Spankey

They hold up real well. Tackle Warehouse has a good color selection. Probably the complete color choices. I find them to be the best dealer there is for Rapalas.

A shop out here in eastern Penna. call Wacky Worm might be able to help you. Big into plastics.

I love the Shad Rap line of baits. Not exclusively fishing the plastic and glass raps. I also like the purple and black patterns. Have a few patterns in the balsa that are killer. I find that during the season I have to switch up sizes. Through the summer I find #5 to be a bit more productive. Late summer into fall I throw the larger #7. My most productive patterns I have in both sizes. I got the chance to play around with the newer "live pattern" Shad Raps late this summer. Caught fish but still out to lunch on them. Won't put my others away any time soon for the life likes. Rapalas are good stuff.

Trying to look through some pics also to post. Have caught quite a few out here in S.E. Penna. with those marks. All good healthy fish. Posed that question to a few state fishery guys and they said its healthy. Have never caught a sick Susquehanna fish, have never seen a sick Susquehanna fish caught. Birth marks to me. But the more I think about it I've never seen the spots on a smaller fish. Only on a respectable size, not a dink or runt.

I love my St. Croix rods. I have not had many issues with them over the years but when it came to warranty they stand behind their stuff. I done something real stupid a few years ago bringing a nice smallie into the boat I had a finger about 18 inches from the tip and one on the handle and did the swing into the boat. Sounded like a firecracker when it snapped. Didn't loose the fish but was heart broken over the rod. Avid 5'9" MXF was replaced. Hand a cork handle issue on a 6'9" ml Mojo they fixed up. And had tip guide problem on an Avid that was a repair/replacement. My trout rods I beat the heck out of them and they just don't break. I think they are good people with a quality product. I register all of them to eliminate a warranty issue.

I fish with both of those rods also. Only throw worms, tubes and grubs on them. Split shot and drop shot the majority of the time. I'm more likely to pick up and fish my Med. Lt. St. Croixs but, if I were to have or get just one first than It would be the 6'8" Avid Med. XF. I think you will find going down to 1/8 oz. will work great and going to 5/16 & 3/8 in heavier current doesn't over power the rod. I recent purchased an Avid X 6'6" ML Fast for the bit softer tip. Wanted something a little softer to throw some lighter swim baits. I like it. Have been worm/tube fishing with it and throwing Shad Raps and swim shads. Happy with my purchase. Buy one, than all the more reason to get the other.

KVD. I'm not going to fool myself. I would be happy to just hang in there fairly close. A spinnerbaits is not a go to bait for me. I know it is for him. The game could be over for me at that point. On an educational stand point, what better guy to fish with.

I guess earlier in the post my thoughts came off like an azz but, on a good day and fishing hard I feel that KND wouldn't skunk me. Yes, I realize KVD is possibly the best fisherman that has ever lived. I guess it's easy for me here in eastern Penna. to question as to what was going on in the 2005 Classic that was in Pittsburg. I wasn't there. I've never fished there. I do know when that was taken place we were not in hurricane or flood conditions because I was fishing here on the opposite side of the state. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I did get out there the other year but not to fish. Happened to be out there for a different purpose. Thought it would be a cool place to comeback and fish sometime. I realize I don't stand a Chinamens chance to fish with KVD, against KVD or even in a "can you beat Charlie Moore" version with KVD. Be pretty cool to have him woop ya and learn a few things. In this new year I'm going to challenge myself to go fish that same area they fished in Steel Town. Be a neat road trip to do for a few days. I like river fishing, hopefully I will feel at home out there. I'll give it hell and see what they were up against. I don't have a jet motor on my bass boat so I'm probably at the disadvantage in what water I can cover vs. what they covered. I believe about 10-12 lbs. won that tourney. Not sure what they used for size limit? 12"? 15"? I'll go in July.

I guess that's what I trying to say. I'm NO pro. I'll acknowledge that he is. A great fisherman he is. Clearly more skilled than I. A God he's not. Man vs. man. I would have like been in that Pittsburg Tourney. Getting equal time to do my homework even up. I'm not saying I'd beat him. I didn't say I would beat him. You are the one saying you couldn't beat him. And I take it you don't think you'd stand a chance. Kripes it's a fish, got to believe you caught 100's. Pull it together and go at it with all your experience and prior success bass fishing. I would try to approach it in such a way that it doesn't make me a head case. I would imagine the pressure one would put on oneself would be the killer. I would love the opportunity to get beat by KVD. My sense is that you feel like KVD would crush you. 5/5 vs. 1/5, 5/5 vs. 0/5. Heck give yourself a little credit if you can fish. I'm just a regular ole river rat schlub that can handle myself, but doesn't fish as fast as the pros do. I'd just "never give up" like Ike.

I think I could hold my own against him in the Delaware River. When the pros were in Pittsburg back some years ago it was not very impressive. I've never fished the Three River Area but think I could have done better than some there. I won't limit him to the spincaster.

I would like a day on the water with Ish. Seems like a real true sincere guy. Seen a recent interview with him on the water. BPS is lucky to have a guy like him on board.

You are dead on they were a dink magnet. But, there were times I caught 30 smallies with it before 9:00 am. I'm not complaining it was fun. I think back on it many a day. I'm glad I didn't give them away. I have 2 of them. I like to talk colors. Lures, patterns.I have nothing to hide. I hope this site is more open than others, I don't have anything to hide as to where I fish either. Public water, public ramps. River Smallies site was great years ago. That site is ruined now days. It has nothing compared to here.

Though I don't fish it very often anymore (idiot for not fishing it more often) I wish I had a dollar for every smallie I caught on my Black with Chartreuse Belly craw floater diver.

I'm able to target some fish still and hope to get the boat out over the next few weekends. Not too bad of a season this year and certainly better than last year. Next season I'm going to throw more soft plastics. I'm going to step a bit back in time when I fished worm, tubes, and grubs a lot more. Throw some of my older stuff. Slow my fishing down some. I've caught some nice smallies off of both soft and hard baits but my largest and pb have been off soft plastics. I admit I get times that I find myself throwing crankbaits and spinnerbaits in different color pattern the whole time out. Effective yes but, maybe taking myself out of the picture for that real nice one.

I like NJ Salts care package. I'd throw in a black and blue 3/8 oz. chatter bait and a #7 shad rap in blue back herring along with his picks.

I have a thing for early a.m. fishing. I love being on the water at first light. Least amount or at times no wind. River can look like a sheet of glass. Yes the nights are longer and can be at freezing temps that early but I have gear for the cold.

I've been fishing RoboWorms since the early part of the '90s. A lot of good color patterns mentioned. Don't hesitate to try bluegill,witches t, and the peoples worm. All the Oxblood colors work equally as well to me. Roboworm with a light wire Gammy.

I have that dream every other night. Out here in my corner of S.E. Penna. it's not gonna happen but I'll keep trying. My biggest smallies have come off a Guido Bug craw. I still have and use them but they are a bait of the past and impossible to get anymore.

Take that there live bait off of there and get a Roboworm or a Manns Dragin worm on there in bluegill, prism shad or sand. Than hold on.

Rattlin Rap - gold w/ black back shad pattern. Have a pic here on my phone. Have to figure how to download it. Mid-April in a creek mouth.

I have not thrown a crank bait or spinnerbaits in weeks. Slow things down with some soft plastics. If you think your going slow enough. Slow down a bit more. The smaller or juvenile fish seem to hit harder. The larger fish when hooked seem to be slower but noticeably heavier. 3" to 5" plastics has been my choice. Worms, craws and grubs in baitfish type colors. Will be out in the am hopefully this is still the case. This is how I'm starting out.

I've had both galvanized and painted Tracker Trailers and never had an issue. Yes I'm in fresh water majority of the time. Do fish tidal brackish on occasion. Don't have rust or never developed anything like that. Fight it the best you can.

I treat a half tank as full all season long it keeps the weight down. I treat my gas with Mercury additive all season long. I'm stabilized all the time My tank level will be pretty low by my last time out. I winterize my motor by fogging, check and fill fuel filter, change my lower end oil. Start up in spring on my old plugs than change them out. Don't encounter too many issues.

I wouldn't say every few years but I went from one Tracker to another a few times. Run a 19 footer with a 90 hp Merc. now. I like the aluminum because it is lighter and I fish alone for the most part. The old lady says I take this bass stuff too serious and nobody wants to fish with me. Oh well. I'll get the 19 1/2 footer the next time around. I like the deck space.

I work in Heavy Industrial Equipment Repair electo/mechanical repair work.. Been doing it a long time. Don't quite see the light at the end of the tunnel yet to retire. But when that day comes I'll be chasing smallies around at least every other day.