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I bought a pack. They're beefier than I thought they'd be, and the plastic is a little tougher than the standard scented Powerbait plastic. They look like a pretty decent pitching bait or large profile swim jig trailer. I don't think these new Havoc baits are going to sell very well, at least not until someone credits an Elite Series win to them.

My advice is to take a half dozen pictures of the process if you have a digital camera. It's nice to have these pics when you're reassembling the reel, at least until you get the hang of it. Also, applying grease to the gears is really easy when applied with a small paintbrush.

If you back off the brakes and spool tension, you can toss just about anything, just as long as you're not using heavy line and your rod tip is relatively soft.

Not if you want to keep the line tight and the fish hooked.

I use snaps on all crankbaits and jerkbaits and that's it. I use ball bearing swivels on Carolina rigs, spoons, and inline spinners. With the spinners, I use a leader of about 18" between swivel and spinner. Long enough that I can retie a few times and short enough that I can still easily cast.

Rods: Dobyns Reels: Shimano and Abu Garcia Line: YZ Ultra Soft and P-Line CXX copolymer, Trilene 100% and Invizx fluoro, Fireline and Power Pro braid, Sufix Elite mono. Hardbaits: Lucky Craft, Xcalibur, Strike King, and Rapala cranks. Secret Weapon spinnerbaits, Cavitron buzzbaits, All-Terrain and Northstar jigs. Plastics: GYCB(Senko), Powerbait(Chig/Ribbon), Netbait(Paca), Strike King(Rage), Reaction Innov.(Beaver), Zoom(Fluke), Big Bite(Kreit shaky) Storage: Plano 3700 boxes.

For reels, I use a toothbrush, some Q-Tips, some alcohol, and a spray bottle of hot water. I really only do this mid-season to my frogging reel, which tends to get dirty in a hurry in some of the pea soup lakes that I fish. Otherwise the entire reel gets cleaned in the off-season. For cleaning rods, I prefer wetsanding over using a Magic Eraser, although both will work. Wetsanding restores the grip and tackiness of the cork and makes the rod feel brand new. I use a tall bucket of very warm water, and a fresh 4" x 4" piece of 600+ grit sandpaper. I let the rod handles soak in the water for a few minutes, and sand lightly as described below. It doesn't take much, but it works great. The sandpaper will be covered in gray gunk that looks like wet cement dust, exactly the same color as the stain. Regarding the rod, I got the idea from someone on Rodbuildingforum.com who appears to have registered just to give this advice. I found it to be great advice and I clean my rods like this once a year. I do it a little differently though, with a bucket instead of running water at the sink and 600 grit instead of 400. Here's the entire quote: ________________________________________ "Hi Brandon, I saw your Q? I have been building, refinishing and restoring (Bamboo) fly rods for almost 20 years. I learned this craft from a notable bamboo rod historian and restorer in Sisters, Oregon. Our technique is to use Super Fine-400 Grit wet-or-dry automotive sandpaper...wet. 1st: protect all other rod surfaces (reel seats, hook keepers, bamboo ,glass or graphite) from errant abrasion with regular masking tape, leaving only the cork you wish to clean exposed. Next soak a small 4" x 6" pc of 400 grit sand paper under running water. I prefer warm water at the kitchen sink. Then place the cork under the warm running water while avoiding wetting the the masked areas as much as possible. Begin to sand lightly "long-ways", parallel to the rod while simultaneously rotating the grip. Rinse often to re-wet and check progress. Do not sand around the the grip(perpendicular to the shaft) as it may dislodge cork pith. I do not use any type of soap or detergent as I believe it can leave undesirable residue. This technique scarcely removes any cork material and can smooth out unwanted ridges from improperly cared for grips. Pat dry with a towel and let air dry. If done properly, when dry, your result will be silky-smooth grip. Better than original. Repeat if necessary then carefully remove masking tape ASAP. I do this to all the grips on all my rods, even after a season's use. Patina is nice, but over-rated, except on unfishable rods, like antiques or collectibles too valuable to fish anymore, anyway. LAST and MOST IMPORTANTLY. NEVER use any kind of a scrub brush as it will remove the softer cork material and cause unsightly ridges that can de-valuate your rod. If this has has already occurred, the above technique can help reverse that process. I believe you will be pleasantly surprised by the results. Good luck. Jamie"

I really like the standard 1/2 model. It has a very enticing wobble on the fall, more so than the 3/4 model. That's what sets a lipless crank apart from the rest, IMO. Good price, too.

There is almost always some space under the weed mat for fish to roam. I think of a milfoil mat like a think pine forest, where the canopy may be so thick that hardly any sunlight gets through, but you can still easily walk amongst the trees.

They're very similar. I always pay close attention to advice from Florida fisherman or on Florida lakes because that info applies to my type of fishing more than what I read, see, and hear about the cover, structure, and tactics used to fish manmade lakes, like ledge fishing, secondary points, standing wood, stumpfields, creek channels and such.

Which bolts are you talking about? Where the trailer tongue receiver is bolted to the truck frame?

It'll get easier after a few more hours of practice. Try very light, sidearm casts with a heavy weight. Don't even try to aim at anything, just make 30-40 foot casts and focus on stopping the spool as the "lure" is about to hit the water. I started practicing with a 1/2 oz bullet sinker and a swivel tied to the end, with a piece of red yarn tied to the swivel so I could see it in air. One technique to stop or at least lessen the severity of the backlashes is to hold your thumb just barely off the spool when you cast, I mean like 1/32", so as soon as you feel the backlash beginning, you can just barely tap the spool while letting the cast continue. A backlash is caused when your spool is spinning faster than the lure is moving. This is meant to slow the spool down just a hair without stopping the cast. It's called "feathering" the spool, and I still do it all the time when fishing, especially when it's windy. Pretty soon you'll be feathering by muscle memory the moment you feel any line pop off the spool during a cast.

In my opinion, 6 lb test in particular is where copolyer line really shines. You should give it a shot if you haven't already. Yo Zuri Ultra Soft or P-Line CXX. I've pulled my boat against wind and waves trying to break off on a snag with 6 lb CXX, an amazingly tough line considering how easy it is to work with. If you're set on fluoro, I'd recommend 6 lb. Seaguar Invizx. It's very soft and manageable, and is my favorite fluoro for spinning tackle.

I bought a pair of braid scissors last year, but before that I used $1 toenail clippers for years and they worked great. I still use the clipper for all other lines. Toenail clippers cut better than fingernail clippers, and are easier to hold onto with wet hands.

7' medium power, fast action spinning setup with 6 lb. Yo Zuri Ultra Soft line.

American Shad, Ghost Minnow, Chartreuse Shad, and Gunmetal Shad are my favorites. If I had to pick one it would be American Shad.

I'll eat a bass here and there if the lake is full of stunted bass or if they're bleeding like a stuck pig. I prepare them like I would a stream trout. First I make a shallow bowl with a large piece of tinfoil and spray it lightly with cooking spray. Then I set the fillets in the tinfoil and add some finely minced garlic and onion, thin lemon slices or lemon juice, a little butter or substitute, fresh or dried rosemary, a little salt and pepper, and then pour a couple ounces of Martini & Rossi Asti Spumante sparkling wine($8) into the bowl. Fold the sides of the bowl to the top and seal it loosely so that a small dome remains inside the tinfoil. The point of doing this is so the Asti can steam the fish rather than boil it. Cook the tinfoil pouch on a baking sheet in a 400 degree oven for 12-20 minutes. Serve with sides and the remaining sparkling wine. Rather than making a tinfoil pouch to steam the fish, a covered casserole pan works better if you're feeding more than one or two. This is a really good way to cook freshwater fish, especially if made with a fresh rosemary sprig laid on top of the fillets. It works especially well with dense fish like trout and salmon. I make bass this way a half dozen times a year and everybody who has tried it really likes it. Good luck.

Two years ago while I was trying to remove a deeply embedded lipless crankbait from a mouth of a 7 lb northern that I was holding from behind the head, I dropped the thrashing fish onto some rods that were on my boat deck. It broke a GLX rodtip, knocked two guides off a Dobyns that I had owned for about two weeks, and flipped my digital scale and a nice spinnerbait into the water. Now I use the net on snakes. :

Another vote for Cavitron. The 3/8 oz black blade on black skirt is my go-to, but I've had a lot of fun with red on black, gold on white, and gold on Secret Weapon Lures gold shiner skirt. I also use the subtle 1/8 oz Strike King Mini Buzz, usually with the blades bent forward so I can slow the retrieve down. It works well after a small cold front slows down a hot bite. It's also a good option as a follow up bait after you've fished a stretch with a big buzzer. Plus, it's a fantastic river smallie lure.

A "grass jig" with a recessed eye works very well around heavy weeds. 3/4 and 1 oz. is the heaviest I ever need around milfoil mats. http://www.***.com/Grass_Jigs/catpage-GRASSJIG.html

Hey thanks for posting that. I'm going to have to make an order for some of those great jigs, especially your signature jig. http://www.jensenjigs.com/frame.html

I'd recommend a long(7-7.5') medium power spinning rod, a medium sized reel like a 2500, and 6 lb. copolymer line. Yo Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft or P-Line CXX fits the bill here. Hairs jigs are a cold water finesse technique and you don't want to overwork the bait or deaden it's action with heavy line. This tackle will work well for jigs in the 1/8 - 5/16 oz range, but if you're fishing deep and need 3/8 oz or more to get the bait down to the fish, casting tackle might be your best bet. Using the lightest tackle you can get away with seems to provoke the best possible action from a hair jig.

The MSRP range is $110 for 6' med power to $140 for the 7' heavy power. Go with the St. Croix Premier. It's my favorite rod around $100. With your 35% off discount you'll be paying around $80 bucks.

Here she is!! http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1299166283

Keep your eyes peeled on online flea markets for a used St. Croix Avid or Shimano Crucial. They'll cost about $100 shipped and you'll be happy with the extra sensitivity that you'll get compared to a rod that retails for $100 new.