CWB

Part of the game.

My son has Oakleys because they are "in" and "cool". I have two pairs of Strike Kings that together probably cost 1/4 of the Oakleys and I don't notice a difference. In fact I think the Strike Kings are better on overcast days. To each his own.

Like others have said, only to upgrade. Besides, on lipless cranks 90% of my fish come on the front hook. Don't ask me why.

Maybe not Froggin in the true sense but #1 for me is the Rage Shad. For Hollow Bodies I like the Bobby's Perfect and Spro Poppin Frog.

Yes

Great little swimbait where bluegill are present. Gills are starting to bed up here now and that means I'll be throwing it around the "minefields". Had great luck last year when the wind stirred up the water around the Gill beds. Bass were alot less spooky and eager to bite. Any new colors due like Baby Bass Big-O? That would be killer.

Major League Fishing has an official in every anglers boat. If a fish is hooked. It cannot touch the angler or the deck while being landed. If so a two minute penalty is accessed. All caught fish count toward the total weight as long as they are legal. Angler must agree with the official's weight. Fish must be released properly and not just thrown back in the water. Constant updates are given. Could be the way of the future. And if I recall, the first people to actively promote catch and release and probably coined the phrase were the guys at In-Fisherman. B.A.S.S. And others soon followed. I saw an BFL event a few years back where the bay behind where the fish were weighed in was littered with dead bass. This was at the resort that held the event and weigh-in. Didn't have to drive for miles to weigh in fish. Just drive up to the dock, bag and weigh the fish, and release them a few yards away.

I agree with Tom. I think the majority of the top guns really do care and are careful about handling the fish. At least I think they do. They have major sponsors and get paid something just by going out on the water and other obligations. The weekend warrior is another story. I've seen a guy actually toss back a short fish like it was a frisbee. Pretty sad. Dwight brings up a good point as well. Close tournaments during spawning season. There's a lake somewhere were they aren't spawning. I think Major League Fishing has the right idea. An official in the boat, and penalties if the fish are mishandled. Putting something like this in place at local tournaments might be a bit tough to implement though.

Green Pumpkin/Chartreuse Swirl is killer for me. Baby Bass is good also. P.S. Shim-E Sticks are the only stickbaits I've used for two years now. Love 'em.

That's the one Wayne. Thanks for the info. Do you think if i file a small notch on each side of the bottom of the transducer to keep the ziptie in place it will do any harm? I am going to do a thorough check if it is hitting the bracket. Most times I raise it and hold the foot pedal so it comes up just as shown in your picture but sometimes in a hurry I just yank it up.

Did you exchange it or get a different reel? I really like everything about it except the noise. I'm gonna try to oil the metal ring and if no luck, back she goes. Thanks.

Just had my second transducer break where the clamp goes through the plastic. Was not over tightened as it was used a couple months last year. Didn't hit anything as I was never in water shallow enough. Humminbird replaced the first one but I'm afraid this will just keep happening. Checked and there is no metal protector made for this model. Only thing I can think of is that when pulling up the motor to stow it, the transducer is banging on the mount. It is a pretty wide transducer. I was thinking of putting a zip tie around the whole thing but don't know if that would interfere with the signal. Humminbird's site will not let me contact them as it keeps saying my emails don't match. Frustrating. Humminbirds C.S. has always been top notch but not sure how to solve this.

Gonna try the oil on the metal and see what happens. All else is as above. Bearings were cleaned and lubed prior to first use. No wobble in spool. Only thing is I always thought you should not get oil around where the breaks are as it could hamper them from expanding during the cast. I suspect putting some lightly around the metal ring would do no harm. Thanks.

I was being a little sarcastic about that. Whining since first cast all the way through adjusting to lure.

Finally got a chance to give my Lews BB1 Pro a good workout the last couple days. The thing does cast a mile. I had the brakes set to one and the tension knob so loose I was afraid it would fall off. No backlashes. My only gripe is it is loud as hell when casting. I thought it was the brakes set too high at first but as I kept dialing it down, same whining noise. My Quantum Smoke makes a little noise but this is 20 times louder. Anybody else have this issue? I love the reel as it casts a mile and is smooth as silk but that whining is pretty annoying. Is it inherent to the new external braking system?

http://www.***.com/Cotton_Cordell_Suspending_Super_Spot/descpage-CCSSS.html I use these with good success in shallow water. Wish they had more colors though. They dive 1-3 feet. Hold you rod high and you can buzz it just under the surface. Stop it and it does suspend. I have a couple I've changed the hooks to bigger size which makes them sink slowly.

Lot of variables unknown. Depth, water temp, clarity, size of pond, visible cover, recent fronts. Keep moving and switching at each spot. Don't get locked into one bait or presentation. Maybe they would have clobbered topwater at that time of the evening. Won't know unless you try. Keep plugging! Pun intended.

Get up on the wrong side of the bed Dwight? I believe what he was saying is a tape measure is better estimator "without" a scale, not better "than" a scale. Empirically! Just ask Justin Belieber. Got a couple of the shallow Scatter Raps at Dick's for $5.00 each. Dying to try them.

Can't hurt to look. The Exos sound like a steal. Buy them and re-sell them on ebay if you do buy something without trying it out make sure to communicate that you are able to return them if they are not as described or do not work.

Try to find a replacement for the missing brake. Its minute but will cause unbalance. I would recommend starting with the X ( every other brake up) as RM stated and as you get better, go with the I ( two opposite brakes up). Always use your thumb as another brake also. Practice as much as you can.

I think Ghoti hit it on the noggin. I'm from Illinois also and agree about the multi species and clear water/lighter line and smaller baits. Don't see many pros without a "fairy wand" on their decks these days. Drop shotting etc. Watch any tourney on the great smallmouth lakes. Almost all spinning tackle. But in America, to each his own.

Unlike Rhino, I prefer the flipups. Not noticeably heavier and you can flip them up when not needed like when tying knots and you need to see or early AM or late PM when there's little if any light. Also, if I need to remove them, I just take them off and clip then to the brim of my cap. Always know where they are. Might not look like a movie star but thats not why I use them.

Alot of what RW said. My secret is the GYCB 4" Fat Ika, rigged backwards.

KVD 1.5 with rattles. Killer.