Blue Streak

The only way I feel sure they are the original baits is to get lucky enough to find them sealed in their original containers. The first ones came in hard, clear plastic boxes, then came a soft plastic package. If those had a red label on it they were the same as the original. If the label is blue they are not as good. Wish they could duplicate the original, but I doubt if they ever will.

I am certain I have fished both for years. The Hot N Tot is a deep diver with a metal bill and the Thin Fin is a flat sided shallow running bait. I have several of both in my tackle.

The Thin Fin and Hot N Tot are two seperate lures. Both good baits.

Keep in mind that bass are sight feeders and smell does not have a thing to do with thier hunt for prey. Sound will be more important than smell. So always make sure that you are using a bait they can see considering the conditions you are fishing. I think the biggest advantage ot scents is the fact they may make a bass hold a bait in it's mouth longer because it taste good. I think that is very important when using soft baits and so I use them at times just because of that.

Yes I do use braid with a copolymer leader. I don't have problems with any other rig but for some reason I am giving the bass too much time before I set the hook.

If I could learn to fish them without gut hooking so many bass I would love them again also. You can cover a lot of water with them and keep them in the strike zone.

You might be right about those guys training those old lures, they probably have names for them. They fish them hard and they catch a lot of bass on them. I fish the Rogue quite a bit also they are very good for small mouth on the Ohio River. But all of mine are the old version which I have had for years so I can't compare to the new models. Several years ago when KVD won the classic at Pittsburgh he fished Rogues around bridge piers. The buzz around that tournament and by the words of KVD himself was they had to be the old ones. I don't know if there is that much difference between old or new or not. I was amazed though that KVD found out or figured out the secret about the Rogue being a small mouth killer on the river. The guy is good. I did read something about Smithwick reintroducing the old version after that tournament but I don't know what happened with that. The Rogue is a great jerk bait that probably doesn't get the respect it deserves.

I fished them for years with excellent results but stopped because i was gut hooking too many bass. Now I do the same thing with a football jig and it is just as effective. Yes tungsten is worth it on any rig. They help you feel the bottom much better.

RW are you using the new version or the vintage models? I have heard there is a big difference in their performance. But you hear that about several baits, sometimes it makes a difference and at times not so much. I have a couple of friends that won't use any Rogues except the old models, swear there is no comparison.

I search with flat side crank baits and jerk baits and if and when I find them I slow down with soft baits and jigs. But sometimes I miss.

The marketing guys get paid a lot of money to develop these promotions. Advertising is the key to sales everybody hypes their products.

Well whether it is revolutionary or not Rapala has been able to do something no other bait company has been able to do. They produced a quality built lure with a desirable feature at a reasonable cost.

RW I think you could add the original "rubber" worm to that short list. I think Creme was the first.

Hunting is a very old term for crank baits that run off to the side like that. A very desirable feature at times. The old Wiggle Wart is very good for that. Funny thing when Rapala bought Storm they tried to correct that "problem" thought it was a flaw. Now it is the greatest thing ever, I guess we will see.

I will give them a good workout this year and see what I think at the end of the season. If anyone can make a revolutionary lure it is surely Rapala. The original floating minnow made bass fishing easier for everybody.

So you are not familar with that term?

Looks like they designed a bait that "hunts" very well something that is usually a flaw that causes a bait to do that. Problem was maybe only one out of twenty actually did what you wanted it to do. This seems to be a cheaper, more dependable choice. I'll bite.

I have been using Yo Zuri for several years and it is without a doubt the best all around line I have ever used. I have never fished with the P Line so I can't help you there, but copoly lines are very good fishing lines in my opinion.

I buy those plastic 'shoe" boxes at the dollar stores you can buy them for about a buck. They have a larger size for about three bucks. The smaller ones are perfect for storing plastics in that are in their original bags. I use a lot of them. I label them and stack them on shelves and I can find anything very quickly. Well at least at the beginning of the season, at the end of the season things are not quite so organized any longer. It is a good winter project though.

Thanks for the information, I do want to change the way I have been cleaning and lubricating my reels. I want to make sure I am using the right products for the job.

I know we have had discussions about this before and I could go to the search engine and dig them out. But I wonder what the members of this board think about this subject at the present time. What is your favorite reel grease and oil and why? I have used Hot Sauce products for years because they are readily available in this area and they work well for me. But the oil seems to be a little light and I wonder just how long it continues to provide sufficient lubrication. And there are a few newer products out there that I have not tried that might be much better. So I would like to hear your opinions.

Some manufactures use heavy grease from the factory and this hinders the performance . But yoiu have to be careful because it could be a problem with the warranty.

I agree with this one hundred percent. Excellent reel for the price, I have 3 and never had a problem with any.

Nothing smelled better than a tackle box full of Mann's Jelly Worms. Dang things made me hungry.

They are a great reel, maybe the best in it's price range. They are smooith and dependable. I have caught several Hybrids over 10 pounds and Flathead Catfish up to 40 pounds on mine out of the Ohio River.