CWB

4.5" Shadalicious retreived slowly thru inside weededge. 5" senko anyhwere.

These are my favorite kind of shakey heads. I prefer them over the screw lock type. 4" might be a tad small tough. Try a 6" or bite of an inch or two and it should be O.k. as it will be thicker. I use 1/8 oz. whever I can get away with it.

Had same problem. I now use this type of hook and would never go back. http://www.***.com/descpage-GWMH.html http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_10201783_100010006_100000000_100010000?cmCat=CROSSSELL_THUMBNAIL 1 Tip. Do not put hook in bait like you would a standard worm hook. Push the point up thru the bottom of the bait and out thru the nose in reverse of how you would normally do it. Then remove it and carefully push the eye into the path you just made and then rig the rest normally, keeping hook centered. I caught 10 fish on 1 Shadalicious last Sunday. Once you try this you will not go back and have to fool around with messy glue until you are done fishing and want to resurrect a few dead baits. Another option is to use crimp on weights with standard ewg hooks.

X2 Got mine for $49.00 and it works great. I would not hesitate.

10lb Ultra Soft is my line of choice for my Shimano 4000 reels. Casts great and very abrasion resistant. When you do get a nice one wrapped around a dock post or stump you can get him/her out. Regular for me is the 4000 size. I drop down when dropshotting or finesse worming but for skipping docks or tossing lighter baits at heavier cover, I like the larger spool and heavier line. To each his own.

A Bass Tracker style Modified V is a good all-around choice. I have a 17.5 foot G3 Pro175s and love it. I can get in water shallower than a foot and with the 70 Yamaha it tops 42 MPH on plane. Stable, dry ride with plenty of locking storage. Had 2 Trackers prior to this that were O.K. but this is in a whole different league.

Me too! I stick to Strike King, Bombers, Norman Bagley and Bandit.

X2 Forgot this one. You have to feel the vibration to believe it. Got one of my biggest muskies on a 1/2 oz burning over the weeds. Rock solid bait for big fish.

You ask 50 people, you'll get at least 25 different answers. Terminators Strike King Stanley Wedge (old and new) Booyah. BPS even makes a good bait. Buy one or 2 of each as they all have their moments and then you decide. That's part of the fun of this process. You get to feed the bait monkey and discover a favorite bait on your own!

X2 I boil them for 10-20 seconds and stretch them out on a countertop. Most if not all retain their shape. I also do this to my swimbaits and toads as it softens them up. Strike King 7" Finesse worms used to be terrible as they came in a 6" bag.

Seems to be all Bill Dance uses (or says he does). Scents may not necessarily get you more bites but they definitely will help fish hold on longer. They can do absolutely no harm so there is no reason not to use them. I have very acid ph skin which through research has been found to be a negative factor to bass holding a bait. I use Megastrike, Chompers Garlic and JJ's Magic. It is probably a personal thing but most guys I know don't throw plastics without some scent. Most plastics today actually have some type of scent cooked in and are salt impregnated so you actually are using scents and not knowing it.

Welcome aboard! Seem to be getting more members from Northwest.

I practice catch and release so I can't answer. P.S. If I have to think about it for more than 2 minutes, forget it.

You should get Speedbead on your team and have him make up some of his chicken he made at the roadtrip. You'd have taken first easily.

Next time please don't wear such a tight shirt.

Vanilla is for people that call people that like chocolate girls.

First of all, 6lb is a small carp. 30 lb. would be massive. Up here I usually see a few this size a day. Clear shallow lake. When the carp start thrashing around that usually indicates they are spawning but it can actually improve the bass fishing as the bass move in to snap up anything the carp stir up. I've caught some pretty good bass throwing a worm or lizard into the mess the carp stir up. I don't think the carp had anything to do with the poor bass fishing. Take a bow or speargun with next time. I have something called a fish bazooka that is in essence a speargun with a fishing reel on it. Aim at the bottom of the fish. Biggest to date was 36 lbs and took 10 minutes to get to the boat even with an arrow thru him. Tough mothers!

Doesn't look to be 18 1/2 lbs but I'm no expert. Pictures can be deceiving. Big bug eyes to me always means a huge fish. If he wants to eat it, that's his legal right.

X2 I like the 3/16 oz. with a Ragetail Lizard. Sounds unusual but it works!

Snagproof Bobby's Perfect or Paddle Foot frogs. http://www.***.com/descpageHDTSNAG-SPPF.html http://www.***.com/descpageHDTSNAG-SPBK.html

Use everyones responses as what they are - suggestions. Some people do just fine with only spinning gear. Some people look down their nose at spinning gear and use only baitcasting. Most (myself included) use some mix of both. If I had to choose and use only one type I would probably go with spinning due to versatility but ultimately the decision is your and yours alone.

I got 2 spools of Sunline FC Sniper on Ebay and so far it's the easiest casting I've found. Pretty pricey if you buy it retail though.

If I listened to every recommendation here I would not even have a 4000 spinning reel for bass. However I have 3 and like the larger spool diameter. I use 10lb Yo-Zuri Ultra soft for open water plastics and 12lb Yo-Zuri Hybrid for skipping around and under boats and docks. Smaller 2500 set-ups for Shakey head etc I do use 6 lb. Hybrid. Soak in KVD lure and line.

Enjoy! Nothing like close quarters hand to fin combat. I use mine whenever I can.

Well said. There is no question a $100.00 rod is better made than $30.00 rod but will a $300.00 Loomis get you more bites than say a $100.00 Mojo Bass or BPS Extreme? I doubt it. There is a point of diminishing returns. That being said, get the best you can afford. Your skill is the single most determining factor as to fish caught.