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After trying the Big Bite Squirrel Tail, I have a hard time using anything else. Tilapia is my go-to. I believe the bulb on the tail is made with a mix of puffed glass or something like that to make it float high.

I use a 7' MH/F Avid spinning rod for most of my skipping, with a 2500 sized reel and braided line with a heavier than usual fluorocarbon leader(4' of 12-15#). This works great for dock skipping Senkos. I also have a 6' M/F GLX spinning rod that I bought for skipping lighter stuff, but I strongly prefer the length and power of the 7' rod. It takes a little practice to get used to skipping with a long rod when you're used to a short one, but the long rod is much more effective at steering a hooked fish and getting them out from underneath a dock.

That's what I would recommend, too. The Saros is a very nice reel and significantly better than the Sahara, IMO. There's one on there from Ohya.com for $105 shipped.

Thanks, BossHoss. I'm debating between copper, silver copper, and green copper. I'm going to try to get to the bottom of this. I contacted the seller and Costa Del Mar to see what they have to say about it. The glasses are authentic and NIB, and will have a warranty card and proof of purchase. On the Costa site, it says the warranty only covers manufacturer defects, otherwise there is a "reasonable charge" for issues caused from wear and tear, and a repair service for glasses damaged by accident that will charge you a "nominal charge." http://www.costadelmar.com/SeeOutThere/CareRepair/

Good question. I've always used filler line, but I'm thinking about trying a spool of Seaguar Fluoro Premier in 20# for jig fishing. It's expensive (about $0.50 a yard), but my understanding is that fluorocarbon leader material is usually thinner and harder compared to filler line. 20# test has the equivalent diameter of 15# test.

I change it pretty often because I like using relatively fresh line. For copoly, it's probably about once a month, except for my spinnerbait setup. That gets changed more often because it gets more use than any other combo. Whenever my copoly starts to get coily and show some memory I will replace it, because coily line doesn't cast as far and will not be as sensitive. Copoly is dirt cheap and I only replace the bare minimum with any line, usually 55-60 yards or so.

What I like about CXX and Ultra Soft is that they're much stronger than their rated breaking strength and you can downsize your line.

I'm looking into getting a new pair of sunglasses for fishing and driving, and I'm leaning toward a copper lens because that's what I've always used and liked. In the Costa line in particular, I like the silver mirror 580 lenses, and I see that they are basically a glare reducing mirror finish over a copper based lens. But in the store, the copper 580 and silver mirror 580 look identical to me after trying them on today. Do the various mirrored finishes differ in function from one another, or are the different colors just for looks? For example, is there much of a difference between silver mirror and green mirror, since they are both made on copper lenses? On the water, how much of a difference will there be between a straight copper 580 and a silver mirrored, copper 580 lens? Which would make a better all-around lens on the water, from low light to high noon? In some pics online, I see the tiny 580 printed on the top corner of the right lens, and in some pics it isn't there. Are they fakes if the 580 mark isn't visible, or is there another explanation? Now that I found a frame that I like, I'll likely be buying a pair off eBay soon for $150 and I'm wary of the stories about fake Costas that I've heard, so I'll be buying from one of the major sellers with a suitable return policy. Any advice would be appreciated, especially on how the different mirror finishes (or lack of) may affect the well-roundedness of the copper 580 lens. Thanks, Joe

For me, it's hard to narrow it down to one line or one rod. Lipless cranks are very versatile lures and one of my favorites, and I commonly use baits in the 1/4 oz - 3/4 oz range and fish them in heavy weeds, open water or anywhere in between. I did some experimenting on line for lipless cranking last year, and I caught a lot of fish using straight braid and a Dobyns 735 pitching stick when I was fishing heavy weed cover, but this same combo wouldn't work very well when I was working more open water, like cover edges or when I was burning lipless cranks over flats or slow rolling them into deep rocky areas or deep weededges. I got fewer strikes and had more fish throw the bait when using braid away from the weeds and slop. In these open areas, I had better luck using my buzzbait setup, a 734 with 17# Sufix mono. This line is soft, stretchy, easy to cast, and works VERY well to keep the fish on the hook, but not so well for ripping (too stretchy) and bottom bumping (not very sensitive). I use 12# copoly for spinnerbaits, and I think that might be the best all around line if I had to choose just one. It has little stretch so it's suitable for ripping, but it's not as visible as braid. For light lipless cranks 3/8 oz and under, I prefer a med/mod cranking stick with 10# fluoro or 8# copoly, and I fish these around light cover or open water. I just picked up a Dobyns 705CB graphite for lipless cranking and shallow cranks, and I'll be using 12# Ultra Soft on that to start the season.

25 days a month on average, starting on Memorial Day bass opener until the deer hunting opener during the first weekend of November.

The standard T-1 spinnerbaits is a good bait, and would be a steal at $2. They're good baits with gold plated blades and a sharp, needle point hook. The T-2 is a poor mans version of the T-1 that's usually found in bargains bins and liquidators like Overstock.com. These have brass blades that quickly tarnish and crappy, cut point hooks. They're only worth $2, so it's not much of a deal. http://www.overstockbait.com/Terminator_T2_Spinnerbait_p/t2.htm

You can get away with it if you limit the fish to the bare minimum and feed very, very, very little. I've done it in the past, with a 20g tall nano reef full of soft corals, and just a pair of Percula clowns that hosted in a large green Sinularia. I did 25% weekly water changes and it was as clean as a whistle with no algae issues.

I'm into reef aquariums, too. I broke down my last SPS tank about 4 years ago when I moved twice in one year and it became too much of a hassle. I had some RTN issues with some of my biggest and best Acropora colonies due to the move, including my sky blue tort and my big A. Milleporas. That was really frustrating to watch. Having to repeatedly move large SPS reef aquariums is enough to turn anyone away, at least for a while. My last tank was a 120g mixed reeftank with over 150 SPS, LPS, ricordia, zoanthids, a half dozen Maxima clams, etc. I really liked the daily reefkeeping routine and I miss it, but when I sold the tank, stand, liverock, fish, and corals, I used the money to buy my first fiberglass bassboat, so it worked out alright in the end. I'm always tempted to set up again because I still have a lot of equipment in my basement...MH and T5 lights, Tunze pumps, wavemakers, two Deltec skimmers including an AP702, Deltec reactors, controllers, etc. I'm thinking it again now that my living situation is stable again and I won't be moving anytime soon. I might start with a nano zoanthid/ricordia reef because those are fun to collect and trade, and a breeze to take care of. www.reefcentral.com

People should check their local Gander Mountains. My local Gander has their Rage Tail stock left over from last season marked down to $2.80 a pack., and it's half Space Monkeys. They must not be big sellers. I didn't grab any, but I did leave with 20 packs of Craws, enough to last me a few years. I might have to run back and grab a pack or two of Monkeys, because I haven't tried them yet, or the Roosters.

For sure, Rhino. Young lilies are some of my favorite cover to fish. I like like throwing Super Flukes, Senkos, or bumping small spinnerbaits and buzzbaits through them when they are just starting to reach the surface.

He's asking double what he should be asking. It's all about the motor.

I know I'm excited to find out! I picked up a pack of 3/8 and 1/2 from the recent BTD sale. I threaded a Zoom Super Fluke onto one of them and it looks like a fantastic countdown bait for suspended fish, but I don't expect the fluke to last for more than a couple fish.

There's a lightly used Dobyns Champion 766 flipping stick for sale online for $145. That's what I use and I'm very happy with it. I got mine the same way for $150. I'll PM you the sellers email address.

The reason I say that is because I usually work the C-Rig with slow, sideways sweeps of the rod, same as with a football jig. I believe I can feel the terrain better that way, as opposed to dragging the bait with the reel. I worked a lot on the C-Rig last year because I hated it and had no confidence in it, and I caught more fish when moving the bait with the rod rather than the reel. I think that may have been because it forced me to move slower.

Do you guys mean XLF instead of XLT? I use the Pennzoil XLF Extended Life Formula Synthetic on my boat. It is kinda thin, but I only need about 2 gallons a year. It smokes very little and the engine is as clean as a whistle after two years of running it. Walmart has sales on it in the spring and fall, dropping it as low as $11 a gallon. http://www.pennzoil.com/#/engine-oil/pennzoil-marine-xlf-synthetic-blend-2-cycle-outboard-engine-oil-extended-life-formula I bough the expensive Evinrude oil at first and I think it's the same stuff as Pennzoil, but it costs 3x as much. Pennzoil XLF claims it meets engine warranty requirements for Johnson/Evinrude, Murcury, Yamaha, etc. and it's meant for injection or pre mix systems. I see no need to switch.

I fish C-Rigs on my frogging setup, which has a Revo STX-HS on it. I personally think that on a Carolina Rig setup, the choice of reel is of very little importance compared to the choice of rod and line.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41972653/ns/us_news-environment/

Shudder Shad. Shiver Shad. Shimmy Shad. Twitch Worm. Ricochet. Fidget Fish. Thingamajig - The definition is something that is difficult to classify, which is exactly what this bait is. Spasm Shad. Spastic Shad. Spasmo. Boogie Down. Scintillating Shad - The definition is to sparkle; twinkle; shine; flash

I don't think I've ever needed 4WD (4 HI) on a concrete ramp. I have never seen any significant tire slippage. Some of the lakes I fish have sand landings, and I always use 4 LOW on these landing. 4WD is a must then.

Great advice. An 18' glass boat is not light, and I'm assuming it doesn't have trailer brakes. Mine is a 17.5'(Stratos 275) and the whole tow package weighs about 2500 lbs. That will beat the hell out of an underpowered, underequipped tow vehicle, even if you're gentle...MPG, tranny, brakes, suspension, etc.