luckyinkentucky

Just to give you an idea of how bad it is .... I've spent around $6500 CASH at Bass Pro in the past 6 months. I could have almost put down a good down payment on another bass boat.

Does anyone else have the 'Equipment Itch' as bad as I do? 1) I have to have a rod rack full of $120 - $180 rods with some still in the closet in the original shipping tubes. We won't even mention the reels that are on them! 2) If a new plastic comes out I have to have one of every color since I don't know what the fish will like best from that particular bait. 3) I have a Large Bass Pro Shops Tackle Bag filled to the seams with various plastics, and even though I use all of them at least once a year I find myself looking for more to buy. 4) I have 4 Falcon Jig Wallets with a total of 80 jigs in them, but I still find myself browsing the jig section for new colors/styles. What gives? Does anyone else have it as bad as I do? ;D

The problem is I can't find anywhere in the States where they sell the Glass Killer. I've been looking for them for awhile now, and can only find them on Ebay from one overpriced vendor.

He does need to learn to set the hook, but the only thing I've seen wrong is that he says "b1tchin' " a time or two. ;D If you think he's bad you should see some uncut footage of Bill Dance or Stacey King. Those guys sometimes have to shoot for a whole 8 hour day to get a 30 minute show worth of fish. Bill Dance likes to swear, and he loves to break Quantum Rods. He's a #1 Fishing Icon in my opinion, but he has to be the biggest klutz there is. ;D

I ran into a buddy tonight at my local lodge, and he said he switched all of his BPS rods for Berkley Cherrywood rods from Wal-Mart. :-? Are they really good rods, or what? I can get them for $20 right now, and didn't know if I should buy a few to try them out. What do you guys think? He also mentioned that he bought some Lightning Rods to fill the gaps. What do you guys think about Berkley? Do they compare to BPS?

Here lately I found that I don't fish well with a partner. My method of choice is power fishing, and covering large areas of water in a small amount of time. This is what works for me on Kentucky Lake! Almost everyone I've taken doesn't appreciate my style, and gets frustrated when I don't troll around every piece of brush or downed tree. There are afternoons when I like to slow it down, and take it easy on a productive piece of water. Although, when you have 8 square miles of water to cover in a 6 hour period I've found power fishing to be the best. This method has proven to be successful for me, and have earned me bragging rights at the local marinas, and quite a few trophy bass on the wall. The last time I had a fishing buddy it was my father-in-law, and we ended up arguing over non-sense. He likes to fish ONLY twirl tail 'Kale' type grubs, and he never catches anything, but persists on telling me how it's done. All the while I'm pulling fish in left and right by methods he deems "wrong".

I love fishing the YUM Crawbugs of both 3 1/4" and 2 1/2" in Black Neon, Green Pumpkin, Red Shad Green Flake, and Green Pumpkin Chartreuse. A little trick I like to take credit for is to Texas Rig them with the bullet weight backwards, and a clear glass bead between the hook and weight. Use a 2/0 Mister Twister worm keeper hook, and 're-skin' the craw after you put the hook through the top from the bottom. This will make it completely weedless, and allow for the most action. What the bullet weight backwards does is throw up a little debris when you scoot it across the bottom imitating a live crawdad. The clicking action from the clear glass bead and weight hitting together imitates that chattering they do when they are digging in as well. I have a lot of action on them in the Fall (now), and during and right after the spawn. As a matter of fact when I fish the spawn I only take my worm bag with me loaded with Zellamanders of various sizes/colors, and a crawbug assortment of various sizes/colors. Also, most people laugh at attractant sprays, but I will be the first to tell you that YUM in Crawdad or Shad works every time. I've caught numerous fish on it, and I can't begin to tell you how many times my fishing buddies have laughed at me up to the point where I start pulling them in! Largemouth have a whole line of scent receptors on their sides, and when they pick the trail up from the YUM spray they make a 'B-Line' for the smell. It's important to throw the bait at least 3 times in the same area, and work it until you get to the boat. Don't fish the 'strike zone' and reel in thinking you've missed it. With this stuff they will follow the bait up to the boat. Some people don't like the YUM crawbugs because they don't have the patience for them, and that's fine. I just get good results from them when I do the 'tap-tap-tap' reel method on the bottom. It takes me a couple of minutes to get the bait back in sometimes, but it's because I want to mimic a live crawdad. If you fish it too fast you might as well give it up for a faster retrieve bait.

I'll second what roadwarrior said, and I'll add to it. When fishing in the conditions you stated you need a heavy braid. I like to throw at least a 50 - 60 lb. braid when fishing hydrilla, duckweed, watermill, or any thick vegetation in general. Next I swear by Lindy's Rattlin' No Snagg Sinkers, at least 3/4 ounce, with a Carolina keeper, a glass bead, and a Mister Twister worm hook. I usually throw a floating worm in Methiolate or Bubble Gum color, a 5" Zellamander, or a french fry type worm. With the floating worms they stay elevated enough to stay active, the Zellamanders drive Bass crazy, and the french fry type worms are alway a safe bet. Just remember that you need a heavier weight when fishing vegetation, because it takes a lot to sink your bait through the thick stuff. The heavier braid will blend in with the vegetation, and it allows you to muscle the fish out of cover without compromising your catch. The hardest thing to master with thick vegetation is knowing what is a bite, and whats just a bump from the debris. You'll soon learn the difference, but it may take you a few rounds to distinguish the difference.

I have a superstitious thing about naming small fishing vessels. If you do .... never change the name! The topic came up on another board I am a member of not too long ago. A member renamed his boat, and 2 weeks later it disintegrated in front of his eyes. I personally had a buddy rename his fishing boat, and his boat was found adrift on the Ohio, but he wasn't for 6 months or so. Washed up among some debris on the Ohio River channel.

I was at Lake Malone on Monday, and it was a mix n' match. It rained all day with the average water temp holding around 62. Some of the larger fish were in shallow coves at 3' - 6', and some of the others were out in the main channel at 7' - 16'. What I would do in your situation is to power fish the shallows for a couple of hours, and then move out to the channels. You'll find a lot of them in the drop offs, and depending on the weather, sticking tight to cover. Is the water where you are fishing clear, stained, or muddy?

I feel your pain. ;D Just remember ... never lie to her or cover things up. It's better to take a beatin' with telling the truth than to lose trust with a lie. WHATEVER you do .... don't hide it. She'll find it one day while cleaning up, and it will be the mornin' when she's already p'd about something else, and is itching for a fight if you know what I mean. Better go ahead and just tell her. I've always found it better to ask before I buy something pricey. At least then you can justify your "need" with a yarn if you're a good salesman.

Sorry, but I'm a firm BPS fan. I voted for the Extreme Rod. I've been sold on BPS rods since close to 10 years ago. I landed a 32 pound Channel cat on a BPS ultralight rod/reel and 6 lb. test mono. I was fishing for crappie and I snagged a Channel Cat. It was a ride to say the least, but I've been sold on them since they didn't let me down when I needed it.

I use a flat piece of styrofoam that I cut to dimension. Holds the hooks good, is water proof, and it floats.

This time of year can be very tricky. Just because you have 70 degree days doesn't mean that water isn't still on it's Autumn schedule and at, or around, 50 degrees. It's much easier for a lake to lose heat than it is to keep it. If you take a thermometer with you, I've used a floating type tied to a piece of twine, you might be surprised to find the water already in the late to mid 50's. With the days being shorter, just because you have warmer days doesn't necessarily mean the water is above warmer temps. All it takes is a 6 hour period of below 60 degrees to bring the water down to 60 in no time. Although, it takes a heck of a lot more to bounce back up. Fish don't always care what the air temp is. Pay attention to the water temp which is more crucial in your strategy. Fronts play a big part on my presentation tactics as well.

I got ahold of his BPS catalog tonight, and he had the Daiwa Megaforce w/ Twitching Bar circled in red three times. ;D How are these reels?

I purchase bulk spools of Sufix from BPS on sale. I can get by a season with changing most of my reels every month or so with a couple of them.

I have 15 Pro Qualifier rods of various lengths and types. I've sworn by them since their ***. I will never again fish with anything other than Pro Qualifier or Johnny Morris Elite rods, and I have owned many others. I have owned G-Loomis, Steez, Kistler LTX, All Star, and Quantum rods. None of them match the "Bang for the Buck" like the BPS rods do. If you hurry you can get the Johnny Morris Elite rods for $10 more at BPS. I just bought several of them as well as they are the next step up. The Pro Qualifiers and JM Elite rods are top of the line in my book. Why pay more when you can have the quality in a rod that is just as good.

There are two lengths of line to use with Palomar knot tying. The least amount of line I 'waste' is when I tie to a fly or worm hook. Any other time I double up the line and make a 12" double, and slide my lure down the middle to half way. Make sense? If not double up about 24" of line to make a double-line 12" line. Slide your bait half way at 6" from either side, and you will see what I mean. It wastes a lot more line, but I prefer it to the clinch knot or improved clinch knot for most hardbaits. The larger you make the initial 'double up' the easier it is to slip over those larger baits. I'm leery of using 'quick clips' since 90% of my hardbaits are either Lucky Craft, H&T, Yo-Zuri or XCalibur. I feel a little more assured my $15 bait won't come off with a knot I tie to my liking.

I guess what I meant was that I don't see any advertising for Sufix. I guess that's how they keep their money in the research and development department.

I would say if you've never fished a BPS rod with braid then you need to. Since their *** I have never owned anything but BPS Pro Qualifiers. Up until the Johnny Morris Elite series came out I thought I had something that was far superior to the competition! I cannot emphasize how sensitive the Johnny Morris Elite rods are! I get excited just thinking about them. Now that they are only $130 a piece, on sale, at BPS I bought 3 of spinning and 4 of the trigger style to put up for a rainy day. I've tried G-Loomis, and find them to be overpriced by hype! To answer your previous question I think a rod can only be so sensitive. I also think that BPS has the best Value for their rods. There is a point where a rod can't get any more sensitive. Let me rephrase that .... there is a point that the human hand can no longer feel the sensitivity of a rod. In other words, if you have a Johnny Morris Elite with a Steez baitcaster loaded with 20 lb. braid ... in my opinion that is the best setup for Maximum sensitivity. I can literally feel tiny baitfish hitting my 4" plastics with 50 feet of line out! I can also feel every bump, ridge, and pebble on the bottom with that setup. Braid is the highest sensitivity with Fluro next, and then mono being last. Depending on what mono you have depends on it's sensitivity. If I have a low stretch mono it is going to be a lot more sensitive than a high stretch mono. Make sense?

I was mainly wondering if I had made the right choice with the Sufix. It seems to be the least talked about line I have ever seen, but I really like it. It casts easily, and has very low memory. I guess I'm doing ok then.

I have all of my baitcasters loaded with Sufix Elite 14 lb. test right now, but find myself kind of leery to change to anything else right now. I don't want to have to waste a day of fishing if I don't like what I've loaded up since I only take about 4 rods with me when I hit the water. Suggestions?

I have a two part question, so please bear with me. Assuming that I will only be purchasing one of the following brands, and be looking for a low profile baitcaster which brand and model would be the best? Reels Brands : Bass Pro Shops, Abu Garcia, Team Daiwa, and Shimano The first setup would be a $100 or cheaper reel for my 14 year old nephew. He needs a good all around baitcaster, and this will not be his first. His B-Day is coming up next month, and I promised his dad I would buy him a new rod and reel setup. With already spending close to $130 on a rod I am set around $100 for the reel. So, could someone please give me the best "Bang for the Buck" in this category. The next setup will be for myself as a Christmas present from Santa. I am looking for a reel between $150 to $225 that will give me the best "Bang for my Buck". I already have a 6'6" MH rod picked out to put it on, so I just need the reel. I want this reel to be versatile, and it will be used for everything from flipping into cover to making long casts for power fishing and covering a lot of ground in a day. Thanks for the help!

To answer a few of the questions ..... In the 'Return Instructions' box at the bottom of the return form I indicated that I wanted to return the Johnny Morris Baitcasters, and have them replaced with 2 other reels with the remainder sent to me in a gift card. I was told by the customer service rep who issued me an RMA replacement number that this was how it should be done. Back then she told me that it would only take a week or so. I find it hard to believe that they have received my box, but haven't opened it yet since the items haven't even been checked in. Taking them back to a BPS in my area is not an option. I live 2 hours from the store in Clarksville, IN , and another 2 1/2 hours from Nashville. It would be a waste of my time and money to drive to either store since it was a catalog order. I will continue to do business with them in the future as long as they get this straightened out. I just want to know what is taking so long. Like many of you, a buddy of mine returned a reel that was defective within the 30 day period, and he had his replacement in less than 10 days. It's almost like my package dropped off the face of the Earth even though they show a record of receiving it. I'm beginning to feel like my situation is one of those 'Rare Freak Accidents' that you hear about from time to time. It's not a norm for BPS, but things do happen, and I'm not feeling too good about it right now.

I am having a horrible time with getting a credit for my merchandise I returned 3 weeks ago. I returned 2 Johnny Morris Elite Baitcaster reels within the 30 day "No Hassle" period, because both started grinding after only one trip. I was told by the Customer service rep that I would not have any problem returning them for a full refund. However, it is now 3 weeks later, and I keep getting the runaround every time I call. I get transfered to this person, and that until I get put on a 10 minute hold and hang up. They have admitted that they received the items back, and I have the shipping receipt. I have never had this problem with them before, and I have spend at least $6000 there within the past 6 months. Has anyone else had these problems with them? I can't find any honest reviews on their service online since most of them are posted by BPS employees to raise the rankings. Your advice and experiences are greatly appreciated. I have no where else to turn. :-[