Bass Junkie

I thought I heard her coming about five posts in......

Cork for it's durability, feel, and the fact that it's just plain classier

One aspect that seems to be overlooked is simply keeping the line taught. This keeps the hooks either buried in the fish or under tension in a direction away from them. From the moment I set the hooks until I lip the fish I want my line tight between me and the fish.

Not knowing better? I personally can't find anything negative about them, and I found the fish tend to agree with me, especially in clear water

I've been throwing the Berkley Havoc Craw on the back of Flipping and Swimming jigs with success

Unless your last name is O'Neal, I'm going to have to agree with SPEEDBEAD

If you are referring to the new Shimano Chronarch CI4+, Shimano low profile reels from the 50 size footprint to at least the 200 size footprint all use the same drive shaft size, so you should have no issue finding one that fits

Fall patterns are swinging in here in NE Ohio! I have a love/hate relationship with fall... It signals the end of the fishing season, but at the same time the fishing can be great given the right conditions

I have not used the whole line of Havoc products, but I really enjoy throwing the Rocket Craw as a swimming jig trailer

If you can't catch fish from cover pitching a jig, there are one of two possibilities. Either the fish are more active and would respond better to a lure with horizontal movement (Frog, buzz bait, swim jig, swimbait) or the fish just ain't gonna bite In all honesty, there are very few situations I have been in where the fish wouldn't nail a pitched jig... It's a subtle bait that can trigger a reaction strike on the fall and also induce a strike once it is laying on the bottom.

The knobs posts accommodate standard Shimano knobs, so you can use your septon Power Grip knobs on the handle

I was actually throwing swimbaits up to 9" with the 20lb. Big Game and experienced no issues

The given capacity does not dictate the maximum line test you can use on a reel, it simply gives a reference point for comparison to other reels as well as helping determine what techniques the reel is best suited for. Most manufacturers use 12lb or 14lb mono as a basepoint line simply because they are very commonly used line sizes in bass fishing. As far as maximum test on baitcasters, it depends on what you want to use the reel for, but I've run lines up to 0.46mm (20lb. Berkley Big Game) on low profile baitcasting reels with no issues.

I can. It's as simple as that, I don't really know how else to put it. Obviously a few other guys can as well I am in no way saying that just because a rod costs more it is superior. But there is a reason they cost more, and many of them do perform better. I've thrown a Duckett, they truly are a really nice rod, and are sensitive and light. But compare that to a rod featuring say SVF graphite. There is a very distinct difference.

Weather conditions do not affect my topwater color selection to any noticeable degree. If the conditions allow me to throw a topwater I will be throwing one in a color dictated by water clarity and forage base. Shad don't turn purple because it's cloudy

I throw my frogs on a 7' XH Duckett with 65lb braid. Trust me, the fish will give

Tubes are hollow, and collapse quite a bit on the hook set, very similar in theory to a hollow-belly frog. I have never had hookup issues with shaky head tubes.

Ever thrown a $200-$300 rod? If you have, and have not noticed a difference, then you need to consult neurologist. I believe you may have severe nerve damage in your hands

Tubes? Shaky Heads? It doesn't work...

Or shop around for the JDM Calcutta D series, which allows adjustment of the brakes without taking the reel apart. It instead features a flip-down sideplate. I personally would be looking at the Luna, I personally like the Mag breaking over centrifugal.

I picked up the Tate the day they came out, and I was really wanting to be impressed. I really enjoy throwing topwater, and with fall now upon us I was expecting great things. The baits come packaged well, similar in concept to Sebile lures. The only discrepancy I have with the packaging is the lack of information. The packaging simply lists the bait's name, the fact that it is a floating topwater, and "Size 100". It does not list the bait's length (other than a reference to a metric size in the size description) or weight. Out of the box, it's somewhat impressive, no more so than any other bait in it's price range however. The lure does feature very good Mustad Triple Grip hooks, as well as good quality split rings, including one on the line tie, something I can not remember seeing on a stock walking lure. The cosmetics are all internally housed from what I can tell, with the "Holographic Interior Chamber" flashing and sparkling through the clear plastic of the lure, and the paint on the back either very durable or somehow incorporated into the baits construction. The lure does feature a couple of intriguing aspects in the head region of the bait. First, the mouth is flat, where many of the Sammy style baits on the market feature a cupped mouth like the original Lucky Craft. Second, the lure features "eyelids", small plastic protrusions over the eyes. The overall affect of these is negligible, although they might slightly reduce the walking ability of the bait. Third, the eyes themselves feature a holographic red base with the Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits logo in holographic silver printed over it. It's a thoughtful addition to the bait, and kind of cool. The lure does not have a weight transfer system, and tends to display this deficiency by sailing off during the cast. It takes some thumb adjustment to cast this bait consistently. When one does begin to work the lure, it does not redeem itself. It is a harder bait to talk than either of it's two most popular competitors, the Lucky Craft Sammy 100 and the Heddon Super Spook Jr. I did garner some strikes on the bait, and caught fish on it, but the number of fish to strike the lure versus the number that actually ate it was lower than average. Even more unsettling was the fact that the fish seemed to have a much easier time throwing this bait than any others. Over all, for the price I would be much more satisfied buying a Spook and adding the trebles myself.

I personally like the Gamagatsu G-Lock worm hooks for what you are doing

I've thrown both the Sammy 85 and 100, and I love them. The 85 can be very difficult to walk, you need to spend some time with the bait to get used to it's personality. The 100 is significantly easier to walk, but as mentioned previously, it walks different from a spook. The Heddon Spook, Super Spook, and other variations of the model are weighted to sit almost flat on the water, achieving maybe a 30* angle in the water at rest. This allows them to walk very easily from the initial twitched due to the low amount of effort needed to glide the bait across the surface of the water. The Sammy series, on the other hand, feature a weighted tail design that causes the bait to sit at a much steeper angle in the water, almost vertical. This requires more initial power in the first twitches to achieve the gliding action. It also causes the bait to have a slightly different walk profile than the Spook. I throw both the Spook and the Sammy, as well as a couple of other models from various manufacturers, but the Sammy is my personal preference. I throw them on a 6'6" MH Fast action casting rod (It's listed as a fast action, but it has a very nice taper and I'd rate it slightly slower) and monofilament line in the 10lb -12lb diameter range.

With hollowbelly swimbaits, it's bound to happen. The nature of the beast if you will. With hard baits, it annoys me, especially if it happens to more premium lures. Whether or not it makes a difference to the fish I do not know, but from an early age I always heard it preached that eyes are a focal kill point on the lure. Guys used to take sharpies to Wiggle Warts eyes to make them more pronounced, in an effort to draw more strikes. Due to this, whenever I have a hard bait lose an eye, I lose a lot of confidence in the lure. Call it not being able to teach an old dog new tricks, but it just kills my momentum with the bait. I usually change the lure out right there, and then epoxy on a new eye when I get off the lake.

Yes. I use lures from many different price ranges, and have caught fish on a lot of them. I have also lost quite a few of them. Yesterday alone, I lost a Sammy and a discontinued Team Daiwa TD Splash Walker Zero. However, this doesn't happen very often. I prefer throwing costlier lures because of several factors. For one, the majority feature a very good weight transfer system, something most cheaper lures have a more rudimentary version of, if they feature one at all. To me longer and more accurate casts equal more fish. They also tend to come with much better stock terminal tackle, as well as much more durable finishes. Better terminal tackle means more fish hooked, and more fish landed. Plus, the price is excluding, as the majority of fisherman do not want to spend that much money for a lure, which has been evidenced throughout this thread. I do not mean that in any arrogant way, the price of a man's lure does not define the measure of the man. I prefer to use more exclusive lures simply because the fish tend to see significantly less of them. This can make a difference on pressured lakes, especially when a distinctive style of lure is only available in a few premium brands. While a Bomber Square A can in theory perform almost as well as a LCRC 1.5 (disregarding casting distance), Bomber does not offer a Screw Type bait. On the same note, show me a less expensive alternative to lures such as the Megabass Anthrax, Imakatsue Waddle Bat, or the Deps Buzz Jet. When such lures are offered by premium brands and are not reproduced by the more mainstream market the fish rarely see them. To me this is always a plus. I have more confidence when throwing a lure I know the fish are less likely to have seen, the more so the better. In the end, I feel that some lures are worth the extra price, and pay for the performance.