Marty

I'm not a night fisherman, but Jitterbugs are great in the daytime as well, sunny or cloudy both. I use black only and 5/8 oz. only. Mostly I use the regular ones but when the water gets choppy I use the jointed one. Jitterbugs have been my favorite topwater lure by far for the last 15 years. Unfortunately, it's 2011 and they're still making them like it's 1940, with obsolete hook hangers and lousy components. I change hooks and make other modifications before the lure ever gets wet.

In addition to reasons given above, such as achieving maximum depth with a crankbait, long casts can be helpful when you are not casting to targets, but rather covering water trying to locate fish. Might as well cover more water with one cast. You would change retrieve speed when you have reason to believe that the speed is not productive. Much of the time you wouldn't know that, because it could be that you're fishing in the wrong place or with the wrong lure. But bottom line, when you're not catching fish, you have to change something and retrieve speed is one of the variables.

It would seem there must be more to the Tim Horton story, but I haven't been able to find it.

I don't think it went to court, but this is a copy and paste of a post I made on another forum three years ago. "Did you guys know that Norman lures used to make a lure called the ZZ Top? It was a walk-the-dog lure, similar to the Zara Spook. When the band got wind of it, they forced Norman to drop the name. The lure was renamed Rat-Lur, but has since been discontinued."

When I spool up I make a rough estimate of line used by multiplying number of cranks by the reel's inches per turn and then write on the supply spool how much line I estimate is remaining. When I get down to the end for my last spooling I usually have more line left than I thought.

I wouldn't write off these two just yet. I think they can both be pretty decent if they are healthy and have a reasonable amount of talent around them.

I agree, no reason why a catfish wouldn't take a Senko or other soft plastic. I've caught them on crankbaits, Chatterbaits and grubs on jigheads, why not other lures?

I don't have a list, but I don't have special baits for ponds. What works in lakes works in ponds and I choose lures based on cover and other factors that would be considered in other waters.

Have you looked at http://www.soblures.com/ ?

I haven't ordered online in about two years now, but Cabela's was getting stuff to me in two days whereas BPS was about a week. At that time, BPS was using something called "smart post." It may save them money, but it's slower. It's a collaboration between FedEx and the Post Office. Stuff gets shipped out via FedEx which drops packages off at local Post Office headquarters which in turn deliver to individual addresses.

You didn't say what kind of grass mats. But if you haven't tried it, I'd use some soft plastics in holes in the mats and at the edges. Also some topwaters on the mats and along the edges. If a fish comes up through the mat and misses your topwater, try and get a soft plastic into that newly created hole as soon as possible. Also, keep in mind that I'm from up north and viewing things through that prism. Maybe things are different where you are due to considerably higher water temperatures. But good luck, stick with it because that place has potential. You might try some night fishing if you enjoy that type of thing.

Make sure the hook's gap is enough to get through the plastic and into the fish's jaw. I recommend a gap at least double the diameter of the plastic.

If you notice under the forecast it says, "Data provided by Weather and Wildlife." I don't know if you'll get much information there because they're looking to sell their forecasts. http://www.weatherandwildlife.com/

Agree with above. I would be annoyed but also realize that stores, out of necessity, have a limited inventory.

That's the advice I always give. My guideline is for the hook's gap to be at least double the diameter of the plastic.

It's all politics. If they don't get a deal done in time, I think they'll raise it shortly thereafter when the ramifications start hitting home.

I don't know why you haven't yet received a response, but I can speculate that the questions could be differently worded. For example, many, if not most, may not be familiar with Duckett rods. Perhaps you could ask what rod length, power and action are recommended for such-and-such lure, then you can pick the specific Duckett rod that fits the recommendation. Keep in mind that there is no "best" gear ratio, line and the like. There is a lot of latitude and personal preference plays a huge role in equipment selection. Good luck. I hope you get some useful information.

Is your water really that cold? It's warmer up here. Regardless, I've had an awful lot of topwater action under sunny conditions. But New York's a long way from Florida.

Check those Kinamis closer. I haven't shopped for these type lures in a while. Kinamis are marketed by GY's son Derek and last I knew they were identical to Senkos, being made in the same factory on the same equipment. Also, last I knew, which goes back a few years, Kinamis came 7 to a pack while Senkos were 10, so the unit price was similar.

I started with the Chatterbait but thought it was made with poor components. Then it was the Booyah Boogee Bait which I really liked except for that Leverage flexible hook system. Since then it's been the Gambler Swim Blade. The Gambler Swim Blade, which Ive used (see above) has a split ring. It performs differently, but I don't know what you mean by "worse performing." The Gambler has more lift, which means it runs higher in the water column at a similar retrieve speed or runs deeper at a lower retrieve speed. I attribute this to the split ring because there's nothing else apparent that would account for the difference. So it's different, not worse. I read just within the last couple days that the Chatterbait will have a new hook. When that hits stores I'd be willing to try it again.

There is no best lure. I would say if you are fishing outside the pads, you can use any lure you can get away with. Spinnerbaits, shallow crankbaits, soft plastics and topwaters. For the actual pad beds I would use soft plastics, dropping them into holes between pads and dropping them at the edges. I would also use topwaters, perhaps buzzbaits if there is room between the pads or weedless, like the soft plastic toads and frogs that buzz on the surface or one of the floating topwaters, such as hollow-bodied frogs. Pad fishing can be a lot of fun, productive too.

First of all, carp don't destroy bass fishing. I know nothing about the details but I do know that plenty of excellent bass fisheries also have lots of carp in them. As to whether bow-fishing is ethical, it's not my cup of tea, but if it's legal you can have a clear conscience.

The smile says it all. Congratulations to the young fellow.

I don't know what's here. This is New York's gallery of freshwater fish. http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/52634.html Here you can order a Massachusetts brochure. http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/fisheries/publications/fisheries_pubs.htm You can also Google fish identification or something along those lines.

Yeah, I know how old guys can go on since I am one. And yes, I meant today's superlines. When I was a kid I owned a baitcasting outfit and yes, the reel had no level wind. There was a nearby pond with a dock and metal hoops on the water at various distances for casting competition. A bunch of us were there all the time just trying to cast our practice plugs into the hoops. I never actually fished until I was 31.