sal669

AMEN to that

Same here

If fast mooving baits don't work (that good), try a T-rigged or C-rigged lizard, in a bit of a deeper water, especialy if a cold front moves in.

RIGHT ON !!! Also line diametre has an effect on depth. The maximum depth is reached when the drag on the line passing through the water is equal to the down force generated by the water presure on the crankbait's bill. if the drag increases, it will pull the cb upwords. Length of the cast is another factor, but for simplicity lets assume that the cast is long enough so the cb can reach it's maximum depth.

I use spinning rod+reel for anything less than 1/4 oz. Why do you want to use a baitcaster ???

Colder water: rapala shallow shad rap (catches walleye too) Warm water: mann baby -1, bomber square A, bandit foot lose, cotton cordell big O

I usualy downsize and use natural colours. but because most fishermen do the same, something big and gaudy might be the ticket (think out of the box, if normal strategy don't work) A lot depends on the season, too.

My "GO TO" colour is Junebug. It seams to work equaly well in any type of water. For very clear water I'll try also some translucent colours like Watermelon(seed), pumpkin(seed), bluegill, babybass. in stained water i think solid colours work better, I highly favor some black/ blue combination.

Hey LAO162, You are doing it backwords !!! There is no "do-it-all" rod on the market at any price range. You should analize the conditions ( where will you be fishing, what kind of bait, how heavy the bait will be, what kind and size line will you be using, how far you have to cast, and so on) and then pick the right tool (rod length, power , action) Even if you are willing to spend $350 on a 6 foot medium light w/ fast action Loomis it will be no good at flipping 3/4 oz baits in slop choked waters. It might be ideal for cranking small cranckbaits, thou. You are saying you will be mostly fishing from the shore. Is it open or full of trees and brushes ??? if it's open, I'd go with a longer rod (7ft); gives you casting distance. If no, go with a shorter one(6ft), it's easier to handle in tight spaces. Is the water mostly open , or is choked with vegetation ?In open waters you can go with lighter power rods. Will you be casting light lures or heavier ones ??? for light stuff (soft plastics with wery little or no weight,small cranks or top water lures, 1/4 os spinnerbaits ,etc)go with a medium power rod. For heavier stuff go medium-heavy or even heavy power on the rod selection. If the water receives heavy fishing presure, you better go on the lighter side. You get my drift ??? I fished for a season my Clarus and I'm extremely happy with it. It's a 6'-6" medium -heavy and it's my spinnerbait rod. Hey, RAUL ! My shallow and medium diver crankbait rod is a 6'-6" medium power, moderate action generic (Dick's Sporting Goods brand ) built on a IM7 Pfluger blank; I bought it during a sale and was in clearance. I payed $14 for it and it does the job just fine (catches fish). Can you believe it ??? ;D Tight lines, folks!

Totaly agree!!! We grew up in Europe, and fish is a normal food like beef, chicken, pork or other meat. And as long as it's cought "within the law", it's fair game. However , I almost never keep a full limit. I keep only what we need for a dinner. And never the big fish. Smaller fish, just barely over the limit tastes much better, and have less contaminants in their meat. I don't fish only for bass; trout, crappie, catfish, walleye, pike and other species are on my list (including carp). My "home lake " is about 500 acres, and I keep 8 to 12 bass a year. I don't feel guilty at all !

I wade or fish out of a canoe, so I'm realy close to the fish. Anything cought with treble hooks gets netted, all other bass gets lipped. Other species get the net. Especially the toothy critters :-/

I'm basicaly a Daiwa guy, but a couple years ago, when they changed the design I bought the display Symetre at a local store, for $49.95 (just couldn't pass the oportunity ). It was the best deal I ever got. Works as smooth as the day I bought it. I compared the Stardic and the Symetre at BPS, and I don't think there is any difference besides design (and the right to brag :) If you want to go out and tell everybody that you got a Stardic, go for it. It's a great reel and will cost you an extra $40. If you want a sturdy, reliable reel to "get-r-done", go with the Symetre. Just my $.02

Well, I wouldn't mind if you would send some ove,too. In my neck of the woods, the guys are killing the walleyes jigging gulp grubs ( or curly tail minows;whatever thy call them), trolling gulp worms when it warms up a bit .Many of them don't buy live bait any more. MATT 5.0, you trolling too ??? *** of BASS fishing, I cought more catfish than basson it. The scent is so strong that it draws the cats in the area. Now ,about the stiffness of the worms, you got a dried out package, or you didn't closed it properly. Because a fresh batch has the consisthency of other plastics( maybe a bit more rubbery).If it dries on the hook you gonna have a hard time taking it off, not talking about setting the hook. It becomes JERKY.IT HAS TO BE ALWAYS WET !!! iFYOU ARE USING ANNOTHER ROD FOR A WHILE TAKE THE WORM OFF THE HOOK, PUT IT BACK IN THE BAG AND MAKE SURE YOU SEAL THE BAG. Or just let it hang overboard, in the water. I'll give it another try this year.

All of the above , and another issue. You didn't mention what line and rod you are using. A soft mono can have up to 20 % strech, a moderate or slow action rod has a lot of "give" to it. If you combine this two and you have a bite at 40 feet, your line might strech up to 8 feet, the rod tip could bend 2-3 feet.So you have to moove your rod tip 10 feet to transfer all the power to the tip of the hook. There is no way a 2/0 hook will penetrate the bones in the fishes mouth, especially with a bunch of plastic on it. So your hook is in the skin of the mouth, and when the fish shakes it's head, the hook rips the skin and the fish swims away. If you peg your weight on the line, it helps the fish to shake off the bait; an unpegged weight will slide up and down the line, not giving leverage to the fish. Try using a fast action rod with a low strech line, see if the situation persists. With big plastics, I use 3/0 hooks or bigger. For 4" plastics, 2/0 or smaller is OK. Just my $.02

15-20 lb Power Pro. Start with some mono, than spool the PP.I tie 2-4 feet of fluoro or mono leader than the bait. It's a blast, super sensitive.

SAME HERE !!! Even if I don't have to change lure, I check my line and retie very often. I use the "trilene" or "palomar" knots most of the time and the "loop" knot for crankbaits

Where I wet my line we have this toothy critters called pike and musky. I usually buy 1pc of a new bait in different sizes, diving depth, etc and if it tests out OK(= fish catcher) I realy stock up on them.There are days when I'm loosing 3-4 baits to the chompers >, because most of the time pike grabs the bait at the head and cuts my line.

Good people at Cabelas ! Never called Shimano, but I hear they have excellent customer service.

I gotta check if the "Insurance "would pick up some of the tab...

I think it's OVERKILL. You don't need a high end rod to fish spinnerbaits. Any decent quality rod will do. starting at about 1/3 the price of the Avid. But, watever makes you happy...

Even though I am a Daiwa fan, I think you get the best value with the Stardic combo. :-/

I totaly agree !!! My bc reels make up to 3/4 of the price of the combo (or even more)

Might whant to try some make-up from the "ladies department" ;D ;D ;D Sorry, I couldn't hold off...

Right on !