gulfcaptain

It's light and comfortable. Next question please.

I choose to really not target spawning fish. If I happen upon one that is agressive and catch it within say 3 min then cool. But where I fish I see people who never fish those places except when the spawn is on. Why, because they can't catch them any other time of the year. Good thing about fish, the beds you see are a fraction of the fish spawning. There are always beds deeper then we can see and those stay unmolested for the most part. I would rather fish pre and post spawn fish that are available during that time then be that guy that catches the same fish 4 days in a row and brags how good he is when he can't catch fish any other time of the year. Those people really irritate me. Or the guy that happens to see you catch a fish and when you put it back he runs over to try and catch it again. I don't understand, REALLY? Those are the times it's hard to be a peaceful fisherman.

Yes I know, seeing all the gear and most under retail price you could def get yourself introuble. Good thing I have a good job and no wife. Then I'd be buying her shoes instead of me fishing gear.

I started tying the Berkley Braid knot. It's pretty simple too.

Anything heavier you're going to want something a bit more in a heavy action or heavier MH action. I prefer something 7'3" or a bit longer and a little faster retrieve to move the fish perferably over 7:1 ratio.

I would probably fish the Diesel combo. Little longer rod, and the XF action should help you move those fish out of the pads.

We have shad in city park lakes as small as 2-3acres. Some have glass minnows. But regardless back to your point about trying to find the forage. #1 if you have a depth sounder, where are most of the marks on the meter.(depth) If you find the depth where most of the lakes population of fish (reguardless of type) is primarily located you can start at that depth and then look for other key area's that have points of interest in that depth. If the main body of fish is in say 10ft, well I would look for areas of interest that are near or close to that (could be a rock pile, brush pile, edge of the old weed line, creekbed, hump, etc). Knowing the depth of the main body of fish will give you an idea of where to start.

The one I use I can't even get anymore or find. Quantum Tour Tactical "Hack Attack 7'11"H Mod action with a *** *** 8.1:1. But then depending on the thickness I also have a 7'11" HXF Black *** with a EXO 100 7.3:1. Different action and works for baits up to 3/4oz. If heavier I'll switch to the other.

I'm in real trouble I found the bidding website....yeah and got a bonus check. 1st purchase TW for $350 (assorted items, FC, life jacket, culling system) 2nd Ca@elas for $200 (couple hair jigs and anouther *** 8.1:1) 3rd puchase on that bidding place $159 (another new *** 6.6:1) and then another $150 (New Smoke 150 7.3:1). But most of it was all on sale or discounted so by spending the money above I saved money.

Have one, don't even know where it is and don't really care to find it. That should say it all right there.

May put some KVD Line Conditioner on it as well. If you are fishing out of a boat, let it out while idling without anything tied on and use the water resisance to help put it back on the reel tighter. This also gets any twists out as well. And I agree with the "always close the bail manually". It reduces line twist as well.

You can use it for what you're doing. I prefer 10lb braid myself but can be done with 20 without issue. If you have problems you may want to increase your leader/topshot length of FC.

There's no room for quiters here. You need to go back tomorrow and buy something. We don't window shop baits, we buy uncontrolably and regret later causing us to Cup of Noodles because we spent the grocery money. Please update us on your bait purchases made from your return trip tomorrow.

Siebert has a good selection of punch jigs and can wire the skirt as well so you don't have to worry about it slipping down. As for price he is lower then most punch jigs I've looked at. Other then his, I use Picasso's punch jigs which hold up great as well.

I've caught 30-50lb yellowfin tuna and albacore on 5" Big Hammers with an ounce and a half leadheads.

1. What is the largest fish youve caught on a swimbait? 2. What model/size swimbait was used, for that catch? 3. What lake/state was that catch made? Largest LMB on a swimbait 9.01lbs Model: Savage Gear Line Thru 8" Floater (rainbow trout. LA/OC area city park lake.

If you do decide to try and go the FLW way, you need to enter all three events to make sure you get priority entry. If you enter only one they can bump you for an angler that wishes to fish all three.

Look into FLW's tour schedules for a tournament near you. The Rayovac's offer boats to winning co-anglers.

I'm going with the pond. 5 acres will give you a good size, build your home on the pond will def limit who decides to try and fish it. Also a few geese never hurt either. Ofcourse this depends on where you live. In the south you can manage and grow your fish with proper stocking and management. Now if it's not there, then I'll go with the boat due to regulations and shorter growing seasons for the fish. But I still think either will end up costing more then $25,000 if you want it done right and the way you want......should be the $75,000 question just to be on the safe side.

The vendor will get a quicker response and rembursed for the defective bait. Unless it's a warranty issue your best bet is the vendor you bought it from honestly. They would rather you be a happy customer and make you whole then you be a bit disgruntled. And Lucky Craft being such a big company odds are they probably have it set up to replace baits through the vendor. Just my opinion. The longer you wait the less options you are going to have.

Both are good and better then nothing. I know assisting a vessel (towing one in) without a membership is quite costly. You will be charged from the time they leave their dock/location till they get back at an hourly rate. Refusal to pay can result in them keeping your boat until you do with fees. Look and see which has the most coverage in your area or uses partners to cover where you are would be my advice.

The one I've been to isn't nearly the size of a BPS. Then again niether is Gander Moutain. BPS is the fishing and hunting version of Walmart, they are the superstore.

I had an issue with something similar to what you're talking about. But it was a different company. I bought my item from TW, let them know the issue I was having with the bait. They said no problem, sent me another one (although the color wasn't the same but didn't care) and asked I return the other in the box I recieved with the prepaid packing list and mark the back item as defective. But haven't gone through the manufacture.

Mist it. Then wipe down. I've hosed mine but then also took it apart to lube it after. Rods got the hose and then a bit of pledge and a rag to wipe clean. Lack of maint on anything will lead to it's distruction.....mallets just make it happen quicker. Salt Away is a great product also, but you can also use a mild mixture of vinegar and water. The vinegar's mild acid will react with the salt and do the same thing. Can also get you a can of Corrosion X. Works great. Basiclly you have to do the maint on the reel after your saltwater trips and keep them clean, lubed and maintained.

Just a thought, but are your fish skinny? The private waters you fished may not have the size fish in them as before or fewer of them since it seems like you have a lot of smaller fish. Pond maybe overcrowed with that year/size fish. Like posted above, read all articles that pretain to your type of conditions, and could try fishing larger profile baits, fishing a bit deeper, maybe in the nastiest cover you can find. But if it's overcrowded then the size fish you're looking for will probably be in short supply. Sounds like you got spoiled before with the larger fish, welcome to what most of us have to go through to find the nicer ones. But still sounds like you have great fishing.