ww2farmer

I always thought so too..................untill I started using the leaders. I honestly think it helped me put more fish in the boat this year, especially when the bite was off, be it from heavy fishing pressure, or just the fish being in a foul mood. At the very least it didn't hurt or cost me anything (other than time to tie the leader, and the $$ to buy the fluoro.) I still use straight braid for a few things, like punching very heavy mats, and obviously topwater and frogging. But I am sold on the benifits of using the leader and will do so from now on.

The only time I use the straight shank hooks is when I am punching very thick mats, with a big tungsten sinker. I like the extra bite of the straight shank when that big sinker tends to pop there mouths open a little. And the big barbed bait keepers on the popular flipping hooks do help keep your bait put on the hook when your punching and crashing them into very very heavy cover. I don't snell them, waste of time IMHO, my hook up ratio is just fine with palomar knot. Other than that I use EWG offset hooks for the rest of my plastics fishing, no hook up problems for me there either.

I like to use one about 5-6 foot long, that way I can get a few re-ties out of it before I need to tie a new leader, I'll let it get down to about 15" or so before I tie a new leader on.

I use 20,30,or 50 lb power pro braid as a main line, with either a 12,15,or 20lb seaguar fluorocarbon leader depending on the cover, water clarity, and size jigs I am fishing. My most used combo would be the 30lb braid paired with 15lb fluoro on a 7' MH/fast rod with 3/8's and 1/2 oz jigs, around cover like boat docks, wood, moderately thick grass.

Go to ebay. Brand new Fenwick Eagle GT's can be had for $65 with free shipping, a 7' MH/fast would make a good all around jig/plastics rod, paired with a Daiwa Exceler reel, which can also be found on ebay NIB for $65 with free shipping. IMHO thats an excellant bang for the buck on your $130 budget.

I have no problems casting weightless soft plastics with either of my Curado 51E's. They will cast and handle smaller baits better than any stock 200 sized shimano reel. I have one spooled with 20lb braid on a St Croix 7' med. power/fast action LTB, the other with 30lb braid on a 7' St Croix MH/F LTB.

I actually enjoy the winter "break", if we didn't have an off season around here I fear I would have some kind of burn out. I am not the most most dedicated cold water bass fisherman, I really don't care for the slow tedious pace of it, and having to sit in often miserable weather for short bursts of activity dosen't suit me or my fishing style. Besides that wait to get back out there every spring is as close to feeling like christmas did as a kid as I will get anymore. We had one of the earliest springs ever last spring here. On the water in early march, it was one of the reason I put the boat away so early this year, most years I keep it out till at least thanksgiving, but by early November, I was tired of it. A little over a month later, I am chomping at the bit again. I will scratch the itch a little if/when we get safe ice, but thats only really something to do to pass the time. In NYwe have two days to look forward to, the day the lake is ice free and can get out there again for some C&R bass fishing, and the third sat. in June when tournament season starts. With the exception of a few hot weeks of prespawn fishing, and that last little flurry in mid-late fall, July and August is my favorite time to fish.

I keep it simple. Wipe them down and clean off any gunk at the end of the season, or as needed, a drop of oil in the brake race, in each spool bearing, and on the level wind at the end of the year, and every two weeks during the season. When one acts up, or needs to be taken apart for some reason I send it to some one like DVT. What little money he charges is well worth it. I sent him a Citica 201E this summer, and when I got it back I was blown away at how much better it was when I got it back. I have taken reels apart and cleaned them myself, but never with the results as what a pro can do.

A lot of good trick worm suggestions in this thread http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/110314-trick-worm-tricks/ As for the gulp, is there any perticular bait your asking about? I like a few, but don't care for most. I will say the smaller minnows in the 1" or 2.5" size in any color on a dropshot rig is as close to a 100% guaranteed fish producer as you'll find. Not always bass, but something.

Welcome home , thanks for your service............I'll see you on the ice and/or water this year no if's and's or but's about it.

I like a 7' MH/F St Croix from any of their series (Mojo, Avid, LTB,etc....), depends on how much you want to spend, very versatile rods that are excellant for jigs, as well as plastics, spinnerbaits, frogs, and more. Paired with a Shimano Citica, or Curado in a 6.something :1 ratio and 30-50 lb braid, with a fluorocarbon leader, sized to match the cover I am fishing.

For flipping grass in water warmer than 60 degrees, I like the RI Beaver most of the time, if they are being all mad at me and stuff and won't hit the beav, I go with a senko with a tungsen sinker pegged to it's nose. Docks,wood, grass in colder water, and any other hard cover I usually go with a jig.

I am sick and tired of either fixing my Tracker, or worrying about what I will have to fix next, and am starting to save my pennies for a new boat. After 6+ years of fishing out of the tracker I know what I want, and what I don't want in my next boat. I don't want a glass boat, I don't want or can afford boat payments. I fish small, local lakes, small local tournaments, often in shallow nasty water, no need for a big tournament rig. I want a plan jane, 16' foot boat, with a stable casting deck. I don't want or need carpet all over the place, I fish in the rain alot. I don't need storage for an entire BPS isle to fit in, and I want everything easy to get to. Wind is my enemy now, so I have learned to deal with it. I have been looking at the Allweld 1652VZ as a replacment, I would add the side console option, and some other small stuff. I will make my own livewell, take the Merc 25hp off my current boat, as well as my electonics, and 24V TM. Anyone have any opinions on the Allwelds? I am not married to it, as I just started the looking process, and depending on how much trouble the tracker gives me, the purchase is a little while down the road. But I for sure want some thing else. Lowe? G3? maybe?? Not another Tracker. By the time I am done with that tracker it's going to be junk.

That's what I was hoping to hear. Thanks. I guess I will pick one up and try it, if I like it, I'll send the LTB off to greener pastures. It's a great rod, but just so limited to what it does great. I need more versatility.

Space is limited in my little boat, and it's getting a bit rediculous of how many specialized rods I have. Earlier I had a brain cramp and deciede I needed to add 2 crankbait rods to my arsenal, one for square bills/shallow cranks, and one for smaller mid depth cranks like SK 3xd's, Little John MD's etc....to go along with the deep cranking rod I already have, a St Croix LTB 7'10" H/Mod. "magum cranker". But now, I have not bought anything yet, think I need to go the other way and have one rod that is more for general cranking than all these specialized rods. I tend to use SK 5xd's, and Spro Fat Poppa's more than any other deep cranks, and they are on the lower end of the LTB's rating. I occasionaly use 6xd's and Little John DD's. But not as often as the other two. Am I an idiot (shut up Noel) for thinking, insted of having 3 cranking rods all for specific presentations, to have one that will handle the meat of what I use (1.5/2.5 squarebills, 1/2 oz redeye shads, and 5xd's), that can toss the smaller cranks better than the LTB I have, but also use it for the bigger cranks like the 6xd when I go that way. Does such a rod even exist? I am kind of a St croix guy and would like to stay that way. The 7'4" Mojo glass rod has me interested as an all purpose rod., and I think it will handle my most used baits just fine, has any one ever used that rod for bigger baits like the 6xd, and how was it ? That Mojo is only rated to 3/4's oz, and the 6xd's are a 1 oz. bait. Going from a LTB to a Mojo wouldn't bother me, but maybe the switch from graphite to glass is what would. I do crank with braid, and when I have switched from deep cranking with the LTB to squarebilling with a cheap Lightning rod shock in the same day, it honestly has not botherd me at all..........except for the fact I paid $250 for a cranking rod that is so limited in what I can do with it, LOL. I have tried making that LTB work for other baits, but I just can't, and I don't want a rod that only does one thing (it is a dream with those deep cranks tho) due to my space/storage issues. Not to mention I am a non-boater often and am starting to get dirty looks, and snide comments from my boaters when I bring more rods than they do.

I go old school. 1943 mfg. USGI Remington Rand M1911A1. Big and heavy...........like me. Still goes bang every time I pull the trigger at 69 years old, and those big 230 grain slugs go where I point it.

Astro glide.............fun for everyone. LOL

Power pro braid as a main line with Seaguar leaders.

I seriously have called it a day before when I ran out of megastrike.

Day in and day out a 4" finesse worm is hard to beat. Brand has never mattered, just what ever I like at that time. Zoom, robo, netbait, strike king, GYCB, etc.. I have caught good fish on all of them.

Send those ones to me, they don't work, and I will get rid of them for you.

I picked one...........it worked, so I kept using it. Simple as that. I have seen color matter not at all way more times than I have seen it mean the difference between getting bit or not. Matching the hatch is nonsense for bass fishing. I have caught just as many, if not more bass on goofy outlandish crankbait colors, as I have on super realistic natural ones...........even in clear water. And just the oppostite with jigs/plastics. I catch more on brown, green, or black, than anything else......reguardless of water clarity. So what does that mean? Nothing. Pick a color and fish it. If your not getting bit, it's not because you have the wrong color. I am not 100% positive of this, but I think I have taken there money or at least finished higher in tournaments than almost every one I have ever met who's first question, or main concern, is "what color are you getting them on". I'll tell you all day long what color I use.............but I won't tell you why/when/where I am doing what I am doing, which is the most important thing.

4/0 Gamakatsu EWG super line hook, tied to a 2'-3' fluorocarbon leader connected to the main line with a good swivel. I rig the worm weedless and weight less, but insted of rigging it perfectly straight, I twist the worm 1/4 of the way around before I bring the hook point back up through and texpose it on the side of the worm. When I twitch my rod tip, the worm walks the dog just under the surface with an erratic darting action. Drives them nuts at times, they will come up and crush it, I like this better than a fluke. CAUTION.....if you don't use the swivel, doing this will twist your line so bad after just a few casts you will be cursing life.

Anything under $100 by Shimano, St Croix, or Fenwick will serve you well. I have been using St Croixs almost exclusivly the last few years, after a few years of using Fenwicks almost exclusivly. I honestly think, the Fenwicks were better bangs for the buck in the sub $100 range, and I think when looking at some new rods to fill out holes in my arsenal this off season I am going to get some more Fenwicks in the boat. I have always liked Shimano reels, and am deffinatly condsidering some of there rods too, based on word of mouth, the over the counter warranty, and the fast I like there reels so much.

None of the ones mentioned. I like bluegill, and the oranage craw ok, but it's still not my go to.One person here knows mine, but if he starts flapping his gums, I'll tell every one what his is....LMAO.