are you feeling good resistance after your hookset and then losing the fish? Or are you not feeling that resistance? If it's the latter, maybe you're getting bluegill taps? They'd feel like a series of quick taps.

I fish then T-rigged and weightless because I'm normally in weedy water where wacky rigs wouldn't do so well. Rich, I don't think they're a fad. They're an excellent lure and I see no reason why they won't be around and catching bass for many years. Other plastics are a permanent part of our arsenals and I think Senkos will be too.

In the final analysis, you'll have to do what gives you confidence. I know from everything I've read that odors and scent use are topics with widely differing opinions. Some wouldn't fish without scent, others think it makes no difference. One well-known writer conducted his own tests and found little difference in his catch rates. Another, who is strongly against scent, claims he caught just as many fish after soaking his lures in gasoline, wrapping them in dirty underwear for a week, etc. I don't think there are any actual FACTS, so we each have to draw our own conclusions.

There's quite an active thread on this subject on another forum. Lots of guys are ready to kill the guy who filed the suit because of a variety of reasons. I'm one of the few who wants to wait and see what happens. Boaters can and do break laws and otherwise drive negligently. Who knows what Evers was doing? Nobody. I think this will end up being settled out of court with no details being released.

Jitterbug for me.

How about you folks putting your city and state/province in your signature, then we won't have to ask these questions so often.

I'm hardly a rod expert, as I'm just a casual fisherman who uses general-purpose rods. But your starting rod ought to be keyed to the kind of fishing you do. I would think your medium heavy might be good if most of your fishing is with worms, jigs, or single-hook lures where a strong hookset is done. On the other hand, if you do most of your fishing with crankbaits and other treble-hook lures, than a lighter action rod would be a better choice. Or if you'd like a multi-purpose rod, I have good results with a 6'6" fast tip, medium power spinning rod, used with 10# line. You can probably get a better answer if you state what type of fishing you do the most. Good luck.

I've used a lot of cranks over the years, but never any expensive ones, let's say none over $6 or $7. I'm very skeptical about reports I read about expensive baits. I think the people are sincere, but I view it as a confidence thing. The vast majority of anglers are unable to draw definitive conclusions about such things because they cannot catch enough fish, over a long enough period of time, under controlled conditions. I could be 100% wrong, but I believe that the available selection of modestly-priced baits will suffice to produce top results. Of course, that's just my personal belief; since I can't prove anything, I base my theories on what my gut tells me and what seems to make sense.

The site has the largest collections of articles that I've found on the web.

In addition to Big Bill, another missing one is Stewart, who used to do a lot of posting on the old forum. I would think if they're here under a new name, they'd say something.

I don't think it affects me very much. However, it WILL affect me if if the ad is informative and tells me something I didn't know that would make me want the lure. But I'd like to think that ordinary hype about lures I'm familiar with won't change my mind. About 10 years ago, I saw the Strike King Grass Frog for the first time on a Bill Dance show and bought one immediately. To this day, it remains my favorite weedless topwater. To the best of my recollection, that's the only lure I've bought directly from watching a show.

The obvious answer is to maximize your time on the water and fish with better anglers than yourself. Otherwise, soak up as much info as you can. Books, TV shows, magazines, videos, seminars, internet articles and message boards.

I prefer FISHING FOR largemouth, because I much more enjoy the shallower, weedy water that many of them inhabit. But I'd rather CATCH smallmouth because they're such superior fighters. Although there are many good smallmouth fisheries around here, the waters more accessible to me are primarily largemouth.