Ol� Dirty Basstard

Do you mean the brand new Trion? I'd love to hear some feedback on one as well. Looks an awful lot like the Summit. As far as the previous version, Trion was NOT one of the "cheap" Pfluegers. It is a solid, dependable workhorse of a reel. It casts and pitches more smoothly than you'd ever suspect. If you look closely at many of the Pflueger Pros, you'll notice a lot of Trions on their decks. TW has them for $88 now too. Might be worth checking the tried & true Trion

This could be making your problem worse. The general rule of thumb is grease gears & oil bearings (and things that spin). At this point, dulouz, I think your best bet is to take apart that reel, clean it and re-lube with grease and oil in the right spots. If the problem persists, contact Pflueger for a recommendation and/or parts. It's not such a risk because the reel already isn't working right.

One more thing: It's easy to instantly react and yank your buzzbait away from the fish when they first explode on it. And trust me they sometimes EXPLODE. So hold on to your hat and, like with frog fishing, wait a couple seconds to set your hook; especially if you're using braid. I find they do a good job hooking themselves on buzzbaits anyhow. Buzzbaits do trigger short strikes too. I think it's when a bass is more angry with the buzzer than hungry. Keep retrieving that bait back to you though. I've caught plenty of fish, on the same cast, after they missed the first hit. A lot of folks say to throw a stickbait at the spot of missed buzzbait strike. That's a tried tactic for a lot of folks, so you might want to have one at the ready. Myself, I keep on throwing the buzzbait! ;D

Throw it everywhere man! Any season, any time, any water, any light. Don't limit the buzzbait to springtime at dusk. But do pick up another one that's either a little heavier or lighter. Try the lighter one when it's calm. Also try a squeaker vs. a clacker. Generally, squeakers are better in the clearer shallow water too. Personally, I don't like the clacker models but, for deeper water, a lot of noise might be the trick. You can usually bend your squeaker so the blade ticks the wire or jig head and make it a clacker though. Cast parallel to the shore when you can. Hit the outside of lily pads, run it right through grass and over submerged weeds. Bump stumps and run them right down logs. After a while, you'll see that you can even throw these things into the middle of a lily pad field and they won't get hung up. I use braid for buzzing and try to keep all the line out of the water. I usually color the first few feet of it with a black Sharpie. Vary your retrieve speed too. Some folks burn their buzzers. But super slow, just enough to keep the blades turning, is another option. You can also bend the blade at the curve for more, or less, disturbance and bubble trail. It's also the first, and usually only, thing I go for in the rain.

Funny. I'm not new to the NetBait brand, or their pork fat/anise scent, but I wanted some word on the worms. Cannot find a test bag to purchase where I'm at. No complaints though. Complaints flow fast & furious around here. This is good. Thanks friends.

If it's someone else's boat, don't try to guess what's right; ask them what you can bring on board. If he/she is good with 4 rods, and you're the only one tripping over them, then you're good to go. But really, if you feel like you brought too much, it's more than likely that the other guy feels it worse than you. In my book, a little consideration goes a long way.

Who can tell me anything about NetBait worms? Salt Lick and C-Mac in particular. Not a single mention found in search. Need some user info STAT. THX

Dude, it's your first baitcaster. Throwing light bait is going to be hard with any reel! You're expecting too much out your equipment. It's learning to use a baitcaster (any brand) that you should focus on; IMHO of course. I'm sure you won't be disappointed with a Curado but the Summit is a great reel, by the way.

I think you have a great plan already my man. Tex-rigged, no weight with pauses between quick snaps. It's those pauses that gets them. The fluke mimics a bait fish. The pause mimics a dying baitfish. A dying baitfish is an easy meal.

If it's Acapulco Gold, I throw a Stanley Ribbit. If it's Maui Wowie I like a white swim jig. If it's Texas Tea, then it's a fat ribbon-tail, Tex-posed naturally. If it's Panama Redforget it; you'll just be sittin' back in the grass watching everyone else catch bass anyhow.

The Humminbird 998 I got this spring was just too complicated; so I replaced it with a fondue pot. If I ever catch anything, I'm gonna just dip it in cheese and eat it right there.

You should probably get one of each. But, in the end, this one will win you over.

You can use all sorts of trailers for a Chatterbait. Try a Super Fluke, Paca Craw or Swim Senko too.

60% of the time, whatever I'm throwing works every time! It's been said already, but I'll say it again. Amateur anglers, like me, sometimes take too much stock in the words they read on the internet. Only a 5/0 for those!; Never go less than 50lb braid!; You need an 8'6 X-heavy, XX-fast, XXX-expensive rod if you really want to catch anything!; That brand sucks, don't bother! Please don't get me wrong; I think this site is a wealth of information! It's a great place for beginners and old-timers alike. But our best teacher is (almost) always experience. We need to get out there and get some bait wet and learn/remember the basics. What does this lure look like underwater? How can my rod make it look different? What is it touching? What is it snagging? When are they hitting? If I do the exact same thing, can I make them hit it again? Those are probably more important that the lure itself, but I think folks new to the sport don't always understand that. Once you have a good command of the basics, then you can start experimenting a little. But it seems like now-a-days things go in the opposite direction. I'm too lazy to go back to see who wrote it, but I recall his pic looking like he might be a younger guy. Anyhow, he said he cut is tackle box down to 4 types of bait that he knows how to fish. Since then, he's catching more bass. Wow. How non-amateur is that? I catch his drift; and I like it!

HA HA! I think Capt. Ken crapped his kayak. Great vid!

A few weeks! Dang, you are good.

To the bass it's a spritz. They love it! Me? I freak out about lightening and stuff. Really. I'm done. I'm trying to get over it though; because I know rain brings oxygen to the lake, triggers feeding and makes a good situation for the buzzbait - my fave! I actually bought my first rain suit this Spring. No joke. Dri Ducks, not Frogg Toggs, Nine Bucks! I hope to get wet this year.

I'm not sure about Indian, but definitely buy it some flowers before you ask for some shake with them fries. Or try it out without the fluoro leader, weightless not Texas, and see if you get that shimmy back.

So what happened? Did you get fined? Ticketed? Did they take any gear like we all hear happened to that one guy wherever you live?

The alternator is adjacent to the Fetzer Valve but you have to remove the Flux Capacitor to get to it. Not too hard if you have some 3-in-1 Oil and a 4" Bearing Retainer wrench though. The replacement boots are harder to come by. Try Lady Footlocker.

Fast gives you a harder hook-set. Most folks say this is best for worms, jigs and T-Rigs - Single hook baits. Mod has more of bend and absorbs a hit. Most folks use these for topwaters, cranks, traps and spinnerbaits - Treble hook & Reaction baits. But that's just most people. Don't freak out too much about the labels. You need to feel things out for yourself. For instance, a Mod rod should get you longer casts and that might be something you're looking for. Go with a rod that suits your style. For instance, my worm rod is a Mod/Fast action because I like it like that.

Wannabe Bigger Fluke You My Lil' Buoy