quant PT

I bought a DB Minnow and a few peanuts at Dicks for 2.99 also. At $3.00 I won't mind throwing these into heavy cover and losing a few. They do look to be pretty good quality, but I haven't used them yet.

Would you recommend Texas rig, Carolina rig, or something else for targeting these deep fish with a 10" worm?

Welcome. You are going to love the Energy. I have three and love them. The ability to adjust the braking system without dismantling the reel is a big advantage IMHO.

The terminator T1's probably have the nicest paint job I've seen on a spinnerbait, but it does chip off quickly. The good news is I have not noticed any difference in its ability to catch fish.

Mostly. The spinnerbait was black and blue - this was what I fished the most. The senko and beaver were green pumpkin ( darkest I had since I haven't done much night fishing in the past). Everything else I used the darkest thing I had which may or may not have been dark enough. I really want to figure this out because as hot as it is here, I will probably do a lot of night fishing for the rest of the summer.

Last night my son and I fished from about 8:00pm to 2:00am. We fish a large reservoir (Lake Hartwell in SC) that is down about 10'. We fished an area that my son is familiar with but I have never fished. We tried some of his usual hotspots ( a rocky point, a hump, and a road bed) with spinner baits, buzz baits, carolina rigs, crankbaits and Senko's and caught nothing - didn't even get a hit. We finally fished some brushpiles and docks and he caught one fish and I caught two. Unfortunately, this was the last thing we tried so we did not get a chance to see if this pattern would continue to work. I did notice as we were running from spot to spot, that we would graph fish offshore at 20-24' and at around 40-42' (its really hot here - 95deg at 8:00) - I guess we never really fished for these fish. What should we have done here? Should we have drop shotted, jigged or something else? BTW I have no experience fishing deep water. I'm trying to learn from all of my fishing trips so any guidance would be appreciated.

Welcome! I grew up in South Florida, but back then it was 305 and 407.

I use the palomar knot for everything except for spinner/buzz baits where I use a uni knot just because it is easier to tie. I never have issues with the palomar knot. Last night I got hung up on a stump with #14 silver thread and I could not get the line to break - just an example of how strong the palomar knot is.

Reaction Innovations Sweet Beavers and Terminator T1 spinnerbaits are two of my favorites.

I have the Crucial 7' MXF. It is a great all around rod. I just wish I got mine for $79.

If you are catching fish like that you are definitely doing something right. I'm glad to see things are going well for you.

Welcome - another member from South Cackalacki and a Clemson Fan!

I guess the thread subject got everyones attention. Now get your minds out of the gutter!! Thanks for the info - I can't wait to try these.

How do you fish these? Like a swim senko or a fluke? Line, weighted or unweighted, rod type etc. I'm going to try these this weekend and I am just trying to shorten the learning curve.

Welcome. Congrats on the 5 pounder!!!

Welcome and enjoy the forums.

The forums are a great place to learn. You can get an answer to just about any bass fishing question.

The forums are a great place to learn. You can get an answer to just about any bass fishing question.

Enjoy the forums!!!

If you want to buy something new, get a Shimano Citica reel and a Compre rod. Should be right at $200.

The only problem with Crucials is once you have one, you want to buy more. I've bought three this year already.

I like suffix elite. I have 10# on my Stradic and it works great - no problems. A lot of folks on here seem to like Yozuri Hybrid Ultrasoft. I have not tried it but I plan to soon.

If something is wrong with it, Take it back to where you bought it from. Shimano has an "over the counter warranty" on rods. It doesn't matter if it is two weeks old or two years old.

Welcome to the forum!

I know exactly how you feel. See this thread I started when I thought I had a problem with my new Saros. It sounds like this may be the same thing you are experiencing. Read Reel Mechanic's post, it explains the issue fully. I am now very happy with the Saros. I will never buy any spinning reel other than Shimano because I have one of the early Stradics ( about 14 years old) that has seen heavy inshore saltwater use and still works great. Hope this helps.