SPEEDBEAD.

Go to Lowe's or Home Depot and get stainless steel finishing nails. You might have to get creative with the placement and you'll be using more because they are not as dense but they should still work.

Fished the river yesterday morning. It was up about a foot and a half and off color. Saw one fish, biggest freaking carp I've ever seen. There was a blue Tracker Jet boat fishing the same stretch, if that was any of you guys. I appreciate the heads up on water temp.

Try a heavier hook, 20lb fluoro and a 1/16th nail weight in the front section.

316 Rising Son and Mission Fish, Mattlures Ultimate Bluegill, Savage Gear Line Thru All baits I've caught fish on, all under $20, all have the power to draw the big bite.

I have a Gander Mountain house brand auto-inflate that I got on sale for around $70.

Yup

9-5 and humpbacked.

New England fish.

Just wondering what the best price is you've found on the EX Steez reels. I have an opportunity, just want to gauge a good price on them. Thanks fellas.

I've got a streak of 4 consecutive years upping my PB. It gets better every time

Just another FYI, if you do see a fish following your bait and you can't get it to commit on THAT CAST, in most instances don't throw directly back into the area from the same angle, with the same bait at the same retrieve. The majority of the time, you'll notice that fish may follow your bait again but will be increasingly further back from it on each cast. Mentally mark the location from where you pulled the fish. It will likely return to that area. Let it settle and return at a different time, from a different angle, potentially a different bait. The less times a fish sees the same thing, the better the odds are of turning a follower into a feeder.

A bass's "catchability" when following a lure can often be gauged by the fish's relation to the bait. This is especially true with glide baits, which are notorious for followers. In my experience, the further away from the end of your cast you can see a fish, the better. If a fish is right on the tail of the swimbait, typically a short reel burst or few quick twitches of the rod will make the fish eat. If they are further back, it has normally required coming back at a later time with the same bait or trying a bait change. If the fish is back off the bait and also under it, you're gonna need to switch up color, bait, try another time, etc. Seriously, the best thing ever is seeing a fish follow a glide and get increasingly excited by your actions with the bait. If the pec fins start flaring, hold on to the rod.

Slow sink for overall versatility and my normal choice. There is a time and place for both though.

Oh good, fresh meat.

Hard to argue there.

Line winding for someone is one of the most mind-numbing, mundane tasks I've ever encountered. As stated, buy line, learn to tie an arbor knot and do it yourself. It's not difficult and I'd be more than happy to show someone how to do it in store.

I think you'd be better off somehow mounting a tripod or monopod to your canoe and then screwing the camera to it. Be sure to put it opposite the side your normally cast with.

My impression from other stories I've heard was bigger, interesting. Still wouldn't turn down a day of 4lbers.

All my swimbait sticks are 8' plus. You'll appreciate the extra length. I have two Lexas, throwing baits up to 7 oz without a problem. The C3's are a great bulletproof reel, just lack the creature comforts I like in a big bait reel, namely a thumb bar. These reels have 20lb test on them. My biggest baits are right in the 10-11oz mark. I use a 401 Shimano Cardiff for those due to the extra line capacity and heavier line (25lb)

Luckily, I've never lost anything more expensive than a 8" Hudd and that's only because I was fishing from shore. I carry two plug knockers on the boat and I'll spend as much time as necessary getting my swimmers back. Last week I almost had my first Deps 250 casualty. I was wading a river for muskies, got bit and it tossed the hook. Without thinking, I tried launching the bait without checking my line....SNAP! Happy to say I was aiming back toward the bank into about 2.5 FOW so I waded over and fished it off the bottom with my rod tip. I got a little puckered there for a minute.

I will admit that I thoroughly enjoy when a customer enters my store with a preconceived notion about what I know or what experience I have. I try my best not to make someone look like a complete jackwagon but hey, sometimes it's well deserved.

This will run for another day or so. I made my FB page public so that people could participate. Maybe try sharing the stock photo from their FB page and tagging me in the post?

What's a "big" fish considered at PWC?

LMAO! Spelling is important kids.

FYI, I'm a retail associate in both the fishing and firearms section of an outdoor retailer. I know a little bit about a little bit. I know what you mean though. This time of year is the ramp up for holiday sales. There are a ton of "warm bodies" that get hired on. Maybe you get lucky and get someone who knows what they're talking about, maybe not. Usually you can tell from the first couple minutes of interaction.