Hooligan

The 3" Berkley Gulp Minnow in the smelt colour is fantastic around here. This is my most used bait on D-shot. Yeah, use a lot of that, too. The 2.5" part is the oddity here, I think.

Perfection loop: http://www.animatedknots.com/perfection/index.php That kind of loop? I use that knot for Rapala's and a handful of crankbaits.

The only one that I'd add is the SK 4" Finesse worm. I really like that bait on a drop shot. I like the Shad Shape worm, too. Early in the year, like now, I fish quite a bit of the Gulp Alive 2.5" minnow on a drop shot, but I really believe that's a local phenomenon.

don't listen to this remedial advice. Ya know, this is bugging me. I learned that trick from one of the most respected pro's in the business, too. I guess that's remedial advice, too? I mean..calling a pro stupid is the same as calling me stupid, right? While it may not apply specifically to Smokin Roster, it does apply to several other baits; in earnest.

I won a bunch of these at a benefit recently. Have yet to fish them, but they seem interesting.

My find of finds was at an estate sale last year. I bought a "lot" of fishing tackle and reels, intending to donate the reels because I didn't see anything of value. When I picked it up, there were three other boxes of reels that came with the lot that I purchased. Unknowingly, I bought two Calcuttas, 2 Luna 300s, 4 Records, a couple of Ultracast 5600c, 2 Citica's and a Curado NIB. $50 for all of it. (Not to mention, there were about 100 other reels from 202's on up.) There were a bunch of rods and stuff that were all trashed, in that one, the lot of rods I wanted had a few really nice ones in it ended up going for a LOT more than it was worth. Turns out the guy had owned part of a tackle shop that had closed just months before. All the reels were either repairs that people never picked up, or they were display reels that never sold. Occasionally, I'll get lucky and buy a Bamboo rod from a known maker in antique shops. I've gotten a couple Winstons, a Walker, and a Payne that way.

TBH, The Okuma Round reels are quite nice for the money, too. I have an Akena250 and a couple of the Induron 400s. They're good reels for the money.

Far and away the best color is pearl. (Cause you can take a Pantone marker and make it any color you want.) Actually, the above works, and I do it a lot. Other than that, there is no ONE color that's the best. Everyone else said it already.

Hit a river for smallies. There's ALWAYS slack water that you can access that will produce fish. When we were in Eau Claire, we'd make the short drive to the C+R zone and hit them on rivers.

Bluegill, black silver for cranks. Hot Steel for jerks.

I'm terrible for losing scissors. Remember the Culprit braid blade? I spent $150 on those things, and I still can't find one of them. I'm terrible about it. Gimme my pliers with a pigtail lanyard, and it's a non-issue

Stainless steel is a nickel alloy and not all stainless products will be equal in ni content and corrosion resistance, I agree that many stainless pliers do not hold up well. For my freshwater I use a $2.00 pair that work fine, lose em just buy a new pair. Saltwater different story, I was in the tackle shop yesterday and the clerk showed me his personal pair of aluminum pliers, most impressive I have seen to date, they don't sell them in that store and I missed the brand name but I will get the name........only $30, these I want. Extreme light weight, on a lanyard, side cutting tool for braid and replaceable blades. http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/64226?pi=1067876&subrnd=0&qs=3021021 Wouldn't happen to be those would it? I've heard super things about the Slicks but have yet to get my hands on them. At that price, they're worth another couple pair. The thing I like about my Ross (and others like them) is that the carbide cutter will cut absolutely anything I fish with(in terms of line.) Most cheaper pliers won't cut braid with any consistency, particularly not small diameter.

I positively love my Bronzebacks, too. I've got 4 or five in the series now, and I end up using them a lot for largemouth with lighter techniques.

My wife got me a pair of the Ross Pescadors a couple years ago when I was still guiding. Man, I love these things; I would be lost without them. http://www.rossreels.com/products/fishing-pliers/pescador-fishing-pliers.cfm That said, they're definitely a luxury. I've also got a couple pair of these, and really like them: http://www.riverbum.com/Dr-Slick-Barracuda-Plier-PC85FX/

More and more I go by the Mr. Fords rules on color, just change the wording a bit. You can have your topwater in any color, as long as it's black. 90% of my topwater fish of all species come to black lures.

I actually really like the 4" version for pike and wipers. I've never fished it for bass in earnest, primarily because I've got other baits I fish.

I'm a Costa Fan. I'd gladly pay for a glass lens than anything else.

Have a pair of friends fishing Stockton as I'm sitting here *grumble.* They said, yesterday, that they were seeing some mid 40's temps, as high as 49 towards Needmore. Sounded like they were getting some fish on jigs and jerks but it was slow still.

Is that a jab? The story with the lower fish is pretty cool, too.

Aww, man. There's nothing special about the Fat Ikas. They're really not that great a bait. Really. They don't catch any of the species of black bass. They're not good for pitching, or flipping, or for working timber, or for weightless rigs, or any other way. Disclaimer: The above post is written wholly as sarcasm; and in no way should get you to fish Ikas. Leave them for the rest of us.

Muskie, if you're talking average pike in the 10-12 pound range, I've had reasonable success with Mason Hard Nylon in 25lb. for fishing topwaters. While it isn't foolproof, I've had better luck with that than fluorocarbon. If you're getting into bigger pike than that, I'd go to straight titanium wire in either 18 (if you can find it) or 30 (more readily available.) Use as short a section as you think you can get away with and it's a non-issue. In smaller diameters because of its flexibility and behaviour, it really doesn't impede the action of your baits.

For how long? A day? 16 days, in this instance. It was a measure of surviorship to dispersal from nests. After that, predation and mortality #s change pretty dramatically based on the individual body of water.

I totally agree with that sentiment, however it rings true that because of the elements leading up to it, it's the primary reason for there still being seasons of any sort. If the walleye guys lost the "season" then everyone else would, too. If the bass and muskie guys lost it, the walleye guys would go absolutely haywire, and demand change. The sheer numbers of revenue dollars lost due to not having that would be astounding.

http://www.mouldys.com/hawg_wobblers.htm The Lil version is killer. The original is excellent, too.

I've only fished that rod a couple of times, my brother owns two of them. He fishes a myriad of baits with it. everything from tubes to 3/8oz Spinnerbaits. About the only thing he doesn't fish on it are cranks. My experience with it has been limited to jigs and plastics, because that's what we were fishing at the time. Nice rod for sure.