VABasser

Hey guys, Well the topic title should say it all. Which method do you all prefer to get your rods to wherever you're going? I ask because I am going to visit my cousin in Idaho in a couple of weeks to do some fishing. I've carried on 2-piece rods many times with no issues. The problem this time is we are fishing in a tournament out there and so I want to bring my "real" tackle; basically all my 1 piece rods that aren't going to be carried on. What is the safest and most cost-efficient way to transport them? I may have no choice but to ship them ahead of time because it appears that United has a length limit for rod cases that are on "express" flights, which one of my connecting flights is unfortunately. Anyone have experience with this? Any insight on these things or traveling tips with 1-piece rods would be helpful. The last thing I want is a broken tip or something. Thanks

Hey guys, Got a question for those of you with a Tournament Speed Spool. I got one about a year ago although didn't use it much until now. I had read a bunch about them being a great value, casting a mile, etc. etc. You all know the deal. So I went ahead and bought one. Right from the get go I wasn't impressed, mostly casting distance wise. Nothing sounds wrong with it, no whirring, ticking or anything, but to be blunt the casting distance just sucks. I've played around with the brakes, cast knob, various lures etc and still might be able to only get 30ish yards of distance with favorable wind, lure weight and whipping it as hard as I can. I was throwing a 1/2 oz trap a few weeks ago and as you all know you can wing those a mile, and I was giving it all I had and like I said maybe getting around 30 yards of distance. That's just not right. I've thrown Citicas, Curados, Chronarchs, Ardent reels, etc and everything casts better than this thing. And I don't think it's the Lews brand because I've read too many good reviews, but there's got to be something up with my reel. So I ask you all if anyone has experienced anything similar, thoughts on what to do? I'm thinking about contacting their customer service because as it is I don't even like using the reel. Now I will say that I haven't taken it apart and had it cleaned which I know some suggest to always do with a factory new reel. That being said, any new out of the box reel I've ever used has been better than this, so there's still a problem. I'm well acquanted with the insides of a Shimano reel, and how to do anything from a quick tune up to a full on cleaning, but I haven't messed around with the Lews and would need to read up how to take it apart. Honestly I just don't have the time. When I have the time I'd rather fish. So I'm hoping somebody here has some advice or has encountered a similar problem with this reel? Thanks all

Do you all have a preference between the rattling vs silent KVD series? I notice TW only has the silent and the two I have are silent. RW, I had never taken a look at the Normans, I like how they look and the price is right. I think I'm gonna have to pick a few up

I got a question for all of you who fish heavy and shallow vegetation frequently. I fish the tidal Potomac, and if you don't know, the Potomac is loaded with all sorts of aquatic grasses. Fishing large grassbeds, often matted as the grass grows throughout summer, is standard procedure. The vast majority of the grass you are fishing is in water <5 feet. In water that shallow I know a lot of fish get spooked when they hear the trolling motor, especially when you've got to run the TM at a fairly high speed to chop through the grass. I know this is true because in water <2.5 I can often see wakes from fish shooting out when they hear the motor. If I'm throwing a frog or some other long distance bait this doesn't worry me too much, it just makes long casts all the more important. But it affects my confidence if I'm flipping and pitching. I don't have a power pole on my boat to anchor up in a particular spot, so if I'm trying to hold in a particular area running the TM is inevitable. Just want to hear some ideas about this, maybe some tips you all use to be as silent as possible. If there is a favorable wind, sometimes you can use this to drift you through a grass bed, but this isn't always practical, and you're at the mercy of where the wind blows.

Hey guys. Looking to place a TW order and improve my squarebill crank selection. Ive got a few of the KVD's and Bandits, but I want to hear your favorite brands and sizes/colors. Thanks

Awesome thanks, guess it's time to put an order in then

Hey RiverRat I've got a question about the flip and swim jigs. First off they look good, I don't remember you having them last spring when I placed an order. They remind me of a Dirty Jigs swim jig, except quite a bit cheaper. My question is how big is the hook on the 1/2oz and up models? I ask because a technique I like to use these heavy swim jigs for is to put a 5 inch swimbait on as a trailer, but the hook needs to be big enough to handle that. Would these hooks be able to accomodate a 5 inch swimbait? Thanks

A friend gave me a double up rig a couple of weeks ago. I haven't had a chance to fish with it yet, but it definitely seems to have some potental. Curious to hear some reviews from people who have used them. One of my concerns is how much of a negative impact,if any, the presence of a chunk of wire will have on a realistic presentation.

Nice, I'm not sure if I've seen one of the Bullseye before. Pretty markings. You guys have the Giant snakeheads down there too right? Maybe I'm getting them confused with the Bullseye. I've caught quite a few of the Northern's in the Potomac. Super fun to catch and great to eat

I'll admit I've become addicted to catching snakeheads this summer. The last couple weeks I've gone out I've purely been snakeheadin, although you always catch some bass doing it. I never used to like catching them, too much of a bother or they would break you off. I'd just kill them and throw them back. But I heard too much about them being good to eat, so about a month ago I kept one and filleted it. No surprise they are great to eat. Before even targeting them, I was catching a lot more this year than in the past. Caught a few on traps in the spring, chatterbaits, I caught one about 11 lbs on a senko pretty early in the summer and having that thing pull drag like it did helped fuel my desire to catch a bigger one. The past 2 weeks is when I went out for the first time telling myself I was only going to fish for snakeheads. It's addicting. You get one of them 10lbs plus leaping out of the water and pulling drag, it's a rush. Dan you're right, sometimes though they are just dead weight on the end of the line. I saw that about two weeks ago with two I saw up shallow swimming around an area in circles. I guess guarding fry or protecting a bed or something? I picked them both off with a spro, but considering one was about 10.5lbs and the other 6, they didn't fight much at all. Once they got to the boat they thrashed around some, but no big leaps or runs. I just figured that they were worn out from spawning or whatever it was they were doing. I've just been throwing assorted brands/color frogs for them (river 2 sea, spro, snag proof). Black is what I've thrown the most. Generally a slower retrieve with pauses. Shallow up in grass (hydrilla mostly up that shallow) like everyone else has said they are there. It can be slow sometimes just throwin that frog over and over, but if you throw it long enough you are bound to get one. And when you get a big one on, it's worth it. Be rigged up properly though unless you want to lose a bunch of baits. I lost 3 frogs to them by them cutting through my braid before I said enough and went and bought 40lb saltwater mono leader. I had a knot fail on a big 10lbs+ one a couple days ago, but other than that, no more lost baits with that leader. Keep a close eye out if you're fishin for them. As always in fishing polarized glasses are a must. Sometimes you can see them suspended near the surface. Or sometimes you'll see their big dorsal fins fanning out of the water. Not really sure what they are doing when I see that, I've thrown to them, but they dont seem to hit when they are doing that. I'd like to compare some more notes about fishin for them with some of yall who've fished for them. Maybe learn some more about their habits so we can catch more. Here's a couple pictures of some I've caught lately. I've got 3 over 10 pounds in the boat this summer, broke 2 definite over 10 off hard to judge size beyond that, but I haven't broken that 12lb mark. That is kind of the mark I set for myself. Hopefully a couple more trips and I can break that.

You should post this in the General Bass Fishing forum. You'll get alot more views and replies I'm sure. I wasn't aware that fishermen lied...

Now that's customer service. I like a company that stands by their product. Lee, I will order some Eco Pro tungsten in the near future. Thanks for your info

Hey all. Did a quick search about this, nothing came up. Don't know if I've got the whole search function figured out with the new setup. Is it only the little "search..." box in the upper right? Anyways, I'm looking at getting some more tungsten weights for the upcoming summer. Now that TT is out of business, has anyone used the Eco Pro weights, and if so how do you like them? They've got them at TW, the only review for them said they polish the inside instead of using inserts. But I just want to ensure that the inside is smooth enough, the paint holds up well, etc. before I drop the money on them. Thanks

Well that sucks. I fish Chopawamsic pretty often and occasionally launch out of the ramp in there. Hopefully the protest will succeed in getting the closure repealed or adjusted in some way. Keep us updated

This vid taught me all I know about bass fishing

What size weight do you all prefer? I bought a pack of 1/4 oz longer lips last year but never really got around to fishing them much

For years I've always kept my plastics in the bags they came in and stored them like that in various ways. But for Christmas I got another smaller tackle bag and decided I would move some overflow plastics out of the bags into the Plano boxes it came with. They are the 4600 size and are stored vertically in the tackle bag with the shorter sides down and up. Because of gravity, the plastic worms I've got in there aren't sitting very straight when in this vertical position. My worry is that over time, these plastics will get odd bends and twists in them. Is this a legitimate concern or am I worrying about nothing? Someone please ease my mind...

Ok thanks guys

Got a JJ's question for you all. I've got some baits, worms mainly, that I want to scent with some clear JJs. I was planning on putting a little JJ's in a ziploc bag and throwing the baits in there to get a dunking. After letting them dry I'd put them back in the Plano boxes I've got them stored in. Will the JJ's on the baits do anything to the plastic boxes? I know it can be volatile stuff

Hey GMAN, do you make a jig specifically for swimming? I know you have the chatterbait type of jigs but I'm talking about what I would call a 'traditional' style of swimming jig

I've been in the hunt for a new reel, and had decided on a new Citica. Most of my other reels are Shimano so it wasn't a tough decision since the Citica had been getting great reviews. When I went to TW to place the order, I saw the Daiwa Vientos on sale for $120. I've never really looked into Daiwa's reels, but am intrigued by the Viento. I'm looking for some help because now I don't know what to do. Should I stick with the Citica, or would the Viento be a better buy at that same price? Thanks in advance

Haha

Yeah pretty sure they raised the price to $20 on weekends from $15 last year. Weekdays are still $15 I think. Absolute ripoff, I refuse to launch there. Further back in Aquia there is another marina you can put in called Willow Landing. Been maybe 2 years since I've been there, but at the time launch was $10. But if you are burning $30 in gas just on the run from Leesylvania to Mallows your outboard must get some terrible gas mileage

Big O, how easy do the Eeliminators cast on baitcasting gear? I know the shads can be a bit tough to get much distance on if there's any wind, but still a great bait. And I know the keel weighted deal, works good but when the grass gets real thick in the summer the weight always wants to pick up bits of grass.

I'm intrigued by these frogs pgersumky. How well do they hold up after a few fish?