SPEEDBEAD.

Welcome to Steelers land Glenn. You know you've made it when you have haters. LOL I actually enjoyed the first 1/2 (I went to bed) and thought that Seattle looked pretty good. Their defense was entertaining me as I am a big fan of physical pass rushing teams. They look legit and personally I thought the play at the end was called correctly. It was also reviewed by non-replacement officials in the booth and deemed the correct call. For the record, Glenn and I have butted heads about football ever since the Steelers beat the Seahawks in the Superbowl. For me to publicly show ANY type of support for Seattle says something.

Not necessarily about "more bites." ANY attractant will not magically draw fish to your lure. These ultimately keep the fish holding onto your lure long enough for you to wake up and set the hook. LOL

If you ever decide to get down here, I'll have some for you. Just give me a heads up.

They really are all you'll need. I see Crazy Bobby is still around. LOL

LOL, wait 'til you have a kid.

As was mentioned, the Okuma rods around 100 bucks are impossible to beat for the money. I have a buddy that throws the Loomis SWBR line and loves them. Look for them on sale and they are a great deal. I like my LDC rod with two more on the way. The last two options will cost you more money initially, but will save you money in the long run as you won't have to upgrade.

Fishing my waters, swimbaits and jigs. Fishing with Dwight? Jerkbait is king.

That's good stuff. Only ever seen in in the Carolinas.

Nice fish. Take it easy on their jaw.

In that case, you are all but guaranteed to kill the darting, side to side action of the bait. There is a reason Falcon Hooks makes a weighted Jerk Bait hook.

Weightless is my favorite way HOWEVER, a weighted hook (unless super heavy) will not kill the action of the fluke. If you're not fishing them deeper than shallow cover or weeds, you are missing out.

No one, really?

Personally, I'd take the chance on the St. Croix. To be honest with you, it sounds as if your mind is set that way already. Not a bad choice whatsoever.

http://www.gandermountain.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=Guide-Series-Casting-Rod-66-1-Piece-Medium-Heavy&i=419915&aID=504AB2&merchID=4006 Decent rod for the money, if you go the Gander route.

I should have been more specific and asked if the refurb rods were at Gander Mountain. GM offers a type of "warranty" that would have gone well with the refurb rods. Most of their house brand sticks are decent, if not a little tip-heavy for my liking. The factory rods that I own and fish are St. Croix LTB.

LOL, filters. Necessary evil. I figure losing baits is part of the game, even if some of them roughly equal a car payment. It's the price ya gotta pay sometimes.

Got a Gander Mountain near you?

I just fish, man.

Hardgill then, for sure. Get a SS as it is the most versatile, male pattern is my favorite. SS bait weighs 1.95oz so you might be ok with that rod, never hurts to have more rod than you need. I checked TW and they also have the floating baby Hardgill in a male floater. While I have not thrown this bait, I'm sure it would work for you. If you got a floater (or a SS that you want to fish deeper), I typically will add a 1/8 or 1/4oz green pumpkin tungsten weight to the line ahead of the bait. This will do two things for you. If you want to fish on a straight retrieve, the weight will snug up against the nose and is barely noticeable. If you want to fish the bait erratically, the little weight will drop away from the bluegill's face and when you pick up the slack it appears that the bluegill is chasing a small meal. Pretty cool when you learn to do it correctly. You can also order directly from Mattlures website as he does the free shipping also. Kent, I still have the one you gave me. It gets more work in the spring when the chubby ladies are making beds

I wish man, got a case of the newborn at home. LOL, it might be a while until I get back out there. As for the rod, it's a Low Down Customs Production rod, heavy action. I think I am allowed to post a link, if not I apologize to whoever deletes it. http://lowdowncustomrods.com/swimbaitrods/production/

Also forgot to ask, what is the heaviest rod/reel combo you own? That would also influence what you should be buying if you are not looking to buy heavier equipment.

If you have bass in there, you most certainly have some type of panfish. Biggest confidence bait I own and throw is the Mattlures Hardgill. It would help if you gave us your budget too. Hardgills, while expensive, are worth it IMO as they will last you as long as you don't break it off.

Anyone been there lately? Wondering what water temps you might be seeing and if anyone is catching anything? Thanks fellas

Here's my take (I know you'll appreciate this one LOL).... Just use all black. Should look the same at the surface as it does at the bottom.

Mattlures Ultimate Bluegill. I would have said hardgill, but you wanted plastics.