Marty

I think almost everyone thought A-Rod was clean. People who were unhappy with Bonds' record were saying that it'll be legitimate when A-Rod breaks it. Now what? This will send shock waves throughout MLB.

I hope to try these things and see if they'll work out as a replacement for Baby 1-. Are you talking fat as in width, or fat as in from back to belly?

I agree. Right after getting laid off doesn't seem to be the best time to look for a technique-specific outfit. Especially so if you already own a few rods and reels. I understand where you're coming from, but I disagree. That store credit is part of his total financial assets and every dollar that's used on one thing is a dollar less to use on something else, just as if we were talking about his bank account.

CDs are great baits, very underutilized and very little talked about. As has already been said, they'll catch anything that swims. Most of my fishing for bass would be with the #7 and #9.

The Slug-Go was invented in the mid-80s. Excerpt from their site: "History of Slug-Go® As hard as it is to believe today, prior to the mid-1980s, there was no such thing as a 'soft stickbait' or 'soft jerkbait'. " As to the Sexy Shad, I assume they chose the name to make it stand out from the crowd. Names do make a difference. I'm convinced the Sweet Beaver craze was based as much on the name as the actual lure. Does anyone think sales would have been the same had it been called, say, Reaction Innovations Creature Bait?

Do you really know what that's like? At any rate, one is enough for me. :

Jitterbug has been my favorite topwater for 10+ years. I don't fish at night, but I catch fish on it in sunlight and low light conditions. I don't know what I'd do without them.

Also, the straighter a lip is, that is, more parallel with the body, the steeper its dive and the greater the depth. Note how much the lips of very shallow-running baits are angled downward. Also, all other things equal, the closer the line tie is to the end of the lip, the wider the wobble.

I have no musky experience, but plenty of pike and pickerel. I'd always use a leader. There's no evidence that I've seen that leaders inhibit the lure's action to any meaningful degree. I'd use a metal leader, not fluorocarbon. A little hammer handle can cut line like a hot knife through butter, just imagine what a musky can do. There's no filament that I'd trust. Fishing without a leader there's no doubt you'll catch some fish. Probably most people have stories about catching a sizable pike on a small lure, like my partner catching a 36" fish while panfishing with a 2" Husky Jerk. However, without a leader, you'll lose fish, you'll lose lures, and I personally don't like leaving a fish having to swim around with a mouthful of crankbait or whatever, which is why I always use a leader.

Agree.

I know that some people, including my partner, prefer to backreel. Personally, I never had the desire to learn it and give it a try because I have never lost a fish that I can recall that I could attribute to faulty drag.

Sometimes it seems to me that almost every line calls itself low stretch, small diameter, abrasion resistant, easy handling and very strong. I've always found it very difficult to get good information about lines. The_Natural, That's quite an interesting explanation. You seem very knowledgeable about the subject.

I smoked Salems during most of my smoking years, but gave up some years ago and so far seem to have gotten away with it. Most of you are too young to remember, but many years ago, when cigarette advertising was allowed and before the dangers were widely known, one menthol brand (Kool) advertised itself as a health benefit. Their tag line was "Got a cough? Smoke Kools." The menthol was supposed to alleviate the symptoms.

I think you've just been using them at the wrong time in the wrong place, as I find this style lure to be a very good fish attractor. While I haven't used the Vibrashock, I've used Gambler Swim Blades with the split ring connection and I wouldn't say that one connection is better or worse than the other, but that they are different. I don't know if the Swim Blade is representative of all the baits with a split ring connection, but there's definitely a difference. Compared to direct connections like the Chatterbait or Booyah Boogee Bait, the Swim Blade has more lift, a more wild and erratic action and needs to be retrieved more slowly to keep it under the surface. Among the three baits I've been unable to detect any difference in their effectiveness at attracting strikes.

I find it fascinating that Tackle Tour's tests show fluorocarbon's stretch to be on a par with the stretchy Trilene XL, yet week after week on TV I see high-profile pros talking about its low stretch. I wonder where their information is coming from.

Medium power is a good general-purpose rod and I've used them for years for a variety of things from soft plastics to crankbaiting, although I've always preferred something a little longer, like 6'6". About the only thing I didn't use it with was extremely heavy vegetation.

I don't think that question's answerable. There may not be a "best", but even if there was, nobody has tried them all. However, everybody has their favorites. My personal practice is that I don't have brand loyalty. I'll buy almost any brand if it has the length, power, action, handle and overall feel that suit my desires. I've had rods under $100 from Garcia, Quantum, Fenwick, Gander Mountain, Daiwa and others that I've been pleased with. There are a lot of decent products out there.

I don't know anything about that boat. But if it was me, I'd wait until ice out so I could "test drive" the thing before buying. Maybe he's offering it at a spectacular price, but if not, there will always be some used boats available, from both dealers and individuals.

Without trying to sound like a wise guy, may I suggest a thermometer purchase? Also, and I don't fish streams that much, but a spring-fed one may be warmer. Last time I fished a spring-fed creek, the water was in the high 40s in mid-winter.

I've used the original balsa Shad Raps ever since they came out about 25 years ago. For reasons I can't explain, they are my #1 confidence crank, even though I've caught fish with many brands and styles. With their tighter wiggle and lack of rattles, they don't fit the conventional wisdom for a murky-water bait, but I've done very well with them in the Erie Canal where the visibility is 18" at most. As far as I'm concerned, if cranks can be used, then Shad Raps can be effective.

I have the Texas Tackle pliers than John recommends and they're very good, but if you don't want to spend the money, other pliers will get the job done. Personally, I was never interested in using finger nails.

I've also used the Bomber Flat A, both the regular and deep versions, but I'm sure there are many good flat crankbaits.

I don't care for it either, but the customized headlines is a handy feature.

I wasn't familiar with it, but a brief search indicates it's a thing of the past.

I'm no scientist, but I know that pure catch and release is not always a good idea for certain bodies of water. For some waters, selective harvest is a better idea. Here's one article here: http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/selective_harvest_bass.html