Bluebasser86

Nice! My custom swimbait rod is built on the same blank.

Whatever 2 days you decide within the time slots.

A jig if I'm around heavy cover, a bladed jig if I'm not.

This just in! A large container full of water is heavy and awkward! \ Seriously though, kid with the football helmet on was out cold and probably pretty seriously hurt.

Water was as clear as I can remember seeing it out there in a long time. I could see the bottom off the front of the boat dock. Water was 56 something at the dam, 53 something at the south end. Shad flipping pretty much constant in the lower half of the lake and some whites chasing them at couple different times. The slime is pretty bad again, but not quite as bad yet as it was during our first tournament out there last year.

If only we could get everyone to do the same.

Comparing pictures really does little good because a lot depends on how the fish is held. A poorly presented fish can look way smaller, while a fish held to the camera properly can appear much larger, like this one from Table Rock. That fish was only 3lbs 3oz. Compared to a fish that wasn't held properly. That fish was a full pound heavier than the first.

I don't use lure wraps but I do use hook bonnets for the same reason. I wish I'd started using them a long time ago.

I fished Gardner for a couple hours after work yesterday. Mainly wanted to make sure the boat was in working order again (seems to be fine), but also had a new Curado 70XG to test out. I know I was fishing too fast because I started on the rounded point on the west side of the lake by the dam and had made it almost to the south end of the lake in 45 minutes. I'd only caught a couple super dinks on a jerkbait and missed a couple good bites so I made myself slow down and let my jerkbait sit for about 5 seconds. Crazy what a few seconds difference can make. I started catching them pretty fast after that and missed a few more. Got to catch one on the new Curado on a new finesse jig I just started tying so that was a double whammy. Pretty sure I had a nice saugeye hooked on my jerkbait for a few seconds. Fish really whacked it and was giving me slow, heavy headshakes and staying down until it just let go. No rolling or slime on the line so unless it was just a big bass that wasn't coming up, that's the only other thing I could think of.

Does it have to be new? Mine was 3 years old with 8 hours on it when I bought it, for about half of retail, which was a few thousand under your max price range. It's a fiberglass boat though if you're dead set on tin.

First full week in April? 3rd-9th or just the first week 1st-8th? Give a token out the night before it starts that has to be in the picture of the fish on a real measuring bump board (not a tape or ruler). I think including the token and screen name would be a good idea. No idea how to do a fair handicap system. Our fish are so little I've got no chance either way and since it's just for fun I'd be fine just skipping it and getting after it. Keep it on public waters only with normal bass rules (follow all state guidelines and requirements, no live bait, no trolling, 1 rod at a time in the water). Keep track of your biggest (longest) 5 bass and turn them in with pictures before midnight the night it ends. I'll just be happy if I don't flip my kayak again.

I'm guessing you're using too large of a hook or too heavy of a head. I fish them a lot and rarely snag them up even around cover. If you use a light head (3/32oz or less), with a small hook (#1 or #2 on the heads I pour), the hook barely clears the bait. This protects the hook from snags and the bait is so soft that when a fish eats it, the hook is easily exposed for the hook to be set. I pour some with a double fiber guard but never use them because there's really no need to.

Logperch Darter

Good review. I have one ordered from Japan Tackle. I was hoping it would ship at the end of February like the website says, but here I am in mid-March with no reel and no shipping date in sight I did get my Curado 70XG this week though. Really liked it what little I fished it yesterday but I agree on the handle. It's not bad, but the paddles feel too small for my hands. I'll probably be looking to upgrade it when I can unless I get use to them.

I fish spinnerbaits on a 7' 2" MH/F, bladed jigs on a 6' 6" MH/F, and I don't fish swimjigs hardly ever.

A rig or light swimbaits would probably be your best option.

Careful Hootie, you're almost smiling in that picture

Liked it. Our lakes don't set up well for a jig this time of year because of the coating of slime that is everywhere until late spring, but I did manage to catch one out from under a dock that was my biggest fish of the morning. I had no issues moving the fish (it wasn't a monster by any means but big enough to caught problems if I didn't move it quickly). Retrieving the bait to make another cast is noticeably faster also.

First 5 1/2 minutes of this video are all smallies on a WP 130 from last fall here in KS. The second fish was one of the most vicious topwater strikes I've ever had from a bass. Even on the fish eye lens of my Garmin Virb (which don't do long distances well), you can tell it threw a ton of water.

I have a Shimano Sedona 500 on a 6' Avid UL spooled with 3.5lb DAM Techtan that is a bluegill catching machine. It's too light to do much anything else with. I've tried fishing for trout with it but it's so light I can't even get a hook to set in the fish's mouth. I have sight fished a couple 8-10 pound carp and a 9 3/4lb flathead with it though.

But the OP said he doesn't want to buy the Huddlebugs anymore... Savage Gear 3D craws have a very profile, but none of the colors match the craws around here very well. Not that it's a huge issue because they still catch fish, but when I'm trying to get a bait that looks really natural I'd like it to match all the way down to the color.

I've gone back to almost all Pline on my jig rods. Just don't feel like the benefits of fluoro outweigh all the hassles and the cost of the stuff. I mainly use C21 though, not a big fan of the fluoroclear.

I'm partial to the YUM Mightee worm but the Upton's is a good bait too, just a lot pricier. Another option I'd suggest would be a 7" stickworm on a weighted T rig. While it's not as long, they're very bulky so they give off a big profile that appeals to larger fish.

A weightless Pit Boss or Papa Pit Boss does well also.

I fished them on an A rig a couple weeks ago and did pretty good. The biggest plus versus a Keitech was I used the same 5 the entire time where I'd probably have gone through at least 2 bags of Keitechs. I'll be giving them their first test run on a plain jighead this Friday.