fishballer06

Fathead's. Perch, crappie, bluegill, white bass, rock bass. They will catch them all.

The level of your competition doesn't change anything. You still need to catch the fish. It's you against the fish, just like any other normal day on the water.

I don't think he was referring to the fish... On a more serious note, 30 lb. braid with a 12lb. fluoro leader is my personal choice.

I feel like this topic was just asked a week or two ago... Either way, my answer hasn't changed. Shad Rap Wiggle wart DT Cavitron

As others have said, and as I have done with PB's of mine, get a picture or two of it printed out, put it in a shadowbox frame, and you can hang the lure you caught it on in there. I should take photo's of what I've done with some of my fish and post them here.

I'm a Shimano guy myself, but last week I snagged a Tour MG PT for an unreal price. Should be delivered today. Can't wait to test it out!

I recently just upgraded my wader game, thanks to Francho's advice. I went with the Frogg Toggs Hellbender stockingfoot breathables. They were $84 shipped. And then I got myself a pair of Cabelas wading boots on sale for $47. If you go with a stockingfoot wader, you'll need some kind of shoe/boot to go over the stocking. An old pair of sneakers will work if you're on a budget, but a pair of decent boots will give you better grip and ankle support in the water.

$70 is a fair chunk of change. You're talking 6-7 boxes of 9mm with that difference. I try to haggle with mom and pop shops all the time whenever it comes to purchasing a firearm. If they won't come down in price, ask them if they'll throw in ammo instead. More often than not, they'll budge some for you. Especially if you're a loyal customer.

That's a hog of a trout!

Gantarel (and Jr) are great baits. S Waver is a great bait, and you're only hurting yourself if you refuse to buy this bait because it's made by R2S. Keitech Swing Impact Fat, LF Magic Shad, or BPS Speed Shad if you don't already have some of these are another staple that BPS should carry.

Just went back and read my first post. I talked about the Rapala BX Minnow jerkbaits and how I was doing so well on them. Funny thing is, I don't think I've caught a fish (or even used) on a BX Minnow in probably two years.

I have no problem paying for custom painted work. I have dozens of custom painted cranks from about 7-8 different guys who I know either personally or from online. I also have quite a few soft plastics from Doyles Custom Baits, which I have been very impressed by. I guess I've always shy'd away from Krew's stuff because he's significantly even more money than most of the custom painters/pourers that I have experienced elsewhere. But it's good to hear your recommendation, which I value. Perhaps I'll have to try out some of his stuff and see for myself.

A-Jay, Have you ever bought any of Krew's stuff? He makes some great looking plastics and painted cranks, but his prices are much higher than I'm willing to pay.

I had an evening like this last June in Canada. The bass were busting the surface everywhere in the shallow, weedy bay that I was in, and I quickly realized it was dragonflies they were chasing. I put on a black buzzbait and I probably caught 30+ fish in the next hour or so.

You also need to understand that these guys get all the free line they want from sponsors. Most of them will respool after a day or two on the water with every reel.

Great action and durability. The tail isn't as widely booted and the body is thicker where it connects to the tail, so it has a more subtle/natural kick to it as it swims (compared to the Impact Fat). I think this also helps with durability because there is some more material there and it helps whenever you get short strikes and those bluegill/crappie bites that suck the tail right now. I know whenever I fish the 2.8 and 3.3 Keitechs on a fishhead spin, the tails get sucked off by the bluegill/crappie/perch faster than you even know it. The 5" baits are big, beefy baits. They're for fishing like a large swimbait with a large jig head type hook (kinda like a Hudd). They're not meant for a chatterbait trailer or anything like that.

How do you avoid pike? Move south... Commenting on the braid thing, I've noticed significantly less lost lures using braid than I have with mono or FC. The musky guys are using 100-150 lb. leaders, which is basically rope, and even those can get torn up.

For a wide kick: Impact fat or one of the copies For a subtle kick: Doyle Custom Baits Zipper In the spring: Zoom double tail fat albert Grub The is the Doyle's Zipper in his bluegill pattern. These are hand painted and very high quality. They're also very reasonably priced. I've been using these a ton this year.

Glenn - He seems knowledgeable and knows a lot of people in the industry. I'm sure he has some great stories to tell Francho - He's somewhat local and I'm hoping to meet up with him next month and chase some torpedos in the creeks WRB - This man is an encyclopedia of knowledge Dwight - This man probably knows Erie better than anyone, and pulling footballs up from the depths is fun Montaro - Another fairly local guy and I know we've fished some of the same waters. I'm sure we could share some spots. Raul - Those Mexican fat girls sound like a lot of fun and I'm sure he could show me how to catch them Bluebasser - He seems like he knows his stuff and is always catching some nice fish A-Jay and Catt - both seem like great guys WPC - We both have similar tastes in gear Preytorian - We both write fishing articles, so it would be cool to bounce ideas off him Rippin-Lips and 5fish - We could debate Shimano vs Daiwa all day I'm probably forgetting a few, but I've encountered a lot of guys on this website throughout the years.

Fish are going to miss topwater baits. It's just something you have to accept. If you get a big blow up from an aggressive fish that misses the bait, pick up a weightless senko or tube and throw it into the same spot of the blowup. You'd be surprised how often you'll pick that fish up.

I also prefer my 71 over my 201's (both Curado and Scorpion). Works great with lighter and average size lures. I've been using mine for frogging and it's worked great. I don't fish any super heavy slop like some might, but it's worked great for that. I've even caught a few chatterbait fish on it. The casting distance, all around, is much better on the 71 over the 201's. Shimano really made a gem in this 70 series, for sure.

Reminds me of the popular "California 420" color as of lately. Dark on one side, redish on the other.

APC = All Purpose Casting While I don't own any of these rods, they do receive good reviews from everything I have heard. Plus Okuma offers a limetime warranty.

Eco Pro makes a copy cat Bass Pro makes a copy cat Jackall rhythm wave is another copy Yum pulse is very similar Doyle Custom Baits makes the Zipper makes a similar swimbait but it's a little more durable and the kick isn't so wide and "fake" in my opinion.

I've only used the clear so far. Adds a very strong garlic smell to the baits. I use a spike it pen for colors my baits.