tholmes

1. Jig fishing. 2. Lipless crankbaits. 3. Spinnerbaits. Virtually everything else needs work. Tom

I don't like to think of them as weaknesses, but challenges. 1. I need to learn to fish soft plastics, other than T-rigged worms. 2. I Should take more time for weekend trips. Most of my fishing is after work or maybe a Saturday or Sunday afternoon at the two local lakes. I only live a couple of hours from a half-dozen larger lakes, but I can't seem to tear myself away from "everyday stuff" to make the trip. Tom

You're not gonna get any sympathy from me either Today, it's 10 degrees with a 20-30 mph NW wind. My local fishing holes have a foot or more of ice on them, and the next couple of nights are predicted to be -10. But, on a positive note, I just picked up some Lake Fork 'Live' Magic shad in both the 3.5"and 4.5" sizes for $1.00 a pack on clearance at the local Wal-Mart. ;D Tom

^ My all-time most productive nighttime bait! A black Jitterbug is pretty good too. Tom

For the decade, my main accomplishment was getting back into fishing. An unfortunate series of events in the late '90s left me physically and financially unable to do much serious fishing. I still don't trust myself in a boat, but I've been able to take up fishing again, and this site has been invaluable in helping me get back up to speed. Tom

Great looking baits! Tom

+1. Sounds to me like your lead isn't quite hot enough. Tom

A Lazy Ike, yellow with red spots that my grandfather gave me. First day out with it, I caught a 3 lb. bass. A lot of worms owe their lives to that lure. ;D Tom

+1^ It ain't the newest gee-whiz, high tech lure, but I've caught more topwater bass on jitterbugs than any other lure. Favorite color? An old, beat up one that I spray painted solid black. Tom

I prefer the feel (and look) of cork, but handle material isn't a deal breaker. Tom

+1^ Tom

I use a 4600 C and a 5600 C regularly, and I just got a Pro Max 3600 that I'll be using in the future. Tom

^^ True. My go to bait is a 3" white curly-tail on a 1/8 oz. hot pink jig head. I've caught everything from Stripers to Crappie with it, including my PB Walleye. Tom

Let's see.... clippers, eyebuster (for cleaning paint out of jig eyes), tape measure, scale, bug repellent, sunscreen, hemostats, reel oil, and a small abrasive stone for sharpening hooks. I carry a Gerber multi-tool on my belt also. Tom

+1. And as far as knots: http://www.netknots.com/html/fishing_knots.html Tom

RoLo wrote: X2. In my opinion, the Johnson Silver Minnow spoon w/ trailer is WAY underrated. Tom

Plastic worms, followed closely by crankbaits. Spinnerbaits, buzz baits, jigs, jerkbaits and spoons have all produced well at times also. Tom

Yep. Either weightless or weighted. The other 5% of the time it's Carolina rigged. Tom

2 1/2 minute intro consisting of minor triads almost put me in a stupor before I even heard the lyrics. Then, I wished I wouldn't have. On the plus side - I could play that.... but I wouldn't Tom

Geez....I guess I'll be tossin' my Ambassadeurs since they were made in Sweden. I don't think so. Abu Garcia promotes Swedish design, but they no longer manufacture components nor assemble the reels there. That's true, but all 3 of mine are old enough that they are marked "Made in Sweden". Tom

Geez....I guess I'll be tossin' my Ambassadeurs since they were made in Sweden. Tom

That's almost too pretty to throw in the lake! Tom

Please forgive me if I'm stating the obvious here, but I had the same problem with my Ambassadeur 4500 C. I was ready to send it back to the factory before I noticed that the sideplate screws had worked loose, causing the same symptoms that you described. It's worth checking. Tom

The monkey claims another victim! Tom

Well, after reading this most informative thread, I don't feel so inadequate because I REALLY like a couple of my antiquated IM6 rods. Tom