tholmes

^ This. The only way to stop losing lures is to stop fishing. You can lessen hang-ups by replacing the treble hooks on your spoons with single hooks, but that won't eliminate them either. It's a cost of fishing, especially if you, like me, fish exclusively from shore. Tom

Try a 4" Lunker City Slug -Go. Tom

Jekbaits, lipless crankbaits, blade baits (not bladed jigs, the silver buddy type), finesse jigs (bucktail jigs in particular) and small crankbaits. Tom

Caught my first largemouth at age 8, in 1960. 56 years ago. Geez, I'm old. Tom

It also looks similar to a H2O Xpress crankbait from Academy Sports. Tom

A fossil? Tom

Class of 1970, huh. That makes us the same age. Old Tom

I've been a Chiefs fan for as long as the Chiefs have been in KC. Years past, the Raiders were a bitter rival, but I always respected them. You always knew what you were getting with the Raiders. Straight up big boy football. Looking forward to the rematch in Arrowhead on Dec. 8. Tom

Take your rod with you when you go to check out reels. Try likely candidates on the rod to check for balance, ergonomics, etc. On an ultralight, a few ounces of reel weight can make a noticeable difference. Remember: the reel will be slightly heavier when spooled vs. empty. Tom

The President 6920b would be, IMHO, a perfect match. A 25 series reel would be a tad too large for an ultralight rig. Another good choice would be a Shimano Sahara SH1000 FE. Tom

^ What MBB Nate said. Tom

I don't mind the cold, it's the snow that I HATE! I wouldn't mind snow so much if I didn't have to spend half of my day driving in it. Even driving in snow wouldn't be so bad, but there's a certain percentage of the population that doesn't seem to grasp the concept. Tom

If the output voltage from the MP3 player is too high, you'll also blow the phono pre-amp. It's strictly for phono cartridge level input, which is about 1% of line level voltage from a CD player, tape deck, etc. Tom

I have found this to be the source of "screaming" more often than not. Bad bearings don't typically make that noise. Like DVT said, clean the inside of the brake drum, put a small drop of oil on a cotton swab and wipe it around the drum. Tom

This is the most important factor.^. You can buy the best equipment in the world, but if you don't become intimately familiar with it, you won't achieve the desired results. Tom

7.5" culprit Original worm, Tequila Shad. For hard baits, it's a toss-up between a black Jitterbug and a SK Red-eye Shad, sexy shad color. Tom

Rod: Lew's Speed Stick 5-1/2' pistol grip. Reel: Ambassadeur 5000 Line: 12 lb. Stren, flourescent blue Bait: Purple Mann's Jelly Worm 9lbs.10 oz. October of 1970, Clark's Hill Res. in Georgia. Tom

I do a deep clean/re-lube at least once a year, more often on reels that are used heavily. Oil the levelwind ~ once a month. Tom

I'll agree with what's been said. ABEC 5 stainless steel bearings are more than enough for fishing reels. They just don't run fast enough, under enough load or for long enough periods of time to take advantage of higher rated bearings. Besides, if you run ceramic hybrid bearings dry, the noise will drive you bonkers, at least it would me. Put oil in 'em and they will quiet down, but they will slow down to the point that you might as well use SS bearings to begin with. Tom

You smoke avocadoes? i'll bet it's kinda hard to keep 'em lit. Tom

All Stainless, no rust, ever. I've been carrying these for 15 years, and I don't know how I got along without them before. Tom

I had an osprey grab a Zara Spook but never got hooked. A couple of months ago, I had a cormorant dive after a spinnerbait. I just barely got it back before he grabbed it. Tom

Yep! Big rains in late spring/early summer raised the water level in my local lake by about 5 feet. It's been VERY tough to find and catch bass since then. No boat and limited shoreline access have made it even tougher. I keep going fishing, though. I catch just enough to keep me hoping. Tom

Same here. Maybe not 99%, but the vast majority of my fishing is done with baitcasters. I'm pretty happy with my mid-priced Shimano and Okuma spinners for smaller, lighter baits and fish. Tom

Very nice, Clayton! I'd love to have a shop building that size. Enjoy! Tom