The_Natural

I agree, Natural.....sometimes erratic is not the way to go. If you ever watch David Fritts deep cranking in the summer, you NEVER see him impart any jerky rod action to the lure, only variations of retrieve speed using the reel. He's a pretty good crankbait fisherman from what I hear... I say big bass can be lazy, but I guess it relates to people as well. I was sitting on the couch last night, and would have loved some Sonic or something, but I didn't want to go pick it up. I just ended up drinking more beer...that worked

Cabelas is the only place I have seen that has the new Premier in stock. Their website only lists the 6.4, but the 'fall fishing' catalog I received a couple of weeks ago lists the 7:1. I would call Cabelas...

The Revo Premier is the lightest 7:1 on the market.

The erratic, rip and slow down...rip then slow down- works for me quite a bit. If you have ever been crappie fishing and let a minnow go...that is how they behave. A fish will chase them for a second as the minnow darts forward, and then it will slow down for a second after it thinks it has eluded the predator. However, in the Summertime, a big wobbler such as a B2 reeled in at a slow and steady pace can work equally well, because big bass tend to be lazy, and they think it is easy to pace and eat a big, slow shad rather than one darting around. You just have to experiment...

SiC's and Gold Cermet guides have always been the best inserts out there. As far as reel seats, I guess the Fuji seats have far less seating issues than the Batson seats Kistler was using, or they wouldn't have switched to the Fuji ECS. Kistler had Batson producing every component of their rods; the blank, guides, inserts, and reel seats. I bet it is costing them quite a bit more to go with the fuji seats, so I surmize it took a lot of complaints or returned rods to make a company decision that is costing them more money.

You need a lot of cranks to confidently cover those areas, and some categories listed require drastically different baits (in my experience) based on water temp/season. Water temp and season have the most impact on how I want my bait to behave. I'm mainly listing mainstream baits, but in the place of the wobblers, I may have a WEC or Brians B tied on. 0-3ft clear; heavy vegetation (I'm assuming warmer water here...they won't be there in clear water when it's cold)- cb50 in 'ghost minnow green' (or any natural 'ghost' shade unless it's cloudy). BDS 1 in ghost minnow/american shad, or rootbeer/chartreuse shad depending on sunshine or cloud cover. The new minus 1 elite series offers a 'ghost minnow' and baby bass pattern that I own and would throw also. It just needs to come right over the top of the grass without being too intrusive. 0-3ft stained; early spring cool/cold water- warm sunny days can lead to bass migrating surprisingly shallow on riprap and rocky points...a tight wiggling cb100 or speed trap will score bites. Shad or craw colors will be fine... 0-3ft stained; heavy cover (late/post spawn through fall)- BDS 1 and 2, B1 and B2, and (enter your favorite fat wobbler here). Both the BDS 1 and 2 or the B1 and B2 run about 3ft on 15lb test (what I recommend in this scenario). My favorite BDS colors are carmel apple and peacock, while the traditional chartreuse/black back or green apple work well for the Bagleys (any bluegill/perch imitator). 3-6ft clear/cooler water- who am I kidding...I'm throwing a flashminnow . I will have a moonsault cb100 in pearl ayu or chartreuse shad tied on as well (if there is cloud cover), or the same bait in ghost minnow or american shad if it is sunny. 3-6ft stained/cooler water- moonsault cb100, speed trap, Berkley Frenzy shallow diver...shad/craw... 3-6ft stained/late spawn through post spawn- RC 1.5 and 2.5, BDS 1 and 2 ( I tend to throw the RC when the water temps are in the middle 60's to 70, and the BDS after that). RC colors; copper perch and purple perch; BDS in carmel apple or peacock. You can substitute the B2 for the BDS 2 in the late spawn or postspawn. 3-6ft clear/late through post spawn- RC 1.5/2.5 in bull bream or copper perch; BDS 1 and 2 in ghost minnow/american shad or chartreuse shad/rootbeer depending on cloud cover. The Zoom sweet pea in baby bass really excels here...the fry are around, and the bass know it. The sweet pea is little, unassuming, and retrieved right just says 'eat me'...'I've lost my adult male guardian' . 6-12ft stained/cold or cool water- deep little N or Rapala DT flat below 55...Berkley Frenzy medium diver, moonsault cb200/250, or anything that is loud with a tight wiggle seems to work well between 55 and 60. Below 55...shad patterns. Above that...shad, craw, or firetiger all have their place. 6-12ft clear/cold or cool water- Jerkbait time! Seriously though, I will have a wiggle wart tied on for those clear, rocky lakes (craw patter of course). A moonsault isn't a bad idea (Moonsaults are basically robust rattletraps with diving lips). Shad or craw colors would be my game... 6-12ft; early spring/cool stained water- Moonsault cb200 and 250, Berkley Frenzy medium diver, and the DT flat all in shad patterns (a lot will swear on craw patterns, and I can't argue against this; however, I generally stick to shad). 12-18ft; clear and cold- wiggle wart walked with light line (craw pattern) 12-18ft; clear and summertime- dd22 pretty much rules, unless you have a Tapp or other similar bait. Shad or Table rock shad. 12-18ft; stained and cold- deep little n or dd22, but I'm usually throwing a deep suspending jerkbait or LV500max 12-18ft; stianed and warm- dd22 in any flavor.

Just to back up the shallow crankin' excitement...all my best summer days came from shallow cranks. Believe in them... B2 summer bass...(when they're on it...they EAT it) Circuit board lip big-O (ssshhh...they really suck ) Does anybody have any of these for sale? (limited production...bass pro had them for $9.99) WEC Wobbler hog...

You definitely have to go with the 8" grub...it is one of my most productive soft plastics. They are big, soft, and move a lot of water. Chunks love 'em...

Fishing crankbaits, mostly square billed baits running 5ft or less, this is the best advice. I became a much better shallow crankbait fisherman by fishing them in ponds. I'll start out the retrieve with my rod tip down, and raise it toward the end of the retrieve to prevent my bait from snagging bottom (although I like a little contact). I'll even be on the bank, and have grass in front of me, and cast over it. I'll just retrieve my crankbait right up to the grass line (we are talking standing grass/weeds out of the water), and stop it. Once it floats to the top, I jerk it out of the water and over the weeds. I catch a lot of bass out of ponds on shallow cranks; they are effective and mostly overlooked by the local pond beaters in my area.

It is available in clear and pink, and the line is Seaguar Inviz-x.

80% or more of the time I'm using a Bagley B2, BDS 1 or 2, or an RC1.5 or 2.5. The new DT Flats look awesome, but I haven't fished them much yet, as well as the Model B. I've caught some good fish on the WEC wobbler, but I only break them out on special occasions.

Read the line reviews...those are the best. "The line handles great, and is strong, but it twists alot." Yeah...that is the line doing that

Looks like a red td-z custom to me, but you have the destroyer part down.

Amen! Excellent post. I hear a lot of anglers mention income, but I had four very nice combos at 15yrs old that I saved up and purchased mowing lawns. My last partner drove a Range Rover and had new Ranger 521, but didn't see the value or reasoning for expensive rods or reels and used bps extreme combos. I'm the same way...I have $800 rod combos, but buy my cargo shorts at walmart for $10 because I don't see the value in the Lucky brand Cargo shorts or Abercrombie cargo shorts. There is no right answer... only opinions. it's like asking if a certain food tastes good.

Bagley B2 in black/pearl White 1/2oz spinnerbait Craw colored jig w/ paca chunk senior runners up: Senko in watermelon/cream laminate L/C LVR d10 in chartreuse shad

Some of you old school guys may already know this, but it's one of those tricks you youngsters may not know of. If you use chapstick on the first three-four feet of line in front of your topwater; your line won't absorb any water, and floats higher. This results in an easier to work bait and can give it a little more action.

I just arrived in Tulsa tonight due to a death in the family, and I went to academy to blow off steam. I wrote off the flappin' hog because it was expensive (almost $1 a bait online), and it only looked 'pretty decent' from pics. Weeell...Academy got a shipment of flappin' Hogs in, and they look really awesome in person...heavy and soft...we're talking Senko plastic loaded with salt. The kicker? $4.19 a pack! I'm totally in at that price after checking them out in person. I'll post up when I try them out. The GY creature never really did anything for me, but the flappin' hog is an intimidatingly good looking bait!

I own a bunch of packs I purchased on clearance at Academy, and have always used them as a finesse jig trailer. I bite off the first part with the legs, and rig it up. They work fine, but nothing too special. They do look bad arse by themselves, even though I've never tried them on a t-rig.

The Flappin' Hog is definitely a pitching bait. Pitch it to anything that looks fishy

You have to tie an improved clinch with fluoro. In Tackle Tours fluorocarbon shootout, the improved clinch tests out 8-10% higher in knot strength versus the palomar. I use the palomar for mono/copoly though...it's my favorite knot. The improved clinch takes quite a bit longer to tie, but with fluoro you just need to bite the bullet.

I'm definitely a CXX man myself, but I also use fluoro on my jig and spinning rods. I don't think CXX is very bad at all in the 8-12lb tests (which I use for cranks), and I use the 15 on my spinnerbait rods and it is tolerable. I use the 'Crystal Clear' CXX, and it undoubtedly has the most clarity of any clear line I've used. I can fill up a spool to the brim, and with a shot of reel magic I can see the bottom of the spool! I have never broken off a fish with CXX...if you get hung up, you won't lose your bait either. On my cranks, it will bend the snagged treble until it gives...with 10lb line! For fluoro, I like the new Trilene fluoro...VERY good stuff; I liked it so much I bought 2 2000yd spools of it!

Without reading a single post beyond the initial one, I don't use braid. It's just too limp and actually hinders me by wrapping around my rod tip or burying in the spool on a hook set. Also, if you get a bad backlash...you're screwed! There is a happy medium for me...I guess you can say I like my fishing line 'al dente'...not too limp, not too stiff

Browning, Bass Pro, and Pflueger reels are all made by Silstar.

A baitcaster excels in accuracy and control. With a stump 15yds away...can you put a bait right next to it without creating a splash with a spinning reel? It's impossible. Spinning reels offer virtually no way to slow your bait down and achieve perfect placement. Spinning reels do have their place, or I wouldn't own a couple

Definitely a Zoom French Fry...Choose your favorite color