.ghoti.

senile 1, don't be sick. Just think about the wear and tear those guys are putting on their rods and reels. Not to mention strained backs, sore shoulders, tendonitis, bursitis and all the other itises. Here in the middle of the country, where an 8 is a fish of a lifetime, we really don't have to worry about that. Heck, me and my rods and reels may just last forever. Nice job, guys. Cheers, GK

I love fat girls with bulging eyes You ain't right

I'm jealous. Wish I were going along. The timing is just not right for me. :'( To all who are going, best of luck, be safe and take some pictures. We all want to see some. Cheers, GK

Selective harvest can be an excellent management tool, if only people would do it. Catch and release has become an ingrained process, to the point that many anglers will not keep a bass under any circumstances. There are many fisheries that could benefit from selective harvest, but not all. The local regulations, with length limits, slot limits and harvest limits, are designed to manage the fishery. If we release all fish, we are, in some cases doing more harm than good. Selective harvest means keeping a few small fish for the table, and releasing all the big fish. Perhaps the author assumed we all knew that. I agree with Chris, maybe it should have been emphasized. There is no reason to kill a trophy sized fish. Not one. If you have to hang one on the wall, get a replica made. Cheers, GK

Hey thanks, this is timely. I'm going this week. Hope we do half as well. Cheers, GK

LAO162, don't worry about it. Just lay the spool on the floor and make a dozen cranks. Then stop cranking and drop the rod tip toward the floor. If the line twists up, flip the spool over and fill 'er up. If the line does not twist, don't flip the spool over. VABasser, are you putting any tension on the line as you fill the reel? It looks to me like the line may be on the reel a bit too loosely. Try running the line through a piece of paper towel soaked in line conditioner. Squeeze it a bit to put some tension on the line, and keep the hand with the towel as far away from the reel as you can hold it. Cheers, GK

Make mine a X-Rap or a 1/4oz single willow spinnerbait. Here's my theory. At this time of year, there's nothing resembling food on the bottom. The fish are looking up. Give them something higher in the water column. Don't know if I'm correct, but it makes some sense to me. Cheers, GK

I've never changed a blade on spinnerbait. My solution is to carry a bunch of different ones with me. That's not as many as it seems. I use only white, white/chart and translucent skirts. I carry only 1/4oz and 3/8oz. I carry single willow, single colorado and a few tandems. The only thing I'll ever change is the skirt, and I only do this when the skirt needs it. My best producer has been a 1/4oz single willow with a translucent skirt, with a fluke as a trailer. I've never really thought much about changing blades. I don't think I've ever used an Indiana blade. I'm gonna have to look into this. Thanks for the tip. Cheers, GK

I never use glass beads, for the reason Bluecraw mentioned. I use plastic beads on my T-rigs, to protect the knot. I usually pick one that most closely matches the color of the bait. I have tried contrasting colors and have noticed no difference, so I suspect that the diference between smooth or facets is moot. Here's a tip. Don't buy your beads in a tackle shop. Go to Wally world and look in the sewing/arts & crafts section. You can get a couple of hundred for what a dozen will cost in the fishing section. Cheers, GK

I've found them too difficult. I cut off can tie a knot quicker than I can get a bait swapped using those clips. I'm compulsive about checking knots and line, and retie all the time. The clips do not save any time at all for me.

Nope. Wear "em proudly. You been fishin!!

I'll play the devil's advocate for just a bit. I'm a C-P-R guy myself. But, there are a lot of lakes and ponds in my area that could seriously benefit from a bit selective harvesting. Two of the places I fish on a regular basis have way too many 10" bass. If the DNR, in one case, and the powers that be, in the other, would allow us to take a few 10-12" fish, I can't see how the fisheries couldn't be improved. I've talked to conservation officers who say that slot limits on certain lakes have been selected to encourage people to take some fish home. But, the catch and release ethic is actually defeating the purpose of the special regulations for those waters. There are many places that would benefit from a reasonable selective harvest. If a body of water can not sustain this, we probably should not be fishing it in the first place. Small bass are actually pretty good table fare. I've never taken a large one home to eat, unless I've hooked it in the gills, and it looked like it would not survive. A five pounder is not particularly good eating. Catch and release is not the Holy Grail. A little common sense should be applied to the issue. Take some small ones for the table, and release all the trophies to breed more trophies. Properly managed, fish are a sustainable resource. Catch and release is NOT always better for the fishery. That's it. I can go back to being the advocate's devil. Cheers, GK

I peg it in cover only. I use a rubber bobber stopper as a peg. If you decide to unpeg it, just slide it up the line. I never like the idea of jammin a toothpick in the weight. Looks like a place for the line to break to me. Cheers, GK

I think I saw a couple in the latest Cabela's catalog. Don't have it in front of me right now, but I'm fairly sure that was it. Cheers, GK

Quote "I for one will be very interested in your follow-up. " Me too. I've had me eye on one of those. I don't really need any more reels, but I've been looking at that one and the Revo for a while now. Cheers, GK

A Senko or a tube would be my first choices, but, any soft plastic bait will do as long as you get it there ASAP, and get it there as quietly as possible. I've noticed this time and time again. If you can slip that bait into the water, with minimal splash, you'll catch that fish. The more disturbance you make, the lower your chances of catching the fish. Cheers, GK

Skillet hit the nail right on the head. I never met a topwater bait I didn't like. Spooks, all sizes, Torpedos, all sizes, jitterbugs and buzzbaits are probably my most used topwaters. The original floating Rapala, twitched on top, is deadly at times. Ditto for 3X plastics. I'll stop there. There are so many that are so much fun to fish. Topwater bites are just about as much fun as you can have with your pants on. Cheers, GK

The whole idea of line stretch is a non-issue for me. i use mono, flouro and braid, for different applications. The stretch factor does not enter into my decision on which line to use for a given application. I wanted super strong line for my muskie rigs. I also wanted good casting performance. That means brute strength and small diameter. That's a no-brainer. Braid is the answer. Visibility is not an issue; I'm gonna use a Tygerwire leader anyway. I have 50lb PowerPro on one rig and 50lb Spiderwire on the other. Have yet to decide which one I like best. For topwaters and shallow crankbaits I want something harder to see, with some bouyancy. Braid doesn't fit the bill, it floats, but it is highly visible. Flouro is hard to see, but it doesn't float, it sinks. So, I use mono for top waters and shallow cranks. I also use medium running cranks on this rig when I want them to run a little higher in the water. Trilene XL is my choice. It is the easiest handling, best casting line I've found. I've tried others, and keep coming back to XL. Nothing at all to do with line stretch. For crankbaits and jerkbaits I want something very hard to see, I want casting distance, and I want the baits to get as deep as possible. That means flouro or a copolymer line. I've been using Vanish. Had some problems with it a couple of years ago, and quit using it. Started again last year and had no problems. It handles and casts much better than the older version. I've had no problems with knots since I learned how to tie a knot in flouro line. Think S-L-O-W when you cinch it down, and your knot problems will go away. I've also been experiment with different lines for these applications. I've tried two different versions of Silver Thread, and found both to be good lines. I have spools of Sufix, YoZuri Hybrid US and Gamma to try this year.I suspect, at this time, that I'll end up with flouro for jerbaits, and one of the copolymers for most crankbaits. Time will tell. Again, nothing to do with line stretch. For plastics and jigs, I want line that is difficult for the fish to see, is easy for me to see, ( I'm color-blind. and that's an issue with some lines), has good sensitivity, good abrasion resistance, and won't float. Again that means flouro, Transition to be exact. This is really some pretty good line, now. It used to be terrible. The newer formulation is very good. My decision in this application was based on abrasion resistance and sensitivity, but mainly on visibility. Stretch did not enter into the equation. I don't think there is one line that will be perfect for every application. At least, not yet. We choose all of our other tackle for specific applications, it just makes sense to do the same with line. Just my $0.02 worth. Cheers, GK

What's the difference between a duck?

Welcome home, welcome aboard, and if this is the hammer that used to be on here as Basshammer, welcome back. Cheers, GK

Quote "Found that you can;t go worn" What are you saying here. I've been looking at those hooks, and it seems you have some experience. I just can't quite figure out what you're getting at. Please don't take offense, I mean none. Cheers, GK

I've used one of these for several years. http://www.gerbertools.com/1192_09841_Gerber_Sharpener_Diamond_Knife_.html But, I'm on the same page as Aplster. Todays hooks are pretty darned sharp, right out of the box. And, they are cheap enough to just swap out if they get dull. I rarely sharpen one any more, but when I do, the Gerber tool does a nice job, and it's big enough to do it comfortably.

I guess I'll be the odd man out here. I've had several rods shipped to my house by UPS, and all arrived in fine condition. Thanks guys, whoever you are. Cheers, GK

Quote "Do I really need a new reel or two? No. Will I buy them anyway? Why certainly,lol. " That's the spirit, Jim. I'm with you all the way. I really have more reels than I need, but I know I'll be buying more. Why? Because, that's why. I'm of that bass-ackwards school that spends more on the reel than on the rod. I know it makes more sense to put the most into the rod, but I just can't do it. A big part of the fun for me is using a super smooth reel. Can't explain it, I just get a kick out of it. What's so cool is how reels just keep getting better and better. Some of the current crop are simply miniature mechanical marvels. ( alliteration anybody? ) I had both the SX and STX in my hands at BPS, and they feel as good as anything out there. I'd like to get one out on the water for a try out. I know if I look at one long enough, I'll probably talk myself into it. I know, no self control. So what, I work two jobs, and I can spend my money how I want to. AG has an excellent reputation for reliablity. It's hard to see how they could screw up the manufacturing process bad enough to make a poor reel, when they obviously put a considerable amout of engineering time into this new line. Mechanically and aesthetically, these new reels are a major step up from the old C3's and C4's. Time will tell if they can beat the sales and reliabilty of the old reels. I think they're off to a great start. I think I just talked myself into one. Cheers, GK

This is important, I think. If you use a bait that weighs in under the lower rating on the rod, the rod will not load properly, resulting in poor casting performance. You'll flat wear yourself out using a rod rated for heavier lures than the one you're throwing. Throwing a bait that is heavier than the upper limit of the rod can damage the blank, besides being difficult to control. Balance is the key to it. By using line and lure weights within the limits of the rod's design, you'll get the best performance and experience the least fatigue. That's my opinion, anyway. I may not be 100% right on this one. I've been wrong before. Cheers, GK