Spankey

No problem my friend. Brown is brown is brown. Too many variations for anyone to be wrong. Browns are a good color but maybe not the best overall. I do see motor oil as a brown. Translucent brown.

I never said that. Must have me confused. But words have been put in my mouth time before.

For real. Stay on topic. Blue fleck, red shad SA Special have nothing to do with brown. The only true brown worm I've come across and use is a Zoom finesse that is brown and labeled as brown. There is no other. Brown is in the eyes of the beholder.

Only live once. The BP Pro Qualifier is a good reel. If you bought it on sale it’s makes it even better. I hold on to it. Don’t second guess yourself. Your purchase would have been fine.

I’m a fan of that worm and color.

I guess it might be a goal but I want to continue on this season with pitching/flipping and frog’n techniques. I’ve been bass fishing a long time and these areas are not my strong points. They most likely will never be. Been a live and learn experience. But the last couple of years I’ve been going at it harder. Success with fish and the thrill of nice blow-up. These are area I’ve been scared to fish. Why? Inferior tackle to get in there. Buying what I needed to do it solved majority of the problems. I done ok with a hollow body craw jig last year. Got a few more patterns of it from Santa. Looking forward to this technique on the lake and river this year again. I guess you guys call it power fishing. So I guess I’m starting to learn bout it.

I would agree. I just ordered a particular rod. Should have it in about a week. I have (3) reels in mind that I'm considering. I'll find all three and put them on that rod and get the one that feels the best to me. I find that works best.

I would think a balance check should be done with the reel you expect to use or with the new one you are planning to buy. A longer rod will fill or possible feel tip heavy with nothing on it.

I fish ML X-Fast spinning quite a bit. My rods are 6'8" to 7' lengths. I feel they are perfect for drop shot and split shotting the small finesse worms (4"-5") I fish. Small creature baits, jigs, NED rigs and grubs. I'll would fish bass anywhere in the country with them. But I also fish Med. Fast action rods in those lengths also. I find that Senko, flukes, light T-Rigs of 6" worms and lizards, some light C-Rigs, bigger creatures, 7" Power Worms, they seem to fish better with stepping up to Medium power. Admittedly I do not fish as heavy as alot of you guys. I just ordered today a 6'3" ML X-Fast rod today that I have been contemplating since last season. It will fill a size I don't have and it will be used on a regular basis. This rod will not be a regret for me buying. I think you have to consider the size of your soft plastics and possible weight that may be associated with fishing them.

Abu Garcia '"Winch" Rod.

I'll can only suggest with those kids that sometime you take them out with some crickets. I'm not a cricket fisherman, I know nothing about them. I didn't grow up that way or was really never exposed to them growing up. Bait shops didn't carry them. I'm a Yank what did I know. I thought about it for the whole week that I was gonna get them some crickets to try. Picked up a couple of cricket cages, I can get sm., med., and large crickets from a local pet store. Took them to go get them. I get them the larger version and use long shank cricket hooks. They'll fish them with and w/o bobbers. On the couple of occassions they used them, they tore up some Panfish and runt bass.

My oldest is 13 yrs. old and the younger is 10. Most times they are a package deal but sometimes one or the other has something to do and I have one. I like how that goes also. They know the routine. If it's a Sunday morning trip they get picked up Saturday afternoon, I have the boat hooked up and ready to go, they do dinner with my wife and I, where ever they have in mind and they usually don't go to bed real real late because they have no problem getting up at about 4:30 am. They know we're getting to the lake while it's still dark. This year they got more interested in fishing with lures. They still like using live bait also. Which is perfectly fine, I'm not going to push them one way or another they are still young and to be honest I don't care if a guy uses live bait until the day he dies. They catch a good mix if Bluegill/Pumpkin-seed, Bass, Crappies and perch. They both lost a few nice bass this year on plastics. It killed me to see that happen. They were like oh well he was nice. It killed me. They/we did everything right. It happens. All I know is they are believers as to what is there and what we should be fishing for. I get very little fishing in with them but that's ok. The guide role is ok. What I try to do sometimes is to try to get one hooked up on my line than make like i want to tell the one kid something and pass my rod off to the other. I'll never admit that to them. It's all good. You could probably start taking the now. It's all exposure but they take a while to develop a mind set for them to put in any length of time. That's why I don't care about my fish time while out. I can always go. I'm more about keeping them exposed to fishing. Someone has to take my stuff when I'm gone from this earth. They certainly will not have to buy anything.

Thanks a lot man. I hope I didn’t come off batcrap crazy. Have not seek any professional help yet about it. Ordering it tomorrow morning. It may be there at shop now. But don’t think so last time I was in they didn’t have all stuff for this year out. I blew my chance on the Stradic you have. They are out at TW. I want to compare a couple before I go and get the Ci4. I’m a Shimano fanatic but Shimano isn’t cutting me any breaks or throwing freebies my way. I want to find the Lew’s Custom Pro Speed Spin and see and feel it. Actually put it on the rod. I will do that with any reel. Getting that rod will be no mistake. Fills a spot I have all the way around that length. Don’t have a St. Croix Spinning Rod that I don’t like. That rod, some GY Cut-tail worms.......before the sun rises completely........Heaven.

I'd remove the reels and do a PVC tube, foam the end caps and bubble wrap the tip sections. They will make it safely and cheap enough. Stow the tube away, you'll need it again someday.

I would have to agree with nitty gritty. If you have buddies with some quality spinning gear do a swap and try their stuff out. Maybe get to a good shop with a good rod selection and you can get a good feel for a nice fast or x-fast rod. 6'8" - 7' med. or med. lite sounds great. I'm sort of partial to St. Croix Spinning Rods for soft plastics, like Abu Garcia Spinning Rods for small crankbaits. Reels majority are Shimano Symmetrys and Nascis. I fish some Daiwa stuff also. But your choices are endless and can only suggest you go touch a bunch of stuff. You'll know what is right or feel right.

Dude you are catching river smallies. You are a river smallie addict. Some are getting a bit over technical on matters that mean nothing. You and I are from different parts of old glory but fish similar. I enjoy your posts. I’m want to get down your way before I leave Gods green earth. Do want to get to Pickwick.

This is a great site. Endless info and opinions. Always something to be learned and to be picked up on to enhance your fishing. Like you guy I have many years at this. It can and I‘m pretty sure it can get very overwhelming for a new bass angler. New angler should just take things in stride. Take it slow and try to develop good skills and techniques. I had a good laugh yesterday. Not laughing about the poster or replies or the post in general. Posts were all good and sincere. There was nothing there for me to add. At least not yet. A guy basically had $75.00 to get started some crankbaits. I just got to thinking about this guy spinning himself into the ground with all the overwhelming advise. What he has going in his favor is he capped himself to $75.00, being a crankbait junkie, the baits are endless and can get expensive when not really necessary. This is a good site for sure.

Other than things suggested I’d measure the blanks. Try to find out who manufactures the blank. Who manufactured the rods you’re talking about?

Good choice also. Good tidal water color pattern.

Guys I'm in the North East. Really not a hard winter yet. Been a real joke of a winter so far to be quite honest. But none the less I still suffer from Bass depression. I guess it should be lack there of Bass depression. I'm pretty much a St. Croix fanboy (for years). The 6'3" ML / X-Fast Spin has been on my hit list to pick up this season. I'm all around this length with Medium Lite and Medium Avids. Will be used with soft plastics like the others. No doubt will be up there as a favorite with the others. My two grandsons have been getting out with me more and more. The oldest has been fishing some of my Avids and Premieres. He does know the feel of a good rod. This will be a good length for him also. Late in the season he was fishing my 6'8" and 6'9" rods mostly. Saturday I'm gonna go order it. Will solve the depression issue short term. They will most likely want to go with me. One likes throwing plastics, the other likes crankbaits. They'll find something they want to try. This is a good thing. The fish have more to look at. I really can't get much fishing in when they are with me. Running more of a guide service. In the fall I laid the law down with them that this coming season Pop is fishing also. Can't baby and pamper them forever. Live and learn time. Next round of depression in a few weeks, next month I'll cure with the new reel. Sort of leaning toward the Stradic. Have to see what feels right. Sorry for being so long winded. Trying to get over depression.

I have to commend you for your post. I can’t really add anything relevant that has not been brought up. You have gotten a lot of good advise. It is my hopes that you don’t throw in the towel. Approach next season a bit simpler. Here in the NorthEast it’s getting tough with recent Arctic Blast. So I have my sight set on this upcoming season and things I’m gonna try different. Hang tough. I’m pretty sure it will work out.

Two great colors. On the river I’m pretty shallow for the most part compared to you guys. The morning dawn with the little 3/4” chartreuse tail tip is good stuff also.

All the above are all the reasons to keep your live wells clean.

Good/Great post. I’ve fished the Bomber Model “A” crappie and Bandit 100 & 200 for many years. Good baits. Good pattern but I don’t think Mr. Bass is hitting because it looks like a crappie. More of a reactionary strike.

I hear ya with those Lucky Strike rubber worms. I’ve had success using them as a change up. Not a go to worm for me but when I want to stick with a worm and things are slow and just need to give something a bit different. Oily but I don’t care. I slather them in garlic or some type of smelly jelly. Should fish them more consistently but I don’t. They catch bass no doubt. And I hope your wife is feeling better and you guys get back on track.