FlipnLimits

Great question! I also use the original formula and have wondered about the new "slick" braid. I hope we get some input from the forum members. FL

What a relief, huh?! Now I can purchase my Chain sticker. FL

I'm envious! You guys are lucky. Northern Illinois/Southern Wisconsin will probably not thaw until April this year. I pray I'm wrong! Usually it's mid/late March. FL

Of course you can bed fish but if talking strictly topwater baits, I use small soft bodied frogs around bedding fish and especially when fry are present. Also try walking frogs over beds. Hold your rod tip high and reel as slow as you can but keep the legs thumping. Small soft bodied frogs can be walked and stopped near fry. You will see the fry scatter and a bass will come blast your offering. I love this pattern, very fun!

Absolutely! I use pistol grip 5'6 rods for tight work. Casting docks and trees with precision is much easier with these than 7'6 rods. The short rods aren't replacements by any means, just another tool in the box. After 3-4 hours of casting at close range, the lighter gear helps with fatigue also. I use the shortys for light spinnerbaits and bank-beating crankbaits. I also have full sized rods for long casting the same baits. The pistol grip rod made a slight comeback in the last couple years. FL

No, it's just a timing thing. Under the right conditions it will work for you. You are just post spawn right now? Give it a week and work the topwater slowly at first. No such thing as a body of water where topwater will not fool bass. FL

You're right, wasn't thinking that at all

Hi Pat You can flip to some degree with a spinning rod but not too effectively. Flipping rods have the first eyelet moved up on the blank so you can take more line with your free hand. Spinning rods will not have the first eyelet moved forward, hence not as effective. Also, pitching with accuracy will not be very possible as you will be in free spool and controlling the landing is tough with spinning gear. Some really good spinning gear fisherman have learned over years to control the bait to a degree but baitcasting gear is a must to be above fair/good in the flipping and pitching arena. I'm afraid to say, spinning gear just will not cut the muster for FnP. FL

Welcome aboard, John! I'm new here also, it's a fun and friendly site from what I'm seeing... Tell us about your fishing preferences. Panfish, Bass, all the above? FL

Glad you're getting better! You may want to dump the old gas for fresh hi-octane and you should be good to go. Welcome back! Two feet of ice here, it'll be quite a while before the shrinkwrap is off my rig. FL

That would be by Beercan Bridge. Always guys out there fishing under the bridge. I know some walleye are taken there.

Slow And Easy, here ya go. If the link works.... http://my.ilga.gov/Hearing/HearingDetail/11483?SCommittees2/27/2014-page=1&SCommittees2/27/2014-orderBy=&SCommittees2/27/2014-filter=&committeeid=0&chamber=S&nodays=7&_=1392902787969 FL

A punching hookset should be more of a tighten the line first, then a sweeping motion straight up. This hookset is not a jig hookset, where some slack is good. As mentioned above, choose your knot wisely, this wouldn't be a time for a Palomar or Trilene. Similar to frogging, you should be hooking up with 90% plus. Your setup sounds ok if your heavy rod has a touch of tip to it. Show us some pics some punchin pigs soon FL

Whitwolf and Skippy Thank you gentlemen! So far, I must admit, a great bunch of anglers and enjoying the site very much. I don't anticipate anything changing either FL

Since we're sharing today. My screen name is a double entendre with a story of course. It all started quite some time ago in a tournament. Well, after a tournament to be exact. I had a poor showing with less than a limit which caused me and my partner to miss getting a check, naturally. My partner said if we had a F*^$#%$G Limit, we would have cashed. I replied with, "yup, a flippin limit", but not in those exact words. Of course, I also like to flip n pitch, hence the double entendre. FL

God bless. Musky fishermen also don't close the bail. And that's something nobody would do bass fishing. Wrong? Right? Neither is the answer. 20 years ago, everyone I knew back reeled and I did also to a very limited amount. Fishing against high school kids nowadays, most don't back reel. It's just not as popular as it once was. Mfg's have an anti-reverse switch because the older guys are still designing them. lol I say that tounge in cheek, of course I'm starting to resemble that remark. Whatever gets the fish, I'm for it!

That's a good deal. I haven't received the flyer yet, or my wife threw it out. lol. Thank you for the information. I'm fairly partial to Chronarchs and only stray for a couple techniques. The Ci4+ seems like a keeper and I have a couple already but waiting for a thaw.

My experience hasn't been bad with icing. I don't spray my reels or guides with anything though, so that may help with this occasional issue. I always blow my breath through the guides and it melts the small piece of ice instantly. It's usually for the first hour or two of fishing anyways.

24" of ice here so no rush on shipping, lol. Just wish they had a Shimano 25% sale!!! TW and BTD are both reliable though.

I get my best professional overruns from Cotton. It's mandatory to stop and pick the stuff off. Micro guide rods have no place in this specialty area. How's the Chip doing, is there water again? I remember some severe droughts a couple years ago. FL

Don't we know it! Froggin in it is just brutal, but rewarding

CDMeyer When you are practicing, are you fishing from a boat or from shore? I also started using one bait at a time to learn some fundamentals but if you're fishing from shore, it'll be different from a moving, rocking boat. If you fish from shore, you can try slowly walking and casting at the same time. Your angle of cast and retrieve will change and it'll mimic boat movement to a degree. The guys you'll be fishing with in the BFL are already good fishermen and cast well, so have a few different rods and be ready for anything. You are ahead of the gang already so congrats to you. My first tournaments as a co-angler found me with one spinning setup and under-dressed for early Spring weather conditions. Oh, the early years, lol. Good luck FL

Some great posts and suggestions already given! I'll repeat some of my favorites and add a couple new. 1) The tourney doesn't end until it ends, so don't give up!! I caught a limit in the last 20 minutes of the day in a tournament and caught my limit fish during the last 5 minutes of a tournament quite a few times. 2) Dock talk is 100% bull crap, 100% of the time! Never listen and fall for advise given at tournaments. This is my #1 piece of advise. Fish your strength, not what you hear (dock talk again). It will take you longer to be a successful tournament fisherman but when you get there, you'll be well-rounded and ready for more situations. Even if dock talk was true, it may only work for the fisherman that gave the advise. It took me a long time to learn but you feel a sense of accomplishment when it's earned, not given. 3) Compete against the fish, conditions, season, etc. don't compete against others. This will help you overcome the nerves of competing against seasoned veterans and the local pros. 4) This kinda refers to #2, but don't give your hard earned knowledge away. Remember, if you haven't asked others for their information, why should you give yours away. Give your knowledge to kids or non tournament people but not to someone who competes against you. 5) If you are on a solid pattern, losing a fish should not bother you at all. If you are junk-fishing and not getting bit, then....Houston, we have a problem! 6) You will be nervous, learn to channel it. I get nervous every time I compete, every time. I'm hardwired that way and it's just the way it is. I learned to channel it by staying focused and fishing hard the first hour of the morning until it subsides. It's a good thing to be nervous, it keeps you mentally sharp. When my nerves stop, I'll quit fishing! Enjoy it, it means you have determination to succeed. 7) Obviously have your boat in top condition for every tournament. Do all your pre checks and do them twice. I always have fresh line on every rod for every tournament. I may skip restringing a rod if I didn't use it last time but every rod gets fresh line, every tournament, it's imperative for me. I don't understand having 10-15 rod/reel combos that cost $500 each and be cheap on line! Go fun fishing with old line, otherwise I'll take your money when you lose a fish because you are using last years mono. It's like taking candy from my kids 8) If you practiced, found fish, and they're gone tournament day. You may have psyched yourself out! Unless they are smallies, the Largemouth are most likely still there. Move in, out, change bait, but don't abandon a productive spot too fast. If you leave, come back in a couple hours and try again. Over the years, my experiences tell me the bass are there the next day or two. 9) There is no lunch hour during a tournament. Eat while running or in a no-wake area or between casts. I put the sandwich on my butt seat between bites. I'd throw my partner off the boat if he sat down, and he'd do the same to me! If your partner wants to sit, tell him you'll buy dinner afterwards and he can sit then. 10) Always congratulate the winner(s), it's shows sportsmanship and it's the right thing to do, every time. Soon you'll be getting congratulated. Being cocky/snobbish is not acceptable at tournaments, don't be like those guys. Congratulating the winner shows confidence, even if you caught 1 dink that day. Ok, that's a lot to digest for a first tournament. It is meant to be fun, so try to keep it that way. Being competitive is fun, so is cashing checks for fishing, so take your day seriously and have fun at it. I joke with my partner all day long but we fish non-stop for all 8 hours. FL

I also only peg when punching. Other than that, if you want to feel the bottom. SLOW DOWN. That is why we fish Texas rigged worms in the first place. If I want to go fast, I bounce a crank. I understand wanting to peg in weeds but I get bit more often when I let the worm/lizard separate from the bullet, but that's a different technique in itself. To feel structure, I slow way down, way down. Try catching shut-off fish going fast = empty livewells. It works for me, anyways. FL

Here in the Midwest, we have many Cottonwood Trees that deposit their seeds and foul regular guides to a degree that having micro guides would literally end your fishing day. Google Cottonwood Trees and you'll see what I mean. With that said, most of my gear is now micro guide equipped but I'll always have rods with regular guides because it's not possible to fish micro guides (for certain applications) in May and June around here. Food for thought FL