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When I hook a bass in the gills, and it's bleeeding badly after I get the hook out, it's going in the skillet. I grew up hunting and fishing, and the ethic I learned was, if you kill it, you eat it. Besides, I'll give it a more humane death than a turtle or a coon.

I don't fish for spawning fish. That's just my preference. If you want to, and it's legal in your area, then go for it. Some states do not allow this, most do. I've read articles supporting both ideas, and I have no idea who is right. I prefer to err on the side of caution. I do, however like to see the spawn starting. I know that if I see fish on the beds, all I have to do is find 8' or more of water close the the bedding area, and there will be fish there, ready for the taking. Not all of the fish will be spawning at the exact same time. So, out there in a little deeper water you can find both pre and post spawn fish. This is a great time of the year for getting a big fish. You just don't have to target the beds to do so. Find that first drop off into deeper water, and get out a jerkbait and a spinnerbait. I can hardly wait. Cheers, GK

My main crank rig is a BPS 7' medium Rick Clunn worm/dropshot rod, Millionaire reel and 10lb test Vanish. The rod is supposed to be a worm rod, but the tip is way too soft for plastics fishing. It makes a very good crankbait rod. For light baits and/or longer casting I use an Airuss Tradition 7' spinning rod, Daiwa Capricorn reel and 8lb test XL. For the rare occasion when I want to go deep cranking, I use my lightest muskie rig, an old Berkley Bionix rod 7' MH, TD2Hi reel, 50lb test PowerPro with a flouro leader. The rod has a softer tip than most MH rods, and I use it to throw the largest Senkos and Dingers for muskie. I substitute a Tygerwire leader for the flouro when targeting the toothy critters. Go to cranks are Rapala DT's and Berkley Frenzy divers. I have a lot of other cranks, Bandits, Normans, Poes, and more, but the DT's and the Frenzys are the first ones I try. Cheers, GK

For all cranks except jerkbaits I like a moderate action rod with a soft tip. For jerkbaits I like something a bit stiffer. I use a Daiwa Light & tough 6'3" MH rod, Daiwa Millionaire reel and 10lb test Vanish. I set the drag lighter to compensate for the stiffer rod and line, and thumb the spool on the hookset. Cheers, GK

I bought a handful of them last year, and had no success with them at all, until later in the fall. Then they got hot. I let it sink to what I think is the right depth, then twitch it back, rather like walking the dog underwater, with pauses to allow it to sink back to where I think I want it. This bait has little or no inherent action. What it has is a nice glide, and will go side to side in a somewhat erratic manner once you learn how to twitch it. I'd suggest trying this out in the clearest water you can find. Experiment with rod movements and reel cranking and you'll find the cadence for it. Cheers, GK

I tend to think of topwaters and crankbaits as two separate things. Not getting in your face, mind you. But I think I know where you're going with this. There are a bunch of great topwater baits. If I had to pick one favorite, today I'll say a Spook. Tomorrow I might say something different. Spook, Pop-R, Skitter-Pop, Jitterbug, Spit-N-Image, Frogs, Buzzbaits, Heddon Torpedo, and more. I fish the original floating Rapala as a topwater, with twitches and pauses. A 3X tube, with no weight is a good topwater bait for weeds and brush. What did I say my favorite was? Cheers, GK

Said Walmart didn't have that many. Ain't she cute? I'll be 55 tomorrow. Cheers, GK

how about, IWANNA It'd go good with the H2 Cheers, GK

Congatulations on living this long. Hope to see the 23rd announcement. Cheers, GK

Strike King's Bitsy Bug is available in 1/8oz. Don't know about 1/16 oz. Cheers, GK

The only thing better than Remy XO is to have an Avo XO to go with it. Cheers, GK

I'm pretty much of the opinion that rattling baits, in clearer water, present negatives cues. One factor is the CPR, catch, photo, release, ethic. I have no idea how many times a large bass, say a five pounder, has been caught and released. With the proliferation of rattling baits that taken place over the last ten years or so, it would be fair to say that that fish has been caught several times on a rattling bait. Has this fish become conditioned? It may be possible. I've read that all creatures can "learn" to a limited degree. I've also read that fish can not "remember" anything that happened 30 minutes ago. I have a couple of students who fit that description, so, the idea is not so far fetched. Which theory is correct? I have no clue. I'm operating on the concept of negative and positive cues. Whan cranking, I have this silly idea that the crankbait should bear a passing resemblance to a baitfish. If it's the right shape, the right size, and looks mostly natural, it is presenting positive cues. If you can break up the retrieve, and make it appear to be struggling, you have presented even more positive cues. Since baitfish have no rattles, I can't help but think that the noise is a big negative cue. You may have gotten the fish's attention with the noise. It may be drawn to the source of the noise. A younger, smaller, "dumber" fish will probably try to eat it. But an older, bigger, "smarter" fish may just be turned off after he realizes that the thing he was tracking was making all that racket. The bigger, older fish did not get that way by swinging at the first pitch. This, in my mind, applies to crankbaiting, a situation where we are trying to get the fish to believe that we have another fish there, struggling, and thus easy pickings, ready to eat. The more natural, the better. There is nothing natural about a rattling fish. It's getting harder to find crankbaits without rattles. All the hype from the bait companies, who are all trying to make the loudest baits, have convinced many of us that we need louder and louder baits. Who knows, they may be right. It would appear to be a major miracle that we all caught a lot of fish, back in the day, on all those rattle-less wooden plugs. We must have been damded good fishermen back then. With jigs, it's a different story. The rattles on a jig only make noise when the bait changes direction. So it's not clanging away all the time. It's also on the bottom, doing it's best to look like a crawdad, which will make some subtle clicking noises. A subtle rattle on a jig thus presents a positive cue. The above is all about clearer water. In dingy water, I believe some noise is essential. You can't get bit if the fish doesn't know your bait is there. The sound will alert the fish to the presence of your bait. When it goes past, the fish does not have time to sort out positive or negative cues. He has to react. I'm of the opinion that you get a lot more reaction bites in dingy, muddy water. Unnatural colors and noises give the fish more of a chance to find your bait, and the lack of clarity reduces their "decision" time. I'll use a jig with a rattle all the time. I'll try to pick a louder one the dirtier the water. I want a wooden, rattle-less crank when the water is clear, and a rattling crank in dirty water. I no longer bother with putting rattles in my tubes and worms. Just my fifth of dimes worth, who knows, I may be all wrong. Cheers, GK

Check this out http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0001996010315a&type=product&cmCat=search&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&QueryText=rod+storage&N=4887&Ntk=Products&Ntx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=rod+storage&noImage=0 Be very careful in hot weather. The inside of your car can get hot enough to do some damage. Cheers, GK

A fluke, not a super fluke, or a 3" grub, or a piece of a ribbon-tail worm. I save torn up worms just for this. No trailer hooks, please. Cheers, GK

I don't use snaps any more. You need to check your line all the time, and re-tie when any damage shows up. So, I don't save any time using snaps. It just adds one more possible failure point to the rig. It also keeps me from changing baits as often. This can be a good thing. I've found that what I usually need to do is change speed, cadence, location, etc, long before worrying about what color I have on. I have changed out quite a few of my baits to oval O-rings. I like these things. Cheers, GK

Gary Assistant Professor Engineering Technology Decatur, Illinois

Many happy returns. 55 is just around the corner for me. Cheers, GK

I use both Vanish and Transition. Both are much better products now than when each first hit the market. I suspect that most break off problems with flouro have to do with knot tying skills, or the lack thereof. When tying a knot in flouro you have to wet it well and cinch it down very slowly. That's all there is to it. Friction generated heat will damage flouro line, and make a very weak knot. Also, for me, flouro does not belong on a spinning reel. I use it on my baitcasters for all plastics and crank fishing. Cheers, GK

I'm with you kb. Here's a bait that does not even come close to living up to the hype. I've caught a few small fish on one. Nothing over about a pound and a half. Low quailty too. Poor paint, dull hooks, bent blades. I won't be buying any more of these things. I had to edit myself to keep it to "these things". Give me a spinnerbait any day. Cheers, GK

I should have added, this works much better with a single-bladed spinnerbait. Williow or colorado, as long as it has only one blade. Cheers, GK

Here's a little trick I picked up. When you have bait running just under the surface, bulging a wake, either speed up just a bit or pull back a little with your, then go back to speed you were using. The idea is to get just the blade to come out of the water. It will pop up, slap the water, and duck back under. It's easier to do than describe. The concept here is similar to deflecting a crankbait off of something. The change in speed, direction, sound, etc. is the trigger. Works often enough that I do it all the time. Picked this up from Jimmy Houston. Cheers, GK

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I use one of Rick Clunn rods for cranking. I bought the 7' medium power, worm/dropshot model, to use for lightly weighted or unweighted plastics, and to try drop-shotting. I discovered two things. One, I hate drop-shotting. For a number of reasons that are all off topic. Two, this rod has too soft a tip to be sensitive enough for plastics. It does make a very good crank rod, and that's what I use it for. They are on sale for $60 several times a year, and at that price, are hard to beat. Comfortable handle, good real seat, great guides, and a soft tip that loads easy. You can sling a crank as far as you need to with this rod. I've got it paired up with a Millionaire reel and 10lb test Silver Thread. This rig will handle any crankbait I have. Cheers, GK

Agree, that rig should need little, or no weight. Try this. Most people hold a spinning rig with the reel handle between their middle and ring fingers. Try it between your ring finger and pinkie. This will effectively move the reel back, shifting the balance point. Hope this hepls. Take all the weight off before you try this. Cheers, GK

If casting distance and better line handling are important, go with the 30. If light weight and balance are more important to you, the 20 might be better for that rod. Notice I said might be. My advice, go to the tackle shop of your choice, and put one of each on the rod, and see how it feels. If it were me, I'd go with the 30. If you had a 6' rod, I'd say go with the 20. Cheers, GK