roadwarrior

Welcome aboard! I don't know for sure, but they look the same other than the colors.

The question was, "Why is the reel handle on the right side?"; not "Which side do you prefer..." I have seen George Welcome's response before, it's cut and dry and that's the "why."

I'm just starting my Slender collection. I ran into Mike Whitten (Gary Yamamoto's Inside Line magazine) at the local BPS last spring. He fishes Pickwick and the Tennesse river and specializes in smallmouth, too. A couple of years ago Mike turned me on to the Ledgebuster Single Willow Blade spinnerbait, this year he was killin' 'em on the LC Slender Pointer. I can't say I have fished them enough myself to report anything special, but Mike is NEVER wrong! BTW, The season is EXACTLY 30 days away here. 8-)

Welcome aboard!

With ALL baits and lures you ALWAYS retrieve with the current. If you are fishing from the bank, that means casting upstream. If from a boat, try to maintain a boat drift that matches your lure drift. You are in effect fishing "flat water" that is moving downstream. Regarding jerkbaits: I suggest the Rapala Husky Jerk (HJ10) in silver blue which has a touch of orange underneath. Tennessee Shad is another color I would recommend. However, my favorite jerkbait is the Lucky Craft Pointer (100 for you, 128 for me), Aurora Bass (green).

Wait a minute! Man, I REALLY enjoyed this thread and especially the river pics. justfishin, I'm sorry you felt slighted, but it seemed like a light discussion to me... :-/

The tail waves which creates a somewhat unique presentation for a worm.

Here is a thread you might find interesting: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1141187546

Welcome aboard! If you have seen any of my posts over the last year or so, this will just sound the same: Spinning tackle: Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft #6 (11.9 lb test). Baitcasting: Original Hybrid or Hybrid Ultra Soft #12 (19.5 lb test). Both original formula and Ultra Soft are bonded (not coated) fluorocarbon/ nylon copolymers. Highly abrasion resistant, impervious to water and UV light, does not require a special knot and has very low memory is use (Ultra Soft has virtually none).

I fish a couple of the Mann lures (15+ & 20+), but ONLY for trolling. As Raul said, you're not going to get anything for the lure on EBay.

Well, I would NEVER fish for green bass when brown is an option, but to answer your question: Try moving out to fish the deeper water with bigger baits. DD22, 1/2 oz jigs and Micro Munch El Gordo tubes are specific suggestions. Another is 3/4 or 1 oz Ledgebuster Single Willow Blade spinnerbait, but with this lure you might get "unlucky" and hook-up one of those smalljaws!

What? Throwing a net for baitfish isn't included in calculating an average.

Man, I know this can be confusing, but that makes discovery fun, too! The Action of a rod is seperate from the firmness of the tip, it just varies from one model to another. However, the AS68MXF will meet your needs. I agree that this rod would be a fine choice for fishing soft plastics.

Welcome aboard!

I'll leave this here, but post it in the Northeast Section, too. BTW, Welcome aboard!

Ugly sticks are not really appropriate for bass fishing, especially if we're talking about artificial lures. They have very little (no) sensitivity and are too soft (generally) for a hard hook-set. The only application I can think of is generic retrieves, but even then you have no feel for cover and structure. There are much better alternatives.

Most lures (light to medium). Examples would be Original Floating Rapala, Jitterbug, Rat-L-Traps, Silver Buddy, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, Rogues, Bomber Square A, Norman Fat Boy, Bagley BII, worms <6", jigs and much, much more. Take another look at the rod and post the ratings for Power and Action. Then we can give you a better idea of what the rod is designed to fish.

Happy Birthday!

Welcome aboard!

A FIRM tip is MANDATORY for soft plastics and jigs. The hook-set must DRIVE the hook into the fish, not push it in, which is the case with soft tips. Soft tips and/ or Moderate Action is preferred for treble hooks and moving lures (crankbaits, topwater and jerkbaits), but not for most single hook presentations. Also, although you may think the Ugly Stick has all the sensitivity you need, that is NOT the case. Almost any other rod would be at least 100% better.

I think the rod has a firm tip. You will be fine with the line, YZ Hybrid Ultra Soft #6 is 11.9 lb test.

Your MH rod is probably all you need for soft platics, jigs, small swimbaits and spinnerbaits. I suggest getting a Medium Power/ Moderate Action rod for treble hook lures (towater, crankbaits and jerkbaits). You should be set!

Gammy, Gamy, Gammie, Gamie...all just abbreviations for Gamakatsu.

justfishin, That is a beautiful stretch of river, but it looks VERY dangerous to me, too. I hope anyone planning to fish there will heed your advice.

Dodgeguy, No, but I am taking your advice and will spool some up soon. What pound test do you suggest for a baitcaster?