ipeeinmywetsuit

I am going to be purchasing a new truck soon and I am contemplating whether or not 4WD is a necessary upgrade. I want a tacoma full cab with 4WD and possibly the TRD off road package. I don't own a boat yet but I am saving up for one. I assume that with paved launches I'll be fine most of the time with just 2WD and for dirt launches or slick paved launches 4WD might come in handy. I know it it more expensive and could lead to more maintenance issues. The gas mileage I would be saving with a 2X4 is literally only 1mpg and the insurance cost is not much more at all. I want to get the 4WD and even if I never use it I feel like it would be a better to have and not need kind of deal. I live in Southern California so that means trips to the desert, beaches, mountains, camping in the redwoods, humboldt county (northern california), and lots of big paved boat ramps. I also own a bit of land and work in ceramics for a living so I will be hauling quite a bit of weight with the truck. Any of you truck/boat owners have some thoughts on the pro's/con's of 4WD??

Here's a couple links to get you started.. There are copious amounts of articles and videos on each method.. do your research! http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/carolina-rig-how-to.html http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/dropshot-fishing.html

The small shell cracker and the top hook 6" Huddleston are 1.5 and 2oz respectively. There is the decoy 5" hydra tail that comes in at 1 oz. I like the Jackall Giron which weighs about 3/4oz. The weedless 6" Huddleston roy 5 is just over an ounce. There are 3:16 Mission fish that are under an ounce depending on the size you get.. and you cant go wrong with a swim jig with a paddle tail swimbait for a trailer either.

I found it at a small local saltwater tackle shop I had to do some searching though.. none of the freshwater shops have it and the dicks sporting goods stores don't even have a fishing section out here by the coast.

Yeah its called Pro Blue Bone or something I just couldn't think of it off the top of my head earlier. Looks just like elegy bone it has a blue/purple pearl top with some clear foil with the "bone" pattern on the side and some chartreuse on the bottom. They don't have it online yet I saw it in store and swiped it. The Rc STX have the same bone color as well.

Some of my favorite plastics are from a variety of different brands. They include: First off I usually go for either perch colors, green pumpkin and/or watermelon w/black flake. Yamamoto Senko's 5" & fat Ika's Grandebass rattlesnakes in the Trophy Hunter color Jackall Flick Shake's & crosstail shad Netbait Paca Craw These have all been huge producers for me.

I noticed that slight wiggle about the pointers and I liked it. However, my lc pointer sp 78 seems to sink super slowly out of the package. I think the slow sinking might contribute to the slight rolling action it has when the bait stops?? I have yet to fish my vision 110 I am fishing from shore and there is just too much stuff I could end up hung up on and its very shallow at points so I'm getting familiar with my cheaper baits for now. I fished the rc stx which are supposedly identical to the vision 110's and was not as impressed with their action as my other baits.

I bought a few Jerk Baits and may have gone slightly overboard. They include: Damiki Slim Jack Damiki Tokon 90 - Mossback LC pointer 78 - Elegy Bone Megabass Ito Vision 110 - Deadly Black IL 3 x Rick Clunn RC stx 4.5" - Stealth, Purple Gold Shiner, Bone Smithwick Pro Suspending Rogue - Threadfin Shad Bomber Pro Long A - Clown Fish 2 x Ima Flit 120's - American Shad & Matte Bluegill 2 x Ima Flit 100's - American Shad & Pro Blue 2 2 x Jackall Squad Minnows - Aurora Black & Tenn. Shad Spro Mcstick 110 - Cell mate First off I ordered four from IMA Japan because I loved the look of the action of the Flit. However, they discontinued their old american shad colorway which I was so stoked on because it looked great for darker/murky/stained waters. I ordered both sizes of the Flit in american shad because even IMA's website still has the older color depicted which looks like an awesome rainbow. The color I received looks more like a foiled sexy shad. I talked to someone from Optimum bait co and they changed all of the American Shad colors to look more like a foiled sexy shad to confuse less of their costumers. Tackle warehouse also has the older color depicted on their website so be warned the american shad looks entirely different now. Apparently I was the first person to tell either company they needed to update their photo.. even though the color was changed approx. 2 years ago. Old American Shad New American Shad Anyways, I'm curious as to what colorways work best for you guys in cloudy vs. sunny weather and clear vs. dark water. I have the option to return my Ima Flit's in the American Shad because they look nothing like they are advertised. However the only other colors available from Ima that I feel might be better for darker or stained water are brown flash and chartreuse shad. Also, what brands do you prefer? My favorites brands so far the ima, jackall, and lucky craft jerk baits. The profile and action of Jackall and Lucky Craft seem to be almost the same. I feel like Jackall's suspend better and stop on a dime where as Lucky crafts wobble in place and slow sink. I am aware that larger hooks/split rings can cause the baits to either suspend, sink, or float depending on their size. I am wondering what size & shape hooks & split rings you typically replace for example the Rick Clunn RC STX with so that they will continue to suspend well. Or if you own any other of these jerk baits and could recommend the replacement hook sizes that would be great! A few of these jerk baits state the hook size they come with but are hard to find replacements for. Thanks for reading! Hopefully what I have typed so far provides you all with a good platform for a general discussion on Jerk Baits. I'm looking forward to your opinions, thoughts and advice.

Thanks SirSnookalot. I'm in Southern California so I'm going to call around to some local saltwater shops and see what they have. They are pretty hit and miss here and I'm getting this wire to rig some of my swimbaits a little differently. Thanks for the pointers though. Thanks man everything is right there on one page. I'll probably do this if I can't find something local.

I can't seem to find this in 60lb wire with some a2 sleeves at any of my local tackle stores. Can someone here recommend where I could get this or a good website to order it from? I will also be needing a crimping tool (preferably one that crimps the sleeve around and over the wire instead of putting a line down the wire.

Recons have been on sale on TW for a few days almost sold old I believe for another gen of them to drop.

I'll throw ika's, senkos, any flippin/pitching' plastics, and pretty much anything not considered finesse applications. I'll fly line lighter plastics with my spinning gear or do wacky, mojo, dart head, drop shot, split shot rigs.

The MGX is meant to be a finesse bait reel and it is great for that. I own a gen2 premier and I love it to death. I can't speak to the gen3 premiers except that their have been more negative and neutral reviews than I expected. I am buying a new bait casting setup later in the year and I like everything I have been reading about the gen3 revo s... its a lot cheaper and I've been considering one.

Called some local carriers of the Daiwa Lexa's and they said their brand new reels drags were pinned or at least half way tightened.. anyways I called the online store and they knocked off some extra dollars because of the way it came and the condition of the box... didn't even ask for that so I'm OK for now. Took out the reel this morning and so far so good.. they said if I have any problems to call and they will take care of me. Thanks for your responses.

I ordered a new Daiwa Lexa 300 and it came today however the packaging was slightly beat up and the star drag on the reel was completely tightened. I am wondering if anyone here has bought this reel or knows if the drag should come like that ever?? I thought it was terrible to leave the drag tightened down.. especially locked down. Thoughts?

Sorry guys I didnt mean to repost this I was going to go into more detail in the previous thread about what I will be using it for. It was a longgg weekend and I must have completely spaced out. I am now wondering if I should get the MLSB or the standard length. There is a 3 inch difference in handle length between the two. Will the MLSB make working top water baits that much more difficult? I will be fishing mostly from shore and from a float tube so perhaps it will get in the way more in tight spots? It seems like the standard length for other heavier swimbait rods is 20+" so maybe the MLSB is the right choice based upon the majority? Not too sure.

So far I have one rod that has stood out above the rest in mind. A custom rod builder who I spoke to in detail about the rod and tackletours review stated although it is rated 1-4oz it can handle even sub 1oz paddletails. The rod is the dobyns 795MLSB. I have a few swimbaits in mind that I will begin with because I am a complete newbie to throwing larger swimbaits than 3/4 - 1oz. I know that I want to commit to throwing baits that are large I just want to make sure if I am going to commit to a rod this expensive and a reel not much less expensive that I will have fun with my choice and it will work for what I am throwing. The baits: 1.5-2oz: 6" hudd (I might buy an 8" just because it will be cheaper and throw it once I am comfortable with the smaller baits) 2oz+: 6-7" Osprey Talon Inline Swimbaits 2oz+: 6"+ Osprey tournament talon top hook 1.5oz: Black Dog G2 Shellcracker 1.6oz: 168s River2Sea S Waver 1oz+: Optimum BLT These are what I have in mind to start with.. soft baits for fishing deeper water or even the bottom with a hudd and hardbaits that wake or swim just below the surface. What do you guys think? Regardless of the rod I have in mind if you have what you think is a better suggestion for a rod to handle these swim baits let me know. I want to be able to order this rod online so I get a good discount for Black Friday. I guess I am having some last minute reservations.. but please share your opinion even if it will have me second guessing myself even more.

have you thrown any 1oz - 1 1/2oz baits or even sub 1oz baits with it? did it load up well enough to get the bait out there or was it a little too much rod for them.

I have no idea about custom rod building but I imagine it gets expensive. Theres a place near me that buidls custom swimbait rods called Low Down Customs.

Well the 795sbmt retails at 250ish.. so probably not a lot more then that unless I really like what I see. Also I was hoping to buy it online from tackle warehouse for black friday so I get 20% off. Awesome.. I don't think I'll be throwing baits that are longer than 8in. If I get more into swimbait fishing then the 806 would be the rod I would upgrade to. I hear its great for treble hook/hard baits and most of those larger baits seem to be just that. I don't think i want the mike long for the 795 so I can work lunker punkers/wake baits with more ease. Do you have any experience throwing the baits I listed with the 795?? I'm not a very big guy and I don't want the longer handle to get in my way. I took a look at these and they would definitely save me some money A Jay. Thanks for the tip. However other than being 3in shorter they don't seem to be any more specified for light swimbaits than the Dobyns 795.. in this case I will stick with the Dobyns because of the sheer quality of their product.

So I have been looking at swimbait rods and reading reviews and I called into Dobyns to talk to someone about their 795SBMT. It is a MH rod with a fast action and it is rated from 1-5oz baits. However, tackle tours review of the 795MLSB (only difference in the rods is the length of the handle) stated it can throw sub 1oz paddle tails as well and with ease. This rod seems to be able to handle a wide variety of swimbaits from small to medium sized and even some of the 8" size swimbaits. I want something that can throw deps buzz jets, 6in hudds, s waver 168's, lunker punkers, shell crackers, etc. All of these baits range from 1oz-2oz. I can't think of anything right now over 2-3oz that I would be throwing with this rod. However, I'm sure I will end up wanting to throw bigger baits and this would allow for that when the time comes. For what I am talking about throwing right now do you guys feel this rod is overkill? Maybe there is an extra heavy/heavy casting rod that could handle these baits better and allow me to do other things like flipping/pitching rather than exclusively swimbait fishing. I am worried I am not going to be able to feel the bait and what its doing especially the subsurface ones. I will be doing a lot of my fishing from shore or a float tube. The set up I am thinking of again is the dobyns 795SBMT and a daiwa lexa 300. I am leaning towards the 7.0:1 speed for the reel. Any of you swimbait guys care to drop some knowledge on me or give me some reassurance that I am on the right path here? Thank you

thank you!

One of the main reasons I want to use a chronarch over an abu garcia right now is to try a reel I don't have already. I currently use an abu garcia premier 2nd gen and a lews tournament pro. I figured its time to try a shimano brand reel considering how closely similar my other two reels are. If I were to buy the carbontex drag washers to upgrade my shimano do any of you have a reliable website for that?

I have had plenty of time to think about what rod and reel would be best for this type of versatility. I have pretty much decided on a dobyns 766 micro guided rod and a shimano chronarch with a 7.0:1 gear ratio. I feel this combo with some heavy braid and a leader line would be ideal for flipping and punching heavy matts and throwing smaller swimbaits in the 1/2-2oz range. I was hoping some of you dobyns and shimano users would have some thoughts on this setup? Even if you don't use these brands I want to know what you think of my decision. I feel its the best possible setup for the money and offers the versatility I am looking for to throw on a punching/flipping bait or a swimbait. I plan on waiting until black friday to buy this so I have a little more time to think about it and consider other options.

I ended up pairing a 1/4oz swim jig with a 3.8in keitech and the tail has enough wobble to generate a side to side movement in the jig head. The bass were slamming this setup. What bums me out is how thin the connection between the paddle tail and body is. It's rendered a few of my keitechs useless way too soon in the game. At that price point I might be looking for a different swim bait trailer. The 3/8oz cali swim jig with a roboworm ez shad swims great but I haven't been able to get out on some bigger water. I haven't bothered throwing it in the small ponds I fish because I feel like it will just spook fish. However, I have caught quite a few bass big enough to snack on something that size. Lately the bass have been biting when I throw a 1/4oz swim jig with a paca craw trailer. I'm liking the swim jig right now and so are the fish... it's so versatile in how I can present it its hard not to get bit. Thanks for your help everyone!