phisher_d

I agree 100%. This made a huge difference when I was learning to cast overhand. It was like a lightbulb turning on in my head ("handles facing up" is assuming that you cast and reel with the same hand. If you cast and reel with opposite hands, the handles will be facing down)

I tilt the reel so the handles face up (if you cast and reel with opposite hands the handles would be facing down). I think the idea is that its a more natural way for your wrist to flex. I get better distance and less backlashes when I do it that way (same goes for overhand casts).

Welcome aboard rocket09 I have to agree, Simcoe is great for size. New Canadian record was set there last fall, 5 fish limit wieghing 29.9 lbs. Erie is awesome for both size and numbers. Lake St Clair is on my list to try this year.

I've had good luck with Northland Jawbreaker spoons. They are great in lily pads and they have a nice wide wobble. The skirt is a nice touch as well.

I put oval split rings on the front of my jerkbaits. http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.TextId?hvarTextId=30197&hvarTarget=search&cmCat=SearchResults With these your knot stays in the same place and you don't have to worry about it sliding around into the split. For most crankbaits I use a snap. Berkley makes some good ones.

I like using hair jigs in spring when the water is still cold. I cast it out, then let it sink to the bottom. Let it sit for a few seconds, then jerk it up. Let it settle again, then jerk. I fish them more aggressively than tubes, but I find it is important to let it settle down to the bottom between every jerk or two. I use bass pro XPS bucktail jigs in white, usually 1/4 ounce, without a trailer.

Out of In-Fisherman magazine, January 2002. 10 lbs. 14 oz. John Gorman, 4/24/69, Dale Hollow, TN 10 lbs. 8 oz. Paul E. Beal, 4/14/86, Dale Hollow, TN 10 lbs. 8oz. Owen F. Smith, 1950, Wheeler Dam Tailwater, AL 10 lbs. 2oz. Archie Lampkin, 1951, Hiwassee Reservoir, NC 10 lbs. 1oz. Billy Westmorland, 1972, Dale Hollow, TN 9lbs. 13.5oz. Andy Anderson, 1954, Birch Bark Lake, Ontario 9lbs. 12oz. David Lindsay, 1971, South Branch, WV 9lbs. 10oz. Mike Curry, 1989, Pickwick Lake, TN 9lbs. 6oz. Terry Dodson, 2001, Lake Jocassee, SC 9lbs. 5oz. Randy Van Dam, 1993, Lake Erie, OH 9lbs. 4oz. W.F. Shoemaker, 1906, Long Lake, MI Record in limbo*: 11lbs. 15oz. David Hayes, 7/9/55, Dale Hollow *wasn't a record at the time the mag was printed. I don't know how many of these fish have been certified, I haven't even heard of most of these guys, just thought some of you might be interested in seeing this.

It should work fine. Make sure you have a rod heavy enough to cast those lures though. I'm pretty sure Fish Chris throws swimbaits with heavy spinning gear and braid.

Do a search on the forums for the double fluke rig. I haven't seen the "KVD double zulu rig," but I would guess it's the same thing

Why? (I don't mean to sound rude... just wondering )

Ditto.

Flippin' switch. It's useful when you're flipping baits because it allows you to pull some line out and quickly re-engage the reel without having to turn the handle

Has anyone tried them? Same action as a regular x-rap? I just picked one up in "glass ghost" color but I won't be able to try it for a while.

I like a faster geared reel (I use a 6.3:1) for flippin/pitching to help turn the fish quickly and get it out of cover as fast as possible. It doesn't take long for a big bass to wrap you up if you don't pull him out quick. I think in that situation the advantages of the speed outweigh the disadvantages of the lost power. IMO power is only really an issue when you are constantly reeling against something with a lot of drag, like a deep crank or a big-bladed spinnerbait. A fast reel is fine for baits that you're not constantly reeling or baits that don't create a lot of drag (like buzzbaits).

Heavily salted, cigar/pen shaped soft plastic stick worm...

Fish it slow, give the bass time to locate it through the heavy cover. Be patient on the hookset, don't yank when you see the blowup. Count to two or wait til you feel the fish or whatever works for you. Bending the hooks up very slightly will help with hookups, but don't bend them too far or you'll start picking up weeds. Try shoving a worm rattle inside the frog to help bass find it. I like to shorten the tails/legs a bit to reduce short strikes. I always have a follow up bait ready for when you miss on a blowup (t-rigged worm, tube, weightless senko etc, depending on cover). Sometimes the bass doesn't even go at the frog with its mouth and instead just slaps it with its tail. The purpose is to stun the frog and when you cast your slow-sinking follow up bait to the spot that bass will be waiting more often than not. I don't use frogs late in the year, but in the summer they're a go-to bait. My favorite spot to fish frogs is a heavy slop patch with wood in it like stumps or laydowns. Hope this helps

Welcome aboard http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/deep_water_jig_fishing.html In clear water I like green or brown jigs, with no rattles except for in heavy cover.

I used them for a while and I really like the design, but I wasn't impressed with their sharpness (maybe I got a couple bad packs :-/). Having a sharp hook is important with my wimpy drop-shot reel-set. I have since switched to Gamakatsu split/drop shot hooks and Owner mosquito's. ps. TTI should make standout x-point hooks

split ring pliers

The main thing I didn't like about fireline was that it frays a lot more than PowerPro and doesn't last as long. It also digs in to the spool more (i think this is due to the shape of the line).

Gammies are the sharpest hooks I've tried, but Owners stay sharp longer. When I need strength I use a Gamakatsu superline hook. I've heard that ITT's X-point hooks are tops in all three of those categories, but they're a little over my budget...

That's a good idea fourbiz, if that works it will be a lot simpler than my idea... easier to store as well. I'll definitely try it out.

When I first started fishing the drop shot rig, I used regular drop-shot sinkers and had good success. When the sinker got hung up I just pulled and it slid off like it was supposed to. Problem was, these sinkers are pretty expensive (especially in the heavier sizes), and when you fish a rocky bottom for smallies you go through a lot of them. Here's the idea. Take a regular plain old lead bell sinker (much cheaper) and tie it to a short length of cheap 1-2 lb mono (any ultra-low breaking strength line you can find). Tie a loop knot at the end of this line, and tie a loop knot at the end of the tag end below your d/s hook. Then thread the sinker through the loop knot in the tag end and back through the loop in its own short bit of line. (don't know if that made sense) If the weight gets hung up, the super-light line will break well before your mainline and allow you to retrieve your rig and loop on another weight (same idea as a regular d/s weight). You'd have to have a bunch of these things pre-tied, but what else will I do all winter You can also pre-tie them with different lengths of line so you can adjust the leader length of the d/s rig without retying the whole thing (retying after every few fish is still something to remember though). I use a PowerPro mainline with a fluoro leader for dropshotting, so line twist isn't much of a issue, but you could also use a tiny ball-bearing swivel in place of the loop knot in the tag end to stop any twist coming from the sinker. I got to try this set-up a few times this fall and so far so good, but it will have to wait for the last saturday in June for its next trial (bass season's closed up here). Any opinions, suggestions, reasons why you don't think it will work... ps. I don't know if this is actually a "new" idea, I think I've heard of rigs for other species that use the same principle.

I also use both techniques a lot (separately), and I've tried putting them together but didn't like it. When I fish a tube I use a pretty hard hookset, but for a dropshot I just lift and reel. With both on the line you can't tell which is getting bit so you don't really know how to set the hook. Also I found the that a tube hangs up way more than a plain sinker, and they're more of a pain to tie on.