Bluecraw

I bought a pair of the New Balance 965 and took them back the next day. The leather on the top corners of the tongue was digging in to my foot. The shoes were just very uncomforatable for me. :-/ I'm gonna try the Irish Setter Pro Angler shoes...anyone have those. I here they're great.

In reference to "Customizing Baits" topic: .....see, now I would take this thing and add webbed feet to it......

I mess with my tackle all of the time!! If I buy a crankbait without red gills, I paint them on myself with red fingernail polish. I heard that the red gills of a bait fish can trigger the bass....don't know if that's true, but it doesn't hurt. If my cranks have crappy looking eyes, I glue on the real-looking googly eyes that move....doesn't seem to mess with the action too much. I'm a Jitterbug freak! So, one thing I ALWAYS do as soon as I buy a new Jitterbug is put slip rings on and a red treble hook up front. The factory hooks tend to bind-up and make you lose more fish. Adding the slip rings, lets the hooks move more freely increasing the hook-up ratio. I actually took one of the white/red Jitterbugs and glued a white trailer on the rear-end so it would look more like a mouse from the fish's view. ...I could go on, but then you'll see how bad my disease is......

I second the vote for the Fat Rap FR-7. My last one (that I won't use anymore) looks like it came back from Vietnam....

Yeah! Toothpaste bubblegum was my idea, many years ago!! But it never became popular because they sell it with the toothpaste instead of the candy by the cashier.....oh, are we talking about "fishing" inventions?....sorry.

Yes, there is a difference. My wife used to work for an ophthalmologist and the doctor explained it better than I can but I stay away from the cheap sunglasses. Most of the cheaper sunglasses are just plastic lenses with a tinted coating on them instead of the tint, polarization, anti-reflexion, and UV protection being different lenses. The cheaper ones will block some of the sunlight which makes your pupils dilate (iris open) and lets more of the UV light through causing damage to the retina. You want sunglasses that block 100% of both types of UV light (A& plus polarization (for glare). Most cheap sunglasses that say they are polarized are not. Some of the trusted brands for quality sunglasses are: * Bolle' * Costa Del Mar * Eyehawk * Maui Jim * Native Eyewear * Oakley * Ray-Ban * Revo * Serengeti * Sexx Vision * Shields * Sun Tiger * Vuarnet Hope this helps.

....come to think of it, I wouldn't want anybody lifting me off of the ground by my bottom lip either.....ouch.....lol

I've used the Quantum KVD, Accurist CX, and the Accurist PT and the only difference I noticed was the price. The Energy and Tour Edition are in another league and worth the extra money.

WOW! Glad I'm not the only one who's had this problem. I would say I do just about everything you guys have mentioned when lining my reels. Guess I never realized all of the subtle things that could cause this. I'll be changing my technique from now on. Thanks to everyone for all of the insight. I just can't believe how long I've been cursing my line and reels, when it's been my fault all along... :-[

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D....I think I woke-up my wife laughing so hard!!!

Hmmm.....you might be onto something there. I fill it through the rod guides and get my tension from my line-spool-holder-thingy, but now that you mention it, when I first start I do use my left hand fingers to get the initial slack out....hmmm. I'll try another technique and let you know. Thanks.... ....by the way, this forum ROCKS!

:'(...why is it that everytime I change the line on my reels, it seems to build-up faster to the left side of the spool? Even when I make a conscious effort to start the new line towards the right side, it seems to build-up more on the left!!....wierd. It's not as bad when I do this, but shouldn't my spooled line be fairly even across the spool when I put it on and not look like a trapezoid?! What gives??!! I have Accurist reels.....I know...you Shimano guys are going to tell me, "That's your problem...."

I've caught more bass on the old balsa Fat Rap (FR-7, shad color) than any other crank. Problem is, they don't make them any more and the only one I have left is one that my dad gave to me a long time ago. I don't want to lose it, so I don't use it any more......it has a ton of bite marks on it!

Yeah, I fished for spots on Lanier in late December with a buddy who knows the lake real well. First time I've ever fish for bass in 35-40 feet of water....needless to say, I didn't do well. We have some friends on Altoona, so we're up there a lot. Maybe you can which parts of the lake are best for fishing.....thx. - MH

I live in Henry County right now. 1 hour from Lake Sinclair and 1 hour from Lake Oconee. Not a bad spot, but planning on moving to the north side of Atlanta (Cherokee County) this spring. Guess I'll have to learn the northern lakes in GA. Thanks to everyone for the "welcome". - MH

Easy....everything you need is in the word: T ubes A ttractant (i.e. garlic) C rankbaits K raws L izards E lectronics ....hey, that's how we spell "Kraws" in the south.....

I'm guessing that most beginners will say "book" or "internet" because you have to know what to do and how to do it before you go on the water. And I'm guessing that most veterans will say "on the water" because they already have all of the baits and techniques down and they know how, when, and where to use them; so, they are still learning things by being on the water. Personally, I learn the most by catching fish.....it's like a fireman; he can read, take classes, learn from others, and train for weeks about fighting a fire, but really learns the MOST about putting out a fire by actually doing it, not practicing to do it.....no, I'm not a firefighter..... -MH

Sorry, doesn't really matter to me. Here's what it's all about.....my dad and my son:

You know what they say....a bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work....unless, your work is fishing....then a good day at work could be a bad day of fishing..... Am I making any sense?????

My pb is 8.5 lbs, so anything over that would be nice. If I catch a 10 lb lunker, I think I'll put my rod down for a few minutes, stare at my fish, and have a Bud....

Well, I got tired of the Bass Insider forum. They kept wiping-out the old topics and I hated that you couldn't search for topics like this forum. I'm always happy to be in the company of fellow bass anglers. I've been addicted to this sport for years and hope I can contribute something and get some of my own questions answered. From what I've seen so far, this is the best forum for bass fishing and think we should all thank those veterans out there who take their time to answer so many questions to make everyone else a better angler. Look forward to speaking with you guys.....and gals, of course. I let my 5 year old boy rig whatever he wants and this time he wanted a T-rigged blue craw....hence, my forum name. -MH

I'm with Chris. I use Excel clear, 10-12 lb. P-line is good, but I've tried everything and I think the best VALUE for the quality is Excel. -MH

I just took back the S model and got the SX. The S doesn't have the external mag brake adjustment and I like that. I think that plus another bearing is worth the extra $50 bones. But I don't think the STX is worth another $50 bucks for the small differences. Just my opinion... -MH