Christian M

I never used to use creature baits, until last season that is, when me, my partner and a whole gang of anglers got our butts handed to us by a guy using a baby brush hog. He won the tourney by about 4lbs. Since then I've caught a ton of quality fish using lizards & brush hogs.

I really like the Veritas line, they're super lightweight, sensitive, and the price is right. It's a shame the rods lack the durability and longevity of other rods in or around the same price range. I'll keep using these rods until they give out, but I dont plan on buying anymore in the future. I have a couple St. Croix rods which I've used much more often for a longer period of time and they have held up like champs. I guess I'll be sticking with them for future purchases (unless Abu Garcia makes some serious quality control changes)

After just 3 business days, yesterday I got my new Veritas rod. It DID come in a tube, which I thought was funny because when I called the send time to request that it be shipped in a tube, the lady said they dont do that. So after just one email and two short phone calls & $10, I got a brand new rod. Also, I repaired the old rod with a double foot Fuji guide, some black bonding tape, epoxy & crazy glue.

Tubes/Worms ( or plastics in general)- Black, Junebug, Red Shad, Baby Bass, Pumpkinseed. Spinnerbaits/Chatterbaits- Black, White, Chartreuse, & BlueGill, Baby bass, Blades depend on season, water temp & clarity, & time of day Lipless Crankbaits- Orangebelly w/brown back, Gold Shiner, Yellow Perch, Shad, Bone White Jigs- Black, Green/Watermelon Red, Brown/Green, White & Silver

You could try putting a heavier weight hook on the bottom one or two swimbaits, that might force the Rig to swim upright, but I agree with the others. As long as the swimbaits are swimming true who cares, there are no hooks on the rig head.

I wear one pretty much every time I'm on the water. In the winter Ill wear one over my Ski-mask, in the summer I wear one along with a light cap, if it gets really hot I dip it in the water, or pour bottled water over it & it keeps me cool. I keep one with my rain gear & fish gloves, and an extra in my tackle bag. Don't play around with the sun.

I use a Paache Talon. When it came out it was the first Paache to have dual action and an open handle. That way if your brush tip gets clogged, you can pull the needle back without removing the handle. It sold new for about $275, but I got lucky, my supplier got a batch with a 1mm scratch on the handle and he sold me one for $75. I bought several fine, medium, & heavy needle & tip combos. With any airbrush setup you're going to need a moisture trap so that the condensation from the compressor isn't allowed to enter your air stream. I really agree with the others when it comes to kits, I went that route and it just made airbrushing harder to learn. Get yourself a quality airbrush, preferrably gravity fed, along with a large compressor. That way you wont have a compressor constantly running and you can work in peace. Good luck.

Diggy, I didn't know that I could get a different size/action as a replacement. Honestly I used the rod with the guide missing for the better part of last season. If thats the case I'm gonna have to take a trip to Dicks & check out which new rod I'm gonna get. I already bought the epoxy & the guide for the broken rod, gonna save some $$ and replace it myself.

Actually there is a difference, I was in the art supply store & they had an iwata hose attachment & it was much bigger than my Paache brushes. If you cant find it try home depot or a hardware store. As long as you use sealant leaks shouldn't be an issue

I chose the Scanoe over a kayak. It takes up to a 5hp motor, is indestructible, and holds up to 780lbs. Is really fun on camping trips, small lakes and back bays or lakes w/no ramp, but I also have a boat for bigger water. It really comes down to personal preference.

Nice work man! If you're looking to take it to the next level check out tinboats.net, they have dozens and dozens of Jon boat hull conversions. You'll get some great info and ideas.

Nice work man! If you're looking to take it to the next level check out tinboats.net, they have dozens and dozens of Jon boat hull conversions. You'll get some great info and ideas.

Diggy you're the man! I emailed Abu Garcia explaining my issue and I attached a photo of the rod & receipt. Half an hour later they emailed me back saying they would love to replace the rod, all I have to do is pay $9.95 for them to ship the new rod! Im gonna get the one I have repaired & I'll have 2.

I took Pics this morning w/my phone before I left for work & I brought the reciept w/me. With the amount of $$ I spend on rods & reels I can't afford to lose receipts, and after reviewing the receipt I realized I had returned the original rod because of the exact same problem. I really hop they do right by me. I'm gonna email them, hopefully I get a new rod, Thanks fellas!

I always put feathered trebels on my walk the dogs, jerkbaits, & wide wobble cranks. I put trebel hooks on the EWG hooks when tossing Swimbaits in open water. I let black senkos & creme worms sit in espresso grinds to give them a coffee scent.

I bought a Veritas 7'6" MH back when they came out around June of 2011, it quickly became my go to flipping stick. This past season, one of the guides came out and now the one above it is beggining to loosen. I was going to take it to a local shop for repairs, but since it's within the 3 year rod warranty, I'm thinking maybe I should ship it out to Abu Garcia to be fixed. Has anone else had this issue? What would be my best bet?

Theres a Reservior near my home that is very similar, its about 760 acres and gets tons of pressure. For a long time I couldn't catch anything bigger than a dink. After more days than I can count, I started learning the nuances of the lake and gradually began to catch better quality fish. I'm still learning and studying the lakes characteristics, but its all about not quitting. I know guys that wont fish there because they think its a waste of time, but I'de rather fish there because I know the potential of breaking my PB is there. Keep working at it, find a map of the lake and study it well. For this time of year try to find the areas that have high potential for fish to spawn near. During prespawn & spawn I like to throw shaky heads with tapered straight tail worms in natural colors (baby bass, watermelon, pumpkinseed, black, junebug). Also, try tossing a rattle trap to cover water (IMO one of the most productive spring lures).

Powerbait 7" twist tail worm. I cut it down to the desired size, put the tail section of the worm on the main hook, then place the trailer hook on. By far my favorite, but I vary depending on the spinnerbaits characteristics

Just buy a new one & save the blade & skirt as spares

That is a true work of art, inspiring!

I don't believe there is a difference in fittings for airbrushes. I own a Paache (siphon fed) & Eagle Talon (gravity fed),they both use the same hose fitting. Its been a while since I used them so I don't remember the size fitting off hand. Your best bet is to call either your local art supply shop, or Iwata. They'll be more than happy to help. One thing I can say is make sure you buy a moisture trap & steel braided hose. You'll get a much cleaner, consistent flow.

There's a saying that goes something like this... "Don't run passed what you need chasing after what you want"

7.1:1 Gear ratio helps with baits that you want to cover water quickly with. If you're casting a spinnerbait, rattle trap, or buzzbait all day long and getting an average of 20-30 yards per cast, think about how many cranks that extra 3-5" is saving you. On the other end, if you're flipping & pitching into heavy cover, that one crank that picks up 5" of extra line could be the difference between a fish wrapping around a branch. I'm not saying the 7.1:1 is the best reel and ratio for everything, there are some situations where a slower gear ratio will help like crawling crankbaits. It's all about how you are planning on utilizing the reel

Graphic Designer / High School Teacher

Hey Guys, for the past couple years Ive been kicking around the idea of starting an afterschool fishing club in the high school where I teach. I finally approached the principal about it and he told me I have to write a proposal that will then go to the Board of Education to get approved or declined. The District I work in is considered Low Income, but the surrounding area is very rural. In fact, there are several freshwater lakes, rivers, and streams within 5 miles of these low income areas. All which hold trophy size Bass (LM & SM), Trout, Musky, Hybrid Striper, Pickeril and Catfish. There are also plenty of Crappy, Perch (yellow & white), & Sunfish. Two of these lakes are within walking distance of most of the towns residents. In short, there is plenty of fishable water that the locals need to be educated about. I've never put together a project proposal of this nature before, but I would like to include as much factual and statistical information as possible. I would also like to include articles, stories, and/or testimonials of how fishing has helped improve and even change peoples lives, and will benifit the students lives as well as the surrounding environment. Hopefully this will grow beyond a simple after school fishing club and will evolve into things like volunteer cleanup and assistace programs with the local DNR. Making the students and community members more environmentally friendly and ecologically conscious. In this era of "going green", I think its grass roots organizations like these that have the potential to snowball into much bigger things. I could go on, but I will get to the point. I know that this is something that will need to start off small and may very well remain that way for quite some time. I know that many of the members of this site have experience starting successful clubs and organizations, including youth and community events. What advice can you give me on writing this proposal to the Board of Education? Where are some good websites and resources to find information and statistics as far as high school/college fishing clubs and/or programs? Are there any stories that other members can share that may help in creating a proposal that the Board of Education will have a very hard time refusing?