Chris at Tech

I agree. But should a top ranked team really have to make adjustments against Tulane?

Tulane first-year coach Bob Toledo while at UCLA for 6 years won 2 PAC10 championship and had a 20 game winning streak. LSU's defense took all Toledo could throw at them in the 1st half and then shut the Green Wave down in the second half. Steve Spurrier head coach of South Carline resume is as follows National Championships: 1 (1996) ACC Championships: 1 (1989) SEC Championships: 6 (1991, 1993, 1996, 2000) ACC Coach of the Year: 2 (1988, 1989) SEC Couch of the Year: 6 (1990, 1991, 1994-1996, 2005) LSU's defense took all the Gamecocks could throw at them and then shut them down as well; so I guess they aint that good. And what a coach did with a different team years ago means what, exactly? Chan Gailey won a Div IAA championship. What does that get me? It doesn't matter what Toledo did in the Pac10. Bottom line is his current team's one win this year is against Southeastern Louisiana. And they outplayed LSU for a half. Moral victories don't matter, but a much lesser opponent outplayed LSU for 30 min of football. Is LSU good? Yeah. Not sure how they jumped passed USC this weekend (Washington >>>>> Tulane), but that's besides the point. All I'm saying is not to punch your ticket to the big game quite yet.

Just for a little bit of levity here.... LSU didn't exactly set the world on fire in the first half against Tulane last weekend. And the LSU defense is good, no doubt. Then again, you haven't exactly faced any good offenses yet. VA Tech got its preseason hype due to defense and an unfortunate on-campus incident. Their offense hasn't impressed in 2 years. If you can get passed UF and UK (never in my wildest dreams would I imagine UK relevant in the world of college FB), then you can start making some noise

Does anyone use hooks or any other terminal tackle from Hookerz? I was directed to their website and their hooks are certainly competitively priced. I'm usually a Gammy man, but the prices have me thinking about Hookerz. Thoughts? Experiences?

6? No...not a chance. If it was, that would make the fish in my avatar 317 lbs. Fisherman...attempting to defy the laws of physics every day...

And here I was thinking that not getting out of Bass Pro for less than $100 is bad... What's that, around $1400 in sticks? I'd love to see the next picture of the 5 reels you buy all at one time for those

Well, the good news is that there should be a lot more shore fishing access since we haven't had rain since 1997

Thanks all. Looks like I can put together my own. Question though...Does anyone know where I can get the hooks with the small 1/16 and 1/8 sliding weight on the shank?

Does anyone know a good source to get some screw-lock wide gap hooks in bulk? I'd like to find both weighted and unweighted versions as well.

Not likely! I agree with Olebiker, most likely a bad initial reel setup, and maybe even a miss-match on the rods ratings. You don't set CC with the mag brakes on. Turn the mags off, then set the free spooling with CC, then set the brake at 50% and test cast, if your getting over run then set the mags again at 60% and keep doing so until the backlashes stop. If you don't get any satisfaction that way then set the mags at zero, and start with the CC free spooling, and set it a little tighter (slower fall rate), and then set the mags at 50% and test cast. Not to contradict the guy that does this stuff for a living, but I'd recommend starting the experimentation process at 100% brakes on and gradually decrease, not start at 50% and gradually increase. Based on my experience with the Revo's, they seem to be touchier than others. I've seen some pretty gnarly backlashes with 50% brake on the Revo

My father in law had this problem until I looked at his reel and saw his magnetic brake setting at around 50-60%. Have you tried setting the brake to it's highest and experimenting by slowly backing it off until the lashes reappear? Once the lashes just start, increase the brake one click and you should be good to go.

I think either could work, depending on how heavy the baits you throw typically are. For 1/2 oz and less, a MH spinning rig could work. For heavier, a MH baitcasting outfit would be a better choice.

How big a jig, and where do you plan on throwing it? I prefer throwing 1/4 - 3/8 jigs on my MH baitcaster setup, Kistler MG69APC, Revo STX with 15lb Pline. For heavier jigs or or heavier cover, I throw on my Dobyns 704C with Zillion.

California Swimbaits http://www.***.com/catpage-SWIMSB.html

Can't wait to hear reviews on this one. I'm putting together a Dobyns rod combo in the next month or so for plastics, and I was leaning towards a Chronarch MG. Now that there's a Revo in that weight class, I may have to reconsider. I REALLY want to know how this reel does with weightless flukes and trickworms...

Man some people are hard to please. Whats wrong with a nine pounder that I called the exact location on (Thanks to my buddy Senko77 ;D) Guess you wanted a ten and for me to tell you which cast you would get it on. : Need I remind you that you got your PB twice while fishing with me. : You did have a few trips on tough days though. The one at Sweetwater was one of the worst ever. Lightninrod hasn't seen any days with me anywhere close to that yet. That's one good-lookin dude in that picture... Hehe... don't get me wrong, I've definitely had some luck. We've definitely had some good days, but my timing never seems to be right for those killer trips you have I was especially thinking of that last trip on Varner where we fished that one spot where you said 'I hate to say this, but you should have been here yesterday'. Remember? When you caught the slew of 5 lbers and the 10+ in that one spot? Sweetwater? Oh yeah, that nearly dried up puddle no one can get a boat into now

Dan, Its all just timing. Had you been there the next day at the right time it would have been like fishing a different lake. All those fish on Thursday came from the same spot the five pounder came from when I fished with you on Wednesday. The other big fish came from the spot the seven pounder came from the trip before with you. Monday , I fished with Doghouse after the front had passed and we couldn't get anything over four pounds and we didn't get anything off the big fish spots. Just keep on fishing and you will get the timing right and get a big one or two. Looks like Lightninrod has the same luck as I do when I fish with Randall...

Have you seen ANYTHING in the water? Any fish, frogs, tadpoles, minnows? Anything?

Take a flyer on the Dobyns rods. I ordered both my Kistler and my Dobyns, sight unseen and have enjoyed both immensely. As a matter of fact, I now like my Dobyns better than my Kistler. I agree it's tough to spend $200 on a rod when you can't handle it first, but unfortunately we limit ourselves since many of the better rod companies aren't stocked nation wide.

Shimano Stradic + Bass Pro Shops Extreme rod Great reel, good rod, the combo can be had for $130, maybe less with the new Stradic coming out.

Yeah, what he said. Help my local lake fill back up some so the freakin' boat ramp is usable

Start simple, get 3 spinnerbaits to begin with. 3/8 or 1/2 oz clear/white skirt, tandem blades white/chart skirt, tandem blades chart or black skirt, single colorado blade Also, pick up a pack of trailer hooks. With these 3, you have the basics covered. Clear water, stained water, muddy water. I find the tandem blade combos the most versatile. But in those muddy water and night fishing situations, the colorado blade will come in handy. For brands, I like Booyah, as well as some of the smaller custom mades, like Mini Me. As far as retrieve goes...constant retrieve is the Devil's tool Change it up. Burn it, slow roll it, bump it into stuff, run through the top of weeds, suddenly stop it, twitch it some while retrieving, etc. Keep changing things up until you find something that works.

I understand from a local tackle shop that the Premier should hit stores this month.

I'm just glad I learned this lesson now before I shelled out any money for more expensive swimbaits

This lure + braided line is not ideal due to the durability of the lure. Wait until your braid digs in on itself a little, you toss the minnow out there and you only reel back the front segment. It's happened to me twice Now I got a spare spool for my Zillion that I have mono on for this very reason.