mattaw

Things can change quickly. But we can't control the weather. Last year was one of my best years ever, you just have to be prepared to experiment to find a pattern that is working and grind it out. Not the most fun at all times, but interesting and quite a learning experience.

I will be testing them, as well as a few others to see what the replacement will be. I'm less than thrilled as they were one of my confiedence baits though... So versatile.

Not sure, but I had tried to stock up when I first heard the news. If anyone has any swammers that they want to get rid of, I'd gladly buy them. The soft plastics XZone made were first class, sad thing to see really.

Collect gear, plan trips, and count down the days until soft water.... Don't worry, it will be here soon (I hope....)

This x2

I honestly would not risk it. I look at the lake every day when I drive by or am close to it. Things change REALLY quickly, and there are nasty spots of current. Stay safe, but at the end of the day, life is more important than fishing....

NO! It's on my todo list before everything melts. Thank you for reminding me I half expect to see a post as soon as ice is out with you in the toon wearing a hat and mustang surival suit.

Aikman is the authorized Daiwa dealer in Ontario (http://www.daiwa.com/Service/Warranty-Service-And-Parts.aspx). They should be able to order you parts and help you out. If not posting a WTB thread here or on TackleTour may dig up what you need!

I went, it seemed smaller than others years to me too. I think the fact that I also walked out with more pepperettes and meat products than fishing stuff also says something (It may say I have to much tackle already though...). It was realy nice to see a few board members and spend some time with Jose. Still worth going to, Just gets me excited for soft water!

White twister on a jighead for me to. I throw lots of stuff, but that catches almost everything in the lake.

You are correct. I was wrong. Thanks for pointing that out. I hate to have shared misinformation!

I hate to say Bass Pro, but they have the reel trade in promo on right now, so if you can make it in with an old baitcaster or reel, you'd save a penny on it... Hope that helps!

It wouldn't be the I as they are a new release, probably the Curado G. Stay far away from that though... not worth the money by a long shot! edited.

The new curado I platform is a winner. If you look around you can probably find one a tad cheaper when sales come around, or such

I just came back from the show today. I will say the Spring Fishing Show has a lot more manufacturers there as far as I can see. Companies like Koppers, Freedom Jigs and many others go to one, but not the other as far as I can see. Those are very interesting booths to me, and a reason to go to the Spring show. The show wasn't bad by any means, nice to see a few familiar faces.

Some people have a need for speed. I have seen a few with 250s and 300s on them. Beats me why though...

I was also at the show, lots of good deals if you're looking to buy new. There are the usual good deals on PFDs and the like as well. I will say the show seemed quieter than last year for the first day. There were a decent number of people, it just wasn't nearly as busy and from talking to a few friends that work the show, they seemed to agree. It will be interesting to see how the show shapes up in terms of sales and purchasing

Hahhaha, this is very true!

It's not bad if I want to use it to prescout while someone else is driving the car to the lake Otherwise, once I'm on the water, I really prefer the actual chips. Ice fishing I could see it being useful. As others have said, it really drains your battery

It really depends what you like. Some like a stiffer tip, others a more parabolic action. In the price range of the IMX jerkbait are the Megabass Orochi XX rods, they have a few options that work well for jerkbaits that cross that range. I have a few rods from that series and really like the feel of them.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all. I hope everyone is on the nice list and gets handsomely rewarded this year.

Do I catch 10x more fish, when I pay 10x more for gear? Of course not, but the sport is called fishing, and not catching. A lot of the time I spend on the water, I'm actually casting, and fishing through areas. I find nicer (higher priced) gear puts a smile on my face through the whole time on the water. I like being able to feel ever little rock and weed. There is a performance boost, but is it worth spending that much? That I can't answer, it's a personal choice. I have caught fish on the cheap Canadian Tire combos my dad bought me as a kid and on my more expensive bass gear later on in life. I promise you, the fish aren't jumping into your boat going, it feels so good to be caught on x,y or z. The gear that makes you happy, is the gear you should be using.

I would be lying if I said I didn't say that a couple times this year....

We have a shop around the corner from my work, I'm going to go at lunch and see if they have a pair...

A nice pair of boat whips would be a dream come true..