Hooligan

The wide willow, as pictured, isn't an Indiana, and it's not exclusive to terminator. You'll see that one from time to time on quite a few websites, including Janns. You'll see them on Ebay, too. They have a VERY different thump than the traditional wide willow, or Olympic blade. The bevel isn't about just light reflection on them, I'll disagree with that to the NTH degree. You can feel the difference on the wait virtually immediately... Anyhow... The Turtleback, wide willow, or olympic on the top bait is a blade that can be had, though it seems to sell extremely quickly.

I'm like the others- I never leave without it now. Used to hate it, just because it felt confining to me, until it wears in a little bit. Now, it's mandatory.

I have had less than stellar results with Sunline, both shooter and sniper. I've not been happy with the memory, the abrasion resistance, or the handling. They're both far below the abrasion resistance or longevity I've experienced with other lines. I'll say that, as a starter, Yo Zuri is a better line overall, than Sniper. The vast majority of what I fish anymore is Tatsu. The expense is minimized when you compare the longevity of the line. It handles so much better than almost every other I've used, it has superior abrasion resistance and knot strength as well. When it comes down to it, for casting gear Abrazx is a better line than Sunline, from my experience. It's got greater consistency in density, it's got more consistent break strength, and it has better strength to diameter ratios. When Seaguar says that Abrazx is (As a point of reference) .013" for 15lb, it's going to be within .00001 of that. In most of the tests we've done with many other lines, including Sunline you're pretty lucky if you take an average measurement with .002 of the measurement of .013 for their said diameter; it generally runs on the large side. Oh, and another superb fluoro? Gamma. If they can remain consistent in their supply, they make a REALLY good line.

You'll find that there are people that love some and hate some. One of the best Glass Rods made, in my opinion, is the Mojo Glass Big crank. It's relatively inexpensive, it's got tremendous power, decent components, and it doesn't weigh thirteen pounds. I've used it for a while now and have gone through a LOT of glass rods looking for the one that matches what I'm after. The Rage big crank is a super rod, as well. It's hugely powerful and has tremendous feel. If you want a sub-$200 graphite crank stick, that's one you really should consider. St Croix Rods, particularly their crank sticks, are generally well received and they are that for a reason. They're quality rods, and they have good components and warranties to back them up. They're pretty readily available, and competitively priced for what you get. It really is tough to go wrong with them.

That seems to be the upgrade of choice to really make the MGX perform. I've only played with a couple that have been tuned and upgraded. I have to say, I still prefer my tuned Core 50. But even mroe than that, I prefer my Pixy's for light applications. I just don't think the MGX is as refined as the other reels, it constantly feels rough.

Buy only from recognized, reliable retailers. It doesn't have to be from a big-box store, just be certain they're reliable. The genuine LC baits will always have the bait name painted on them in LC's script font, as well. I caught my second largest smallie on a Bevy, have well over 80 8+lb fish on Flash Minnows, and have caught more smallies on Gunfish than I ever have the Rico. Different strokes for different folks. In very short answer, they're worth the money. I have never had a bad LC bait, whereas I get about 1/3 or so from other manufacturers. Many of those 1/3 simply can't be tuned, either. I've had a LOT of baits that way from SK, Norman, and others. I still continue to use others, because they're right for conditions, but I will never give up LC's because of price. Heck, right now, for instance, you can get the RTO baits from Bass Pro for $10.77, that's cheaper than SPRO, that's cheaper than IMA, cheaper than Jackall, cheaper than a lot of baits; some of which simply don't stack up to the LC's at all.

Braid isn't any better about twist, it's worse in the long run. By the time you notice the twist, it's too late and you get wraps an wind knots. I hate braid for dropshotting, Yes, there are reels that are much better than others for Dropshot: Shimano spinning reels with Propulsion line management. It makes a HUGE difference in comparison to fishing reels like Pfloogers, even Daiwa. The spool li[ reduces the line coil, and the contact of the roller maintains tension on the line.Saller coil going through the guides means less turning over of the line. They're simply THE BEST spool design and line management out there for vertical or near vertical presentations. You don't need to fish a Stella to get the benefit of the system, either. You can get many of the features of higher end reels in the Sedona. I fish primarily CI4 and Sustain reels, and they perform every bit as well as my Stellas, in terms of line handling. I won't fish another reel for the application, period. Secondly, use the VMC Spinshots. They're worth three times their weight in gold for shotting open water, and they're not terrible in cover, either. It eliminates the need for a swivel completely; they're genuinely near-zero twist.

In season, usually 5 days a week, average. Off season, usually 4 or so.

JIgs. Pick three colors in three sizes, and trailers to match and fish them hard. Learn to fish a jig and you're far better off than a lot of your competition.

I've seen them showing up at a few tournaments, mostly from the guys that are fishing a lot of the West Coast tours. I've got some coming, I threw one briefly a couple weeks ago, and it makes a tremendous difference in the way the bait runs, for sure. It will cause a bait to slide sideways for a few seconds at a time, then track back the opposite direction. It's a pretty unique deal, really. I would think that it will make a pretty big difference on reluctant fish and silent cranks.

We call lures by different names so that others fishing tournaments have no idea what we're talking about. It's funny, you'll hear them at Bass Pro or something looking for a wang-doodle, and they have zero idea what it actually is. Oh, and the other thing pretty much all of my baits are named- Jigs; as in: "What'd you get em on?" "Jigs." Doesn't matter if it's a 6XD, the answer is ALWAYS "Jigs."

Alien Head is a SUPER jig for big chunk rock.

It is, sadly. They're 9-12mph slower than the 201XL. They do handle rough water considerably better than the Stratos Hull, however.

That's both. Think of it like this, really: The only jig, in essence, that is generally not the best choice as a flip jig is a football. The Alien, as shown in RR's avatar, is an excellent jig for both casting and for pitching/flipping to cover. It excels in hard cover, and is very, very good in rock. It's superb as a casting jig for hard bottoms, as well. If you look at the jig below, it's got an inline eye, and a stout(er) hook that is meant for fishing in heavy cover. The eye creates a leading edge that will allow the jig to come through grass and cover very well. The way to hook sits, also, gives a very good hook angle in a flipping presentation, opposed to many casting jigs.

My guess is your tune will change next year. The long term durability of the patriarch has not been very good. Nearly all of my personal reels are Shimano, there are a few odds and ends here and there, but not many. 40 Some odd Curados, Cores, Chronarchs, and Calcuttas, can't be wrong.

Man I love the Jackall frog. I've got one that I've caught probably 175 fish on this year and it's like new. It's yet to take on water, and the hookups are the best I've experienced with a frog. I've not had any problem with them in mats, either.

Yes. It's tough to fish a jig wrong. Swim it, craw it, hop it, bump it, rip it, burn it. There are flipping jigs, yes, and there are casting jigs. That's getting into a whole different ball of worms. Or something like that.

I agree with BB. They're a pretty good bait through the Midwest, much more a numbers bait than Hudds, but will still catch a big one now an again. They're a reasonably durable bait, too.

Typically I'll have around 35 in the boat for a Four Day, that's not inclusive of practice. Fun fishing, I'll generally have between seven and 12. During crank season, that may increase by four or so. I usually have at least triplicate of my crank rods with rattling, non-rattling, and off-set color baits.

I don't believe in trimming weedguards, or in modifying them. Most of the time what you end up with is a weedguard that no longer deflects cover and a guard that takes more effort to bend. I prefer a much longer weed guard, and leave it as is, NorthStar jigs are built that way. I don't use braid, I have no reason to, the drawbacks are greater than the advantages. I have no issues setting the hook with fluorocarbon, none at all. In most cases, with a jig hookset, people are getting far too short a sweep to effectively set the hook. When I'm fishing a 7-2 rod, as an example, I will reel down until there is zero slack, and then move as much of that line as I can by moving my rod to the side; if that means I'm turning 90+ degrees to the angle the fish is at, that's what I'm doing. I RARELY set the hook with a jig in vertical fashion, it's too hard to move enough line to do it effectively. The most basic thing that I've not seen menitoned here: make sure your hooks are sticky sharp. They should come near to grabbing you and drawing blood just from it resting on your thumb. If it doesn't catch on your thumbnail when you pull it across, it isn't sharp. High speed reels are a very good idea, but they're not always the answer. I have caught many hundreds of swimjig fish on a 3.8:1 reel when they want it moved dead slow, and I still have had zero issue with dropping hooks. Sure, it happens that I'll lose a fish from time to time, but it is so incredibly rare that I don't really pay much heed to it. I chalk it up as being on the water. Case in point: This past weekend, I was catching fish on one of five Northstar Jigs during pre-fishing and during the tournament. It was like the fish would eat one, turn off and hit another color consistently. What made it even worse is that they were wanting different rates of fall on different structure, but they wouldn't hit anything but a jig. I had five jig rods out and rigged with everything from a 1/4 ounce Alien, to a 5/16 finesse, to a 1 ounce flip/swim. I lost one fish out of about 125 in roughly 24 hours fishing time. That's a PRETTY darned good average. Check your hooks, make sure they're sharp. Sweep that set to move as much line as possible. Those two things will make giant differences for your jig fishing.

The Curado is a better reel. More refined, better line behaviour, and it feels better in hand.

There's no "most used" size for me. It's all dependent upon cover and water depth. If I'm in Shallow hard cover, I'm going to be fishing 3/16, 1/4, or 5/16. If I'm in Shallow soft, it may be a 5/16, 3/8, or 1/2. Deep water will find me with anything from a 3/8 to a 1.5 ounce jig. It just depends on the situation.

THe Square A is one of the best baits for fishing the junk that's ever been. They're just superb.

The vast majority of what I fish is Cumara and NRX with Curado, Core, Chronarch or JDM Shimano reels. I do have a mix of Daiwa reels as well.

All bottom contact applications- Seaguar Tatsu in 12-25lb. Crankin'- Seaguar Tatsu in 10, 12, and 15. Spinnerbaits 15-25 Tatsu Topwater- Seaguar Senshi in 12-20 Jerkbaits- Senshi 10 Frog/Punch- Seaguar Kanzen Flip- AbrazX 20lb Finesse Spinning 6-10lb Tatsu