NJBasstard

Who are some of those other guys? I don't doubt it happens but this is the first time I've seen it..

I use 8lb diameter like most of you. I also like my leader no greater than 4lbs over the diameter line I'm using as it seams to provide the best knot strength IMO.

Pobably not of much help as I'm not familiar with your way, but I'm willing to bet every soft plastic I've ever used would work in just about any area. I'd focus more on size and color of the forage in your area.

This is the only thing I can think of.. http://youtu.be/ybopUwSuiS8

You said baitcasters allow greater casting distance I'm just asking what reel your using and what your comparing too that makes you say that? OP get the best reel you can afford. Alot of Shimano fans on here including myself that will say you can't go wrong with a Citica or Curado.

What reels are you talking about? To the OP, most on here are going to recommend getting a mh/f somewhere in the 6'6"-7' range to start with.

I tie mine the same for every application which is as long as I can get it without the knot entering the spool. I retie when it gets around 18"-24".

The Veritas do feel somewhat underrated.. I'm curious what benefit is there with a fast action rod vs extra fast?

Almost anything is gonna be a step up from those eagle claws. Like said above they're small diameter and hook up good but they rust fast and tend to bend easier than others. I now use Gamakatsu for all my plastics and either Mustad or VMC for trebles.. depends on what's cheaper at the time. I've tried Trokars which are nice but you can get 25 gammys for the price of 15 trokars.

Dave's show is probably my favorite of all TV fishing shows. He seams like he's always having a blast wether he's using a boat full of rods & thousands in electronics or fishing the bank with whatever he can carry. The show manages to be fun yet still informative IMO. I also like watching Bass Pros & Lunkerville sometimes. Some of these shows just seam to tell you the same thing over and over or it looks as if the host dosn't even want to be there lol. Others I try to watch like Bill Dance but I have a hard time getting into it knowing he's likely on his own private lake again fishing the cover he put there.

I like seeing big bass as much as the next guy but I also prefer the MLF format over the others. It shows which anglers are able to key in on a pattern and adapt to fish it more effectively than the next guy.

x2 I use a the same 7'3" rod with XF for both pitching jigs & frog fishing. Took me a little while to get use to setting the hook when froggin' but you'll get use to it after missing the first couple..

Out of all the ones I've tried (Livetarget, Booyah, Spro, River2Sea) my favorite would the Spro Bronzeeye Popper. Haven't had mine long enough to know how they'll hold up but they flat out catch fish.

Dang you must really love frog fishing! I just bend the hooks a little and trim about an inch off the legs right out of the package. I've seen the idea of using BB's mentioned on here before but never tried it myself.

Any of you guys try the River2Sea Ish cranks? Just got a couple of the fast floaters wanna try something different than my rapalas and Sk.

Thanks again for the help. For the $60 price difference I wonder why HB dosn't just make the HDSI standard on all SI models..

So by using the HDSI would the Helix be capable of running 800khz?

Thanks for the pic Wayne. I'd been looking for pics to compare without much luck. Am I right in thinking that the HDSI transducer will allow the unit to use DI? This is my first fish finder in about 10 years so this is all new to me..

Anybody plan on exchanging there transducer? I've seen in mentioned a few times just not sure how much it'd benefit on a 5" screen.

Bass Wisdom. (Taught me a lot about fishing structure and weather patterns) KVD's Secrets Of A Champion. (A lot of tips on modifying baits but covers a lot) Knowing Bass: The Scientific Approach to Catching More Fish. (Bass biology. I've learned ALOT from this book. I've read it many times and still can't grasp all it has to say lol.) I don't know if any of those are available for your phone/tablet but they're all worth a read IMO.

Using different colors for different sizes is a good way of being organized, but other than that I don't think hook color makes much of a difference. I use both and tie on whatever color I pick up & have never noticed a difference in catching fish.

How does anyone break 3 rods in just a few months? Boat flipping or not it's user error and buying another rod isn't going to do anything but give your 4th broken rod. Do you rods get abused by being transported or tossed around? If for some reason you can't figure out what's going wrong maybe ask a fishing buddy or record some video of what your doing at the time of the breaks.

I have what appears to be the same ones in the video that I have yet to catch a bass on. My buddy on the other hand uses them when fishing for snakeheads and liked them enough to order a big box of them..

In the past year the swim jig has become one of my go-to baits. I love fishing them in shallow moving water where most would throw something loud like a spinner or rattling squarebill. I swim them fast or slow bumping into trees or ripping thru grass, but my best luck has come from slamming them into rocks & concrete. I carry 1/4oz, 3/8oz & 1/2oz for when I want a different sink rate or want to vary my retrieve speed while maintaining the same depth. That being said I've probably caught more big fish swimming those little 1/4oz bitsy bug jigs in black/blue with a paca chunk trailer than any other jig in my box. If you wanted one jig to try the bitsy bug is what I'd recommend as it's very versatile and can be fished however you want. They're also cheap and sold all over including Walmart. I personally always use a trailer & recommend trying a few to see what works best for you.

I'm about a mile from the Commodore Barry. I know there are plenty of courses I've thought of fishing but have decided against it because I know people pay to play there which I thought would make it an issue. Now I'm may just go ahead and try a few..