mjseverson24

You are right that during the spawn the bass are in protection mode and not necessarily in feeding mode, but salamanders/ bluegills and crawfish among others are natural predators of the bass eggs, so the large profile creature bait does trigger the protection response from the bass. I also use small baits during the spawn, it is nice to have different shapes and sizes available to see the reaction of each bedding bass. Mitch

During the spawn is a good time for creature baits it really fires up the big girls, but also the heat of the summer when the fish have a very fast metabolism and a nice big meal that moves slow is just what the doctor ordered. also darker water the bigger profile and appendages can help the fish locate the bait. Mitch

If i am trying to reduce the overall profile of the bait i do rig it similar to this, but most often just a normal t-rig set up for me. Mitch

There is information out there that describes what colors get filtered out of water and at what depths, also different minerals in water filter out certain colors differently. that being said the color that is filtered out does not become transparent if turns some shade of gray depending on the original color. I dont think many people on here argue that for moving presentations like the A-rig spinnerbaits and crankbaits line color will make much of a difference, it is the slow bottom contact or finesse like presentations where the more invisible lines shine and have the greater opportunity to impact the outcome. Mitch

It looks like a nice selection of hard baits. Mitch

I use the 8' st. croix flippin stick for punching and I bought the bps balancing system for it. This works great the rod feels light even though it isnt, for around $ 100.00 this works well for me, it is also sensitive enough to be a good jig rod/frog rod. other options like farmer said are the abu series, you wont need a balancing system with these, and they are pretty sensitive for the pricepoint. I have the 7'6" H vendetta for frogs/big jigs and it works great. Mitch

Personally I would not use a fast action rod for crankbaits, for jerkbaits it works fine. If I had to combine these two rods together I would get a 7' M/M. A few good choices are the skeet reese 7' S-glass crankbait rod, or the quantum KVD crankbaits rods, a good rod that can kind of work well for both would be the shimano compre reaction series rods, with the blend of glass and graphite it is kind of the best of both worlds. Mitch

I use snaps swivels and snaps for cranks/spinners everything else I tie direct. I like the flexibility that you get with the quick change snaps and swivels for my search baits. Mitch

the instance is when you are using a small finesse hook and it goes al the way through a small portion of the fishes gullet, I cut the hook off just before the barb then remove it using a long pair of forceps. I have not left a hook in a bass ever, now live bait fishing for walleye is another matter, sometimes that hook is long gone and all you can do is cut the line... Mitch

Berkley Havoc is probably the best bang for your buck soft plastic MSRP, i would stick with the pitt boss, craw fatty, subwoofer, smash tube, sick fish, and juice worm. for $3.00 a pack these are great baits. paca craws and chunks are a great deal as well. Mitch

I use braid with a 15'-20' leader mainly because braid is much more manageable compared to floro. Mitch

Personally I dont own any of the very expensive swim-baits or glide-baits, mainly because I live in mn and these baits would most likely have a very low probability for success. That being said if i did live or fish in areas with fish over 10 lb are a real possibility on any given day I would have some of these big baits in the box, honestly though for 100 dollars a bait I would probably just make my own custom lures in the off season, then beam with pride the first double digit fish I catch with my own custom swimbait. thats just me though. Mitch

I make the leader typically a little shorter when I use a jig for a weight, as I have to clip off the hook in mn to obey state laws, usually about 12 inches and as long as 16 and as short as 6. The baits I really love to use with drop shotting are a 3-5 in senko type bait, a 5-7 in finesse worm, GYCB shad tail worm, and Gulp alive leeches/crawlers. Mitch

The hook will not rust out, but if it is hooked deep enough in the back of the throat area the enzymes in the fish will destroy the hook relatively fast. think about it bass eat crayfish and other baitfish with scales, there body can breakdown very hard materials with not much of a problem. that being said here is a very easy solution, bring a nice pair of wire cutters, cut the barbed end off and pull the hook back out. minimal damage to the fish, need a new hook though... Mitch

it makes perfect sense it will definitely be lighter, however the reel that you are using has a lot to do with how noticeable the difference will be. if you have a heavy spool it wont make much difference, but you have a 50 size shimano or other reel made for finesse you will notice a difference. Mitch

The X-ship design will definitely increase the power out to power in ratio. it accomplishes this by reducing energy loss in the mechanical system(supporting the pinion gear with bearings). it helps in two ways it decreases friction through the bearings, but also in keeps the gears properly aligned better under heavier loads over the conventional set up. The micro gearing is a very interesting concept, to maintain durability and reliability they either must increase the quality of the material, either aluminum or some kind of titanium alloy or other very hard alloy or they must increase the surface area or the width of the gearing as compared to standard gears. I think it is a great concept and am excited to give it a try. Mitch

I think that rod should work great for that application, they also make a good frog rod for the slop. Mitch

I agree with ww2farmer abu rods are definitely underrated and the action is more a traditional fast. they are great rods light and sensitive. Mitch

The hooks themselves are nice, but they will most likely break after a while, I then replace them with short shank triple grips. I have about 40 of these baits, In my opinion probably the most under rated bait on the market. I think it has to do with the price tag, but these also take some time to figure out how to use them, they are not like any other square bill out there. Mitch

I believe that bass can and do see lines in the water, and I also believe based on specific events that it can negatively effect the fishes attitude in wanting to eat a lure. here is some food for thought, I use FC now say that line visibility has no impact on bass, does me using FC decrease my chance of catching fish? NO... now say bass are affected negatively by visible lines, do I now have an advantage over visible lines? Absolutely... Mitch

I personally use either the skeet S-glass cranking rods the Clunn rods or the shimano clarus crankbait rods. none of those are as sensitive as your veritas, but they work great for squarebills. Mitch

I personally have never eaten a bass, I put them is the category of sport fish, with Muskie. Up here in the north there are plenty of eating fish, Crappie, bluegills, walleye, perch, catfish, and pike. I dont see any reason to eat bass, unless the lake has an over abundance of small fish, then the ones under about 12 inches i would understand eating. Still I think there are plenty of other options. Mitch

I personally use both for different presentations, but also if one hand gets tired from a day of using the flipping stick or a long day of frogging the slop, I have rods set up identical just on the other hand to prevent the "claw". If you already hold a spinning rod with your right and reel with your left I would suggest you start with a lefty baitcaster, but don't be afraid to add a righty later on. Mitch

thanks you too... Mitch

This off season I have picked up a few things, but not as much as last year. - Daiwa T3-B - Quantum Kinetic X2 - Lews tournament MG - quantum centex - skeet victory casting reel - shimano compre - shimano clarus X2 - st croix mojo spinning - 125 jig heads and skirts for custom jigs - waterproof plano boxes X10 - about 250 in jig trailers and craw baits some other stuff too, but this is the main catch this year... its time for spring... Mitch