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I've heard folks recommend the green mirror Costas for bright days and copper for low light. I'm going to try the green mirror Costa 580s this year, but I've always just used copper for any condition. I like how copper reduces the glare. I have two sets of gray polarized glasses but I don't think they're effective on the water. I used them for driving.

It doesn't matter how old or what quality the backing is. It'll never see water or have the knot strength tested.

In my opinion, there's no need to spend $350 on a single reel. You can get two Shimano Curados or Revo STXs for less than that on eBay from retailers with the Buy It Now option. These two reels will not hold you back whatsoever, and I believe you'll catch more fish with two very good combos than you will with one great combo. There's an online flea market that has a brand new 2009 Revo STX-HS on sale right now for $140. I'll PM you with details.

you've got that right. A-Jay Haha, right. You'll be flipping that brush in no time. We had another foot of snow in the last 24 hrs.

Great fish! You'll have to make that your new avatar pic. It's a lot bigger than the other one. ;D ;D

For sure. Like I said in the first post, some baits are saltier than others. Yamamoto's are the saltiest that I've seen.

Drink some water. You'll have all the spit you need. Veggie oil on the boat would be a mess and you'll end up with slippery rods and reels.

Mine too. These are a must see. They made me an avid shaky head fisherman. They catch fish like crazy when you drag them as slowly as possible or just tighten up the line and try to hold them still, letting the boat and the waves give the lure some action. On the downside, the durability is below average.

I should clarify, I've only seen it in the summer when it's humid. You guys have never had a Gammy EWG hook show a few specks of rust from a T rigged Senko? I see that every summer.

Some salted baits are saltier than others, but I don't think I've ever seen a high quality worm, spinnerbait, or jig hook that WON't rust when you leave salt impregnated baits on them for more than a few days. It's just a spattering of rust on the surface, so I doubt it will significantly weaken the hook. But sometimes the barb will almost rust completely off or the hook point will get rusty and become dull and need a little sharpening. I see a lot of this in my jig box because I don't like removing threaded trailers if I don't have to. Jigs are expendable, so I'm willing to accept a little rust. For example, a Yamamoto double tail grub that is left on a football jig will result in a rusty hook, but it doesn't seem to make much of a difference just as long as the hook is sharp.

That's Tito in a nutshell.

All of my favorite Westerns have been mentioned on here, except for a few, an Aussie "Western" called The Proposition, Rio Bravo, and The Assassination Of Jesse James. For fans of Ray Winstone and Guy Pearce, The Proposition is a must see. It is a creepy, violent, and well written and acted film. These three films, along with Sergio Leone's spaghetti western trilogy, 3:10 To Yuma, and Unforgiven are my favorite Westerns. The Proposition trailer: The Assassination of Jesse James trailer: (one of the best film scores ever, featured in the trailer)

I'm curious to hear some reviews on how they compare to the Lucky Craft RC 1.5 baits. Here they are at TW: http://www.***.com/Luck_E_Strike_Rick_Clunn_Square_Bill_Crankbait/descpage-LKESTRC.html#multiview

You can't really go wrong with Fireline or Powerpro braid. I haven't tried Samurai or Sufix 832, but I will this year. I didn't really care for the Sufix Performance braid.

If it were legal I would. I go sunfishing with my flyrod within a week of ice-out. I almost never see any bass on my first few trips.

I really like the look of Ike's bait. Grease that with some Megastrike and it will make a nice flipping bait for cattails. This doubletail grub looks like an excellent spinnerbait trailer at 10/$3. Without the salt, it won't rust my spinnerbaits if I don't remove them after a day of fishing.

Just an FYI, this isn't legal in every state, including Minnesota.

Like they said, "best" is relative. Different situations call for different hooks. As Sam told you, keep it simple. I think you were on the right track with the EWG. I like to rig them Texposed around light to moderate cover, and use offset shank hooks with the point buried under the worms surface around heavier cover. If I had to limit my choice to one hook for mostly 7" ribbontails, I would choose a Gama 4/0 EWG.

This question was asked last month. Same forum. Same title. http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1294439307/0

It's worth a look. 40% off Z-Man Chatterbaits. 30% off Trilene 100% fluoro.

I have never seen junk like that at my local Cabela's Bargain Cave. Only discounted tackle that nobody wants, including myself. I agree with what Sam said for the most part, but I like buying and selling used rods. Since they aren't mechanical, it's less of a risk that you'll get gypped.

Chatterbaits are a lot of fun. I often will try a chatterbait if I see a fish or two that won't commit to a buzzbait, and just rolls on it. Then I'll follow up with a chatterbait and fish it just under the surface like a wakebait. I have caught a few nice ones this way. The are very versatile lures and the side to side action of the blade seems to deflect weeds and snags surprisingly well for a lure with an open hook.

Good thread. The jigworm is definitely overlooked. It's one of my favorite finesse baits. Instead of jigworming, most people fish these types of finesse worms on the bottom on shaky jigs. I think the point of a jigworm is to fish it with an exposed hook and to swim and twitch it around weed edges until it begins to hang on the weedtops, once it hangs up, twitch it shaky-style for a few moments to attract a bass, then you pop it free to trigger the strike. It works especially well around tough weeds like cabbage because the hook holds better on a cabbage leaf than in milfoil or coontail, and it allows you to shake it longer and more effectively.

The Trokars flipping hooks with the plastic keeper are excellent hooks, but Trokars in general are no better than the other top brands, IMO. Certainly not worth the extra money. These new Gammies are 4 for $5. I haven't tried them yet but they look good if you like hooks with keepers. I like using Owners with heat shrink tubing that's super glued on.

Amazing rods for sure. I was playing around with an 893 a few weeks ago, testing the sensitivity by dragging the rod tip across carpet. EASILY the most sensitive rods I've ever laid my hands on by that measure. They're so light and crisp that they feel really fragile, like they would snap like a dry wishbone on a hookset.