Felix77

Huge fan of Smackdown as well. PowerPro and PP Superslick is also not too shabby.

Happened to me with the Abu Vendetta rod. Had no tag but a sticker saying $30. They are still selling there for over $70 at other WalMarts. Just yesterday I got the biggest plano elite KVD bag for $35. I have also seen these in excess of $65. There are always hidden treasures at Wally World.

VMC Half Moon jigs are my all time favorite ways to rig them. As stated already swim them slowly. When going weedless it's a 2/0 EWG with a 1/8oz bullet OR a Mojo rig.

I researched this last winter and ended up investing in a SOT (Ride 115x). Comfort has to do more with the seat than if it is SOT or otherwise. FWIW - I can tell you that the SOT is extremely comfortable to fish from. I love my yak!

Agreed ... Saw that when I went to DSG yesterday. Mine is pretty depleted and I ended up buying a single thing. I was shocked to come out empty handed.

Did some digging and I found this. I personally like the PVC Pipe idea. Most like much less expensive overall. http://www.rhinorack.com/en-us/products/water/fishing-rod-carriers/ski-and-snowboard-carrier-fishing-rod-holder_562u

KVD will be back with a vengeance! If this doesn't fuel him going into next season then I don't know what will.

Plastics all the way ... looking to devote more time to hardbaits BUT for now my confidence is with plastics.

It has already been covered but FWIW here is what I generally do ... 1 - Wear out the fish a little more than you would from the bank. 2 - Reel them in close enough to get them alongside the Yak. Reeling in just enough line to keep the line tight by the boat. 3 - Steer them towards your free arm and either lip them in or belly them in. This of course is with a regular hook. Treble hooks I always use a net. Your trip isn't worth a treble in the hand. Good luck.

Little did I know that DVT was so close to me. I got Mike the reel last Tuesday and I had it back Friday morning. Put it to work yesterday and it acts like new. So awesome!!! Thanks for such quality work!

Eli will figure out this new offense and take the G-Men to the Superbowl against big brother Payton! ... end dream.

I use it for leader material most of the time. In a pinch I needed to respool for a tourney and bought 15 and 8lb test. 15 for a baitcaster and 8 for my spinning. Worked very well. I am usually an Invix guy.

Rage cut r. Weedless or t rigged over submerged grass is a killer!

Gold Spinner Bunch of Berkley 1 inch Leech Finesse worms t-rigged

There is nothing wrong with fishing strictly with spinning gear. i know a bunch of tournament anglers who refuse to go to baitcaster. A baitcaster takes time to learn. Practice, practice, practice. If I were to recommend one I would recommend the Abu Garcia Silver Max combo ($80). That is what I started with. Why baitcasters ... here are some reasons for me. 1 - Flippin and Pitchin - Higher gear ratio. Better control of each flip and pitch to specific targets using your thumb. Clumsy to do with spinning IMO. 2 - Topwater - Lures like the Sexy Dawg/Zara Spook. Better control of the lure for that walking action. The only con is with finesse techniques. I still prefer spinning for things like drop shot, mojo rig, weightless senko etc.

Already covered ... Burning a lure to me is to retrieve fast enough to keep it just below the surface of the water OR as fast as possible if it dives.

I wouldn't waste my time with it. I would invest in two colors to begin jig fishing. Green Pumpkin Black and Blue Grab a few of those (Siebert Outdoors) and grab some complimentary Rage Craws and go to town. Everything else after this is a matter of experimentation. I build my own skirts. A ton of fun.

I use braid on my bank fishing setup. I use 10 - 15 lb Braid. I tend to use a leader most of the time. 8-10 lb FC. depending on the conditions.

Now of only there was a Rage Mouse I could buy.

They look great ... I will stick to my $5 - $7 ones. Catches them just fine for me.

Congrats Mike! I remember when my little one was born. She turned 7 on Aug 14th. I know it's a cliche but the time does go by fast. Cherish every moment!

Yes ... I can't add anything else that hasn't already been said. Too many variables to factor in hour to hour let alone day to day.

Agree completely here ... I always focus on getting my limit and then cull my way up.

That is generally a tough thing to do and it certainly depends on your situations ... here is my 2 cents. If I am fishing someplace where I am familiar with the waters I tend to power my way through somehow to get some type of a reaction strike. My favorite lure right now is a chatterbait. If I can get a bump or bite on that I then know the area is good for picking through for more fish. At that point it is a little easier to slow down because there is a degree of confidence that there are fish there to be caught. Now if I am in unfamiliar waters OR fishing fast and not producing at all I tend to start by downsizing my presentation BUT still try to cover water. For me the finesse swimbait, finesse carolina rig over good looking "stuff" (weeds, rock, timber etc.) gets the nod. If I get a bite then, again, it's easier to slow down to a senko or something else because you have the confidence there are fish to be caught in that general area. If that STILL doesn't produce then it's true finesse time and my go-to for that is the mojo rig, drop shot and wacky senko. This is where I tend to slow myself down quite considerably ... What I do might sound cheesy but it works .... If I feel like I am not fishing slow enough then I begin using a counting method to make sure I slow myself and the lure down. I will use my mojo rig over weeds for an example. I will cast it out, let it sink and take out the slack and make sure your rod tip is at the 2 or 3 o'clock position. Count to 5 (or 10 for real slow). Raise the tip up to 12. Reel in the slack and repeat the counting. If you do this right one cast can last up to a minute or so each. I find concentrating on the process helps me forget how d**n slow I am fishing. This technique has surprised me more than once so I believe in it. Good luck.

I'm partial to PowerPro and the new Seaguar Smackdown.