flippin and pitchin

After rolling the points on two Trokars yesterday, I probably will be. What a disappointment in a product.

If you were asking smallmouth only and crankbaits included jerkbaits and lipless baits as part of the catagory my vote would have changed. Plastics is a broad catagory too so it wins overall.

6'6" MHF for target and 7' MHF for running flats and more open water situations.

That's a difficult question because the set up for large mouth vs. small mouth are so different. The set up I use the most, month in and month out is a Lamiglas Certified Pro XFT764 and I just updated them from Revo SX's to Revo Premiers. I always carry two, one with a creature bait and one with a jig. Line is YoZuri Hybrid 20 LB.

True, I do like them. You have to use the right hook. Nice slow fall. Black Blue and Water Melon Red Flake for me. At least you can catch a couple three fish on one bait. Pretty durable.

Yes you can get Classic Patterns on DVD. It's interesting the responses so far favor shows that are instructional. The producers should pay attention to that. The 30 minute infomercials are a drag. I miss Joe Thomas and Anglers On Tour. Oh and there's Oneil Outside and the Truuuuuuuuue Tunnnnggggston Jeeeeg. Classic patterns is really good. We have a local show on FSNW called Anglers Experience and It's pretty darn good for a low budget show.

You have a BB1N model. The first Lews actually were made by Shimano and stated so on the reel. I could shoot myself for selling the two I had years ago. Lews then updated the frame and the 2nd generation had a switch on top to release the anti-reverse so you could back reel. There was the Ryobi AD5000 V Spool which was a mirror to the Lews name. Those are sought after by collectors as well. Your 3rd generation is still a three ball bearing and is most likely 4.7 to 1. Your photo shows it to be in mint condition. You cannot find factory parts for that reel as far as I have found. The level wind pawl and anti reverse dogs are about the only thing that wears out in these reels. They are superb crankbait reels. I still have five Speed Spools and they are kind of retired. If you use it, use it for moderate to deep cranking. If someone asks to buy it, they sold for $120.00 in 1980 and I have seen some go at auction for $240.00. Thank your Grandfather !

Buy a pack of each and do a comparison. They aren't that expensive. That's half the fun.

You mentioned PITCHING and WEED PATCHES. The pegged or bobber stopped bullet style weight and a 3/0 or 4/0 EWG would be my choice, especially if the water is fairly deep. It's a good bait in vegetation and moves a lot of water. Go whack em' ! By the way my grand Dad was from Stalbridge Devonshire England. Now that's a Brit !

Me too. I still fish Gator Tails. The Zipper Worm is a sleeper.

The Max series ( and Black Max ) are decent budget reels. You should be able to find them for about 40 bucks. They won't handle light baits all that well but 3/16 up should work. Check your local Wal Mart for clearance reels as well. You might find a hot clearance deal on a Revo S or a moderate price Pinnacle for the price point you are looking for. Good luck !!

A half gallon of ice cream is now 1.5 quarts. A Snickers bar is down to 2.2 ounces. Hamburger buns are the size of a jar lid and so it goes. Some day a 7 foot rod will be 6 feet 10 inches I guess. Frankly BASS has gone down hill since ESPN took ownership. By the way Raul, the TP you probably use, used to have 100 more sheet per roll. ;D

I find it interesting when Bassmaster puts out footage of guys using a certain brand of tackle or equipment and posts they used something different (Delta-Clear Lake events) . Better than that, is the show where Velvick sets two rods, that just happen to be certain color, on the set with him when he does a follow up show. At least KVD was honest sometime back and said he is sponsored by a specific lure company but will fish another product if means the difference of losing or winning. How big are the royalty checks ?

My loyalty is to me. I buy and use anything that is a VALUE. Value to me is defined: quality of manufacture + performance + durability + service and warranty divided by the cost of investment. I want value for my hard earned income. It's all good stuff. Nothing wrong with telling someone you like what you use. With this economy, we all look for value.

x 3 !! STX

I bought a Winch last year and like it. I use it for crankin' but threw some large spinnerbaits as well and it really helped with the resistance issues and fatigue so I got another one this spring. I retired my Lews Speed Spools and the Winch does the job very well. In all honesty, I did get good deals on special promotions for the reels.

I will never be without a Yamamoto Hula Grub, a tube and my favorite Normans Deep Little N. I can always find a bite with this trio. Everything else is gravy.

Columbia PFD gets my vote. Under Armor cold gear and heat gear is also a good choice for layering up or dressing light. Also, they make an ear muff that cyclists wear. You can wear your ball cap and keep your ears warm. They work great. Cold spring Glenn? I went out day before yesterday, 50 degrees, dropped to 47 degrees, 20 MPH wind and rain ALL DAY. The water temp dropped almost three degrees in 5 hours. :-/

So far this year has been Okay. The weather in western Washington has been colder than normal and our famous rain hasn't stopped. Most of my March fishing was pre fishing for April tournaments. Found a new pattern that should play out in the future. I have experimented with some new lures and had success with them. Made some money in the two tournaments I fished in, making Ma happy. Met some great folks ! I have committed myself to learning a body of water I have had limited experience on and had two tough trips and one good for small mouth. My first trip on the Columbia was a blast and picked up more than enough fish to make me happy. Other than a rat gnawing the paddles off of one of my reel handles, I can't complain.

Are you talking an all day snackin kind of list ? 4 Turkey and Ham wraps, a dozen chocolate chip cookies, 2 pounds of trail mix, ( the kind with M and M's in it ) Quaker granola bars, bag of peanuts in the shell, Jerky, jar of smoked salmon, 2 cans of Pepsi, 4 bottles of water and two bottles of Gatorade. If you've ever had kidney stones you would understand. Whoops ! Thats my list for sturgeon trips. For bass it's a stick of gum.

I liked the AG promo where you got a Sterns life vest for S and H. Nice vest ! Now if Shimano would just have a promo......buy a Curado and get a free Dancin Eel

They didn't work in 1983 and still don't. I put mine next to the helicopter lures by Roland Martin. YUM = You Underestimate Marketing

Lamiglas Excel series. This has got to be one of the best values in bass rods.

The reel must retail for 159.99 or more. Get on Abu Garcia's web site and you can down load the coupon with the rules. I got my glasses in about 7 weeks. They are pretty nice.

Guys, The weight of the lure adding the air resistance as it travels has to stay ahead of the rate that the line is coming off the spool. You get the spool rotating so fast as you intiate your cast you can's catch up. That's where the educated thumb becomes a must. Light lures, line line equals a spinning rod.