bigbassctchr101

That'll work... Upgrading or downgrading the size of the hook or the strength of the hook...the 2x's and 3x's are thicker and will add weight. But this can also be a little harder to set the hook. I use lead golfers tape, works really well, and is a lot easier than adding wire to the hook shanks.

Suspending lures usually are designed suspend in a certain water temp, smithwick may not have "designed" them to do this,(but they will anyway) but with lucky crafts you know exactly when your bait should be neutral. I think if you fill it deep enough with cold water you would get a better answer on if its a suspending bait or a floating bait. If its designed to suspend, at least you know its not going to be nearly as buoyant as the floaters. You can always add weights to make it suspend if its not doing its job exactly the way you want it too.

I have had a lot more fish spit out a norman than any other myself. But, i use a norman about 99% of the time! The hooks are not the best. I switch the hooks out because of the way I fish them. But it is by far my favorite bait! Its my search bait, catch bait, and clean up bait! FIRETIGER and custom painted ones are the only ones I really throw.

There is a fella with some for 115 on another forum.. I think he has two? 6'6'' and 7'?

Same here

Doesn't Kreit have a bait called the squirrel or something?lol Surely everything KVD does or says doesn't make it so. I'm not saying KVD is a God. But it seems like any joking, sarcasm or anything he does is taken to the extreme. Maybe he doesn't like them guys?? Or maybe he is just like A LOT of fisherman i know and likes to joke, cut up, "trash talk"... Its the man's favorite sport, its all of their favorite sport. EVEN if they were to say something to each other that seemed edgy, if I was fishing the biggest tournament of my life and my best friend or brother came along and was fishing beside of me, I'd start saying things that both, got under their skin, and seemed a little short and direct. It wouldn't have anything to do with me liking or not liking the other person.

I have a 7' med hvy. Its a bit stiff to be used as that, but I bought it for a jig/worm rod. But the rod itself is incredibly light, sensitive and seems to be built well. I have used since July??? and it has held up and worked great for me.

There are alot that come out of my area in Tennessee, North Carolina, and neighboring states. My father used to fish professionally years ago and I asked him this question just yesterday. He said the reason we moved down here is that there are so many different lakes in such a close distance. The Tennessee river system lakes for example you have river fishing, upland resevoir, lowland resevoir, deep, shallow, smallmouth, largemouth, spots, etc... (you can practice it all and only drive less than 50-100 miles) PLUS, you are located at a 1 day drive from just about any big lake you would want to pre fish a tourn on east of the Mississippi. Sounded like good enough reason for me.

Yea, I KINDA agree with this. Its not "sportman etiquette" I guess you would say. BUT...The man just won the classic! Yea, he's done it before, but that doesn't make it anymore special to him. I don't think it was a thing to do against them, or that it says anything good or bad about KVD as a person. Think about you winning the most special and life changing thing ever, wouldn't you maybe forget to shake a hand out two before jumping and screaming (and those are just outwardly expressions) If it were me, I wouldn't be able to get my feelings out quick enough!

I think a smaller version would do good. You could but a very good walk the dog action on it. But for the size it just made it look akward.

I remember using one several years ago. i really wasn't that impressed with it. I thought it worked much like a heavily weight fluke with less action. And I had to exert to much energy to get that action. Maybe if I gave it a few more chances I'd feel different?

WHOA!!! At night? You fish a jerk bait at night? This has never crossed my mind not one time. Do you use the same baits as you would during the day, or bigger and darker?

For some reason, I feel that at a certain point it just dont matter. Its hard for me to justify buying a reel that is 2 ounces lighter but having to spend $100 more to get it. Maybe it does matter that much to some people?? But, I've also noticed that there are several guys out there with the huge expensive boats, with the expensive extremely light rods and reels, holding them 10ounce rods and reel combos with a nice expensive 7ounce rolex! lol An upgrade for quality and performance YES. But, just for an ounce or two... Its not for me.

I'm guessing this would not be your typical sand? Maybe a very fine grit? I've never heard of it, but it does make sense in theory. I like the toothpaste idea a little better. The toothpaste would take much longer and more of, but it doesn't seem like it would ruin a reel as easy as the sand could.

I personally found that the cost is much cheaper by pouring your own heads. I fish 3-4 tournaments a week during the summer and a jig contributes alot to my fishing. The main reason it probably is cheaper, is because if I get hung up, I don't have to troll over top my fish, I just break it off after a few tries. I get lead from tire places that have a lot of the lead balancing pieces. Thats free minus gas to go get them. Buy bulk in hooks and skirts you want to use. So, I guess if you use several it would eventually help you out. Especially when you consider you can make a $3.50 jig with little effort at a fraction of the cost. So, it will eventually pay off. I've cut off 10-15 jigs in all night tournaments so I wouldn't spook fish, if you go through them like that, you should definitely consider it!! lol

Yep, I had a few come through. Nothing remarkably different from any of the rest of the BPS reels. parts are cheap, unrefined in their mechanics, and show signs of wear after a season. Not for nothing, its not all just BPS reels. You would be surprised at what some more expensive, brand name reels are showing. Revos with worn out clutch kickplates or broken yoke posts, Steez with worn out worms and pawls, Rather than dwell on that, look for what I use and recommend. Nothing from BPS is on that list. Now, aside from the occasional stripped pinion (my own error) on my own reels. No issues Sols, Fuegos, Zillions, TD-X, TD-Z, Capricorns, Procasters, Curado D, Citica D, Calcutta B and GT, Stradic FG, XTC Spinning, CI4...... However, with the exception of just a few of those, they were all more than a Pro Qualifier. I think there's more bang for the buck finding a lightly used reel. DVT or someone else can clean them up better than new for just a few bucks. I can't tell you the deals I've gotten for "used" reels. Sols...$100. TD-X...2 for $75. TD-Z....$120. BNIB Alphas....$170. Tack on $20 or so to have them cleaned, and you have top notch reel that will last. I know you just said that none of the list was a BPS brand....But, what about Johnny Morris. Is the quality any better with them? Or same guts with a different shell?

I have tried the round reel. It works great when I'm fishing deep. But when I am casting and fishing around cover I can't keep my hand on them as well and feel like I'm losing connection with my bait. Weird I guess, but it just feels awkard. On my poles more than 7'6'' I do have the round on them though. I have 5 different cranking set ups.

Do any of you guys use a coastal reel for cranking? I noticed many of them have a higher line capacity. I retie A LOT. I use deep cranks and bang them off rock 5-15 foot deep and it tears up some line. I'm not about to lose a big fish due to abrasion. I use line with abrasion resistance. I have used wire leaders, but I think it takes away from action and depth if I need it. I have the equipment to cast long distances, but when retying 15-20 times a tourn @ 2-3 feet per each retie, I have to change my line out quite often so I can keep my reel filled so I can achieve max distances. I'd rather find a low geared low profile coastal reel than can hold a large amount of line and still cast far. Any suggestions?

If they do not have one, you can start one yourself. I started a club at our school (private school) and once we became a "club" we could register. I was only able to fish CollegeBass that year but they have since fished others I believe. Since it was a private school our university actually funded EVERYTHING for us, travel, lodge, entry, food. Don't know if many other schools would be like that though.

Why is the Tru Tungsten Frog so bad? Not questioning your knowledge, just questioning the comment? I've never used them and bought a few before they sold out at Dick's. Since I have them I'll use them, but would like to hear what there is to say about them. I like Spro Frogs pretty good. Wouldn't mind trying the Phat Frog either.

I know pictures don't exactly show what seems to be true life size. But in the pictures when he is going by Martens or Rook, and some of the other pictures, the rod looks like a longer style judging by his body and positioning. But pictures can make things bigger than they appear, I thought all them fish he was pulling out were at least 6lbs....OH WAIT>...They were!

I have one of the very few gold plated fish whistles that his dad had made after Bryan's death. Ray gave my dad the gold plated one and us boys the regular ones like Brandon was carrying. Its been in my "treasure box" for a long time. I remember carrying the regular colored whistle for a long time when I would go out fishing, always thought of it like a good luck charm.

Its funny, all the guys say they wish he (KVD) wasn't there, they wish they didn't have to fish against him. But, I've heard several of them very guys come back and say they enjoy it. What would be the use in being crowned champ if you knew you didn't beat the champ. For the guys that do it "not for the money," they want KVD there. They know that being the best is beating the best.

I am interested in getting some bearing upgrades for some of my reels. I decent with the reel schematics and have good confidence in being able to do this with no problem. I guess I just want to know if upgrading a couple Pro Qualifiers with Boca Bearings would really show a big difference. Are most of the pro qualifiers equivalent in bearing sizes? (I guess I could measure, but would really like to hear it from someone that knows first hand) Same goes with a couple citicas, i have two that I would like to upgrade with the boca's, Worth the upgrade? And will they be the same size for both? I know Boca has a site, but maybe some of you other guys bought in bulk and have better prices???? And, I say Boca (I'm really just interested in the ceramic hybrid) I just heard and read they seem to be the best right now.

These radars could see bouys and birds more than 100ft in front of them. Thats pretty impressive. Still not safe to run 70+ and driving blind. IMO But, IF i was going to be making that 125 mile run, I'd feel 95% more confident with this thing hooked up to my GPS.