wickyman

Thanks for the comment Aaron. Yeah, I have a 7 foot, IM-7 Shakespeare Intrepid. It is a MH pole, but the tip is really sensitive! I haven't used it yet, but it is already 6 years old! lol I can't complain about age, as age isn't everything, since it is brand new, and I paid nothing for it! I don't plan on casting anything under 1/2oz with this pole, as I am setting it up for slightly larger swim baits, and top water lures. I think it will suit me fine! Anything it won't handle, my spinning rod will! Anything smaller, and I can use the ultra-light!

Yeah. I haven't used any other, either. I got an original frog on easter from my beautiful fiance, along with some other lures. Yesterday I let her cast it several times, and she shoots it across a 20 foot canal, and hits the trees on the other side, I get it out. I move to a little cuvy behind us, and she casts, and the wind carries it into a tree! NICE! I begin to wonder if it was, "too light". Anyhow, long story short, it's still there! lol Snag proof my backside! I will get it back, or I won't, it doesn't matter. I have heard that after a few catches, the frogs actually come apart at the seams? If this is true, why haven't they made the frog a little thicker, and more prone to ripping? I was thinking about making my own body out of a nice block of balsa, and finding something to make the legs with, that would/could be replaceable. I really hate losing a lure, but I really hate having it come back tattered from a fish! Also, I have heard that they are really hard to catch fish on, as the hooks are set so far forward? I would assume, that it was, nothing more than, fisherman error... I think the rule is, "count 3, set the hook"?

Has anyone had any success off of the snag proof original frog? I just lost one today, don't ask... lol I was going to get another one, if they work... I hear a lot about people catching big bass off of them, but I have yet to see one... Anyone have any stories to tell about it?

I have heard, that using an epoxy in the eye let holes, works really well for keeping them from, "stripping"! I would used some clear, 2 part, 5 minute epoxy, thread the eye, then use the epoxy, and let it sit 24 hours. It will then be solid. But you will also lose the adjustability... Maybe, epoxy, thread the eye, then remove the eye, let it dry a little, then thread again, then let it dry a little more, then repeat one more time... Until the threads are harder. Or you could epoxy in an aluminum sleeve...

Thanks! Yeah I think I am now confident with my future buy. I will probably get it in the next few days. I don't do a whole lot more, than catch mediocre sized fish anyhow! lol I think the biggest bass I have gotten a hold of, was a whole 4 lbs. 6oz.! Though, I am sure it will handle much larger fish, without a problem! It feels like a tank in my hands! Very cool!

Thanks for the help cravin! You really helped me figure out my thoughts on this reel. I am now more confident about buying it! I wish there was an abu repair center near me, but sadly, there isn't! I would totally be on the ball, and buy a used reel, as most things I own are used... lol

Thanks for the reply. Much appreciated! Yeah, I like the extra weight in my hand, it just feels better. I looked at a low profile ambassadeur, but it was at kmart, and in a little plastic case, instead of a box... I don't know if I want to trust that! lol I don't know of the model number or anything, as it was very limited on info, and my searches came up empty! I also hit the local walmart, and found that they had a nice daiwa for about the same price as this shimano... Though, I think that the frame is plastic, or something cheap... I also could not find a whole lot of info on it. The biggest thing that I like about the shimano was, that it was cheap, and aluminum, be it cast aluminum, but still not too heavy! I really would rather a round BC, as its kind of, "classic". I might as well start off with the original, and work up later! I do like the feel of the lower profile BCers, though I find the ones that I like, to be on the pricey side! I mean, go too cheap, and the real might be a lemon, but you go expensive, you know you are paying for what you get! My kind of reel, would be in magnesium, with titanium hardware... Or vice versa! If I am going to spend several hundred on a reel, I would need at least those two things! Since I am starting out, I don't see a point in going any more expensive, and I hear that most of the cheaper low profile reels are a lot more likely to break, then I would be without a reel, until the replacement arrived! I have done so much research, that my head is spinning! I would prefer an abu, since I have a cardinal spinning, but at the prices of a good ambassadeur, I don't think it will happen! lol I am what most people would call a, "low budget fisherman" which is fine, I am not one to spend every ounce of cash to get into anything! I also am a low budget paintball player, and BMXer! I know at 24, I still have kid dreams... lol Back on subject... Any suggestions are more than welcome! I just want to get out on the lake, and cast me something else!

You would have to have a regulator in order to use a tank that size, but I don't see why not... I actually am running a paintball regulator on a smaller high pressure tank, just to regulate it down to a slightly more user friendly pressure.

Those are all really freakin' cool! I like them! Where did you get the bills for these baits? Is there a site you can buy them from? I would like to make some divers, but haven't found the right materials to do so... Very cool, and good job!

Thank you, much appreciated! I have felt like a member of this community from the first minute viewing this forum! Lots of down to earth people, with the same love that I share for bass fishing!

Has anyone purchased, or used one of these reels? I looked at one this afternoon, and they seem bullet proof! I like the classic style, and for it's price, I don't think I could get a better reel! I have been looking at several brands, and they are all over priced, to me... Being a newbie in the bait casting reel market, I am almost nervous to spend more than the $70USD price tag! I figured someone here would be a little more knowledgeable about this reel! I am more than likely going to get it, as my options are really limited. Finding a simple review for the reel has been of great pain in my bottom! Also, not having a credit card, to purchase items off the internet is also stopping me from finding the savings online! What are your opinions? Thanks for the help, and patience!

I myself, have pitched just about every size of realistic... They don't work well... I have a problem even hooking them properly on a hook, Texas rigged, properly... I have an issue with the tail causing the lure to go, "wonky" in the water! A real craw has a stiff tail, so it doesn't do that. I find that, if thrown, and moved just right, you can get a tube tailed craw to work, just great! Depends on the color combo, time of day, and weather, of course!

No. I have a Shimano tackle bag filled with all Shimano boxes and I'm not a Posse member. Just couldnt pass it up at a yard sale for $5 bucks. ;D lol...found mine at the lake. It was full of the smaller yamamoto senkos. I gave those to a kid that always fishes the shore there. I asked his mom if we could get him off land a yr or 2 ago but he cannot go on a boat due to a skin condition. He can't get wet. Wierd huh? Something about the way his skin regulates water penetration. If he happened to fall in, he's in big trouble. Poor guy. So we hook him up whenever we can. 5bass, although many of you don't know this,...is a Low Budget Hooker also. I'm thinking he's going to need a team shirt asap That is what bass fishing is all about! It's better to give something, to someone who is in a, "special" condition, even if it's just hope! You do a lot for the kid, and it seems like you found what it truly means to be a fisherman! Finding things is definitely great, but giving is much more rewarding! I try to keep everyone I fish with happy, and allow them the use of my gear, when and if they need it! I can't use everything that I have in my box, and I would rather see it go to good use, somewhere else, and maybe for another person! I have a little superstition about using a bait... If I use it, and cast it 300 times, without a bite, I push it to another cubby in the box, and forget about it... I have an 11 year old brother in law, and he loves using those baits, even if he doesn't catch anything! He will throw them out for hours! Just this last weekend, I was using a bait I hadn't used in a while, and caught a 4.3 female, and he was all excited. I reached down to the end of his line, and bit off the lure he was using, then mine, and swapped them out. He threw that thing for 4 hours! Sadly, he didn't catch anything... It's ok though, we had fun! I just need to find a local store that carries the Berkley Beast... lol I seriously love that bait! Caught me, my second largest bass, this season! And the funny thing, I only threw it out, maybe 10 times before the strike! Great stuff! I am lucky to have the wonderful companion, as she spends so much time with me, in the store, and buys whatever I want... She doesn't care, as long as I am happy, doing something that I have a new found love for! As I get older, I find myself out in nature more and more... And along side me, is Jordan, my 11 year old brother in law... I always let him use my tackle! Maybe one day, he will credit me for him catching that world record bass, of his!

I find that if you buy the lures with the scent, or salt already added, that they tend to catch many more fish, than the one's without! I usually use the anise flavored baits, as they don't leave my hands smelling like I walked out of an italian restraunt, where I had my hands all over a garlic lovers pizza... I don't feel that smell is as important as where you cast, how you move the lure, and it's color... If you use a red lure, you might get bites out of curiosity, but nothing more... Natural colors, more to the surroundings, or colors that move light, are more likely to draw the fish's attention, than a garlic scent! Usually, the reason people catch bass, is because they do it in the morning, or evening feeding times, when you could throw out a hunk of bread, and they would take it! Personally, nothing is better than a wiggly live bait! I don't know how many of you think that live bait is, as my semi-father in law puts it, "cheating" but I find it to be the only way to catch fish on certain days! Give me a bobber and a shad, and I will be in a happy place! I think that it might be more important, where you cast the lure... Areas with this weeds, are a place where smaller fish are munching down on smaller organisms, which is your best bet for hitting the swarms of bass, and other larger fish... Anywhere there is a lot of bait fish, there is usually a number of larger bass, and the larger the bait fish, usually a larger bass sits near, waiting for feeding time! The lake that I fish on, Clear Lake, out here in Cali, feed on the hitch that swarm in the shallower areas of the lake. And anywhere we see these schools, there is usually 100 bass waiting for the right time, to take a snack break! That is just my oppinion...

I only use what has worked for me in the past. My box looks shameful! I don't have a lot of money, like most people. So I buy basically what I can afford at the time. I do have essentials though... I have my top water baby torpedo, snag proof frog, several worms, zoom black chartreuse lizards, some bobbers, and pretty much ever size jig, from a 1/32-1/4 oz. I also have a small spinner beetle, and one rapala shad. Anything with gamakatsu hooks is fantastic! And I try to purchase those as I find the money! I also have a couple rattle baits made by renegade, firetiger, and golden shad. I also like to rig up my own bait styles on occasion from lures that I retired, or were so worn out from old age, and not being taken care of. Like if I feel like it would be a good day to run a spinner, I run the spinner off an old rooster tail, on a worm, or something similar. Ingenuity is my persuit! I also carry with me spider wire line in 8lb test, brass eagle 17lb test, and berkley vanish transition gold in 4lb. Basically, I don't need much more, as I am not going for fish over 10lbs... lol I don't even know why I bought the 17lb... I don't have a reel to suit that heavy of line! lol I just have everything I need packaged up in an older plano magnum double sided box, and a smaller box for crappie jigs/bass items... Oh, and you can't forget a couple tiny bobbers for those days that you want to dangle a crawler! Pictures soon.

I haven't yet seen a double polamar knot fail. Just do a single knot, as you normally would, and check it after every fish. I tend to keep an eye on it every 5 or so casts. I run this knot on the drop shot, and never have seen an issue with it... Usually catching a fish, will cause the knot to tighten up to a point, that it won't come loose. Just make sure you cut it off after 20-30 fish, as the line begins to stretch, then you might see an issue... GL!

Number one seems most appealing to me! It looks like it actually might be a really good lure! Maybe change up the color schemes for different conditions! It looks very cool though! I am impressed!

I have tried them in several ways, but I prefer the drop shot technique. Because of their ability to "float", or "levitate" this gives you all the more reason to try it. I sometimes throw them out on a light jig head, and almost let it hit the bottom, so that the tail sticks straight up in the water, like a weed or something, then I lightly wiggle it. I have had a bit of success this way! Mostly what you do on a jig head, is you cast it out, pull the light taught, then you slightly drag it on the bottom, jerking it every once and a while, then bringing it tight, and reeling it fast for 3 turns, then let it sink again. The bass will basically hit it on the drop... You figure out all sorts of things when you mess around!

Yeah, I would talk to him a lot more before you go ahead with the build. Get yourself an idea of his skills, ask to see products he has previously built. There is nothing like having a pole break due to shauddy craftsmanship! Believe me! Make sure that he is capable in his techniques, and see how he is able to produce a quality rod! My brother in law dabbles as a hobby, in the art of rod building, and he does a really nice job. But I wouldn't trust some of his earlier rods! How long has your guy been building rods, and ask all sorts of questions, just to get an idea of what he can be capable of! 1.) How long has he been building rods? 2.) How many rods has he built in that time? 3.) How long does it take to build each rod? 4.) Can he show you anything he has built? Just a few questions I would ask him before getting too deep into a deal! Maybe ask to see the rod as he goes along. Sometimes that helps me see a bigger picture of a builder's quality!

I haven't tried these, but I have tried the berkley beast series of soft baits. I didn't figure at first that it was going to work, with much success. I casted right over a bed full of female bass, and BAM! I had a fish on. I think it mainly depends on how much you can aggitate a fish! I might have casted the thing 5-10 times? Same spot, not a hit, then all the sudden it was like an explosion! I would assume that these might also aggitate a hog, to the point that she would want to remove it from her nest! I would try it, and see what it does! If it's for sale, it has probably had professional success, at some point in testing! It's all dependent on the color, water temps, times of day, water clarity, and weather. I prefer anything water melon green in the direct light, in a clear water, with a temp of 60-68 degrees, on a clear day.

I have seen these baits thrown out on basically every type of pole, and the result is the same. Too bad you can't use some sort of CO2 cannon and just get it out there... lol Basically, if you are fishing around timber, or brush, you could only have to cast it out like 10 yards... I have seen them caught within 5 yards of a cast before. It all depends on your location. Look for a group of smaller fish swimming frantically, and weedbeds, these places will hold the bass, without the scatter of weedless areas.

I prefer to rig everything Texas style, as of late. I find it a lot easier to yank through the weeds, and it gets hung up a lot less! I was rigging my worms and such, on a Carolina rig, but found it problematic. I have some craws TX, and some C-style depending on my fishing location! I live near Clear Lake, out here in California, a recent stop for the bassmaster's elite, as many know, it was on ESPN this last weekend. We have all sorts of bass, and in this picture, I caught me a post spawn mamma! Not very big, but she was beautiful!