The_Natural

Yep...I made a similar post on Tackle Tour about this topic. There are some talented painters using mainly the Lucky Craft RC series as their canvas. As seen...these baits go for a chunk of change!

The 4" version doesn't have as pronounced of a wiggle on the fall like the 5" version, but no doubt gets more bites. I think the 4" Senko T-rigged mimics a baitfish gliding through the water like a fat slider. For this reason the two 4" versions I stock are watermelon/cream laminate to imitate shad and cinnamon/purple flake to mimic bluegill.

Most know that I am an organizational freak, but I think my system is very efficient. I have Plano 3741's and 3731's which are 3.5" storage boxes that are nearly always made into a single chamber. I store backup plastics in these. 'On deck' plastics go into standard 3700 boxes are are labeled according. Lizards 1 & 2, Creatures 1 & 2, Worm 1/2/3, etc. are examples of open soft bait boxes. I don't carry all these categories of soft baits with me; I utilize a couple of empty 3700's in which I fill with an assortment of baits from the main boxes. Works well for me...

Different baits with different fall rates. The Senko is heavier and has a faster rate of fall. The dinger is lighter and therefore falls slower. The only other stickbait I stock besides Senkos is the bumble bee swirl Dinger, which I throw generally throw shallow. I think of the Dinger as more of a finesse stickbait, and the Senko as a reaction stickbait (do-nothing reaction softbait?! Yep! It's the wiggle!)

Pline CXX. If your drink of choice is Scotch on the rocks, this is your line. It is a no-nonsense, ridiculously tough, underrated copolymer that has a little memory that some anglers gripe about. It isn't as stiff and doesn't have the memory that Trilene XT has, but it is indeed an Xtra Tough line that sports a hardened abrasion resistant coating and the properties that come with it. If you want to insure you will never lose a fish...this is the line.

Just plain sweet 8-). The Steez is in a class by itself. Shimano has the DC technology, but I think that applies to a different market; albeit the new Chronarch DC is aimed right for the steez. The Steez is compact, ridiculously refined, and just plain sick all over. I'm not sure how Daiwa will improve upon it or release a better reel in the years to come. On another note, pick up a few Frenzy shallow and medium divers...they are stellar regardless of price. They are a staple in my tackle box during prespawn.

As said, TW offers free shipping on rods being that all of them are over $50. Let us know how the swimbaits work for you...that is an expensive branch of the bass fishing disease!

Nope...guaranteed lower price. This is what cost Shimano the market share I believe. Time will tell, but I'm very confident the Curado with be back at the $120-$150 price point.

I'm excited to see if Shimano can wow me with a a middle market reel that is somewhat impressive. Abu Garcia's Revo and Daiwa's Advantage seem do be taking over the market share (granted I don't buy either reel). Change is exciting for a tackle junky even if he doesn't plan to buy any of the product in question . I would buy several 100d's if they end up going for around $100. Wouldn't that be sweet :-? 8-)

Sounds like the proper model choice. Don't forget this rod can double as an instrument to clean your dryers lint shoot.

No current Shimano model has ever been put on sale, much less clearance. They aren't on Clearance everywhere yet, but Tackle Warehouse is closing them out. I am honestly excited about this...the Curado shall be reborn highlighting it's roots. The 100d is a desirable reel and gets great reviews, but the 200 is way too heavy and takes away from what made the Curado famous. Anyone else excited as to what Shimano will do with the lineup?

A few keys are to... use a bait that is conducive to skipping, like a tube, beaver, etc. use a sidearem cast aiming a little low (i.e. to the outside of a piece of cover you are trying to penetrate) and have your thumb on the spool when your bait first hits the water (feathering but not stopping). It will generally make a fairly large skip upon first contact with the water and then come to a rest. Your thumb on the spool immediately when your bait hits the water determines whether you backlash or not. If you are late with your thumb slowing down the spool you get a classic backlash. You need to time your thumb to where it feathers the spool as soon as your bait makes first contact with the water and skips under the desired cover. When your bait skips, you shouldn't apply full-on brakes...just feather it enough to slow the spool down. Skipping with a baitcaster isn't necessarily a beginner's technique, but any angler that is skilled with a baitcaster can master this techinque. It isn't as difficult as you might think!

XT has a coating that increases abrasion resistance while sacrificing line memory a bit.

I hesitated whether I should post or not, as I have not fished this rod. However, living 4 minutes from Cabelas, I have held and messed around with them many times. They are indeed a high quality rod; more so than the BPS higher end rods IMHO. Apparently very well constructed and attention to detail is great. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase one.

I will say the Shimano Scorpion (original burgundy version) is simply amazing in the casting department...not sure why or how it has this inane ability to cast, but it does. The following reels are dead even and a very close second! Daiwa Pixy Daiwa TD-Z 105h Third... Daiwa Zillion...How in the hell a reel with this amount of line capacity weighing it down can cast this far I don't know...it amazed me when I first took it for a spin.

I'll go ahead and recommend that you don't use 'leaders' in the traditional sense and store extra rigs. I use Carolina Keepers along with a drop of soft bait glue versus a swivel. I rig my C-rigs normally otherwise...with a Tungsten bullet sinker and tungsten clacker. The carolina keeper just replaces the swivel to keep the line intact. This equates into a more sensitive rig...the detection of the bite doesn't have to go through a swivel. Maintaining a solid piece of line is a decisive advantage... *edit* I'm a little late apparently, or I admittedly didn't read through all the replys! Carolina Keepers are the only way to go...use them once and feel the difference!

Jewel heavy cover finesse football. Check out the new Berkley jigs (they come pre-packaged with 2 trailers and an extra skirt). They look excellent. They have the same ticker rattler that is part of the head like the old Jay Yelas jig; something most other jigs don't have.

Did you see the article in Bassmaster where Jay Yelas contributed 70% of his tournament fish to spinnerbaits? He is not know as a master spinnerbait fisherman, but says it just comes through time and time again. It was a great article; he revisited each tournament on the trail, what the conditions were, and what spinnerbait he used. It was in that article that I learned a lot of pro's use black and black/chartreuse spinnerbaits.

I have a few and was really impressed by their action...they move a lot of water!

Come on' yall...the H3 Titanium is the blowjob of rods! Sure Gary Loomis was scratchin' his arse with denser graphite than the H3 portraits, but better late than never! The GLX has nothin' on these sensitivity whores! Bass are powerless and instantly succumb to American Rodsmith's superiority in hopes of being released.

I agree and will preach on hook choice. KVD's latest book illustrates that his worm fishing improved 100% by him fishing with Larry Nixon . He explains in his book that Larry instructed him to use a straight shank hook versus an offset or EWG whenever he can get away with it. This seems simple enough when you picture in your mind a bass eating your bait and the result of a hook-set. A straight shank provides the optimum hook angle to penetrate a bass's mouth. Picture it in your mind and you will see...a hook's point going upwards towards the roof of the bass's mouth versus a hook point going horizontal straight to the lips is a decisive advantage. VanDam says he moves up to an offset wide-gap for C-rigs which props the bait up off the bottom and offers less snag resistance than a straight shank. He uses an EWG when cover is heavy and the latter hooks would result in more snags. Food for thought...

This is a very good choice. P-line CX Premium is a common choice here in Texas, and is limp and strong. I prefer CXX, but I don't mind a little memory to gain a no-nonsense line that is almost indestructible. Being fairly new, I just wanted to confirm your choice is very recognizable as a choice made frequently here in big bass country.

I totally agree...I didn't ask anyone's permission; I just use the reels that I trust. Reels have the least to do with one's fishing I believe. Granted there are a few reels that make a man want to get it on!

I think even RW will admit more people are going with Daiwa than ever before. Don't think Shimano doesn't see this...next year should be interesting!

I do have two Shimano Core's I purchased recently and love them, but I feel the Daiwa Steez represents the pinnacle of fishing instraments. IMHO...Shimano has remained somewhat idle in recent innovation and Daiwa has leaped forward. This is a whole other topic! I don't know about that...while there are plenty of folks around here that recommend Shimano, I think you will find an equal number of anglers that prefer Diawa 8-) Who prefers Daiwa? Yeah buddy...Daiwa is bringin' sexy back!