skillet

I have only used the Brush Hogs and the Baby Brush Hogs (IMO the best creature baits around ). I have had really good luck using #2 EWG Gammi hooks on both... As Ever, Skillet

I have been using the original (I say original only because it was the first one I ever remember seeing) hollow bodied frog, the one with the realistic looking legs, for quite a while now. They are great for getting the old heart beating faster by pulling them across a bunch of slop. The hook-ups to hits ratio is not that great (for me anyway). I really like the way they look and act in the water. I was wondering if any of ya'll thought any of the other hollow body critters had a better hook-up rate... As Ever, Skillet

Thanks for the input Sam . As Ever, Skillet

Mitch, I think your reasoning for your second set- up is sound, but then again with what I fish in most of the time is why I'm partial to shorter rods. With my budget I have to stay a little under your choices of rods. I will say that I have a new Citica on a 6' Bionic Blade that I got on sale last year and couldn't be happier. I have never got to fish with higher end rods so maybe ignorance is bliss .... As Ever, Skillet

Booyah, Everyone that has replied has made some good points. Make sure of your decision and your Dr. If and when you go ahead with it remember the rehab and physical thereapy is very important. They are both a pain but not anything like what you are going thru. I got almost religious about the thereapy, exercises and did serious walking every day. I waited so long that the sciatic nerve had started changing color and was schriveling. My shoulder and right leg was pulling towards my waist. I was beginning to look like Quasimodo. If that nerve stays pinched long enough, you lose control of the ability to raise your foot when you walk. Remember that if you want to talk or just vent, one of us is usually always here. GOOD LUCK my friend.... As Ever, Skillet

I got the flyer about the Spring sale at Bass Pro yesterday and the Bionic Blades are on sale again this year. The difference is $49.95 instead of $39.95 like last year. I think I hear the call of the monkey somewhere off in the distance ... As Ever, Skillet

I was looking thru a Bass Pro catalog today and they had an illustration that looked like something worth thinking about :-?. They had taken a Zoom Fish Doctor worm, T-rigged it with a #2 off-set worm hook and one of those nail looking weights that you push in the tail. Supposedly it sat on the bottom tail first and floated body up. What I was wondering was, had any of you used the Fish Doctor Worm and was it bouyant enough to hold a regular #2 hook up and if not maybe a thin wire hook? Any thoughts on this set up from ya'll would be greatly appreciated ... As Ever, Skillet

icd, Glad you started posting and WELCOME !! As Ever, Skillet

YOAH fellas!!! Harping on someones choice of ride is like harping on their choice of reels. Lots of really good reels out there with different names and different countries of origin. Opinions are like navels, everyone's got one. Some go in and some go out but they're still just navels! Have ridden different types and styles (really like older, late 50's to late 60's, Limey bikes), but that's just my opinion .... As Ever, Skillet

Booyah, I hurt my back really bad in my late 20's or early 30's and tried everything to stay away from surgery for way too long. By the time I found a Dr. that I trusted and he talked me into it , I had almost crippled my right leg. The nerves and everything were pinched that bad. They had to get me to the hospital from the Dr. office in a wheel chair. The good part was having complete relief the next morning after surgery. The bad part was it only lasted about 5 yrs. This time the small broken pieces were so free floating that they moved and it set up in my left side. The Dr. considered me so tall and long bodied (6'4") that he wouldn't do any fusing and basically just removed all the broken pieces. I am thankful for that! The way I understand it is if you have a fusion you have a place in your back that remains straight when you bend. I guess like a rod that has a bad place in it. I'm almost 58 now and haven't had any problems with my back since, except overworking or really bending wrong which can happen with anyone. After that long winded reply, I couldn't say yea or nae to someone looking at the same problem. Over the years, I have heard so many different stories and different endings for the same thing. Sorry, if I haven't been of much help. If you think of anything you want to ask, don't hesitate to write. Wishing you the best of luck !! As Ever, Skillet

BreamMaster, Heck no! I don't really have any reason to clean bass either. I have seen bass attack my baby brush hog or brush hog in shallow water and it was always from above. Catt, I was standing on the shallow end of a flooded small pond last Spring and caught movement off to the side and it was a crawdad maybe a little larger than the largest you are holding. Biggest durn crawdad I've ever seen. The same color as yours and the only time I've seen that. It was large enough that I commented on it to my wife. I grew up playing on bottom land and flood plains of the Wolf R. so have played with and caught crawdads most of my childhood (seining and just putting a piece of bologna or hot dog on a string,like fishing for crabs)... As Ever, Skillet

POWERMAN970, Great answers so far, but I think ypu had a pretty good handle on it already (bigger and slower). By the way WELCOME !!! As Ever, Skillet

A really warm WELCOME to the both of you!! Johan, coming that close to your country's record with that nice of a fish, I need some of your HELP!!!! As Ever, Skillet

I have always used lighter weight spinning gear for pan fish or maybe an in-line spinner (Mepps 3). Wanting something heavier, I got a Symetre 2500 on a Bionix 6' MH (I like shorter rods). Playing with it in the back yard, I think I'm going to really like it. If and when it ever warms up again I'll give it a try on the water. Question: I understand controlled fall or semi-taught fall on a bait caster (Senko type, Ika or Flukes) because of an "educated thumb". How do you accomplish this with spinning gear? Just moved out of HTB or Home for the Terminally Bewildered, so cut me some slack..... As Ever, Skillet

Make durn sure you want those hangers before parting with good money. I never liked the feeling of control (or lack there of) and my hands would go to sleep.... As Ever, Skillet

No where near enough!! I got a gift certificate for Xmas and if they put their Bionic Blades on sale this month, I won't have it or ANY points ;D..... As Ever, Skillet

I think it is a really important skill to learn and USE. Where it is most important is with Senko style or Fat Ika style baits where it is more of a semi controled drop as opposed to where you kind of feel it all the way down. Hope that made more sense than it sounded like.... As Ever, Skillet

What c312 said and WELCOME to the Forum!! As Ever, Skillet

I really like the shapes and action of their jig trailers and they will last forever. Always leave soft baits in seperate bags and always keep box closed (sun) so haven't had those problems. Those are the only ones I've used. Other than those, I pretty much stick with (no pun intended) Zoom baits... As Ever, Skillet PS I can hear the groans (bad pun) all the way to Memphis

I posted something about this a while ago but hopefully some of you didn't see it. Have had a Garcia Ultra Mag 1 since it was new (1982) and Reel Mech just cleaned and polished everything. It's working as well if not better than ever! With the gear ratio, it's slower than molasses in Jan. compared to my new Citica. But giving it credit, it's older than some of the folks that are posting on here. I'm hoping it and me are around for another 25 or so years. Maybe some of us can ride for each one depending on who is out.... As Ever, Skillet

Muddy, I've got one coming up soon and I've got a couple of years on you youngster. You're not getting older you're getting better (yea, sure). All jokes aside, hope you have a great birthday!! The way I heard it was "May the blue bird of happiness not crap on your cake".

I have collected dragons and such for a number of years and had a web site called dragynwyrks (an old Welsh spelling of dragon). I was looking for different designs, cartoons and such. I hope this doesn't sound so obvious that you are wondering "why did he bother to answer", but I Googled different words and phrases having to do with dragons and found hundreds if not more of what I needed.... As Ever, Skillet

Shopping, double YUCK!! My wife can spend the whole day shopping by looking and thinking about things she picks up, knowing that 3/4 of the stuff she doesn't need and couldn't or wouldn't wear. Ever! To me shopping is like search and destroy missions (even Bass Pro). You know your objective before going in, complete said objective and then GET OUT with as few casualties as possible. In the case of me and Bass Pro, with Mr. Monkey bouncing up and down on my shoulder screaming LOOK AT THIS , LOOK AT THAT, DUDE YOU CAN"T DO WITHOUT THIS or EVERYONE ON THE FORUM IS TALKING THESE!!!!! As Ever, Skillet

When I was about 9 or 10 my Uncle gave my Father a fly fishing outfit, split bamboo rod, small metal box of hand-tied flys everything. The first thing he did was hang it in his right ear lobe ! I had to push the barb on thru and cut it. I don't ever remember ever seeing that outfit again ;D. Logically, I can see how the string-yank method would really work. Thankfully, I have never had to findout how well! As Ever, Skillet

Welcome to the Forum tube !! As Ever, Skillet