McAlpine

68 today for the first time in 3 months. 10 day outlook drops daytime highs back to the 30's and teen's at night. Weather is just jacking with me. Your bass bonanza is causing me to think that vacation to warmer climes may be in order. Winter has it's grip on my brain, about to go nuts if I can't get out.

Average tournament: Coffee and granola bar on the way. Coffee and dried apple fruit bar waiting for launch. Lunch: water, PB&J, fruit, cheese stick. More water, maybe a diet soda Something to snack on like peanuts or another dried fruit bar.

I held a 6'-10" cranking M at the local BPS after I had alredy ordered my 6'-8" MH. That cranking rod is VERY nice and I am going to get one.

I picked up the 6'-8" MH to use as a spinnerbait rod and without going out yet, the rod in hand is very nice, very light, soft-ish but responsive tip, parabolic bend. I put on a spare BPS carbon black I had laying around and the reel balances a little heavy on the rod. I'm going to use it for a season as is but already think I may go to a lighter reel. I expect the rod will probably perform very well.

x2. I usually fish a new reel for a season before I crack it open. If I can't do that then it's not the reel I want anyway and it goes back. Annual clean and lube afterwards.

Yeah it looked interesting. Shake it and feel the internal weight displacement, it's alot but it feels solid like the high quality rubber tungsten mix used in really good jerkbaits. Haven't put it in water yet but am interested to see how it works. I'm guessing nose down with alot of movement on the jerk. Will be interesting to see if it wiggles while stationary.

Shhhh, you'll give away my go-to river bait to everyone.....

I just switched from several small palno boxes to that FTO box this year myself and it is pretty nice.

x2. Spinnerbait. If your learning then the spinnerbait steps to sucess are thus: 1.) Chuck 2.) Wind. 3.) Repeat Plus since a spinnerbait is an active fish bait, you are going to learn more about where the fish stage themselves to ambush when they are feeding and it will help you learn what to look for.

Most of my worm hooks are gamakatsu. Very good hooks, very sharp. Good value. Trebels on the other hand, mustad ultra point 2x short 1x strong. Great hook.

Not really a fair argument on the hookup ratio due to odd strikes, fish mood, etc. That's the same with any bait if you fish it solely. I'm with you to a point, I don't understand why a guy would go out and decide that he is going to fish a frog and nothing but a frog. Same as anyone that sticks to any other single bait and try to force feed the fish rather than determine what it is they want. But that does not mean it's the baits fault for hookup ratio due to design/etc but the user putting something out there at the wrong time. Let's call it pilot error. So that being said... I fish a frog becuase it is productive. However; it is productive for me becuase I fish it when it's productive. My hookup ratio is probably 80% and I feel strongly about putting that number down. That's becuase I fish a frog when they are engulfing it. If the fish are missing or short striking, I'll pull out a popper/spitter/spook. At that point the frog is done for the day. Sticking with a bait that the fish are interested in but obviously is not the right bait is just silly. Summer, around weeds and cover first thing in the morning where the fish are still looking to ambush from a night of feeding a walking frog or nose bobbed frog or a stop and go....killer...and they swallow that thing. Once the day really starts, the wind starts up, I go to something else. It's all about using the most high percentage play for me. Efficiency with my time on the water. Sometimes that frog is the most efficient thing. Sometimes it's not. A blanket statement that it's always a low percentage play however is incorrect. Not a niche bait, just another weapon in the arsenal.

My fishing partner purchased himself a set of the BPS PQ bibs and jacket last year and it worked out really well for him. We fished a couple tournaments in the worst bloody downpours I have ever seen too. This caused me to rethink being wet from both leaks and sweat in my frogg-toggs. FT's good for 2 seasons but that's it, plus they don't breath. This xmas I picked up the BPS 100MPH suit because it was on sale for $100 off plus $50 in bass bucks back. If I had not bought that I probably would have gone for the PQ suit. However; I am very glad I went this way. I wore the 100MPH suit a couple times this winter with the "polar vortex" coming through with warm layers underneath. This suit is the dang bomb. Period. Completely cuts wind. I did not sweat at all. And it has several nice patches of fleece in the right spots for warming like in the pockets and on the collar. Everything is weld sealed. Time will tell for sure but as of today I would buy it again in a heartbeat.

And stickbaits before that. I still seem to call pointers and such which are purpose made, "jerkbaits" but to me a straight rapala is still a stickbait. guess I'm just an old fart.

Yeah the Ed dude was stupid and ruined the first part of the show. Second part was mildly interesting. If it's not a fishing show fine, but if it is then it totally missed the mark. Bummer, I was excited.

X2 Split ring can damage your line and get into a funky state where the line falls into the groove and the bait won't run right. Speed clips rock.

That is a Trojan. Also, windows 8 is stupid.

Marty McFly?

Breaks my heart but the newer STX's are not as nice as the earlier versions which are really outstanding. I think they tried to shave off some weight or build them cheaper or something but...not the same reel. Very disappointing. So supposed to be the same core, but will feel way better: Lews tourny pro. Take your STX back and get one of those to add a little flavor to your reel collection and to go with your new chronarch. Lews TP is what the STX should be. Great reel.

yup. yo-yo it in cold water and hold on.

White. All of those patterns are pointless and are just there so a tackle company can take your money. I like different patterns on my baits....that is except for topwater. The pattern is to sell to you, not the fish. Look at the belly of them all. Now think about what the fish sees. White or Black with the majority of your use being White. All the rest of it is a waste of resources. This is why when you see a pro throwing a topwater when they are serious about what they are doing and not making commercials, 90% of the time it's bone color. That being said, I also like a firetiger in muddy water but I dont think it does anything a black one will not. It's just a confidence thing for me but at least I realize it.

I think it's because the Rat-L-Trap really gained popularity due to great catches on Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend back in the day. Red was/is THE go to color on Sam Rayburn for this bait. So, if you were watching any fishing show in the 80's-90's and someone was throwing a Rat-L-Trap it was probably on Sam Rayburn and it was gauranteed Red. That doesn't mean that anyone ever thought that this didn't have to be the go to color on their lake and as you know habits die hard. I find that for the bulk of the reservoirs around me with stained to lightly muddy water a red-eye shad in sexy-shad is a winner and red is poo-poo. Go get a few colors and try them out for yourself on your waters.

I feel ya brother. RC 1.5. 1/4oz Terminator. RIP.

Spinnerbaits have been my go to lure for years. Think of them like a jig, extremely versatile, best used around cover and you can vary the retrieve based upon the conditions. To me, the best time to use a spinnerbait is when you have some chop on the water, overcast, active fish. Tough to beat under these conditions. It's the precursor to the castable umbrella rig but small enough to be worked around stuff. Hot bite: Throwing around cover, bumping into the cover, let it die, vary your retreive, put in some jerks here and there with a drop. If you watch KVD's hands when he is fishing a spinnerbait you will know exactly what I am talking about. Slower bite/Summer: Slow. Big blades, light weight head. Let the bait float like a buzzbait slowly working it at an even pace. Come up to a weed bed and if you can see the "lanes" through the weeds and pads then you can see where you need to work that spinnerbait through. Throw it at logs and float it by lengthwise, let it die at the end and then zip it back. This is the time to work "edges". I have found many times that if you get the bait down to the fishes level you will do better at this time than if you float it at the top of the water. My personal guideline is to just barely let the bait sink to where I can't see it or can barely see it then retreive on that plane. Winter: Slow roll near the bottom, Yo-Yo retreive, etc. Again, big blades but this time heavier head. Get a good thump going and run it sloooow. Dirty water: White, White/Chartruse, Black. Painted blades, big blades. Clear water: Silver and Gold willow leafs, get more creative with your colors if you want. Try to match balls of forage baitfish. Always use a trailer hook unless you are running in cover so dense that it keeps getting fouled. However; if you are in cover that dense, a spinner bait is probably not what you want. Trailer soft baits are good at times if you want a larger more dense presenation. A simple curly tail grub works great. But to be honest I rarely use anything. I dont know if it matters but I am picky about my skirts. A good skirt is as important as good blades. I use silicone only and try to match prevailing forage colors unless water clarity calls for something else. If your starting out and have not yet learned what to throw when, then smaller is better than bigger. A 1/8th or 3/16th oz spinnerbait will catch you a TON of fish. Leave your manly-man I can chuck an ounce of lead ego at home and try them out. Good luck.

I don't know why but I like a red trailer hook on a white spinnerbait. I like red hooks for senkos too. I doubt it makes any difference but its a confidence thing.

Wow, even lighter? That's impressive. Is the action the same, XF?