Munkin

Rod length preference has to do with the height of the angler in my experience. At 6' I like rods that are 6'9" to 7'3" for flippin/pitchin anything shorter or longer just does not feel right. As for jig weight I use 1/2oz a lot because the starflash skirts are bulkier and slow the rate of fall down too much for a 3/8oz. Allen

You beat me to posting this! I have been getting stuff together for a week or so now. Allen

Does a smallie beaver count? I have caught a lot of fish on that bait the last couple of years. Allen

Owning just about every brand mentioned my favorite for the past couple of years is SK 5 series. Silent gizzard shad for clear water and something with chart. in it for darker water. For some reason wooden cranks just do not work very well for me. Allen

Yes, the only place that doesn't freeze over. Allen

LC RC 1.5 in copper perch is my #1 crankbait and has caught fish everywhere. Besides that the SK KVD bait in gizzard shad has been working well for me. Allen

Daiichi death traps and I usually stick with the stock size that came on the bait. Allen

What is "cold" water in Florida? Here in Maryland it means ice is floating down the river and we are using hair jigs. Allen

Tying off the thread when I am done with a guide is my problem. Allen

That was the link I was looking for thanks! All the crayfish around here are either Virile or Spiney craws like in the link. Allen

Color matters more to you than the fish so as long as you have confidence in it any color will work. I have caught fish on a hot pink jig with a GP head and chart trailer just to prove to someone else it would work. Allen

Any soft plastic will work but the two best baits for me are a lizard or French fry. Allen

That may not be a correct statement? Wacky Worm was selling them before Netbait from what I remember. Allen

Crayfish are different colors around the country depending of species. I use to have a link to the different habit ranges until my computer crashed (hopefully someone will come along and post it). Here in Maryland we have the Virile and Rusty craws which I have caught in the local waters. Both of these are brown but one has green craws, head and tail. I use this to my advantage by making a brown jig with a GP head and GP trailer. I learned the secret to why PB&J works so well in MO when I spent 17 weeks there for an Army school. All the craws I found in MO were brown with a purple hue to them. Allen

Between 6- 7lbs and hopefully if I can fish more often in the spring. Allen

I have modified some base pins down to 1/16" so I can use the smaller weedguards in my football mold. Now these are a PITA to make but I only use at most a dozen hair jigs a year so its fine. Bear hair is what seems to work best but it only comes in black so I am limited. Allen

http://www.rodbuilding.org/library/spinningNGC.pdf This is how you space the guides from the man himself. Everything else the Mudhole youtube videos will get you started for now. I have about 5 custom rods in different stages of completion in my dinning room. Wrapping guides is the hardest thing for me and I do not like the way they have turned out. When I have some free time I will give it another try but will most likely just have someone else wrap them. Allen

In that situation I think you should try some Rapala Husky Jerks and Smithwick Rogues. Both of these are really good baits and are like $5 each so you won't be out much if you lose them. I don't know if you tried them but a soft jerkbait should really work there. Zoom super flukes in albino and pearl white are about all you need. Allen

We can hit Piney Run in the spring down here in MD where there are a lot of 3-4' stripers if you want? I have no idea how to specifically target them but I lost something big on a Mattlures perch swimbait there two years ago. Something hit that bait and straightened both my arms out when I wasn't paying attention. Besides the stripers you can see 6+lb bass swimming around the shallows in the spring. Allen

Here is someone who knows what jig fishing is really about. I use three colors 90% of the time; solid black, GP and a starflsh skirt color called crawdad which is GP/brown/orange. To add to this I only use two colors for trailers solid black and GP except for swim jigs. Allen

I noticed you are from Maryland so where are you fishing? On the average day I carry about 40 different jerkbaits to get dialed into the one they want. Overall Lucky Craft baits in ghost minnow work best around here. My top 5 baits in no particular order: LC pointer 78sp LC slender pointer 97mr Xcaliber XS4 (This was discontinued but came back as the eeratic shad everyone has been talking about) Smithwick suspending rogue Team Diawa minnow 1091 Allen

What kind of collar did you use on those first two? Allen

18-20 Jan 2014, same weekend as last year. Allen

January 18-20, 2013 Cabin Creek Bassmasters Show http://www.washco-agcenter.net/agctr_schedule.shtm Allen

Having fished there a lot over the past several years I would guess that you could launch a kayak from several spots. I wish there was a ramp at the stickups or dam so I don't have to waste time trolling from the ramp. Allen