Dwight Hottle

Lipless provide depth control that a chatterbait doesn’t because of its buoyancy and lighter weight. It also offers sound as well as vibration. A one ounce lipless sinks like stone but a chatterbait is not as efficient for fishing deep. A crank bait floats but also offers good depth control based on the model you select creating sound disturbance & vibration. Even though all three baits are somewhat similar they provide different functions. Three different tools in your fishing toolbox.

You guys have all got me beat. I have never fished for river smallies.

Mike are you getting emails through your contact us button on your site? I sent you two message with questions to contact me. Thanks I know your busy just wondered if there was malfunction.

Tom I picked line test based on diameter the only way to really make a comparison. 14lb Advance is similar in dia to most 17lb test dia and 17lb test is comparable to 20 lb dia. Ordinarily I would never take 14 lb test to Mexico because of its trophy bass mix and underwater rock & wood.

It depends on what type of waters you are fishing & how much cover is present. For open water like the great lakes I would recommend a jerk bait or crank bait. For heavy cover the swim jig with a paddle tail trailer or spinnerbait/underspin works better. For shallow water with cover you can't beat a frog.

I used 14lb & 17lb Suffix Advance in clear on my last trip to lake Baccarac without any problems. I used it here in Florida for a couple of months prior to give it a fair trial before Mexico. I liked it better than Sunline Defier Armilo which was my choice of copoly prior to trying the Advance. You either have got a bad batch of line or have some type of equipment malfunction.

I just flew from West Palm Beach to Atlanta to Mexico City to Los Mochis Mexico. Had a carry on suitcase & carry on rod case 33" long. No problems until going through security leaving Los Mochis on the return leg. I was informed that their airport policy did not allow any fishing rods to be carried on only checked. Had to return to the check in desk & pay $55 USD to check my carry on rod case. Security did the same thing to another angler leaving on the same flight. I had flown out of Los Mochis one other time with my carry on rod case with no problem. It all depends on the individual running TSA security or foreign security as what the procedure is for that particular day. Leaving a foreign country gives you no choice but to comply with their wishes.

PB's are always sweet. Congrats.

Just because you didn't have a problem doesn't mean the next guy won't. From the TSA website Fishing pole Carry On Bags: Yes Checked Bags: Yes Fishing rods are permitted in carry-on and checked bags; however, passengers should check with the airline to confirm that the fishing rod fits within size limitations for carry-on items. Sharp fishing tackle that may be considered dangerous, such as large fish hooks, should be sheathed, securely wrapped, and packed in your checked bags. Like other high-value objects, you may wish to pack expensive reels or fragile tackle that does not pose a security threat (small flies) in your carry-on bags.

I had it two years ago in my shoulder. A shot of cortisone in the shoulder helped 50-75%. A second shot about 6 weeks later cured the problem for me. Excessive push ups reps without a long slow build up phase is what caused my problem. As we age any repetitive exercises or repetitive motions without proper conditioning over an adequate amount of time can cause tendinitis. Just remember the turtle wins the race & so go slow & easy.

I have caught three DD's. My PB a 11-8 & a 10-3 both on a lipless SK red eye shad in 3/4 oz. My third DD was a 11-2 caught on a large wild shiner. Your home state of Texas offers you plenty of opportunity to catch a DD. You just need time on the water to get there & fish in lakes that hold DD's. Prespawn is the best opportunity to break the DD barrier.

Sweet piggie.

All hooks are supposed to be in checked luggage.

Since it's built for monster use & monster baits I wouldn't hesitate to use baits up to 4 ounces.

Masochist eh?

Sunrise on Lake Bacarrac Mexico

That's Robert Perez one of the founders of Hawgtech. That picture is an unusual facial expression for him.

As Mike has mentioned the Bantam is a very rigid reel due to its 3 piece design of the outer shell. All the other Shimano reels are 5 piece design. The elimination of those extra two pieces makes for a more rigid & closer tolerances of the basic platform. Hence the extra smoothness & feeling of overall quality when reeling.

As a cancer survivor I know your difficulties and I’m wishing you the best going forward. Stay strong & remember we are all pulling/praying for you.

https://www.facebook.com/Warrior-2-Bass-Guide-Service-639617203123592/ This guy is good. Give him a call.

Daiwa Samurai is the smoothest I have found.

Made it to Lake Bacarrac with four friends Robert Perez, Noah Arroyo & Justin Bell as part of Wayne Campbell's Swimbait Universe group. 21 guys in the group so we had a full house at the lodge for 5 days of fishing & fun. The trip offered an incentive to the guy who caught the biggest bass with a free trip next year with Wayne's group. Just a little icing on the cake for this group of dedicated fisherman. As the fishing reports came in at lunch time & dinner time a common theme surfaced. It was either feast or famine for almost all boats. Tough fishing by Lake Bacarrac standards. Big fish for the first day was in the 9's. By the 2nd day there were double digits on the board. Daily fish numbers for the boats went form less than 10 up to 40-50 count. New PB's were rolling in for some but it remained tough for others. I got a new topwater PB on day two with a 9lber on a small popper. That morning we had a fantastic topwater bite that lasted for 2.5 hours because of overcast conditions. Noah had a new PB of 8-12 the third day & boy was he excited. On day four the big fish bar was raised by a 11-5 in the morning. That same morning I had a big fish on that had me perplexed by its weight & strength as it pulled drag during an extended fight. This fish really kicked my a--. When it finally got netted it was a 3-4 pounder. Everyone was perplexed until we noticed two bent out hook points on the front treble. The small fish was hooked on the rear treble. We surmised that the big fish got off right at the boat before the small fish hit the net. I was emotionally devastated. What a letdown. On the plus side that morning my SK lipless crankbait was on fire. I had a unique bait by sound & color that was a one of a kind bait. I was getting three fish to my boatmates one all morning long. We had 30+ bass between 4-7lbs that morning with as many as 5 straight in 5 casts. The bass were hitting shad trapped at the surface over 40-60 fow. It was a slugfest. After lunch on the fourth day I continued to fish that lipless crankbait for the rest of the day. It was working but not as successfully as the morning. I casted parallel to an island in 20 fow when my bait just stopped. It first felt like a snag but the head shakes gave it away. She jumped completely out of the water & Robert yelled at me PB. I was so busy trying to keep the rod tip down so she couldn't jump I never saw her. She finally came boatside them dived under the boat towards the opposite side. I worked her back & Hernando scooped her in the net. She weighed 11lb-7 3/4oz on the Salter Brecknell and measured out at 27" by 19.5" a new PB for me. I just beat the other 11lber for the lead in the contest. With only a day to go I had a good chance of winning the free trip. It lasted throughout the final day until the last hour when I got beat by a beautiful 12-4. Noah had a 2nd new PB on the last day with a 9-8 on a spook style topwater bait. Best baits for the week were 1 ounce jigs in black/blue tipped with black/blue 7" senkos, 2oz bacca burritos swimbaits, numerous topwater baits but mostly poppers & spook style walkers & lipless crankbaits. There was a DD caught on a whopper plopper. Collective big fish for the group included 7 bass over 10lbs. 2 bass over 11lbs & one very sweet 12-4. Lots of reports of dumped fish which would have added to the double digit count. By the end of the week just about everyone knew the rest of the members of the group as new friends & acquaintances. Everyone seemed to have a great time. Hawgtech owner Robert Perez brought some spare handles & parts to service anyones emergency needs & saved the day for a few.

Misses I moved from Erie PA to south Florida on a permanent basis so my smallie fishing has been curtailed. Now I need to travel long distance to get my fix. Pluses Maintaining my health & having fun chasing largemouth more often. Achieved a new topwater PB last week at 9-0 lbs even & just caught a new PB at 27"x19.5" which weighed 11lb-73/4 ounces.

Ito shiner & the new Big M 7.5 crankbait.

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