roadwarrior

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I fish three St. Croix and two G.Loomis. I like both brands and think you will, too. However, going forward I will be buying G.Loomis exclusively.

Woo-Hoo! Good luck, too!

Hot n Tot, No disagreement from me. Generally, I recommend Moderate or Slow Action for treble hook lures, but the tip on the Avid AC66MF compensates for flexibility. For heavy and deep running lures, I fish a Lamiglas SR705R which is Heavy Power/ Slow Action.

Regardless of the brand and model you choose, I recommend Medium or MH Power/ Fast Action. I fish a St. Croix Legend Elite spinning rod, ES70MF, for all soft plastics.

Pretty clever KU, did you collect your reward? I hope to have an opportunity at Fork to try some of the other guys' equipment. Might have a real picture then. Maybe Muddy wearing a Shimano hat, LBH fishing a Senko and me holding one of those "off-brands."

The main reason I want a firm tip is the hookset. I use a "snap-set" or what some call a "quick-set." The firm tip gives me an immediate, not delayed, response. I feel like the firms tip telegraphs virbration better and is therefore more sensitive, too. I fish a St.Croix Legend Elite, ES70MF.

You left out chartreuse and silver, otherwise I agree!

I fish live bait for a large percentage of my fishing, smallmouth and stripers. I have NEVER used bass nor do I know ANY OTHER fishermen that do. There are MUCH better alternatives, that is simply ridiculous! Bass are NEVER a better alternative than baitfish.

The "tennis shoe" was my first new car. My dad bought me an orange Gremlin that the dealer couldn't give away! $1800 and I drove it all through college, 173,000 miles! I was a piece of pooh-pooh, but I drove it until it died (no back window, no battery (parked on a hill to start it), passenger door didn't open, bald tires, leaky radiator...I could go on.) Then I bought a new Ford Grenada in 1976. I should have kept the Gremlin! :'(

G.Loomis GLX MBR844C saddled up with a Shimano CTE200GT.

The Avid AC66MF is my all-around baitcaster. It works well for spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, topwater, buzzbaits and crankbaits. Although the rod action is rated Fast, it has a soft tip. I suggest another rod with a firmer tip for jigs and soft plastics.

I have always found the best "come back" lure to be the bait you just got a strike on!

Focus on finding structure to fish, the lures are the easy part. Points are an obvious target, fish them thoroughly. If you can find isolated humps, ridges, pools, boulders, rock piles, bottom transition and ledges, these are all potential places for bass to stage. Soft plastics will generally produce a few fish. In water <12' deep, I suggest Senkos and Fat Ikas. Tubes are another option and can be fished in even deeper water. This time of year the #1 hard bait might be a Rat-L-Trap type lure. That will get you started.

Welcome aboard!

bighead, Welcome aboard! To the Captain and crew of the Bassmobile, Woo-Hoo!

When a big bite is on, anything will work. The rest of the time, NOTHING compares to a Senko. This bait might be the #1 bass catching bait of all-time. Knock-offs are just that, something less.

So guys, seriously...do you know the rules? 6, 8, 10 cars(?) are involved in a MAJOR wreck and no yellow flag? Now, NASCAR is so crooked, I wouldn't put anything past them and remember "I'M ROUTING FOR 29", but that just seems RIDICULOUS!

Woo-Hoo! Been sittin' here with my 29 hat on all day. I really didn't see it coming, but... WOW! My biggest complaint about NASCAR, besides all the cheating, is the running going into The Chase finals. So many of those late races look like they are choryographed, drivers just satified with "placing." Well, today at Daytona we got to see some racin'. Great day, great race and EVERYTHING I look for from Nascar. Speed, drama and guys that REALLY want to win...Bravo!

Russ, I have an extra bag of 6" Senkos I'm going to give you. You'll probably catch a Share Lunker! 8-)

I wish you would have gotten the Hybrid Ultra Soft, it's a whole different line. I think the original Hybrid in sizes #8 and lower will work on spinning tackle, as earthworm said, but anything higher is too stiff. On baitcasters, I am still using #15 on one rod without too much trouble. What I recommend is Ultra Soft #6 (11.9 lb test) on spinning tackle, Ultra Soft #12 (19.5) on baitcasters. In use, these lines have very little memory.

Hey Ronnie! If you guys want to make a slight adjustment in your schedule, ya'all can stay in Memphis Saturday night and we'll all head to Texas around 0'Dark-thirty Sunday morning. Depending on how fast you drive, it's 8- 10 hours from here. As an added incentive, if you guys decide to stay with me that evening, I'll fire up the smoker Saturday morning and with a little luck I might serve up some baby back ribs, baked beans, slaw and Texas Toast. Could involve a beer or two, sometimes turns into a whiskey event. Pre-party anyone? I've got plenty of room and already cleared it with the boss. Let me know.

Have I ever mentioned Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft? You might want to give it a try. I've been fishing #6 (11.9 lb test) on spinning tackle and #12 (19.5) on baitcasting gear. I have never been broken off by a fish using this line. Just a thought...

I don't know about The Hawg, but I hope a lot of guys catch their PB. That would really be cool!

slinging southpaw, Welcome aboard! I agree with avid, five fish is the key, everything else is icing on the cake.