John Cullum

I use 10# Trilene XT. I have used differant types of line and Trilene seems to be the best. I also tried braided line 2 years ago but really didn't like the feel of it. I may try braided agian during practice this year but doubt I will use it in a tourney. If you check your line and are careful with bigger fish 10# test is all you need.

My left side rod locker is lined with Tupperware bins. They are perfect for storing bags of soft plastics in. I don't put the lid on them I keep them in there like there files so I can pick thru each bag to find what I'm looking for. I put like kind with like kind like worms, Senko, lizards etc. I have 7 bins filled with soft plastic and my rod organizer over those. I have my crankbait in Plano 370 boxes. I have them in shallow, med, deep diving. Then I have two boxes for my Bagleys, one for jerkbait, traps, top water and so on. At the house in the computer/fishing room I have an old dresser filled with all the extra soft plastics I may need as the season goes on. I have a few shoe boxes filled with extra crankbaits I already have a few of in the boat. When I running low on something I restock from my stash at the house. I put all my hooks in Zip lock bags and then put them in a spinnerbait box with 3 dividers. I put straight shank in one, tube hooks in another and off set and odds and ends in the third. Weights and Mojo Keepers and in a small utility along with my tooth picks.

It's the fuel injestion sytem used by OMC before Bombardiar bought them. They have gone to the E-Tec now which is supposed to be better. I have a 1999 FICHT 200 horse and it runs like a champ.

Tells a bit more about the story. Sounds like it could be worse than everyone thought. http://www.al.com/outdoors/huntsvilletimes/aclemons.ssf?/base/sports/1105525205224570.xml

I had the marina install some LED lights on my trailor two years ago and have'nt had any trouble so far. They had a 100,000 hour warrenty too.

I don't think he's getting bashed on this board but I've seen a few that are out of line. It seems anytime someone wins a lawsuit of it's first kind everyone follows with similiar claims. If he wins I agree with everyone else it will probadly get ugly and some rules will have to change because of it.

Valid point, but other than money is there a reason why you wouldn't use a scent eveytime. Even if it was only as a masking agent?

I believe in using them everythme I fish a soft plastic. They're not gonna get you a bite every cast but I would think they might get you an extra bite or two a day. I also think they hold on to it a bit longer if you have scent applied to the bait. I use scents as more of an masking agent than anything. I would rather my bait smell like craw or garlic than human. I use Mega Strike and Jel Scent and like them both ALOT. I believe they work and don't feel comfortable unless I'm using them. Exspecially if I'm skippin' docks. Adding scent will give your soft plastic a slim coat they will help you get better distance out of your skip. I know one thing thou it can't hurt to use them so why wouldn't ya?

We tube off my bass rig every July. I had to by a harness that hooks to the tie down U-bolts on the boat but it works. Only problem is very limited seating and hard to re board the boat with no ladder.

I hear ya Snag. A few years back my partner and I fished a open on Lake Michigan. The Chicago SunTimes ran a piece on it so it was getting alot of press. Mark Zona and a few other "local pros" were there. There was a pretty decent crowd at the take off and someone from the Sun Times had the loud speaker calling out boat numbers. (I think we were 26) A few boats before they called out our number I asked my partner why the bilige was running. His reply of course was "O' MY GOD NO PLUG". So we turn around and the next thing I hear from the loud speaker is "It appears boat number 26 forgot their drain plug". I didn't turn around to look but I could feel everyone eyes on us wonder what two guys it was.

If your not a "go fast guy" I would go with the Ranger. I haven't been in the Z series yet but if it's anything like VX series how could you go wrong. I have be in alot of differant boat brands and non of them fish like a Ranger. The fishability of a Ranger is bar none in my book. I'm not sposored by Ranger either but would like to be.

Pflueger makes the BPS reels. I'm not sure if they have anything to do with Browning or not thou.

Your probadly right about the eggs of a guarding male bass being lost if he is caught and taken. I don't think fishing for bedding bass has a huge negative effect on a lakes bass population like they lead us to believe. I live close to Lake Michigan and if the smallmouth are "locked in" on a bed you can catch both of them very quickly. I have had time when we boated a smallmouth from a bed to only go back a few hours later to get the same fish to bite again. Why fish for females that are deep that you can't see when some are on a bed? You may have to invest 40 minutes on one but sooner or later you can usually get them. Also if your fishing for money you just can't compete without doing it if they are on the beds. Best bait for me for spawning fish. #1) 1 oz egg sinker and Air Lizard or Air Fry or any of the New 3X or Terminator platics like a creature bait or lizard. Any bait the will float a 4/0 hook will work thou. Set it up like a carolina rig with no swivels. Just run your line thru the weight and tie it to the hook, then add you plastic. Cast past the nest and drag weight into the center of nest and try to find the "sweet spot". Give your reel slack and the bait floats up. Then reel the line in some and swim your lizard from the surface back to the bottom. Then repeat. You can fish a bed for hours and never make more than one cast. If you do this right the sinker never moves off the bottom and the lizard appears to be feeding on the bottom. I have tried a ton of differant ways and this so far has been the best. It may take awhile but if they seem a bit interested at all they will bit. If they swim away from the bed be patient they'll usually come back. Those will be a bit harder to catch because they are not "locked in" yet. But if they stay and appear to be aggresive hold on your in luck. #2 pink tube for smallmouth on Lake Michigan

I liked it for the most part. I could do without Byron Velvick thou. Mark is a cool guy he used to sell boats out at OffShore and then at West Lakes. He was the man on the clear lakes around here for a few years.

Welcome

Brians crankbaits fish more like ThunderShads or Tennessee Killers or Poes than a Bagley. There nice baits but I still prefer Bagleys. Tim Hughs makes a bait that is very similiar to the 1970s Bagley brass B series and they are supposed to be awesome. They say it has the same brass harness and same weights as the old Bagleys even the same lure dimentions. I have never tried them but they look nice. Be careful on getting them painted if they are old. You need to strip them down and then re-paint them if you got them to hunt. By adding another coat of paint and some clear coat to a smaller Honey Bee will mess up the action and you might not get it to hunt again. I always change the hooks on my Bagleys. I use a size#4 on front and back on ALL of my BB 2-4. Nothing on the market today fishes like an old Balsa Bagleys. Nothing hunts like they do, nothing walks thru wood like they do and no crankbait in my opinion will produce more fish big fish on a natural lake than a Balsa Bagley. I'm not sponsored in anyway from Bagley and Bagley hasn't made a single penny off me EVER. I buy all of my Bagleys from e-bay. Yes they are expensive, sometimes around 35-50 bucks a pop but I'll gladly pay if it's a good color and it has brass. If you have a lake with blow downs or flooded timber get one of these and give it a try. Take them out at a local pond and work on getting them to hunt. Then take them to the normal lakes you fish and give it a try around wood. You'll boat more fish off the spots then you normally do and it'll catch some pigs you didn't know were there.

I have a few Bee 2 for sure and I believe the others are Bee 5s? I bought them used at a fishing show a few years back and have done decent with them. They are alot better than the Thunder Shad which I wasted $100.00 on 2 years ago. I don't fish them much because I fish mostly Bagleys when I fish balsas but they aren't bad baits.

I don't really follow just one guy but I do follow BASS and FLW. I like to jig fish alot so I'll pay more attention to what Brauer and Biffle and Klein may say versus another pro that may not be known for jig fishing.

Only bright red Sprint in northern Indiana with a 200 FICHT. If you see me say HI.

The lakes around me area perfect example of a "weekend shutdown". I really don't change anything unless the weather changes. It took me 50 trips to Shafer and Freeman to figure out the "weekend shutdwon" mystery but I did solve it.The fish haven't moved they just need to be worked before they'll bite.Making repeated casts will usually catch them. If I'm fishing a spot I know holds fish I may make the same cast 20 times before I get a bite. If you know the lake and you know that theres fish on the spots your fishing then stick it out. Anyone who has ever fished Shafer Lake in Motecellio will know what I'm talking about. That lake has about 3-4 patterna that will work evertime you fish there regardless of time of year or weather. I have 12-15 spots I know will hold fish almost everytime I hit them. If I take the best 4-5 spots and make a little milk run out of them I will usually get 5 keepers. It may take 3 or 4 times during the day hitting the same spot with the same bait before I'll finally get a fish but sooner or later they'll bite. How I solved the weekend shut down mystery on my home lakes. Not saying its fool proof but it has been paying off for me. A few years back I hit a stump and bent my trolling motor shaft and was unable to get it to turn at all. My back up motor was in the shop getting the board replaced so I figured I was done for the day. I headed back towards the weigh-in with an empty box and 6 hours of fishing time left and a real bad attitude. I stopped at one of the bridges I always caught fish off of and tied off to a pier. For the next 5.5 hours I chucked crankbaits under this bridge and ended up with 5 good fish. I didn't as much move my boat 1 foot during the 5.5 hours I just kept casting. Over and over agian I hit the same exact spot and ever 50 or so casts I'd get a fish. All of them weren't keepers but I bet I boated 25 fish that day and culled a few times. I placed 4th in the tourney and cashed a pretty nice check. I know when the fish came up to this spot they would be feeding and probadly be easy to catch. I would usually hit this spot once during the day in a normal tourney but now I hit it 4-5 times and will always get a keeper or two from it.

I fish docks 90% of the time I'm on the water. That is my bread and butter technique. I have four 5'8 custom rods made just for skipping. The lakes I fish get a ton of pressure so learning to skip is a must in my area. I use centipedes, tubes, senko, wacky worms are my favorite baits to skip. In most cases the lower the dock the better. The docks that are only and inch above the water are the ones I usually key on. Most guys won't take the time to get a bait under them they'll just move on to the next dock. I always fish these docks hard even if It takes 20 casts to get the angle I want I'm not leaving until I get one back there. Dock fish in stained water are not very spooky so you can usually get right up on them. Thats why I use a short rod with a good back bone. It allows me to get closer to the fish so my odds of landing a pig are better than with a 6'6 rod.

I always go back to basics. Like flippin' a jig or cranking blow-downs or brush. I try to stay away from c-rigging or drop-shotting when I'm in a "slump" I'm not a very good deep water fisherman so I avoid doing that. I like to fish my strengths which are crankin, skipping docks and jig fishing all in shallow water for greenies. Control what you can control and don't sweat the stuff you can't control like weather or what your buddy in another boat just landed. Check your equiment and knot, line, hooks, etc. This can make a good day or the water turn very sour. A missed fish due to a bad knot or nick in the line or your drag set to loose can usually be avoided. Double check your gear and line etc to eliminate possible break downs before they happen. Anyone of these can send your day down hill quickly. You also have to stay in the right mind seat. You can do everything right and still not get a bite. If my mechanics are good and I'm putting the bait where I want it, its up to the fish to bite. Your gonna have your bad days where you struggle to get a good bite all day. Your also gonna bomb out from time to time, it happens, to everyone. What you do on those days are what will make or break you in my opinion. Do you give up or get frustrated to the point where you lose your consentration or do you remain focused so you land your next bite? A few years back I would lose my cool from time to time and it always made matters worse then what there already were. If I start to get frustrated now I'll take a few minutes to gather myself. The few minutes of not fishing while I calm myself down and get my head right usually pays off by landing my next bite.

I'm in northwest Indiana. I fish Braidwood just about everyweekend and a few days during the week until the middle of April or so. I also think they could bump the limit up to 5 at Braidwood. I guess with a 3 fish limit your never out of a tourney your only one good fish from the money.

Watch football and organize the tackle. Start changing hooks regreasing reels and cleaning rods until Jan. Then start doing the show circuit with Grandt Rods for a month. Put the no freezable stuff back in the boat in late Feb. and start fishing Braidwood in March. We have a few cooling lakes up by us that never freeze all the way.

I would change brands. I will be ordering a Stroker with a 250 H.O. next Nov. Stroker makes a sweat boat for a far price. Most of the boat companies still in business make a nice product. This months Bass and Walleye Boats mag. has the Top 50 and they feature some pretty nice rides in there. I will be staying with an Evinrude, Motorguide. I may change my eletronics to BottomLine from Lowrance.