BassThumb

Made an order, Chris. Thanks again. That "Bruise" color is excellent. That's my go-to jig color on my favorite lake.

Sorry, I misread the title.

Good advice. I'll try that. I have one or two that do that.

I have the Avid you own(7' MH/F), and also some Dobyns Champions. The Champions are quite a bit more sensitive than Avids. They are just a better overall rod. I don't own a 703C or 704C, but I have handled them. The 704C is more comparable in power to the Avid 7' MH/F. I'm not sure if you want the same power as the Avid, but the 703C would be a drop in power.

How bad does a prop have to be for it to do damage to your motor? How can you tell if it is? Will a few small dings and dents throw it significantly off balance? Thx, Joe

Those new jig colors are great!

When I get a strike I just keep reeling, and feel for the weight of the fish. If I feel it, I'll set the hook. That way, if the fish missed it, I won't have the bait come flying back at me. Just continue the retrieve and the bass will likely follow it and hit again. Rick Clunn would advise you to not even look at your buzzbait on the retrieve, but to look for where your next cast is going to be. This way, you're reacting more to the feel of the strike rather than the sight of it.

Vanish was the first fluoro I tried, and I never once broke it. That said, there are way better lines out there.

He may have meant that braided line can damage rod guides. It can groove them, but it's unlikely with most rods made today. Fluoro won't damage your rods any more than mono will. Some of the stiffer brands of fluorocarbon have a tendency to spring from spinning reels and cause a bird's nest, and all of them can if the line is spun up or if the spool is overfilled. It's best to underfill the spool a little with fluoro line to avoid this. Some people also remove the spool from the reel and run warm water over it to make the line take the shape of the spool. KVD Line and Lure Conditioner also helps stiffer lines like fluoro and copoly behave on spinning reels. What brand of fluoro did you use?

I know a few people who only fish with steel leaders because of all the pike in the local waters. I use them when pike fishing, and they spook the bass. A steel leader with a swivel and snap doesn't work very well with slow presentations that allow the bass to closely scrutinize the lure, and it deadens their action, just like heavy, stiff line will vs. light supple line. Decent sized bass are way too line shy to get away with using store bought steel leaders. That's JMO.

I'm naturally right-handed, but I've been learning how to cast left-handed so that I can throw low trajectory sidearm and roll casts when there's somebody in the boat to the right of me. It's not easy; I'm VERY much a righty.

You can also fish heavier T-rigs like a football jig, with a slow drag and a few hops(if any) and pauses thrown in. This sometimes works well if the fish aren't interested in the lift/fall retrieve.

I like to shoot a few boxes of shells to get warmed up for the hunting seasons. We don't do it competitively at a trap shooting range. Instead, we practice of a couple cases of pigeons in my uncle's corn fields.

I've never had a broken rod. I'm about 12 for 12 as a buyer/seller. Just make sure that the package is fully insured and that the shipper knows to carefully package the rod. One easy way is to use bubble wrap inside the PVC or heavy cardboard tube, with more bubble wrap or balled up plastic shopping bags in the ends of the tube so that the rod can't slide back and forth. I once had someone ship me just a rod in a tube, nothing else, and the guides were all bent up when I got it. I can't believe it didn't break.

Very funny article. I want to see these "boy snakes that act girly." They all slither the same to me.

LOL! That's the first thing that I thought, too.

You're right. You'd only save a few cents per gallon. Big Oil is not gouging us, although they make an easy scapegoat. State gas taxes account for another $.40 - .50 per gallon and the federal tax is about $.25 a gallon, give or take. That still leaves about $3 a gallon.

I spend a lot more in the truck than I do in the boat, so I'll be staying closer to home.

I'd wait for the TW sale that can't be too far off. I think you'd be much better off with a 7 foot rod if you can get away with it. If you're set on a split grip rod under 7 foot, the Powell 684 and 683 would be a good option along with the Savvy 663. Powell Max: http://www.***.com/Powell_Max_Casting_Rods/descpage-PCR.html

Nope, that's not it then. The grease is keeping the pad in place.

I had this happen in a Curado D when the little spool tension spacer pad inside the tension knob was falling over instead of remaining flat on the bottom of the knob. When I would tighten the knob, it was just squashing the pad and not actually putting pressure on the spool. Sometimes the pad doesn't stay put if it has just been cleaned and dried. Is the pad damaged/curled?

Deep cranks(10+) - I don't have any confidence or patience for deep cranking, and that probably why I don't catch any fish with them. Instead, I use heavy spinnerbaits in deep cranking situations. Hollow bodied swimbaits - I've had a few good days with the Money Minnow, but more often than not, I can't get a bite on them. Red Bug colored plastics - Soft plastics with green flakes are some of my favorites, but not Red Bug. Funny, since it's a very popular color nationally.

Everybody is getting a dose of the crappy weather. Major League Baseball broke the previous record for rainouts last week with 30.

Good point. This is way too often overlooked. But what do you do about it? Impose heavy taxes on junk food producers which forces them to raise their prices, similar to cigarette taxes? Or force the farmer's who produce healthy meats, grains, and vegetables to charge less so that more people can afford to eat healthy?

No worries. $96.94 to your door. http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Shimano-Citica-E-Reel-200E-RH-Right-Hand-CI200E-/260693423665?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cb289f631#ht_1809wt_907