Bluebasser86

I like green shad. I've caught more fish on the plain 6" than the 68.

I believe it's 1 buck and 4 does per person a season in Kansas. Most I've taken was 3, and that was the same day. Normally take 1 or 2 and call it good.

I learned how to run and gun better. I fish a lot of small lakes and have a bad habit of putting the trolling motor down and just fishing, even when I know it might not be the most productive area. I feel like I caught a lot better quality fish this year because I only fished the areas I felt gave me the best chances to catch fish and skipped the marginal areas.

I've had great luck with the new Berkleys, especially the Wild Thang and Pitbull but the Digger 6.5 has been good too. It works a lot like a plastic DT6. Their Skinny Cutter 110 was one of my top producing baits of the year this spring and winter. They even come with good hooks so they're ready to fish out of the package.

Nope, the 50e's didn't fit my hands right. The 70's seem to be just right.

They do look nice

They're my favorite big swimbait. My favorite one is a Hitch (which I believe he calls shad now), that they're starting to chew the paint off of. It's a wake bait and it looks just like a big, injured baitfish limping along the surface.

I had a golden shiner colored 9" and decided to mess with it and it never worked the same again. I'm not saying it wasn't just something I did that screwed it up, but in my head that's what screwed it up. Wood baits just seem to be touchy on what you can and can't do to mess up the balance of them. One of these guys that paint a lot of their own baits will be able to give a more definitive answer than I can. I paint lead and touch up cheap baits and that's it.

Honestly, I wouldn't bother adding any color to it. I like the black Slammer just as it is. I really don't think the color matters much though, it's more the profile and commotion that gets their attention.

Sharpies come in a ton of color and can add color to most any bait.

Black Buffalo are a nuisance at one of the power plant lakes. They pile into the outlet in the washout where I like to target wipers with spoons. Most days I end up snagging more of them on my spoons than I catch wipers. I've landed a few over 30 pounds, but most of them are in the 8-12 pound range. It's pretty wild when I get one that decides to start jumping, and they are crazy fast for a fish that look like they'd be slow moving, bottom feeders. Occasionally I'll catch one with the spoon completely in their mouth to the point they had to be trying to eat it.

I boat flipped a 4.5lb smallmouth on a spinning rod and 8lb test a couple years ago She was rocketing towards the surface and angling slightly towards the boat and going to break the surface a couple feet away from the boat, just seemed like the thing to do at the time. This one in fact.

Welcome to the forum! Lots of stupid inside jokes with an occasional fishing report to be found on this thread.

I have 3 Calcuttas now, I understand. I actually have more "old" Shimanos than new ones. The Calcuttas, a few 200B greenies, and a 200BSF. They aren't as light, aren't as flashy, aren't as fast, but the fish don't know that.

I also have the Guide Select and it's been an excellent swimbait rod. I have 3 swimbait rods, including a custom, and it's my preferred rod.

I would think you have to be looking at Dak as the QB of the future. It will be a good test of his mental fortitude to see how he rebounds from a poor showing. I wouldn't want to bench a guy for 1 bad performance. I don't know what Romo's contract looks like, but with as many teams need a starting QB, seems like if you could get a good draft pick for him to help build up an already good team, that would be something that would have to be seriously considered.

I usually just put my thumb in their mouth and my other fingers under the gill plate, but you can just grab under the gill plate as well. That's actually a smallmouth buffalo, not a carp. They look similar but buffalo are suckers, while carp are in the minnow family. The world record is listed at just over 82 pounds. I enjoy bowfishing for them and even though that may not be a big one, I know from experience how hard one that size fights.

Welcome!

It's California where people are allergic to eating bread.

The 70XG Curado I.

I don't believe the Zako is a swimbait so much as it is a trailer. Doesn't seem like it would have much action as a stand alone. The other is kind of a beaver of sorts. I'm sure it'll work, and I'm sure it will be fragile. Kind of depends on if the productivity you get with the added action of a soft bait is worth the money to the buyer.

I like CXX. Super strong, to the point it's difficult to break off if I need to. Now CX Premium or Fluoroclear, no way I'd throw a big bait with either of those. I've seen more than a few independent test that both those lines broke below their listed breaking strain. I've had bad personal experiences with them as well.

I prefer split grips so I'd go with the X.

Nice! I need to learn how to tie hair, that looks great.

Welcome and thank you both for your service!