WanderLust

hmm.. ive never had luck on yum dingers.. they dont have the movement of a senko in my opinion. I use Senkos (t-rigged or wacky) as well but when filling out my plastics library I wanted to ensure I had an adequate supply. I absolutely crushed smallies on the 4" dinger weightless last year, especially when they are hitting on the fall.

I had good luck with a splitshot rig as well. *OFF TOPIC* Do you use a barrel swivel to stop line twist??

Indeed. Closest to the most likely holding pattern.

A Mr Clean Magic Eraser will make them look like new. You can seal them with Tru-oil or so I've read. I'm sure you'll get some good responses. Tips for rod & reel care tackletour.com/reviewrodcare.html

I just bought (10) bags of Yum Dinger 5" / 4" in Watermelon... Good sub for senkos and way cheaper. If only I could find an effective replacement for the fat IKA.

LOL take it from the other spool... Thanks for the chuckle. As far as changing line, I do it too much. But this year I have a solid game plan and an arsenal of lines that I like.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe one of the advantages to fluoro is that it does not degrade when exposed to UV light, like regular nylon mono does. Good Catch! That's why I love this place! I was just going off what I heard from my local baitshop. Here's some nerd reading: http://www.bigindianabass.com/big_indiana_bass/the-truth-about-fluorocarbon.html Can someone shed some more light on this topic?

I like the regular size. Its a very productive prop bait... I have the yellow one and the Ghost Bluegill one. For topwater you need to experiment with what the fish want. twitch, twitch pause is popular with this one. Letting a pretty bait sit in the water can trigger some massive strikes. Patience... Not sure it will get much use this year though as I have (2) shiney new DEPS buzzjets waiting for launch.

KVD Line and lure is a must. Also I like to cover the reel that has fluoro on it when its in the sunlight not in use. Use whatever knot works for you, just make sure its lubed and seats properly.

I use a 6' 8 MH with fast action using a 6.4:1 reel. Seems to work. Prior to BC setup I was using a 6'6 spinning with a slower reel. It also worked but not as nice.

That's what I use 7' M with M or MF action.

That hook would work fine. Let us know how it turns out!

In the end this won out. I grabbed a Curado 51E on sale to fill this need. Nothing against the Revo just like the feel of the Curado a touch better.

For that kind of money I would go Shimano Stradic... As far as what I've used... I had an old cardinal for years with no complaints. Also have a Pflueger Arbor from last year and it worked great until it got dirty. Now it needs some reel maintenance.

I didn't like Suffix Performance on my BCs. It was too stiff for my liking. Berkley Fireline Braid was fairly limp and worked well. Daiwa Samurai is incredible and pretty much all I use now. I would say 30# and up is your best bet. Most people use 30# on BC's and that seems to work fine.

If this artic hell hole I live in would dethaw a bit I would post a report on it.

Big worms have't produced for me yet but I'll keep plugging away. Since you said the bass are picky... You can irritate a large bass with a chatterbait or buzzbait just be making multiple casts to the same location. Shakey head or wacky rigged trick worm has also scored some decent fishing for me. As already posted stealth presentation is key.

Reel should be fine. Braid or Flouro would help your hookup percentage. The rod is an all-around deal but obviously a faster tip or more sensitive setup would help a ton. If that's not an option than I would try braid / Fluoro / Copoly and maybe a straight shank hook.

Yeah its crazy light on the Loomis... But I did buy a backup rod (Powell 683 CEF). very nice rod for the money.

hmmm... What are you using for a setup? Braid really helps deliver a great hookset. I use a MH fast rod as well. People love them T-rigged with a bullet weight. Most people use a 3/0 or 4/0 but as long as the hook point is in the center of bait you're golden. I tend to swing for the fences when bottom contact fishing but you could use a sweeping hookset. Baby Brush hog on a jig is a real favorite of mine. A flipping hook with a keeper is a good idea as well.

If I was looking for pure quality I would start with: Jig and (baby) Rage Craw Chatterbait with a Lake Fork Magic Shad trailer <Insert favorite brand> frog I have and use all of these but GYBC Fat Ika was my number one producers in terms of quantity and quality. I am going to pitch \ flipping the Big Ika this year as I hear this is also a good producer. Based on your description shakey head, drop shot may out produce other bait techniques. Also tubes, tubes and more tubes. Its an extremely effective finesse bait and is very versatile.

This year will be G Loomis BCR803 GLX and Shimano Curado 51e. Should be quite effective.

I was thinking Megastrike and JJ's this year... Interestly enough I decided to use more scent when reading Knowing Bass.

Vendetta or Veritas are tough to beat for the money. I like medium / fast for drop shots but everyone has a speciality. I use a Shimano Compre spinning rig and will use 6# Yozuri ultra soft this year. last year I used 8# InvisX but didn't care for the line that much. Some people also like braid with a pure Fluoro leader as well.

Right after ice out I like Jerk baits... LC Pointer fished ultra slow. With inline spinners try to match the local forage. If your targets are eating perch use gold, shiners then silver and so on. Firetiger is good for murky water.