Felix77

If you are looking for a league in the Albany, NY consider the Albany Area Bassmasters. For more information go to www.aabmbass.com.

Nothing surprises me anymore ... O.J. Simpson, Lance, Tiger, Bonds, Ray Lewis, Koby Bryant ... the list goes on an on. All have something fishy about their past. Some got caught. This "hoax" is little compared to some of these other stories but again .. Nothing surprises me anymore. :-(

I bought a pack of those fas snaps after seeing this video. They are tiny as hell but they are as fast a snap as I have tried so far. Listen to his suggestion about putting it on the bait first before tying it on. It does make it much easier. Two other types I have tried are ... Sea Striker Fast Snap - Medium - A little too bulky for me. Got a lot of grass. If the fas snaps are too small then this would be my #2 choice. Normal Lures Speed Clips - I found when my hands got wet or sweaty that these became a pain to put on. These would be my favorite if it wasn't for that. It's the closest thing to an actual split ring in my opinion.

http://www.bassmaster.com/video/use-snaps-save-time

I actually have a 65 M which I have also tried for Shakey Head stuff. I find I can do it comfortably with either and the MH I can use for a lot more in my opinion. As for topwater I do use the 65MH BC. I am experimenting this spring with a 6M to see if I can manage the spooks better that way.

That's great to know. Which snaps do you use? I also learned 2 tricks when using spinnerbaits for our pike tournaments. 1 - Use mono line to wrap the tip. When you put it on a steel leader it wont slide off. 2 - Use the small tubing that comes with most spinnerbait trailers. Clip a small piece and then put your steel leader on. #2 is like your suggestion and one I discovered too late for last year. :-)

I carry along 5 setups and no more. 3 baitcasting and 2 spinning. 1) 7' MH BC - 20lb FC. Used for flipping/pitching, jigs, heavy texas rigged etc. 2) 6'5" MH BC - 15lb FC. Spinnerbaits, Chatterbaits, 3) 7' Medium BC - Crankbaits, light spinners etc. 4) 7'M Spinning - Drop Shot, Wacky, Weightless Texas rigged Senkos 5) 6'5" Spinning MH - Shakey Head stuff I like your suggestions and as you can see some of them I am doing. (Great minds ...) I am liking the idea of an extra reel spooled and in my bag. Came up a few times. Thanks

Good idea. I have been experimenting with several snaps. Didn't use them last year and it cost me a ton of time. Definitely will in 2013.

When it comes to fishing crankbaits boaters have the luxury of carry rods with different line sizes for crankbaiting alone. This allows them to further tune the depth of the lure according to the conditions. As a co-angler I don't have that luxury so here's what I do. One dedicated rod - 7' Meduim with 12lb Fluorocarbon on my reel. I then carry an assortment of crankbaits which vary in depth up to 15 feet. (KVD 1.5 - Strike Kind 5XD) This allows me one rod which I can use for all my crankbait needs. How do others handle crankbaits with one rod reel combination?

That is true. You won't know until you are out there. This is part of what I meant about being versatile. In my opinion you have to keep pace with the boater. That means having a power fishing technique and a finesse technique rigged and ready to go. If the boater speeds up it's power fishing time, if they slows down it's finesse time. My 2 go-to setups are a spinnerbait and a shakey head. No matter what other rigs I carry (3 more usually) these two stay on the whole time for this reason. By the way ... you can always ask them to slow down. I don't because I have to trust they know the water and spot in particular. That means they are moving that way for a reason. Good luck

The only time I really see a difference is on hard bottom areas. Tungsten being more dense transmits more feel to me. I usually start with lead if I am unsure of the bottom contour. If I lack feel I go up in lead weight first and then go to tungsten. Minimizes my use of tungsten because as you all know it isn't cheap.

What a great idea! Thanks.

I threw mine away once I took one good review of it. Very disappointing.

Agree 110%. Sometimes the K.I.S.S. is the challenge. Limit yourself to no more than 5 rod/reels and a small tacklebag of stuff. Anymore than that and you will be spending more time figuring out what to do with your setups rather than fishing.

Some clubs host kid tournaments which will get you out on the water. It's not exactly the same but it get's you out on a boat fishing in competition. Most leagues require you to be 16 as someone else mentioned.

I have one spinning rod I use which is a 6'6" Medium action. On that setup I have 10lb PowerPro and usually fish it with an 8lb Fluorocarbon leader. The FC I use is Berkley 100% Trilene FC for leader material. What do I use it for ... finesse stuff. shakey head, wacky, weightless texas rig etc. This setup is for maximum sensitivity. The braid has no stretch and combined with the medium action rod transmits even the most subtle of bites. Note: If the water is stained, or dirty I bypass the FC leader and fish on braid alone. Hope this helps.

I agree 110% ... He's no dummy. Those antics made him different. Add to that his charisma, ability to catch fish, and teach fishing and you have someone that sponsors drool over.

Has anyone tried fishing a drop shot in water that is stained to murky water with any success? Visibility of less than a foot. I would suspect that bulkier baits, dark water colors (black, junebug, etc.) would work but thought I would get feedback from the group. Thanks

You have to video tape that and post it here. I would pay to see his reaction! LOL

That is crazy ... I bet you could cut the tension with a knife after that happened. LOL

x2 ... Thanks to all.

What kind of weights would you use? 1/4 or less?

I am curious about trying it but the advice I was given was to have a very short gap between the hook and the weight. Less than 6 inches. Have you tried the shorter leader as well? When you say a little longer how long do you mean?

As a co-angler I have avoided scents like JJ's or MegaStrike because I am clumsy and don't want to stain a boat that isn't mine. Does anyone put these scents on the night before? Thoughts?

Trailer hook 100% of the time. Never use a trailer.