Sam

When the lure hits the water with a spinning rig it falls straight down. When the lure hits the water with a baitcaster rig it falls back towards you. So a baitcaster has more accuracy in placing the bait where you want it to go. Just one more piece of the puzzel when considering to use a spinning or baitcaster setup.

Good report. Thanks for the feedback.

Oyster Toad fish. Better than pulling up a dead body out of the NJ waters. ;D

There was a TV show on ESPN on Saturday mornings where guys would customize boats, trailers and trucks. Sorry, but I just cannot remember the guys names. The guy in this video is Skeeter. At least I think his name is Skeeter. He was one of the "funny" guys on the show. The show is no longer on ESPN since ESPN dismantled our Saturday morning bass shows. If anyone else out there remembers the name of the show; the guys in it; and if it is in fact Skeeter in the video please let us know. Thanks.

Pink and white trick worms, weightless, brought back to the boat by twitchng worm. Great bait and technique.

Dan, The bait is drop dead beautiful. So gald you copied Dave's model as Dave is super at swim baits. Go out and fish it and send some pics back of what you catch.

Mase, Sent you a PM.

What he needs is a blowup doll on the top of his Suburban. You can get some nice ones in the New Orleans French Quarter. ;D

Also check out Green Top as those guys really know their stuff. Ask for Mickey or Jeff. Even old Ron and bald Billy can help you. Green Top would be a great source of information. The Bait Monkey is looking for you. ;D

Should work OK. Don't throw into wind with baitcaster. You can always go up in weight by adding a second one if you do not have any heavier weights. Why braid? How will you be fishing these baits?

Andrew, Everyone has been on Lake Manassas. OK, just kidding. Yes, everyone in Virginia is out fishing this beautiful weather all over the place as you can note by the responses. But Lake Manassas. Just dreaming of those big lunkers. Just sitting there. Waiting for their next meal. Along with the sheriff's and police departments ready to arrest you. Just dreaming.

Go with flouro or copoly and ditcth the mono. Mono for treble hook baits. Flouro and copoly for all other baits. I use braid for frogs. I start considering 30-pound test braid and then can go up to 60-pound test braid as the braid does not seem to bother the bass. Just get rid of the mono and to with a flouro, copoly or a braid and you should reduce or eliminate baitcaster problems. Maybe!!!

Did you go to the Loomis web site to read about their rods and apply that information to your query? What about the All Star or Kistler web sites? The rod makers have details about their rods that you can use when searching for your particular rod so give them a view. Rods are a personal preference and there is a lot of factors that go into a rod's selection. So check out the web sites; read the replies you get on this site; and then Google "selecting a bass fishing rod" and see what you get. But please check out the Loomis website as they discuss each rod type in detail.

Man, I wish LSU had a college fishing team. Is dynamite allowed? Us Coonasses like dynamite when we fish the bayous. Good luck to all in the tournament. ;D ;D ;D

BassNBiker, May I suggest visiting a professional trailer hitch shop and ask for their input? You can then follow their suggestions and not have any problems if you apply their input into your calculations. I had a hitch added to my SUV by a hitch shop and it is one of the best investments I have made. No problems and the boat tows beautifully. Good luck.

Sharkbite, Please listen to Low Budget Hooker. He is totallly correct. Now, from what I understand you want to take a leak out of your jon boat. You want to do this without falling out of the jon boat and into the water. Opps. Sorry. Wrong interpertation. Please do the following: 1. Follow what LBH says to do. 2. Visit or call a local BPS Tracker Boat service center and ask them what type of product they would suggest you apply to stop taking a leak out of your jon boat. 3. See what the guys on this site tell you. And when taking that leak out of your jon boat please do not fall out of the boat. ;D ;D ;D

I have a 332 and love it. I saw the new Lowrances at BPS this week but did not stop by to look at them as I passed the counter. Hummingbirds are less expensive than Lowrance units and the Hummingbirds perform very well. You may want to ask the salespeople where you are going to purchase your unit about the 332 replacement or go on the Lowrance site and ask them., www.lowrance.com. But don't bet next week's pay check on an e-mail reply. You will do better calling them dircet or contacting their parts department, 800.324.1356. And try to get the 2008 Lowrance Product Guide sent to you.

Muddy, What's so hard about math? 1 + 1 = 2 unless you are an accountant or a politician. In either of the two above cases, if you are an accountant he can make the answer anything you want. In case you are a politician you can lie about the answer and everyone will believe you. ;D And one more thought....we are either math or verbal proficient. You must be verbal. I am 50-50 as per the tests I have taken which makes me "strange." So try to talk your way out of the problems. ;D ;D ;D

I would forget it and keep using it. You can order the spring but if it works don't mess with it. When it stops working or when you clean it next year just use the replacement spring. Or if it blows up in the meantime....... ;D ;D ;D Thanks for the report and a reminder why I have professionals take care of my reels.

I have the Chatterfrog but have not thrown it to date. I push the snap up and tie directly to the snap on all Chatterbaits and they work fine. I have not tied to the underside of the snap and am curious as to your findings. Please let us know. Thanks.

Super info and great pics. Nice shirt she is wearing, too. Looking for more reports in the future. It is great to have our members fish the big tournaments and let us know about them. Thanks for sharing.

Send an e-mail to Dr. Keith Jones, Director of Fish Research at Berkley. Dr. Jones will answer you and probably also give you some insight to your query. You may have to "Google" his name or try to find him on the Berkley Fishing or Pure Fishing web sites. I am sure you will want to know where to find data on both resting and stressed bass; any seasonal changes; spawning; or other species that would be good subjects. Have you spoken to your librarian to find out how to search for Ph.D. dissertations? The data may already be out there in other college libraries to help you on how to conduct the study and what is the best type of fish to use. Let us know what you find out.

And I did not go into graphite or glass construction as I did not want to scramble your brains!

When comparing the two rods look at the specifications to see if they differ. If they differ, select the one that matches how you want to fish the rod. Hold one in your right hand and the other in your left hand at the same time to feel which one is lighter or feels better. Check the length of the handle to see if one handle is longer than the other. Cast each one to see how it feels when casting. Of course, you have only the rod in your hand when you do this but hold the rod in the air and move it back and forth with wrist action. Which one feels better? And actually go through the casting motions with each rod. Count the number of line guides. And what material are they? How is the tip of the rod's line guide constructed? Is the first line guide closer to the reel than the other? Some pros say to use the rods that have the line guides farther away from the reel for better casting. I am not saying that. I just read it in some literature. Does either rod have a hook or bait holder near the reel end of the rod? But the most important thing to do is to make sure the specs of each rod meet the paramaters of the baits you want to throw and the techniques and conditions you want to fish. Now, isn't it easy selecting a rod???? ;D ;D ;D

Follow Reel Mechanic's instructions. Be sure to stand rods straight up towards the ceiling in your room. Be sure to take tension off reels meaning both the spool and drag. Be sure to clean everything. And follow what Reel Mechanic says to do.