Teal

Long story short, I had one of my most productive outings this morning on Lake Gaston. I put in in Lee's creek and ran west on the lake up to lizard creek. At 630 it was still dark, I found a pod of bait on the graph at the main lake point, they were sitting at 16 foot. I started off, throwing a jackal TN 70 and missed two bites. It's almost like the fish were reacting but not committing. I stayed in the same spot and went right back at them with. a 3/4 oz swing head jig in gizzard shad pattern that I make myself, with a RI skinny dipper as a trailer. First cast, I burned it on the bottom, bumped it of some rocks and bammmm, 4 pounder. Caught 5 more in next half hour on same jig. Bite died and I went to 3 more main lake points in the same area. I tired the swing head, lipless tn 70, Alabama rig, and a few top waters, and a big spinner bait...but ti no avail. I went back to lizards creek around 745 saw more pods of bait but they were up shallow. I tried the lipless again and started down the creek targeting the drop and ledges close to the bait. ...oh man.. I stayed in same 300 yard stretch till 1030 and caught 37 more bass. 20 of them on jackal tn 70, 8 more on the swing head, 2 on a jackal grinch, and 6 on LC Bevy shadJerkbait, 1 on a rage bug on 1/2 oz tungsten. 43 bass and was off the water by 1045 THE GOOD:Big bass today was 6.8 on jackal grinch...dang thing was barely hooked. My best 5 I'd be in the 22 lb range. Best morning ived had in while. THE BAD:Note, I probably missed a dozen bites on the grinch...but it was getting bites that SAMMY AND PLOPPER, WOULD NOT GET., THE UGLY : ONCE AGAIN MY DUMB TAIL LEFT PHONE IN TRUCK SO NO PICS this time It probably dont count, but I did catch 3 more small stripers and yellow perch on the on the a rig This morning, I focused on the bait and found fish

In clear to slightly stained water, it's always a starting point for me

That looks amazingly real... how.much does it weigh

My advice is to call Mike and see what he thinks

Have you looked at the megabass rods? Never mind all of the ones I found even on the Japanese market are shorter than what you want. How about calling Mike @DVT and getting him to make a custom rod.

If you plan on tossing them into thick stuff go with a MH. If not super thick you can get away with a Medium power rod with Fast or xf action. Tatula rods are awesome at the price point

Awesome little rig. I like the posts and updates

Some of my favorites on a c rig 7" zoom worm Zoom trick worm 4" robo worm Zoom meat head Zoom centipede Gycb senko Fluke Baby brush hog/ brush hog Rage shell cracker Net bait paca craw Rage tail rooster My top 2 has to be the net bait crew, and gycb senko Another secret bait for me is a small 2inch tube on a c rig. Gitzit tubes

Not the actual rattle trap, but I've seen several videos of Jared lintner, Brett white, takahiro omori, and others throwing various lipless cranks as search baits But I haven't seen in it in actual mlf action

Just in the past few years, itfinally clicked...when I get bream packing at my senko, worm, or jig, I almost immediately switch to something that mimics bream and I step back and ask myself, if I was a bass where would I be... there have been times when I can move the boat back and cast back toward I was getting pecked and bring the bait the first significant drop a s catch a waiting bass, or if I'm getting him by bream between docks, I start really skipping and finding ambush points.... so when a bream hits my worrm..its a good thing

@sidsmith03 do this^^^. Make sure yall post some pics.

Can't speak for musky.. but as for large swimbaits.. no maybe up to 1.5 oz. But a darn fine frog/jig rod for bass..

KipBoth. I've been pouring my own jigs for about 3 years. I make my own skirts. I tried making my own spinner baits, but honestly it's a hassle with all the components. And I really like war eagle and river2sea when it comes to those.. as for worms, hardbaits, and others...just simpler to buy them...for me. I started out buying lead jig head and making my own skirts...I was gifted a mold and bit the bullet and bought everything I needed at one time, even an extra oven for the shop...and I've had the best time making my own jigs.... but that said, there are a couple jigs that i do buy because i do not have the mold

I have thrown buzz baits in several rods that I have, probably my best combo that I like is my 714 Powell endurance....which is one of my jig rods, it calls it self a heavy, but compared to the daiwas that I use, it's more of a mag MH or mh... I have a 8.3:1 lews tp on it... I have thrown them on my 764 endurance.. just for availability.. I dont mind them on a 7'6 rod. Especially in open water. I like the 7'1 simply because I can skip it easier and I can pitch it to tight spaces....lately I've taken the approach of using naked buzzbaits. No skirt, just a soft plastic toad... rage is the best. I can skip them pretty easy..makes a world of difference when you can put them under a dock or a tree that never sees top water baits... even by good anglers that can skip.. my next custom rod will be a shorter (like 6'6 to 6'8) heavy action dock skipping rod... with jigs, toads, buzzbaits, and tubes in mind as primary lures.

I have several sizes, but 1/10 I'll throw at any depth. If it gets breezy or current gets heavy, I'm not afraid to go up to even as high as 3/16. But I'm not running super light line either...I'm running 8lb test

All that money on rods, no money for food? Geez, I mean, my guy is looking rough. Nice arsenal

It was available everywhere in the early 2000s when I started fishing for bass on my own... I dont know when but by 2008 everybody has some...funny how some colors fall out of favor... to this day I still have good success on pumpkin seed, it's just harder to find in a store

I still find a few of the older LUcky craft baits at the bargain stores and they have trash hooks....such a shame but for the price I buy them at I can put a couple new trebles on it. I think alot of fisherman, just dont wana take the time to do it

Yes it's a little shorter and heavier gauge hook

93 Chevy Cavaleir 4 door. Went thru 3 radiators in 3 years.

Wacky rig is good is deeper water, I use the lightest wacky jig head I can get away with. Back in July wore them out on 1/8 with a wacky rigged zoom centipede in about 16 foot of water up against a bluff wall of rock. Half of time it was hit before it hit bottom

I looooooooove an ar-10. So much that I have 2. Built both of them

Typically my drag is probably set 3 to 4 lbs unless I'm pitching or punching heavy stuff... I dont have heavy drag set on treble baits...ever. I have turned it up or down a few clicks while hauling the fish..but that's it. Unless its 20 to 25 lb line then 6 lbs is probably ok

.308 Winchester silver tip 165 gr

Your probably aren't the only one, but certain lures I buy, the stock hooks are trash. I have a small stock of trebles I replace them with. And with some lures, the stock hooks are acceptable and i use them until they get full byound sharpening (some of them sharpening doesnt do any good) so i replace them when needed. I dont lose a large amount of treble lures, so it's worth it to change the hooks rather than getting a new lure. And in the last case, I have a few top waters and cranks where I like shorter treble on it, because it gets tangled, so the kvd, 1x short 2x strong hook is a staple