WanderLust

Dually Noted! My only high end lure is the Deps Buzzjet. I am sure excited to see what it can produce.

Thanks for the tip on the Kelly J. I'm new to this one so I'll keep that in mind! Maybe I should add the pop-max to my collection as well. Darn bait monkey!

Small Jigs - Netbait paca chunk in pumpkin or black /blue Large Jigs - Rage Craw in the same colors

LC Pointer 78, 100 and 128 are fantastic. Ghost Minnow, American Shad, Perch and Chartreuse Shad have all bagged good numbers for me. Husky Jerk and X-rap's have also produced but I seem to get more pike (when looking for bass).

LOL @ Monofilament line revolutionized fishing even though it had more memory then your lap-top... When I fished with my dad last year I let him use a really light setup... He was blown away at how light and strong things were.

I was wondering how long it would take for you to chime into this thread...LOL...you topwater nut... LOL J/K All of the above are great suggestions, IMHO. My favs are spook jrs and spittin image for the most part. I'm looking to do some prop bait fishing this year as well. Yeah, I love topwater... I can't wait to use the buzzjet (thanks J Franco). Also picked up a Kelly J that I'm excited about.

What's the Curado's primary function? I have a 201E7 that's mounted on a 7' St. Croix Avid MHF. I use it for a ton of different applications including 3/8 oz and up jigs, chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, topwater, traps & even frogs... I just picked up the 51E for a Loomis BCR803 for weightless plastics, smaller finesse type applications, jerkbaits and small cranks.

Spooks, Sammys, Gunfish, Skitter walk....

If you want a silent crank you really can't beat Strike King Series 5 Silent cranks for the money, especially if you change the hooks. 3/4 oz Spinnerbait would work there as well.

The Zillion is the highest quailty on that list but way more than $140. Dobyns Savy is a close second... People compare them to Avids which is a high compliment. I have the Powell Max 683C and a crankbait rod... Its was less expensive but is a great rod for the money. So given this list... Powell Max gets the call for me.

Tube with some styrofoam in it.

I like straight shanks but if it works and you like it... Why change? Best is always subjective... Straight Shank results in better hooksets for most people. Gamakatsu Heavy Cover Flippin' Hook is decent for the money. Trokar Flippin' hook is awesome. The only hook they make that I really like but its expensive. Paycheck and Mustad both make good ones as well.

If we're just talking soft plastics I would go: 1) Fat IKA 2) Baby Rage Craws 3) Roboworms 4) Flukes 5) Senko type worm A mix of natural colors and black / blue.

My setup is pretty simple: G Loomis BCR803 GLX / Shimano Curado 51E / 12# 100% Fluoro for weightless plastics, small jigs, small top water & jerkbaits St. Croix Avid AVC70MHF / Shimano Curado 201E7 / 55# Daiwa Samurai braid for all larger plastics, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, swim jigs, traps, large topwater and frogs Powell Glass Crankbait rod 703CB-Glass / Revo Winch / 40# Daiwa Samurai with whatever type of leader I need for my crank bait arsenal. Shimano Compre CPS-66MHB / Pflueger Arbor / 20# fireline general purpose spinning applications but mostly tubes or really windy shore fishing. I have several other rods including backups and reels but these are my goto setups.

Haven't had luck with the small ones yet. Its like a red eye magnet.

Dobyns Savy (SS766FLIP) is a quality rod that won't make you go broke.

I do it for all of my kid's gear... It makes the survival rate much higher for young angler's fish. It's also much easier for them to remove the hook. Larry Dahlberg has some cool ideas as well.

Awesome! I have cabin fever so bad... that and the baitmonkey is making me go broke!

I have (2) Compre rods. A spinning 6'6 MH that my son loves and I just picked up a CPC-C70MB for lighter cranking applications. Great Value.

That 7'2 Cumara (CUC-72MH) is a beast. Zombie makes a nasty good pitch flip type rod.

The Walmart around here is like a retail version of the Hills Have Eyes...

I just order the River2Sea Diver Frog. Hope it works well.

Nice post Jig Man... So many rigging tricks to make the tube do whatever you want. When I am looking for a noisy bait I add a rattle to mine as well. Gammy sells a 90 jig head that has the rattle but it barely fits into a 3.5 jumbo tube. Anyone got any tips for making the eye easier to get too? Sometimes that makes me want to punch babies. jk but it is annoying.

I sea what you did there.

How, when and where to catch monsters are listed in the Fish-o-pedia. At least on the Wii... It also shows what lure they like best.