.ghoti.

200', WOW. How do fish that deep? The deepest I've caught bass was 45-50'. Smallies on Table rock. The deepest largemouth at about 30-35'. Several places. Deepest crapppie, 35-40'. Lake Shelbyville, Illinois Deepest walleye, 50'+ Lake of the Woods. That's about it, except for a few deep sea trips. That was trolling. Don't know how deep any of those outing were. I wouldn't even know where to start if I were targeting the 200' range. I'd like to hear how they were doing it. Cheers, GK

I refuse to answer that question. And, you can't make the baitmonkey stop. Next year at this time you'll have a few more. Take my word for it.

You got specific, but I'll only give you a partially specific answer. For buzzbaits I use a 7' medium-heavy, moderate-to-fast action rod, with a 6.3:1 reel. I like the length for casting and for steering the bait. I like the moderate action to prevent pulling the bait away from the fish before he gets it all the way in his mouth. If braid is your line choice, you may want stay away from a fast action. But that's just my opinion. I like the 6.3:1 better than a 7:1 for buzzbaits. A buzzbait is not a high speed bait, so I find the 7:1 reel a bit much. As far as brands go, just stick with a mainstream manufacturer. Less problems with parts for reels and warranty service for rods if you go with established brands. Every body has their favorites, and will give you valid reasons for their choices. All I'll say is buy the best you can afford. Or, the best you can justify, if money is no object. Would I like the have Steez mounted on a GLX? You betcha. Will I be buying this rig? Not a chance. Beware, buying gear is almost as much fun as using it. The baitmonkey is always ready, willing and able to take you for a ride. Good luck, GK

I cast with my right arm. Can't cast worth a hoot with my left, and have found no reason to bother with learning. All my baitcasters are right hand retrieve. All my spinning reels are left hand retrieve. I was up in the air about the fly rods for a while but they are now all left hand retrieve. Yeah, I know, it's goofy. I grew up with spinning reels. Mitchell 300's to be precise. My dad and grandad insisted that the cranks be on the left, so that's how I learned. When I got into baitcasters, all I could buy were right hand retrieve reels, so that's how I learned on those. I did buy a left hand BC once to try, thinking I could eliminate that swap and gain some efficiency. What I discovered was that I could not cast with the reel in the palming position. So I still had a transition from casting grip to palming grip. That seemed even clumsier to me than swapping hands. I gave away the left hand reel and never bought another one. If you're new to baitcasting, why not try both. You'll soon discover which you prefer. You may end up like Avid, who uses both, if memory serves. Just buy the best you can afford. A cheap baitcaster will frustrate the heck out of you in either hand. Good luck, GK

Quote Has TackleTour ever reviewed a product they didn't like? Yes, it just didn't come out of Japan.

Quote: Not Owsley, but Chef Boyardee? Next thing you'll tell me is that you never ate the pasta, you just tried the sauce once, eh? Now there's a reference not everybody will get. Electric Kool-aid Acid Test, anyone? Panamoka, you have given away your age. Middy, I had the opposite experience growing up. Here in farm country, everybody knows pasta comes out of a can. I was in high school before I ever had the real thing. No more cans for me. I make my own now. Here's a trick for killer noodles. Add two or three cloves of garlic, 1/2tsp basil, 1/4 tsp oregano, 1/2tsp each salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes to a half cup of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until most of the water is gone. You want about 2 tablespoons of liquid left. Keep an eye on it. If you let it brown, throw it away and start over. Strain it out and let cool. Add this to the eggs before you mix them with the flour. Noodles to die for. Cheers, GK

Jim, If I had to pick one weight for bass it would be a 7. I use a 6 for smaller flies and an 8 for the larger, wind resistant flies, like deer hair bugs. I can't seem to get those bigger ones to turn over with the lighter setup. But the 6 is more fun when the fight is on. For around $100, Temple Fork Outfitters has their Series One rods. I have a 3wt I use for panfishing, and I think it may be the best bang for the buck in fly rods. My 6 is an Orvis and my 8 is reddington. If I'd found the TFO's before I bought the others, I'd have bought TFO's. I use a bass taper line on the 8 and a rocket taper on the 6. I can't remember which brand is which. One is Cortland and one is Scientific Anglers's. One thing I would suggest is a furled leader. http://www.feather-craft.com/2006Summer/fcpage.asp?page=6 These leaders are a bit pricey, but worth every penny. In the long run they pay for themselves. Good luck, GK

Matt, let me suggest a lower price alternative. I'd suggest some Dilg Sliders, rabbit strip divers, Bouface and at least one of the mouse patterns. These are the flies I've caught the most bass with. For your 35 bucks, you'll get more than 20 from these folks. Free shipping on orders over $25. I've bought a bunch from them and have never been disappointed. While you're there, take a look at the saltwater selection. I've been experimenting with some of those for bass, with decent results. Good luck, GK

I don't mean your least productive, although that may well be the case with most. Mine is the dropshot. It's not that I don't have confidence in this method. It's just that I find it the most boring way to fish. I'd almost rather watch the grass grow than fish a dropshot rig. Cheers, GK

2006 was going to be The Year of the Jig for me. It sort of worked out. I did do well with 1/4oz and 3/16oz jigs, mostly with a 3" Powerbait craw trailer. I caught absolutely nothing on the 3/8 and 1/2oz jigs. I'd try them for a while, catch nothing, switch to a T-rigged 10" Powerworm and start catching. Go figure. So, for 2007, same plan. Get with the program with jigs. Cheers, GK

Being a fan of In-Fisherman, I've used a jigworm for years. Usually for outside weed edges and for swimming down slopes. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but it seems to me that the T-rig always produces bigger fish than the jigworm. Jim B, what's an Alabama rig? I don't recall seeing that term mentioned. Good luck, GK

Quote, "It's a sick world and I'm a happy guy". Uncle Larry Reebe

X-Rap and Fat Ika. I don't know when the Ika came out, but this was the first year I used them, so they're on the list. The Ika was my best bait this year in warmer water. The X-Rap gets the nod for colder water. Cheers, GK

Interesting question. You got me thinking, always a dangerous proposition. I can't comment on the LC baits, but I use the rest of them you listed. My approach has always been the colder the water, the longer the pause. And, with long pauses being required, I believe this is one of the times that color plays a larger role. I'll always try to use colors to match available forage. As far as selection goes, I'll try out several different baits to see how they suspend. As the water temp drops the water becomes more dense, changing the way different baits suspend. In warmer water just about any of the suspending baits will work, as long as they don't sink. A slow rise is ok because you're not pausing the bait that long. But when you need to pause for extended periods, I think you need a bait that will stay where you left it. My solution is to try different baits until I find one that will sit still. Probably not the best approach, but it seems to work for me. Also, the baits that won't hang in a horizontal orientation won't get bit as often. At least that's been my experience. In terms of action, I think you have the baits in the correct order, ignoring the LC baits, because I have no experience with them. Of the other 3 baits you listed, I use the X-Rap most, the Husky jerk the least. I have a lot of confidence in the X-Rap, even in the coldest water. I leave you with a different list. These are, I think the factors to consider when jerking in cold water. 1. Depth. Always the critical factor. Maybe even more so in cold water. 2. Suspending. They have to sit still, horizontally 3. Speed, or the lack thereof. 4. Size. I'll usually start out on the large end of the scale and work my way down. 5. Color. In my area, that means a bait the looks like either a shad, bluegill or small bass. I like jerkbaits in the spring, so I'll now have another thing to experiment with next year. A few Pointers are on my list of things to get soon. I'm ready for spring NOW. Good luck, GK

Pink Lemonade, you gotta love it. ;D

Another vote for the Berkley Power Hawg. Most of the bites come on the fall, so I'll pop it up off the bottom to create more "falls". Sometimes though a slow twitching retrieve, keeping the bait right on the bottom, works better. If the 10" Power Worm won't get "em, the Hawg will. The usual rig is a 1/4oz Ultra Steel weight, Ultra Steel Clicker, and 5/0 Gammy EWG on 12lb Transition. Same rig I use the 10" worm on, so I can easily switch back and forth between the two. Good luck, GK

When I went to Bassmaster Univ., Davy Hite said the same thing. Most crankbaits do not run at their rated depths. He recommended the Rapala DT series. He also said a DD22 will run at 22'. If you troll it, 200' behind the boat, on 4lb line, with about a dozen split-shot. He went on the say that it really didn't matter, as long as you were aware of it, and could pick the bait that ran at the depth you wanted. That would be the problem. It takes a lot of experimenting to find out how deep your baits actually run. I know I don't have that kind of time. The depth a crank will reach is dependent on a variety of factors. Line diameter, length of the cast, retrieve speed and water density would be the main ones. My approach is a lot less scientific. I keep tying on different baits, with progressively larger bills, until I can get it to the bottom. I too like the DT series. At least they are consistent. Cheers, GK

I agree with B, the numbers are for line capcities, not ratings. They are to give you a general idea how much line the reel will hold. A lot of people use 17 and 20lb line. The reels do not tell you hwo much of the heavier line they will hold, but it's ok to use. There is not enough room on the reel for all line wieghts to be listed. I regularly spool up with lighter lines. I use 10 on quite a few of my baitcaters, and have one with 8. I use that one for crankbaits when I want to get a little deeper. Raul is right about the line getting into places it's not supposed to be. But, this only happens to me when I'm pulling out the occasional backlash on that reel with the 8. It's never happened on a cast, retrieve or battle with a fish. Go ahead and spool up with the lighter line. In my experience, you'll get more bites. Good luck, GK

I guess I'm in the minority on this one. No problem guys, if we all thought the same way, we'd probably still be living in caves, thowing rocks at each other. It's the agree to disagree spirit that makes this such a great place to hang out. I did give the slow reel a good try. I had it for over a year before I bit the bullet and ordered new gears. My comments to Gr8wall were sort of based on the idea that he was looking to add to a small arsenal of tools. I took his original post to say that he did not have a whole slew of rigs. If you have a lot of rods and reels, and the space to carry them around, then a dedicated, slow retrieve, deep-cranking setup makes sense. If, however, you're after a multi-purpose rig, the slower reel makes less sense. That was the situation I found myself in. I had a nice rod and reel setup that i was carrying around and not using much. The gear change turned it into a rig I can use on a regular basis. Acouple of interesting points came up along the way. Bshaner is right on the money about cranking speed vs depth. A fast retrieve will not get maximum depth out of any deep crankbait. It takes thin line, a long cast, and a slow steady retrieve to get the bait down. Gr8wall, if you're not going to be doing any deep cranking, then the higher speed would really be better for you. You also indicated topwater. That, for me, means higher speed also. As far as the choice between reels, go to your tackle shop and try them out on the rod you will be using. One may feel better to you. Both are fine reels, with excellent reputations. Good luck, GK

I was gonna say never, but then decided to be honest with myself, and say none, YET. I like the looks of these baits. The attention to detail is marvelous. The price is not. But, at those prices, the sales numbers would be somewhere between none and negligible if they didn't produce. How's that for some back-handed logic? I'm sure a few are going to find their way into my selection of cranks. That's what I'm afraid of. Once I get a few, more are sure to follow. That's what happened when I tried the X-Rap. The monkey has opened another ***** in my armor. Cheers, GK

Jim, Sorry if you took my reply to be non-informative. I just gave you my opinion. I'm a beginning fly fisherman. Got about three years under my belt, so, I'm NOT the expert here. When you indicated 30-80 feet of water, I just drew a blank about how to fish that depth range with a fly rod. For me, anything over about 10' is out of range. If you can find the smallies in 10' or less, then a fly may be the ticket in cold water. A big part of the float-n-fly appeal in cold water is the subtle movement of the hair. The closest you're gonna get to that is a fly, slowly drifting down through the water. It may even be better, at least on some days. A big wooly bugger, Bouface, or a rabbit strip should have a similar appeal, if you can get it down far enough. That's gonna be the problem. Maybe some more experienced fly guys can jump in here with a solution. Peter, how deep are you able to fish with your quill float system? The only time I tried a float on the fly rod, I managed to create a tangle that nearly took a knife to rectify. The quill makes a bit more sense than the plastic float I tried. Thanks for the tip. Cheers, GK

I too am suprised to hear of rude treatment or poor service at BPS. They have always treated me well. My regular store is St Charles, just west of St Louis. Great service, knowledgable staff, and very little stuff out of stock. It's a well run place. I rather like getting e-mails from BPS and Cabela's, etc. These are much better than some of the other drivel that makes it's way to my inbox. I buy a lot of stuff, and like to know when something goes on sale. I also just got that saltwater catalog. No saltwater within reasonable casting distance of central Illinois, but I still enjoy looking through what's available. I ordered some 6" soft plastic squids from last years catalog, and caught several nice bass this year with them. There are a lot of good looking, large saltwater cranks I'm looking at this year. ? BPS sucks ? If that's the case, I wish a lot more places sucked. Cheers, GK

Float-n-fly is basically hanging a jig under a bobber. Usually a hair jig, 1/8oz or so, and a small float. It is a good technique for suspended fish in cold water. As far as the fly rod goes, if that's all you have then I guess you could make it work. You'd be limited in depth to the length of your leader. Unless you wanted to make a slip float that would slide on the fly line. It would be a bear to cast. It's much easier on a spinning rod. I like fly rod bassin myself, but 30+ feet of water pretty much rules out the fly rod for me. CHeers, GK

If you know somebody who will let you borrow a slower geared reel, try one out before investing. I bought a Quantum PT at 4.4:1, thinking, like many do, that this would be good for cranking. I hated it. I've since swapped out the gears for a 6.3:1 set. I like it now. It's just my opinion, but I find it easier to slow down a faster reel than speeding up a slower reel. You can maybe save yourself some cash by finding out ahead of time if you like a slow reel. I don't do much really deep cranking. I find it a low percentage technique most of the time. But when I do, I don't have any trouble with the 6.3:1 gearing. Just something to think about. Good luck, GK

I now use mostly 10 lb Vanish for cranks. Used to use Trilene XL. Been experimenting with some others. P-Line is too stiff. It makes a good slinky. Magnathin is too easily abraided. Xl has quite a bit of stretch, but is still, IMHO, the best handling line. Tried some Silver Thread AN40. I picked it out of the clearance bin at wally-world. Not bad at all. Sensation is decent. For next season, I have a spool of Gamma and a spool of Sufix Elite, both in 10, ready to try. The experimenting never stops. Cheers, GK