Tokyo Tony

I don't like those little flames on top. IMO, it makes the reel look cheap, which it obviously is not

I'm sure Cabela's or BPS has them on their sites. How small are these smallies by the way? I've caught 6-8 inch smallmouth on Zara Puppies, so unless you really really want the pooch, you might want to use the Puppy. Another thing to consider: I have a pooch, and it's really tough to get it to walk correctly. The action really isn't that great, so if you're looking for a very small topwater, you might want to consider another option. For example, a little popper or a little jitterbug. Your best bet might be to fly fish for them - those little smallmouth LOVE bugs ;D

Also, make sure you're not using flourocarbon line. If you are, the line will sink, and as you pop the lure, the line will pull the bait downward instead of forward.

I think the GLX is the most beautiful rod on the market.

Great fish there Josh ;D Good job taking your little cousin out too - he's definitely hooked for life judging by that huge smile

To add to your theory... I think another reason why golf course pond fishing is so easy is that the bass are conditioned to people walking around the pond, with no negative cues. They become used to people being around, so they aren't aware that a person can be dangerous to them when that person is armed with fishing gear instead of golf clubs

Nice fish there - that first one looks 6-7 to me. Gotta love getting to your fishing holes in a golf cart, and a very nice golf cart at that (I bet that's a nice club) ;D

Nice fish there T-Rig That tackle...is...insane. I could fish with that stuff all day, not get a bite, and still have an awesome time.

Even more importantly than preventing line twist and reel wear, closing the bail manually means your hand is right there by your line. Almost every cast I make with a spinning reel I soften the landing by gently putting pressure on the line that's coming off the reel right before the lure lands. Sometimes it's not important to do that, but most of the time a soft landing is preferable to a big splash. However, watching KVD in the Elite Series, he closes the bail by cranking. Al Lindner does the same thing. I'd have to argue that those guys are pretty good fishermen...

With my IMX 782SJR/Stradic 3000 combo I have... fished tiny little tubes/jigs for panfish fished inline spinners/little spoons/small jerkbaits for trout fished all kinds of weightless soft plastics for bass thrown up to 3/8 oz spinnerbaits for bass fished for carp with bread ...and it would be a little light for the task, but I know it would be great for inshore fishing for reds/snook/baby tarpon For the best all-around rod, IMO, look for a 6'6" or 7" M power F action spinning setup with a 2500 or 3000 - sized reel...and 10 lb test Power Pro Of course if you're generally going to fish bigger baits than the ones I mentioned, a MH power might be better for an all-around rod.

And if you're uncomfortable fishing braid in gin-clear water, use a flourocarbon leader (with a uni to uni knot).

There's no way a law like that could be passed (outside of California). Someone would have to prove that there's a significant number of trout dying as a result of discarded plastics. That is something that cannot be proven, IMO.

I always use spinning gear unless I'm throwing a big Fin-S. Try a 7" Fin-S with an 11/0 Owner J-Hook. That puts the center of gravity a little farther back towards the tail and the side-to-side action is incredible, especially when worked just under the surface 8-)

Nice job Dave I feel great when I catch a fish on a spinnerbait that i switched the skirt on - can't imagine catchin one on a bait I made

I agree with the hard jerkbait folks. Make sure you immediately get the lure down underwater when it hits the water, and keep your rod tip high so that the line enters the water at one point and doesn't lie across it. That way you can keep contact with the bait - you may be missing strikes if you have any slack in the line. Try twitching it lightly, or even a straight retrieve in the rapids. I had a lot of success earlier this spring doing that for river smallies

Nice - what'd you trick him with?

Holy crap man. You all healed up?

Nice fish Mrs. Matstone

Nice fish there ;D rodef next time you're out there try throwin a big spinnerbait around the pads. That looks like perfect spinnerbait water to me 8-)

Don't go without hard jerkbaits 8-)

I think line visibility is almost a non-issue except in the situation RW mentioned: gin-clear water with finesse presentations. Even then I don't think it's as much of an issue as people generally believe. It would be very interesting to do a scientific study on line visibility as it relates to more or fewer bites. I like the picture RoLo has posed in several threads: a fish sees a Zara spook walking on the surface with two or three huge treble hooks dangling off of it. The fish is about to hit the bait when, whoa! Back off - there's a tiny thread of something coming out of its nose - I ain't touchin' that thing ;D

I'd keep that bad girl, "donate" her to Cabela's, and have a large amount of free stuff "donated" to me each month. A fish like that would certainly attract a lot of business to the store that has it in their tank.

Welcome back muddyman

Welcome back

I agree - braid to mono use the double uni. One tip though: use 4 wraps with the mono piece and 7 with the braid. This makes the knot smaller and, IMO stronger. Another option for tying braid directly to the lure is using a Uni knot, but make sure you pass the line through the hook eye twice before tying the Uni knot. I've pulled many trees to shore, and straightened many heavy hooks with this knot combo without the slightest hint of a knot slip 8-)