Hooligan

What Johnny said is more along my intent. The Rapala VMC hooks aren't the basis of comparison. Even the 9650 and 9651 are better than they are. I used to be that way about pike in waters, but got tired of getting smoked from the back of the boat. I've donated one Megabass to the fishing gods in the past five years from a bite off, and I fish waters with a lot of pike and muskies. (I caught a 44" fish this spring on a Pointer 128, my partner boated a slob of a pike that was easily 15lbs on a Vision110) I replace hooks, too, but not on everything. I don't worry about any of the JDM baits, and I don't typically worry about Rapala baits with the exception of the sure set. I've been using Owner ST36, the KVD Elite TG, Gamakatsu 2x Black Nickle, VMC 9650 and 9651, and Daiichi Death Traps. Thus far, the Daiichi is what I like the most. I can go up to a size two from a size four with no adverse effects. I'll use any of the hooks I listed in a pinch, they're all better than most stock hooks on common baits.

Think about it, guys. You're telling someone to build a rod with a blank that is most likely in the $50-$60 range at most. You're talking a St. Croix SC2 or IM6 blank. The equivalents to those would be a St. Croix Premier, for instance. You're telling someone to pay $160 to build a rod that you can otherwise buy for $110. Even Batson Rainshadows are in the $90 range for a casting rod. So, in essence, what you're suggesting he does is spend $160 on building a rod that is going to have less sensitivity and quality than he would get if he bought a new rod at the counter. Even better, he could buy one of the several used sticks that show up on a regular basis from the Flea Market. Don't get me wrong, DVT is a great guy. I'll be sending reels to him after this season for some mechanic love. Yet, the advice you're giving the guy, in all honesty, is terrible. You are thinking of the cost alone, you're not thinking of the quality.

I have to agree with the majority, that's an awfully low budget for a hand built rod. You can find really, really good rods for that price in the flea market. There have been numerous Loomis and Dobyns listed in that range.

What Francho said. Gee, that guy is smart. > 1/2 or 3/4 ounce jig in Green Pumpkin fished on the ledge and in the cover. I'd be crankbaiting the heck out of the ledge and transitions. I would also be throwing a spinnerbait in 3/4 ounce bluegill, or similar. Pulling a Carolina rigged Eeliminator wouldn't get any time at all in that water, either.

Willow/willow 5/8 or 3/4 ounce spinnerbait in either Bluegill or white/chartreuse.

So, the stock hooks on Lucky Craft, Megabass, Jackall, and Ima are garbage? Not hardly, say I. If I could get Katsuage hooks for all my baits I'd do it in a blink, no second guessing. Edit: Check that, Ima switched to Owner ST36 didn't they?

Keep in mind that coating many baits with Devcon, E-tex, or many of the others will kill the action of the bait. It changes the dynamics of the bait. Bait makers send you the bait as tested. Changing anything about them changes the way the bait runs. Argue as you'd like but there's no denying the fact. Fish them as they are, don't change a thing.

Nope. Spoons are definitely not for bass. They're not good for vertical presentation, they're not good for ripping, they're not good for lifting across points, and they definitely aren't any good on a straight retrieve.They're surely not for fishing in timber and amongst pads either. /end sarcasm I fish a LOT of spoons based on where we are and what baitfish are available. I love fishing them on points with a rip and flutter, the strikes are just bone jarring.

What he said. I regularly throw a 3/16 ounce jig on a MH rod that is rated for 1/4-1 ounce jigs. At the same time, I throw 3/4 ounce spinnerbaits on a rod rated for 5/8 ounce; the rod performs better with that bigger head and larger blades. Works perfect for that rod. There are instances in which you want to stay pretty close to that rating, but it's very much determined on a rod to rod basis.

A lot of the reason the storms have been so devastating is that in two cases the storms were issued warnings and immediately thereafter the tornado spawned. It's rare in today's forecast and technology that there is so little warning time. Couple the very short warning time with an EF5 tornado in a highly populated area and you get absolute devastation. May God watch over all of those missing and lost, and outgoing prayers for comfort and recovery.

CTE200GT makes the TE100 look like gold anodized junk. It's my most favorite reel of all time, bar none. I consider it a bargain at the $349 price tag, without a doubt. It will outlast reels that cost much more. It's the only casting reel that I would consider to be heirloom quality.

I have no qualms about fishing a rod for a day or two and returning it if it is not what I was looking for. That's not unreasonable, and it's in accordance with most stores return policies. I will not, however, fish a rod for a period of time then return if as a "gift" or some such thing. If I don't have the receipt and they can't find the record of my purchase via card or rewards card, I'm not going to worry about it. That said, the only rod purchases I make anymore are those that are pretty specific. I've made only one that I regret in any way and that's my own darn fault and I'll eat it.

I've been totally hung on the Dahlberg frog. I love the stupid thing. It fishes great, is very good on hook sets, it's got a tremendous action, it's easy to see, and it catches fish. As other frogs go, I'm a Scumfrog lover. Good hooks, good body, easy sets = Happy Hooligan.

The only disadvantage of the 3x is that they float too high sometimes. I have had to go to a 1/4oz shakey to get them down. Then again, the only one I've fished that is that bad is the Purple Haze. Dirt, Easy Money, New Money, GP, and Coppertreuse have a permanent slot in my bait shed.

Texas rig just as with any EWG or offset. Insert the hook just beyond the barb, exit the plastic, turn it around and find out where the point needs to penetrate the plastic again.

No, different principles at work. Fluorocarbon becomes virtually invisible underwater because it has the same refractive index as water. Fluorescence has more to do with the absorption of light. You're getting more into spectrography. Keep in mind, too, light penetration isn't just about depth, but about water clarity as well. UV light will penetrate more than white(visible) light will in dirty water. The philosophy that fish are able to key to UV light is not a new principle, and has been studied and proven for some time. UV fly tying materials have been around for at least two decades. There are other things, as well, in conventional tackle that utilize UV light such as the old Hot-n-tot lures, as well as some of the old salmon dodgers. While UV isn't the primary trigger, it can definitely be a variable.

You'll love em, man. The Finesse worm in the larger size accounts for a large part of my annual catch numbers.

Smoke Pepper GYCB grub. It's accounted for more smallies than any other in my boat.

Steezy I actually had a Loomis issue this spring that was taken care of in a timely manner. I had a MBR844C GLX that had a set about the midpoint of the rod. It was as though the blank was spun an eighth of a turn. The guides from the first up were all out of line. I got one call from Loomis after sending the rod back asking if the rod had ever been subjected to high heat, I admitted that it may have gotten hot in the rod locker but nothing like leaving it in the truck in the middle of summer. The rep then continued to tell me that it looked as though the resin had an issue and said they were 2nd day shipping a replacement back to me. That said, that's the only time I've had a mfrs issue with a Loomis since the late 90's. I remember a GLX fly rod that lost the insert on the stripping guide, and they replaced it without issue.

I don't disagree, though I service all of my reels annually. If I'm in need of something more than what I am capable of I have a mechanic do it. I don't think that they lose any lubricant on the shelf, I think the problem is that they're over lubricated from the factory. There should never be grease on a levelwind, for instance.

It is kinda crazy, almost like we "will" ourselves into not having a good experience with a specific brand. It's like we've already decided that it's not going to work before we fish it. My brother swears by his Quantums. I can't say a thing bad about them, more that they just aren't a reel I prefer.

Absolute favourite flipping bait is a Smokin' Rooster. That thing is just deadly. I'm most often pitching jigs, but pitch many, many plastics. As of late, I've been pitching the Eeliminator a lot, as well as the Rooster.

I dress all my topwaters pretty simply. I take about 4-5 strands of crystal flash, run it through the eye so it is doubled, start my thread and tie in a couple hackles. It doesn't take much and I'm a firm believer in that they're a trigger. Because I tie commercially, each takes me about two minutes start to finish. What I've been doing lately, with great success, is 5-7 strands of Flashabou in red or green- doubled through the eye and left a little long. It's been working really well on my Rico's and Popmax.

Most of the time when I'm pond hopping I'll take two rods and a BPS large binder. That said, I usually don't need anything in the binder, except when I'm fishing certain plastics. Here lately I've been fishing a Scrounger and either Grass Pig or Fluke. I take one casting and one spinning with a SK 3x on a 3/16 shakey and I'm good to go for a couple hours.

I use both Paca and Rage baby. That said, more and more I find myself leaning on the Rage Baby for small profile needs. The reason being is that when you move the craw at a crawl, the claws move just enough to look like it's alive. It isn't too much. There are times, though, that fish want to see the bait with more movement and hopping the same jig with the same trailer on it will give me that. I used to have a lot of faith in the Zoom and Paca for smaller profile with a little more subtle action, not so much anymore. The best thing about Rage Baby's, too, is that on the drop with a 3/16 or 5/16 jig they are absolutely perfect, the claws move "just so" and the profile is enough that it will slow the rate of fall. Two months ago, you could have asked me about five different situations and I would have given you five different craws. Anymore, all I need is Rage Baby, Craw, and Lobster in my colors. I have not found one situation in which they would be outperformed by another, they're just that effective.