Felix77

Just like everything else with fishing it's a confidence thing. I generally use unpainted but I keep a black sharpie around just in case I need to blacken it. On some occasions I think it made a difference. Especially if the weights seem very bright.

Agree 100% here. Including your dislike for p-line.

Agree 110%. Once I discovered this line I never looked back. The only time I steer away from it is when I want to use a firmer fluoro for a leader with braid. I go with 100% Fluoro by trilene then.

Zoom and Strike King also have pearl craws. Both can be found at Tackle warehouse .com

Adding it to a scrounger jig gives it life of it's own as well. My partner killed the bass on one those things in our early October tournament. The coldest waters we fished all season. I went out and ordered some the very next day.

I am planning a trip to North Carolina for a weekend of fishing in March. Can anyone recommend a good lake and guide? I am looking to be in the Charlotte area by the way. I don't have a boat so I need to pay someone to put me on fish. :-(

Mike Iaconelli - He quiet the character and I enjoy his teaching methods. Besides I am a fan of finesse tactics and he is one of the best. Gerald Swindle a close second. Would have me probably laughing more than fishing but it's all good. :-)

Another vote for the Gitzit original. I also had success with the Zoom tubes.

Tell me about it. Upstate NY is just frozen right now. Such a tease.

I label and then label some more. I use a sharpie and those label stickers. It helps on the water when you are in a rush to retie.

As a co-angler I spend a lot of time fishing from shore to practice. When I have access to a boat it's a different story. Any places with decent #'s of fish in this area that you know of? Thanks

5 inch Senko - Black Zoom Finesse Worm - Green Pumpkin Zoom Magnum Shaky Head - Watermelon Magic Strike King Rage Craw - Green Pumpkin-ish

Anyone try the new Strike King S11 sunglasses? Reasonably priced at $40 each.

I am convinced the key to managing Fluorocarbon is 1 - Get a good limp brand. Seaguar InvizX 8lb works very well for me. 2 - Use a line conditioner when spooling it on and treat it the night before you go out. I learned this trick from a Iaconelli video. Take a rag. Saturate it in the KVD line conditioner or Reel Magic. As you reel the line onto your spool make sure it is going through the line. I went the majority of last season with a considerable reduction in line twist. You will have some just from pure usage but to me it's way less if you do what I described above.

There are too many ways to count ... My favorites 1 - Weightless 4/0 EWG 2 - Wacky #1 Wacky Hook 3 -T Rigged 4 - Power Shot 3-4" senko

I don't necessarily use spinnerbaits based on the time of the day per se. It's about conditions for me. Clear/bright - Burn baby burn. I fish it as quickly as I can. The new Strike King burners are awesome for this. 1/4 - 3/8oz Stained/Overcast - Moderate retrieve. 3/8-1/2oz Water temperature also plays a part As early spring approaches I go to slow-rolling first and work my way up in speed until Summer. After summer I start with burining and slow my way down. Lastly I like to see a nice chop on the water and some wind to use a spinnerbait. I haven't had much success with spinnerbaits in clear flat water.

For fishing from shore, which I do alot, I take to rods with me. 1 - 6' Medium Spinning - 10 lb Braid, 8 lb Fluoro leader 2 - 6'5" Medium Baitcaster - 12lb Fluoro I use the baitcaster for all the faster techniques - Crankbaits, Spinnerbaits, etc. It keeps me practicing using the baitcaster. My spinning is for weightless or light weighted soft plastics. If I am lazy this is the only thing I go with.

I was reluctant to use snaps last year. I don't have any experience with them. What snaps do you use? I'm convinced to at least try them after watching a video on Aaron Martens says he uses them in competition and according to KVD's book he also uses them.

Understood. As a Co-Angler there has been more than one time where what we have planned didn't come to fruition for one reason or another. I also had situations where the boater who I was going to ride with had engine problems which moved me to a boater which I didn't plan to fish with. With that being said I was curious has other co-anglers handle being versatile with a limited set of equipment and thus this post. Nothing ever beats preparation like you discussed.

My fallback presentation is a 1/4oz jig when all else is not working. I have also tried smaller jigs like the bitsy bug's (also in 1/4 oz) by Strike King. They work like tiny Swim Jig's that way. They also swim through grass and stuff better.

You must live or die by the Albright knot. :-)

Good catch ... didn't even think of that.

Okay ... Looking to see how co-anglers would handle this question. If you had 5 rod/reels to bring with you what would they be and what would you have rigged on them assuming you know nothing about the lake you are going on. Here's my crack at it. #1 - 6' Medium Baitcaster - 12lb Mono - Topwater - Spooks, Chuggers #2 - 6'6" MH Baitcaster 6:4:1 reel 15lb Fluoro - Spinnerbaits, Chatterbaits, Swimbaits #3 - 7' Medium Heavy Baitcaster 7:1 Reel, 20lb Fluoro - Jigs, Spoons, Large CB's (Deep Divers), #4 - 7' Medium Baitcaster, 6.4:1 Reel, 12lb Fluoro - Crankbaits (KVD 1.5+), jerkbaits, Lipless Crankbaits #5 - 7' Medium Spinning Setup, 8lb Fluoro - Drop Shot, Wacky, Weightless Texas Rigged Senko, Light Cranks Wondering what you all would have in mind.

Just like anything else with fishing you need to find what works for you. Go ahead and buy a baitcaster and start simple. Throw 3/8 - 1/2 oz spinnerbaits around until you master how to set the tension, drag and can cast it without a backlash. After that move on to jigging etc. If you don't like it then just mail it to me. I have other baitcasters from others who hated the move. Just make sure it's an Abu Garcia. Just Sayin' LOL

This should get you started.