ww2farmer

Clayton I have had two of the Jeep Cherokees with the 4.0L inline six........they run forever, easy to work on, junkyard are full of them for good cheap used parts. They will rot out before they wear out. I put 200,000 on my first one (a 97) and was still running strong when I sold it, I have 150,000 on my current one (a 2000), I bought it with 125,000 on it for $2800. And other than enevitable WNY rocker panal, and bottom of the doors rust, should get me to 200,000 before the rust/rot gets it.

I have caught frog fish in high 40/low 50 degree water before

The most commen mistakes I see people making all the time are: #1 shaking the bait TOO much #2 not using the proper sized weight to get it to, and keep it (the sinker), on the bottom. #3 fishing it too fast #4 using it dirty water WHEN they are not right on top of fish #5 putting self imposed limitations on the technique.........I know guys who think it's only a deep water smallmouth tool, or that it's only good for dinks, or you can only fish small baits on light line with it, that you can only use spinning tackle with it, and etc.......

Never had a LC squarebill, and never will. Not that they are not well made, and productive baits. But the shear number of fish fish I catch on SK KVD's is good enough for me, even with swapping the hooks out, it still costs lest than LC, and hurts the wallet far worse when the toothies come a looking.

I use regular power pro in 10 lb on my drop shot rod, 15lb on my shaky head/wacky jig rod, and 20lb on my dock skipping rod. Been using it for years, it's good, cheap, and available every where.

Spro Little Johns, and Strike King Red eye shads ( in case anyone forgot, they do have flat sides), get the call for me.

I have the St Croix Magnum Cranker, and I won't be throwing the 10xd on it, I will probably use my Mojo flipping stick. It's mod/fast in action, and rated to 2 oz.

Not just Avids, but ANY two (or more) St Croix rods totaling $230 or more. I bought 2 Mojo's ($100 each) and an Eyecon ($110). FWIW, time is up on the promo, you had to buy the rods on or before Dec. 31st., for those that did, they give you till the end of Jan. to mail it in.

Debit card for things like gas, groceries. Cash for toys. Credit cards are rarely used, just some misc online purchases, and I like to keep the balance paid down in case of emergancy.

I use the magic eraser. Simple, easy, and makes them like new again. I used one pad for 9 rod handles the other day, rinse it out between rods, and it could keep going.

Yeah I got mine already. Sent the info in on 12/30/12, got the rod last week.

I fish mostly Strike King and Spro crankbaits. I run the stock hooks on the Spros right out of the box, and change them as needed. Strike Kings get changed right out of the box. I change both brands to Mustad KVD 1x strong, 2x short triple grips. Deep divers get stock on the rear, 1 size larger on the front, shallow divers and lipless I stay with stock.

Not yet, but I will be.

I join the braid to fluoro with an alberto knot. When tied right, it is stupid strong, compact so it goes through guides with ease, and is very easy to tie. Depending on what I am doing, I usually use about 4-5 feet of leader, that allows me several re-ties, before I need to tie a new leader on. And it also keeps the knot out of the reel when casting.

It's often going to depend on the specific body of water. In my home lake, with the exception of spring and a to a lesser extent a smaller window in the fall, smallmouth are not often found or caught in typicaly good producing largemouth area's, but largemouth are more than willing, and likely to be anywhere from the bank to deep water almost year round. There is allways that oddball smallie that will be caught under a dock in pea soup water in the middle of summer, but they are they exception rather than the rule. Truth be told, if I had to depend on catching smallies in my lake from mid/late june till mid/late september, I would have alot more free time LOL.

For me, they are all Shimano's #1 Citica D: Good used ones can be had for $60-$80, and are as rugged and bullet proof as any low profile reel ever made. #2 Citica E: I have picked them up in good used shape for $75 #3 Cruxis: This reel has always flown under the radar, every bit as solid as the Citica D's, performs the same, I have never paid more than $50 for one, they are great reels for the money. #4 Curado B's: they were not the reel for the masses for so long for no reason, good used ones are abundant and often can be had for less than $100 #5 Curado D's: For some reason deals on used ones of these seem to be few and far between......which is good. They are a solid reel that holds it's value #6 Curado E's : especialy the 50/51E. While most used ones still bring good money, it is money well spent #7Calcutta B's: I don't own one, nor have I ever. BUT I do know of guys who do, and in perticular one guy who is brutally hard on his stuff and performs ZERO maint. on them, all the while fishing almost more than anyone I know and they just keep going and going and going. If and when I ever buy a round reel, it will be a Calcutta B #8 Bantam Citica's: same platform as the classic Curado B's, can be had dirt cheap, and Shimano still supports them with parts. #9 Chronarch E's: When I look at what you get for the price, the options in RH/LH retreive,built on the proven platform of the Curado/Citica E, my next NEW Shimano will be a Chronarch E. #10 Chronarch B's: Same reason as the Citica/Curado D's. Rugged, reliable, still around, still supported by Shimano. With some looking and waiting can be had for a lot less then they were new. You can spend a wad of money of newer, lighter, flashier reels and still not have anything as rock solid WITH high end performance as the Chronarch B. Every one I have ever used has been a pleasure, and am waiting for one to come along at the right price.............for me..........to pounce on. I left off the newer G series Citicas and Curados, not because I don't like them, or want one, but because being fairly new ( yes the Chronarch E's are new, but they are built on a solid proven platform) they have a little way's to go to crack my top ten. Things like the Core, and Calais, always have been,and might always will be out of my price range. Chronarch MG's and D's I have little to no expeirance with, so I don't feel qualified to comment.

A St Croix 6'8" M/XF spinning rod will do both, and do both well. Is it my ideal drop shot rod ? No, but I have used mine for drop shotting and it is more than OK, but it is an excellant shaky head rod. Honestly, it is a better drop shot rod, than how my dedicated drop shot rod performs as a shaky head rod.......LOL if that makes any sense.... Iet me put it this way, my drop shot rod (7' ML/F Avid) is an excellant drop shot rod, but I don't care for it as a shaky head stick. But my 6'8 M/XF Mojo is a great shaky head stick, and it's not to bad of a drop shot rod, so in other words it's pretty versitile. Pick your price range, the offer that length and power from the Mojo ($100), Rage ($150), and Avid ($190) lines.

Yeah, as soon as a 10/22 action is dropped into a "tactical" type stock, going by the word of the law as written now, it's an assualt rifle. Your guess is a good as mine John, one of the many "grey areas" of this that is TBD yet.

Oh..........about a 100 different ways. Wacky, both with and with out weight, T-rigged, both with and with out weight. Also on drop shots, shaky heads, as jig trailers, and more. I don't think there is a way (known to me) that I have not rigged them and caught fish. It's just a tool......a very versatile tool.

Link to the bill http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/S2230-2013

Thats just the thing Clayton, the 10/22 is NOT an assualt weapon based on the states new qualifications of what is and is not. Just because a rifle is a semi-auto, and has a detachable magazine ,it does not make it an assualt weapon. It has to meet certain qualifiers to be considered one. The qualifiers I personaly read in the bill MANY time over the last few days are if it has ONE of the following " pistol grip, or thumbhole stock, flash hider or muzzle brake, bayonet lug, a threaded muzzle, grenade launcher, or a folding stock" A stock, standard, plain jain 10/22 has none of those, so it is not subject to the assualt weapon registration. As for the SKS, most SKS's are 50 plus years old, and there is also an exemption for Curios and Relics which NYS is defining as "ANY Firearm, rifle, or shotgun made fifty years prior" to the date the bill was passed. Lots of mis-information and paranoia out there right now being spread by people who have not read the bill. The 10/22 point being one of the biggest ones.

Braid is what I use for all topwater, 30-50 lb for frogs, and 20-30lb for spooks, pop-r's, etc... No leaders, just straight to the bait. Personaly I have never had any issues with it getting tangled or fouling in the treble hooks of baits.

My winter fishing is limited to the last 2-3 weeks of the season before I put my boat away, and the first 2 weeks or so after ice out untill the water starts making noticable gains in water temp. The temp ranges in the fall/winter period I fish are usually the high to mid 40's, and in the spring from the high 30's to mid 40's. Baits that have worked well for me on both ends of those periods have been small 3"-4" plastics on a drop shot, shakey head worms, small mid- deep diving crankbaits, finesse jigs, and a grub slow rolled on a jig head. Stuff that works better for me in the spring with rising water temps have been lipless cranks, suspending jerkbaits, and small shallow running cranks. Stuff that works better for me in the fall/winter with falling water temps,have been tubes, football jigs, small plastics rigged on a wacky jig, and smaller flipping jigs, and plastics in what remaining heavy grass cover is left. I have not yet been much of a silver buddy/blade type bait kind of guy, but know it works for alot of people, it's something I deffinatly want to try and get a feel for.

I get along fine wth lead, tungsten drop shot weights only do one thing for me..............and that is make me pull my hair out. For the ammount of DS weights I lose tungsten would get real expensive, real fast.

I have, but I have not consistantly caught any more or bigger fish on them than I do with 5 or 6 inch senkos. I don't bother with them any more. Most of my "big" fish caught on senkos (5-6 lbs around here) have been on the 5", with a few on the 6", and a few on the 4". When I am senko fishing, I typicaly stick with the 5", if the senko bite is good and I am looking for a bigger bite I go to the 6", if the bite is slow I go the other way, down to the 4" or even the 3", or fish another bait/presentation alltogether.