iceintheveins

The eco purists run rampant in our fisheries management. They should all be purged.

I have three and they are awesome crankbait, topwater and spinnerbait rods. I have a 7' M, a 7' MH, and a 7'11" MH. You cannot do better for the money.

Sadly this is becoming more common. Colorado and some other states have a few lakes where access is banned altogether because it's "drinking water" (although 97% of drinking water lakes are open to fishing and most to boating nationwide and there is no problem, it just depends on the whims of local governments, many of which can ban things by decree without even passing laws), and a few have no wading or boating at all allowed due to fears of invasive species. What sucks is these lakes are public property, payed for by tax dollars, and they think they can unilaterally act to keep the people off of their own property, when there is NO real evidence that fishing harms water quality according to experts. In most lakes in Colorado, you must have your boat "inspected" before you launch by some government doofus to check for mussels and other hitchhiking species. It's this way in many other states now too. Benjamin Franklin truly said it best "a people who will trade freedom for security or safety will wind up with NEITHER." Drinking water protection and invasive species are not legit excuses to take away our liberty and they DO NOT hold up to intense scrutiny (as said before, there is a reason why 97% of all drinking water lakes are open and allow boating, because it DOESN'T damage water quality). Besides, all water usually ends up to be drinking water. The "security" issue is also bogus. Keeping it closed to the public WILL NOT keep terrorists or nuts from trying to do anything with the water. In fact, with more people around, a terrorist is LESS likely to try something because he may get caught a lot quicker than if he sneaks into a closed public lake. The "liability" issue is for the most part a BIG red herring. Most local governments are largely immune from such citizen law suits. Government property is PUBLIC property and only under dictatorship can the government TRULY own property. Another issue is stream access. For example, in Colorado, even large, navigable rivers like the Colorado, Gunnison, Yampa, Roaring Fork, White, and Green have stretches where the banks are privately owned. In Colorado, the landowner is allowed to keep people off the banks or from touching the bottom of the river, DESPITE federal law clearly stating that navigable waters (waterways that can float craft for part or most of the year) are a public right of way. They can't stop you from floating, but you can be cited for "trespassing" if you touch the banks. States such as Montana and Idaho have remedied this by allowing recreational right of way below the high water marks of navigable streams. I am passionate about this. We are losing more and more access every year it seems. A zero tolerance policy needs to be adopted by more anglers and to fight like hell to protect OUR waters.

Only when I've snagged something behind me and try to cast forward.

P - line 100% fluoro.

Popper in a lake, buzzbait in a river.

BPS Crankin Stick 7'11" MH action.

The skitterpop walks as good or better than just about any other popper. I use 10 pound test mono with them. With a little slack in the line they make a perfect, subtle little "blurp". My favorite popper of all time and I can't tell you how many bass have fallen victim to it.

Jig

Carolina and mojo rig, good weightless though too on spinning gear.

Thanks guys. Figured I was doing it right, but I'll try it like papajoe suggested too.

Pepperjigs from pepperjigs.com. I like pumpkin green flake (green pumpkin), black blue, and clear lake special (a brown orange). I use matching rage chunk or paca chunk trailers. Catch tons of bass on all of them.

I use megastrike, and I also squirt a little bang craw/shad in my soft plastics bags.

When you guys are pitching a tube, do you usually use a let it fall, then lift/hop it type retrieve like you do with a jig or a creature bait generally? I would assume just like the others most hits will come on the fall?

The twitches are SLIGHT on slack line, and all on the wrist. Almost like you are lightly tapping a table with your wrist. Twitching too hard will take all the slack out of the line and it won't walk.

The bomber square A is awesome, as are the KVD 1.5s. Don't overlook Norman Fat N's and Mad N's.

Pepperjigs.com make fantastic spinnerbait skirts.

Spinnerbait Jig and rage chunk Senko

In order: 1. Strike King Red Eye Shad 2. Cotton Cordell Super Spot 3. BPS XPS Rattle Shad 4. Bill Lewis Rat L Trap

Never fished the baitcasters but the spinning reels are the BEST on the market. The president is a better choice than most reels costing twice as much.

P - line 100% fluoro.

Toughie, but would go with a jig and rage chunk. Runner up a spinnerbait.

The rage shad all the way.

Aurora Green Perch, Ghost Baby Bluegill, Aurora Black, American Shad, Ghost Minnow

Pit boss Space Monkey Hula Grub Rage Hawg Baby Brush Hog Rage Craw Zoom Super Speed Craw