roadwarrior

Thanks, buddy! I'll give it a try (Rapala Knot?). Regarding speed: There seems to be a minimum speed that is required to achieve a swimming motion. At that speed, two of my baits lean. Maybe tying another knot will be the ticket.

I bought three, one runs straight, the other two "lean." I have only fished the striper pattern (which is one of the leaners) and caught two small bass. So, I have no idea if it is important or not, but my baits have a similar pattern.

No sponsors here and nothing for free.

Fish_Chris has several sponsors, but he is an exceptional fisherman. As everyone has already pointed out, sponsorship is a function of what YOU bring to the table.

Welcome aboard! Laggyman still visits the site, but he hasn't posted since last December.

Get the PR844S and see if it works out for you fishing grubs. If it does, great! If it doesn't you will find other uses for this equipment. As I said earlier, this is my favorite rod and you will like it, too. Otherwise, I would consider the SJR843S.

Here are a few suggestions I posted yesterday: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1180614839

Burn me once, shame on you. Burn me twice, shame on me. There are better options than Vanish.

Picky, picky, picky... I like smallmouth better, too! 8-) Nice fish, great pics.

Welcome aboard! G. Loomis rates their saltwater rods differently than freshwater equipment. The PR844S is rated M/F, but I think it's medium-heavy power/ moderate to almost slow action. I think this rod or its baitcasting twin (844C) would make a GREAT crankbait-topwater-jerkbait rod. The action is too slow for soft plastics. I use mine exclusively fishing for smallmouth, using live bait. It is my favorite rod and I have it matched with a Shimano Stella 2500FB. p.s. Give the Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft a try. I recommend #6 to most guys, but I fish #4 too. I am sure you will like this line much better than Fireline.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smallmouth_bass If you don't know what fishing is, you have stumbled onto the wrong website.

Yep... A little practice is all it takes. Spinning tackle is VERY user friendly.

scbassin, You know I'm just kidding....I'm all over the new Stella...We'll see how long it takes to get here. 8-)

I try to be a responsible fisherman and wrap them in platic bags for disposal in the recycle bin. Most (all) of the bass I catch like the action of the fresh bait. 5-10 lbs of bass on a GYCB bait seems like a fair deal to me.

Hmm... What's a Zoom? Gary Yamamoto Bait Company (GYCB) makes the Senko and a number of other soft plastics. That's all I use. 8-)

I wonder if they would make a deal on a trade-in? 8-)

Panther Martins (gold spinner, black body with chartreuse spots); Rapala Floater, Countdown for deeper water (rainbow trout pattern) and X-Rap (08) (rainbow trout pattern). Trout can be VERY line shy. Use #4 or #6 fluorocarbon or Yo-Zuri Hybrid on spinning tackle.

Welcome aboard! I doubt there is much of a smallmouth population where you are fishing. All of those baits should work for more than an occasional hook-up even if you're fishing for green bass.

Looks like a great trip to me! 8-)

You would have to be crazy to pay that much for a reel! :

I had the pleasure of fishing with flechero on our trip to Lake Fork in March. We encountered the gator he is now posting in his avatar. The reptile never paid any attention to us and we were safe in Keith's boat the entire time. I guess this wasn't what you would consider a "close encounter of the scary kind," but that's as close as I would want to be to a gator in the wild.

Woo-Hoo! Smallmouth or greenies?

Well, today is the day! For those of us in the western hemisphere, today (tonight) is the second full moon in May. In other parts of the world, June will have two full moons: http://www.obliquity.com/astro/bluemoon.html

Welcome aboard!

Welcome aboard!