J_Pearson

I'm a little late on spotting this post, but I had heard they were no longer producing line...It's Such A Bummer! I really liked that line. I know there are many opinions out on the water, some people love it, some people hate it, but personally I had no problems at all and had a ton of confidence in it. It's going to be a sad day when my last spool of it I've got stocked in the basement is out..which will be sooner than later. I'm giving P-line CXX a test drive this next week, because you best believe I'm putting any new line I get through Boot-camp before I use it in upcoming tournies! >

What an amazing fish! I just echoing what's been said, but the colors and condition of that fish look extraordinary. What a story! JP

"Two-thumbs up" for Baby Bass color. I also throw watermelon red a lot and (shush!) Smoke black/blue/gold. Love it JP

I end up flipping texas-rigged chigger craws more often than any other plastic during the summer months. Personally, I've not used them as a jig trailer but I would suspect they work well. I can say with confidence that I love flipping them t-rigged though. - JP

Awesome..Awesome Fish! Sounds like you had a dream-day out on the water. Congrats! Also, that's a great photo. JP

You guys smoked them! Those are all GIANT smallies! My best last season went just over 3lb..nothing special especially compared to the beast's already posted, but it helped seal my 2nd place overall for the club season so I was happy with it! JP

Haha!

Awesome pics! Good stuff! JP

Blade Baits. Finesse Jigs. There's my two-cents worth. Real cold water is never easy to fish, but I definitely *** you getting out on the water already! We're still a couple/ few weeks out up here. Good luck! JP

haha..Exactly! ;D

A very emotional article..It definitely hit me hard. JP

Of course not. Always new people on board too to add new stuff and potentially new perspectives. ..."proper spelling and composition..." You lost me there. Sorry I had just got done reading through an un-related topic that involved way too much outside of fishing and kind of vented right there. My apologies. Best of luck guys! JP

Although off-topic in a sense, after reading this topic I just wanted to say how much I appreciate the information shared on this forum from very intelligent anglers. I understand there is a great deal of information that cannot be shared by pro-staffers due to contracts, but thank you guys for sharing what you can to help inspiring anglers such as myself. Keep up the great work guys. JP

NOTE: Although you'd probably find a boat-load of information on catching those big cruisers in past forum posts or articles under the 'Fishing Articles' tab, there's no wrong done in the asking of a question. It certainly beats talking about proper spelling and composition right? Oscardrift240...Good luck! Those cruisers can be tough to catch, and are often very spooky once your presence has been made. However, my best advice I can offer you is to make a very quiet presentation with either a small finesse worm or senko wacky-rigged. I personally use a Gamakatsu finesse wide-gap hook on light spinning tackle. The light line and spinning setup allow you to make an accurate cast with the small presentation. As long as the cover is not too thick, you'll have no problem landing hogs with a properly set drag. Just fight them smart and you'll be rewarded. Catching early-season cruisers is a blast in my opinion, almost as much like hunting and stalking as it is fishing. A very rewarding experience. Best of luck JP

Although I'm a fan of Skeet Reese..I think Duckett's rods get the thumbs-up. Although I cannot yet speak from personal experience, from what I have read the micro-guide technology is fairly beneficial. As for the color, I think the all-white rods look SWEAT. Full of Funk and I like it! JP

Some of my jigs I'll leave un-trimmed (the big Mc-Nasty Uglies I call them ). However, I'll often trim my jigs just so all the strands of the skirt are even and flush with one another. Just a personal preference of mine, I believe it gives the jig a better looking profile while in use. JP

I know that The Angler up in Hudson, IN would be able to do work on your rods. I've taken mine in there and they get the job done very well. JP

Around my area in northeast Indiana I fish lakes with some current that usually open up a bit sooner than most in the area ( Most lakes here are natural lakes with very little current). Slow-rollling a spinnerbait, lipless crank, and fishing a jerkbait is how I'll most likely be kicking off this season. It's not too far out and I can't wait! JP

I mostly threw a Sammy 100 in Ghost Minnow this past season.

The new jerseys and printed sweatshirts are just plain Awesome!

I've caught one on a popper..Huge strike! lol..

A quick question for those who don't consider the 4" Tru-Tungsten model a swimbait..What category of baits would it then fall into? There are big swimbaits and little swimbaits. I just find it hard to toss that bait into another category other than that of swimbaits. -JP

C-Flash Crankbaits are made in the US. Chip Harrison won a Stren Series event this past season on the Detroit River fishing one.

Time and place.. It is in my opinion that the application of "time and place" is a very important variable to consider when fishing a swimbait..whether it be a "tiny" swimbait or a jumbo-sized version. There are ideal conditions, as well as less favorable conditions to throw a swimbait, just as with any lure or presentation. For example, if I were to take the Tru-life 4" bait to "Devil's Mud-pit Pond," with a visibility of .03in..on a rainy, cloudy, windy day..well then I suppose I should be tossing my Big, McUgly spinnerbait instead. It's also a sure bet that you won't find a swimbait tied on my deck when I head to the lake tomorrow morning, with air temps in the 30's and water in mid to upper 40's at this point in the season. However, under optimal conditions, optimal "time and place" the swimbait will produce. You also have to consider the local forage. Swimbaits, as I've read and also firmly believe in my own opinion, are a sight-bait. A fish sees it..and if it wants to..kills it. I strongly believe that matching the local forage is an important part of the swimbait formula. Many of the small natural lakes I live around have an abundance of bluegill as opposed to a shad-based forage. In heavy prespawn mode, you can catch bass with little bluegill lodged in their mouths suprisingly often. Time and place, as well as a strong consideration of the local forage are very important factors in the swimbait formula, and should always be accounted for while discussing swimbait success. (As an end-note: I've experienced success used Poor Boy's Silly Rabbit swimbaits and I'm very much looking forward to using Tru-Tungsten's Tru-life swimbaits in the upcoming spring season!) Best of luck..and keep warm out on the water! -JP

I was just discussing this today with my dad..I am Really interested in competing as a co-angler in the BASS southern open stop one down on Okeechobee. The Bassmaster website probably has some good info on it if I just dig a bit into it...