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Conquest 100, 85mm ZPI Handle, Power Grip II Knobs and a Core 100 Drag Star

I am no pro fisher, but the fluke is one of my go to's on the lake, especially on sunny days. I prefer a short 6 to 6'6" medium light rod with a fast tip loaded with no more than 10lb Ande spooled on a medium sized spinning reel. If you are going to be in deep cover, shift to light braid like STK mentioned. I rig it with EWG 3/0 to 5/0 (usually unweighted) hooks "texposed" on the 4" or 5" super flukes. I LOVE black over silver (Smokey Shad I think) and Pearl. But I keep a variety of other colors to match up with the fish want. If you can use a white of any type and get bites, that is my first suggestion. It makes things SO much easier when you can see the lure IMO (especially if you are just learning how to make them dance). Note that different colors DO have different body stiffnesses sometimes. There is a white with a chartruese tail that looks great, but is stiff as a board. I really look for a few places to fish the fluke (we have little grass, no lilly pads, etc on my home lake). I love the fluke during the summer right up on the bank, UNDER overhanging brush with laydowns in the water. Ideally, I want to put the fluke where you would never even try to put a crank or most other lures in general. 99% of the time I am using an underhand whip cast, skipping the lure back into the bank / into a log / into a rock - whatever happens to be there I want to hit it or stop just next to it. I try to always target structure in the shade this time of year with the fluke. Once in the water I like to give a few seconds of dead sticking then give a small twitch just as soon as i have regained all the slack. Often this is when you will get hit. Note - I mean a small twitch. Not a drag like you are working a carolina rig worm, or a hop like a jig. Just a tiny twitch. Think all wrist, no elbow movement - I usually end up just rotating my wrist snapping the tip from strait ahead of me towards 7/8 oclock. This is part of the reason why i like a fast tip. If you do the twitch right, the fluke should give a quick dart looking just like a dazed baitfish. Practice getting this perfect in open clear water, as to me this IS the key to working a fluke with success. If this first twitch has no luck, give it a few seconds to sit and then twitch a couple more times. Generally if I haven't been hit by now, I start looking to slowly work the lure back off the bank. I like to keep the fluke high in the column, and moving slowly with stop an go twitches and I add in a dart. By dart think more like an extended twitch where you make the fluke swim forward a foot or two by giving a smooth but rapid pull on the rod from center to 7/8 oclock again (or 3/4 depending on which direction you are moving obviously). Remember you are trying to make the fluke look like an injured baitfish, watch how it looks and work on your technique until you can literally feel how the lure is reacting under the surface. That becomes key with dark colors or fishing deep. If you are in shallow water and can see structure, obviously target it during your retrieve. Coming over a horizontal log with a dart then a twitch can be deadly! This is why I like fishing with whites when I can. It is much easier to see what the lure is doing, where its at, and when its been inhailed by a bass in the shadows if you have white on. Be careful, you can easily set the hook too quick if you see a fish hit; do your normal topwater wait to increase your number of hook ups. I also use these guys under docs or any solid structure. Again I get as far back as I can and apply all the basic strategies to fishing in terms of positions. Docks, boats, log jams, anything that looks "bassy" and has shade - I'm skipping a fluke into and waiting for action. Having the tip of the hook buried or flat on the surface gives you so much more access to nasty little spots where you would never think of putting something with a tacklebox full of exposed hooks hanging out. You just about can't hang these guys up, unless you wrap around a limb or get caught in a V etc. Having said all the above, if things are not getting hit - start exploring deeper in the water column by using a mix of A: slower action / longer dead sticking B: weighted hooks. My old fishing partner and I both caught tons of fish off flukes; he fished them deep and slow (and now loves senko's and honestly fished the flukes the same way he does senko's now) while I liked to keep it shallow and more active. Interestingly I was usually fishing the front of the boat and he the rear, and it worked well as I was getting the active feeders and he was often getting more tentative bass. Flukes are like that --- depending on what you need they can do it all. *Sometimes he would use the paddle tail version where as I almost always used the split tail. However, if I am fishing deep and slow, I do find better luck with the paddle tail. I could go on and on about these guys - but I think if you can take something from the above post you may find better success! Good luck and tight lines!

A guy walks into the local welfare office for his monthly check. He marches straight up to the counter and says, "Hi. You know, I just HATE coming in here drawing welfare month after month. I'd really much rather have a job". The social worker behind the counter says, "Your timing is excellent. We just got a job opening from a very wealthy old man who wants a chauffeur-bodyguard for his nymphomaniac daughter. You'll have to drive around in his Mercedes, but he'll supply all of your clothes. Because of the long hours, meals will be provided. You'll be expected to escort her on her overseas holiday trips. You'll have a two-bedroom apartment above the garage. The starting salary is $200,000 a year." The guy says, "You're bullsh__ting me!" The social worker says, "Well ......Yeah, but you started it."

yall are getting mired down in what "covers water"....... when you need to be thinking "what catches fish" and that is the right bait for the right times added to the confidence you have in that bait. I own 4 spinnerbaits...... does that mean I cant cover water???NO but then again I don't "cover water" I try to fish where they live from the get go.

If everyone did serious research beforehand you'd see a lot fewer posts. If that's what's wanted, fine. Otherwise expect repeat questions.

Sonar unit.

My wife works second shift, and after working 9 hrs. a day the past 3 weeks has to go in 3 hour early @ noon and work 6 hours on Sat. It lets them get off Sat. evening to spend with their families which is nice for most, but at 60 we really don't want the overtime, kids are raised, I'm retiered, we own our house, and don't haqve a lot of desire to exceed the Jones's. At this time in life we would like to just give us our 40 hrs. and be left alone. But we do what we have to. I have great woman and love her to death,,,,, So I am Skoke'n,,,,,,,, yep, I went to the butcher and got the last pork shoulder he had, 10.5# a little larger than I like but,, I seasoned it with my special dry rub, and saran wrapped it when she went to work yesterday. So last night when she came in at 1:30AM after 11 hours marinading in the dry rub, I unwrapped it turned on the Smoker and had some Apple and Red Oak already waiting, threw it in the Cookshack 025, and set it at 230* and let the SMOKE'N begin. for those that don't smoke a lot,,,,,,,"food that is"......I am referring to the best little smoker made, the 025 will hold temps as high as 300* outside in 0* weather. For those that do Smoke a lot, Red Oak was a great find about 5 years ago, it is a mellow velvety smooth flavor mixed with the sweet apple smoked flavor makes a kick but pulled pork naturally BBQ'd smoked "SAMICH". She will have some good vidals for a few days either when she gets off, or to take for lunch, and she thinks I'm great for doin it. WIN WIN, a tip for the young!! So I hit the sack last night about 4am after feeding it a second dose of 4 oz of hardwood, installed the temp probes and let the smoke'n god's work there magic. at 9:30 when I woke up we had 164* internal temp and at 11;30 it was up to 175, for pulling we need 195* internal temp, should happen about 4:00 maybe a little later. Then I will wrap it in foil, surrounding that with a big beach towel and put it in a cooler for about an hour or more, then put it in a big foil pan and pull it!!! I will have her Cole Slaw and pit Beans ready when she get's home with some finishing sauce and sesame rolls. Just to show her how much I appreciate her!!! In reality I love this stuff, been smoke'n Briskets, ribs, Turkey, chicken, venison 1/4'rs, fish, you name it for years. I just get to do what I like, and reap the benefits from her that continue to allow me to do the things every week I love to do also!!! That means great food, great fishing, great hunting, and I get the worlds GREATEST MOST UNDERSTANDING WIFE IN THE WORLD to go with it!!!!! Been that way for 34 years,,,,,,and that my friends is worth it!!!

Yesterday, I stopped on my way home from work at a little fishing hole I frequent. It's pretty small, but was stocked at one time with bass/bluegill/catfish, and has maintained a decent growth increase ever since. I can pretty regularly pull out 3-4lb bass with an occasional 5lb-er, but it's not common. For such a small pond it's pretty impressive that the fish can grow to that size, and maintain it. I've met and maintained a great relationship with a gentleman who maintains the pond's landscape and tends to the water quality, he's somewhat entrusted me to assisting him when I can. Yesterday, I get there for just a few minutes of fun fishing and immediately notice a group of four boys, probably 12-13yrs old. Now these weren't the serious-fishing type boys some of you currently have as offspring, these were kids who looked like they found a couple of poles in one of their dad's garages, back in the corner, wiped the cobwebs off of them and decided to go fish at the pond, they didn't have that look of seriousness and true interest of fishing. They had just pulled a decent size (est. 5lb-er) and had been holding it out for some time. They were laughing and taking pictures wasting precious time. They were clear around the other side of the pond, and I started that way thinking maybe they had a hook buried too deep, but as I got closer and saw the kids laughing and taking pictures, I knew they were just screwing around. By time I got there, they decided to finally put the fish back in the water, and just heaved it out as far as they could go. Then I saw it.....the fish didn't recover. It lay motionless on the top of the water, making an almost indescernable twitch as it died from their carelessness. My heart sank knowing the outcome. Make no mistake, I've killed fish, this year being particularly bad, but never because I intentionally kept the fish out of the water too long, especially to play with it and take 300 photos of it, subsequently chucking it 20ft into the water, all while laughing with my buddies. So, I said something to the boys. In a not-so-friendly manner I reminded them that they had just killed a living organism, and one that was several years old, here in Indiana it takes them a while to get 5lbs. I reminded them that large bass tend to produce healthy offspring, which would've ensured our fishing hole to keep good fish for many years, but that they had just wrecked that process for that fish. I reminded them that the sole process, once the fish is landed, is to quickly remove hooks/lures, snap a quick photo, then get the fish in the water as soon as possible. I said those things, then....I might've put the fear of God in them at the end there before I left.... I was really disappointed, that might've been THE biggest fish in there, or one of the biggest, and several boys' irresponsibility cost our fishing hole a great fish - a matriarch/patriarch of the bass population. I appreciate those of you who teach your sons and daughters great conservation and catch-and-release skills, thereby ensuring a great future for our sport. I just wish someone could've taught these boys like you have. As I read in a previous post the other day.....it's crazy the connection we all have to these "little green fish" we to aggresively pursue, yet while maintaining our utmost respect for them.

The weather was very unstable today, but I had to get on the water. There was a small window between storm bursts and I took advantage of it. Anyone that knows me knows I'm a Zara Spook nut. I live for the summer and fall top-water bite, so it came as no surprise to anyone (myself included) what the first bait I tied on was. Today it was a Super Spook Jr and I may as well have left the tackle box in the car as 16 out of the 19 fish I caught came on that bait, including a double on one cast! The fish ranged from a couple of inches bigger than the bait to a couple of 18inchers. They all came off a submerged weed bed about the size of a football playing field within eyesight of the launch. I never needed to move the boat and lucky for me because the lightning and rain started up just after the wind changed direction and I was able to get off the water in a hurry. You gotta love it when your favorite bait hits the jackpot, but then again..............Do you think I shoulda upsized to a bigger Spook?????

Its an old quantum tour. Has the perfect action while fishing but just not enough give to keep them hooked up, especially when fishing in current.

An older lady named Ida was somewhat lonely since her cat died and decided she needed another pet to keep her company. So, off to the pet shop she went. She searched and searched. None of the pets seemed to catch her interest, except this ugly frog. As she walked by the jar he was in, she looked and he winked at her. He whispered, 'I'M LONELY, TOO. BUY ME AND TAKE ME HOME. YOU WON'T EVER BE SORRY.' Ida figured what the heck! She hadn't found anything else. So she bought the frog. She placed him in the car, on the front seat beside her. As she was slowly driving down the road, the frog whispered to her 'KISS ME AND YOU WON'T BE SORRY..'! So, Ida figured, WHAT THE HECK, and kissed the frog. IMMEDIATELY the frog turned into an absolutely gorgeous, sexy, young, handsome prince. THE PRINCE THEN RETURNED IDA'S KISS. SUDDENLY IDA FELT HERSELF TRANSFORMING FROM HIS KISS. NOW CAN YOU GUESS WHAT IDA TURNED INTO? COME ON GUESS! * * * * * SHE TURNED INTO the first Holiday Inn SHE COULD FIND!!! She's old...... NOT DEAD!!!!!

Electric for heat,,,wood for smoke, 20 years ago I made fun of guy's that used anything but charcoal and wood, tried a gas then and was convinced. Then I have a buddy that smokes a lot, brought name brand electric to the lake one weekend to smoke ribbs and Brisket with me for a party, I made fun if him and said he would make me shine...... The ribb's in the electric turned out as good as the ones I did. a Couple months later the wife and I were at Cabelas, we checked out everything they had, probably 15 or 20 brands. This 025 was there and 3 to 5 times the price of anything else, but built out of real steel, stainless inside, and very heavy, but small. I asked a customer service assistant if they ever had any returned or warranty issues with them, he said no,,,,,,,,BUT,,,,,,I don't know if we ever sold one, nobody will pay that price. So I went home did some research, and when I found nothing but praise for them, well I have always been willing to pay a little more if something is worth it. The following week we back and talked to the manager in that dept. and left with about a $200.00 discount on it. But yes I definitely would pay full retail for one, they hold there value, and they are a lifetime Smoker. I am thinking of selling this one and buying the Amerique, bout same size but taller with 4 racks instead of 2. If you smoke a lot, and do it year round, it is the only choice in my book. If you are only going to use one now and then, well they will all smoke, I still have two hardwoods and charcoal only smokers, but very seldom do I use them. This one I set it and when the meat hit's its internal temp, its done,,,,that easy. If you prepare it properly!!

I assume you were looking at a Duckett Ghost for $100? The white ice is $200. The Duckett is a good rod but if using braid and a leader with micro guides its tough.

8-12oz isn't a big deal and is somewhat normal for any kayak. You can check your hatches to make sure they are tight. The screws in the back of the kayak are generally for a rudder and don't even breach the hull in most kayaks but just into the plastic itself. I wouldn't worry about it unless you are taking in gallons over the course of a day.

exactly........who are we kidding, we get excited about buying line!!!

Sometimea you just gotta take home that pro qualifer bro

While in college we had a pretty subjective scoring system of the gals present at the bar we were frequenting. That scoring system endured dramatic revisions as closing time approached... oe

Absolutely – if a reel is really nice, I don’t notice, or even mind, the weight at all. I have a bunch of nice reels that are in the PQ weight range, or even an ounce or so heavier, that have similar line capacities and would fill similar roles as the PQ – Antares, Calais 200DC, Calcutta 100DC, Conquest 100s, Calcutta CTE-100GT - don’t mind the weight at all and they are all delightful reels. HOWEVER – as has been mentioned, TT has decided that weight is “bad” and detracts score for weight. Thus that detraction should apply equally to all reels. Now, since the 2012 Antares has been mentioned, let’s look at TTs Design & Ergonomics Ratings for the Antares vs. the PQ: Weight: Antares – 4 / PQ – 3 OK, Antares gets a better score – the factory listed weight IS a whopping .7 oz lighter than the PQ. Perhaps they have a table that says that reels 7 oz and under get a 5, 7.1 to 8 get a 4, 8.1 to 9 get a 3, etc. At least I HOPE they have a table or they are getting subjective on what should be an objective criterion. Handle Length: Antares – 4 / PQ – 3 That’s strange – they have the same length handles – why did the Antares score higher? Knobs: Antares – 5 / PQ – 3 Are the Antares knobs really THAT much better – two scoring points? I guess it is to them so I’ll go with that. Palming: Antares – 4 / PQ – 3 Curious – the Antares is bigger in every dimension and visually dwarfs the PQ. They have an equivalent height when on the same reel seat (the Antares has a recessed reel foot but the PQ has a smaller height of the palm sideplate so that’s a wash). So, why does the Antares palm better and get a higher score? And don’t forget the sensation you get when picking up and “palming” an Antares/Calais that’s been in the hot sun or on a cold morning… Anyway – must be some subjectivity here. Ease of Breakdown: Both score a 3 – a wash. Now, before anyone gets the wrong idea, I’m not directly comparing the Antares and PQ, I’m examining the scoring system. So, as I have mentioned repeatedly in this thread, I have no problems with the PQ scoring in the seven-ish range, I just have issues with consistency and subjectivity re the scoring system, have issues with some of the narrative comments in the PQ review, and felt it necessary to offer a counterpoint that real-world experience indicates that the “drag issue” is not as dire as they would have you to believe.

Hondas always start. Good on gas. :-D

Was there on Wednesday. Smallies were close to shore, but def in deeper water. We drifted with the wind about 20 feet from shore and caught some very nice fish. Not great #'s, but the quality was amazing. Catch of the day belonged to my buddy - 4.5 pound SM. Biggest one I've seen this year. Drop shot is helpful, but any weighted plastic rig should work. We caught em on T-rigged worms and craws, and some topwater early AM. I'll be heading back next week before the bass head deeper for the summer. What an amazing place to fish. A Massachusetts treasure for sure.

Sweet! I just bought a Tatula yesterday. I planned on having one a while ago too but other things I "needed" kept coming up. Cant wait to get out and play with it today

If a reel offers other-worldly performance and weighs 8oz, it's easier to overlook than an 8.5oz reel that offers average performance. I have an SS SV that's a few crumbs over 5oz, but I still reach for my Antares 9/10, even on the same rod, because the performance makes my day that much more pleasurable. What'd you do to a Metanium to make it weigh 8oz? Mine only weighs 6oz.

I've found that most Daiwas handle lighter baits well, as do a lot of other mag brake reels. Daiwas magforce z just makes dialing it in super easy.

The question was, "Do you get more satisfaction from buying", Yes, I certainly do. Hootie

Got the new rod in today!

Small natural baits. I'd try natural colored senko, shakey head finesse worms, and drop shot. Also clear water can be great for topwater.

Do not encourage the man.

Single strand 20lb titanium is very thin. Much, much thinner than the wire on an Alabama rig.

The Tatula is a game changer at the "deal" prices that it can be purchased at. I fished my Tat reel and 7'7" Tat rod just today - this combo will likely replace the PQ 5-year Challenge test reel as my primary open-water lipless crank combo at the conclusion of the PQ 5-year test period...

He is doing extremely well. He finished photo therapy today. So yeah all is good in the hood.

Downsize to the fluke jr. Put it on a 2/0 offset worm hook (not ewg). Use a spinning rod and throw it to a laydown, grass line, pads, or anything that you think a fish will be holding on. You'll get some 10-12" fish which will boost your confidence. After you figure them out, go back to the super fluke and upsize to a baitcaster to target some bigger fish.

The big ones I have caught this week have been right on shore in inches of water or standing in the cabbage. Your doing the right thing casting parallel. Tourney on Moose Pond, Maine Sunday for me.

My thoughts exactly.

With age comes wisdom

This is such a touching story, I thought you would enjoy it. A-Jay The Last Kiss Back on January 9th, a group of Pekin , Illinois bikers were riding west on I-74 when they saw a girl about to jump off the Murray Baker Bridge. So they stopped. George, their leader, a big burly man of 53, gets off his Harley, walks through a group of gawkers, past the State Trooper who was trying to talk her down off the railing, and says, "Hey Baby..... whatcha doin' up there on that railin'?" She says tearfully, "I'm going to commit suicide!" While he didn't want to appear 'sensitive', George also didn't want to miss this 'be-a-legend' opportunity either so he asked..."Well, before you jump, Honey-Babe... Why don't you give ole George here your best last kiss?" So, with no hesitation at all, she leaned back over the railing and did just that.... And it was a long, deep, lingering kiss followed immediately by another even better one. After they breathlessly finished, George gets a big thumbs-up approval from his biker-buddies, the onlookers, and even the State Trooper, and then says, "Wow! That was the best kiss I have ever had, Honey! That's a real talent you're wasting, Sugar Shorts. You could be famous if you rode with me. Why the heck are you committing suicide?" "My parents don't like me dressing up like a girl." It's still unclear whether he jumped or was pushed.

Washington Redskins Washington Nationals Washington Capitals Washington Wizards North Carolina State Wolfpack for those saying just Giants, you gotta clarify if its the SF Baseball Giants or NY Football Giants

I own a pq, lews ss, tourney ss, tourney mg, revo sx and t-3 ballistic. I think at $80 the pq is pretty hard to beat and should be perfect for your application. I don't own any high end reels because I prefer to put more money into the rods. I want my reels to be dependable and durable. So far the pq has served it's purpose with no complaints.

Forgot to post some pics, but here are 3 from our recent trip to Cooperstown. My family in front of the Museum: My son with Teddy Ballgame: Doubleday Field: Where it all began. We actually took in a game that day and saw a few innings. Not a lot of peeps in attendance, but basically teams can rent the field for the day. 2 teams were playing from a Buffalo men's league that day. It's a gorgeous stadium for sure! I uploaded most of the pics and created an album in my profile if you're interested to view. It's named "Cooperstown" and it is RED SOX Pic heavy. I will finish uploading the rest this evening.

I don't know, some guys collect guns, coins, stamps and cars. I collect fishing gear which is pretty cheap compared to many other hobbies. How much are season tickets for your favorite football team? If you take your family or just your significant other I suspect the cost far exceeds what you spend on fishing equipment.

Fishing is still a blood sport. I suggest keeping legal fish and either eating them yourself or giving them away to someone that will appreciate the gift.

Just bought a reel for $440.00. I'm starting to think I don't have a "no" point.

I refuse to pay much over $1000.00 on a combo (NRX 895c Metanium HG)

A few years ago, I fished with BPS Pro Qualifier and BPS Tourney Special rods. Whole rig, $100.00 on sale. Now I am using GLX and NRX rods, and shimano reels, Curado i, Chronarch ci4's and a Shimano core 100Mg7. What the heck happened? I don't know. Oh well, I'm going fishing. Hootie

I've also been thinking about one of these, It comes with its own swim Bait.

TackleTour just got O W N E D.

Sounds like you are pretty in line with what you should be doing. Always go with your gut first and foremost. You could also try swimming a jig, this has always worked for me in stained water especially during or after rain. Just make sure it's a dark color or has some chartreuse.

Well, I hit a local lake today with zero 0 luck with my senko's. Swapped to an Ocho, and SLAUGHTERED them. ok, maybe that's a touch dramatic, but 15 fish from 1-4 lbs in an hour and a half was super fun. they didn't like wacky rig, good ole weedless is all they wanted.

If the music that's playing is rap, there's a good chance that all the fish have killed themselves. I know I want to every time I hear that bs.

Did you know that ford is making a new design in there truck. A heated tailgate so you can keep your hands worm while pushing it down the road in the snow.

I've tried a lot of different rods but haven't found any I like as much as St.Croix.