AQUA VELVA

Do not like split grips, never will. I have large hands and it feels like Im holding a pencil. Personaly, I wish the full cork handles on my rods were about a half inch larger in diameter. I find that the BPS rods with the power hump are the most comfortable for me.I think split grips , for what little merit there may be, are just another marketing ploy.

I've been using them for three years or so but I can't honestly say they have made a difference one way or another. Im inclined to believe it was a good marketing ploy that ran it's course.

I purchased a Hook- Hone-R ll sometime back in the early 90's. It's a powered, rechargable unit that sharpens a wide range of hooks with a sticky sharp conical point. I think they are no longer being made which is a shame since it was a well made product. Mine still works great,though, and I hope it outlives me!

I like the rain, it chase most everyone else off the water.

I've seen fish on either side of a bass that I have hooked on a SB trying to grab it out of his mouth.

Need a new boat cover and a BC reel but thats about it. I've finally got to the point where I only need to replace what I use up, break or loose. It took a long time but I eventually outgrew that ''kid-in-a-fishing-candystore'' with my tax return.

A ban on A-Rigs? Whats next, a ban on Arkansas dynamite fishing?

If you also fish for muskies then you probably already have a rod for this set up.

Iv'e ordered from NBS and was very satisfied. Sometimes you find interesting things that the big guys don't bother to carry. I do a lot of buying from BPS and Cabelas to and there are several good sporting goods stores not far from me. Sometimes it's nice to have a well stocked regional store like NBS that understands our bass fishing season.

Winter here in northern lower MI can test your sanity if you are not into winter sports, which, Im not. All I can think about is the coming bass season and what it might be like. Have already gone through and cleaned all of my equipment. The fishing catalogs that keep coming only make the wait worse but at least I get to look at all the cool stuff I probably don't need or can't afford. Just read the other day that MI has the most snow cover of any state. Guess the up-side might be full lakes this spring.Gotta go, just got another catalog!

You'll have a blast making your own SB's! I've been making my own for about 20 yrs.now and still enjoy it. I made all the mistakes a beginner makes but that was part of the process. I probably used every skirt color in every combination you could think of but to tell you the truth, I always caught the most fish with white.Best of luck to you!

I like to make my own spinner baits for night fishing and have been using the small 4'' zip-ties to secure the skirt material , for several years now. Never had a problem with the skirts pulling off, the material pulling out or the zip-ties breaking.

BPS used to have the''pancake'' type 360 stern lights on a pole that plugged into a deck flush mount recepticle. I have one and I love it for night fishing as it does'nt shine directly into your eyes like the old style lights did. You may be able to modify it to suite your needs if they are still available.

Motor heads at my marina said stay away from enzyme type gas treatments as they are nothing but trouble in a bottle. Don't know if thats true or not, just saying thats what I was told.

Just what sort noise do ceramic bearings make?

I've been using a pair of 7', M, BPS Crankin' Sticks for a couple of years now for SB's and CB's and have no complaints. They seem to be well made and deliver as advertised.

The line choices on the market today are mind boggling to say the least. I've tried just about everything through the years and always end up coming back to Berkley Trilene and Big Game. Line choice is a personal preference type of thing usually arrived at through trial and error. In my case, my line does everything that I need it to do to catch fish at a fair price and thats good enough for me. So, by all means, experiment, listen to what other people have to say and you will find what works for you.

I bought a few of the originals in black just for night fishing and they seem to work great. Only change I made was to put a fuller longer skirt on them with a trailer hook.

Yea, things like this happen from time to time. Probably got by quality control somehow.Try calling Trokar customer service, they just might send you a a new pack for free.

While trolling for musky on Lake St.Clair one summer day many years ago , I reeled my line in for a quick check of what I thought might be weeds only to find what can only be described as a donut rock. It was about three inches accross and the lures trebble hook had snagged it right through the hole! What are the mathamatical chances of that I wonder? I still have the lure with the ''donut'' rock hanging from it.

Most of my BC reels are older Quantum 600ti's. I think I paid around a $100 piece for them at the time. They have been great reels and are easy to take down and work on. Once they are set up corrrectly, they work like a charm. I also have a newer Quantum 7:1 reel that has been great. It's all about maintenance. Buy the best that you can afford and take care of it.

Also learned the hard way about checking your line for nicks every few fish. Im a mono man and use the improved cinch or palamar and have never had a knot failure if tied correctly.

Used to fish the Huron R. at three Metro parks starting near the Zeeb Rd. exit. The DNR was stocking smallies in there and fishing was great for awhile until the locals cleaned them all out. Guess they could'nt read the signs that asked people to please return the smallmouth bass to the river until they become established. Now Im up in West Branch on Lake Ogemaw.

In my 50 some years of (on and off) fishing I have probably used just about every brand of line out there.I always end up going back to BerkleyTrilene XL & XT. It does everything I need it to do at a fair price as I re-line several reels every year. I use 12lb.XL on my spinning reel and 14 & 17 XT on my baitcasters with great results. Im not a tournament fisherman and I don't fish for a living so this works for me.