Marty

Not only is the magazine thin, but four pages are used for pictures (the two-page photos in front and back), pages that formerly were used for other editorial content.

Keep them wet!! Topwaters are very effective and can catch numbers as well as size. Don't be under any preconceived notions as to when they shouldn't be used, as my partners and I have caught a lot of fish on them when we weren't supposed to, i.e., mid-afternoon on sunny days.

If the reel performs adequately and does what a reel's supposed to do, then I'd just get her a longer rod. I think the important thing is that the kids have equipment that works, not just a toy.

I fish with one type of rod, 6'6" spinning, M power (I have one MH) and fast action. I don't feel I "need" different types, as these rods handle well all the types of fishing I do. I take three or four with me, but that's for quickly changing lures, not for different rod characteristics. But you need to do whatever you feel will do the job and give you confidence in what you do. I don't buy into the golf analogy. A worm rod, for example, will do a much better job with, say, spinnerbaits, than a seven iron will do for putting.

I've done well on the original Shad Raps and have a great deal of confidence in them.

I never noticed any dye coming off and never had problems with the guides, even on relatively inexpensive rods. I used the original fused on spinning and my only problem was that it didn't cast as far as I liked and didn't seem to some off the spool smoothly. Power Pro has cast better for me, but other Fireline properties were very good.

I've been having trouble with the site for maybe a week. Slowness, freezing up and other assorted goodies. I run out of patience and just leave when it gets really bad.

Send it back to the company with an explanation. The most you can lose is a small amount for shipping, but you'll probably get at least one replacement lure.

as much as you don't want to believe it the added weight of the split ring and snap affects the attitude and consequently the action of the bait. i have some rapala DT's that float with just the split ring but actually slowly sink when i use a snap and the split ring. the way crankbaits are designed makes them pretty sensitive to weight. i always take the split rings off the nose of the bait because i use a snap. You may be right, although I'm not fully convinced. But I should have said I can't see one iota of difference in the crankbait's effectiveness. I've been catching fish on crankbaits with snaps and split rings for 40 years. Would I have have caught more fish had I removed the split rings? Impossible to say, but I have full confidence in fishing that way. Keep in mind that fish respond to many different speeds, action, attitude and the like and even if the changes occur that you believe, that doesn't render the lure ineffective. But it's like everything else in this sport, we have to have confidence in what we do.

I don't use snap swivels except with inline spinners, but I've been attaching duolock snaps to split rings for years with no apparent negative effects. I just can't see one iota of difference between using the snap with or without the split ring.

My partner and I both fish these like buzzbaits.

Go to www.cabelas.com and search for sunglasses. On every page there is a link to their Buyer's Guide which has some good information, including lens color.

Agree with the others who use anything. Just fish whatever lure you think fits the conditions and it'll work if there are fish around and willing to hit something. The bass don't know if the fisherman is on the bank or in a boat.

Between my partner and me, we've used three of these type baits, Sizmic, Ribbit and Horny Toad. They all work well and over the long run we've seen no evidence that any one is more or less productive than the others.

The freezer Ziplocs are fine. I don't know if they're any better or worse than the manufacturers' bags.

Can't really help you except to recommend you Google the following in addition to the help you'll get here: how choose fishing kayak

I remember them and bought a bag, but I don't recall using them a lot, for reasons unknown.

You can't necessarily assume the brand of hook was responsible for the problems. I don't know why any good sharp hook of the right size shouldn't be capable of solid hooksets. As to size, it may just be my personal preference, but I wouldn't be comfortable with those sizes. At a minimum, I use wide-gap 3/0 and 4/0 on 3.5" and 4" tubes, respectively. Assuming your hooks are sharp, I think upsizing would get you better results than another brand.

There are plenty of rods that will serve you well at $60 or less. I think a rod with M or MH power and fast action, 6'6" or 7', will handle most lures well, at least they do for me.

If it doesn't smell bad, I'd use it. Four or five days has to be well within the extra margin built into expiration dates. Or, if you have any doubts, just call a meat market and ask.

This was a report on nybass.com, posted May 16: "Fished 1000 Islands for about 9-2 today. Bite was very slow, as we only boated 2 LM, but at least they were both 3lbs. Fish were taken on a beaver and jig. Water temp in the main channel was 49. We caught the fish in French Creek bay and the water was 55.7. Water level still about 18in. low. I could not put a finger on where the smallies as far as their spawning went. Largemouth were prespawn. That place always beats me down. Anyone else been fishing up there with more success?"

I think that sums it up pretty well. Not everyone agrees, but I think color is way overrated as a factor most of the time. You can use the conventional wisdom about colors as a starting point, but don't close your mind. The bass don't know the rules like we do and I've caught and seen caught, too many fish on colors that don't fit in with the conventional wisdom, like muted colors in murky water with barely a foot of visibility and loud or dark colors in crystal-clear water. If I were a lure manufacturer, I'd tell you that you need to be well-stocked so you have the right color for any conditions you might encounter, therefore, you need my lures in 27 different colors. However, I'm not a manufacturer and I might be missing out on a load of fish, but I have 100% confidence in just carrying two colors, generally something lighter and something darker. For example, in hard baits it might be firetiger and shad or bluegill, and in soft baits it might be black and translucent pumpkinseed.

I've been caught in the rain numerous times and a variety of lures catch fish, just like they do when it's not raining. I fish a lot of topwater and I like using buzzbaits in the rain, although they're great lures under most conditions.

I don't see any reason why you shouldn't use most of your arsenal. Whatever you think is right for the cover and other conditions can be tried. Topwaters, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, Chatterbait-style, soft plastics and the like. You'll probably settle on a few after you learn more about the pond.

I have caught many topwater fish from AprilJune, so I'd definitely give them a try.