tholmes

I don't remember the exact age that I was when I started fishing, but it was very young. My dad would take me bluegill fishing with a cane pole and a can of worms. When I was about 10 or so, my grandpa showed me how to use a baitcaster and how to catch bass. I've been learning ever since. Tom

Same here. My favorite methods are "power fishing" crankbaits and spinnerbaits and crawling a t-rig or a jig through cover. Tom

X2 on the firetiger. I've got dozens of different firetiger lures and I've never caught a durn thing on them. Tom

X-rap in gold or silver, depending on light/water clarity. Tom

Shhhh...don't tell everybody! They also work well rigged on a weighted swimbait hook or as a trailer on a large spinnerbait. Tom

X3! Solid black, IMHO, is the most overlooked lure color, especially for crankbaits. I've had success in murky water and in low light conditions with black. Tom

I use mono exclusively and I fish in a lake with lots of rip-rap and submerged timber so the line takes a pretty good beating. I'll re-tie fairly often and when the spool gets low, I refill it. Tom

Great looking colors! Tequila Sunrise is my #1 color for worms. Tom

That's funny. The Rattlin' Rap is one of my favorite baits. The one that seems to be very popular, yet I can't catch squat on, is the Zara Spook. I catch bass with other topwater lures, but I've never caught a single fish on a Spook. Tom

+1. Plus, I like the Copper Green and Spring Craw too. Tom

I've left soft plastics in a tackle box in the cab of my pickup with no problems at all. I cover the tackle box to keep direct sunlight off of it, but I'm sure the temps reach well over 100 degrees. Never had anything melt. Tom

I regularly use a F18 Rapala floating minnow that's 7 inches long. I've caught bass that were just barely longer than the lure. It's surprising how big of a bait a small bass will try to eat! Tom

X2. Although I mostly fish a couple of small community lakes, I really like fishing the deep, clear reservoirs in the area. Tom

Be sure and take your son with you. It'd be a shame to lose that black buzzbait. Tom

My '96 Dakota is just about to turn over 100K and it's running great. Mrs. tholmes' '05 Town & Country is at 76K. Tom

I buy new lures for the following reasons. It has worked for me in the past. It looks like it would work in the waters that I fish What the pros use to win tournaments with has no bearing on my lure purchases. They're not fishing where and when I'm fishing. Tom

Sweet combo! Congrats! I've been eyeing that Symetre for awhile, I'd be interested to hear how you like it. Tom

My wife goes fishing with me every time she wants to. She used to be happy catching panfish with live bait, but I've got her interested in catching bass with artificial lures now. She also likes trout fishing on our yearly Colorado trip. Tom

The "most for my money" gear purchase I ever made was a Shimano Sonora spinning reel. i paid ~$30 for it several years ago, and it's still going strong. Tom

For numbers, a 7-1/2" ribbon-tail worm, T-rigged, in Tequila Sunrise or Red Shad. For big fish, a 1/2 oz. jig w/craw trailer, black w/blue flake. Tom

Either a jerk bait or a Silver Buddy-type blade bait. Why? Because I've had good results with both in early spring Tom

X2 .Largemouth will hit 'em too. Tom

^^ This. If (when) he backlashes the reel, tell him to be sure to get all of the knots and loops out of the line before casting again. As we all know, they can go pretty deep into the spool and one little loop hanging out can catch on the bottom of the line guide (where the screw that holds the pawl is) and cut the line. I've had this happen on my Black Max. Tom

Many years back, a Quantum QL 1000 baitcaster. The only thing worse than the reel was Quantum.s indifferent, if not outright insulting, customer service rep. Any spinning reel with a casting trigger. They might be great for a right-handed caster, but for a lefty, not so much. Add to that any rear-drag spinning reel. I just hate 'em. X2 on the Sebile lures. Great looking, great action, crappy finish. Tom

Arkie, brush and round, those are the ones that I have molds for. Tom