JT Bagwell

They look good. Just remember to bake them in the oven for a little bit. This will help harden the paint. If not, they will chip anytime they hit something underwater. JT Bagwell

I make my own Drop Shot weights. You can get a mold from Do-It Mold Co. for a reasonable price and i think the clevices come in packages of 100. It is a very fast process and is great for winter or rainy days. I usually make my Jigs and Drop Shot weights in the winter when I get bored. Do-It Mold Co. has a huge assortment of molds and other products for making your own tackle. It is really neat catching fish on stuff that you make from scratch. JT Bagwell

XPoint is probably the sharpest and toughest hook on the planet. I use them as well as Daiichi. Both are super tough and super durable, but I think XPoint might take the overall championship crown. JT Bagwell

Rod = 6'6" Med-Hvy All Star Platinum Series Reel = Pflueger Supreme Line = 30 lb test PowerPro in stained to muddy water = 12-14 lb test Cajun or Shakespeare Supreme in clear water JT Bagwell

Thanks guys, LOL No he hasn't been to the lake yet. They are already starting to freeze. He did get to lay on the front deck of the Triton for a minute (when my wife wasn't looking) before I put it away for the winter. I figure by spring he will be a good 6 months old so he should be able to handle a 6'10" All Star pitchin' rod by then. ;D Just not sure if he will be able to work a baitcaster. JT Bagwell

I use both the President and the Medalist and while I prefer the Medalist, I have not had any trouble with either of them. The best advice I would give would be to evaluate what you really need. Sometimes bigger is better, but it isn't usually the case when it comes to fishing gear. I use the 6030 Medalist (6730 President) for most applications. It is light and makes fishing with it all day a breeze. Keep your eye out next year for a sweet new spinning reel from Pflueger, it is called the Supreme. If it is anything like the Supreme baitcaster you will fall in love right away. Below is a picture. Take Care, JT Bagwell

I would suggest trying the new red PowerPro as your main line and either Cajun or Shakespeare Supreme line as your leader. I use all three brands all of the time and I have had great results from each of them. JT Bagwell

Let me know what Jay's (the owner of that site) response is to your letter. That was a very good point that you made and I also know which advice I would follow. Take Care, JT Bagwell

Robert, I am not going to jump in on the All Star vs. Loomis debate that appears to be building here, but I will say that I have had nothing but positive results from all of the All Star rods that I have owned. And believe me, I own and have owned a lot of them from the various product lines. I have also never had a bad experience with any employee from Shakespeare. With that being said, send me a PM with all of your information (name, address, model # that you broke, etc) and I will "attempt" to help you out. I know a few people there and have worked with the company to increase brand/name recognition for close to 4 years now. I will not promise anything more than me trying to help resolve the issue. Take Care and don't give up on All Star rods simply because of a single negative experience. JT Bagwell

Holy Cow, in the fine print it said the 1st place prizes are guaranteed, but the "additional places based on fifteen hundred paid entrees." That has got to be one of the biggest tournaments I have ever heard of. JT Bagwell

I say Merry Christmas to everyone here and anyone else that I feel the need to say it to. What has our country become when people have to worry about being offensive when saying nice things to people? I remember when I was a kid Christmas was so awesome because we had our whole grade school decorated and we had a big Christmas Program. I don't even think they are allowed to have those programs anymore without using watered down, generic terms like "Happy Winter Holiday." Ok sorry I got a little off course, Merry Christmas everyone. JT Bagwell

Below is a link to a site that I saw on tonight's news. It is set up to help a local high school student who is now paralyzed and on a ventilator as a result of an injury received during a high school football came this season. They are selling shirts and taking donations to help pay for his medical expenses. If you would like to help or just find out more about these injuries just click on the link. http://www.standwithtravis.com/SWT_home.html JT Bagwell

LOL Thanks again everyone. The little dude is a handful that's for sure. He pee'd through 2 outfits in just over an hour today almost causing me to be late for an appointment. Right now he is in between Newborn and Size 1 diapers so one is a little small, the other is a little big. The end result is baby pee leaking out. lol JT Bagwell

Thanks everyone. For those getting the red X, it's a boy. lol and yes the scales are certified, at least they should be for what they charge. JT Bagwell

Alright, I was finally able to get some pictures posted of my 7 lb .2 oz keeper that I got 7 weeks ago. JT Bagwell

What I was meaning in my scenario was the guys gets paid $250k from his normal job (ie, Doctor, Lawyer, Welder, etc). He also gets enough time off to fish the tour. While on tour (fishing on the Pro side) he wins $80,000, which is more than a lot of "Pro" anglers win. However, in the real world he is still a Doctor, Lawyer, Welder or whatever. By some people's definition he would be a Pro Angler. However, by other's standards, he would not. As I said before, this topic always brings out some interesting thoughts and I believe they are good for the boards. JT Bagwell

What if a person works for a company that pays enough money to allow that person to fish competitively all year (FLW or BASS Tour) on the professional side. While fishing that person wins $80,000, but his company pays him $250,000. Is he a "Pro" or just a guy that won $80,000 fishing? This has always been an interesting topic to me. I do not consider myself a "Pro" although I generate a good chunk of revenue from the fishing industry (not fishing tournaments specifically). JT Bagwell

I have been trying to convince my wife the same thing. For some reason she doesn't believe me. lol ;D JT Bagwell

Do-It Mold company sells a Chart. Powder Coat paint that works really well. It is what I use to paint my jig heads. Should work well for Spinnerbaits too. JT Bagwell

My favorite dog to walk is my Rottweiler named Jax. lol My favorite lure to walk is the 5" Yamamoto Senko. I am serious, you cast the Senko and work it just like you would a Sammy or a Spook. The bait will slowly sink on the pause. After you practice enough, you can actually get the Senko to pop out of the water a few inches as if it were a baitfish. The Yamamoto Senko is a very deadly topwater bait. I fish Senkos on PowerPro line because it doesn't stretch and any movement you make with your rod is transferred straight to the bait. With a lot of lines, your movements are absorbed by the line it self. JT Bagwell

I use the Daiichi bleeding bait Wacky rig hook. My reasoning is pretty simple, that hook is made for that technique. JT Bagwell

You will be able to slow roll that bait. However with that blade configuration you will not be able to go "as slow" as you would with Colorado blades. Colorado blades provide more lift. JT Bagwell

I use the Original MegaStrike and the Yamamoto Crawfish scented MegaStrike. Both worked equally well. JT Bagwell

I was just having a similar conversation with a friend of mine. It appears that they also left Illinois and Iowa off of the schedule for 2007. I just can not understand how they expect to grow these markets if they pull the plug on the tournaments after just one season. Now would be the time to really get a foot in this area if in fact Team Supreme is closing shop. JT Bagwell

I use Megastrike on my spinnerbaits, Senkos, jigs and every other bait in my boat. In reference to the issue with the spinnerbaits, you only need to put a little bit on your fingers and run it through the skirt of the bait (same thing with jigs). After you do that, pull on the ends of the skirt and it will spring free and move as if it had nothing on it. I think the main problem might be a result of you putting just a little bit too much on the bait. If you want to get it off of your spinnerbait (the one that is stuck together) simply put the bait in some hot water. It will only take a little while for the Megastrike to disolve. If you use cold water it will take forever. JT Bagwell