Tokyo Tony

I guess for now I'll hold off on tournaments then - it does seem like it detracts from your recreational fishing, if "recreational" fishing is even possible at that point. HOWEVER, in the overall scheme of things, I'm sure tournament fishing may enhance the whole fishing experience for a lot of people: competition, enjoyment, etc, but I'm talking specifically about the impact tournament fishing has on the days when you're not fishing or prefishing a tournament, but just out to fish. I know myself pretty well, and I really believe that the whole nature of fishing would change for me if I started doing tournaments, which is why I'm hesitant. I still really really really enjoy competition when I'm fishing, whether it's against my brother, myself, or those little green scoundrels, and I can be pretty intense on the water (especially when competing with my brother), but that's kind of a friendly competition that doesn't mean all that much. If I'm looking for serious competition, I can always head to the golf course or the poker tables. At this point, I can still go out and hang out at a pond or lake or river for a couple hours and lazily cast, or take a 20 minute break to eat lunch out there or have a couple brews and think nothing of it. I don't want that to change, although some day I'll probably end up fishing tournaments anyway. I'm in no rush though. So if I'm not fishing tournaments, how do I measure myself against other anglers? By height, of course ;D

1. Drink less "Mountain Dew", if that's what we're calling it nowadays 2. Catch a LMB 7.5 lbs + (difficult in CT), and a smallie 5 lbs + 3. Lose 35-40 lbs by July 1st (otherwise I lose a bet...) 4. Religiously track and record every fishing outing I go on (I totally slacked off with that this year) 5. Buy a boat. there are some others that I won't mention, but I have a lot to do in 2008

So what's the deal with you Missouri guys calling the state "Missurruh"? Any of you Missourians not pronounce it that way?

I like Power Pro a lot, and have had zero problems with it, which is why I haven't tried any others (except when they first came out I think back in the '90s). Others prefer Sufix, or the Samurai braid by Daiwa. I don't think you can go wrong with any of those brands.

Wait so the Carrot Stix action is as fast or faster than a comparable IMX, for example? And about the trout hole - I already feel out of place amongst the fly fishermen when I show up with my spinning tackle...imagine if I showed up with baitcasting tackle that included a big orange rod! That would be hilarious ;D

So regarding the Carrot Stix - how fast is the action compared to, say, a Loomis IMX fast action, or a Shimano Crucial fast? There was a post above saying that the action was not really as fast as other rods...is this true? Also, how does the weight compare to, say, a Loomis IMX, generally? After some of the good reviews, I'm considering trying out a Carrot to see if it strikes my fancy

But that's a good thing about the soft frogs. I've caught a ton of fish letting a soft plastic toad slowly sink into holes in grass/pads or next to wood. A lot of fish will not hit them on top, but will crush them on the fall. I always rig up a floating hollow frog and a soft plastic toad when I am frogging. Brad Yeah it's definitely a good thing depending on what you want to do, but the advantage that hollow body frogs have over plastic ones is that you can let them sit in holes and twitch them almost in place, which is impossible with a normal plastic frog unless you get a floating version. I tried the "floating" SIZMIC toads and they don't actually float. The Cane Toads floaters actually float very well, even with big hooks.

Yeah I was gonna have my two Goldens groomed before Christmas, then they said it would be about $50 for each one, so I said screw it. They stink, they love stinking, and I have $100 bucks I can spend on other stuff. Other stuff being lures, of course.

Jeez I wish I had that deal around here - that's ridiculous!

An avid or a premier????

I have two El Cheapo Okumas ($40), and for the price they have held up incredibly well. I used one when I traveled down to Miami, caught several peanut dolphin on it with 15lb test Power Pro (they were zipping the drag out like crazy and it was super smooth), caught several snook that also buzzed the drag out like crazy, and a couple tarpon. Talk about abuse! But this $40 reel stood up like a champ, and it still works, although it's not very smooth anymore. However, I would think if you spend a little more on an Okuma, it will be a real treat that should last a long time. I've been looking at the V-System lately, and I've heard some good reports. I don't think you can go wrong with Okuma.

Welcome to eHeaven ;D

I guess here in New England it's still warmer than average, but much colder than last year. Lakes didn't freeze up til the end of January last year, they've been frozen for over a month this year. Last year I caught my PB largie on Jan 7th, the day after the freakish 70 degree day. I'm hoping for a few of those this winter

Cool, I'll have to check it out above the dam there. Is there any way to fish from shore above the dam, and if so, is it worth it? How long of a boat ride is it from the launch to any good fishing spots, or is it pretty much all good?

This is the one I use, and I'm very happy with it. http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat20166-cat90002&id=0036864018232a&navCount=2&podId=0036864&parentId=cat90002&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=XH&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat90002&hasJS=true

I think the X-Rap is easier to use than a Zara Puppy, and actually jerkbaits, IMO, are overall a pretty easy bait to use for beginners. You just cast it out, twitch it any way you want, and due to its attracting qualities you should at least get a couple fish. I've taken out a couple total beginners, given them a jerkbait (X-Rap), and they've still managed a few. Of course I was there with them to give them tips, but after a few casts they seemed to get the hang of it. What about them do you think is not user-friendly RW?

http://www.gambler-lures.com/softplastics.html Go down to floating black or floating white. They used to have floating green but I'm not sure where they went. I like the black ones. I like the leg action these toads have too. It's kind of a gurgling sound, similar to a buzzbait.

I actually prefer jerk jerk jerk pause, then jerk jerk pause, THEN jerk pause, pause, pause, jerk, pause. Just kidding ;D Anything will work, but make sure you experiment with different cadences and especially different speeds and pause lengths until you start slammin them.

I have some of those, and while they're good, it takes me more time to change lures with these than it takes to retie. I just can't get the hang of them. And I don't see exactly what the Evergreen snaps have over normal Eagle Claw snaps, for example. Are they better for any reason?

Not only are those flies unbelievable, but this guy is the MAN! Look at those fish he's catching on his flies, and some of those photos are amazing

I like the snag proof Tournament Frog, and the Spro frogs, but I have pretty much stopped using hollow frogs as baits. The advantage of the hollow body frogs over plastic frogs, IMO, is that you can let them sit on the surface in pockets. But look into Gambler Cane Toads, the floating version. They actually float high in the water, and have way better leg action than hollow toads. You should also have a much higher hookup ratio with these. I bought a mess of them last summer and they're tremendous baits. It's the only version of a plastic frog I've found that actually floats well.

Definitely - the spool and drag knob are freakin' beautiful. I love the gold trim - it looks fit for a king. I took mine mostly apart the other night for a grease job and it's also gorgeous on the inside. I just need to find a girl that's the same ;D

Functionally, you can't go wrong with either. They're both nice reels. It really does depend on which you like better when you hold them in your hands, but no one can say one of them is hands down better than the other. I've had Symetres and I have a Supreme, and personally, I prefer the feel of the Shimano, but I frequently use the Supreme and it works great.

Anything topwater. I'd rather catch two on topwater than three underwater.

The shape looks almost identical to the Rapala X-Shad. Of course, the LC colors are more beautiful. Sorry though, I don't know anything about the US Shad. It looks sweet though.