tholmes

Trilene Big Game. I use it almost exclusively on my baitcasters and haven't found anything else with the combination of performance and affordability yet. Tom

T-rigged plastics or a chrome rattle trap. Tom

I've used the cheap, dollar store nail polish to re-paint spinnerbait heads, and it works just fine. It's important to clean the surface well before applying the polish. I use brake cleaner. Might not do so well on a jig head, as they are subject to a lot more contact with rocks. etc. I think that would chip the nail polish off pretty easily. Tom

There are a few used ones on http://www.hookless.com/ Jerry is a great guy to deal with and all of his used reels have been completely gone through, cleaned and lubed. Any worn parts are replaced. Tom

Same here. I do have braid on my flathead rig, and occasionally use it for flippin' but it's Big Game for all my other baitcasters and Cabela's house brand mono or Yo-Zuri co-polymer on my spinning rigs. Tom

I probably have a dosen different brands of lipless baits and I've caught bass on every one of them. If I had to pick, I'd go with the Strike King Red Eye Shad, followed closely by Rat' L'Trap, Cordell Spot, and Rapala Rippin' Rap. Last fall I caught a lot on the BPS Tourney Rattle bait, and at $1.97 each, I can afford to lose a few. Favorite colors are chrome/blue or black back, gold/black back, some sort of red craw, and sexy shad. Tom

Mann's makes one. Smallmouth candy, especially the 1/8 oz. size. Tom .

You can accomplish tha same thing by finding an open, grassy area and have someone hold the end of the line (no weight, snaps, swivels, etc. on the line). Walk away, trailing the line out as you go, until you've let most of the line off of the reel. Have your helper drop the line and reel it back onto the reel slowly, keeping tension on the line and allowing it to drag through the grass. This will remove almost all of the twist in your line. Tom

It's all good. I just took your suggestion that the OP "consider an LP model" to imply that low profile designs inherently cast better than round reels. Sorry if I misunderstood. Tom

The shape of a reel has NOTHING to do with it's casting ability. Tom

That's where I'd be headed. The Villian is a darn good rod for $80. Tom

Welcome To BR! You can find a good used 6500C or C3 for around $60 on the auction site. Stick with the Swedish-made models and steer clear of the BCX, Kalex, or the new S, SX and STX reels. They're made in China and are a lot different internally than the Swedish reels, and not in a good way. Mount a 6500C3 on an Ugly Stik and you'll have a catfish combo that will last you your lifetime and then some! Tom

I make my own jigs as a hobby (obsession?) and if I tried to post a picture of all of them, I'd probably break the internet. Tom

Depends on how dirty it is. I go with a minimum 15 minute soak, dry and test. If it doesn't spin freely, back in the solvent for another 15. If the bearing has a lot of petrified oil or grease, it may take an hour or even overnight to soften it up. There are no hard and fast rules, just do whatever it takes. Tom

X-acto knife works for me. Tom

Blade baits, bucktail jigs, jerkbaits and, as the water warms a bit, shallow cranks and spinnerbaits worked slowly in the shallows. Tom

Wow! Impressive collection there, for sure. 34, 000 lures? That's probably more than I've owned in my entire life! Tom

I'm not sure what happened when PRADCO bought the brand, but they really ticked me off when they dropped the 5/8 oz. squarebill. Corporate bean-counters runnin' the show, I reckon. Tom

Bandit, the 5/8 oz. size and Norman Fat Boy. Tom

Alternatively, you can install it yourself. It's not at all difficult. Tom

I've been making blade baits from a Do-It mold for 30 years or so. IMHO the most versatile lure out there. I started using the Mustad (or Eagle Claw) split-shank double hooks and found that, while they don't eliminate snags, they reduce them considerably. Be sure to put the hooks on the bait so that the points face backwards. I don't use split rings, just clip the hooks into the holes on the bottom of the bait. Tom

That pretty much sums it up for me also. Tom

It's just a guess since I really don't keep track, T-rigged 7" ribbon tail worm or a black and blue jig with matching trailer. Tom

At one time, casting, both distance and accuracy, with fly, spinning and multiplier reels, was an event at the World Games, but isn't at the present. I think it would be a great Olympic event. Tom

Probably around 50, but only because I bought a plastic bucket of about 35 at a yard sale for $3.00 a couple of years ago. I keep about 10 in my tackle box. Tom