Darren.

My boys and I have enjoyed catching a few fish on originals during the years. But don't fish them much any more. Picked up some Cotton Cordell last year during the Classic. Lipless cranks are an occasional thing for me, not productive enough to throw on every outing.

Not 10, but: 1) GYCB Senkos, 4" in Watermelon Goldflake 2) Zoom Finesse Worms, Watermelon gold flake, watermelon magic, green pumpkin black + chart tip 3) Zoom tiny flukes, variety of colors 4) BPS Stik-Os, few different colors 5) GYCB Yamaminnows 6) GYCB Brush hog 7) GYCB Senkos 5" variety of colors

Nope. Unfamiliar with 'em. Costa man myself. Agree with your reasons to wear eyeglasses, mike!

Welcome to the forums, Chief, and fellow Virginian.

Was that after he touched the slime on the bass?! LOL Keep it going. I've got 4 boys from 8 to 15, life is good!!

Welcome, Jeremy!

Cool!

Agreed. I bought the Cablz Zips for my Costas and losing them is never a thought any more. I can zip the cable tight against my head and there's nothing for it to grab on and accidentally pull off. x2 I went from plastic to glass (580p) Costas and it isn't even a close comparison. BaconStealer303 When you hit BPS, be sure to check out the Costas at the sunglasses counter. Look at the 580p glass lenses, while you won't see a huge diff in the store, when you hit the water, you will. Other thing I'd suggest. If you DO choose to go with Costa sunnies, consider purchasing them on eBay from a seller with a 99.7% or higher rating (and a lot of ratings). I picked up my 580p off eBay for considerably less than BPS sells the same one for.

I would think the jump to a Crucial, Rage would be pretty significant. But I wouldn't let your eyes go without a good pair of sunglasses. My Costas were the best $ I spent, more expensive than any individual rod I have at this time. Eyes are worth the protection, IMHO.

BigFishSports is good to work with. Bought my Lexa from them. Bought Yo-Zuri Hybrid from them... Haven't used a Smoke, but like the looks, and it is def light. Handled in store. But love my Lexa over my Quantums.

Not necessarily. A 169. address usually means you're not connected. As you're experiencing. Are you wired or wireless? If wireless, try connecting wired and see if that resolves.

Gulp? No, not much, to be honest. MegaStrike, JJ's Magic are my two favorites. Others I have or still use(d) are YUM F2 crawfish spray, Baitmate classic bass scent (Walmart, I think).

I feel your pain. Last year, in cool weather, I heard a big splash behind me. Turned to see a school of shad being targeted so I threw a Senko. It hit the water, barely sank when it was hit hard. I fought it for a good 30-40 seconds and almost got it to my yak when it surged downward and headed for the dock. Suddenly a POP and she was gone. My brand new YoZuri Hybrid 10 lb leader just snapped right in the middle. I was utterly defeated, didn't use YZ for a while after that, LOL. Yes, I always check my line for kinks, rubs and whatnot. It was clean. Later that year I caught my PB of 7.5 in thick grass with 10lb braid, and 10 lb YZ Hybrid leader.... I still think the other fish was bigger though.

That sounds really neat. Been deep sea fishing only a couple times in my life, King Macs were the target, and boy were they fun. Florida bass and salt fishing is on my bucket list.

I don't tourney fish, either, and I can appreciate what smaller companies go through especially compared to some of the giants out there. I'm self-employed so when people expect me to freely give of my experience just because I'm a friend or whatever, it can be rather frustrating. Like you said, you've gotta feed your family. Appreciate your stance.

Welcome!

Water, cheese/pb crackers, maybe a sammy, and definitely gotta have some sunflower seeds.

Moving to VA from the Rochester, NY area was an eye opener. 'Course I lived in Dallas for years, but a light dusting down here and schools close, or at best delay opening for 2 hours. Though I'm confident and schooled driving in these conditions, the locals aren't, which makes it dangerous.

Yeah, I'd agree with adding a leader to your braid in tough-bite situations (I use a leader 99% of the time regardless). Anything from 6-8 lb Fluorocarbon, or a copoly line like P-Line Floroclear or YoZuri Hybrid should help. Then fish slowly. When you think you're slow enough, slow down.

Is that a Bass Pro bag? I've got one of the larger ones and I usually put bags of worms in them, in original packaging... I would put a jar of JJ's Magic in the elastic loop, some hooks, weights, jigheads, etc., in the plastic zippered pouches on the inside of the covers.

Nice pours, good colors. Personally I've not had a lot of success on blue/purples. Some, but not a lot.

Also interested in opinions. Eyed the stuff (along with PP Slick) when I last bought my regular Power Pro, didn't want to pull the trigger.

LOL. I thought only Ralph Wilson was cheap!! I mean Buffalo hasn't made the playoffs since 1998, we've had what, 6 coaching changes since 2001. And finally the 94 year old owner cedes control to Russ Brandon. He was a great guy, but pockets waaay to tight over last 20 years. But seriously, I agree with draft being a balancing act, or even a chess match, perhaps better - a roll of the dice.

Probably. One of his faves is Leffe, I tried it, it was okay, but definitely not on my list of must-buy.

Ahh yes, Modelo! I do enjoy the ***** Modelo when eating at our fav Mexican restaurant. Smooth, dark and tasty.