fishballer06

I'm aware. I placed an order on one website this week that has a 15% promotion and I wanted to order more Fats, only to find they still had the old price...

I bought two spools of it. Haven't used it yet, and probably won't until spring.

To further comment on the Smash Tubes, the sides are more flat, rather than perfectly round like a typical tube. Gives them a slightly different fall.

Live bait can sometimes be the best bet at these type of lakes because of all the pressure they receive. I live in Pittsburgh, so any available water gets fished hard by the general public. Most ponds, live bait is the only thing that seems to work effectively because those fish are constantly being fed crawlers and minnows from the bobber guys.

Shadow Rap Husky Jerk BX Minnow Flap Slaps (Megabass, but $20, and they float) McStick

Are they running any better yet Clayton? Has the flow gotten any better?

I use a Dobyns Champion 684CB. Line is usually 12-15lb. Fluoro for squarebills and lipless baits. Sometimes I'll use 40lb. braid if there's lots of pike or heavy weeds to rip through. For jerkbaits, I'll downsize to 10-12lb. Fluoro.

Here's my deep cranking lineup that I use. Zillion 4.9:1 on a Dobyns Champion 765CB (7'6" MH-Moderate action) with 12lb. Fluoro Zillion 4.9:1 on a Abu Veracity 7'11" MH-Winch (Moderate action) with 12lb. Fluoro Chronarch E5 on a St. Croix Avid 7' H-Moderate with 40lb. 832 Braid with 12-14lb. FC Leader

I use a Dobyns 684CB, but I wouldn't mind a 704CB as well. You know, because you can never have enough rods.

How deep are we talking here? Rapala makes the Shad Rap RS (rattle/suspend) and it dives around 9-10 feet.

Can't say I have a favorite Shimano, but everyone I own has a special place in my lineup. For what it's worth, I own 20+ Shimano reels.

You know, I live close to a grocery store, but that doesn't mean I'm there eating every second of the day. But living close to the grocery store sure is nice...

I think that all fishermen, for the most part, are frugal, regardless of what their budget is. Even your guys (like myself), who might be using rods and reels in the $250+ price range, more than likely did not pay full retail for those rods and reels. Those guys are always shopping around online both domestically and internationally, in order to save a few dollars. Same goes for the guys who are spending sub $100 on their rods/reels. They want the best bang for their buck as well. It's just human nature.

I think I paid $35 for my Rapala scale and it is very accurate. I'm not saying its certified accurate, but it's close enough for me. I've tested it with various objects that I know the weight of (bags of sugar, 5-8-10-12 pound dumbells, bottles of water, etc) and it's always spot on, or within an ounce. That's good enough for my purposes.

I've been using the 692. I bought it mainly for crappie/perch fishing, but it has quickly became a dropshot rod for me, as well as my live bait rod for walleye.

I'm a Sunline guy myself, but I've never had any bad experiences with Seaguar in the times that I have tried it. Neither brand will treat you badly.

That lake is very deep and can be overwhelming the first few trips. So be prepared for it.

Oil the brake drum.

Had a tough trip with very few fish in the creeks. Guys literally "driving" the creeks really made things difficult later in the week. Still had some success.

The key to fishing plastics on topwater is letting the fish fully get the bait in their mouth. I know its easy to get excited and set the hook the second you see a blowup. You need to let that fish bite, get back down in the water, and then fully suck it in. Then you can set the hook. Even then, you won't hookup with every fish. Another thing to consider is the possible size of the fish hitting. Those 5" pop shadz are a big, bulky lure. Sure, any size bass will hit one, but if you're fishing it texas style, it's going to take a big fish to hit that thing and get it fully in its mouth in order for you to drive the hook home.

Brush hogs and Biffle Bugs.

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I got the 6'8" M spinning version and it's been my tube rod for the past month or so. Like Cgrinder said, it's a good rod, but its not great. A little heavy, but not too bad. I feel like for the money, there are a few other better options out there.

I found it interesting that he recommended flurocarbon for line...

Side cutters - in the event you need to cut out a hook Ibuprofen - for obvious reasons Cotton balls - Very absorbant, works for cuts or nose bleeds Distilled water - clean out cuts Peroxide - kills germs and can be used in livewell to add oxygen to the water for fish