tholmes

Mike is gonna get some business from me in the future. Tom

Ha! That's me! Guilty on both counts. Tom

or lutefisk. Tom

Best wishes to ya! The procedure might sound scary, but anything that gets rid of that God-awful agony has to be worth it. Good luck! Tom

Tried it once at a rattlesnake round-up in Oklahoma. Not great, but not horrible either. Kinda bland, stringy and greasy. Tom

Don't overlook the Panther Martin spinners. Pure dynamite! Tom

Barlow's. Great products at even better prices. Tom

X2^ I'll buy red hooks if Wally World is out on the bronze or black nickel in the size I need. Never noticed any difference in results. Tom

I buy my plastic worms and craws in bulk (100 per bag) so keeping them in the original bag is kinda cumbersome. I keep a dozen or so of each color in Plano boxes and re-stock as necessary. Tom

Living out in the hinterlands of central Kansas, I have one choice locally - Wal-Mart. To their credit, they carry a pretty good selection but there are some things I need that they don't have. For those items, it's off to the internet. There used to be an independent bait & tackle shop in my hometown but they mostly catered to the catfish and crappie crowd, with some trolling supplies for the walleye fellas, and a VERY limited amount of bass tackle. They closed the doors last year. The nearest Cabela's and Gander Mtn. are 125 miles away (Wichita) and the nearest BPS is in KC, about 250 miles. Tom

The bass in my avatar weighed in at 6 lbs. 1 oz. Here's a different pic, same fish. . Another one that went 5 lbs. 5 oz. You've got a very nice bass there, but IMHO, she's not an 8 pounder. Tom

Something that I've used that is similar is Cordell's suspending Spot. Not exactly like a ThinFin, but the same principle. They are very effective fall baits. http://www.cottoncordelllures.com/details.aspx?id=8929 Tom

Zara Spook. I catch bass on other "walk the dog" type lures, but on the Spook? Nada. Any bait in firetiger. Nothing. My "extras" box is full of them. i always thought they'd be good in murky water, but murky, stained, clear, doesn't seem to make a difference. I just don't catch anything on them. Tom

Sunglasses, wide-brimmed hat and a full beard. Tom

My go-to worm is a 7" or 7-1/2" ribbon tail. I'm not married to any particular brand, I use Culprit, Yum, Berkeley, etc. I've had good results with Barlow's house brand and at ~$14.00 per hundred, they're easy on the wallet too. Best colors for me are (in no particular order) red shad, tequila sunrise, junebug, black neon, plain black and purple. Tom

Same here! Tom

I have a BPS Micro Lite, 6'6" ultralight that I like a lot. Great rod and only $50. Tom

Good choice. The Lightning Rods are, IMHO, the best sub $50 rods out there. While I prefer the standard version over the Shock version, they're both great rods for the money. Tom

In a word - Superb! IMHO, they rank right up there with walleye on the taste-o-meter. Tom

For me, it's crankbaits, T-rigged soft plastics and jigs, depending on where (and when) I's fishing. Tom

I too suffer from "Gear Acquisition Syndrome", otherwise known as GAS. Fishing gear isn't too bad, guitars, on the other hand.... Tom

X2^ Even if I'm "only testing" a lure, I make sure the knot is perfect. Ya never know when a hungry fish is lurking nearby. Tmo

Silicone or rubber skirt bass jigs - always. Bucktail or feather jigs - never. Tom

Tom

HAS been me. Tom