Christian M

X2... pop-r, buzzbait jitterbug walk the dog (sammy, spook, ect.) hollow body frog & soft plastic frog (easiest to most difficult to land fish on IMHO) ...no one mentioned the prop bait though! I know a lot of guys that don't even own one. They come in so many different shapes, sizes, colors, actions, and they catch fish consistantly. I feel like a lot of guys just see them as "old school", but the jitterbug was made in the late 20's (darn near a 80 years ago) and its still a go to bait for most fisherman, myself included. don't discount the prop bait, you might land your PB on one just because its never seen one before!

X2, I have an optima bluetop for my TM, yellowtop for my Fish Finders, redtop for cranking. I am guilty of using my redtop for my intermittent accesories like running lights and interior lights, but I hardly ever use my gas engine living in NJ with all the HP restrictions and electric only lakes.

Mono backing definitely! I use just enough mono to protect my spool. It prevents braid from digging into itself, and prevents your spool from warping due to the no stretch nature of braid. Be careful not to overfill your spool with braid, you should have enough to place your thumb on the spool comfortably and control your casts.

X2...LOL...kitchen sink...please provide as much detail as you can, you'll get some great answers

Createx sells a flourescent yellow that comes out as chartreuse. You can always take the base flourescent and do some custom mixing. The pearl will give you a sheen but if you want chrome the tape is a good choice. Also, there's nothing wrong with some chrome spray paint, works just as well. I use a heat gun to cure when I'm painting a lure but I'm really careful about it. I've had a few nice paint jobs bubble up from just a little too much heat even with a blow dryer.

X2...Createx is the leader in acrylic paint, the color choices are infinite. Epoxy like Devcon 2ton 30 minute takes more time than urethanes, but you can do things with Devcon like add glitter and flecks to the topcoat that can really make a bait look amazing.

I agree with smalljaw in regards to braid not really being the best choice for shakey head fishing. I do A LOT of shakey head fishing and have tried many different rods, reels, and lines. 8lb Flouro is your best bet, I use Vanish or Spiderwire Flourocast most of the time.

It really depends on what the rig is. If the bait has salt in it, it doesn't go on a hook until I'm ready to fish. The salt will rust the hook & weaken the knot. if its something like an A-rig, then I'll Pre-rig and leave the baits on.

It's just par for the course man. you can buy Senko knock-offs. BPS makes a good stick bait, but IMHO, whether Texas rigged or wacky rigged, nothing compares to a Senko.

I put small rubber bands around the trebel hooks. This keeps the hooks tucked under the bait and keeps them from getting tangled

Welcome Gino! What part of NJ are you in? I'm in the Toms River/Ocean County area. I've seen a couple fish with black blotches from head to tail but never anything like that. What a wild looking fish, what lake/pond did that one come out of?

In Jersey, you can take your pick. Lake Hopatcong has to be the worst as far as gas powered watercraft, but most of our lakes are electric only. Any lake that has decent fishing is a nightmare on the weekends, so much so that unless im fishing a tournament, ill just go during the week. It's just not worth being on a 750 square acre electric only lake with 40 bass boats, 2 dozen sail boats, and 10-20 kayaks. Honestly theres no way to enjoy it.

Rapala Flat Rap Shallow Diving Perch

Do you have a rod for the new reel yet?

Isn't this the same basic idea as a front runner? Except the front runner is designed for topwater and shallow cranks.

A-Jay...Would you be saying the same thing if it was your mother, sister, daughter, girlfriend? Or are you saying that because you hit on women yourself? Grow up dude. STLBOB...You did what a man of substance would have done, kudos to you for trying to help that confused girl. Its a sad state of affairs when a man does the right thing and ends up being the bad guy. It's hard to say don't get involved, and even harder when its happening right in front of your face, but people are just downright crazy nowadays. Sorry you had to go through that man.

I fish a lot of small ponds off the bank. You're headed in the right direction with the senko, but try using some reaction baits. I've fished ponds where a senko did great for a week, then stopped working. I'd switch to a shallow diving crank, spinnerbait, or top water, and bang, fish on. I'll use the same lures in a small pond that I will when im fishing a large body of water, its just a matter of knowing when to use them. When you're fishing those small golf course ponds, the fish will relate to ANY cover that is available, natural or man made. I can't say how many times I've caught a fish in a pond along a pvc pipe or a tiny patch of reeds. They'll also relate to ANY available structure and/or bottom composition. If theres a drop off, even if it's 2 inches, they will use that. If theres a rocky patch, they will use that. Also, talk to people around the pond find out where the deeper areas are and work them. Usually golf course ponds will have sandy, sloping bottoms, great for spinnerbaits and excellent for shallow cranks that will kick up the bottom. Pay special attention to any run off pipes, as they will be your best friend when the water temp heats up.

I guess If you've been fishing for a while, you know when a fish is ready to be boated. You dont want to bring a good fish in while its still green because you dont wanna risk losing it, getting stuck with a hook, or dropping the fish when it shakes. At the same time you dont wanna risk playing the fish until its exhausted because even if the fish swims away, it may not have the energy to feed or get away from a predator for a while. I think a lot of it depends on the size of the fish as well. If I have a good size fish at the end of my line, I really don't wanna lose it. I'll be very careful to keep the fish under control, maintaining pressure, keeping it from jumping, letting it take line when it runs, and reeling fast if it runs at me. When its a big fish I prefer to grab it by the lip and boat it (feels more pure). When its a dink I just give it a nice steady retrieve and get it off my hook so I can get a bigger fish on

I wouldnt worry about anything if you're using a Zebco, but if you step up to a spinning or casting reel with braided line, backing is a must. Since the braided line has NO stretch, you need mono backing to keep the line from digging into itself and warping your spool.

Absolutely, even I fish even brackish water I come home and hose dowm my entire rig.

I've had a few of my spinning reels get submerged. I've never had it ruin a reel, and my gear is moderate to high end. If a reel gets dunked, I take my water bottle, rinse it off. If I feel any sand or debris I'll set it aside, if not, I'll keep on fishing. Either way I'll take it home and clean it if it hits the water. That being said, I do soak most of my reels at the beginning of every season before I break them down and clean them.

I started off with 2 of the same inflatables. Speaking from experience, dont get one. They aren't boats, they're rafts that you need a motor & battery to push, plus a pump to inflate & deflate every time you hit the water. I would take a stand up paddle board over a raft any day. The raft is only gonna last you one season at the most if you use it more than once a week anyway

St Croix, Shimano, Abu Garcia...I have a couple Tec Spec rods that I use and for the price they cant be beat.

What is your price range?? What do you fish the most? Do you want a Spinning or Casting rod? Do you have a reel? You may be better off buying a combo depending on how much you have to spend

Nice!! Im really digging that buzz frog!