tholmes

1. T-rig 7 1/2" ribbontail worm - Tequila Sunrise 2. 1/2 oz. Strike King Red Eye Shad - chrome/blue back. Tom

Great post, Raul! There's precious little that's come along in the years that I've been bass fishing (about 50) that is really new. Most of what's marketed as "new" is a slight modification of something that's been around for years. It just sells better if the manufacturer can convince us gullible fishermen that it's new and revolutionary. Tom

I've caught stocker trout around here on 1/4 oz. blade baits (silver buddy type) and 1/8 oz. rattle traps, pretty much anything that's shiny and moving. They're not as picky as some would have you believe. Tom

Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. Tom

If you're fishing with me, you can use anything I have. Tom

I'm goin' with small Northern Pike, aka "snot rocket". Tom

I probably use worms and craw/creatures equally. If you throw lizards in the mix with worms, then that tips the scale toward worms/lizards. Tom

I'm partial to New Belgium's Abbey, Trippel and Fat Tire Amber Ale. Also, Odell' 90 Schilling Ale is excellent. Mr_Scrogg - If you're a fan of wheat beers, check out Odell's Easy Street Wheat. The Beer Cave probably has it. Tom

I've caught many trout in the 20" range with a BPS MicroLite 6'6" ultra light rod (right in your price range), an Okuma Avenger 15a and 4 lb. test line. It's an absolute blast! It's a great panfish, white bass and crappie rig too. Tom

Find a used Abu 5000c or 6000c reel and put it on an Ugly Stick. Tom

^^ I agree. The lake that I fish has a lot of rip-rap and not much timber. I do well with squarebills along the rip-rap banks, fishing parallel to the shoreline. Tom

Like Catt posted above, I always have a jig and a T-rig ready to go. The percentage of time that I use either one depends on what I'm catching them on. Tom

^ +1. I use (and catch fish on) lipless cranks all year 'round. Granted, they really shine in early spring and in the late fall, but they produce any time. Tom

Yep.^ Just the other day, I caught a small ( around 2 lbs.) smallmouth with the rear treble in the corner of it's mouth and the front treble buried in it's back, just in front of the dorsal fin. I've found that short shank treble hooks can help too. Tom

^ This. I fish a small lake near here where I've caught several catfish on small Panther Martin spinners while fishing for crappie or bluegill. A 5lb. channel cat puts up a fair fight on an ultralight spinning rig. Tom

I still have a Ryobi AD4000V sttinig on a shelf in my office. Those were GREAT little reels! I remember when I only had 3 rigs. An ABU Ambassadeur 5000 on a 5" 6" Lew's Speed Stick, a Mitchell 301 on a blue Garcia rod and a Mitchell 409 on a 6"6' Eagle Claw Featherlite. Tom

Jigs. There are so many varieties that one of them will catch almost any kind of fish. Tom

I quit counting about 50 years ago. Tom

or a ukulele, tenor guitar, dulcimer, tenor banjo, violin, viola, cello...I'm sure there's more. Tom

What is your favorite plastic? (who makes it, price, where you bought, color?) 7" ribbon-tail wirm from Barlow's Tackle, tequila sunrise, junebug and green pumpkin. $13,74 per 100. Under what circumstances will you throw any type of plastic? I throw 'em into any kind of cover I can find, anytime of year. How do you determine what color and type of plastic you will throw? Also, what determines if it gets some sort of weighting? Darker colors in stained to muddy water, green pumpkin in clearer water. I use as little weight as I can get by with. Usually 3/16 - 1/2 oz. depending on how fast I want the bait to sink and/or wind conditions What hook do you recommend for certain plastics?(who makes it, size) Eagle Claw L05JB for most worms. For the 7" worms, I use 3/0, but I use larger or smaller as the bait size calls for EC L7013BP for thicker bodied plastics, sizes from 1/0 to 5/0 depending on the size of the bait. Are there any plastics that you've tried that you do NOT suggest? Are there any lure specific plastics that get a certain rod? I fish most plastics on a MH/Fast rod. What techniques do you use for your selected plastic? Any tips here would be great for readers! Hop 'n' Drop or slow dragging on the bottom. I especially like casting to a shallow bank and dragging the bait to the edge of a drop-off, letting it free-fall down the drop-off. If there is anything else you wish to add to further the "knowledge" of your favorite plastic, do so here! Just a couple of things. Don't be afraid to lose baits. If you're not losing a few, you're not fishing in the right places. Slow down. Then, slow down a little more, especially on heavily pressured waters or in very clear water. Give the bass a chance to inspect your bait. A lot of times, I'll hop a bait and then let it set for 10 or 20 seconds. You'd be surprised how many times a bass will pick it up after it's set still for that long. Tom

Tom

I carry black and frog color. Got all the bases covered. Tom

Size - 1/8 oz. to 5/8 oz ballhead, 3/4 oz. and 1oz. arrowhead, a few others Color - a veritable rainbow Never any trailers I roll my own. Tom

Lots of good advice here. Fishing rip-rap is tough, especially with bottom contact baits. Squarebills are a good alternative, but often don't get deep enough. I like weightless t-rigged stick worms in the rip-rap. They don't seem to hang up as much as a weighted rig. Sometimes though, a jig is all they want, and as my grandpa once told me "If you ain't losin' jigs, you ain't fishin' them in the right places." Tom

Look on the bright side! The old geezer could have left a trail clear across your showroom floor. At least he got it all in one place. Sometimes that's a major accomplishment. Old geezer Tom