claya

I agree. Love the idea of an oversized swim jig but this hook is too big.

Take a look at the Triton TX line of boats. It's the same boat as the Ranger built in the same factory just finished differently. The prices are reasonable on those.

It's amazing how consistent Wheeler and Thrift are. No surprise they are 1 & 2.

I'm a big fan of the 70. It comes through cover like a squarebill at that depth range. Gets bites and comes with quality hardware. Haven't fished my 55's enough to have an opinion.

I caught a belted kingfisher on a topwater last year. Was able to release him safely. A few of them showed up at my local lake over the past couple years. They're way too aggressive towards topwater baits and don't seem to have as discerning of an eye as a seagull.

I use a zoom fluke stick as a trailer alot and it catches them.

A lot of good points have already been made. Where I fish for them evenings are best. Other times of day can be good if you find them schooling. Always look for birds and fish surfacing. They tend to relate to deep water but will push bait into nearby banks. When fish are busting if they're grouped together you can catch them every cast. If they're busting but they're scattered around randomly it will be a lot harder and you may only catch a few. The fish in my water seem to get very dialed on the size of shad and will ignore anything that doesn't match.

A few years ago one of my Jackall jerkbaits was snagged right next to a dock. I cut the line and tied it to the dock so I could find it later. Drove 20 miles home to rig up a lure retriever and then drove back. The line eventually broke at the bait using the retriever. I started dragging the retriever on bottom and was able to snag the hooks and get it back.

Biggest northern strain was about 6lb on a black buzzbait w/black blade.

Seth Feider explained that it's good for flipping grass with silty bottoms. The bait follows the weight through the grass. Once it's on the bottom the weight is in the silt and the bait stays above it.

I've replaced the rear hook with the same size feathered treble and it still runs fine. I do really well on this lure in the spring around pre-spawn and spawn.

1. Square bill 2. Walking topwater 3. Buzzbait 4. Deep Crankbait 5. Underspin

I'm only on the bassmasters site in several of the groups.

Are there any weekly prizes? I have a team in the 99.95% as of today.

Argh. In for Whopper Ploppers and Horny Toads.