BobP

The only opinions you're gonna get are based completely on anecdotal evidence - the worst evidence - so you have to draw your own conclusions. I fish clear water often and use fluorocarbon for most presentations. If there MAY be a correlation between line visibility and bites, I want every advantage I can get. So yeah, I believe it. If Joe Blow doesn't, that's OK as long as he's happy. I think most pro fishermen have firmly bought into "less visible line = more bites", and I think that's indicative of something real. But it's still just opinion.

The only opinions you're gonna get are based completely on anecdotal evidence - the worst evidence - so you have to draw your own conclusions. I fish clear water often and use fluorocarbon for most presentations. If there MAY be a correlation between line visibility and bites, I want every advantage I can get. So yeah, I believe it. If Joe Blow doesn't, that's OK as long as he's happy. I think most pro fishermen have firmly bought into "less visible line = more bites", and I think that's indicative of something real. But it's still just opinion.

The only opinions you're gonna get are based completely on anecdotal evidence - the worst evidence - so you have to draw your own conclusions. I fish clear water often and use fluorocarbon for most presentations. If there MAY be a correlation between line visibility and bites, I want every advantage I can get. So yeah, I believe it. If Joe Blow doesn't, that's OK as long as he's happy. I think most pro fishermen have firmly bought into "less visible line = more bites", and I think that's indicative of something real. But it's still just opinion.

Yep, the most basic function of GPS is to point the way (like a compass needle) to a waypoint, either one you have created in the unit by pressing the "create waypoint" button, or one you have added to the unit manually. If your unit has map display capability, you can see where you are on the map and where your waypoint destination is. That's helpful on an unfamiliar lake. But the basic GPS unit will get you there (and just as important, back to the dock).

I've heated/bent the plastic lips on Bomber Long A's to make them into wake baits. It's easy to screw up if you do it with a butane lighter - I recommend a heat gun or an alcohol lamp. You can do the same thing with Lexan lips on wood baits. Can't speak about shortening the lip, but it's easy enough to reshape them with a Dremel sanding cylinder. Bend the lip before you shorten it.

Rogue MB664 6 1/2' MH rod with a Chronarch 50Mg reel. Very light, sensitive rod with a softer than average tip section that's a pleasure to fish. It's as close to a "do it all" rod as I've ever used and it works well for both crankbaits and T-rigged plastics. I'm not so particular about the reel but the 50Mg is light and I like the 6.2:1 gears.

I guess lots of us are in a huge hurry! I have a 7:1 Revo and about the only thing I like it for is C-rigging where you pull the bait, then reel down to take up slack. Otherwise, I'd rather use 6.2:1 for most presentations, even burning lipless baits or spinnerbaits. And even slower for deep crankbaits. I'm sorry I got the 7:1 reel; it spends more time on the shelf than in the boat. JMHO

JMHO - Unless you have a system that automatically deploys or you run the camera while a buddy runs the trolling motor, you have a heck of a time doing both at the same time. It's a major PITA. It takes time and effort to use a camera. Use it or fish - not both. Most times, I'd rather fish. Also, cameras work well in clear to lightly stained water. The more stained the water, the less useful they are. All that said, it's fun and informative to see what's really down there when you have the time. I've owned an Aqua-Vu for a number of years. It got some use when first purchased. Now it mostly gathers dust in the garage. I'm more likely to cruise around and graph structure on my side-scan sonar when the fish aren't biting, than screw around with the camera.

If the bait is plastic and the lip/body are molded as one part, fixing it is probably not going to be feasible. If you do, it probably won't perform the same anyway. If it is a wooden crankbait, most can be repaired with a Lexan lip replacement.

Rockfish = striper, aka striped bass

Oil the bearings and levelwind worm gear, and lightly coat the centrifugal brake drum with oil. Grease everything else. I like Superlube grease, which has a PTFE additive, in any reel. Hot Sauce performs well but I just hate the red dye, which migrates all over the inside of the reel. I prefer Yellow Rocket Fuel or Reel Butter bearing oil. If you fish a lot in winter and high reel performance is a big priority (it's not, for me), you might want a lighter viscosity oil like Shimano oil rather than YRF. Viscosity is very temperature dependent for most reel oils. But there is no free lunch - a very low viscosity oil will have to be replenished more often in warmer weather. Viscosities of reel lubes by Mark G Postby JIP » Wed Apr 16, 2008 7:12 pm Viscosities of reel lubes by Mark G. I measured the viscosities of a number of lubes a while back and thought I'd post them here in case anyone might be interested in the numbers. These may not all be common reel lubes, but I threw some various oils in for comparison. I also recently ran the Reel Butter oil, but I need to look that one up and then I'll add it into the list. The viscosity units are in centi-Poise (1/100 of a Poise) and the lower the value, the less viscous. For a few points of reference, water is 1 cP, vegetable oils run in the range of 70-80 and SAE 30 Motor Oil would be around 200 cP. I also ran Mobil-1 0-30W synthetic and interestingly, it looks a lot more like a 40W than an 0W. So here's the list in order from highest to lowest: Lube.............................Viscosity@78F (cP) Mobil-1 0W-30 (syn)..................400 Superlube w/PTFE.....................245 Zebco Needle Oiler....................206 Quicksilver Storage Seal............203 Abu Silicoat Reel Oil...................176 Browning Midas Gun Oil (syn)...140 Quicksilver PS and Trim Oil........136 BSB Speed Bearing...................114 Red RF (hc).................................93 PMI Paintball Gun Lube...............90 Power Steering Fluid...................90 Diawa Std Needle Oiler...............84 Reel-X.........................................74 ATF Dextron III...........................62 Shimano Std. (hc).......................60 Yellow RF (hc).............................59 3-In-1 Oil....................................40 - Reel Butter..................................28 Quantum Hot Sauce....................25 X+1R...........................................21 Diawa TDZ lube (syn)..................18 Diawa/Liberto Pixy Lube (syn).....18 Whale Spit (hc)............................14 Abu Black Max .............................14 WD 40..........................................6 Tournament RF (hc)......................4 Friction Zero Lub (hc/syn )............4 Rem Oil (hc)..................................3 Reference: DI water.....................1 ------------------------------------------- Lube....Viscosity (cP) @ 38F.........@78F........@ 98F (cP) Yellow RF ........................285..............59..............35 3-In-1 Oil.........................161....... ......40..............20 Quantum Hot Sauce........100..............25..............16 mark

I think the line type depends on how you're gonna fish. 12lb copolymer line will whip just about any striper in open water, which is where most stripers are hooked and played. And copolymer has added stretch, which is good if you're trolling lures. I like a softer MH fiberglass rod for trolling, but if you go with a fast action graphite rod, I'd definitely use copolymer 'cause you don't want to be ripping the hooks out of hard fighting stripers. If you're drifting live bait, maybe heavier copolymer, fluorocarbon, or even braid would be OK. But 12 lb copolymer will do it all and a standard bass reel holds enough line that trolling 100-125 ft behind the boat is not going to get you spooled.

I've been using Izor for about 5 yrs and it has become my "standard" copolymer line. It comes in 2 formulations - Premium which is like Trilene XT (hard surface, slick, tough) and XXX, which is like Trilene XL (softer, less memory, maybe not quite as tough). I prefer the Premium most of the year on a baitcaster but like all copolymer lines, it does develop some memory eventually. The XXX handles a little better in cold weather or on spinning reels. Izor has less stretch than most copolymers, uniform diameter (unlike Big Game), makes strong knots, and casts very well. It's a class act, especially considering the price for a 1/4lb spool. Will it have memory next spring? Yeah, just like all other copolymer lines will. Life is too short and line is cheap! Re-spool it next spring! If you want something with very low memory, you might try McCoy's Mean Green line. It is infused with Penesil, which reduces memory development quite a bit.

I fish mostly jigging spoons, 95% of the time with a snap-it-off-the-bottom vertical presentation. The Hopkins Shorty spoons are popular but my personal favorites are the Cabelas Livin Image and a similar low cost model from Jann's Netcraft in 1/2 and 3/4 oz. I strongly prefer jigging spoons with wire line ties because you can get rid of the extra hardware and tie direct to the spoon. If you fish deep water, especially in winter, and are half way adept at using your sonar to find bait schools, there is no presentation that will catch more fish faster than a jigging spoon.

Softer plastics like "hand pours" have more natural action and many guys prefer them. Downside is they're easier to tear and usually cost more. I don't think there's a plastics brand that's better than another, per se, but various companies sell baits that are "best in class" (in my opinion). Zoom Ultravibe craws, worms and lizards; Reaction Innovations Beavers, Roboworm finesse worms, Gary Yamamoto Senkos, Netbait Paca Chunks are some of my favorites. Other guys have their own list and you'll develop yours based on experience.

I've used a 6'6" Allstar IM10X (785C TWS) for 6-7 yrs. Not the lightest nor the most sensitive rod but it is still very competitive in its $100 price range and has been a good dependable rod for a variety of presentations. Nothing bad to say about it and it fishes at least as well as other $100 rods I've tried from BPS and elsewhere. I'm a happy camper.

Snaps - I worry that some of them bias the pull point on the bait, and they are impossible to use on medium and deep divers that have the line tie in a dimple on the surface of the lip. JMHO, the best thing is the round or oval split ring that came on the bait, in terms of guaranteed performance and durability. 'Course, that means re-tying often. Alternatively, I usually tie on a small size Norman Speed Clip with a Palomar knot. They are symmetrical and the business end is essentially a round split ring. I'm becoming addicted to them.

If you stroke jigs hard for very long, it can definitely make the ligaments in the top of your forearm hurt. I don't think it's just muscle because it can last months, not days. "Doc, it hurts when I do this..." "Well, stop doing that." Change your technique. Try casting crankbaits with the reel rotated counter-clockwise 90 degrees. It helps a lot.

Those are really neat models. I'd be tempted to make a mold and do the production models from 16 lb foam, which would preserve some detail but would be the same density as "heavy balsa". I've worked on some baits molded from Alumite. It produces good detail but is too dense for good bait action on most floating baits unless you add lots of microballoons, which makes molding very difficult. Of course on the lipless bait, floating is not really an issue.

J, Nice looking baits! One question - have you swim tested them yet? I ask because of the "high position" of the line tie on the nose of the baits, which I'd guess would give them a wide wiggle. Flat sided baits are my favorites but most of the ones I see (and all those I make myself) have the line tie down on the surface of the lip. Just wondering.

Bass move out to deep water when the shad do the same. Not much of an answer, but if we could accurately predict bass whereabouts and timing, we'd all be millionaires. Since you aren't going to be fishing a spoon unless you find the fish on sonar, I don't think it matters. I fish spoons anytime of year when I can find bass deep on a bait concentration.

If you're talking about rattlebaits with a #4 on front and a #6 on the rear, upsizing the rear to a #4 won't noticeably change the action. You might consider short shank #4's for both trebles. The new Mustad KVD short shank hooks are pretty nice. KVD upsized the hooks on a 1/2 oz Strike King rattlebait to even larger #2 Mustad KVD's and used it to win the last Classic. The Generally speaking, it's possible to upsize trebles as long as they don't tangle or become so heavy they compromise the action. On a lipless bait, it usually won't hurt the action. On a lipped bait, it sometimes can. You just have to experiment.

I think the optimum is tying direct to a split ring but I take them off and use a Norman Speed Clip so I can change baits more easily. I like them because they are symmetrical and will not introduce bias into the pull point. If you have a bait that's just Dead On Perfect and catches fish like crazy out of the box, I wouldn't change a thing! Even small changes like a different split ring size, changing to a clip or a snap can affect performance.

I fish southeastern reservoirs and have caught more bass burning a Shad Rap RS-5 (plastic w/rattles) over deep week beds than any other Rapala. The jointed RS-5's work just as well. Balsa versions of the Shad Raps work great too but are too light for me to cast on baitcasting gear. Anything in the DT series is a good bet but I use mostly DT-10's and 16's for deeper water. Best new Rapala? the DT Thug has a lot of thump and gets bit regularly. But I hate those Sure Set trebles and change them out. What works best for you will depend on where and how deep you fish. Personally, I've never caught a fish on an X-rap after hours of fishing them. Maybe they work great in northern waters? Maybe it's just me!

To me it depends on the bait. Plastic baits that float - a light sanding with 400 grit to give the new paint some "tooth". Suspending plastics - sand off all the finish with 220 and 400 grit. Wood - a light sanding to remove scratches, chips but never sand down to raw wood because the raw wood is much softer than the surrounding old finish and you'll have a heck of a time unless you sand the whole bait down to raw wood and start from scratch - a labor intensive process. A guy I know uses a blow torch to remove the finish from wood baits quickly. It works great but you have to have the right touch. IMO, primer is not needed on baits. A good durable topcoat of epoxy or moisture cured polyurethane will keep the paint stuck on there as well as a factory finish.