IntroC

I see a lot of unsponsored people driving around with stickers plastered all over their windows and wear the Berkley or Mercury clothing, I guess thats their MO. I personally think it looks silly unless of course your sponsored by that paricular company. On the other hand if someone gave me(as in free of charge) these articles of clothing I would have no problem wearing them. My thinking behind this is you give me something for free your gonna get something in return and thats me advertising your product, if I like it. The stickers you can keep. I'm not real big on plastering stickers all over my vehicle free of charge. If sponsored, then yes.

I agree the countdown may have been a bit much.

Why all the hype??? To get them in poeples hands quick. The more lures in hand the more get used the word of mouth spreads. Smart marketing on their part. Many great lures have slipped through the cracks due to "a subtle release". Just saying.

I agree. Thats just Cliff being Cliff. If he would have started yelling and screaming and basically being out of character it probably would have been awkward as heck for all involved. We 're all wired different and thats the way it should be. During the press conference one of the reporters asked him if "Christmas is extremely boring at his house" which I thought was a bit out of line. Cliff gave a good answer to the question basically saying that this is his livelyhood and he takes it very seriously.

I thought no one pays any attention to what the pros are doing??? Yeah right.

For whatever reason it seems everyone is ashamed of saying they bought a lure because of pro recommendation whether it be tourney winnings or otherwise. I'm calling BS. Red Eye Shads are a good example along with square bill cranks both styles of lure have been around for decades it was only after KVD won classics that particular brands started flying off the shelves. How about the Sexy Shad color?? There really isn't anything special about that color IMO but after KVD started speaking of the wonders of this color every lure manufacturer out there carries this color. He is single handedly responsible for the success of this color. I think the Pros have a much greater influence on us than some of us want to admit. I follow the FLW and BASS and if I see something that peaks my interest I'll buy. I also read reviews on TW and this site in particular that have caused me to buy. I'll admit I have some very chewed up RES in my box. Thanks KVD. Fat Ikas and senkos....... I credit Bassresource.com.

I was thinking the exact same thing. KVD dialed in this early usually means bad things for the rest of the field.

KVD and Mclelland are gonna be hard to beat. I beleive they have both won on these waters and the jerkbait deal is gonna play into their strengths. I'd kida like to see Mclelland win a Classic, he seems like a godd fella.

When I see KVD win numerous tourneys on SK cranks(RES and Series 5) I'm gonna check them out. The price is definately right and the quality is there so I bought some and since have bought many more and have had some of my best days using them. Now did I buy them because he said so? No, I bought them because he has proven they are awsome baits. One pro will tell you their lures are the best , others will prove to you they are. I follow the latter.

Curious what the winner gets? Any kind of payout or just the trophy at the end of the season?

At first I was a bit turned off by all of Ike's yelling and screaming, now I get a kick out of it and look forward to it. My 5 year old absolutely loves it. I got to rewind it 3 or 4 times. My son loves Ike. It cracks us up. I visit a popular walleye tournament site and the last few years the walleye tourney trail has really been suffering and the can't figure out why. All you have to do is watch one one time and you'll see it right off...its lacking personality. The only way I can describe walleye tourneys is dry. Big personalities like Ike's is what makes bass fishing so popular.

I still think NO ELECTRONICS would make for an interesting tourney. You would think if BASS or FLW would do something like that once a year it would draw better ratings than the regular tourneys.

I agree. This is a good list but I'm suprised no one has mentioned Netbait. Netbait has some awsome plastics that are every bit as good as more spendy brands. No reason to spend $15(Lucky Craft) on a crank when you can spend $6(Strike King) and get the same results. KVD has outfished many a competitor using LC's and Spro. Also get a lure retriever.

Up north here the walleye tourneys are the big thing and the bigger tournements usually have a couple pros fishing. Rarely do they win them. They usaully do pretty good though. I remember one tourney the LOCAL pro took dead last which had to be a humbling experience. Then again I thiink walleye tourneys have a whole lot more luck involved than bass tourneys being they are more so schooling fish.

Just got done watching Major League Fishing and was suprised to see that Van Dam isn't competeing.Thought that was a little unusual. Anyone know the reason?

BPS's shipping costs and prices have drove me to Tackle Warehouse.

All lines suck in subfreezeing temps but some not as bad as others. I do a lot of fishing in temps below freezeing and the most hassle free is mono on a spinning outfit. Baitcasters and freezeing temps just don't mix. Niether does braid and sub 32 degrees/

Lindners Angling Edge is head and shoulders above the rest IMO. In-Fisherman ranks up there. Bass Pros is a good one. Zona has an awsome fishing show. I used to really like Classic Patterns but it must not air where I'm at any longer.

Silver. Looks more "high end".

Amen to that! The sensitivity you get with braid is unparalled. Feeling the slightest ticks can be a huge advantage. In clear water tie on a three foot leader of floro. There are no end all, be alls in fishing. Use what works for YOU.

They are identical to the sinking models.

I bought a lot of cranks on ebay and there were a few of these in there. I have never used the floaters and was curious if they dive at all, how deep and what some of your thoughts on them are? Are they good fish catchers and under what circumstance you have had luck on them with? Thanks for the replies!

Thanks for the replies fellas. Last night I picked up one of the Z-Mans brand and two of the Renosky brand J-Wills Rocker. I haven't been able to fish either yet but am looking forward to it. First impressions out of the package the Renosky brand definately seems to have a better quality hook. Does anyone have any experience with the Renosky? Would like to hear your thoughts on this brand . Thanks again.

Was thinking of trying a few of these out and went to Taackle Warehouses website and read the reveiws of the Z-Mans and they were'nt to good. Said they have cheap hooks and few other downfalls. Was curious what some of your experiences have been with the Z-mans brand and what would be some better options if these are sub-par. Thanks fellers.

Lake fork Tackle has a very realistic craw and the smallies love them. *** sells them.