desmobob

The water I fish is very muddy with low visibility and I don't seem to have any trouble catching fish on plastics of all types. My favorite colors are the green pumpkins, watermelons, and craws. Tight lines, Bob

If I could only have one rod and reel for bass fishing, it would be the very best 7' MHF rod I could afford, plus a 6.4-7:1 reel... something from the Daiwa Tatula or Lew's Tournament Pro on up. Tight lines, Bob

My most bullet-proof, no-trouble-ever spinning reel is a small Daiwa Whisker 1300 Tournament SS. It is tough as an anvil with a velvet smooth drag. It has been used for several years for inshore saltwater fishing using heavy braid without complaint, though it is sized to be a light freshwater reel. It doesn't have the most bearings, smoothest feel, or flashy looks, but I trust it to do its job. :-) Tight lines, Bob

I have two Colt 1911s... a Combat Commander and a Combat Elite I bought new in the nineties. I'm a big guy with big hands and hated them both until I put extended safeties on them. The "modern" 1911s are so much nicer! Most of the upgrades you used to have to do or pay to have done now come standard. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Kimber or a Springfield. Carry guns seem to be a lot like bass casting reels. Everyone has their own favorite for their own reason. I think the best way to go is ask around, go to the ranges, and try to handle and shoot all the pistols you're interested in. It's a big investment and it's nice to get the one you'll be most happy with. Tight lines (and tight groups), Bob

I sit to fish most of the time, but there's plenty of nice, carpeted deck to stand on, fore and aft. A lot of days, I fish from before sunrise to after sunset. In this past season of fishing, I think I've only drained the trolling motor battery down low (never killed it completely) two or three times. Because of the nearly flat bottom of the hull, I would guess (and it's only a wild a** guess) that if you kept the weight down as far as is practical, the boat would plane and run along OK with a 20HP. As for props, the Mercury Spitfire props I tried were surprisingly good for the money. I tried two different pitches, and liked them both. They definitely get you out of the hole and up on plane quicker with hardly any loss of top end. And they only cost a little more than stock 3-blade props. I think they may come standard on the new Merc outboards... I'm not sure. Tight lines, Bob

Why did I let you make me even consider watching a video on fish chum? Well, I watched it -- some of it, anyway; as much as I could stand. I don't even know what to say about it. Sporty? Sporty. Tight lines, Bob

I greatly prefer the thinner Planos. I don't think I've run into anything that I couldn't fit in it, other than maybe an Arbogast Buzz Plug? I don't remember.... Anyway, I have one of the 3771s and it can allow you to maximize the space using the slanted dividers. I like it enough that I'll probably get a few more. Tight lines, Bob

I have a Pro 170 I bought new this summer. It has a 40HP Mercury four-stroke. I love the boat. I put a lot of hours on it this season and I haven't found much of anything I don't like about it. Initially, I was concerned about the standard 12V 45lb. bow mount Edge trolling motor, and figured I'd want to upgrade right away. I've found I don't have any pressing need to upgrade. And that's a good thing, because the one thing that bugs me a little about the boat is that there is not room in the aft fuel tank/battery compartment to add another battery if I wanted a 24V trolling motor. It's actually a bit tricky to get the starting and trolling motor batteries in and out of the compartment. I'm a big guy (240 lbs), and I usually fish alone. I have a lot of gear stored in the boat. It pops up on plane fairly quickly and has a top speed of about 35 MPH (new Merc. Spitfire prop). The boat has very mild deadrise and plenty of beam, so it's very stable. It doesn't have any handling quirks that I've found so far. The live well set-up isn't the greatest but I rarely use it, so it's not an issue for me. It would be easy to upgrade, though. There is plenty of storage, even for long one-piece rods. I can't think of what else to add... let me know if you have any specific questions and I'd be glad to try to help you. Tight lines, Bob

That has always been one of my favorite gags of all times. He did a fantastic job. :-) Those of you who haven't heard the "Tom Mabe" phone call should check it out. Tight lines, Bob

I don't panic over fishing (except maybe when I fall in when wading in a deep and fast river...) but when the chips are down, I throw a wacky Senko. If I can't get anything on that, I figure it really doesn't matter what I throw next (which is usually a spinnerbait). Tight lines, Bob

You know what brand lures I had a bunch of but eventually traded, threw away or lost and didn't replace? The cheap Herters knock-offs of various famous lures. Remember those? I can't remember the names of some of his hard baits but, for example, I had a couple of Herters' "Mooselake Wobblers" which were a blatant copy of the famous Mooselook Wobbler trout and salmon trolling spoon. He sold copies --usually cheap, imported copies-- of famous lures and they had names that were only slightly changed from the originals in some cases. Herters was my first experience in mail-ordering, too. Tight lines, Bob

Just like that. :-) Haven't seen one in 40+ years. Tight lines, Bob

Ohhh... I had a red/white jointed metal-lipped Mirr-O-Lure like that. It was one of my favorites when I was a boy. I don't remember where I got it, but I remember I couldn't find another one like it (I lived in a rural area and my bicycle wouldn't get me to the nearby cities with real tackle stores. My dad was NOT into fishing.) Tight lines, Bob

I still have a bunch of lead worm weights that I bought years ago and never used. When I would see the price of tungsten weights, I used to wonder why anyone would shell out that kind of dough for a weight. This fall, I was fishing a local lake that has a good amount of rock and ledge. I snagged someone's lost C-rig and pulled it up, finding a tungsten weight on it. I used that weight to throw a T-rig and on the first retrieve, I said to myself, "NOW I know why people shell out the money for tungsten!" The difference in feel is surprising. Tight lines, Bob

I still have a couple of the old Jitterbugs and one Superfrog is still in my tackle box. Good stuff! I also still have an old Heddon Tadpolly and River Runt in my box. Tight lines, Bob

Stripers always seem to get me. And is there any other fish that raises its hackles like a yellow perch when you haul him into the boat? They seem to be the fish that try the hardest to fin you. As a young kid, I learned about the fins of catfish and was always scared to death of getting poked by one. I am super careful with them and after a lifetime of fishing and catching lots of catfish and bullhead, I've never been nailed (knock on wood). Can anyone that has been nailed by a catfish tell me just what it's like? Tight lines, Bob

I really don't think it matters. But when I buy them in a two-color version, I always rig them so the lighter color is on the bottom, naturally. They are my favorite jig trailers! Tight lines, Bob

I started with Z-Man 3/8 oz with the supplied split tail trailer. I had good luck, but found I had a hard time keeping them deep. I later bought some 1/2 oz. DM and 5/8 oz. Z-Man Pro baits and tried using some paddle tail type trailers. I like them all. Tight lines, Bob

I really love my Lew's Tournament Pros and think they are probably the most feature-rich reels for the money, but I also think I'd rather have two Tatulas than one Lew's TP! The Tatulas are wonderful reels and also offer a whole lot of bang for the buck. Tight lines, Bob

We can't buy lead sinkers where I live, so the normal replacements are steel, which are HUGE compared to similar lead weights. They also rust. I love tungsten weights but I sure hate paying for them. :-) Tight lines, Bob

This is exactly what I was going to try to say: Mastering various forms of tackle opens options and enhances the overall fishing experience imo." Fly fishing changed my entire fishing life. I was interested in learning it when I was a young teenager. Advice from local "experts" left me with mismatched tackle, misinformation and poor casting skills. It proved to be nothing but frustrating for me and I quickly put it aside. Just a few years down the road, the interest rekindled. This time, I bought some good books and videos and decided to go at it solo, teaching myself. The results were that for many years, I rarely touched conventional fishing gear at all; fly fishing became my absolute favorite way to fish. I eventually got involved in saltwater inshore fly fishing and enjoyed that very much, too. Since then, the only time I fished with conventional gear was when the conditions made it almost a must, so I occasionally used spinning gear on the saltwater fly fishing trips. This summer found me curious about bass fishing and I started outfitting myself with bait casting gear. I'm really enjoying it a lot, too. I would whole-heartedly encourage to try fly fishing. You have everything to gain, and nothing but a little bit of money to lose if you decide it's not for you. Just make sure you learn the basics before you even buy any gear, and that you find someone with good knowledge of the sport to help you get started. One of the best introductory books regarding the sport used to "The Orvis Fly-Fishing Guide" by Tom Rosenbauer. I highly recommend it as your very first fly fishing purchase. Tight lines, Bob

I really like clickies, even if just for the feel of precision and perceived quality. I can understand the repeatability thing, but I don't use it. That's not to say I won't ever use click detents for that purpose though. As I get more experience and familiarity with my gear and baits, I can see where it would come in handy for quick spool tension adjustments like rippin-lips mentioned. It also gives me some assurance that if I somehow accidentally moved my drag or spool tension adjustments, I'd hear/feel it. This has never happened to me, but it's a "feel good" kind of thing at least. I suppose if a person took the time to take some drag measurements with a good scale, he could determine just how many clicks it takes to go from his normal drag setting to the "danger zone" of risking a break-off. With that information, he could keep his drag at a safe setting but still know where the limit was if he really needed to control a big fish. I guess I see some advantages to the click detents, but no disadvantages (other than the increased cost they undoubtedly add to the price of a reel so equipped). Tight lines and Merry Christmas, Bob

Freshwater: Trout of all kinds. Landlocked Salmon (incredible runs and jumps). Panfish on ultralight fly fishing gear. Saltwater (on the flyrod): Inshore stripers. Big bluefish. Dorado (Mahi mahi). Tight lines and Merry Christmas, Bob

I didn't mention the KLX because it's a bit above your listed price range. I have two of them and I think they are NICE rods. Tight lines and Merry Christmas, Bob

I fish in muddy water and I threw frogs a good bit this summer. I used yellow, chartreuse, green and black. I didn't notice too much of a preference by the bass, but I think the darn pike bit off more of the chartreuse or yellow ones... :-) Tight lines, Bob