desmobob

Very nice! Congratulations!!! Tight lines, Bob

I fished the Ned Rig with Finesse ShadZ again yesterday and once again, caught a two nice channel cats and a 7 lb. 10 oz. drum as well as several good largemouths, with three in a row right around three pounds. I'm really wondering if the Finesse ShadZ is a better all-around Ned Rig bait than the TRD or half of a ZinkerZ.... Tight lines, Bob

When I fish expensive conventional soft plastic baits like Keitech Swim Impact swimbaits, I put the damaged ones in a baggie and patch them up with Mend-It when I get home. It works very well and will get you a lot of extra mileage out of your baits. That said, using Z-Man Elaztech baits will surprise you... they are super durable! They cost more up front, but seem to last forever. Tight lines, Bob

Look at the Z-Man plastics. They are incredibly durable! Tight lines, Bob

Darren, It's one of those baits you really have to try. The Elaztech material's buoyancy and durability, along with the 'shroomz head's special keeper work together to become something really special. I don't think there's a fish species that doesn't want to eat it! Tight lines, Bob I was similarly impressed with the big small- and largemouth bass that nail it, but what really surprised me is the number of big catfish and drum I catch (and the big pike and bowfin that bite me off). Last night was the first time I tried the Z-Man Finesse Shadz instead of the usual TRD or half a ZinkerZ. I just ordered several more packs of Finesse Shadz! Tight lines, Bob

Caught some non-bass monsters on the Ned Rig tonight (1/15 oz. 'shroomz head with Finesse Shad instead of a TRD)... A couple of big cats, a big freshwater drum (sheepshead) and two mystery monsters that broke me off! I always have fun with the Ned Rig. :-) Tight lines, Bob

I believe you can get the Fenwick HMG or HMX in two-piece. I have a MHXF HMX two-piece that I've been using for inshore striped bass fishing for a few years. Also, check out the Daiwa Ardito travel rods. They're three-piece, and great rods. I bought two of the casting models this spring and have been enjoying them. Tight lines, Bob

That's half the fun of the Ned Rig... everything seems to like it! I've caught some big catfish, bullhead, huge freshwater drum (sheepshead), carp, black and white crappie, bluegill, yellow perch, pickerel, pike, and of course, largemouth and smallmouth bass on the little bait. I agree about the light jighead. I use the 1/20 most of the time but switch to a heavier one for deep water. It's a great bait to increase the fishing action when things are slow, and an excellent choice to rig up for kids and people who aren't fishermen. Tight lines, Bob

This sets the stage for an interesting experiment a lot of us can easily do. Hook your line to a stationary object, hold the rod at fighting angle and pull until your drag slips. Take a guess at your drag setting in pounds. Then hook your digital scale between your line and the stationary object and repeat to find out the actual drag setting. How close was your guess? Is your drag set higher or lower than what you guessed? Is it set to a reasonable (1/3-1/2 line rating)? Tight lines, Bob

Front drag reels are said to have a smoother drag due to the larger drag washers they use. I mostly use spinning gear for light line applications and drag performance is important to me. I've hooked some monster carp and freshwater drum on ultralight and light spinning rigs and the front drags on my Shimano Symetre, Daiwa Exceler and Pflueger President reels have performed admirably. Tight lines, Bob

I like the lightest rod possible and split grips are my choice. That said, I once knocked a full-grip rod with a light reel mounted into the water and was very pleased to see that it floated! I don't know if that would have been the case with split-grip rod.... Tight lines, Bob

I agree. I bought one and, after fishing it, bought another. Excellent value! Tight lines, Bob

I bit the bullet and bought a combination of Thule and Yakima rack system parts (Thule mounts and crossbars; Yakima kayak cradle) to tote my 'yak on my Subaru Forester. The piece of mind knowing your kayak is properly secured is worth a lot. I later added a slide-out extension for one of the crossbars, making it easier to load my heavy kayak onto the roof. Tight lines, Bob

There are a bunch of great choices available for fishing kayaks these days, with many being large-volume models with high weight capacity. I believe it is a huge advantage to try before you buy. Our biggest paddlesports dealer has two annual demo weekends where you can test paddle any model, and my small local canoe/kayak dealer also offers demos. Why not try out some boats and find out which you prefer? I think there is a lot of personal preference involved in picking human-powered machines like canoes, kayaks, bicycles, etc. Have fun choosing a new boat! Tight lines, Bob

The drag on your casting reel works just like the one on your spinning reel and is even a little more convenient to adjust on the fly. One comment on your choice of line: I don't know if I'd necessarily use the least expensive mono available... it might not be the best handling line. You can pick up a 1/4-pound spool of Berkley Big Game for less than ten bucks and it's a proven performer that many experienced bass caster prefer. If you use it, you'll be assured that all your backlashes are operator-induced, not caused by cheap line with excessive memory or stiffness. ;-) Tight lines, Bob

I have a Daiwa Tournament SS that has given nothing but rock-solid performance, including years of annual in-shore striper fishing each spring. It has an excellent drag. That said, the Pflueger reel has a comparable drag, and a much smoother feel. I don't think you could go wrong with either reel, but I think the smoother feel of the Pflueger makes it the winner. As much as I like my SS, my recent spinning reel purchases have been Pfluegers and Shimanos. Tight lines, Bob

I love the zero-stretch quality of braid and the sensitivity it provides. Braid with a fluoro leader is the way I like to fish jigs. Coupled with a sensitive rod, I believe it helps you catch more fish. Tight lines, Bob

BassThumb summed up the way I fish them. One other thing... keep a small baggie handy to keep your damaged Swing Impact baits so you can fix them with Mend-It when you get home! I got out for a bit of fishing yesterday. When I tied on a Swing impact, I got a bass on the first cast. Later in the day, after having switched to other presentations, I tied one on again. Same deal: fish on the first cast. :-) Tight lines, Bob

I have a couple of Kistler KLX cranking rods I really like, as well as a Daiwa Tatula cranker in your price range. The Tatula seems like one of those "best bang for the buck" kind of deals.... Tight lines, Bob

I started frog fishing with the original Scum Frog. It's cheap and it works, but it's light and can be tough to cast. I tried the Scum Frog Trophy Series Frog and have been very happy with it. Every time I pick up one of the more expensive frogs in the tackle store, I think back on how many Scum Frogs I've lost to pike... LOTS! I like the lower price of the Scum Frog! I'm curious about the other popular brands and this thread will give me some ideas on which ones to try. Thanks to the OP for starting the thread! Tight lines, Bob

I think it would be preferable to just wash the swimsuits before wearing them... Tight lines, Bob

I'm pretty sure that vehicles with automatic transmissions start out in 1st (low) gear and won't try to shift up when you're pulling a boat out of the water and up the ramp.... :-) I've seen some rear-wheel-drive pickups get stuck at boat ramps, but haven't seen a front-wheel-drive van or SUV stuck yet (although there aren't a whole lot of folks towing boats with them compared to trucks. I tow my boat with a Subaru Forester.). I don't know the condition of the ramps you'll be using, but I don't think I'd be too worried about it, myself. Launch at busier ramps the first few times so if you do find you have a problem, there will be other folks around to help you out. Tight lines, Bob

If you'd rather be fishing your lighter baits with casting gear, you're missing out on a lot of fun if you don't have a L or ML casting rod and one of the finesse casting reels. I have a Daiwa PX-R and Alphas SV105 and enjoy them a whole bunch and look forward to trying some of the other finesse baitcasting reels. Tight lines, Bob

It is frustrating that Garmin's software updates aren't Mac-friendly. Please be sure to contact Garmin's support to remind them a lot of their customers are not Windoze users and that it is a big inconvenience to have to use someone else's PC to prepare the updates for installation. Maybe they'll get with the program and make the updates Mac-compatable! Tight lines, Bob

You're right, Scott. The QuickDraw Contours feature was included with the software update for my 93SV. I see it on the Navigation page menu. I hope I get a chance to get out on the water this weekend to try it out. Thanks very much for the information. I appreciate it. Tight lines, Bob