fishballer06

Oil the brake drum.

Had a tough trip with very few fish in the creeks. Guys literally "driving" the creeks really made things difficult later in the week. Still had some success.

The key to fishing plastics on topwater is letting the fish fully get the bait in their mouth. I know its easy to get excited and set the hook the second you see a blowup. You need to let that fish bite, get back down in the water, and then fully suck it in. Then you can set the hook. Even then, you won't hookup with every fish. Another thing to consider is the possible size of the fish hitting. Those 5" pop shadz are a big, bulky lure. Sure, any size bass will hit one, but if you're fishing it texas style, it's going to take a big fish to hit that thing and get it fully in its mouth in order for you to drive the hook home.

Brush hogs and Biffle Bugs.

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I got the 6'8" M spinning version and it's been my tube rod for the past month or so. Like Cgrinder said, it's a good rod, but its not great. A little heavy, but not too bad. I feel like for the money, there are a few other better options out there.

I found it interesting that he recommended flurocarbon for line...

Side cutters - in the event you need to cut out a hook Ibuprofen - for obvious reasons Cotton balls - Very absorbant, works for cuts or nose bleeds Distilled water - clean out cuts Peroxide - kills germs and can be used in livewell to add oxygen to the water for fish

It's getting to be that time of year again. I'm headed up to the greater Rochester area in about 2 weeks. I was wondering if any of the locals to the area know if the run has started yet? How much water is in the creeks right now? Hopefully someone here is local and can provide some insight. Thanks guys!

I bought one when they came out. Haven't fished it much. I will say its very noisy, and I always seem to do better on silent squrebills.

I have Dobyns cranking rods. I own a 765cb and a 684cb. I will eventually be adding a 705cb as well. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Moving baits are usually a good go to in the fall. Crankbaits, squarebills, jerkbaits, chatter/spinner baits, swimbaits, buzzbaits, spooks, you get the picture.

Trust me when I say, you'll be buying more chatterbaits. Congrats on winning!

I'm sorry, I can't focus after reading about drop shotting a frog...

There are quite a few tournaments on Raystown in October, so don't except to have the lake all to yourself. However, it's much lake any other lake in the fall time. Baitfish are moving up into the numerous different creek arms and the fish are following them. If you've been looking at the maps online, I'm sure you know the spots I am referring to.

Avid or Dobyns Champion

Like AJay said, it's all preference. I prefer graphite for everything, while some guys prefer glass for cranking. Almost any high end graphite cranking rod these days has a great parabolic bend to it.

Yes, the Assassin was just released about a month or two ago. I bought a spool of 8 and 15lb but haven't used it yet. I use Sniper almost exclusively for my FC needs, so I'm interested to see how the Assassin performs, being that its at the same price point.

Good to know!

Sorry about your luck. Good luck with the postal service claim. This is why I don't buy rods second hand.

Check out the Jackall Soul Shad and Pompadour (and Jr). The soul shad is a very similar to the Shad Rap. The Pompadour is a new topwater bait that causes a lot of commotion.

Stradic's are always very nice reels. If you're looking to save a few bucks off the Stradic and you want to stick with Shimano, I highly recommend the Saros as well.

I have a 6'8" M spinning E6X. I also own a 7'MH-M Avid X casting rod. While they are totally different rods, I can tell you that the blank on the Avid is much nicer all around than the E6X. Don't get me wrong, the E6X is a nice rod, I would certainly rather have the Avid over it, given the choice.

As many have already stated, you'll learn the feel of a bite over time. Additionally, bluegill/perch/crappie love to peck at plastic baits (especially craws). Many of Havoc Pit Bosses I've felt nibbles on and reeled it in only to find that the claws are all gone.

JIm pretty much hit the nail on the head. Pleasure boat traffic should be basically non-existent at that point as well.