Banor

thats funny, ive always rigged finesse worms this way but instead of running the hook through the worm at its halfway point i run the hook through about an inch and a half from the nose, and i use no nail weight, causes the worm to dart and spin erradically depending on the retrieve i wonder why i never thought of moving the hook down, making it "wacky" A vialbe way to present the bait, however IMHO that is not the targetted presentation when I say/hear "wacky" rigged. I want it to just fall and quiver on each end. If I want it to dart and spin erradically I'll just weightless T rig it. Just IMHO, everyone's varies. B

I wouldnt even worry about that fade. B

My local tackle shop does not have everything but man he is well on his way. The great thing about these shops is if you get to know them they can order just about anything you want from their suppliers at MSRP and get it to you within days. The guy at my local shop will order a single specific crank bait if I ask him to. If you hang out enough you'll run into Reps too. That's a bonus!! All the more reason to support your local tackle shop as opposed to the big chain stores. I'm not even going to get into my experience at Dick's Sporting Goods. B

You have to be more specific. Cloudy, windy day? Noise makers - pop-r, chug bugs, buzz baits. Calm blue bird day? walk the doggers like sammies and zara spooks Slop/Heavy cover? Toads - Zoom Frogging is my favorite! I'd buy lots of soft plastic toads. B

I dont think there is a bad time of year to throw a buzzbait. It's all about location location location and weather conditions. I caught bass last year on a buzzbait while it was snowing. B

Anyone see Ike's tube T-rigging tip on Classic Patterns? I'm going to give it a shot. Slide a bell sinker into the tube and then thread the hook through the nose of the tube and through the bell sinker's eyelet. One of the few things if not the only thing I've allowed myself to learn from Ike. B

What about the new senko? I havent seen it getting any press like I expected. B

It's very difficult to go wrong with pumpkins and watermelons laced with purple, black or gold fleck. B

This may be true for other sport fish but is a non issue in bass fishing, atleast for me. I dont use braid in long cast scenerios. I use braid for my up close and personal slop/stump/heavy cover situations. If I'm cast long distance it's because I'm in clear open water and I'm not going to be using braid, I'll be using fluoro or mono in a thin, less visible diameter. Even if I was, I am doing something wrong if I'm letting a bass spool me. Then again, I'm not catching double digits on a regular basis up here in Michigan. But that's just me - opinions vary, B

Some people cant afford alot of gear and others can afford it but like to be cost effective. Why spool up 150 yards of expensive braid when you can spool up 50 to 75 yards of braid on top of a really cheap mono backing? I fit in the 2nd category. I could afford to spool up 100% braid but choose not to. I'll save the money and buy more lures. B

Huh? :-/ B

My first tournament of the season is still about 3 weeks away. I think I've had the jitters for about 2 weeks now. Of course that could just be cabin fever giving me the shakes. It's hard to tell. Either way the wife is thinking about scheduling me to see a shrink. 8-) B

Chris, you always have a way with words. lol Fat dirty slob. You are absolutely right though. Later man, JT Bagwell True to a point. Consider some of the top pros though. In shape? Trim? No. Catch fish? Promote product? Yes. All things being equal though in an entry level situation Hale is dead on. B

I just pulled the trigger on 4 of these rods at the Lansing Show over the weekend. I havent used them yet but wow I cant wait to use them and give a report. $99.95 per rod. These things are incredibly strong and incredibly light. The 7'6" Heavy I bought feels as light as a 7 ft Medium. This ice really needs to melt. On a side note for the Shimano Posse, I was going to pull the trigger and match these rods up with a couple chronarchs and curados but there wasnt a single Shimano vendor at the show. Odd!! B

If I'm going to peg I use the screw in bullets. Pegging is too time consuming for me. It's definately a preference thing. I wouldnt say there is a wrong answer. Heavy cover is a must peg situation. B

Guess he didnt want to take the time? ;D B

I have an Avid AC66MF which I consider my "all-around" baitcaster. Although this rod is rated Fast Action, it has a soft tip which is just about perfect for all classes of treble hook lures. It's saddled up with a fast reel (Calais CL200 6.2:1) which makes it just about perfect for spinnerbaits and buzzbaits, too. So, I don't really have a dedicated spinnerbait rod, but as Ronnie said, I don't think I need one. I hold this to be true as well. Although, I do have a spinnerbait rod because I like to keep a rod tied up for the major presentations so I dont have to bounce back and forth retying baits. Time consuming and not an efficient use of my time when I fish I tournaments. That being said the spinnerbait rod/reel is the one rod I choose not to spend alot of money on. I dont think they need to be as sensitive and I dont need as much hooking power because as Ronnie said, spinnerbait bass tend to hook themselves. If you are looking for a decent rod at a great price point, the one I use is the KVD signature series rod/reel combo from BPS in the 7 ft MHM. Good combo at a great price. B

You realize in this day and age that waivers of liability are not worth the paper they are printed on? Especially informal ones signed at the ramp. I'm not bashing, just food for thought. B

Squid is right. Most of your regular insurance companies will not insure you for tournaments. You may need to seek out a company that specializes in tournament insurance. It's still not expensive. If anyone wants the name of a great company, pm me and I'll get you the information. A guy I know personally totaled his boat on the way to a tournament when some lady ran off an exit ramp right into him at full speed. He had only had the boat a few weeks and it was brand new. This company had him back in an identical boat within two weeks. He paid zero. I'm not a rep for this company, I just have friends who insure through them and I've heard zero bad about them. I would not go the "check no" even if you fish tournaments route. Most importantly it is fraud. Second most importantly is if you do crash in a tournament and they find out - you are up a creek. It's just not worth it and 20.00 is not much a year to "check yes". Better safe than sorry. B

This has been said too many times in one form or another, yet cant be said enough. This doesnt apply to just fishing. B

While I compelely agree with this I still believe if you are going to do something, do it right. If not, pass it on to someone who will. Why purchase the rights to BASS if it wasnt going to give you a good return on your investment? This is all hind sight though. I take crap on a daily basis at work when I mention bass fishing and my dreams. If I played golf on the weekends instead then the guys at work would be enthusiastically urging me to join them. We'd have long drawn out discussions on what driver we wanted for christmas. On the flip side when they start talking about golf I yawn and go to sleep. They get the hint and walk away. Everything in life revolves around perspective. B

It wasnt worth the postage. B

Ya it's amazing how it can get heated like it does over something that doesnt adversely effect any of us. Catt, I will say that I've read all your posts and while I see your point of view it sure does seem like you are defensive about the whole thing. It does sound like you are defending him regardless of whether you are or not. I dont follow the Pro circuit coverages usually and wouldnt have known Swindle's face if I saw him in a crowd prior to watching the Classic coverage. I dont really have any favorites or root for anyone in these tournaments. I dont want to be a fan, I want to be a tx angler. That being said I think I'm pretty objective on the whole thing and from what I've seen he was going too fast and was way too close. I dont care who he is or who it was that did something like that, it was unsafe and justifies the DQ and more. B

While I've never been one to ignore any possible patterns I do not think you will get a fair shake out of the Horny Toad if you present it right after Ice Out. There are so many more optimal presentations for that time of year, being the pre pre spawn. The toad really shines when it's warmer with a bright sky and the fish are buried in the pads/slop. If you are going to fish it that time of year I'd fish it in more open water like you would a buzz bait. Advantages to the toad over hollow plastic frogs is that I think the legs/feet of the toad create more vibration. The Spro type frogs are better for skimming over the pads in my opinion but I still prefer the horny toads in that situation. Horny toads are great for open water with thick submerged weeds too. I rig my toads with a trailer hook which really ups my hookup ratio. I posted a how-to on rigging the trailer hook late last season. B

I think you mean Tiger Woods is the KVD of golf? ;D Anywho, back to the thread... this is the main reason I do not gear up based on the pro's. Pro's do not consistantly use what they market in my humble opinion. I was reading the basszone post classic reports and noticed several discrepencies on what "the pro's used" vs. what I saw on the TV coverage. The only thing I believe is what I learn first hand. Until it works for me I'm a skeptic. B