tholmes

X4! Don't leave me with a dropshot either! I'd get along with a T-rig, a jig or a lipless crank. Tom

Black w/red flake. Tom

I've probably caught more bass on a T-rigged worm than any other bait. Keep fishing it, if there are fish in the area, you'll get bit. The one lure that, for me, is spectacularly unproductive is a Zara Spook. I can catch fish on other topwater baits, even other "walk the dog" types, but the Spook...nada. I don't have any problem "walking" the lure, I just NEVER catch anything with it. Also, any bait that is firetiger color. I have a whole sack full of firetiger crankbaits, never caught a fish on any of them. Tom

Black Neon is one of my favorite colors for worms, lizards and jigs. As others have said, it's a great color for dirty water and in low liht conditions. One of my favorite nighttime baits is a 10" black neon ribbon-tail worm. Tom

Happy Thanksgiving, all! At my house, one traditional roasted turkey and one smoked (with apple wood) on the Traeger grill. Right now, the house smells of roast turkey, smoked turkey, dressing and pecan pie. We're expecting the crowd ( around 20 people) to start arriving anytime. Tom

Glad to hear that you & your family are OK. Tornadoes are some scary storms! Tom

I fish jerkbaits in stained water all the time. Anything flashy, like chrome or gold works. The only colors I haven't had much success with are perch and clear. YMMV. Tom

Enjoy the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons with my wife and grandkids. Fish when I can, clean and organize my tackle boxes, clean, lube and re-spool my reels, make jigs and blade baits, restock on soft plastics, etc. Spend a lot of time playing guitar. Watch lots of sports on TV, especially Chiefs football and Jayhawks basketball. Tom

Before you decide if the rod is worth fixing, CAREFULLY check for damage to the blank Flex the rod in the area of the broken guide. If it's damaged, there's a pretty good chance the rod will break. Replacing a guide isn't all that difficult. There are youtube videos showing how to do it. Tom

There are way too many choices out there for me to pick one as a favorite. I fish crankbaits a lot and have in my tackle box right now Norman, Bomber, Rapala, Strike King, Bandit, Rebel, Xcalibur, H2O Express and a few others. All have their place and time. Tom

Gotcha beat by 5 years I've been sportin' a full beard since about 2 months after I graduated high school. I'm not shaving this November either. Tom

I don't specifically remember the fish, but chances are it was a crappie on a 1/16 oz white. marabou jig. I remember my first smallie on a jig very well. It's still my PB at 4lbs. 6oz. caught on a olive/brown bucktail jig that I tied myself. Tom

9-0 ! And I've got tickets for the Dec.1 game against the Broncos at Arrowhead! The place will be ROCKIN'!! tom

I've been plying guitar for almost as long as I've been fishing I've been playing for 52 years, but I'm still not any good. Tom

I'm satisfied with my gear right now, so I won't be upgrading anything there. I plan on having some reels serviced over the winter, and I hope to spend some time making jigs and blade baits. Tom

They're all over E-BAy. Tom

X3. Panther Martins are my favorite inline spinner. They cast well, have very good hooks and catch almost anything that swims. Tom

Me too. But then, we're probably considered old. Tom

I agree. All of my reels are rugged and reliable. If they weren't, I wouldn't use them. In terms of sheer longevity, I have an old Abu 4600C that I've thrown crankbaits with since I bought it new in the mid 80s. I guess that would be my "workhorse". Tom

I'd be interested to know exactly what kind of paint you're using. Latex acrylic? I need to find a better method for painting blade baits and this sounds like it would be just the ticket. Thanks! Tom

Yep^ I check them on a regular basis, and polish out any rough spots. Tom

You could, but I go the easy route and buy them from Jann's or other places and tie my own. They're very effective in cooler waters, especially for smallmouth. Tom

Jigs, especially bucktails, lipless cranks, blade baits, jerk baits and an assortment of soft plastics. Tom

Whitefish? Tom

The only time I use swivels is on spoons and some large inline spinners. Always ball bearing swivels, no snaps. The snap, at least in my case, just seems to catch a lot of weeds and junk. Tom