tholmes

^ What he said. I also use the Live Magic Shad rigged weedless on a weighted swimbait hook. It has incredible action both swimming and on the drop. Tom

Natural gas. We did a lot of improvements in insulation, windows, etc, in the last 15 years so, with a levelized payment plan, we spend around $70 per month. Tom

Kansas does. The first full weekend in June is free fishing weekend. Tom

I'm all in! Thanks to BR for the opportunity! Tom

Yeah, that works pretty well. It's a pain in the butt to clean up, though. Tom

This is an often overlooked component of casting a baitcasteing reel. It's different than casting with a spinning reel because with a baitcaster, the revolving spool takes a very small amount of time to start moving as opposed to a fixed-spool spinning (or spincasting) reel. Your release point must be adjusted to compensate for this. Tom

I've always used size A rod wrapping thread. It's more than strong enough and available in a wide range of colors. Tom

Great looking jig, bluebasser! One question for you, is there an advantage to using the flat-eye hooks as opposed to a regular hook? Tom

Sweet combo! That combo, IMHO, would be great for jigs, and soft plastics. I would also use it for frogs and buzzbaits, Have fun! Tom

Sounds like a great opportunity! Thanks, I'll be checking back in on Friday! Tom

I prefer a MH/mod. for throwing buzzbaits. I like a little more backbone than a M power rod provides for setting a large single hook. Like tomustang said, shallow to medium depth crankbaits or topwater. Tom

I throw both 7.5" and 10" ribbon-tails, mostly t-rigged but sometimes c-rigged or weightless. My most productive colors are tequila sunrise, red shad, junebug and green pumpkin. Tom

I've used RemOil for years with zero problems. For grease, I usually use either Ardent Reel Butter or Berkley. Tom

My rule of thumb is to start with the lightest weight that still allows good contact with the bottom. If that's not getting the job done, then I start varying the weight until I find what's working that day in that location. Bottom contact, while effective most of the time, is not the only way to present a jig. I've had good results swimming a jig just a few inches above the bottom. With Senkos, weightless is often the way to go. Tom

The round Black Max was made in two sizes: the 3600 and the 1600. Both are fine reels,smooth, rugged and reliable. They were made in Sweden. I have one in the 3600 size, along with a ProMax 3600 which is essentially the same reel with a few more bearings. The only gripe I have with these reels is that they are just too small for my hands, especially the thumbar free-spool release. I also have one of the newer, made in China, low-profile Black Max reels and, while it isn't the quality of the Swedish-made Abu reels, is still a pretty good reel at its price point (~$50). If you want something a little more compact than the 5000 size reels, look at the 4600 reels. Same diameter as the 5000s but with a narrow spool. They fit my hands perfectly. Tom

5.25 lb. LMB on homemade black/blue jig w/blue trailer. Tom

Without knowing specifically what ingredients are in it, it's impossible to know whether or not it would be safe for cleaning reels. Looking at the MSDS for that product, it seems that it is mostly ethanol (ethyl alcohol) and glycol ether. Either one on these chemicals may react with some types of plastics or paints. Bottom line: I would avoid it and use something that's been established in the market as a safe cleaner. Tom

Same here. I don't plan on driving to KC or Tulsa, so I get nothing. Tom

The proper diameter for that mold is 5/64" Tom

Those look great! Just remember, they're fish, not art critics. Tom

Almost any modern fishing rod will transmit vibration better than the hand that's holding it. Tom

I'd look for a used ABU 5500 or 5600 reel. Stick to the Swedish-made models. You can find them all day long for less than $50. They're rugged, reliable and easy to service and repair. Take reasonable care of it and it will last your lifetime. Tom

A Shakespeare Model 1920 from 1951. It was given to me by my grandpa about 1960 or thereabouts, along with a Shakespeare steel Wonderod. It's hanging on the wall in my office. Tom

Don't let a little thing like a job stop you from pursuing jig making. I've been working full time since 1970 and still found time to make jigs. there's always evenings and weekends. What I generally do is to take a Saturday afternoon and pour a bunch of heads and the another afternoon to powder coat them. After those steps are done, it's pretty easy to find an hour or so here and there to put the skirts on and glue in a weedguard. Since I'm working for myself, there's no deadlines or quotas to meet, I can do it as I please. Tom

^Beat me to it! The teflon pins work great. I use the metal pins in the mold, and the teflon pins for painting. I put the teflon pins in the hole before I heat the jigs prior to painting and remove them before curing. I buy them in packs of 10 and cut them in half. They're easier for me to handle that way. Tom