desmobob

It's your budget and your fun. No reason why it wouldn't be effective if you're willing to do it. Still water fly fishermen do it all the time but the other way around; changing spools or reels to go from floating to sink-tip to full-sinking lines on the same rod. Tight lines, Bob

I laid a Beretta 390 on the front deck one day while fishing during duck season and got two drake mallards and a Canada goose along with a bunch of nice bass. The last several miles of the southern end of Lake Champlain are like a river, lined on both sides with large cattail and buttonbush marshes. Ducks are flying overhead regularly in the fall. It's quick and easy to put down the rod and pick up the shotgun. Tight lines, Bob

...or, better yet, 20 or 15 pound test braid. You gain a huge amount of sensitivity and have a very small line diameter that more than makes up for the bouyancy to get down as deep as you need to. An appropriate rod will handle the shock-absorption and keep the hooks pinned. A mono leader will protect the braid from contact with cover. It's a viable choice that few people seem to consider. One of the best-known cranking specialists, David Fritts, prefers braid. Tight lines, Bob

I have three or four older Tatulas that I enjoy very much. I've never heard anyone mention your issue but I can see now where it would be a major one for someone who runs the line over a finger. I thought a lot of folks did that... Tight lines, Bob

The MEND-IT mention is a good one. Not only does it help you save a ton of money on baits, it helps keep them out of the water and environment in general. Tight lines, Bob

I bought a Daiwa Ardito for travel and liked it so much, I bought a second one. Check out the review on TackleTour. Tight lines, Bob

If I'm having a tough day and can't catch a fish on a Ned Rig (Z-Man TRD on a ShroomZ head), I had better head back to the launch... Second choice: wacky-rigged Senko Third choice: T-rigged Pit Boss Fourth choice: Jig and craw trailer Tight lines, Bob

Rods. I can find reels that I'm completely happy with for between $100-$175 by careful shopping. I have some $100 rods I like, some $200 rods I really like, but I'm ready to start experimenting with some high dollar rods that I'll hopefully love... Tight lines, Bob

Thanks for the info, Sam. I just read the Wikipedia entry for it and was surprised I hadn't heard of it (I was raised Catholic and the family always observed Lent). Thanks for filling me in. I can now blame my New Orleans-style birthstone for my sweet tooth! Laissez les bons temps rouler, Bob

I have two pairs of Teva water sandals that have been excellent. I loved my Crocs until the bottoms wore a bit and they became like ice skates at the boat launch.... Tight lines, Bob

I was born in February and I have no hangin' idea what that food is in the photo. The colors aren't all that appealing to me but maybe when I find out what it is, I'll feel differently... Bon appétit, Bob

As far as I need to, plus ten feet. Good to go. Tight lines, Bob

I have a Croozer Cargo trailer for my Bianchi Axis and I love it. It is a little on the heavy side, but super roomy, tough and convenient. It has been on a couple of 400+ mile trips, hauling my camping gear, etc. Tight lines, Bob

Congratulations on becoming a more versatile fisherman. I really enjoy baitcasters. I learned to use them late in my fishing life. Now, I enjoy them so much I'm even outfitting my arsenal with light baitcasting rods and reels meant for casting small baits so I can use them in place of some of my spinning gear. Have fun! Tight lines, Bob

In my experience, the Premier rods are under-rated for power. The medium-heavy power Premier I bought fished more like other brands' heavy rods. I think there are other rods in the price range that are a better value than the Premier series. Tight lines, Bob

The Tournament Pros are versatile reels that I think offer tremendous bang for the buck. Most of my reels are Lew's, and most of them are TPs. The dual braking system allows for excellent tuning to specific baits and your casting style. Tight lines, Bob

I love reels having both types of brakes (Lew's Tournament Pros, for example). But for casting into the wind, I think the magnetics help the most. Daiwa's Mag Force Z magnetic brakes are extremely effective and have the advantage of using centrifugal "boosting" to somewhat replicate the effect of centrifugal friction brakes in addition to normal magnetic brake effect. We are lucky to have so many choices of great braking systems! Tight lines, Bob

I never thought of them as a sign of Spring because I see them through the winter here, too. Sometimes, it's amazing how thick they get. They always seem to like to congregate in your footprints in the snow. I've seen them so thick in my footprints before that it looked like someone spilled pepper into them. It's surprising how many folks haven't seen them, or think they're a joke or myth. Anyone who does some winter hunting or hiking is usually familiar with them. Tight lines, Bob

A short distance from where I launch, there is a railroad bridge that has four groups of old wooden pilings from days when it was a wooden trestle. I almost always stop there and work a jig around the pilings before I head out to wherever I plan to fish. I usually hit it again on the way in, too. So, my first and last cast of the day is usually a jig. Tight lines, Bob

Springtails... one of the oldest insects (?) on the planet. I was outside today in the woods for a bit today and on my return trip, my footprints in the snow were peppered with them. Tight lines, Bob

Lots of bargains in that range on the big auction site... I recently picked up a Daiwa Tatula 100 ($129 retail) for $68 and a Lew's Tournament MB ($139 retail) for $86. The mid-range gear ratio models (~6.3:1) are great all-around reels. At those prices, you could get a couple of different gear ratios... Tackle Warehouse had Daiwa SV105s on clearance for $148, but they're sold out. Tight lines, Bob

I have older versions of both those reels. I had been using several Tournament Pros for a while before I tried a low gear ratio BB1 for deep cranking. My first impression was, "Man! This thing can cast!" I think the difference between 6.8:1 and 6.4:1 gear ratios is insignificant. As for the choice between those two reels, I don't think you could go wrong with either and I'd go for whichever one I could get the best deal on. Tight lines, Bob

Nice. Breakfast sure is a happy time... first meal of the day! Tight lines, Bob

Modern, high-quality multi-piece rods are pretty much indistinguishable from one-piece rods other than maybe a little bit of extra weight. Every fly rod I own is at least two-piece; many are four. They get a real work-out in a day of fishing; probably more so than a bass rod. The only one I ever had break at the joint did so because the joint had loosened up during some night fishing with large poppers (think "extreme flailing" ). I've caught countless fish of all sizes, from little brook trout to big stripers and mahi, on four-piece fly rods with no problems, and also with no notice that they were four-piece rods. I honestly don't think many people could tell if they were using a one-piece or quality four-piece rod in a blindfolded test. I still choose one-piece rods for the majority of my fishing but, when portability is important, I have no problem with multi-piece rods. Check out TackleTour's review of the Daiwa Ardito three-piece bass travel rods. I own two of them and use them not only for bass, but even for stripers in the salt. It's pretty inconvenient to keep a couple of 7' rods in the car for unexpected fishing opportunities! Tight lines, Bob

I use JJ's Magic on plastics when I remember to. Otherwise, no. Every time I see threads on attractant, I put a tube of Megastrike in my TW shopping cart but I never seem to end up ordering it. I believe that the right attractants can make fish hold on for a little extra time, at least. But I always think of one thing: I can't remember ever seeing tournament footage of pros fishing where one of them applies attractant to their baits. I'm not saying they don't; just that I've never seen one use it... Tight lines, Bob