Bluebasser86

Pay for shipping and maybe an extra buck for the envelope and you can have mine. It's 4.5" shad one. No fish but the paint is pealing off of it.

Shakyhead, Ned Rig, or a wacky rig in clear water.

Both the standard and 2 Tap have been great for me the last couple years. The 2 tap in chrome black back especially. I fish mine on a 7' MH/F 6.2:1 with 15lb big game.

Hair jig with no trailer

Welcome and thank you for your service!

Turns out, bass can't read the rules we're writing for them. I think of the rules more as guidelines or starting points. It's up to me to figure out the rest of the puzzle. What I believe when I started fishing, as I progressed, and even what I believed last year contradicts with some of what I believe now. Part of the contradiction in fishing has to do with the fact that so much of what we "know", is really just opinion.

I use a 5.0, a 5.2, and a 6.2 on my 3 cranking rods. If I was going to use just one, I'd go with the 6.2. It's not too difficult to fish a big, deep runner on it, and it's much easier to burn a squarebill with it. Wasn't long ago that 6.2 was a blazing fast reel that I used for jigs and T-rigs. Now it's on the slower side of what most use and it's considered a big, outdated reel. It's still one of my favorites that I'd take over all the rest if I could only have 1 reel forever.

I was casting over 3/4 of my spool off the reel each time last Thursday (I'd estimate 50-60 yards), with a 1/2oz RES. It was a perfect storm where the line was stretched from catching fish, there was a slight wind at my back, the boat was anchored so I could put everything into my cast, and there was big fish busting way out in the off limits area so a long cast was the only way to reach them. My bait was sailing much further than normal though. I'd estimate what I'd normally consider a long cast to be closer to 35-40 yards because it's about the same distance as a long bow shot for me.

Very good write up. I've had the chance to speak with the man himself on several occasions when we cross paths on the water (very easy to recognize the Alumacraft with the Honda on the back), and all that information are his basic talking points whenever he's asked about it. It's a very simple system that most bass anglers try to overcomplicate by making it fit into what we know. Big, heavy wire hooks, weedguards, bigger baits, heavier gear, heavier heads so they can be felt, all things that bass anglers try to force the rig into, but they're putting a square peg in a round hole. I'm not at all saying that a 1/4oz head with wire weedguard and a full 5" Zinker won't catch fish, it will and I know it will because I've done it. At that point, it no longer fits into the system and the mindset of what is Midwest Finesse Fishing. The very basic concept of MFF, is to catch as many bass in an outing, while keeping it very affordable. This is not a concept that fits well into the mold of what the majority of bass anglers strive for, the 5 biggest bass possible in a day where if you only get 5 bites that's okay as long as they add up to 20 pounds. To me, it's a very enjoyable way to fish, almost like fishing an ultralight for bluegills. It's a very low impact way to fish, and an easy way to get large numbers of fish in an outing without even working very hard to do it. I enjoy the information sharing in the MFF community also. It's not nearly as secretive as tournament bass anglers, and I like talking about fishing and teaching others what I've learned so they can enjoy success as well. It's a tremendous presentation for teaching new anglers as well. Just 2 seasons ago I took my mom who hadn't been fishing in over a decade. She put nearly 50 fish in the boat, including several smallmouth over 3 pounds, which is a very respectable fish in KS where our state record isn't even 7 pounds. Most of the fish she caught she didn't even know were there until I told her, or she reeled into them and they started fighting. This takes a lot of the pressure off of me when I take new anglers fishing. I'd highly recommend to anyone who hasn't tried to follow the basic guidelines of what truly is the Ned Rig or Midwest Finesse Fishing to give it a try because it is extremely effective in the right situations.

Bass rarely jump completely out of the water while feeding. I agree that it sounds like carp behavior to me.

Going to be pretty tough to get a combo for that price unless you find something at a steep discount. There's some places with the Lightning Rod Shock on sale right now for around $30 and if you can find maybe a Black Maxx on sale for $40 you could make that work decent. Academy has a lot of stuff on sale right now if you have one close by.

Welcome! Thank you for your service!

The Okuma Guide Select XH is a good rod for a good price. I have that and the Fury 795, the Fury will be very under powered for an 8" Hudd. I know what the specs say, but the one to three ounce range is the sweet spot for that rod.

They melt together very easily with a lighter.

Black and blue and this one that I call grasshopper, a mix of brown/green pumpkin/orange/chartreuse.

I don't think I've ever caught enough fish on one to wear out a Zman plastic before I lose it. Maybe worn out a half Zinker on a Ned rig a time or two, but by the time they're that torn up I just retire them and figure I've more than gotten my monies worth.

I really have better luck on the citrus shad color in clearer water than I do the chart/black back baits for whatever reason. I agree that the algae blooms in the summer seem to signal prime citrus shad or parrot crankbait time.

I'd try to talk to your boater if possible to see what their planning on fishing. Do some research on the lake you're fishing to find out what the popular techniques are. I'd try not to bring any real specialized gear unless you're really sure you're going to use it, because it will most likely end up just being in the way. I think you have it pretty well covered with the combos you listed. Like you said, versatility is the best option when selecting gear as a co-angler.

If I'm confident there's big bass in a pond, I'll fish it several times before I'd give up on it. It's possible there's not a strong population of bass, but the ones in there are primarily large ones, and I'm okay with that.

I'm a fan of the Lucky Craft Pointer 78 and Luck E Strike RC STX. When it's early on and really cold I'll add a Lucky Craft Staysee 90 into the mix to reach fish still holding in deeper water.

Welcome!

Welcome! Was this person a member here? A name would help a lot if you remember it.

That's a Risto Rap for sure. Works a lot like a bigger version of the Shad Rap.

I'll have the bay door open and ceiling fans going in my shop like I do when I'm pouring lead. I'll try to remember to post pictures of the baits if the molds turn out decent.

This thread inspired me. Bought the supplies to make the molds, poured a couple molds this morning. Hopefully I'll have a couple decent molds and I can start melting down some of the 5 gallon bucket full of baits that I have.