Marty

If you're looking for a guideline as to how to start out, then you can't go wrong with the above advice. But if things aren't working the way you think they should, try breaking the "rules." I've seen so many exceptions to the conventional wisdom that I'll try anything under any conditions if things aren't going well.

Don't use it in pike and pickerel waters.

What's wrong with cutting off the hook, adding a split ring, then a new hook? I've done this with Mepps, should be the same as with the Rooster Tail.

I think keeper hooks can get you more fish per single bait. With regular offset hooks, if the nose of the bait gets torn I would cut off 1/4" and re-rig. Start with a 5" lure and do this four times and you're still left with a 4". There's a lot of difference of opinion on how other brands compare to the Senko. I've never seen results of any studies that attempted to determine if one is better than another. For me personally, I have as much confidence in Yum Dingers, Zoom Z-Nails and other plastics as I do in the Senko.

Ha ha, I'd use that in pike-infested waters if my name was Bill Gates.

I've been at this long enough that I just pull out some line and can tell from the feel if the drag's where I want it.

Best wishes to you and your family. There's a reason for the ancient saying, "there's the right way, the wrong way and the army way."

Smallies aren't shy about hitting lures that some think are too large for them.

I agree with Mikey. Not just a frog, but don't rule out any kind of topwater. I've seen a lot of topwater fish under bluebird skies.

Plastics, such as curly tail grubs and other plastics, are great on jigheads as long as you can fish them where the open jig hook won't hang up.

The 2012 Classic was won with 51# over three days and the 2011 with 69#, so they're doing OK in February.

Well, at least you're giving it a chance if it's your first lure choice. I don't know what else to say except what I said earlier, to stick with it because topwaters are very productive lures.

Are you failing on topwater while fish are being caught on subsurface lures? Are you trying your topwaters as a last resort after you find other lures aren't working? At any rate, topwaters are incredibly effective lures and you will catch fish on them if you stick with it.

Malwarebytes is a respected and recommended anti-malware program.

Well, if you want to trust Wikipedia, it comes from the Dutch word pink, which means "little finger."

I am definitely not a computer guru. Your problem sounds strange since you have the same Internet connection as the other guys. All I could do is suggest that you put your computer through a speed test and have a friend with the same service do his and see if that reveals anything.

Boils (missed topwater strikes) are part of topwater fishing. If the fish truly misses the lure, try the follow-up with the soft plastic, as mentioned above. They also will sometimes try again if you use the same or a different topwater. Or they maybe didn't miss it, they were interested enough to check it out but not strike. If it's happening a lot then you should try doing something different. Different lure, different speed or cadence or switch to a subsurface lure. My favorite lure is the Jitterbug and I don't hesitate to try it any time of day, including afternoon under bluebird skies.

You didn't state the weight of your lure. Bitsy Bugs come in sizes up to 1/4 oz., so there shouldn't be a problem keeping it down in moderate depths.

Yes, they'd go for a crayfish lure and most other soft plastics as well. This would hold true for a body of water that did or did not have crayfish. However, it's hard to imagine no crayfish in New Jersey.

There's conventional wisdom about colors and water clarity, like using dark colors that silhouette well or bright fluorescent colors in dark water, but there are so many exceptions that it's best to try different things on the water to see what works that day. Your last sentence is very open-ended and asking for a huge amount of information. I'd suggest you start a few threads with more specific information needs.

Nothing fights like a carp and I bet that one was no exception.

I think a rod that's 6'6", medium power and fast action would be very good as a general-purpose rod. I brand-name reel in 2500 size would complete the outfit and, as others have said, a very good combo can be had for considerably less than $300.

Pike will take any lures, including soft plastics. It's only half pike, but I did witness a very nice Tiger Muskie caught on a wacky-rigged Senko.

I think yes. A rod like that does well on many different techniques, i.e., medium power, fast action.

No. Most of my buzzbait fish have the main hook in their mouth, but there are just enough that are landed on the trailer hook only that I use them all the time because without them I'd lack the confidence.