the reel ess

I like the hooks they have now and they continue to catch fish with the paint wearing off. This statement I'm going to make is not aimed at you. Just a general statement. But what makes a lure company start the marketing of a brand new bait in a very crowded segment of the market at the very top of the price range? There are already much cheaper lipless cranks that work quite well. It would take a lot of pros telling me this was the best on the market to get me to pay $16 for it.

I've got that magnum size and the regular Pop R. Seems I get more bites on the smaller one. But that's the one I have confidence in. So I fish it more. Maybe I'd use the big one in a chop with obvious schoolies. Or stripers.

I think light, stiff and durable would be what you need. Not necessarily sensitive for frog fishing. That's mostly sight fishing. But if it might double as a flipping stick, then it never hurts to have sensitivity.

I did see that. Thing is, I like the leg shape. This is a frog that a bass can engulf completely. I think the others with the long legs can be harder for a fish to find the body. If there's one thing I don't like about this frog, it's that it doesn't run true. You twitch it and it might go straight, might turn either way. But fish don't seem to mind that.That and the fact that it's so light. If you do it, let me know how it turns out.

17# Fireline (since I bought it Berkley replaced 17# with 20# at the same dia). No leader. I'm almost convinced using leaders around here is a complete waste of $$$ and time.

This is the first frog I ever bought. http://www.basspro.com/Snag-Proof-The-Original-Frog/product/37017/ I caught my PB on it more than 10 years ago and I still have it. Not one like it but the actual lure. It only costs $6.50. And it still gets more hits than the SPRO, Scum frog and some other hard rubber popping frog I have. If you're going to buy it, buy the casting size (1/4 oz) The spinning size is 1/8 oz and it really doesn't cast far enough even on spinning gear.

I never get bored fishing. Even when they don't bite. If I didn't have family obligations, I'd probably fish 4-5 days/week.

I got 99 problems, but a frog ain't one. Switch to braid. 20# on MH spinning combo will do. But if you really wanna cross their eyes, a Heavy BC combo with 50# is the going thing. Take pliers and bend your hooks out away from the frog just enough to not be touching it. There is a trailer hook that rides up and loops over both hooks. Hold off for 2 whole seconds before setting the hook after the bass takes the frog down. That bass has a mouth full of air and maybe some frog. If you give him time, he'll exhale the air through the gills and have all frog/water. Cross his eyes then. You'll still miss some but catch more. A 50% rate ain't bad. If you have 2 rods, rig the other with a senko weightless and toss it to the spot the fish missed at. They'll often take a consolation prize. Good luck.

Good job man!

Yeah, my buddy bought a sit-in kayak with paddle and PFD for $100. Now it wasn't anything special or very comfy is you ask me. But would get you on the water. You could always add rod holders later.

They should have simply removed the basket, told the entire club and said nothing to him. When he came to the weigh-in empty handed, the look on his face, knowing someone knew but not who, would be adequate payback...then have him arrested.

Fisherman lying? I refuse to believe it. Can't have nothing. I don't know what would be the fun of winning a contest in which you cheated. The same reason I won't go to topless bars. I can't make myself believe something that I know isn't true.

If you can get to a big lake's tailrace, there's more oxygen in the water and cooler because it's off the bottom of the dam. I've fished Wateree R below the dam and it's pretty good on the hottest days. It also makes a big difference in how you feel. Be careful. In the heat, they run for power a lot more often and it can get hairy. Listen for the horn. A kayak is the way to go, but water level can change fast. On down the river it widens and slows some and is easier to fish.

I only have anecdotal evidence to back this up. But I firmly believe if you fish a lure that bass haven't seen before, that adequately represents something they would eat (roughly similar color, size, smell, etc.) you stand a better chance of catching them if they've been pressured. I like to try something different every time out. Experimentation is fun and usually rewarding. I can tell you the first time I try a wacky rig almost anywhere, I'll find some fish curious enough to eat it. There's one place I fish where I consciously avoid throwing what my friend uses there because he's the only other person who fishes for bass there regularly. His fish are not educated and are much easier to catch. They also are a little overpopulated and hungry as can be. You have to experiment to find lures for the bigger fish there. I don't know how long a worm's memory is, but they can learn to choose a particular path to avoid an electrical shock. If they can learn to avoid unpleasant circumstances, I'm almost certain bass can. No data to back it up, but that's my opinion, FWIW.

What's your fave? Pound Test#? Is it suitable for using with T-rigs if you use a leader? I have been using Fireline on spinning with no leaders, but not anything like 50#. I love the roundness of it. They don't make 50#. But I'm thinking 30# would suffice on a BC reel for frogs since I don't fish many places with a ton of slop. Just lilies, mostly. The recent thread hating on Vanish has me thinking I ought to trash it. It's very old anyway.

And NOT with a bungee!!! LOL

BPS just had Traps 4/$10. If there's something better about the R2Sea, you coul do it to your Trap cheaper (add better hooks). Having said that, my buddy uses only Cordell Spots. Reason is they are a darker gold. There are gold shiners where we use them year-round. I already had 2 Traps, so I'm sticking with that.

Heavy mono will float the front of the bait higher because that line floats. That'll give you more walk on a Spook and more POP! on a Pop R. Bill Dance says he even uses ChapStick to make the last couple feet of mono more bouyant. If you want to use another line, you can increase the rear hook by one size to do the same thing. These are tiny differences, but might buy you a few bites over the other guy in the boat with the standard lure.

With the tailgate dowwn, you have about 8.5'. That's more than half a kayak. I sometimes tow one to a local place and I'll only put one strap thru the carry handles across the rear of the bed. If I carry two, I'll run a strap thru the front and one at the back thru the middle carry handles of both kayaks. Nowhere they can go. It's a whole lot easier loading/unloading from the truck bed. You might want to tie something red on the end for a flag, but my kayak is red.

If you have a Silverado, I don't understand the question. That's exactly what I have.

My daughter

I use exactly what you use.

Man, you guys are really making me rethink it. I may scrap it in favor of a heavy braid with a mono leader. The line I have on that reel is pretty old, but has really not been used much. I've caught some decent fish on it with no problems. And I really liked the lack of stretch when I set a hook. I haven't had a bad experience with it, but I haven't hooked into a trophy and lost it because of FC either. I am using tungsten bullet weights now and I know those have a tendency to nick FC knots.

Wacky is just that: Wacky. Sometimes it's just the ticket, sometimes not. I have yet to catch one with a stick worm rigged conventionally. Not one. But I've mopped up with the Wacky a couple times. I only started using either this spring, so that experiment's not scientific yet. I want to give the chicken rig a try soon. It looks like a winner anywhere they haven't seen it yet. But it'll have to be a place where I know they're shallow.

I have a M/Fast 6'6" Lightning Rod, BPS Rick Clunn BC 7.1:1 reel (discontinued) spooled with 15# Berkley Big Game. This is one case where you'd like heavy mono. It's buoyant and will enhance the action of walking baits and poppers. It also allows some stretch when bass strike, maybe keeping you from pulling the bait away some. I haven't caught a bass on a Spook in quite a while but I've mopped them up on Torpedo and caught a nice one on Pop R. That speed reel is really up to the user. But I find that if they hit topwater, I can usually drag them across the surface and lose fewer and keep them out of the weeds. It's a crap shoot with the trebles. This is a $40 rod, so it ain't the most sensitive. Being a cheapskate as I am, I can get this job done for less $$$. This is a good use for it because it casts well, won't cause me to sn atch the bait away and seems to have just the right action and leverage. And it's versatile enough to be my primary crankbait rod.