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Interesting. I didn't know Thorne Bros. traveled that far to shows. I stopped by their booth at the Sports Show in Minneapolis last year, and they offered me a brand new Cumulus for $225. Definitely good deals to be had at those type of shows.

6'8" MXF St. Croix Legend Tournament Bass Pflueger Supreme XT 30 I prefer spinning for this technique and I love this setup. I may try a baitcast out in the future, but I don't know that I would like it any better and I certainly don't have the patience to learn to skip with one.

Oh, and just so you guys know, Rapala has a promo going on now where if you buy 5 Rapalas you can mail in the upc's and get a free lure.

Vinny, your posts are always informative! While were on the topic, what other cranks do you suggest for a more tight wobble? I am trying to become more proficient of a cranker this season, as last season I found myself holding my jig rod far too often (too often only because they WEREN'T BITING it) Thanks CollegeFishing12, Do you have any Gander Mountains in your area? If so, I would go there as soon as you can and pick up as many of the DT series as you can, they are on sale for $4.95. As far as other tight wobble crankbaits, it all starts with the shad rap. The shad rap is right up there with the flat's as being the most productive crank in fall and spring. Also check out: Bomber A family, Rattle Traps, Norman N family Vinny, you should be able to find them for $3.99 at the Gander in Eden Prairie. I've bought a bunch from there, and they are continually restocking it with new colors.

I can't stand when they try to market products like they do in the video. They are bass fisherman, not MMA fighters. The yelling and staring with crossed arms is ridiculous. They should leave the badassness for sports that warrant that kind of marketing. /rant

Incheon, that is a serious order. Looks like you ordered 165 cranks. That should last a while. ;D

I know not many people here like them, but the BPS Kermy frog is a decent bait. I've found the body to be softer that the Spro's, and at $5 a bait it's a much better deal, IMO. I've lost too many $9 frogs to pike to keep spending the money when a cheaper version works just as well.

Not a complete restocking, but came across some good deals at Cabela's. After the chartreuse thread, I decided I had to try some beavers and senkos. I also found some Rapala's, RI Sweet Beavers, Original Senkos, worms, tubes, and super cheap Powerbait Hollow Belly Swimbaits($2.88 a pack and found a rebate for $15 off of $40, so ~$1.80 a pack).

You can also rig it with a weighted swimbait hook for a faster or deeper retrieve. I'm also hoping to try out the scrounger heads on them this year.

Depends on which bait you're referring to. The Shad is a TOTAL CLUNKER, and I'm not the only one. The 6" Jr. trout is a winner in both fast and slow sink. What do you mean by clunker? Mine has performed perfectly.

I would try the Spro BBZ-1. They are $20 and have great action at any speed. You won't find too many negative reviews on this bait.

Yep, the rattle is very loud, I've never heard a bait that makes that much noise. Of course, sometimes you don't want a loud bait, but generally when using reaction type lures that's what I go for.

There is a place out of Duluth, MN called Artistic Anglers that does far and away the best replicas I've ever seen. I'm not sure on the pricing, but if I ever catch a fish that I want to mount I will be using them. To me it's worth the money to have a mount that I will be pleased with.

Haha, I was just going to say the same thing. He only has 3 fingers.

I'm In

I love them. Probably my favorite jig, the only problem I have is finding them locally. I've had to order off the internet.

Definitely need a 7" worm of some sort on that list, too. Probably Powerbait.

I happen to use a CBR845 paired with a Daiwa Sol. It is my most expensive combo based on replacement cost. I used to work at Sportsman's Warehouse and ended up getting the rod for $120 and reel for $110, for that price it was too hard to pass it up. If I hadn't come across that deal I would definitely be using a cheaper combo, something around $250-300 total.

Seems to me that it would work just as well as any hollow bodied frog. It has the same basic profile and configuration. The paint job seems a little ridiculous, but paint on topwater baits don't matter a whole lot, IMO.

Lamiglas Excel is a nice option as well. I got the 7'3" MHF model. It will handle 1/2 - 1 1/2 oz baits and should be perfect for what you're asking, it's what I bought mine for.

I would actually have to say none of those. If I had to choose I would go a Fenwick HMG, Lamiglas Excel, or Shimano Compre.

I'm guessing you already purchased the rod, but if not, I'm going to suggest the ML. I have a 6'6" Light Fast Loomis IMX that I use for crappies and sunfish, and I hooked into a 3 lb Largemouth and the rod was about maxed out. I was afraid it was going to break the rod when he took a run into the weeds. A 5 lb fish would be impossible.

Looks like I'll be the guinea pig.

I just bought one of these from Cabela's to see how well it works. I won't be able to test it out until late March and my bathtub test didn't work out. How is the action on this bait? From what little I could tell, it seems that it will need to be pulled in at a pretty decent pace to get it to perform correctly.

I can fish 8 months of the year and usually make it out 3 times a week. My stash looks pretty similar to some of yours, and I have to ask, how much of your gear do you actually use? Seeing that large stash in that guys garage, I don't know how someone would ever make it through all those baits. I try to use different baits as much as possible, but even in my modest collection I probably only use 20% regularly. So, how much of your stash do you actually use?