jdw174

That's funny, cuz I have three of the deep running Fat Free Shads in my boat, and every one of them says "BOMBER" on the side. You might also want to check this: http://www.lurenet.com/brands/bomber-lures/bomber-fat-free-shad-(bd7f--bd8f)

The Bomber lures have always been a favorite with me. They're not the only ones in my tacklebox, but I've never had to tune one...period! They always run true. I recently picked up a couple of the medium running size of Timmy Horton's Switchback Shad and really like them as well.

5" Hag's Tornado, hands down.

If they're deep, it's hard to beat the old standby Silver Buddy. Caught more Lake Erie smallies on that bait than I can count.

Butterfingers.

I'm motoring out of the marina as soon as I can see well enough to operate the boat. It's quiet and peaceful...at least for the first hour...and the shallow water bite will be on.

It isn't that the motor won't pull it, but your hitch is only rated at 3500lb as well which is another concern. It's a combination of frame, brakes, engine that determines the tow rate of a vehicle.

I used to manage the tackle dept. in a Dick's store in PA. There would be items go on clearance all the time and I never knew when or what it would be. I'd just get a notice from the home office to clearance this or that. It pays to check in the store from time to time.

Likewise, Quillback. I own (and use) 1 Daiwa, 5 Shimanos, and 2 Pfluegers. Spinning reels include one Abu, and two Shimanos. There are lots of decent reels out there in all price ranges.

Sorry, but I just don't drink the Kool-Aid. Glad you like your Shimanos.

My baitcasters were always Shimanos...still have 5 of them. Last year, I bought two Pflueger Patriarchs and can honestly say that I wish I had the $$$ to get rid of ALL my Shimanos and replace them with the Pfluegers. They're that good, IMO.

Around here, WalMart still has the "old style" Dingers (w/o the F2 attractant) for $3 a bag of 7. I've used both the Dingers and the Senkos and seem to catch as many on one as the other. I'll stick with the Dingers.

Watermelon Candy is a favorite of mine, along with Watermelon/Red Flake.

Last year I needed two baitcasters and while checking out the TW website saw they had these on sale at $109 each. (That's $90 BELOW retail) I'd always used Shimano but figured that at that price it was worth a shot. When they arrived I saw that they were the WLP model (wide spool) which made them even better IMO. I've used them for a year now and can honestly say that I've not seen a smoother casting reel anywhere. With both internal and magnetic braking adjustments these are just super reels. The drag is as smooth as one could want. I only have one regret and that is that I didn't have enough money to go back and replace every reel I have with these. You could do a whole lot worse than the Patriarch.

I like both the Bomber and the Norman. Don't neglect the little Bomber Shallow A for skinny water. It's another of my killer lures.

I purchased a TomTom thru QVC a couple of years ago that came with lifetime free map upgrades. It's simply head and shoulders above the abomination that came from the factory in the wife's Prius. Best $140 I ever spent for a car accessory.

I'm a huge fan of the Hag's Tornado............

I began using Silver Thread co-poly from the time Bagleys began importing it from Japan. I used nothing else, eventually moving from the blue label to the SST/AN40. This changed last year when in a fit of madness I bought a spool of Seguar InvizX in 20lb for pitching jigs, and actually won a spool of STREN Fluoro in an online contest in 17lb. I switched to PowerPro braid on my spinning rigs for dropshot/shakeyhead fishing. So far, I'm not sure the fluoro is a bit better than the AN40, although I do like the PP on the spinning tackle. It wouldn't bother me a bit if I had to go back to copoly on all my baitcasters. In the years I've used it, it's been supple, tough, and I never lost a fish due to line breakage.

If you're seeing arches, that means that your unit has passed over the fish from head to tail (or vice versa).

I'll second everything Fishndude said. First thing I do when I get a new hardbait is remove the split ring.

I carry (and use) rods by AllStar, Powell, Lamiglas, AllPro, and Falcon. Oh yes, I also have one of Skeets W&M rods that so far has worked just great for various lures. Favorite??? don't have one.

Lures by Bomber, Bandit, and Norman all fit the under $10 criteria and will most certainly catch fish.

I've towed my TR20 with a Tacoma for 7 years with nary a hiccup. I regularly get 19mpg around town and as high as 24mpg on a trip (V6/5-spd auto). Make sure you get the towing package.

I have two of the CLD's, and wouldn't recommend them for 'Traps/SB/jerkbaits. I have used them for jigs/worms/c-rigs and that's all. Just not enough tip for much else.

When I bought mine, I emailed Costa for a lens that would work best for both cloudy and sunny conditions. They recommended the Green Mirror. I haven't been disappointed.