Avalonjohn44

As far as the Googan stuff goes, I don't care about the personalities of folks that sell or design lures. (If I did, I'd boycott anything designed or produced by that tool Mike Iaconnelli). That said, a lot of the Googan stuff I won't throw because I just don't like the product, particularly their cheaply-made crankbaits and spinnerbaits... I do really like their Bandito Bugs & Trench Hogs though, and keep those pretty well stocked. Another company I won't buy anymore is Lunkerhunt. I just don't like the baits. The frogs never produce and their other stuff just doesn't work for me. Sold all their junk at a swap meet, and was glad to be rid of it. Not baits, but I have had dreadful luck with Okuma reels. Multiple reels from them have failed on me. No more! Daiwa or Lews for me from here on out.

Crossing that lake at that time in my 19 ft tracker is pretty harrowing too. Wakeboarders, jetskiers, oh my...

I have a buddy that fishing nothing but these old reapers and the classic mister twister grubs. From ice thaw thru the winter. I have never been with him and seen him go home skunked.

I was in that same store this past Friday as well and couldn't believe it. I had a hard time finding enough baits to round out the $50 gift card I had. Maybe it's just a busy location?

People say Z-Man soft plastics/elastech will melt, but I haven't had that happen yet, and I've left them by accident several times in the covered bed of my truck. I have had one crankbait (megabass griffin) split down the middle at the seams, and I suspect heat was the issue after hearing others' stories about their cranks splitting in extreme heat as well.

We used to use one very similar to that one to clamp the tail of a fish and then descale it before fileting it up. It was way better than the board with the weaker clamp.

Can't believe I missed this reply. The best pair of fishing sun glasses I ever had was a pair of BPS ruby lenses. Haven't been able to find a good replacement for them, does anyone make a pink/ruby lens anymore? Still using the Oakley G30s and some Oakley violet/iridiums.

Mister Twister Top Prop https://www.mistertwister.com/information/top-prop/370#TP12 GC Tacklewarehouse has some too.

Rose - Oakley G30 Polarized. Getting hard to find.

Believe after getting lucky on google, it is a Kamooki Smart Craw. Can't post a link for some reason. No idea if it's good or not, chuck it out there and see what hits it.

Neat post. I took apart a couple of beater Rapalas and Bagleys when bored a few winters ago, but wasn't as surgical as you were about it, and made a fine mess... Might have been the water damage, but the Rapalas seemed better made.

Looks almost like a Kopper's Lipless craw knock off. Is that a metal chamber on the front? And what are those letters on the chamber?

x2

Man, I love it. Pretty badass little rig!

There was a recent post similar to this where I brought up Sluggos by Lunker City. I tore apart my fishing room this past week and finally found my sluggo box. I'm putting them into heavy rotation this year, also considering using them in new (to me) ways. I have a bunch of little 3 inchers, gonna throw them on a Drop shot and see how that goes. Gonna put some as a Chatterbait trailer and see if that does anything...

Gamakatsu makes a Skip Gap hook that I've had good luck with. They are designed to prevent the worm from sliding. They make a skip gap Shaky head too but haven't tried it yet.

I'm 6'0" (6'1" right out of bed )and was 250 at my heaviest and getting in and out of my kayak was a giant PIA, as was paddling my fat rear around a lake for half the day... If you are thinking kayak, definitely go for a sit on top rather than a 'sit in'.

Pink Sluggos put fish in the boat. My daughter uses a pink Bandit 100 that is no slouch either.

Local Facebook yardsale sites are littered with barely used kayaks in my area. I find the FB format and ease of contact less frustrating than Craigslist. A little patience should turn up a gem for a fraction of the price of a new kayak. As for transporting it, if your minivan has a roof rack, that's all you need.

I rock hop the Potomac below Great Falls VA and one hellgrammite will easily last for at least five fish. I hook them right thru that plate behind the head on a cheap weedless eagle claw hook. A dozen hellgrammites will usually last me all day.

I catch plenty of red eyed LMs in the northern corner of VA, they certainly exist. Take a pic next time and share it for the non-believers.

The board should start a challenge of some sort using only 'kid lures' like Rebel Craw, Beetlespin, Mepps Spinners, Rapala Brokenbacks etc for a weekend and post catch results.

Man, 4 Whopper ploppers, good haul! I fish a pretty clear, woody lake that mostly just gets hit by kayakers. I find quite a few crankbaits on sub-surface trees, but nothing compared to what you found.

I still use a lot of Lunker City baits, they're a very underrated company for some reason. The Sluggo, Salad Spoon and Hellgies are almost always in the boat. The sluggo is still a confidence bait for me, it still outfishes the fluke. The Salad spoon is a good alternative topwater with some unique sound/action, hooksets aren't superb (but not dismal either)... The Hellgies are a great numbers bait. I'll toss them under docks all day long, the fish are not at all conditioned to their fairly unique profile.

It was a giveaway back in the 90s for signing up for BassMaster Magazine. I would imagine they crop up on ebay now and again. Here is a link to a completed auction, maybe contact the seller and see if he has any more: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-of-6-Crankbait-Lures-GOOD-USED-CONDITION-BassMaster-Pointer-95SP-unmarked-/132888673072?hash=item1ef0c83b30%3Ag%3ARGYAAOSwXItcDa4m&nma=true&si=hWb3bOkJ%2F3Vqna2ND3VoVRWlh1I%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557