jdw174

I use the spinnerbait/worm model for cranking lipless cranks and it's great. Also works well with most other cranks. I think it would make a good spinnerbait rod, but I wouldn't use it for worming at all.

See if your local library has last month's issue of Consumer Reports. They did a test on most of the insect repellents. The current issue addressed the OFF Clip-On and their recommendation was to stick to one of the better spray types. Just don't get any on your lures.

A resounding....YES!!! Especially early in the AM for some reason I can't even access the forums at all at times.

On Lake Erie I've seen fish come up out of 20' to hit a topwater. Can't answer for Kentucky Lake....cuz I haven't ever seen the bottom :

Many chargers will have a switch on them for marine/deep cycle batteries. You might try one of those. If you have a bass boat where your batteries remain in place, consider one of the ones that mount in your boat. My Dual-Pro 3-bank has run 24/7 for 12 years and is still going strong.

I bought the Owner wacky hooks this year with the plastic "Y" guard on them and haven't lost a single fish on them yet. Likewise the Jackall Flick-It jigheads.

I saw them and wondered if they'd work as well, I definitely noticed the difference in price. I'll have to try 'em out. Senkos work pretty well drop-shotting around submerged tree stumps in the Missouri River when the water level is down. I absolutely wore 'em out this spring on senko-type lures fished wacky style. Normally, I carry one Texas rigged and weightless. When I come across a very low hanging tree branch or somewhere that I can't get to any other way, I pick up that rig and skip it in there. Every strike I've had in doing that had been a solid THUMP, unlike the wacky rigs where I've hardly felt them at all.

I've found that the Yum Dingers work just as well, and cost less. (8/$3 at WalMart)

I have that rod as well and would buy another in a heartbeat.

There's a lot of VERY nice rigs on the market today. Too bad you can't take the best of them all and make one boat. I really love the tackle storage setup on the Phoenix 721, for instance. Anyway, you asked for favorites, so......with price no object.....it's the new BassCat Eyra, hands down 8-)

I'll second that emotion

+1 on the Owner Wacky Hooks. Haven't lost a fish yet on them. They're super sharp. I've also used the Jackall Flick-It with the same results.

Don't know how big and bulky you want to go, but a Bomber Square A is a dandy shallow water crank.

Is there by any chance a place in your livewells for drain plugs? Mine has rubber plugs. If you remove them, just running down the lake can drain the wells.

The "tap-tap" means that the fish has inhaled your lure and is trying to crush it. If you even take time to say "SON"......you'll usually haul air. 8-)

I have the spinnerbait/worm rod and although I'd probably fish a spinnerbait with it, IMO it's definitely a bit on the soft side for plastics. I use mine for cranking.

A Palomar knot tied directly to a Duo-Lock snap does it for me.

Since this event is but 14 miles from the house I went out for the launch this morning. Was hoping to get a good photo of KVD, but he remained in the middle of the marina until called to the dock for a boat check. Had a camera man in the boat, plus his marshall and he had a cell phone glued to his ear at the time. Got a good look at a lot of the boats. Man some of those looked ROUGH, but then I'm sure they go thru a lot. Checked out the rods as they came down the dock for boat check. Most of them had at least four rods rigged with crankbaits. Winner there was the Bomber FF Shad. Colors were overwhelmingly Citrus Shad and Blue/Chartreuse, sometimes with an orange belly. Had a very good look at Edwin Evers rig as he docked right where I was standing. Either it was a new boat or he has a case of OCD where his boat was concerned. I mean there wasn't a speck of dirt in that rig that I could see....like you could have your heart cut out on the deck and not get an infection! He had four rods rigged with cranks, one with a big worm, one with a large spoon and one with a jig. Both his spoon and worm rod were Carbonlites. The others I couldn't see the name on the blanks. The reels all appeared to be BPS reels. At any rate, that Nitro Z9 was one sharp rig. Oh yes, it was equipped with not one or two, but FOUR big screen Lowrance HDS units, two at the console and two up front. I don't know where he finds time to fish if he's watching all that. Boyd Duckett went by....all the rods I assume were his own brand...white blanks (which I do NOT care for). That's about all I can recall for now. They don't waste any time at launch.

I second this nomination 8-)

I carry 12 rods in the boat. Some of them are AllStar IM6 models I bought years ago for about $60. I also have some older model Falcon LowRiders that cost me between $60-$70 at the time. My latest Skeet Reese rod cost me a whoppin' $76 off the shelf. If I had to make a living catching fish, then perhaps something more expensive might help. But fishing only one or two days a week???? I think I'll keep dancing with who brung me. If the need arises in the near future that I need another rod, I'll be looking at maybe another Skeet Reese or a Bucoo, but nothing over the $125 range.

Twitch it, chug it, burn it, bloop it, walk it.....it doesn't matter. Try them all and the fish will tell you how they want it.

My thanks for the responses. Perhaps I should have added that my fishing waters are Kentucky and Barkley Lakes.

I've been running Spiderwire Stealth Braid on both my spinning rigs this year (dropshotting/shakeyhead/senko) and it is absolutely invisible to my eyes unless light conditions are exactly right. While dropshotting or shakeyhead fishing it's not a real problem since I can feel the strike (although it would be nice to see the line jump). The real problem is fishing wacky-rigged senkos. I've caught fish this year that all but swallowed the hook or jighead and I never felt so much as a sniff. I'm thinking that the hi-vis would be a lot better. I use a 3-4' leader of co-poly. Any thoughts?

Equipment: 6'6" AllStar MS3TN rod (MH action), AbuGarcia reel spooled with 20lb braid, 12lb leader of SilverThread AN40. So far I've only used either Senkos or Yum Dingers, but I'll be trying out the Zoom Trick Worms next time out. I've worn 'em out on this rig this year so far 8-) .

I just started using the Spiderwire Stealth this year on my spinning rods and so far it has performed great. The only problem I have with it is that I CAN'T SEE IT . Fishing wacky style with a co-poly leader I can't see the line move/jump or whatever. Next time I'll be going with something in hi-viz.