Primus

I believe that 's what he prefers for using this bait for cold water fishing early in the year, I'm pretty sure he uses the faster reels as the water warms.

I think you won't be disapointed in the RC'S if you try one. Hopefully when there is another sale someone will post this which is how I found out about the last one. I would suggest the 1.5 size in a couple of colors that you have coinfidence in.

I know for a fact that KVD didn't always use Quantum rods a few years back but used other rods and had them relabeled, my source is from someone who knows him very well and is a player in the fishing biz. That said he has been using Quantum rods the last few years and Quantum has made great strides in improving their product and image compared to way they were percieved app. 10 years ago. Personally all my baitcast reels are Shimano and I've been fishing them for several years and I want to stick with Shimano for the sake of consistency and because I've been very happy with them. I can't comment on the Quantum baitcasters because I have't tried them. When I started throwing Florocarbon on a Spinning reel KVD suggested to me when I saw him at a local tackle shop that I should try a large spool reel for throwing florocarbon ( he prefers the 4000 size reel) and suggested the Quantum of course. I've so far have bought 3 of the Kinetic PT because I've liked how they offered the big spool but the frame wasn't too bulky. I've now have used them for a couple of seasons and already have issues with 2 of them, nothing major but disapointing because I don't throw finnesse gear a lot. I am replacing these with Shimano Stradic's which have an even more compact frame and the new design on their spool lip is a major advance in performance in my opinion. The purpose of my post is not to rag on Quantum, I'm reasonably sure that overall they now offer a solid product line. However, it's not likely I will try one of their reels again though I might consider one of their rods which is category where I'm a little less brand loyal.

They are on my shopping list, unfortuneately I can't throw anything until ice goes away.

The Lucky Craft RC series which you might have looked at comes in a silent version and is an excellent bait, you mentioned that it was out your price range. The usual price is app $15, but if you wait they usually have them on sale a couple of times each year for app. $ 10, hopefully that fits the budget.

In addition to all the baits already mentioned consider trying the Jackall Muscle Deep 15 Plus & the Bandit 700 series both of which have been very productive to me. The 700 series was the primary bait for my personal best 5 bass limit last summer.

Friends don't let friends try Vicious Florocarbon

RTBassNY, I wish you wouldn't have said that but since it's out there I had fish on a local heavily pressured lake choking on that color last fall.

If had to choose the SK Red Eye Shad & Spro Aruka Shad would be tough to beat for common baits found at most tackle shops. There are several others I like as well including the Yozuri Rattlin' Vibe, Jackall TN series, Excalibur, Cordell Spots and the Sebile Flatt shad that also have a spot in my tackle box. I can't pick one color, I like a mix of chromes, crawfish, shad/ baitfish, ghost and a few loud colors for fishing dingy water.

I'm a jerkbait junkie, that is see jerkbait, eventually buy jerkbait. Here are some of my favorites.... Pointer 78-small profile for a tough bite Pointer 100- the gold standard in my opinion, this one took jerkbaits to another level Pointer 128- don't be afraid to throw these, I live in Michigan and they work up here too. This one does well in getting the big bite. Lucky Craft SK Jerkbait- similar to an X rap, good over shallow weed flats Lucky Craft Flash Minnow , long skinny bait, runs a little more shallow than a Pointer which can be a plus when the weeds are close to the waters surface. Lucky Craft Silent Pointer- new bait to try this spring. Why did I buy it ? Its a different and it's a Lucky Craft. Ima Flit-if you are already throwing Pointer's & X raps add this to your collection, this is the most overlooked one on the market in my opinion Rapala X Rap- probably your best value, often works as good or better than high dollar japanese baits. It has a wild aggressive action which I like to work fast Rapala Husky Jerk- I use one color that's very unique, their white glass minnow with the refelective inserts is a real fish catcher. Megabass Trick Darter- started throwing these last year, all I can say is wow, very impressed. I need to fish it more but it just might be better than a Pointer 78 which is the size & depth that it compares to. Jackall Squad Minnow 95- it stops right away on the pause, at times this can be a real good trigger especially in cooler water. Yozuri Pin's Minnow - small profile, runs very shallow , inexpensive but at times very effective. Jackall Squirrell- This one and the Lucky Craft Staysee are great choices when you want to fish a jekbait deeper. I usually prefer a pull & pause with this type of bait OSP Rudra & Asura- new baits that I picked up this winter to try this spring, I've heard good things about them Spro MCstick- I picked up a few last year, haven't fished them enough to form an opinion

I share a different opinion than Fourbizz regarding soft paddletail swimbaits, these are at times a very productive category of baits and though it's not my favorite style of bait it does have it's merits. That said I have tried several brands that make these type of lures and Reaction Strike was the worst by far, they looked very unantural and stiff in the water. If you are going to try this type of bait try the Pro Swimbaits brand which are very soft, easy to start and catch a lot of fish. So anyway it sometimes takes me a while to learn a lesson so I followed that up with their Revolution Bluegill which is small hard jointed swimbait and again this turned out to be one of the least impressive baits that I bought, very poorly balanced. They do have other baits in their line-up, but it's unlikely I'm going to try anymore of their products.

I agree the V joint from River To Sea has been a very productive bait for me plus it's reasonably priced. I agree with everyone stay away from Reaction Strike their stuff sucks.

I've done well with this bait style it's a great option to turn to when you have a tough bite or are looking for numbers of fish. All the riggings so far are terrific ways to fish this bait. Another very productive way to fish this bait is with a small Gopher Tackle Mushroom jighead, I usually use a 1/16 oz weighted jig with a #2 lightwire Gamakatsu round bend hook. This will give the bait a nice death spiral that fish have a hard time resisting and even though this has an exposed hook it is surprising weedless in moderate cover or if thrown around weedlines due to it's small hook and shape of it's jighead. I've been pleasantly surprised by some bigger than expected fish when using this rig.

I prefer G loomis for my worm & jig rods, however I carry 3 of the BPS Crankin' sticks on my boat and I'm very satified with them. This year they redesigned the Crankin' stick, the new edition is supposed to be 20% lighter.

Thanks, I plan on trying a few this year looks like a promising bait.

I can't say it any better than that , this lure has caught me 100's of fish over the years and is a classic for good reason.

I picked up 1 Ima Shaker in the Bluegill color last summer, haven't threw it enough to have an opinion. One bait with a similiar profile though it's made with wood that I tried last year was the Strike King Flat Shad, I did real well with it one day last fall with the Rootbeer color when the water was in the high 40's. A local tackle store by my house has been selling them for 10$, so I've stocked up on a few more colors.

Paul Roberts, I enjoyed your post. Good read and give me a few things to think about.

I haven't tried the Golden Shiner but I did well on the Crawfish trap last spring.

It's not a Japanese brand but the Sebile Flatt Shad might be a good option for you. It won't replace your rattling lipless baits but it's a good alternative to try. I've had bass hit this bait when they seem put off by the rattling baits in clear open water when dealing with pressured fish.

I also saw the Day on the Lake TV show that he did as well. I'm curious if they have the weight shift feature like the Pointers & X Raps do for long cast. Since I'm a jerkbait addict Ill probably buy a couple to test this spring.

I've done well with the BPS Crankin' sticks which I believe are a composite, primarily a graphite blank with a fiberglass tip. They usually run app. 70$, but sometimes they are on sale for app. 50$. This stick is in my opinion one of the best deals in fishing.

I've done well with the Roboworm Fat Straight tail, Reaction Innovations Flirt and the Zoom Shaky Tail.

This is a nice inexpensive bait that works well, they also catch bass too.

I see them at Tackle whse for $ 4.99, they sure look pretty. I'm curious to how they stack up to other good jerkbaits on the market . Thanks