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I go out of my way to be a contributing member of the forum community and not be seen as simply trolling for sales even though I pay for a sponsorship. RM, JF, Averry, myself and others share a lot of free advice and when we do get paying jobs, make little over minimum wage after overhead. No one's getting rich off the services we offer. By all rights, I probably should pitch my services more and not feel guilty about it. I never oversell and readily advise against customers spending money that's not in their best interest. Sorry if this comes off as a rant Thanks everyone. Mike

Listening to the way some of you guys, Roadwarrior, and others talk about the high end G Loomis rods tweaked my interest. I was recently able to acquire 2 GLX's. Got to fish them last week and they are awesome. So tomorrow I am going to pick up a brand new NRX J&W rod. I am as excited as a kid, the night before Christmas. Hootie

Same as always : Don't drown Don't sink the boat Don't break anything expensive Fish as much as I can with my kids The catching will take care of itself..... It always does.

What I meant by that, is that the JDM crowd scoff at other brands that are not JDM. And that goes for rods, lures, line and whatever else. I couldnt care less about what anyone chooses to fish. I just dont like how false info is spread and the sheep believe it. The higher end Quantum PT line is great. The fit and finish and longevity on my reels is flawless. Dont blame the reel, blame the careless owners. Any reel will look like crap if not taken care of. I have a Quantum Pro 2C that I bought new in 1992. My first "real" baitcaster. Still looks new. Still performs flawlessly. In the end, buy what you like. We're all here to fish and have a good time.

I went out fishing with my son, and BIL yesterday. We went off US 27 which is Northeast of alligator alley with great results. We fished from 10:30 - 6:30pm and caught 49 fish, 42 of which were my son's catches. He was using the fluke, and he was having a blast. He kept me busy. I couldn't fish like i really wanted to, but the trip was not for me, he was for him. 41 of his catches were bass and 1 was a nice sized mudfish. To a 7 yr old using light tackle a big mudfish is a catch of a life time.... LOl...

Neither are an upgrade from Koppers imo. Pad crahers are a nice budget frog and will catch a ton. But they can all walk just as easily as the next. Its more of a skill set than anything. Get a Koppers field mouse if you want to focus strictly on a walking hollow body topwater.

With all the support you give this Forum I for one do not feel you need to explain yourself. You and all the the others who service reels do a bang up job giving out free advice. Your posts alone have earned you the respect you deserve here on BR and rightly so. As a board sponsoring individual you have every right to promote your product more than you do and I for one thank you for being a sponsor for if this board did not have sponsors where would it be today. Oh and since I do all my own work on all my reels this is not a sales pitch for any of those who do service work on this board.

I myself hate the Owner Beast. I have had bad experiences with the spring-lock style swimbait hooks, mostly because of their design. I feel most of them are much too "deep" and too short. I think the Owner Beast is the most extreme in these categories. The hook bend is so deep, and the overall length is short. This leaves a very small distance between the hook point and the spring-lock, which is where the bass needs to bite for you to get a hookset. Also it leaves a ton of hook underneath the bait which looks unnatural to me. I don't know why you would need a hook shaped like this unless you're trying to rig a softball.When I first purchased hollow belly swimbaits,this was the hook the associate recommended, and I couldn't pay a fish to bite my swimmers. Once I switched to an EWG with lead molded I started to really catch them, go figure.

Figured since I finally got all my hawgtech handles and anodized parts back. Figured I would show all them off. These are some great guys to deal with and I recommend them for anyone who wants more torque or a smoother retrieve. The anodized parts are a vanity thing but they are cheaper than aftermarket parts and match perfectly to the parts that either came stock with the reel or the custom parts I ordered. The reels/parts are as follows. 1. Shimano Chronarch D7 with anodized gold star drag and cc cap. 102mm swept Hawtech handle with matching nut retainer and knob caps on a dx744 2. Shimano Chronarch D7 with 102 swept handle and purple parts. Drag star and cc cap will be anodized purple soon. On a custom rainshadow rod bout from Tim off this forum. Purple/Black and white go together great lol. Purple avail spool and line cap from hedgehog studios match perfectly with the hawg parts. 3. Daiwa zillion 100p with swept handle and blue/silver accent parts on a champ 765cb glass. 4. Calfish Custom td-ito in joker colors. Hawgtech purple cc cap and star drag. Matches the stock purple perfectly. The purple on the Frame had to be darker so it wouldn't turn pink. Reel is on a dx 703 and in the right light it matches the green/gold of the ito amazingly. It is going to be a good year. Hawgtech products can be addicting lol.

Everyone treats adversity differently. Some keep it to themselves. Others find it helpful to talk about it. Nothing wrong with either, and no need to apologize. We all need to lean on others at times in our lives. And we all do it in different ways. Now if you were like the obnoxious slonezp, that would be another matter entirely. He needs to spend the rest of his life doing penance. He's just upset because I haven't sent him an autographed photo.

Quantum has some really nice design features as do each of the other name brands. The upper end reels seem smooth and free. The problem, in my experience, is that QC is lacking compared to the others. The finish is sometimes an issue, the Smoke gears get a little rough after relatively short for example. Other issues you wouldn't see or necessarily be a problem unless you work on the reel. The ones with the latch up by the level wind can be a bear to get the side plate off and are unessarily difficult to disassemble. Sometimes poor fit of parts makes reassembley harder than it should be. None of these are huge, but the market is terribly competetive with so many great reels they just miss the mark by a little bit. I kind of see them as the "worst of the best" so to speak. Every brand has fans and haters rightfully or not. If you like Quantums (or whatever) , buy and enjoy.

I have just been informed that the Ice is officially OFF Lake Erie . . . . And so now it's on . . . . . . . . A-Jay

Depending on how big a slammer you're talking about, you'll be fine in that 2 oz and under range with 13-15 lb lines. The problem will come when you want to let that 795 stretch its legs a little with some bigger baits. Cast offs hurt quick with big expensive baits.

The quantums I used and own worked great. I plan on purchasing more. I think they are the most underrated reels. Issues I hear about are no different than issues other brands have time to time. Oh well their loss I love mine

There is no logical explanation for the hate. It mostly comes from the "JDM only" people that think they're gonna catch more fish with their stuff. Also, the clueless sheep that follow what others say. Like I've mentioned a million times here and everywhere else, I've fished Quantum only reels for over 20 yrs and I have never had one issue with any of them. They have never failed me on the water. I use the higher end, PT models. A lot of other people that fish Quantum will attest to what I said.

Plastic on cork rods is like plastic slip covers for furniture & car seats. That practice went out about fifty plus years ago.

First fish of the season, chubby one too! Same Fish put next to rod for idea of length.

Two schools of thought. Silver for clear gold for stained And Silver for baitfish and gold for bluegill

Never wait on nothing! Drop the rod, reel the slack, & set the hook straight up like you're trying to break some thing!

Here are a few more but without finish or diving bills The other three with finish

The first 2 days I went... I skunked. I decided to go out today, and conditions were even worse. Water was still freezing cold, and very murky. I tried throwing jerkbaits, having 40 second pauses... nothing. Tried finesse plastics... nothing! So, I pulled out a little rooster tail, and BOOM! The flash of the spinner was JUST enough to catch the fishes eye. Even though the fish was as big as the 1/8 oz rooster tail I was using, it still has been a fun day.

A couple that I have been working on for a while now. Almost have them finished, a few more details to take care of.

I'm not a fan of twist lock springs so I don't use that style hook The Falcon Lures Bait-Jerk Superline Hook has been good for two season now. A-Jay

I borrowed all modifications from others over the years, and the Owner of DOA used packing peanuts on a tv show on Okeecobee and he fished the Air head with packing peanuts to use it as a topwater/wake bait. he also slit the paddle tail for a buzzing action. I like to fish out of a kayak to access certain water, and I leave a carolina rig dragging under the yak when fishing at alll times. I have caught some monsters when fishing a shoreline with a jig and sometimes I am so focused on casting accuracy and flipping the bait quietly, I get startled when my drag starts peeling on the drifting c-rig behind me on bottom.

call me crazy but I actually like a little wear on my cork handles, gives em that nice broken in look and feel.

Evolution. He missed it.

Wow, primetime! That is an unbelievable amount of info. I'm going to sheepishly admit that I haven't even heard of 65% of the baits you listed above. I'm one of those Zoom lizard (actually fish baby brush hog the most) guys. I've got some homework to do!

I almost always use a 1/2 weight as I like the casting distance, steady feel of bottom, and because it seems to just be what I reach for, although I have some lighter Mojo weights I used a few times when fishing shallow flats in clear water and they seemed to work. I leave the beads and rattles at home, and I usually just add about 2' of Mono or Copoly in 12-20lb test, and I am usually fishing deeper water with weeds often thick so I am not worried about stealth. I almost always use a 8" Charlies Ribbon Tail worm or a Bass Assassin Sluggo or Trick worm rigged wacky and the charlies is considered a floater. If I want my bait to float off the bottom I use a Slip float or pill float pegged about 6" in front of my worm like you would do when fishing for walleye on an erie derie rig. I paint them different colors to match forrage and fry and it causes bigger worm like a zoom monster, Fatt Max Culprit, or good old Manns jelly worm to rise up a few inches which I think is key. I experiment with the c-rig alot and have some odd baits that work well and if a Finesse trick worm or wacky rig sluggo or Floating/buoyant worm is not working, I will switch over to a floating rattle trap with two single hooks and weed guards as It has an awesome action with its nose down and darting side to side 2' off the bottom. I use a larger 5/8 size, and also use a D.o.A airhead mullet soft bait which looks like a big bluegill, and I put packing peanuts or a cigar float in the belly (same with hollow bellies) and I get less hits with the bigger swimbaits, but better fish. My all time favorite Bait is a charlies floating large crawfish in Red Shad, or any bass assassin high floater creature bait, or ringed worm like a zipper, ring fry, or rage anaconda worms since ribs usually cause the bait to rise up off the bottom. We call the charlies craw a hover craw and its about 4" long, kind of realistic looking but flatter profile, and it is just a great bait for any soft bait rig...... From what I read, most people would not use anything but a zoom lizard, but I just never use a lizard for anything, and I use gamblers big ez or smaller swimbait or sassy shads to match panfish or shad size, or fry with a tiny sassy shad. You can cover alot of water with a c-rig, work it steady but fast, and with braid you can feel any areas you may want to fish again since you feel contour changes, weeds, muscles etc....and I don't use Tungsten, just old lead barrel weight that I color black with a marker before putting in the box. I color pill floats in chart/orange for panfish color as a float and teaser, green or lime for baby bass fry, and white or silver flash for shad...I also have some craw colors, and uv for dirty water. I use the walleye rig 90% of the time, and a charlies ribbon or craw will get a good float on for you and bite. If not red shad, then Motor Oil/chart or your confidence color as size and profile matter more imo. small worm hooks when possible, 1/0 if I can, 2/0 largest for better action, and you can use flukes, tubes, and my buddy uses the Sebile AT floating worm in white and that is a big complex looking worm or hybrid swmbait, but he does well with that worm, and it floats well. Hope that Helps, get creative and have fun...Modify rigs, drag a floating lure or prop lure as added flash and vibration helps. I sweep on sets, pull baits both ways to see what is working but I think I stay parrallel. I never used the c-rig until moving to Fl 7 years ago, and I forced myself to get confident using this rig since I saw how versatile and well it worked all year round, anywhere, and is great from back of the boat. I am not anti clicker, just think it sounds unnatural and if I wanted sound, I would put a rattle in the worm but rarely have done that. The Rattle trap on a c rig is a winner, and a floating trap is a great lure Freshwater guys overlook which is a mistake for sure

1/2oz Red Eye Shads and Shallow Shad Raps catch me a lot of fish.

I've been keeping an eye out for small trailers on craigslist. I was actually planning on getting a bass raider. I was literally on my way out the door to the sporting goods store when I decided to just check on craigslist one last time and saw somebody selling a Bass Hunter for cheap. I went and grabbed it instead not even realizing the differences. I knew this would be a bit of a problem when we were loading it up after purchase. I got too excited and didn't care at the time though. No worries though I still love my little boat. I took her out with just some paddles today because Im still waiting for my boating license to get here and I need one in order to use the trolling motor. No license required for oars though. This is my first boat and I love it. Excellent group of folks boaters and fishermen are as well. At first I was a bit intimidated about trying to figure out how to drag my little boat into the water on a boat ramp with all of these experienced guys with boats on trailers and whatnot. Got to the ramp and multiple people walked over to give me a hand and help me out. Got me set up in the water and I had the time of my life just being out there scooting along. Hats off to you folks.

went to Olathe today and my report is I SUCK AT FISHING or there are no fish in that lake I vote option 1

The Blonde I have had for a decade. She got the Red Hemi on Monday.

I don't own any quantums and will admit to being scared away by the hate. Even though I know it's kind of nonsense I do believe rumors and stereotypes are rooted in some kind of truth somewhere. Even if it was along time ago. However all the quantums I have ever fished have been very nice. They are great casters with very little effort. When I went to the fishing expo I looked at every new reel and liked the quantum tour mg the best by a big margin. I think eventually this will be the quantum that I finally break down and buy.

This is the bridge at Paola http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/127481-screenshots/?p=1497245

Not read anything from you requiring forgiveness but ok your forgiven!

Only 3.75 lbs which gives me a score of 21.74. More important than this fish is the offshore submerged hydrilla I found today. Hopefully many more to come off of this spot. Lake Toho, Fl on a Fluke.

Thanks, Ill play around with some different ideas and see what works. Unloading is no problem its the loading up part thats a bit of a hassle. Main problem is the initial lifting the front up on the tail gate. I have to hop in the truck and bend over and lift it up. Once I get it on the tailgate I just just go around to the rear and push it in. It has to sit at an angle because I have a Ford Ranger which has the wheel wells sticking up in the truck bed.

I watched a guy at a boat ramp last year that was handicap. Walked with two canes and probably upper 60s. He backed his truck up to the boat ramp, pulled out two carped ramps. He had mounted a small 12v winch in the back of his truck with the controls close to the rear. Hooked it to his boat and that was it. Took a couple min. But it worked for him. Thought it might help or spark some ideas.

She would be a distraction. Especially in a bikini

If anybody here is annoying it's that Fishing Rhino guy. Keeps posting pictures of himself with a bird on his head. Like he's the bird whisperer or something. Sheesh!

Thanks to Mike and Robert at Hawg Tech for tricking out my new Curado I. Black accents on everything and a swept handle. Jeff

These posts prove to me that I am very intelligent. Never ate a bug or a worm or tried to use my mouth for a fireplace...lol. Hootie

Having a flame throwing contest with a Zippo and mouthful of lighter fluid, spent 4 days in Bourbon County General Hospital in Paris, Kentucky.

Again, its been a LONG time since I've been there. The ramps were dirt and gravel back then (VERY basic).

crazy Japanese! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yq7wBYxGWqM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXrfpP3PUBw

I use that knot all the time. I go through the hook eyelet twice though.

He's lucky he didn't get injured.

Hudson is a good lake, but there are way better fisheries in NE oklahoma than the other ones you listed (According to me ). haha Grand Lake Tenkiller Green Leaf Dripping Springs, in Okmulgee are in my top 5 with Hudson If you go to hudson be careful lots of hidden stumps and rocks in the water. I tore up a prop at hudson. Stay in Channel when you can. I fish Ft Gibson a lot just because it is closest to me its a good lake.

Well, I know Raul is right, but I just can't go there. I used to follow conventional wisdom regarding small baits and lures, but for me, it has always meant little fish. Sometimes when it's slow, I'm sure that's the right approach, but as a recreational fisherman, I just don't care. Go big or go home.