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When in doubt, throw some green pumpkin and you will be good to go.

When a frog is on top of thick weeds, I don't think they care how well the cadence of the walking is, or if the frog is pulling one way or another. Cheap frogs will not walk as well in open water or in sparce cover, but I have never modified a Live Target-Spro-Booyah-River 2 sea Frog and I find that if I keep the retrieve steady they seem to find it better when over slop. I have gradually switched to soft toads instead of frogs for most of my fishing, I rarely throw them anymore except for the Spro Poppin frogs which I love.

good for small wacky rigged 3" worms, or even texas rigging a thin 4" curly tail worm or leech...As long as you don't use a heavy rod and heavy line all will be fine, and you will get bit more using smaller hooks than larger ones. As long as you have enough space for the point and barb to grab after a hook set, you would be surpised at how many worms/flukes you can rig weedless with a small hook. If you enter an area that does not have heavy weeds, lip hooking a swimbait or senko/fluke gives it a nice wide roll without leaving too much hook to catch weeds, but enough to get an easy hookset

Tungsten is not all that expensive in weights less than 1/2 oz and besides flipping and punching heavy mats, or fishing deep, I think most people use bullet weights in the 1/8-3/8 range, and you can find a 4 pack of 1/4 oz Tungsten weights for roughly the same price as say a pack of 4 Florida Screw in weights which are lead. The smaller size is what I like best, I also find if I am dragging the bottom, I can feel the composition a little better if I am using Braid, not so much with Mono. I have read that it makes a more natural noise when it hits wood or rock and I just figure that it can't hurt since I like putting a bead in between a bullet weight that slides and the smaller profile also looks alot better when you start getting into 1/2 and larger. A 1 oz bullet weight of lead looks crazy to me now. I have steel weights but I hate their shape and they look funny when pegged. Brass is too loud for my liking even for a carolina rig and I hate a carolina rig, but when i do use it, I would rather skip the brass all together and just add a plastic bead, maybe a ticker at most, but often put the rattle in the soft bait instead. I do notice the Tungsten Drop Shot Sinkers help by sliding though grass easier and so do the smaller bullet weights and weeds to not stick to them as much from my experiences,so I will keep using a smaller weight as the less terminal tackle the better.

Whenever I bank fish a pond that has a fountain with a rope attached, I always check the rope and depending what is stuck on it, i will get in the water and walk out to the lure or lures to get them..... We all know that casting to a fountain is a can't miss area for several Bass, and when done, I Iift the rope. Last week I pulled a Chug Bug that was old, but I sanded it down and put new trebles on it, and it also had a few square bills, the best being a Spro Little John, and a new clear Torpedo which I needed. I tied on the Torpedo and put that one in a tree about 10 minutes later, so at least it was free.

I have not read all the posts but I can say with certainty that if you are buying a reel on Ebay or from anyone you do not trust or know, be carefull of the "New without box" that is often advertised...If the seller has a reel that is not commonly paired with a combo, where would the box be if new? Also you need the box and papers alot of times for warranty purposes, and I can say with 100% certainty that many sellers will often call a reconditioned reel a display model or new from a combo. I worked at a wholesale company and we sold a ton of reels without boxes, many were truly new and from combos as we made more money breaking them up and selling them seperate, and if anyone had an issue the owner simply honored the warranty as long as it made sense...However, I know several of our customer's would purchase large quantities of reels that were reconditioned and then sell them on Ebay as NEW without a box.....I don't know if they did it intentionally as reconditioned reels usually look new, but I know that many reels on the bidding sites are refurbs and not brand new, and if they are not a reputable dealer of that product, then I would pass. I would never accuse anyone of doing this intentionally, but if I am paying regular price for a reel, I expect a box, papers, and warranty. If you are not sure, simply ask if it comes with a warranty and what happened to the box or rod etc..I know one seller who has over 100 reels that are all display models or from combos, and that seems crazy as you would at least save the tag from the combo if planning on selling them. Warranties are key, companies today truly honor them and work with you since so many companies are producing high end reels and the market is much bigger than Daiwa and Shimano with Okuma, Pinnacle making reels instead of just being an oem for other companies,Lew's, Quantum, Bass Pro, Cabela's,Academy, Gander Mountain all make reels with at least 1 year and they will replace with a box...Hope that helps someone.

I like to use either 10-20lb braid on spinning reels and then use a fluoro leader from 6-17lb as I feel I can get longer casts with braid and I save money that way. I often use a long leader and find that leader material (I like Seaguar & Triple Fish but have not tried any others) and I trust my knots and line from breaking as leader is stiff and more abrasion resistant imo. I used to go straight braid without a leader, but I now believe a leader (especially fluoro) catches more fish than tying direct from braid. I have 1 reel with all 6lb Invisx on it, and it took awhile to get used to it and to break it in....I had issues on my first trip with line twist and memory issues, but now that I have used it for about a month it now handles fine.... I would not go over 6-8lb,although I am sure some of the higher end Fluorocarbons are much softer and easier to use on a large spinning reel...15lb Daiwa Samurai braid is 2lb mono diameter and is also an 8 strand, so it will cast a mile, and I like a bright yellow with 4-8' leader so I can watch my line. I feel fluoro handles best on casting reels.

I know that most people like to flip and punch heavy jigs and weights with a 7'0 and longer rod, and most people I know use a 7'6" or longer for weights over an ounce and I guess it helps with leverage pulling out fish. I currently use a 7 foot heavy action rod, although being short (My licence states 5'6") I prefer a shorter rod in the 6'6"-6-9" range as I can flip with more precision and my rod tip will not hit the water when casting. I know leverage is important, and I can use a long rod with a modified side arm cast, but is a long rod necessary? I feel accuracy and a quiet entry is most important although I am new when it comes to using heavy weights over 3/4. I have seen how effective a heavy weight can be and especially a fast falling bait. I just picked up some Punch rigs/Jigs from Siebert that look awesome and I plan to get them wet later this week, so I was wondering what most people use? If tossing a 1-1/4 ounce weight, what rod size is best? Thanks.

I agree with the above post for my style of fishing. I like them weightless and I will often insert a rattle instead of the bead for fishing topwater but I usually go silent. I stick with black, junebug/chart feet, white, and bullfrog with orange belly. I love to use them as a jig trailer as well and the Horny toad has feet that point Inwards so it has a complete opposite action and effect than say a buzz style frog like a Ribbit with paddle feet. I have had days where I could not get a strike on a loud frog with paddle feet, but a Rage toad or Horny Toad with the inward legs produced well. I am not sure why, but I have seen this several times and even though I like both styles, I do prefer the Horny Toad and Rage Toads as my 2 favorite soft frogs, and I throw the Ribbit if the water has some chop and fish are active.

I throw alot of the older Rebel lures, they made some in great color patterns as well....You can find em cheap as well.

Sebile makes a small Stickk Shad, little fatter but small....you can also walk a 3-4" senko on the surface. Light wire hook helps, heavier than normal mono leade may help, rig it with the nose up and if you like stealth and need a swivel, the invisiswivels are made of fluorocarbon and work great. A small walleye slip float, or pill float in front helps, or Bett's makes a floating bullet weight that helps keep the lure on the surface without having to go quickly, and any elaztach bait floats easily.

Great bait, flip it or swim it, flat or vertical, it gets bit.

I fish alot of local ponds at night while walking my dog and many are void of any cover and some barely have any weeds, and most are only 3-6' deep, have plenty of bass in them (Mostly small 10-12", although a few fish over 20" are in all of them, so it is fun to fish them at night since they are most aggressive and easier to catch) I have discovered that the first hour of darkness is rarely any good, and I have tried all lures and baits but if I am fishing as it get's dark and right after, I usually don't even bother to cast anymore. I have read it is because it takes a good Hour for the eyes to adjust to the light change. I have found that the best time is on a day that was really hot, or even a day that was raining since it creates a current near the spillway or somewhere in any pond, and that just gives away the spot to fish as the fish are roaming at night and the bait is going to be getting caught in the current or be feeding on the algae that is drifting that way. I have found a few techniques that work best for me.... 1- Smaller Chatterbait or Bladed Swim jig with a black or brown skirt, and a darker smoke, black and blue, or black and red bulky but smaller trailer to give it lift as you fish it like a wakebait and use the reel to give it action by speeding up and slowing down, and give it some shakes during retrieve as well. My favorite trailers are the Subwoofer in Junebug, 5" Dark color Grub, or my most productive lately has been the 3.8" Speed Shad which is similar to the Keitech swing minnow and I use blacks, blues, smokes with dark flake, and anything that mimics a bluegill, tilapia, or baby bass, shiner since that is the forrage base. 2- Tried and True and works anywhere I fish at night, and is a true can't miss lure....Rapala Floating Minnow in size #9, or #11 and I lke the Jointed models as I find slow rolling steady is the best way to go at night as anything to erratic makes them miss, and if you are not getting bit, go with a smaller Rapala 2" floater. Color is usually silver/black, or Gold/black. 3- For Lunkers, I like a large Red Fin waked under surface in gold if shiner are in the pond, a Rattling Rogue or Long A floater in any darker pattern or that match any baitfish.....I used to have success fishing topwater lures like Torpedos, Sammy's, and Popping lures, but I think fish see them to often.... If all else fails, simply rig up a dark or smoke Yamamoto 4-5" grub on a ballhead or darter jig and cast it out and figure out how fast and at what depth they want it as that usually works anytime I can't get bit day or night. I know most ponds get alot of presssure, so I leave my black Spinnerbaits, Black Topwaters, and Jigs at home, and same with black ribbon tail....I go grub, sassy shad, or swim a creature like the Small Rodent in black/blue on top or bottom. Sorrry for the long response but I have encountered issues catching fish at night in ponds for years and when I posted my issue on this site I was turned on to the bladed swim jig and now that is my top choice all the time at night, and size is very important.

You are doing something right and obviously know how to find big fish because I am all about length as well, and for NJ, a 20" Bass is t a Big Bass and 22" is a special fish and the lake that fish came out of is a lake I would be fishing most often. My biggest fish from up North was 23" and estimated to be 6.5 lbs using the Rapala formula of measuring girth and length and plugging into a formula. The nice thing about that fish is the fact it has grown over the years, and is always a solid 7, and depending on who I am talking with, it may get longer and even hit 7.5. I was hooked on Smallmouth when I was in college and they were not as fat as they are now since Gobies were not part of the forrage base at that time (at least we were not aware if they were) and we would fish Tubes 90% of the time and my goal was always a 5-6lb Smallie but I could never get over the 4lb hump but the few that I did catch over 4lbs faught 3x harder than a largemouth of the same size. We would fish the Finger lakes where everyone would be fishing for Steelhead and Trout/Salmon and we would get laughed at targeting all the 2-3lb Smallies you could see and catch almost every catch with a small jig and grub...I am planning a trip to visit my Brother in the Spring and he lives near Candlewood so we are going to take the boat out for a weekend of Trophy hunting...I love that lake. Anyway, my point was to say a 21" Bass up North is tough to catch no matter how good you are, and to get one on an artificial is even more impressive. I would always hear stories of all the 5lb fish people were catching in lakes on Long Island and I am now certain that all the 5-7's we heard about were nothing more than the 19"-4's we were all catching, but anything larger than 19" was big and still is when I go visit...

tIf you are fishing a body of water or area that contains large forrage like bluegill, large shad and big shiners, Perch, Crappie etc...Then throwing a big bait or large swimbait will catch larger fish for the most part. If a Hatch takes place and the lake is full of small 1-2" fry and is a lake that does not have shad, shiners or any of the main baitfish sources, then you probably do not want to be throwing a large swimbait 8-10" long as it will look odd unless you are catching a ton of smaller bass in that size range then I will always go to a large bass pattern super spook, or Swimbait as bass colored swimbaits and topwaters are great post spawn to run through schools of Bass Fry. If you are feeling rocks and hard bottom then you know that crawfish are present and I am a believer that catching big bass comes down to getting the size of the pattern they are on correct, and also mimic the action of how a crawfish flees, or how small baitfish dart, so throwing a tiny jerkbait like a 3" rip bait or smaller Rapala can be deadly if you work it exactly how the baitfish are moving that day and at the ramp I always look in the water to see if the schools of minnows etc. are swimming fast, suspending and darting, color of craws if under rocks, and I also spend some time at all new lakes catching panfish, shiners, anything that will hit a powerbait maggot on #12 hook, and that gives me color and many lakes have bluegill or shellcrackers that are stunted and all 3-4"... I guess the point is, it pays to spend time on the water and watch how a baitfish dies, how it acts when it is wounded, and how cold and warm water effect movement so then you can choose a wide wobble or tight crank, and if you know the shad have a chartruese tint, then you will no doubt catch more fish with a bait in the same size and color and at right depth....Blindly casting without a strategy rarely works, and when in doubt, I would say slow down, all the big fish I have caught have come when I pick apart an area and fish it slowly and carefully, rarely will my first cast at a target result in a good fish, but if it looks like an area a good fish would use to ambush baitfish, then I will hit it form many angles, and several presentations from a jig on bottom, fast and slow fall, swimbaits at various depths, and then a topwater.....After a while you learn a lake and can feel a big fish coming and almost know it before making your cast. If you think that you are in an area holding fish but can't catch anything, try throwing shiners one day and you will be amazed how many big fish you catch and how fast, and then you realize that the amount of fish we pass in a day is insane, where a few of those shiner fish could of been caught if you landed the lure close or on top of the fish as inactive bass will not chase anything if not feeding, only strike out of instinct.

I need the Rapala Walking Minnow......

The Kanan Relics on Ebay are simply imported from China out of a catalog from an Oem who only makes swimbaits and cranks called G_______oda and you can buy them direct from the express site 5 for $25 and have them at your door in 2 weeks in an E packet.....I believe the Cabelas live forrage swimbaits are the same exact thing, also their are now about a dozen companies that have started selling the same one's....Kanan was one of the first to import a large quantity to get the price super cheap and blow them out in quantiity. I have fished the one's I buy direct and they work as well as the Academy, Cabelas, Reaction Strike, Bass Pro segmented swimbaits.

I think all stick worms work well, but I do 100% believe the GYB line of Senkos is superior and worth the extra money since they offer so many colors that other companies do not make and add little subtle changes that I think make a big difference. Just Imagine a pond that get's heavy fishig pressure. The majority of anglers are throwing worms and usually a stick bait, and we all cast to the same spots as the guy before us since we are all looking for cover and ambush points...Bass learn from experience and in a pond that is in my community only the small Bass under a year old will go near a senko, rattle trap, spinnerbait etc...I would imagine they see more than 30 stick baits pass by them each week, and if I can have a worm that is black and blue, only has large blue flake with some silver instead of the standard, that may be what causes the fish to strike. I have yet to fish any Yamamoto soft bait that is not productive,and I think it is more than just the texture and action...Its the color patterns imo since the recipe is out there to make an identical Senko but what other company wants to spend all that money for production for hundreds of colors for each size senko, grub, etc....The OEM mixing GYB baits must be super busy all year long with the volume of sales and variety they offer.

http://www.theonlinefisherman.com/reel-news/item/soft-plastic-lures-the-future Above is the like that talks about the issue of soft plastic formulas and how most do not break down at all...I doubt soft plastics will every be banned like lead since companies like Pure Fishing(Jarden) and other large companies with boatloads of money also have a strong lobby, unlike say "Gremlin".Imagine a Bass Pro Catalog or sporting good store without bags of plastics and Just bio baits and lures???? Lead was easy to replace as Tungsten is more profitable and expensive, everyone who has heard about lead poising just assumes lead is bad so that is easy to ban when companies are not buying off their local congressman. I would imagine 1 anchor getting lost on the lake bottom is worse than every split shot or weight I could ever lose, plus lures are more expensive now with Tungsten weights inside.... A ban will never happen on soft baits and I just think if we all do our part and I am sure we all do, everything will be fine even if we use lead as well. I would think Fishing Line is more dangerous than all of it, but Dupont will not hear any of that.

I may be wrong but I know pvc is a form of platisol or plastic as a general term, but pvc baits have a smell to them usually, although Roboworm uses pvc like many of the baits made overseas which are buoyant and often have the best action but pvc tears very easy.... I also know that some forms are not allowed anymore so I am curious to figure out the differences of pvc vs. plastic as I know they put salt in both, can hand pour both, and I also know some grubs are marketed as "Silicone" so I don't know.....I do know that I have purchased PVC baits from overseas that were awesome looking, super soft, you could float a 5" hammer tail swimbait with a 5/0 ewg hook, but it smelled like oil and had a jelly feel. Silcone baits have a unique feel, and I have some old baits from "Hart" that were silicone and they are super soft and popular for Trout in Saltwater. Overall I think it is all PVC or a form of it and like anything else, changing 1 molecule can make it a new animal..Anyone who makes Hand pours should know this, and I am now curious.

The Reason States like Main were looking to ban platics on top of lead is due to the fact that birds, turtles, and fish eat the worms and I have caught a few bass in ponds that were emaciated and it was because they had a senko in their gut blocking everything...If you fish Bio baits Like Gulp, Trigger X, yo-zuri excite a bite then it will degrade and is not toxic.....Whenever I gut hook a fish by a accident I try to carfully get the worm out and just cut the line at the hook since the hook will rust away quickly, and I have caught bass with hooks in their throat several times.

Rage craws, Ika and Gitzit tubes, Pro Senko, Powerbait twitch tail minnow, zoom tiny flukes, and flick n' shimmy 4.8" wacky rigged, but I truly think any bait with multiple appendages or action is great when fish are active, and a tube/small senko or trick worm when picky. I have used Brush hogs and lizards and swimbaits as well with success, a 3" sassy shad is awesome in the fall.

Great idea with keeping bobber stops on all the time...Such a simple idea yet I have never heard of anyone doing it and it makes so much sense....I love to turn around while fishing a heavy mat and make casts out to the open water and I like my worm to fall without the weight to slow the descent, plus I believe having a beed in between the weight increases strikes as the weight, bead and worm all crash down if not bit on the drop...I will just shake it for a good 10 seaconds and let it sit after touching bottom and many strikes happen as soon as I start to lift my rod. I figure everyone is so focused on punching, and alot of people I have seen punching get way too close and are too loud imo, so I do well as I know alot of bass will retreat to deeper water if pressured all day or have noise above them that is heavier than usual.. I catch more fish during the weekends in areas that are not very productive during the week, but on weekends they will take of too avoid loud music, jet skis etc...Sometimes the key is finding an area that looks like it never gets hit much and is somewhat close to an area to feed.

I forget to mention the Senko which is probably one of the best for heavy punching as it gets through anything and the Swim senko is another great option....We usually punch or flip with the 6" size in black and blue, or 5" Red Shad swim Senko.....Gives em a new look as well and alot of people in Florida also like to punch a fat max culprit as the tail is compact...

If you like the Mr. Twister grubs and looking for more colors check under Exude for different colors and also Charlies Worms, and I forget the other company that has grubs very similar in design and texture, action, weight, length etc...If you call Mister Twister (they have fantastic customer service) they can order a special run if you have a color you want and I think the MOQ is small like 100 or 500, but prices are good. They will sell or should say used to sell the top props seperate if you asked, and a 100 top props was very inexpensive.