MrPeanut

still too cold up here to try it, but I feel lik the Havoc Subwoofer will have great action as a topwater with that tail

^^ what he said. I generally start with a jig tied on, beacuse IMO it's more versatile - it can be dead sticked, hopped, swam whatever you want. If I find them in weedy/grassy areas where a plastic will slip through easier I make the switch / if they want it swimming I'll switch to a swim jig or something similar etc. This allows to try to target the bigger fish in the area with the bulkier profile first too.

I'm more inconsistent than my beloved Bears when it comes to skipping baits...it's a goal of mine to get better at it this summer. Practice makes perfect, or at least makes it better than it was, whenever there's calm water around I try to skip a few, even if there's no docks or anything around to skip under the bait itself can be a factor too, at least for me it's a lot easier to skip something with broad, flat sides like a tube than anything else.

I don't think it's bad etiquette either, especially in the situation mentioned. It's not like your trying to get the inside scoop in a shady way to fish a local tourney, it's just a friendly convo among fishing peers. The way I see it, everybody has gotten a tip or a quick pointer on what to use / how to use it etc.. at some point in fishing. Isn't that how we all got our start, whether it was last week or decades ago, somebody took the time to help us out

catching a new PB always tops the list also I want to catch bigger fish more consistently / lean to pattern fish more

I like some of his antics, adds some flavor to the show instead of being an infomercial for x product. Another vote too for the episode with Randy Moss lol

lol, I'm sure I won't get any strange looks when asking where the hair ties are located

that's a good idea, thanks

one of the techniques I want to get more comfortable with this year is drop shotting...as I was strining up the rods for the summer I came to a question though... where do you guys tend to put the leader under the hook when putting the rod back down for storage / moving to a new spot? do you put the hook in the hook keeper and just wrap the extra line around the handle?

I sit in a cubicle and read fishin articles while looking out for Lumburgh

I'll most likely start with a swim jig or a lipless crank. They both allow for covering water quickly

I joined the BASS one, I'ver never done fantasy fishing before should be interesting

skipping is something I have yet to master too....that being said does anybody have any tips on where to practice at at home? would it even skip on the grass or just sink in...would the driveway be the best bet?

I'm a fan of the yo yo retrieve with a lipless crank in spring

I'm on the same page, I don't put much weight on a pro's review if they're saying their brand is the best, especially when they don't give any reasons for why it's different than anybody elses. They're great at what they do and I'm sure they've had a lot of success with their brand, but they're also being paid to say it's better, which is understandable for marketing purposes. The only part I really listen to is why they're using a type of lure / profile, retreive etc not so much what brand

yeah Ike can be over the top a bit at times, but it's hard to not notice his pure passion for fishing and his work ethic...i did laugh though when they were showing Hackney and you could still hear Ike screaming Also I don't know if it was because retirement was close or what but D Brauer looked like the most relaxed fisherman on the planet when they were showing him

I think Sam has mentioned some great points as far as getting a solid career started. The one main thing I would agree with is getting the college degree in English/Journalism. I know from my college days a few years ago some of the things your forced to learn as far as communication, financial and time management skills are harder to learn in a classroom than being forced to learn it first hand. College is a great place to perfect those areas while at the same time having a blast with great friends. I also would agree that freelance writing is a career path where you have to have a great resume built up on paper before a potential employer would take a candidate seriously. A strong educational foundation would go a long way, just as a tournament fishing background would (especially if your having success at it). You can't put a price on prevoius related work experience either, so already having articles published is really an awesome start. In the end, your a young guy, keep your head down and work hard and go for it. A back up plan wouldn't hurt either, or even getting a career in general writing / english teaching etc.. and writing fishing articles on the side would be an added bonus

I might have to try Gulp more next year, most of the water I fish is stained

I usually go with any straight tail finesse worm I wonder about murkier water too though - I tend to shy away from drop shotting in more stained water does anybody have success with it?

I would put another vote in for the New Gill color of the NorthStar swim jig I've been having success in the weeds with it paired with a green pumpkin havoc twin tail

done...results should be interesting

I'll go until I lose confidence in it...which admittedly a lot of times is probably way too soon...or too long for that matter.

I'm dreading being frozen off the water as well what I like to do when I'm teaching myself a new technique, especially with slower finesse styles, is just bring that one pole with me. I get too tempted to pick something else up and I wind up just going back to what I always throw

KVDs book is hard to beat If you like to finesse fish Ike's finesse fishing book is really detailed and a great reference point for those presentations

I would agree that it's whatever is the most comfortable for you personally, there's no real right or wrong with which hand is used for holding the rod or reeling. I personally reel with my right hand for both spinning and casting, although I am trying to teach myself to make short pitches as a lefty...instead of trying to transfer the rod back over after the bait hits the water