jdw174

just my humble opinion of course, but a longer rod(7'range) should help you get that hook buried much better than the shorter version. And that ML on your spinning rod should be at the very least a medium action if you're fishing with a buried hook point.

I have rods by AllStar, Browning, Castaway, Pinnacle, Daiwa, and Berkley. Reels are Browning Midas 6's (2), one Curado, 2 Castaics, one Quantum, a couple of Garcias. All the spinning reels are Shimano, the one exception being 2 Garcias. I ain't a slave to brands.

I use NOAA all the time. I also use this one to get the wind forecast... http://www.intellicast.com/IcastPage/LoadPage.aspx?loc=usa&seg=Golf&prodgrp=Forecasts&product=WINDcast&prodnav=d1_00&pid=none I

I tend to pitch much more than flip. I loosten the spool tension on the reel a lot more than I do for normal casting. Some people hold the lure, others don't. I prefer to hold the lure in my left hand to put a slight bit of tension on the line. Then you just flick the rod tip towards the target, releasing the lure. You'll have to play with spool tension until you get it where you want it. Go outside and set up a coffee can about 20-30' away and practice until you can drop the lure in the can. Consider it a sort of underhanded cast. You'll need to practice, for sure.

Spinnerbaits don't catch fish????? Someone apparently isn't holding their nose right. I wouldn't consider going fishing without as SB rig on the deck, but that's just me...

Depending on the time of the year and current conditions, I will lay out the rods with the selection of lures that "should" work. I will go to the spot that I'm going to fish and I'll work it with one lure. If that doesnt work, I'll go back over it with another lure until I've satisfied myself that there either isn't anyone home, or they're not taking what I'm offering. THEN I'll move on.

I've gone as high as 14#, but current rods are all spooled with 10#SST. One exception is my worming rig which has 12#.

For walking poppers, I suggest a rod like the AllStar Zell Rowland TWS. I use that for most of my topwater lures except the heavier lures like a Spook.

If there's one near you, by all means stop at a Cabelas store. World of difference. I would by far rather order from their catalog than BPS.

I don't really have a dog in this hunt, but the last time I had my boat in for service I got to talking to one of the salesmen about the Verado. He said that they weren't really trying to push them due to some problems with them. Now that being said, I don't know exactly what problems he was talking about and I didn't push him for an answer. Maybe there are some...maybe not. I know that if I ever repower or get a new rig, it will have the ETec engine.

I'm surprised no one mentioned using a Pop-R to walk the dog. It works very nicely. Same goes for a Chug Bug. I'm also fond of the Spittin' Image.

If I'm looking on Ebay for something, I usually look for a "Buy It Now" price. It always seems like once the bidding starts the prices have a way of getting up to full retail......or even more Still, you may luck out. Can't hurt to keep an eye open there.

Ditto on the SilverThread line.

My favorites are shad, chrome/blk back. To quote Paul Elias, "Three colors will cover all your crankbait needs. Shad, bream (blue/chart/orange), and crawdad". Personally, I've had very little luck with crawdad finish here. Up north it was a killer for smallies. In jigs, I'm a sucker for black/blue.

I use snaps on all my crankbaits. Occasionally I use the Norman Speed Clips, but I've had instances where they've almost let go of the lure. I never tie to the split ring on the lure. I remove it first thing out of the box.

8lbs on a spinnerbait.

If you're fishing around rocks I would stay away from Magnathin. Very little abraision resistence at all.

Other than short tryouts, I've fished with nothing else besides SilverThread ever since it was introduced by Bagley's. I don't see any reason to change.

I will add here that I will definitely be replacing the trebles on the Speed Pencil and the lipless XPS. Nickle-plated pieces of garbage wouldn't even sharpen. But again, for $5..........................

That is a nice looking lure, for sure I'd prefer it in a bluegill or shad pattern, though.

Kick 'n Bass all the way.

Frankly, I go fishing to catch fish. While I don't really care about the size, I admit that a big one can make my day a little brighter However, I'm just happy to be able to be out there, trying to make a fish think that whatever I'm tossing is edible. Some days that happens, some days it doesn't.

That's one of the problems of carrying the whole tackle store in the boat. I have a box containing jigging spoons/little georges, etc, but frankly those never occured to me :-? I'll try to keep that in mind for next time. Those hooks on the screen were a bit on the large side for crappie. One thing to look for in a school is the shape of it on screen. Crappie will most often school in a rough outline of a pine tree (read that in In-Fisherman , and I've found it to be correct much of the time).

Everyone has had days on the water that they'll never forget, so I thought I'd post a few of mine....... I fished Lake Erie for over 20 years and can remember those times when I landed 120+ smallies...BY MYSELF 8-). Or.... Taking Joe Hughes from PRADCO Lures out to do some filming. We had enough in the can in one day to do three shows! Or... The day that I dropped a buoy on a slight dropoff in 20' of water. I never moved 10' from that spot in 3 hours and landed 24 smallies. The smallest was 3lb, the largest almost 6. This does not count missed strikes/lost fish. The lure was a 1/2oz Silver Buddy jigged vertically. Or.... My first trip to Kentucky Lake in '85. It was mid-May and hotter than blazes. Surface temp at 5AM was 80+ degrees. I spent a week with a topwater tied on and had a hookup on about every other cast the entire week. This was when there was grass in practically every creek/cove. Unbelievable fishing. Or... The morning I pulled into a small cove landed 20+ pounds on five casts in one 25 yard stretch I've had my share of good times on the water. These are just a few. Anyone else?

Mine finally came today. 1 - Stacey King Lazer Eye Flippin' Jig, 7/16oz in blue metalflake. 1 - Lew's Speed Pencil (LC knockoff) in silver/chartreuse back 1 - Bassmaster Pro Series crankbait, hot tiger color 1 - 3/16oz Lazer Eye spinnerbait, blue/chart 1 - XPS Lazer Eye lipless crankbait For $5 I'd say I did pretty well.