RichF

I did it once. Mainly because I was a co-angler in an Bassmaster open and didn't bring a bunch of rods. It was a 7'0 heavy powell glass spook/trap rod. I did land a couple with it and the frog but I would never use a rod like that for frog fishing again.

Get the Transom. Gore-Tex vs no Gore-Tex.....no brainer.

This deal is for Kistler rods on Kistlers website. Not Shimano.

Under Armour Shoreman's gore tex rain suit is less than $250 on Under Armour's website! Crazy deal!

Spend $1000, get 40% off. Their best deal of the year.

Simms Transom Gore-Tex jacket and bibs are 50% off again on Simms website.

Honestly, I have a hard time believing that the action of these things is so different from the million other baits out there that it produces significantly more strikes. However, if they consistently run true, suspend correctly, cast great, etc., they're probably worth the high price. They sure do look awfully nice. I'm not much of a jerkbait fisherman but I imagine at some point I'll get a couple of them to try.

Brandon Palaniuk did a video on this subject recently (may be the one you're referring to). He's not convinced that the snell is better than a plain 'ol palomar and neither am I. I tried it a little. It's a pain to tie and I don't trust it. The palomar reigns supreme in my book...for everything.

Check out the Frogg Toggs Pilot guide bibs. https://www.froggtoggs.com/pilot-ii-guide-bib-liner-combo I don't personnally own them but had a pair for a day. They didn't match the jacket I had so I returned. I'm 5'9, 200 and the mediums fit great. Short enough that I wasn't walking on them and enough volume to fit my hockey legs and rear.

He'll be in the Elites after next season. He's got enough experience across the country and solid contacts to get him on fish no matter where he goes. Bryan Thrift is probably thrilled. His only competition left haha.

I ordered a pair of the Challenger bibs a couple years ago and thought they fit pretty good. I'm 5'9 with athletic legs and rear and the larges fit well. A little baggy and maybe an inch or 2 long but overall pretty good. I also sent them back before using them though. I felt very skeptical of the material. Felt like it would soak right through during a steady rain. They didn't have that sturdy hard shell feel.

I don't have any personal experience. I ordered the NXTLV bibs last year. They seemed nice but I sent them back because they didn't fit well. My hesitation would be the waterproof rating for their high end stuff. A $380 jacket should have a higher rating than 15k/15k. At 40% off, I imagine it's a much better value. Their stuff definitely looks cool though.

All raingear on Huk's website is 40% off with code RAIN40.

I haven't but I would.

https://store.bluequillangler.com/simms-challenger-jacket.html?id=25471577&quantity=1 Half way there. 40% off

Pretty good price for the Huk Nxtlvl jacket. https://www.sierra.com/huk-nxtlvl-all-weather-jacket-waterproof-for-men-and-big-men~p~702tt/?filterString=s~huk%2F&merch=prod-rec-prod-prod702TT

My dad loves those suits. He keeps a set in the boat and his truck for spares. He says they keep him drier than our $$$$ UA goretex suits, haha. Definitely don't breathe though.

I actually didn't keep the bibs. I got them to see if they would match my old Simms Contender jacket. The Pilot Guides are very nice though. They're actually a 3 layer construction with a smooth face, similar to any hard shell rain fabric. They aren't like the cheap, burlap sack type Toggs.

I found the Frogg Togg Pilot guide bibs to be pretty short on the inseam. I'm 5'9 and they didn't bunch at my ankles in the slightest. If you can find them (think they're discontinued) the Mustang Taku bibs fit pretty great too. They were a little longer than the Toggs but still didn't drag on the ground.

There probably are. Just because you fish in a Pro Tournament doesn't mean you're a great angler. All you need is time and money to enter.

Eh, when someone asks for recommendations/assistance on a cheaper fluoro because they're on a budget and the responses are largely to just buy, literally, the most expensive line on in the domestic market...I just don't think it's helpful to the OP. I meant no offense to the BR Tatsu users but I guess I was a little bit snarky.

Phew, I'm glad I'm comfortable enough with my fishing ability to not have to rely on Tatsu.

Man this is so true and the most annoying thing about professional bass fishing. I know so many guys with $65k boats that can buy into big tournaments, call themselves pros, but can barely cast.

Well, not everyone wants to drop $30+ on 200 yds of line. I'm included in this camp and I'm a tournament guy, so I know how important it is to have quality line. I also know that you don't have to drop the coin on Tatsu to get good fluoro. If there are decent options out there for $13 a spool, I wouldn't mind knowing about them.

The first run of them (back when they were $10 a pack) had problems with tips rolling. They're fine now. I use them a lot but will probably go back to gammies once my stash runs out. Basically for the tearing up plastics issue.