ec1

I think this is a mix of different factors: Experience, Brand and Bait. Experience - I find experience and time on the water is your number one determining factor to which hook to use. That said, straight shanks make up 80% of my texas rigging, no matter the cover. It just seems to give me the confidence I need to catch a few. Brand - Certain brands of hooks seem to be better. For example, everytime I look at the Mustad EWG hook, I just want to throw them out because the hook point aligns the eye instead of being slightly further out than the eye. So far, Gamakatsu EWG superline has been my confidence hook for that. Owners do the job too, but I'm having a harder and harder time justifying the extra dollar it costs. Bait - Once again this comes back to experience. Certain baits after you do well with them, don't bother switching. For example, a fat ika I've been having great success with a 2/0 or 3/0 Gammy EWG, and after trying others, it hasn't been the same. After going back to the original hook, I found I didn't lose much in terms of hooking ratio again. Make note of what works for you for certain baits, and stick to them. They worked in the first place for a reason. At the same time, what works for me, might not work all that well for you. To sum it up: EWG's are great. There are situations where I like twistlocks and straight shanks better, but EWG's definitely have their time and place.

I usually have more luck with these fishing for lake trout, perch, and pike. I'm always told this is a multi species bait, so I'm sure it works for bass but I have zero confidence for bass with them!

A general rule I like to use is the bigger the lake, the better the size. Presence of gobies also seemed to have gotten fish bigger and bigger as well. For numbers, (at least in Canada) if you find a shield lake in your area that isn't as pressured, you could cash out on a number of 3-4lb fish.

You need to look at cover. Places where fish can get your hook stuck in weeds, set your drag tighter, open water - go lighter. With 10# YZH, the breaking strength is higher than what it claims for, I usually set it at a rate where I can pull line out (using some force) from the reel without breaking the line. Not too tight and not too loose. My own personal preference is to go a tad tighter on a baitcaster, and a little looser on a spinnning rod.

I had a similar issue as you, but finally figured out what I was doing wrong. For the longest time, I had a 1 brake, and the dial at 6 as the set and forget - but after a few too many backlashes for my liking, I finally turned decided to use 2 brakes. With 2, I actually rotate between 2-6 on the dial depending on how windy the day is. Another thing was that these reels with the SVS infinity actually casted better than my previous core 100mgfv, and there was absolutely no "snap" needed to get the distance I wanted. The thing that I do miss about the 1 brake setting, was the whirring sound that you got similar to a dc reel. It only happened for the chronarch ci4 though, the metanium never had a whirring sound no matter how little I used for the braking.

Sizmic toads makes a few floating versions. They're not my favourite toad, but if floating is 100% necessary...

An average angler with the faster speed reel means nothing. Let's put it in this perspective: Someone that uses a 5:1 reel pitching a weedbed while holding the bait before each pitch vs someone with an 8:1 gear ratio and as soon as the bait comes out of the water it is pendulumed back out into the next spot. It might only be an extra pitch for every 15 pitches that the 8:1 angler makes, but an extra pitch is an extra pitch. 100% not discrediting your fishing there Catt! And like Raul says, I do think that anglers as a whole nowadays fish too fast, always looking an instant bite. It will always be the ones that are capable of adapting and listening to the fish for the day that will catch more! Ultra high dollar rods and reels only feels good to the user, and gear is never to be blamed on whether fish are caught or not. A good angler can use reliable gear and still beat your average joe using high end gear.

I believe that the advantageous part is not for picking up slack or catching up to the fish. It is more so for getting your bait back, and making your next pitch. If you break t-rig or jig fishing down, those that get the bait back quicker, and can make the next pitch faster will save time. This equals more pitches and more time the bait is in the water. Keyword: efficiency. There are situations where this also means nothing, such as fishing trees or docks where accuracy means more than anything else.

I have very limited experience with squarebill cranking (1 month or so), but the crush 50x has been the one that gave me all this confidence to crank. Good colours, floats nicely, and crashes through weeds very well. Most importantly, I have been able to catch fish with them and I am starting to be able to look at waters and be able to decide whether I will be successful at cranking over that piece of water. I don't think you can go wrong with them, especially if you already know how to crank. I will be getting a couple more 50x cranks, and will pick up a couple of the flat 75x when I make my next online order.

Thanks for sharing Dwight! After my post, I've been living up in a fishing lodge for the last few weeks and have tried all sorts of different rods for toads. Finally figured out that a soft tip was key. (Tried to find a rod with a similar tip as the g loomis TWFR after holding it) The single hook has been doing alright, but I will be trying the double in the near future.

So what is the general consensus for a punch skirt and its effectiveness? I have been doing very well with a punch skirt lately, but I seriously doubt that the fish that you flip to would bite vs not bite a texas rig with or without a punch skirt. As of now, it is marketed as a bulkier profile, but I really don't think that it is doing the same thing as a jig. A texas rig with a punch skirt looks completely different as a jig in the water. A punch skirted texas rig lies flat as 3 pieces, whereas a jig lays and points up in one piece. I really question how much bigger of a profile the skirt is adding. Below, is a picture of the 2, and how they both sit when on the bottom. Let's hear some thoughts.

Your setups seem well rounded. After a few years you should know what you need, and what you like to be able to fish for any conditions that are called for. 5-7 rods seems to be a pretty happy medium for myself. 2x t-rig - lighter / heavier 1x reaction - spinnerbait / swimjigs 1x frog/toad 1x senko 1x dropshot 1x topwater/crankbait

I think I'm in the minority here, but I absolutely love the new chronarch's over the the core. The casting of the new chronarch gives such a nice whir, that it almost sounds like a DC reel, the lines of the reel are much sleeker, and not so rounded. Casting wise, the core is great, but I think the Chronarch is even better with the new braking system. I know I don't own the 50/51 that everyone loves.. am I missing something because I have the 100MGFV?

Thank you for sharing. Best underwater shots I've seen!

I don't ever remember a 2/10 kind of hookup ratio in the years past! It was like even the 2# fish were difficult to land this year. But, War Eagle, I do remember the times back when I used it, I was using an old daiwa that had a drag that slipped about an inch as you set the hook. Let me try that drag configuration the next time I get out. If I do find that double hook in a store one of these days Dwight, I will get it 100%. With that hook I would give feel completely ok using the 795 again. I know I like that 795 for hollow bodies.

Using the XXX strong version. I own the zo-wire as well, but I find the close to straight shank configuration of the zo-wire a hinderance to horny toads, or sizmic toads with the hook slot.

Hello all! Since bass opened the last week or so, I have lost a few key fish while fishing a toad. Of all of these, I am having a hard time explaining why these fish are coming unbuttoned after a big hookset and feeling the full weight of the fish. Usually I get about 5-10 cranks with the fish on, and they somehow just pop off I am completely baffled by this, because I don't remember such an awful hook to landing ratio as this year. I just can't seem to explain this. I've been using an Owner CPS XXX Twistlock in 5/0 Rods used: Dobyns DX795 Flip Kistler Z-bone 7'3 5Power. Is it that the rods I am using are too powerful for the job? Do I need an even slower rod for toads?

Most important thing is a little bit of wind and chop in the water. The wind I believe is moreso for dampening any trolling motor noises.

Hey BR, Did some impulse buying at some point a year or two ago, and stocked myself up with baby rodents at a dollar a pack, and am finding myself a really hard time using it. Two main questions: 1. What hook are you using these smaller baits on? 2. When do you downsize from the original size to the smaller size? Let's hear how you guys use them!

I'm not sure why anyone would ever need more line capacity than the original tatula for bass! That just makes spooling so much more expensive, even with backing!

After using it for 1 season, I realized that this bait truly is capable of putting fish in the boat. They compare this bait as the hard version of a jig and twister. IMO the whole hype around it was so big because the bait companies realized that no one in North America had one, and it was a great opportunity to cash out on it.

Ordered a couple of Columbia shirts the past weekend - One that was a hoodie and one long sleeve. I can say that the hoodie was ideal because neck and ears are covered without a second thought!

Line management starts with the basics: After each cast, close the bail by hand, pull the line taught, and use a swivel if you're using something that is known for twisting lines. I own both daiwa and shimano, I don't believe that one is superior to the rest.

I would look in the fenwick lineup - Elite Tech Smallmouth & the Aetos. Lifetime warranties, and they can be found for below MSRP. Hands down my favourite rods if you need to stay under $150/rod. If not, 13 omens?

I've fished that 7' rod a few years, and find it best for spinnerbait fishing up to 3/4oz. I'm sure it will work well for what you need.