kickerfish1

I am not sure any of these are necessarily secrets but I will play... 1. Buy a large pack of sharpies with many color options. Use them on soft plastics to add more color. A few examples are adding eyes, gills, or bars/stripes. You can shade colors especially on light colored baits. 2. More mileage out of baits... - use mendit to repair used soft plastics. You can get more fish out of the same bait and save some $. -re-rig stick baits like senkos at the opposite end or rotate the bait and run the hook through untouched plastic. -bite/cut a 1/2 inch to and inch of the tip of plastic worms so you can re-rig them again for a few more fish. 3. Try a mono leader and floating soft plastic bait on a c-rig to help keep the bait off the bottom. 4. Add a drop of your favorite scent to your baits. A good example would be adding smelly jelly in baitfish scent to hollowed out underbelly section of a fluke. 5. Stick cotton in tubes or other hollowed out baits and soak them with scent. It will last longer this way.

Stradic FJ or for a bit more the CI4.

The hunt for big fish with Larry Dahlberg.

Thanks for the reply and also (noting the price difference!) I will add a few to my spring order list. As far as the mend-it I have 2 bottles... very good stuff and saves lures and $. I also use a lighter as well.

No problem at all my friend! I too, have a hard time keeping the rod models straight especially when they are used for both bottom contact and and reaction bait rods. With all the numbers and letters it often seems like battle ship commands rather than fishing talk!

Very nice order QuakeNShake! On a side note what is the difference between the palm tree and the hydra baits? I picked up some fat ikas which I believe to be similar to the palm tree but this will be my first time using that kind of bait. Just thinking of making a few notes for a spring time order...

Possibly... but take a look at TW. Instead of clicking on dobyns cranking rods click on the Randy a McAbee cranking rods. The 805 is a very popular choice for bigger cranks and deeper divers. The reviews on their site alone are quite favorable.

Dobyns! Better balance and more true to power.

Do a Google search for Dobyns crank bait rods for more info from "better" crankbait anglers than myself. I am far from a crankbait expert but a big fan of the dobyns rods. I rarely throw cranks over a 1/2 oz and only own a very small handful of baits that are 3/4 oz. I a guess are cranking needs are different. With that said I own the 705 CB glass fast action rod. This is a great all purpose crank bait and topwater rod for baits up to 5/8 oz and decent for slightly heavier baits close to 3/4 oz. I don't think the graphite model of the 705 you referenced is the 'correct' rod option either. You may want to look at a longer and slightly more powerful rod. I think the 765 or 805 may be the rod best suited to heavier weights and deeper diving crankbaits. I can't speak for this rod but most owners speak highly of the rod. As far as dobyns in general... great warranty, owners, balance, looks, and performance, with many models to choose from. I own 5 of their rods from finesse to frog and cranking and they all are a joy to fish with.

Zoom horny toad almost 100% of the time typically in black.

1. SK caffeine shad 2. Zoom super flukes 3. Yamamoto D-shad 4. Others miscellaneous brands I use less than 5% of the time.

Good idea but I have way too much stuff to take pictures of it all. It may be easier to tell you what I don't have...

Excellent choice of rods!

If you are wanting a rod for crankbait fishing I would opt for the crucial and enjoy the savings. If this was a worm/jig rod I would say the difference in price would be justified as the cumara line utilizes a more sensitive and lighter blank. The blanks on the cumara bottom contact rods are supposed to be very impressive in terms of sensitivity and being true to power in their ratings.

All of my local lakes are currently iced over. I fished them up to about two weeks ago and water temps were in the high 30s. I am done until spring. Last spring I fished a lake that still had some ice on it in places and caught a few fish. When water temps are in the high 30s or low 40s fishing is very tough around here. Throw in air temps in the 30s and 40s with 15-25 MPH winds and it isn't very pleasant fishing conditions. Still fish to be had but they are VERY FEW AND FAR BETWEEN!

Woo! It makes me feel better that you have a 1000. I am at 10 of the 3700 size boxes of "premium" jigs plus another few boxes of older jigs from "back in the day" I don't want to count the exact number but i would estimate at well over 400+

X2... add in select powerbait products, roboworm, and jackall and that sums up 90% of what I use. Also as J. Franco noted most all will produce but beware of duds or knockoffs that appear like others but lack the triggering qualities of the originals.

In a 3700 series box. I break mine down by finesse, swim, and "standard/flip" types. I have alot of jigs so I also sort by color.

I almost exclusively use roboworm or jackall products for dropshotting.

I thought he was going by "Snoop Lion" !!!

The ability to fish slow and be multiple. By multiple I mean not forcing fish to take a specific bait or presentation because you like it but rather adapting to what the fish are wanting.

You can fish most soft plastics on a 3/0 or 4/0 hook. Personally, I like the Gamagatsu EWG hooks for most plastics like beavers, senkos, flukes, etc...

I use the large red/black tacklelogic bag. I have had it for well over 10 years and it has held up perfect. This bag gets used for soft plastic storage. The nice thing about it is I can swap out various plastic binders and bags for the occasion. I can put my rigging supplies in the side pockets. If you are looking for a large and durable bag to transport plastics this is a great option.

Alphas ITO 103

I haves had zero issues with a modified clinch knot for floro, mono, and braid. For attaching the main line to the backing of a reel I use the Alberto. The best knot is whatever the angler can tie well and in any conditions (low light, rain, etc..). There are so many good knots out there, just pick one and work on getting it as perfect as you can.