BassThumb

Steel leaders really seem to really kill the action of the bait. I've never had much luck catching bass with them. Many of the lakes around here are quite clear, and in the fall when silent shallow cranks often shine for me, they are crystal clear due to the algae blooms which tint the water green for most of the year having died off. I use the DT Fat 3 and DT Flat 3 quite often, but they don't float nearly as high as the BDS series cranks, so they're a little harder to fish like a wakebait, even with the rodtip held high. They're good baits, and cheap since they went on sale for $3 earlier this year. Thanks for the replies.

A line that breaks away from the knot is a sign that it could be a bad batch. I've never had any issues with Seaguar lines, but I don't use them all that much. I have had bad batches of Fireline Braid and P-Line CXX, though. Both are good lines that I wouldn't hesitate to buy again. It happens.

Unless the strike is very obvious, I will quickly reel up any slack and while watching the line, I will very gently try to feel for any weight or movement before I set the hook. A bass will hold onto a well scented jig for a couple seconds, so there's no need for extreme urgency. A bump could be some nice cover or structure, or it could just be from panfish. If I were to set the hook on every little bump on a jig or T-rig, I wouldn't be able to probe the bottom of the lake as well, which is one of the main advantages of these baits. Usually, panfish will just give you a rapid-fire nibble, but sometimes they can really whack a jig or soft plastic bait.

What's your favorite silent, shallow-running crankbait that can be fished anywhere in the 0-3' range? I prefer the Lucky Craft BDS-2, but I'm tired of losing them to Northern Pike and I'm looking for an alternative that's a little cheaper than a Lucky Craft. Preferably, one that's a little smaller than the Rapala DT Fat 1.

That 2001 Series is one of my favorites of all time, and those were great games, John. Both were extra inning walkoffs in Yankee Stadium, but they were too low scoring to compete with the dramatics in Game 6 in 2011. If anything, the bad defense increased the drama in that game. it did for me at least. A 1- 0 shutout is a thing of beauty and it has it's time and place, but for the most part in the playoffs, I want to see clutch hitting and teams trading rallies. As far as these teams being mediocre, they were far from it. Both teams were in the top tier in the regular season in batting average, runs, HR, RBI, OPS, etc. These are premium offensive teams with popular stars that had nice runs in the playoffs. Any team that beats the Phillies and the Brewers on the road in the playoffs, the best team in baseball and the best home team in baseball, respectively, is a deserving champion.

I loved last nights game. Aside from the sloppy defense, that was the most exciting WS game I've ever seen. If you can think of a better one, name it. The only ones that come to mind are Game 7 in 2001, Game 7 in 1992, and Game 6 in 1991. This is from an ESPN article written about it that points out some interesting things: http://espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs/2011/story/_/id/7159207/2011-world-series-david-freese-st-louis-cardinals-force-game-7 ------------------------------------------------------------- Well, here's where they ought to start: • They should say they were a part of the first World Series game in history in which a team got down to its final strike, its final breath, twice -- once in the ninth inning, once in the 10th inning -- and somehow won. • They should say they were a part of the first World Series game ever played in which any team trailed five times -- and still came back to win. • They should say they were a part of the first World Series game ever in which a team found itself losing in the ninth inning and extra innings -- yet still found a way to win. • They should say they played in the first World Series game in history in which two players -- Josh Hamilton for the Rangers, then Freese for the Cardinals -- hit go-ahead home runs in extra innings. • They should say they were the first team in the 1,330-game history of postseason baseball to score in the eighth, ninth, 10th and 11th innings of any game. • But mostly, they should say this: That they played in a baseball game that reminded all of them why they play, why we watch and why sports can be such a powerful force in all of our lives -- because the term "baseball game" doesn't begin to do justice to this remarkable life experience.

I loaded up on Chompers and Strike King tubes at $.75 a pack. Gotta love those Gander tackle bargains. The guy at the store said that the items I was buying were listed at less than 1/2 of the store cost.

Same here. This year, I even started towing with the tailgate down. It may look a little funny, but my gas mileage is increased by about 10-15%.

The 734 is an excellent rod, but just not for weighted bottom contact presentations. It's better used as a moving bait rod for spinners, buzzers, chatterbaits, heavy lipless cranks and wakebaits, paddle tail swimbaits, etc. String one up and put a big bend in it. You'll see that it's a little more moderate than most "fast action" rods on the rack. I do fish 5-7" Senkos on it once in a while, but I'm not a fan of it for worms and jigs. Even a 1/4 oz jig fishes better on a 735 in my opinion, but that's mainly because the stiffer tip on the 735 allows me to snap the bait free of weeds with just a little pop that doesn't move the bait very far. Give the 735 a look. I love that rod for jigging and worming. The 734 and 735 are my most frequently used rods.

This was my first summer really putting a lot of effort into fishing the C-Rig, and they really grew on me. I still prefer a football jig for probing deep structure areas, but the C-Rig seems to be a little more effective when fished quickly for active fish. I prefer a 1/2 oz Tru Tungsten weight, with 3 glass beads and a plastic one to protect the knot. The 1/2 oz weight seems to cover the 6-15' depth range just fine. I had more hangups when using the 3/4 weight, and the 3/8 oz weight wasn't heavy enough to fish quickly, and if I'm fishing slow, I'll use the football jig.

Some of the sporting goods stores around here sell seasonal or aged items for less, sometimes much less than they paid for them, rather than hold onto them over winter. I wouldn't be surprised if the price was legitimate. I may be wrong, but in this thread it appears to me that there are a disproportionate number of looks vs. actual participants. That tells me that there are a lot of people that would have done exactly what BassClary did, but are afraid to speak up because people's hackles are raised over this, and they fear being flamed.

That came on the heels of two pitchers duels.

It looks like fake to me, but it could be real. The ball travels too straight from the bat to the first net out at the shortstop position. Baseballs hit with aluminum bats that squish and expand(trampoline effect) spin like crazy and tend to move all over the place on a liner like that. On the other hand, the nets do shake naturally when contacted and the ball loses energy with each net it hits. If it is a fake, it's very well made.

I don't really use mono anymore for anything other than panfishing, but Sufix Elite would have to be my fav. It's the softest, easiest casting mono I've tried, and it ties good, strong knots. Mono in general, and Elite in particular, are just too stretchy and have too little sensitivity for my liking. Over the previous few years, I used to use a lot of the 17 lb. test for spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and buzzbaits, and the 10-12 lb. test for cranking. I use Yo Zuri Hybrid for those now and much prefer it over the Sufix Elite. Before you try any of the monofilament lines listed in this thread, do yourself a favor and give Hybrid a try. Just downsize the test one step because it's a thicker and stronger than other lines that are rated the same strength. For example, instead of 14# mono, use 12# Hybrid. Instead of 8# mono, use 6# Hybrid.

I've seen a couple episodes. I thought it was well made, but not as good as Breaking Bad.

It's true. BRING BACK ZERO!

Good one, Francho! I love those SNL Shorts. You're an adult when you work a full time job and support yourself completely. A 30 y/o living off their parent's hard work and earnings is not an adult, IMO, just an overgrown child. Being an adult means having adult responsibilties. Age is irrelevant.

I barely watch the halftime shows any more, but she couldn't do any worse than the Black Eyed Peas did last year.

I'm shocked that California doesn't seem to care. I would have though that there were easily enough Laker homers to turn the vote.

The Lions are a perfect example of how a team can climb out of the cellar just by excellent drafting and development.

Tubes, Senkos, jigs, light Texas rigs, shakyhead worms, and dropshot are all good options. On the most pressured, difficult lakes I fish, many times the best fish are caught with a jigworm. On spinning tackle and light line, I use a 4-5" finesse worm or Senko threaded onto a 1/8-3/16 oz darter head or ball head jig fished gently over the top and around the edges of the weedbeds in about 4-8' of water. I fish them slow, just fast enough to keep the bait from bogging down in the weeds. You want them to hang in the weed tops once in a while, so they can ripped free of the weed tops. This triggers strikes from followers and disinterested fish.

I get skunked once in a while, especially during seasonal transition phases and at the very end of the year right before the lakes freeze. Northerns and bass under 8" don't count.

I use 7:1 on all jig rods. When fishing football jigs, sometimes I wish I had a little slower reel because I like to drag the jig with the reel instead of the rod, and sometimes I feel like I'm rushing it with such a fast reel and I have to force myself to slow down. Then there are other times when the bass will pick up the jig and swim right at me, and that's when the fast reel comes in handy for picking up slack and setting the hook before the bass drops that heavy, awkward jig. Both have pros and cons, but I prefer the fastest reel possible when fishing bottom contact baits.

I call it quits(for bass) and go crappie fishing for a few trips when the water settles in the 43-45 degree range, without any sign of warm temps in the forecast. That's usually around the very end of October or first week of November in Minnesota. I never have much luck catching bass when the water gets than cold, but the crappies are more than willing. A 50-55 degree water temp in the fall is the perfect time for some memorable fall days of bass fishing, so don't call it quits too soon.

Very true. This was an unexpected benefit to spool bearing upgrades.