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I think any smoke-colored tube would fit the bill. Bass Pro Tender Tubes have a terrific array of baitfish colors. There's a smoke with chartreuse flake tube that just kills the Mille Lacs smallies.

I only tried Performance Braid once, a spool of 50# that went on two frogging setups. I thought it was maybe the worst braid I've ever used. It faded almost immediately; it was very stiff and slow to break in; the casting distance was just plain bad; and it felt really thick and 'mushy', for lack of a better descriptive term. For that reason, I was slow to try the 832 when it came out a few years later, and that's a shame. 832 is an excellent line and probably my second favorite braid after Daiwa Samurai. Unless you're getting it for next to nothing, I would shy away from the 50# Performance braid. Maybe the lighter weights are better.

I've had my best luck with 1/15oz Shroomz heads.

LARGEMOUTH: 1: Jig and craw 2: Heavy spinnerbait 3: Frog 4: Swimjig 5: Soft jerkbait Bonus: Buzzbait, because there's nothing that's more fun to fish! SMALLMOUTH: 1: Tube 2: Jerkbait 3: Jig Rig 4: Dropshot 5: Crankbaits

They're don't fight much, but they are beautiful and highly useful creatures, in my opinion. Nothing to be feared. I used to catch some on the Mississippi while bassing, and it was usually the highlight of the trip.

Any reputable brand of rod using quality rod-guides will allow you to use braid. The rods where it may not be advised are in the $20-range on Walmart shelves, and even some of those would be fine.

How did it work, and how long did you get out of it?

I bring 10 setups in the rod locker, but usually carry 7-9 on the deck. Sometimes, when a pattern is really dialed in, I may carry only 2-3 topside. Usually, I prefer to have almost all of them out. A rod doesn't do you any good in the boat locker.

A crankbait can still "run true" and "hunt" at the same time. The KVD squarebills are a perfect example of that. The run in a straight, but very erratic line.

I don't want to melt a hole through the bottom of my boat! Kinda like in the movie Alien.

I don't think the head style even matters. Any light jig will work. Must importantly, you'll want a compact trailer (a beaver instead of a brush hog) and a skirt that's been trimmed short and sparse. It also helps that a trailer is threaded on rather than hooked like a chunk. For instance, I often skip with swim jigs because their skirts are generally more sparse than a regular bass jig. I also keep them trimmed a little shorter, right beyond the bend of the hook.

Does anybody have experience using JJ's Magic on ElaZtech plastics, specifically Z Man T.R.D. and Zinkerz used for Ned Rigs? Are they compatible? Normally, I add 10-20 drops of JJ's to each bag of plastics so they can marinate, then I'll dip baits afterwards if need be. I would prefer to handle JJ's as little as possible on the boat, considering how it behaves in the heat. I've seen someone spill it on their carpet before, and it melted it into hard plastic. I've also seen what Zinkerz can do when they touch other plastics. Any experiences?

I'm going to try a spool or two of 'leader' fluorocarbon soon. I've been using reel-fill for years and I want to see if it's worthy of the hype.

I wear N95 masks at work for safety from airborne disease. I hate them. They're awfully stifling, even in a 75-degree patient room. I can't imagine wearing one on a hot, humid summer day. Why not just buy a better buff that has ventilation, or wear it under the nose and utilize a little sunscreen on the tip of the nose?

Why not pitch to both targets? Pitching is supposed to be quick.

Frankly, I don't even think the colors are nearly as important as the scent and taste. I use mainly clear, chartreuse, and an orange or purple mix that I made with chartreuse and methylate (Orange) or methylate and blue (purple). It's easy to go thru a bottle of clear, once you start adding drops to bags of plastics using an eye dropper. Then you can use that empty bottle for mixing.

Red hooks soon become gold hooks, once the red plating flakes off. Then they're a liability, as far as I'm concerned. Too visible.

12# Yo Zuri Hybrid will do the trick as an ideal multi purpose line. It's one of the best pieces of info I've learned on this site. Prior to stumbling upon BR, I'd never heard of it. Now I buy 1- and 3-pound spools of the stuff.

Toenail clipper, for all lines. Fresh off the shelf, they're plenty sharp, and they cost a buck.

What was the problem with loading? Maybe if you describe it, folks can help and you won't even need to make any additions to your trailer. I know with my Stratos, it was a little tricky to learn how to trailer it while fishing solo. It took me a little while to get it right. I learned that if I position the trailer correctly, with about 3" of the bunk above the water, no less, no more, that I could just drive the boat onto the trailer gently, the trim up so that the top of prop was barely submerged, and then power it onto the trailer until it hit the roller. It'll make a rooster tail. Then step off the front of the boat onto the trailer or truck bumper, give it a crank or two, and you're done. Each boat has a system. It might be better to figure out the system than to make trailer modifications.

They'll do that. I've had territorial spawning smallies knock Spooks a foot into the air, without any intention of biting. Switching to finesse plastics like Flukes helped catch some of those fish.

It would be nearly impossible for us to help you just from looking at those aerial maps. Do you have any contour maps?

First, I go to my favorite spots in a body of water and fish fast and aggressive. If that doesn't work out, I slow down and revisit some of those spots with a more subtle presentation. If that still doesn't work, I explore new spots using all sorts of baits and play it by ear. If that still doesn't work, I go home.

Rarely do I repair baits, but when I do, this is what I use. Mend-It works better, but it's kind of a PITA to keep from drying out and gumming up. Plus, this Loctite is the best glue for gluing baits to jig heads, and the bottle is basically spill-proof.

10# braid with either 8# fluoro or 4# Yo Zuri Hybrid (which feels and breaks more like 7-8# line).