Timberwolf530

Norman Triple Wing. They haven't made them for years, and I only have two left. If anyone has some they want to sell, PM me. I know Strike King makes a triple, but to me, it just isn't the same.

Still better than work though, wasn't it? Oh, and I always liked: Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug.

I used to when I first started fishing braid 20 years ago or so. However, my eyesight aint getting any better with age, so a couple years ago, I switched from green braid to yellow or chartreuse. I just can't convince myself that tying a neon line directly to the bait won't affect the bite, so I use leaders. A lot of fishing is what you have confidence in. I have confidence in using a leader. BTW, I use both mono and fluoro, but that's a whole new can of worms right there.

I've had that happen to me from time to time. I got $179 boots for $49, $99 struts for $19, and various other things that were $10, $20, $30 cheaper for some reason, then the discount just disappears.

Explain why? The cost is right about in the middle of the plastic worm market. The shape is quite a bit different than a trick worm, so the action is going to be different as well. It's fine if you like trick worms. I do too. Been fishing them forever, but I'm also not going to discount something new because............I'm not sure why. Lure companies come out with new products every year. Are they all rip-offs, or just this one? Did lure development stop with the Trick Worm? IMO, No. I'm not sure how you condemn something you haven't tried, but I choose to keep an open mind and see for myself if new things work or not. If I didn't, I'd still be using River Runts & Creek Chubs on 5' long metal poles with braided nylon line.

The shape of this worm has me really excited to try them on a Neko and Shaky Head. I just placed an order for some at T.W. today. Anyone tried these yet? What's your take on them?

In addition to what has already been mentioned, try weightless Texas rigged Senkos, tubes & drop shots. If you want moving baits, a swim Senko with a weighted hook or a swim jig usually come through weeds pretty good.

I keep buying the $10 + frogs for some reason, but I always go back to the scum frog. Why? The main reason is that all those expensive frogs are too stiff, and I really think I miss more fish because of it. The scum frog is very soft/pliable, and compresses easily in the fishes mouth when setting the hook. The fish can't see what's up there anyway, so who cares what it looks like. The fact that it's cheaper is an added bonus, but I'd keep buying them even if they were $10 because IMO they work the best.

I don't have a picture of one, but its real easy to do. You rig just like you normally would (Texas style), except instead of having the eye of the hook right on the tip of the nose, you go about a 1/2" deeper into the fluke. So you end up with 1/2" in the nose that's floppy. Then you Tex-pose the hook. You can skin hook it if you're going to be in some slop, but I usually do not.

I was fishing in a tournament earlier this year and caught a Perch colored Rapala Fat Rap FR5 on a Ned Rig. It was in perfect condition, so I knew it couldn't have been down there that long. Turns out it was a guy in my fishing club who lost it earlier that same day.

Rig a Fluke with the hook back from the nose about a half inch. It keeps it up on top so you can walk the dog, and you can actually get it to jump out of the water if you want it to. It creates a pretty good commotion, and you can fish it through anything. Floating worms are another good option. I've also had some luck with weightless tubes with light wire 1/0 hooks skipped under docks. Rig it up, then put a foam ear plug up it's butt and they will float great.

I was ordering some Slider stuff from Charlie Brewer, and saw the Whirly Bees on their website. Kind of looks like a Beetle Spin with the spinner on the hook instead of on an arm. Anyway, I heard that they're pretty popular down in Tenn for Smallies. I ordered a handful to see what they were like, but haven't used them yet. Anyone have experience with these, how, when, where to fish them?

For a Ned, I use chartreuse J Braid X8 10 lb test on a ml power fast action 6 ft rod. Leader is Sunline Sniper in 4-8 lb test. The less abrasive the cover, the lighter the line, and the clearer the water, the longer the leader. I use the thinnest line I think I can get away with. It gives finesse baits a much better action, plus helps with line shy fish in clear water, especially smallies. The longest leader I use is about 12-15 ft. I never measure exactly. Shortest is about 6-8 ft. I use the chartreuse for line watching. With finesse baits, there are many times you can't feel them bite at all. They pick it up almost imperceptibly. With my old eyes, I need all the help I can get seeing the line move, and the bright colored line helps me detect those light bites much sooner. I actually use this setup for not only Neds, but all non-reaction baits, and use only the 8 carrier braid on spinning reels. It handles better & casts much farther than 4 carrier. For moving baits, I use straight fluoro or mono. For Sliders I use straight mono too. The only thing I tie directly to braid, and the only dark green braid I use is for froggin, I use 50 lb J Braid X4. I agree with the fraying problem on the FG. I also think it's just too much work. The Alberto knot is just about as thin, and is MUCH easier to tie. I have zero problems with it going trough micro guides. At the bait, I use a Double Pitzen or Palomar.

"I’m so mad I could smoke a pickle!" - First of all, if I were you, I would work on a different phrase for describing how angry you are. Second. I use the Alberto exclusively for leader attachment because the FG is just too hard to do in the boat. I never have any problems with it getting stuck, even with micro guides, unless I don't trim the leader tag down far enough. I've started to use fingernail clippers for this because I find I just cannot get close enough with scissors.

You can get the epoxy bond to release at around 175-200 degrees if you know what you're doing. If you don't, just order a solid grip from rod building supplier, ream it to fit, and glue it on.

Buy the best you can afford. If you don't, you'll just want to upgrade soon. I don't buy inexpensive stuff any more, I save up until I can afford the good stuff. It actually saves you money in the long run. Now, if you don't have anything, and just want to get started, look for one of the Combo Sales at Bass Pro Shops. They run some pretty good deals sometimes. They're real good as supporting their brand too. You can get parts for just about any of their reels. Don't be afraid to look on Ebay either. I've got some killer deals on there over the years.

Both make good products, but Daiwa has MUCH better customer service. So does Garcia. Shimano C.S. sucks with a capital S.

I have a 6 footer with a pistol grip that I've been dying to get back into the rotation. My next reel is going to be a Tatula SV for skipping, and I'm going to pair it with that rod. I'm kind of excited to get that combo going.

It depends on what I am using it for: Flipping & Pitching into cover - Daiwa J Braid X4 40-50 lb test, with Sunline Sniper leader 12- 15 lb test. Spinning Reels - Daiwa J Braid X8 10 lb test, with Sunline Shooter or Sniper in 4-8 lb test. Cranking - Sufix Elite 10-14 lb test or Sufix Invisiline fluoro in the same. Topwater - Sufix Elite 14 lb test on casting, 8 lb on spinning Froggin - Straight Daiwa J Braid X4 40-50 lb test. I would use Sunline for cranking too, but it's just too d**n expensive, so I just use it for leader material. IMO, it's the best fluoro out there for that. Are you using J Braid X4 or X8? The difference is the number of threads. The X8 (8 threads) casts as good (or better) as straight mono in my experience. I haven't tried the Grand yet, but I'm going to pick some up when I re-line this winter. I think I may try some Gliss too. So basically, X4 is stiffer, but tougher, better in the junk. X8 is MUCH limper and casts better, but wears on rocks & wood. Grand is supposed to be the best of both worlds. The Daiwa braid fishes exactly the same as Power Pro IMO, and costs about half as much.