tholmes

I'm also a fisherman on a (somewhat) limited budget. I've gotten some great deals on crankbaits by buying them used in the Flea Market forum. If I'm buying new, the best bang for your buck are Norman, Bomber and Strike King. Bill Lewis Rat-L-Traps and Cordell Spots are affordable and effective lipless cranks. I buy most of my soft plastics from Barlow's Tackle. A bag of 100 7" ribbon-tail worms for under 15 bucks is hard to beat and they catch bass just as well as Culprit, PowerBait, etc. Tom

I have a couple Cultiva lipless crankbaits like the one in the upper left of the second pic. It's a smallmouth magnet. Tom

Just in the last couple of weeks, it's been too cold for me to fish. The local lakes are iced over, so I'll be spending my time indoors until it warms up again. It's time to service some reels, send a few off for professional clean 'n' lube, pour some jigheads and spend a lot of time playing guitar. Tom

No joke. Also, the damage that they'll do to an upright vacuum sweeper is mind-boggling. Tom

Glad you're OK, bro! Been there, exactly the same symptoms and diagnosis. Scary stuff, for sure! Have a great Christmas! Tom

Good color choices! I usually fish lipless cranks on a 7' medium power / fast action rod using 10 lb. mono. You might want to go with a heavier line if your ripping them through weeds. I use either a yo-yo retrieve or a steady retrieve with an occasional jerk. I like the Red-Eye shad, Yo-Zuri Rattlin' Vibe, Spro Aruku Shad, and the Bill Lewis Rat-L-Traps. A chrome with black or blue back is my go-to search bait. They cover a lot of water quickly, at any depth and will catch any game fish that swims I never leave home without 'em! Tom

I'm partial to the Lake Fork Tackle Live Magic Shad. Really more of a swimbait, but it works wekk fished like a jerkbait too. I rig it on a 3/0 - 5/0 swimbait hook, either lightly weighted or weightless. Tom

I just told my wife (who really has no interest in expensive jewelry) " forty years ago those 'chocolate' diamonds would have been on an oil rig drilling through rock." Tom

Ha! That's funny, Bluebasser. I've had the same problem with SK cranks, especially the squarebills. I still use SK baits, though along with Norman, Bomber, Bandit, Storm and H2O. They all make great crankbaits at reasonable prices, IMHO . Oh yeah, i still use Rapalas too. Tmo

[ Wichita ] http://www.zeiners.com/index1.html Great place for Do-It molds and just about anything else related to tackle making. I try to stop by every time I'm in Wichita. It usually ends up costing me some money. Tom

Barlow's Tackle is in Texas, the DFW area, IIRC. They are an excellent source for tackle making tools and supplies. I buy a lot of stuff from them. They're also a great source for bulk soft plastics. http://www.barlowstackle.com/ Tom

Yep! Basically, everything under 1/4 oz. I throw with spinning gear, 1/4 oz. and over, baitcaster. Tom

Welcome home! Your service is very much appreciated. Thank you! Tom

I'd sure try for a refund, but if that doesn't pan out or you really want to keep the reel, contact Pinnacle. Their customer service is top-notch and there's a chance they would have the part. Tom

Welcome aboard, illusion258! I can't really name one single favorite lure. Some days one thing works well, some days it's something else. Some days it seems you can catch 'em on anything you throw, and other days nothing seems to work. My most productive lures are (in no particular order) T-rigged ribbon-tail worm Jig lipless cranks diving cranks Top water There are many factors that influence my lure selection. Available forage (shad, sunfish, crawdads), what body of water I'm fishing (water temp., color and clarity, the types of structure and cover available), weather conditions (clear, cloudy, windy, etc.). Get yourself an assortment of lures that will cover the water column from top to bottom and learn the techniques to catch bass on any of them. Search the articles on this site, there's a wealth of information there. Most of all, HAVE FUN! Tom

I use Trilene Big Game on my baitcasters and Trilene XL on my spinning gear. Although, earlier this year I tried the Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra-Soft (4#) on my ultra-light for my annual trout fishing trip to Colorado and it performed superbly. I think I've found a new spinning line! Tom

Black. It looks cleaner to my eye. It would look even better with a black drag star. Tom

1. Available forage 2. Water color/clarity 3. Weather conditions - clear, cloudy, rain etc. What KVD or any other pro won a tournament with has zero bearing on what I use. I'm pretty sure that no tournaments were held on any of the lakes that I fish. Tom

This^ Both top-notch reels from companies that have been producing top-notch reels for many years. Tom

X3 ^ DLNs are a "must have" crankbait, IMHO. They're easily my most productive mid to deep crank. My favorite patterns: Khaki/green/orange Mean Green Tennessee Shad Give 'em a try! Tom

Chrome/blue and Sexy Shad are the two that I do best with. Tom

Wow! Nice catch! Almost makes me want to go ice fishing. Almost. Tom

White bucktail or maribou jigs, white/silver 1/8 to 1/4 oz. in-line spinners, Kastmaster spoons, 1/4 or 1/2 oz. lipless cranks in chrome/blue or chrome/black, 3" white or chartreuse twister tail grubs, silver topwater poppers, blade baits, etc. A school of white bass can provide some of the most fun you'll ever have! Tom

What is this "rain" of which you speak? Seriously, I've had great results with a spinnerbait run just under the surface. Black with copper blades has bee my best color. And, like Shane J said, BIG t-rigged worms, primarily in dark colors, black. junebug, and purple. Tom

^ This. If you use PVC, be sure to get Schedule 80, not Schedule 40. Tom