Bass Junkie

1. Don't get caught up in having a whole bunch of gear, but make sure what you have is quality 2. Read and watch as much fishing material as you can. This site has enough information I keep you busy for months. 3. Fish. There is no replacement for experience. The more you put into it, the more you'll get out of it. 4. Have confidence that you are doing the right thing at the right time. Without confidence it is very hard to catch fish consistently.

You can never have enough reels, and for 240 guilt-free dollars I'd purchase a Daiwa Alpahas or Pixy. But if you don't "need" another reel, you could upgrade those ones you just got with Carbontex drag washers and Boca Orange Seal bearings, and maybe a Hawg Tech handle or two...

Hmm... Daiwa Fuego Baitcaster. Just enjoy using it every time out. I have "better", more expensive reels, but this ones my favorite. Duckett Micro Magic rod. Light, sensitive, strong, and my first contact with micro guides. I just wish the power ratings were a little more detailed. Spro Bronzeye Frog. The whole series catches fish, and they are the best frogs I've used in terms of hook-ups, walking ability, snag resistance, durability, and overall utility. Anything Lucky Craft. Yeah, their pricy, but they all catch fish, and I love the quality and attention to detail, as well as the confidence when I throw them. Abu Garcia Revo STX. My first Revo, and an amazing casting machine. It's also extremely powerful. XCalibur Xr50s. Great little baits that just flat out catch fish. The same can be said for the Rapala Rippin Rap.

Lure: Tru-Tungsten 4" Shad Swimbait.... I have never seen a lure this poorly made, ever. The fact that it was $20 a lure makes it worse. Rod: St. Croix Mojo Bass Rod. My first and last St. Croix purchase. Sensitivity was terribly lacking, the quality was only so-so, and for a soft-plastic specific rod it had a terribly slow action. It's the only rod manufactured in the last 10 years or so that I have managed to break. Can't say I felt that bad about it now. Reel: Pretty much anything with the name Quantum on it, or any baitcasting reel under $100. Back when I was just breaking into the world of bass fishing I didn't want to spend a whole lot on reels. I ended up spending almost $150 on reels, all of which broke within a season or so. Line: Berkley Trilene Maxx.... Anyone who has used it knows why... In the end I've found that having patience and buying a few good, well renowned, solid products as you an afford them is a much better idea than owning a lot of low-priced gear.

I have used both products you have listed. The Plano box you mentioned has held my spinnerbaits for the better part of a year with absolutely no issues. You will love the trebles, and due to the short shank design they don't tangle. I have size fours on some of my Sammy's, as well as XCalibur rattle baits belly hooks, with a smaller size on the rear. They are great hooks, sharp and they stay that way, as well as strong.

Ayu MS American Shad Sunfish

Sorry, FFO is Fisherman's Factory Outlet.

It could prove very interesting. And, I would not call it undoing the research and development, it's more like adding research and development. There are some baits on the market that are much better modified than stock.

Squirrel tail can be nice on a jig, but it is much slicker than bucktail, so precautions need to be taken when tying to avoid having the hair slip out later in the jigs life. Calf or kip tail is used mainly for tying the posts on Parachute style dry flies for trout, and it does not have much action, as has been stated.

Very nice looking jig! Have you considered palmering some saddle hackle over the front 1/4 or so of the body to replicate legs? Just a thought. Very clean lookin tie!

The record tying catch Mr. Kurita made took a live bluegill.

Some of the Berkley Frenzy cranks with the soft rear section are available on FFO...

Lucky Craft's NC Female Blue Gill (Now discontinued) has been good to me, and MS American Shad is beautiful. Ayu has been productive, and is one of my "confidence colors". In the end though, my favorite color is Megabass's Ito Wakasagi.

I've had them chase top waters, especially during the fall... Normally they veer off, but sometimes... I have landed and released a goose.

I am open to trying any brand once, and I will give them a fair shot. I have built confidence in some brands because they have always satisfied when it comes to the products functionality, quality, and service to the customer. I have also built a lack of confidence in some brands for various reasons, and there are a few that I won't touch. This is just how things have played out for me. I too was a Quantum guy, until I bought a Quantum Re-Ax and fished it along side an STX. The difference blew me away. I have since discovered that of all the braking systems I have tried, Quantums are the most ineffective for me personally. They are also the least smooth of any main stream reels I've used. I am not calling them rough, because rough they are not, but they are not smooth. This is an example of how I build a lack of confidence in a company. Between the lack-luster performance and the lack of customer service, I have lost all confidence in Quantum. You might think that from there I became an all Abu guy, but that's not the case. I simply find what works best for me, and offer an un-biased opinion on them to the best of my human ability. Just because pro X uses this company's product does not influence me, as I am not pro X. To me it is a personal thing, and if that comes to putting a Core 50MG7 on a Steez rod....

Some of it is what you feel comfortable with, and some of it relies on how you want your bait to react. Go with the lightest strength you feel comfortable with, but make sure not to under-line your equipment. In cases such as more technical Crankbait fishing, wacky rigging, jerkbaits, etc. you want to pick a line based on how it will affect the running depth or sink rate of the lure. Generally, the smaller the line diameter the more depth you get on your crankbaits and jerkbaits. This can be reversed if you want to run your bait shallower. As for lures where the Rate Of Fall is important, choosing a fluorocarbon line, which sinks, over a floating mono-filament will increase the speed of the lure's descent. I personally use Sufix Elite for all of my mono needs, and it works superbly. I am still experimenting with superlines, and more keep showing up on the market every year

Gary has always been prompt and helpful

I do not know if this issue has been corrected on the Gen. 3 Revos, but the finish has always been a little less than durable. I'd also like to see the aftermarket for "Option Parts" that Daiwa has come alive for other brands. Shimano has a bit of it, but Daiwa really has that market cornered for the most part. But then again, I'm happy with my Daiwas, and the Abu's aren't half bad stock

In the end it's about catching fish and having fun, and we all do that a little differently.

Still funny as all get out

Landing a big fish starts before you ever hook it. It is vital to make sure your knots are tied well, the terminal tackle/lure you're using are in functional shape, and the hooks are SHARP, and that your drag is set correctly and is smooth, as well as ensuring your line is fresh and free from abrasions, knicks, kinks, ect. The best tool I ever had to help me learn how to fight and land bigger fish was my first decent spinning rod. It was a 7' ML rod, and it taught me more about playing a fish than anything else. My first 6+ LMB and my first several 4+ smallies came on this rig, and I had no option but to fight the fish, or else I'd lose it. The first time I hooked a big fish on baitcasting tackle was a real eye opener. The fish was a 4+ smallie that nailed a 3/8 oz. black and blue jig early in the year, and the hooksettig power and the way the rod handled the fish was amazing to me. However, the lessons that spinning rod have helped me throughout the years, and I still believe that's the best way to learn; by experience.

I have never used the Strike Kings, and don't plan on it, but the Lucky Crafts are fantastic! I have quite a few of them, and they are just great, durable, fish catching lures. Plus, you don't have to swap out hooks on the LC's. I've heard some bad reports on the KVD's terminal tackle. Check out the Copper Perch colored LC's.

Spring means frogs to me... And it is worth the wait!

I roll cast 90% of the time, if not more so, and it makes a big difference in the amount of water disruption on lure entry. It also can be altered slightly and make a great base cast for skipping. The only time I use an overhead cast is when I'm striving for maximum distance in crankbait or top water situations.

I started using the KVD Mustad Elite trebles this season, and they are finding their way onto more and more of my baits as replacements, or upgrades on new lures depending on the quality of the stock hook. The KVD's have plenty of gap, so I try to use a hook size that's close in both size and weight, so as not to disrupt the lure's action. Just the way I do things...