Bluebasser86

I had it in my head that it was going to be a stiff, difficult to manage line, but that's not the case. I use straight 8lb on spinning gear all the time and it fishes very nicely.

I don't know of any that are mass produced that carry a super high price tag. You're paying for that person's time, their failures, all the hours they've spent tinkering and tuning, just to have it not work over and over again. Once they finally get it right, sometimes after years of trying, the end result can be a very special and unique product that does what nothing else does.

It's a very simple formula for me. Braid=flipping hook not braid=EWG

Jerkbaits, smallies hammer them and I catch more big smallmouth on them than anything else.

I'm just old enough that I learned a good majority of mine from trial and error, mostly error. I think that's helped me a lot though because I've learned to be patient and I'm not afraid to fail because I know it's part of the deal. I'm constantly trying to learn anything I can from reading and watching videos. Never know what little trick someone might have that I've never thought to try. Guys on here telling me to think of my dropshot sinker as an anchor that I'm trying not to move and just shake the bait is what finally made the light bulb turn on for me and got me over my mental block with fishing it.

I use spare line, usually save spools that don't have enough left to spool another reel up. I should probably try some leader material to see how it holds up to zebra mussels though.

A friend of mine fishes them a lot and has had good luck so far and he fishes more than I do.

Another vote for the SV. You can find them for pretty reasonable with the newer models starting to come out.

Harbor Freight also sells magnetic strips for tool holders that work well for holding baits. I have a couple mounted in my johnboat that I hang pliers and baits from.

Our largemouth (and smallmouth), are more shad/crappie eaters, so my spinnerbaits are mostly white or white/chartreuse. I've got a couple of the bluegill colored baits but rarely reach for them.

Largemouth or smallmouth? Too many factors go into it to just guess from a map of a lake. I've caught 6 pounders from ponds I could cast across. I also fish some great looking lakes that never give up anything over 5 pounds.

Get to places with heavy grass like Florida and 80lb isn't uncommon. 50lb is a good diameter for casting gear for casting distance and performance. I flip a lot of water willows, even 50lb doesn't get everything out of them.

I always bring down just what I need.

That's where I caught my PB striper as well and that's what I'd be fishing for if I was going to be there in the spring time also.

My little alien ?

One of the most underrated shows ever, fight me

Beaver is one of those lakes that's shrouded in mystery. I've been there a few times and had fun each time, but never been during the peak of the spawn. IMO, in those super clear lakes, bedding bass are a nightmare.

I have quite a few copper bladed spinnerbaits and the lack of options of baits with copper blades is a part of why I started making my own spinnerbaits. The copper War Eagle has caught a ton of smallmouth for me.

I use a 7' M/XF LTB/9.1 SV Zillion with 15lb Tatsu for jigs <3/8oz. IMO, finesse jigs are often called for in clear water situations when you need a longer cast, where a shorter rod is a poor choice.

6' 8" M/F with 8lb copolymer. I mainly use it for smaller baits but I'll use it to get my baits down deeper as well. It's the setup I used to catch my PB smallmouth last spring.

I mean, 50lb would be really heavy on a spinning rod, but it's the most used size for bass on casting gear by a wide margin.

I throw my shad raps on straight 8lb copolymer. I fish them in too cold of weather to consider using braid.

This would make sense because I didn't think there was any way the suspending bait felt like it was nearly an ounce.

It swims great and does have that magic drawing power that the 185 shine glide has. I haven't got many to commit yet, but I've caught a few with it. Mainly at the price, it didn't hurt nearly as bad as buying a 250 or Hinkle trout.

I had a couple and they were awful. Laid over on their side no matter how slow I reeled and so stiff the tails barely moved. They look amazing and performed poorly, which is on par with everything else I've ever bought from LiveTarget.