Just_Old_Fisherman

ing the Gamakatsu Skip Gap hooks for most all my soft plastics including Tubes. Really like the way they hold the bait.

Zoom Brush Hog or Baby Brush Hog. Green Pumpkin with tail dipped in Chart Spike-It.

If you got your total order, it was a mistake. In my case, I was using points and they charged my points for shipping on the stuff that wasn't part of the 5 for $5. I was so p_ssed when I saw the baits and that they had gone back and charged my points I complained and they let me return the 5 for $5 at their shipping cost. They would have saved money if they would have credited me $5 and told me to keep the minature baits. I don't fish for minnows so I had no use for the junk they sent for the $5. Last BPS "special" deal they will catch me on, plus I will shop every other online store I can before they will see my cash. They will get my points business and nothing else. This 5 for $5 was what I would expect from a foreign telemarketer that wasn't planning on being in business under the same name long.

Captain---A 4/0 hook is too small for even the 4.5" Bass Magic. Try and find some of the Owner 6/0 with the screwlock.

Retired----BUT weather has stunk for past 2 weeks. This week the wind has been 20-35 MPH every day and I am getting @#$%^&*() sick of it. Tomorrow is the first calm day in at least 2 weeks BUT I had already told the wife I would play in a golf tournament with her. I have cleaned all my reels, rearranged tackle 20 times, cleaned and rearranged my work room 5 times. I am ready to go fish, even if the water is still too cold to catch anything.

Haven't found a weighted or unweighted hook that will work on the 6" baits. Lake Fork Tackle is making a 10/0 weigted with a very wide gap that will work, but you can't find any of them yet. Had someone give me 1. I did find some 11/0 Owner offset oversize worm hooks I will make do with until I can get the Lake Fork hooks. Don't like the offset hooks for the Bass Magic, but that is all I can get for now. Owner makes a 6/0 screwlock hook that I crimp some weighs on that work for the 4.5" baits but 6/0 is as big as they make. That is the style of hook the Lake Fork hook is.

I use the Garlic scented.

Walmart had some display reels they were closing out. Picked up a Quantum 5:1 ratio baitcaster for $25. Nice enough reel with 3 bearings, liked the 5:1 for slowing down on big cranks. Figure why not for $25.

Sent some to my son last year and I just went to Home Depot and got some PVC pipe and 2 end caps. Cut to fit the rods plus room for a couple inches of foam in each end to cushion them. Glued one end cap on and then used couple of small screws for the other endcap plus duct taped it on. Made it from Texas to NJ via UPS with no breakage. Used fairly heavy PVC so wasn't cheap postage, but they made it safe. Local Academy and their website have/had a tube supposedly suitable for mailing.

Or you can do like me and use braid which doesn't twist up like mono and not close the bail by hand.

Find some whites and get a feel for when they are there and biting. Then take your son out and get him into fish. Whites when schooling are usually easy to catch and you can catch lots i.e. action is what a kid wants. Pretty quick he will get the bug as long as he doesn't get bored with it before he starts catching. Worked for me and my son. He enjoyed the occasional after work outing for whites, then HE ask when he could go for some LMB. By the time he was 8 or 9 he was a pretty good plastic worm fisherman and best fishing bud you could have. He is now 38, but we still enjoy our occasional outing. Last year we had a great PB day, when we both caught our PB within about 15 min of each other. Be patient and don't push him, let him walk into it, not run.

I felt the 5/0 was just barely large enough for my 4.5" Bass Magic. Just got in some 6" Bass Magic and the 5/0 is much too small. Looking for a 7/0 or 8/0. Probably will order some of the new Lake Fork Tackle swim bait hooks, they have one that is like 11/0. Can be used as an anchor if needed. Paul R. as far as weighting hooks yourself, I have had good luck with taking the rubber insert out of the twist on weights then clamping it down on the hook shank. Have also taken the round tube weights with the hole lengthwise and cut one side down to the hole with a hacksaw and crimping that on the hook shank.

The best/cheapest place I have found to get the KVD is from the mfr RMR Industries. Ordering the 2 or 4 bottle package saves you on the cost and makes it cheaper than you can get it at BPS. http://www.rmrindustries.com/store/details.php?prodId=2&category=3

To me, the biggest difference is that Fluoro will sink and Copoly floats. Thus Copoly is good for Topwaters and Fluoro is bad. But Fluoro helps cranks/jerkbaits get deeper than they will with Copoly. While the less visble and less stretch may apply, I don't really notice that much difference between the two in that area, but I do as far as the sinking versus floating.

I have been using the KVD for about 18 months. Before that I had used Reel Magic. Reel Magic provided a small benefit for a short time. I spray my Mono & Fluoro lines with the KVD before loading the rods in the boat. I fish heavy cover and use 14, 15 and 20# test lines. The KVD WORKS in taking out the memory. A bottle will last me 3-4 months so I don't feel it is too high of a price to pay for fishing heavy weight lines that don't coil like a spring. I have no skin in this game other than offering my opinion. Good luck on coming up with a homemade version. If the benefit of the KVD was simply line absorbing water molecules, they would evaporate pretty fast after sitting on the deck. Or simply fishing the line would take out the memory just as well. I am basing my opinion on actual use over an extended period, not simply conjecture.

I like the Gamakasu 3/0 Wide Gap Finesse. I tie my own weedguard on since I can't find these larger hooks in the weedless plus the weedguard on the smaller 1 & 2 size hooks I can find is worthless in very heavy brush like I fish.

I tend to focus more on using soft plastics----most of the time. That being said, I always have a little variety tied on 6-8 rods. I tend to focus on soft plastics because in my experience I can often catch them on that when they are also hitting cranks, jigs, or even top water. But not necessarily do I find the reverse true. Lots of times I find that I can switch between soft plastics and a crankbait or vice versa and have a slowed bite pick back up. Guess the point is that don't get stuck on one method, sometimes a change is what they are wanting.

ReelMechanic - Finally found some of the Reel Scrubber locally and really like the way it cleans the reel. Plus is a little safer than the gas I had grown up using.

Silicone sprays only coat the line and will wash off in a couple of cast. I have had good luck with the KVD Line & Lure. Line & Lure is a polymer blend that becomes part of the line to elimiante memory and aid casting distance. I have been using it for over a year with good success. You can get more info at their web site. I would post it, but changed my ID and need more post before I can post an active link.

Like fluemis, I can't see enough difference in lead and tungsten to justify the extra cost.

Was taught at a young age to never show my gadget in public.

I have had great luck with them wacky rigging. Of course mine say Trick Worm instead of Senko on the bag. Of course the fish come up read the Zoom logo on the bait and swim away so you need to take a small nail heat it up and burn in a Yamamota brand so they will take it.

Being old and wise (my joke of the day), I learned long ago price does not always indicate quality/performance. There is a bigger difference in fish catching ability of a bait caused by the way people fish baits than there is between knock offs and name brands. If you think price drives catching ability, I am sure Brent can provide you some $5 each senko's. In fact I think I got a bag in the vault I would be glad to let you have at a discount $4.50 each. I still have great luck on some 30+ year old Pico Pops I probably paid less than $2 for. Have never had a bass come looking for a price tag on a bait. The wife maybe but not the fish. I can even manage to land some on my cheap old Castawy/Amer Rodsmith/All-Star rods and Cruxis/Citica reels---even though they don't have the high $ price tag. I will take fishing ability over cost of tackle every time.

Even narrowing it down to 2007, I do not have the typing prowess to finish today.

Think the tub has free shipping, and I believe if you order other things at the same time as the tub, they will be shipped free also. So if you need someting else, the $9.99 tub is "nearly" free---lol.