Chance_Taker4

My vote is on the Carrot Stix Wild Wild Black. I love my Carrot Stix.

The way I choose line is if you want your baits deeper in the water column go Fluorocarbon, higher in the water column go Co-Poly, fishing thick heavy cover go braid. I usually run 10-12lb on co-poly or fluoro and 40lb for braid.

How did he help pick? I don't use jigs that much because I get frustrated with all the colors, heads, weight, etc. If I could get help with color choices I'd be a little happier.

I watched a video of Gerald Swindle explaining how he chooses jigs. And I started implementing it to the way I choose plastics. In the video he said out of all the hundred of jigs he has they are all Black or Brown with some accent colors. But he doesn't let the accents (glitter) effect what jig he uses. If a black jig isn't working he switches to the brown and back and forth until he finds the color and location that is producing. For me living in the NW I do the same with plastics. I throw a purple bait or a green bait. Basically the base color attracts the fish the accent color (glitter) attracts the angler.

I would say for reels I would look at Daiwa Tatula CT for all your setups. They can be bought around $100 from various places. I'll list rods and gear ratios as how I would pair them 1) 7'5" Irod Genesis II Fred's Magic Stick with a 8:1 ($250 total) 2) 6'6" Duckett Terex M/MF with a 7:1 ($250) 3) 7' Phenix Glass Crankbait M/M with a 6:1 ($240) 4) 7'2" Phenix M1 MH/F with a 7:1 ($275) 5) 7'1" Phenix Bass Recon MH/F with a 7:1 ($290) 6) 6'10" G Loomis E6X Mag Med Drop Shot Rod with an Ardent Bolt ($270)

Are Shoal as aggressive as Smallies?

I'm pretty sure most if not all tournament guys have heard of NPS to get "sponsors". I was never a fan of it because I don't want to pay some to email my resume to a company when I can do it myself. Lately when I get on NPS I noticed less and less of the big companies on it and more smaller new startup companies. Then last night I was surfing the net checking out company sites and realized some of the big companies are back to Pro Staff applications on their site again. St. Croix, Lews, Abu Garcia, Rapala (and all their sub companies), 13 and Yamamoto all now allow people to apply directly to them and do not redirect you to NPS. Has NPS finally hit the wall with companies? I always thought that NPS was benefiting and turning a profit of other company names. Thoughts?

That's just my spare plastics I haven't unloaded the boxes in the boat in that picture.

Like stated in my original post I have done online research. I don't see a difference when looking at them and seems to me "locals" can't either because there are so many debates as to what is a smallie or shoal.

I live on Erie so I fish for Smallies mostly with Largemouth mixed in. A family member has moved to Albany, GA and invited me down this winter to fish with him. He told me that he has more fun catching Shoal Bass than he did Smallies. He also said I would have more fun fishing the Flint River and Muckalochee Creek (spelling?) than I would on Erie and Detroit River. My first thought was I feel like I'm in a Luke Bryan song when he talks to me about fishing. lol my second thought was what in the world is a Shoal Bass? Any info is helpful. I did online research and it just looks like a smallie that they call a different name.

Still think Ohio St should be left put of the playoffs. UGA, BAMA, ND (expecting them to beat Miami), (Winner of Miami/Clemson). With OSU, OK on the outside looking in.

I remember when the Senko hit the market most people complain that the price was too high. Now I go on TW and see plastics selling for $10-$14!?! That is absurd. I never used the Lucky Craft RC2 because the price was too high when the SK KVD were just as good. I think and it goes for all retail the motto "You get what you pay for" has ruined retail. Going off that motto companies will raise prices because consumers think that $14 pack of plastics must be better than a $3 pack because it costs more. I also think the popularity (I don't know why) of JDM products in this industry has caused some of this.

i Got 3 8x12 walls like this. Thats just my plastics board.

The new Citica and Casitas released the next year after the Curado I. So my Assumption would be you'll see a new Citica this ICast.

I organize close to the same way. Just on a larger scale. Got one of these walls for plastics, Hardbaits, and spinnerbaits/terminal tackle. Ike gave me the inspiration.

Costa used to be the Rayovac Series. BFL is the entry series then you move to Costa.

I take 4 planos in my bag, 5 rods and a backpack to hold my lunch and rain gear. I have never had an issue with a boater about bringing too much stuff. 95% of the time the boater gives me a small compartment in the back and space in his cooler so I put my lunch in the cooler and my rain gear in the compartment. That leaves only the tackle bag on the floor under my feet at the passenger seat.

I use the Plano4487-20 bag the main compartment can hold 4 3700 boxes. I use a standard 3700 for all my jigs and chatterbaits. A second standard 3700 with all my hardbaits. A shallow 3700 for terminal tackle and a Deep one compartment 3700 for all my plastics. I can hold about 30 packs of plastics in that box. Plus I can hold spinnerbaits, culling system, scale, extra reel, extra line. I have been complimented by boaters on how organized my system is.

I use two different rods. I use a H for C-Rig and Football jigs and a MH for Swim Jigs and Frogs (I don't fish a lot of sloppy areas). But I would feel confident using my MH for C-rig and Football jigs if I needed to. I use Carrot Stix not Ducketts but the experience I do have Duckett (Ghost Series) I would say go the MH route. P.S I didn't know people still used Ducketts because I never see that name tossed around here or other groups any longer. But I do like the Duckett brand.

Since the season is winding down for me up here in Ohio I am getting everything assessed and stocking up on what I need for next season. Next season I want to start using different line and see if I can better or worse results in line changes. I am going to list my main setups with the line that is currently on them and in (what I was thinking of changing to). I have bulk spools of 6# Copoly, 10# copoly, 10# Fluoro, 12# fluoro and 40# braid. 6:1 Ardent Ranger/7' Custom Glass Rod: Cranks 10' or less; 10# Fluoro (12# Fluoro) 6:1 Ardent Ranger/ 7' Tatula Elite H: Swimbaits and C-Rig; 25# Copoly (25# Copoly) 7:1 Ardent Pro/ 6'9" Carrot Stix Wild Wild Black MH: Spinnerbait, BuzzBait, Chatterbait; 10# Fluoro (10# CoPoly) 7:1 BPS Pro Qualifier/7' Carrot Stix Wild wild Green MH: Lipless Cranks 12# Fluoro (12# Fluoro) 7:1 Ardent Elite/7' 3" Carrot Stix Wild Orange MH: Jigs and Frogs 40# Braid (40#Braid) 7:1 Ardent Elite/ 7' Carrot Stix Wild Wild Orange H: Flipping and Pitching; 40# Braid (40#Braid0 7:1 BPS Bionic/ 6'6" Wild Wild Orange M: Topwater Jerkbait; 10# Fluoro (10# CoPoly) Ardent Bolt Spinning/ 6'10" Custom Drop Shot: Drop Shot; 25# Gliss (6# CoPoly) Ardent Finesse Spinning/ 7' Lews Mach 2 ML: Weightless and Light Shakey Head; 25# Gliss (6# CoPoly) President Spinning/ 6'6" Abu Veritas 2.0 M: Shakey Head and Tubes; 10# Fluro (10# CoPoly) I am not looking for pairing critique on rods and reels just looking for opinions on line choice. As mentioned above line state is what's on the reels and line in parentheses is what I think I'm changing it to.

VMC Spinshot hook

Siebert for me with Kustom Kicker 2K jigs a close 2nd.

Where are you getting a STX for $100? To the OP, go with what everyone else is saying and got the Tatula or Fuego route. If you don't wanna buy off eBay than I'd look at the Bass Pro Pro Qualifier or 13 Origin.

I am a Kustom Kicker Jigs (2K Jigs) fan. Their Dock Monkey, Freak and Deposit Swim jig are my three go to jigs. But I also agree Siebert has some great jigs and my jig box has quite a few Sieberts along with 2K.

All 2K jigs are round living rubber skirts and copper hand tied.