Bankbeater

Those are some really nice bass.

I tried fishing with fluoro for a few years, after fishing with mono for years. Except for the fluoro being way more stiff, I couldn't tell any difference between the two.

Black, black/blue, or green pumpkin depending on the water clarity and cloud cover.

I always start out with a steady retrieve. If that fails to get a bite then I start pausing the bait while reeling it in.

I'd go after catfish. I fished for them years before I started bass fishing.

For the past few years it's been a plastic worm on a split shot rig.

I don't think I have ever fished with a firetiger spinnerbait. I tend to stick with white, and chartreuse / white.

I get out for fresh air, maybe find some lures that worked loose over the winter, and check out the water. If I can shake off the skunk then that's an added bonus.

I started reading the replies and I thought: whaaaat??? Kids, today's lesson is to always PROOFREAD before you hit submit!! Thanks for the feed back. I'm going to try and straighten the springs that came with the reel before installing the new ones. I'm starting to think the new reel I bought online was a return from another buyer.

This was the first time I had ever had the side with the gears open.

I've never seen this happen before. I have one of the new blue Tatulas CT100H reels. Back in late December it started making a terrible grinding sound and the first thing I though of was dirt. I take the side plate off and one of the yolk springs looks like it was ran through a garbage disposal. I ordered some new springs from Daiwa and earlier in the week they came in. So today I'm cleaning the reel and I replaced the bad yolk spring, I put the reel back together and start spinning the handle and for the first few turns it was alright. Then it started making that grinding sound again. I take the reel apart, and the new yolk spring is off of the post on the clutch plate and into the gears. Anyone have this happen to a reel before?

I just start mixing and matching the rods and reels. Then I go in the backyard with a practice plug tied on. I'll cast with it for about 15 minutes to see how it feels.

What I'm currently using right now are BPS and St. Croix rods.

Tail down.

As it gets warmer around here most of the small lakes and ponds start getting vegetation growing in them. I like to start off with a topwater, then fish down just above the vegetation, then finally punch through the stuff and fish on the bottom.

99% of the time it's lift and drop.

I like fishing with hard jerkbaits, but the only water where they seem to work consistently for me is in large lakes and reservoirs.

I carry some Tylenol and some Claritin in the car for when my allergy acts up. My feeling is that if I am injured bad enough to need a first aid kit, then I'm injured bad enough for a trip to the ER.

I don't think I will ever get to the point where I will put down the rod and say I think I'll stay home today.

Most of my rigs pull a lot of double duty. Casting: (1) 7’0” mh/f BPS Tourney Special w/ Daiwa Tatula CT100H. (2) 6’6” mh/f St. Croix Premier w/ Daiwa Tatula CT100H. (1) 6’6” m/f BPS Bionic Blade w/ Shimano SLX. Spinning: (1) 6’6” m/f BPS Carbonlite w/ Pflueger 6935 President (1) 6’6” m/f St. Croix Premier w/ Pflueger 6935 President

For casting crankbaits, and other moving baits, I like the BPS lineup. I started using the green extreme rods years ago for moving baits. You can’t beat them for the money.

I’ve been watching fishing videos and going online to check out some of the smaller bait companies to see what products they have.

Zoom finesse worm Zoom Mag II Mann’s 8” jellyworm Zoom trick worm Creme 6” scoundrel BPS stik-o

I fish them either weightless or on a split shot rig. I start off weightless and if I don’t get any bites I add a split shot.

Nope.