tholmes

Worms: some sort of purple (tequila sunrise, grape shad, etc.),black, red shad, junebug. Jigs: Black/blue, green/brown, black/red. Tom

Very close indeed. Get a mold and make your own! Tom

Yeah, sometimes it just gets ugly. Yesterday, I went out around noon, fished for three hours and didn't get even a tap. By the time I packed it in, the temp. was 108. And to top it all off, I lost my favorite deep crankbait on a snag . But I'll go out again today Tom

ABU 5500C3 and 12# Trilene Big Game mono. Tom

I have 2 5'6" pistol grip rods that I carry in my truck for lunch-break fishing trips. They're nothing fancy, an old Berkeley Cherrywood MH and a Mitchell IM6 medium, but they do the job, they fit easily in the cab of my Dakota and if they're broken or stolen, I'm not out much. Tom

Honestly, I wouldn't get too hung up on trying to find the exact worm. Pretty much any ribbon-tail worm will work. Culprit, Berkeley Power Worm, Zoom, NetBait, Barlow's... I use 'em all. Just choose one in the same (or similar) color and go catch some bass! Tom

Ha! The spousal unit had one of those things when we got married. What a piece o' crap! I replaced it with an old Zebco 33 Classic and a Shimano 'glass rod. It was a VAST improvement. She still gets ticked when I laugh about her Popiel Pocket Fisherman. Tom

The Tiny R is (IIRC) a Rebel lure. Tom

ABU is my favorite baitcaster, although I own a couple of older Shimanos that have been excellent reels. I don't really use spinning rigs enough to have a clear-cut favorite, and I don't spend my money on high-end spinning gear. I have solid, reliable reels from Shimano, Pfleuger, Pinnacle and Mitchell. Tom

Truth^ IMHO, release timing is the thing that causes the most headaches for those new to baitcasting. Because the baitcaster has a revolving spool, as opposed to a spinning reel's stationary spool, it takes a fraction of a second for the spool on a baitcaster to start moving, so your release point must be earlier in the casting motion than with a spinning reel. Good advice to spool up with some inexpensive mono for practice. You WILL backlash the reel while you're learning. No sense in throwing away expensive line. Tom

I've had the same thing happen. I have a couple of Cordell Spots that laid in a clear box in the sun for several hours and they are swollen like someone pumped air into them. It didn't happen to every bait in the box, not even every one of the same brand or type, just to a few. Tom

I'm too hard on sunglasses to drop big$$$ on a pair. I use the Solar Shield fit-overs that Wal-Mart or Walgreen's sells. They're about $20 a pair, and I'm on my 5th season with my current pair. I've even polished them with Meguiar's Plastix polish to remove scratches, and it works pretty well. Tom

Me too^^. Shad patterns, chrome/blue and chrome/black are my onfidence colors. Bump 'em off of rocks or timber and hold on! Tom

IMHO, the difference is mostly e-bay hype. I've used plenty of both pre- and post-Rapala Storm lures, and they bottom line is - they both catch fish. Tom

Don't overlook the old-timer, the Johnson Silver Minnow spoon. Hang a 3-4" grub as a trailer, and hold on! Tom

Yep^^ It's the seeds of cottonwood and/or poplar trees. Cottonwoods, being the official State Tree of Kansas (what were they thinking?) grow in abundance around here. They line the shores of every body of water around. That crap is the bane of my existence from mid-May 'til mid-June. I spend as much time picking the stuff off of my line and out of my reels as I do fishing. Crestliner2008's got the right idea, there is more clear water on larger lakes. Tom

I save worms that get torn up fishing on a T-rig and use the back half of them for jig trailers. Tom

Completely by hand on spinning reels. On baitcasters, the only tools I use is a big ol' pole barn nail and my bench vise. I never saw the need for anything else. Tom

This season: Bandit 100 series crankbait in Tennessee Shad 7" ribbontail worm in Tequila sunrise, junebug or red shad 1/2 oz. football jig; green pumpkin or blue/black with some sort or craw-looking trailer. I expect that, as the weather warms up, I'll switch to deeper cranks. Tom

For my baitcasting rigs, I use Trilene Big Game mono. For lighter spinning gear (6lb. test and under) I use Cabela's house brand mono. I'm too old school (cheap) to pay $15 for a spool of line. Tom

I use either Cutter's or Deep Woods Off lotion, not the spray. Tom

^^This. My two most productive baits in the summer have been, and continue to be, shad pattern crankbaits and T-rigged ribbon-tail worms in tequila sunrise, red shad, black and junebug. Early morning and late evening, top-water baits, especially Jitterbugs, can produce vicious strikes. Tom

Congratulations! Enjoy every minute of it! I've got 5 more years in the rat race, if I last that long I'm looking forward to joining the weekday fishermen. Tom

I just bought a Trion 4520 and it's a heck of a reel for $30. I've been terrorizing the local bluegill population with it. There IS a little play where the rosewood knob connects to the handle, but I wouldn't call it excessive. Maybe .020" or so. Like Bilgerat said, there's no bushing or bearing in there so a little play is necessary. If it fit too tight, the knob wouldn't turn. Tom

Another black Jitterbug fan here. I also get good results with a black 10" Culprit or Powerbait worm and a big ol' double Colorado spinnerbait. Tom