AQUA VELVA

Used to be that way for me to at first. At this point , I know what works for me so I just replace stuff that breaks, wears out or gets used up. At 68, I don't like milling around in stores as much as I used to. I do most of my shopping on line now and it's great

I used to look forward to the fishing shows but not anymore. They have taken on a kind of roadside carnival atmosphere. Their sole purpose now is to see how much money they can suck out of you before you wise up and leave.

I never see spiral wrapped rods in any of my catalogs. Wonder why more manufactures don't offer them? Is it a low demand niche market or what?

I set my rig up and attach the line to my truck bumper with an S hook. I hold the rod at about a 45 degree angle and back up. I set the drag so that it releases when the rod tip is pointing straight down the line to the bumper. Right or wrong, Iv'e been doing it that way for years and it seems to work for me.

Still using my Quantum 600Ti's from the mid 90's. First $100. reels I ever bought.

I think that we can all agree that Black Hole hooks made with stolen alien technology from Area 51 are truly the very best.

We have a huge BPS and Cabelas here in lower MI. At first they were like a big,fun adventure.After a few trips,though, I started feeling like a steer in a stockyard. The sheer amount of stuff there was to look at became both mentally and physically draining. I do most of my buying on line now.

I always thought the baby bass pattern looked like it would be a good producer but Iv'e never had much success with it. Glad it works for you, though.

I won't pay more than $10. for a lure, a $100. for a rod or $180. for a reel. I have a 94 Bass Tracker V-17 that some guys thought was new. You can buy quality without breaking the bank and it will give you many good years of service if you just take care of it. Would all of that high end stuff make me a better fisherman? At my age and skill level, probably not. But if I ever won the lottery I'd be very inclined to go that route just for the pure heck of it.

The Live Target Baitball lures were all the talk last season on this site. If you bought and used them what was your experience?

I've been using a product called Cork Magic by Elite Series Products for a couple of years now and it seems to work great. I believe they also make a cork sealer but I have not tried that yet.

I'll open up a new reel and have a look-see. If everything looks good, I seal it up, If not, I take care of it. Most of the time it's either to much or to little lubrication.

I tend to stay away from ''Fruit Loop'' colored equipment, fishing or otherwise.

Iv'e been doing tear-down ,clean and lube on my BC's and SR's for years. If you are mechanically inclined and pay attention it gets easier every year. It also helps to have good exploded drawings of your'e reels on hand.I use an egg carton and place the parts in the compartments as they come off the reel. When it's time to re-assemble just work in reverse. Most BC reels are fairly simple. Spinning reels can be a challenge but not impossible. It all depends on your skill and comfort level. Keep in mind that a little lube goes a long way. Iv'e seen guys with reels that are dripping oil, that is not what you want. All metal to metal contact gets lubed. If there is any negative effect on the performance of my reels, I can't tell. I use Hot Sauce grease and oil exclusively.

As I write this, Im looking at my lighted snowman frozen to the end of my dock. Got my 2015 BPS master catalog today. And so it begins.

Oh, yea, I was a natural. At being clueless. It's hard to say which was more pitiful, my lack of knowledge or my equipment. This persisted through most of my early years right up into my young adult life. It wasn't until I started fishing with a co-worker who was into bass fishing that I realized how much I didn't know. I've come a long way since then but when I read some of the posts on this site by guys who know this game much more than I ever will, I see how much more there is that I have to learn.

I have been using Hot Sauce grease and oil for several years now and like it. BTW, whats the best way to clean drag washers before I re-grease them?

Good rhythm, good looks, good grief, what a talent.

Iv'e been a customer of BPS for over 20 years and I have never had a problem with them.

My lake is lousy with pike. The only thing they seem to be good at is biting off or otherwise trashing my bass lures. I carry all the necessary tools for dealing with them but they are still more trouble than they are worth.

Citrus Shad and Sexy Shad seem to work well for me even though there are no fish with those colors in any of the lakes that I fish.

Believe it or not , my favorites are two BPS models, one black and one white & chart, that are probably about 20 years old! They both emit a high pitched squeaking noise that fish seem to home in on, especially at night.

I purchased a Energizer performance LED cap light in 2010 and it's been the best one Iv'e ever owned. It puts out 30 lumens on high which is more than enough. It has 3 white high/low LED"s and 2 red LED"s. I seem to get a lot of run time out of the two AAA alkaline batteries. I attached mine to the bill of my cap with a very small nut and screw as the clip didn't seem to have a real strong grip on the smooth, hard bill surface. Other than that, it's been a great light.

Berkley Trilene, every reel, every year, fish in the boat, no problems afloat.

I try not to be one of ''those guys'' but every once in a while I will misjudge a cast and bounce a SB off of someones boat and it makes me cringe.