Jrob78

There are definitely different levels of sponsorship and people who only represent a portion of a companies products. Hank Cherry fishes Abu reels on Denali rods and throws Damiki baits. He doesn't use Damiki or Abu rods. Megabass, for example, has Aaron Martens using their rods and their baits while Edwin Evers only uses their baits and fishes BPS rods and reels. Shimano owns G Loomis but some of their prostaffers only fish Shimano rods while others fish Shimano and G Loomis rods and some only fish G Loomis rods. I have no idea how they determine who does what.

The ergonomics of the Patriarch's are great. That's one of the main reasons I never liked the Revo's. I feel like I get the same performance in a much more comfortable package.

I have a couple of Patriarchs and a Patriarch XT, they are great reels that don't get the credit they deserve. I'm definitely interested in the new Patriarch. I'm going to BPS in the next few days, hopefully they will have them in stock.

Sunline Super is the best budget friendly fluoro I've ever used. I like, and use the Sniper a lot but the Super is really good too.

A lot of manufacturers have a "Pro Staff" list on their websites. Not all companies even have a pro staff though.

I think the idea that fish will see your line is way overrated. If you fish really clear water for highly pressured fish, it might make a difference but for the most part, I don't think it does. If fish will hit an A-rig with all the metal hanging off of it, they will hit a bait with braid.

You aren't going to find out what companies sponsor what anglers without doing some research. Who in particular are you wanting to know about?

Me too. I love eating fish but very rarely keep my catch.

I very rarely fish for food so I normally go home empty handed. In the winter during the trout stockings or if I go crappie fishing, I will keep and eat my catch.

Cut them off when you're done fishing. It saves them from getting hung in the carpet, in your hand, in your dog and it insures that you tie a fresh knot next time you go out.

There really isn't a whole lot of correlation between lure size and fish size, at least not in "normal" bass baits. A big bait will catch a little fish and a small bait will catch a big fish.

My favorite balsa baits by far are the Zoom WEC baits. They have lots of different shapes and dive depths and they are very well made. If you want a top notch balsa bait, this is it. They aren't cheap though. Peepers Baits has a big selection of Zooms, Simmons on ebay does as well. Also, check out Lee Sisson Lures at sissonsdesignsdotcom, he makes a few different baits, they are very nice and cheaper than the Zooms. The selection is much less though. I've bought some of the new Bagley's and I've had mixed results. The baits look nice but I've gotten some with crooked bills. If you buy these, make sure you look them over. For cedar baits, check out Stanford Cedar, TW sells them. These baits are top notch. I have some of the Patriot Shad crankbaits and some of the Razor crankbaits. They don't float as high as Balsa but they are more durable. I highly recommend these baits.

MirrOlure baits are huge here on the TX Gulf Coast. They are a staple for inshore anglers. I have a few of their topwater walking baits and they work great for bass. Just make sure you know what you're buying, a lot of their walking baits are sub-surface walkers. You can't go by looks alone.

7' Med/Mod baitcaster 7'3" Hvy/Fast baitcaster 7'3" Med/Fast baitcaster That wouldn't be ideal but I could probably cover my bases with those 3 rods. Definitely no spinning set ups for me.

They will be some heavy tackle boxes.

That's very noble of you but I don't think it's necessary either. Mashing down the barbs should solve your problems. The hooks will come out much easier and not tear up their mouths, plus, it will be easier on you should you hook yourself. Also, single hooks can alter the performance of some baits.

Don't really know, I've never fished one but RI is about to re-release them. The Swamp Donkey and Vixen are available for pre-order at certain online tackle stores.

I like it too and I'm glad Zoom came out with a proper stick bait. That said, it isn't a new design by any means. Yum had a Fork Tailed Dinger for a long time. I guess it didn't do well so they stopped making it a couple of years ago, I'm pretty sure I still have some somewhere.

I'm familiar with it but I've never tried it. Rumor is several big pro tournaments have been won in the US over the past 5 years using that technique but they never let the cat out of the bag. It sounds like a good technique to try, something the fish probably haven't ever seen.

Agree completely. PED's are not all about just gaining size and strength, there's a lot more to it than that.

I agree with you regarding using the full size craws to save space, I do that as well. I also like the Zoom Super Speed Claws. They are bigger than the Ultra Vibe. I also use the Zoom Super Chunks and Super Chunk Jr's. When I do use a chunk I like to thread it on instead of just hooking through it.

After fishing all of them, I've settled on the Jackall Iobee and Snag Proof Ish's Phat Frog. I think those are the best two frogs on the market right now. I am interested in trying the Spro Bronzeye Shad when it comes out though.

Keeping in contact with your bait means to keep a controlled amount of slack in your line. You don't want a tight line but you want to be able to go to a tight line instantly. You have to be able to detect bites and set the hook while still allowing your bait to fall naturally. I generally manually feed line out as the bait falls, trying to keep pace with the falling bait. By watching your line after the cast, you can usually tell how much line to let out.

It's croppie here in TX.

If your safety is at risk, it isn't worth fishing there.