A-Jay

Depends on what it is. Seems there's a fairly long list of factors that are all sort of impossible to predict. Wood eats a lot of these bait (just read some of the recent threads). As noted the blade itself changes what's going on there. IME, sort of like a swim jig, works well very close to, over & around cover. But once I venture INTO it, there's a decent chance the effectiveness of the presentation could be compromised. If not totally bogged down or hung up. So like the 'weed guard' on a swim jig', adding a guard to a vibrating jig could can be helpful, but it ain't no Texas Rig. BTW - this bait is rigged like a Texas rig and is fairly 'weedless' https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Z-Man_Chatterbait_Freedom_CFL/descpage-ZMCFL.html?from=basres Unfortunately, I couldn't hook anything with it either. A-Jay

I can see where it might helps some in & around hard cover, but that's pretty much where it would end for me. A-Jay

Great Question ~ And I'd be willing to bet that there are a few sharpies up north here, that have already started 'exploring the possibilities'. Not sure if the DD northern bass is all that common, especially when compared to the water's JJ has been doing damage on recently. But we might see a few eye-popping bags coming out of places & during times that could be considered seriously non-traditional, if you know what I mean. And where I would be VERY interested to put FFS to work, is on some of these larger inland lakes in the north woods that hold big brown bass. There's a ton of 'assumptions' about where those big 6, 7, 8 and 9 lb plus females go in July, but so FEW true giants are ever caught and if they are, folks are being pretty tight lipped about it. Something Mr Jones is not. I've said FFS was probably not in my future. Well, this could put a whole different spin on that scene ! Fish Hard. A-Jay

I can relate to Both those feelings. A-Jay

Mentioned this one just recently ~ Glide baits. Now I know they catch fish, and some big ones. But for whatever reason, not for me. I just don't get it. Not only did I throw these wacky baits all ALL over my favorite big fish haunts last year, I've been hurling these things all over northern Michigan for going on 3 seasons ! Well, not anymore, my current glide bait inventory is ZERO. I sold them all and have NO plans to change that. Free at last ! A-Jay

Day in and Day out, Amazon has good pricing on bulk (600 & 1000 yds) spool. Of course, TW is running a decent deal (30% off) for 4 more days as well. A-Jay

Some solid suggestions offered here so far ~ Great aspect of this forum, especially when it comes to topics like line choice, is so many truly great sticks have already done most all of the leg work. No need to reinvent the wheel, sort of speak. Of course, trust comes into play as well. Who do you trust ? Either way, over the course of many years and at some expense, I went round & round & round & round with FC. Tired it, hated it, tried it again, hated it again, gave up on it, tried it again, still hated it. Finally, at the advice of some of the stud bassheads here, I tried InvisX. Done. Then heard, well if you like InvisX, you'll Love Tatsu. As usual, they were right again. They both do everything I need a FC to do; the Tatsu seems to do that just a little bit better IMO. Whether the $$ justified may be a personal choice. For me - it is. Good Luck A-Jay

Usually every couple of years sometime three for a complete casting reel cleaning & service. I use @Delaware Valley Tackle Superior results. It's an event packing , shipping, and insuring the whole arsenal but it's an investment and certainly cheaper than buying new reels. A-Jay

Total Body Workout #3 this morning. After plenty of warm-up, I blasted through 2 working sets of 7 exercises. Showing one set of each of them. 2022 is starting off the right way. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

This ^^^^^^ A-Jay

I purchased this ProXS motor the first year it came out in 2018. As part of an incentive re-power program and when using the in house Mercury Refinance deal, the new motors were being offered with a 5 year full warranty. This made that deal even sweeter. Just check the current offer and it's 3 years. (And @J Francho posted it above) Either way I've already arranged with the dealer to trade this one in either at the end of this coming (2022) season or the beginning of the next, while it's still under warranty. Provided the can get me a new one in a somewhat timely manner. Time will tell. A-Jay

Same with the Lund / ProXS - especially while the motor is still under warranty (5 yrs) A-Jay

When it's well above our paygrade, we never have the whole story. But we're not meant to. The how, why, when & where of a deal like this is for someone else to worry about, your marching orders haven't changed. Like water off a duck's back my friend. A-Jay

Interesting ~ Perhaps continue being the model employee, doing everything that set you up for that potential promotion. Then let the chips fall where they may. Funny how life just takes a sharp turn like that. Right out of nowhere. It's all part of your story. Good Luck & Stay Safe A-Jay

Figured - So like a weightless Texas Rig. A Medium Heavy stick is usually my choice right there. Especially fishing around a lot of hard & or soft cover. OR I'll go to a lighter wire hook and spinning gear with braid & a Mono leader. But wait there's more - If you're in a mostly open water situation you can go nose hook with a even smaller hook. Spinning gear here for sure. Add an Owner CPS Centering Pin Spring to that rig and you're en fuego ! A-Jay btw - sticking a small ball bearing swivel ahead of your bait can really help reduce line twist.

If you're throwing the fluke with a Tex-Posed round bend, EWG or even weighted worm hook, as long as you can sink that hook, you should be good. A-Jay

I use a moderate stick & FC on subsurface moving baits. I use Fast blank & braid most of the time for jerkbaits & most topwater. Both those presentations have a good chance of getting the bite while it's stationary. Bass can often hook themselves on a moving bait, but a paused jerkbait or a motionless popper is often a different story. I like the response and hook setting horsepower of a fast(er) rod and braid in that instance. All that said, in almost every instance, almost anything will work at least some of the time. The above deals work for me most of the time. A-Jay

First Off - contact the guide in advance of your trip. Knowing ahead of time if you have the proper gear for how/where the guide expects to be fishing that day, could be helpful. Or you can take all the guesswork out of it and use the gear provided. Very good chance it will be exactly what is needed for whatever you're doing. Good Luck & have fun A-Jay

Thank You. A-Jay

Perhaps - and I sort of knew that. But you sure are, especially with one of those things tied on . . . A-Jay

I did notice that the Ned Rig was mysteriously omitted right there ~ Hard to imagine A-Jay

The chart below was shared on FB by Josh Jones. He credits Josh Alwine as the creator. Hard to tell for sure but I think this is supposed to cover this country for a years time. Personally, I don't really know what to think about it. Can these numbers ever really be accurately establish ? Considering Mr Jones caught TWO over 15 this year, and according to this, the odds of getting one in the net are over 18 million to 1, that's a heck of a Lucky year isn't it ? Wonder if this data takes forward facing sonar into account ? Either way, they told me there'd be No Math. A-Jay

I have a modest selection of these baits. (a few more than what's shown below) My success with them comes in pretty much the same deals as where & when the Jackhammer bait gets bites. The New Freedom bait runs a little different and I chose it over the Jackhammer for more of a constant retrieve. Meaning, little to no Stop & Go, which is something I do with the Jackhammer quite a bit. I've had to modify the New Freedom hook set up though. Here some more info . . . A-Jay

Like many here, I've been casting revolving spool gear effectively for a while. My current casting reel arsenal consists of reels of assorted ages. From I guess, 10 years to one or two years old for the 'newest'. Each one is adjusted almost exactly the same - or at the very least set to get the same result. No Overruns. I certainly still get my share but it's always user error. The set up process and explanation are covered nicely by @Glenn right here: https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/cast-adjust-baitcast.html Backlashes are just part of the deal. Besides being a PIA, they waste time & compromise line integrity. None of which I'm a fan of. So while I may never eliminate them, I am totally willing to sacrifice a little distance to help keep that deal under control. Today's better reels all come with a decent casting control system, and while my thumb is always in play, I am still not too proud to use it. If I need a 'longer cast', I move closer. YMMV A-Jay

6th Sense Crush Flat 75X has been a solid producer for a while. Quality bait the comes with good stock hardware. It has a decent following and has been mentioned a bit here before. https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/search/?&q=Crush Flat 75X &page=2&quick=1&search_and_or=and&sortby=relevancy The Baby Bluegill is my favorite pattern A-Jay