A-Jay

You're Welcome and Good Luck. While most of the baits you've listed are 'moving baits' - a jig for the most part, is not. My advice for any new jig fisherman is to do less with it. After the cast, and once it settles to the bottom, slowly ( and I mean slowly) work it back to you like you were trying to sneak it along WITHOUT being detected. Really, just inch it along. No big hops, no big wiggles or jiggles - just a sneaky & sloooow track (with plenty of lengthy pauses) back to you. Don't worry about a bass 'knowing' it's there. They know - it's their world. I bet you get bit. Be careful though - you might get your arm broke. A-Jay

@BrackishBassin Having a basic understanding of a bass's prey is a solid plan. There are 'several' different species of crayfish spread all over the place but there are some basic life cycle traits that most will inevitably follow. Here's a couple of links with perhaps more (or less) information than you may have been looking for. http://www.crayfishfacts.net/crayfish_life_cycle/crayfish_life_cycle.html http://www2.ca.uky.edu/wkrec/CrawfishBiologyHistory.pdf btw ~ It's probably time to pick up a few more jigs. A-Jay

Seems like someone saw the writing on the wall as this may have been the plan all along. Timing may not be everything but it can certainly be a good thing. A-Jay

Thanks and all I can say is keep at it - Every good day is one in the bank - another 'brick on the wall' if you will. A-Jay

Working on the walking sticks today ~ Knocked out some leg presses. The 58 year old bones seem to be responding well. Hope to keep it rolling. A-Jay

While I'll readily agree that there are harder (and longer) fighting fish than bass, I manage to run into a few now and again that have done themselves proud in the fish fighting department. Although not always the case, it seems to be somewhat related to size. A-Jay

I am fortunate in that I am able to store the Lund indoors. So the only time the boat or the cover see the elements is to & from and on the water. This cover is really quite stout and although anything can happen I am expecting this one to last the life of the vessel or at least as long as I am the owner / operator. The after market covers seem to be the same high quality. A-Jay

Went the factory route with boat cover and an after market company for the motor & Talons covers. https://www.tuffskinz.net/ Having the proper fit everywhere allows the flexibility to use it for both storage & travel. A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ I echo @WRB. While I do not have the Tranx or Conquest, I do have & fish the Calcutta 300D quite a bit. I am a round reel fan and I've love this one from the first time I held it. btw - TW has a Demo program where you can 'test run' reels for a week for the nominal cost of shipping. I did it with the 300D and eventually ended up purchasing one. A-Jay http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/demoprogram.html

I'll keep a few for chow each season. Some trips are designated 'meat runs' while other times I'll get some spur of the moment by-catch which are kept for consumption. Always eat them fresh & never freeze any. Been doing that way for longer than I'd be willing to admit. My favorites include walleye, pike, & trout. If I'm feeling froggy and feel like being 'fillet man' - I'll do a panfish day. Perch, Crappie and probably my all time favorite for the table - Bluegill - that sweet meat is addicting. A few of the state parks here have very nice fish cleaning stations available with overhead lights & running water. Extremely convenient - just have to have the gas left at the end of the day (or night) to want to do it. Otherwise, since I do prefer to carve them up outside, I set up a small cleaning station out back with a fillet table & a hose. Always need to ensure I leave no scraps around as that will invariably attract in much of the local varmint kong - which is undesirable at best. Finally - when I do bring home a stringer, I always ensure there's a few 'extra' for the dogs. Besides being a very good supplement to their daily chow - I love how they lose their canine minds once they realize they are getting some. A-Jay

This past summer (on your recommendation) I picked up the nylon & the Braid product. Worked well for me. Hope it's not discontinued. A-Jay

Hello @Billy Warrick and welcome to Bass Resource ~ I would not buy it as the last few inches of most any rod ( 'the tip') is where I find a good deal of Sensitivity & Feel. I would not expect a snapped off rod to cast, or fish the same. BUT If you like St Croix (And I'm a fan) - The LTB line is Very Nice and are currently being liquidated at a very attractive price point which includes free shipping. Just Say'in. A-Jay http://stcroixrods.com/shop/freshwater/legend-tournament-bass-casting-rod/

@OkieBoy17 There are still a few of the LTB line of rods being offered by St Croix at a very Bait Monkey friendly price point. Pretty nice sticks. Just Say'in. A-Jay http://stcroixrods.com/shop/freshwater/legend-tournament-bass-casting-rod/

The SK Rage Bug on the Freedom Head was a solid performer for me on smallies. Early season shallow, mid season deeper and especially this fall, when this bait was all I fished for almost a month ! A-Jay

Cool ~ Thanks for the response - Looks like it's heading to the Flea Market to find it's new home. A-Jay

Thanks for the Support @Chris at Tech I appreciate it. btw - I'm selling the Tidemaster Travel M Spinner - it's like new - any interest on your end ? PM me if there is - Makes a great stocking stuffier - just need a pretty big stocking. A-Jay

It seems that there may be as many different versions or perhaps ‘definitions” to the term ‘fighting a bass’, as there are anglers. While I do not fish competitively, for me ‘the fight’ is part of the process. How I go about it, is often dictated by a few different factors. Some I have a bit of control over and some I have none. Things I can control include my tackle size, where & how I’m fishing. The more open & clearer the water, usually means I’m fishing lighter gear deeper. The heavier the cover, the more colored the water, usually means I’m fishing heavier gear. In either case, ‘the fight’ will usually be shorter with heavier gear and a little longer with the lighter stuff. But in each situation, my goal is to land the bass, so I’ll do whatever I need to, to get that done. Factors that I obviously cannot control that can directly affect the duration of ‘the fight’ can be but are not limited to, the individual spirit of a bass, (some fish just seem to have a hyper high level of survivability and will do all types of crazy stuff to earn their freedom – I like that in a bass), the size of course, the water temps (cold bass sometimes don’t do a whole lot) and then there’s the occasional hooking of a huge non-target species – good times right there. Now where as I do enjoy it immensely when they bite my cricket and then pull my string, I rarely intentionally prolong the process nor do I make a concerted effort to overly speed it up – I just take it as it comes and hope they end up in my net. A-Jay

Thanks Tom @WRB~ These were 3 piece blanks. And Yes - I do prefer the travel rods for the reasons you've mentioned. It's just Very convenient (and comforting) having all my sticks with me as carry-on on every plane (commercial & private air) While the majority of anglers prefer & take the full length tubes (as check baggage) It's not for me. Seen a few arrive smashed to heck or not arrive at all. Paying all that $$ only to fish with someone else's gear doesn't appeal to me. Currently using G Loomis Escape's and most recently Fenwick Methods sticks in both MH & H, so far so good. Fishing with them for several weeks prior to a trip is a very good way to acclimate to them. However, truth be told, they both 'fish' like any 1 piece rod I've ever handled, so there's not really much to get used to - just a confidence thing for me. Seems to work though. A-Jay

Easy to see why ~ A-Jay

Cool ~ Nice Fatties They certainly had the right attitude. Congrats A-Jay

There are a number of threads here on the BR forum that include 'rod warranty' stories. Some positive - some not so much. Here's a positive one. While fishing in Mexico earlier this month, I had a St Croix Travel rod blank fail on a hook set (from a surprisingly small bass). This has happened in the past and the first time St Croix replaced them under warranty. Since then, most all of these rods have failed in a similar fashion. I no longer ask to replace them as I've decided to go another direction for my travel rod needs. Instead, I've utilized the Gold Star Up Grade Program - including today. As required by St Croix, I sent them the damaged rod along with the required documents (proof of purchase & a short note describing what happened along with my up grade rod request / selection. Spoke to Gretchen at St Croix today - who said that they had received the rod. (took about a week) St Croix reimbursed full credit for the damage/exploded Tidemaster rod towards the newest 2018 Legend Tournament Jig rod - They are spinning me up a new one - should be here right after the new year - cost me $20 bucks in return shipping - I'd say that's fair. It should be noted here that the two rods (the damaged & replacement rod) had / have the same MSRP. As a faithful St Croix customer, I have 'several' rods from a variety of their rod lines - these travel rods Are The Only Ones I've ever had to mail back. While each rod warranty situation is different, the few times I've had dealings with St Croix, the interactions have always been friendly, professional and super easy. They have met or exceeded my 'customer satisfaction' level every time. So if this is something that is important to you as a potential customer - I'd say buy with confidence. While I hope you never have to use their warranty program, rest assured that if you do, they'll be there. YMMV A-Jay

Interesting concept Steve ~ Be interested to find out what any of your co-anglers might think about the sudden & most unexpected appearance of your 'applicator' . . . A-Jay

Yea - you might be right. But it keeps me headed in the right direction. Super easy to develop habits that do not ~ especially over the winter. A-Jay

Me either and I never take that for granted. A-Jay

Back pain is no joke. I've injured my back a few times over the years. Successful recovery for me Always took all the patience, self discipline & hard work I could muster. Currently it's in decent shape and I'm working to keep it that way. A-Jay