ChrisD46

*Now I know why guys practice their pitching set ups using small buckets in the back yard ! ... Trusting that zero tension and control the landing with the thumb is the deal that takes a little practice first to get the timing and feel right ... Gotta work that left hand into the pitching mix too or else I will forever be switching the rod back and forth after every pitch (I am VERY right hand dominent) .

Just for grins : Jason Christie has videos on the Booyah One Knocker lipless crank which he likes in Winter and most of Spring and then he switches over to the regular multi rattle type lipless cranks for Summer and Fall usage.

I'm at 3 brakes on (just for even braking) and will back off the spool tension knob to see what I can come up with for pitching . If I need to go further , I'll drop down to 2 brakes out of 6 but should not need to go below thaat I believe . *I watch a lot of Pros throwing a bait cast reel and as hard as they throw as well as visually confirming their thumb is not contacting the spool until the end of the cast I say this : The is no way those guys are not running any brakes on bait cast without a giant birds nest - just not possible as hard as they throw (unless their bait cast reels are electronic) ! I use 50% of my brakes on with the spool tension knob properly adjusted and I am getting plenty of distance and am right on the edge of back lashing . I can see going down to 2 out of 6 brakes for another 5 to 10 yards with a better trained thumb on the spool . However , I like covering water without back lashes and currently get the distance and accuracy I need , so I don't feel like I'm lacking any performance with my inexpensive , old school , centrifugal bait cast reels .

How do you like to set up a typical 6 pin centrifugal brake bait cast reel for pitching ? For regular bait cast reel lure casting , I turn on 3 to 4 brakes and then tighten the spool tension knob down until the lure just barely creeps downward with the cast button engaged. I cast pretty hard and this set up gives me good distance and does not back lash very often . Obviously for the best pitching set up the spool tension knob will need to be backed off as well as perhaps more brake pins disengaged - what is your bait cast reel pitching set up for ease of use without back lashing while pitching ?

Same category as a SK Rage Bug or Zoom Z-Craw.

Whether it be lipless cranks , square bill cranks , swim jigs , chatter baits , etc. - what are the prime months you are apt to throw red / orange lures for bass ? I suppose you may also choose water temps , water clarity , or pre-spawn as a primary guide as to use red / orange color lures as well ... What works best for you when deciding to throw red / orange lures before moving on to other colors ?

Yes , I agree I would not go the assembly / disassembly route like that . I'd be curious what kind of stable enough to stand in jon boat , motor and trailer you could get for $5,000 ?

The Angler 360 can be disassembled fairly easy - pontoons on the SUV rack and platform / seat in the back or for storage in a garage . I'd add an electric trolling motor on it and probably go with a trailer as well ... A Kayak sits too low in the water for me in the seated position plus getting up and down is a real pain in the knees .

Best Case : Use braid mainline (#30 lb.) + FC leader (#15 lb.) on a M action rod to reduce line stretch for better hook sets . Chatterbait rods tend to be MH /F or MH / Mod for a reason as more people tend to use line with a little stretch (FC or Co-Poly) to allow bass to get the chatterbait into the bass's mouth good.

Now getting older - need to sit up higher on a stable platform "kayak" and this Angler 360 checks all of the boxes in a peddle drive for me : https://jacksonkayak.com/blue-sky-boatworks-360-angler/ . I'd like to find one pre-owned to safe a few $$ ... This Angler 360 is a cool deal !

BPS does not offer a Green Pumpkin / Watermelon Stik-O color , stay with the Yamamoto 912 color .

When using your smaller swimbaits without the benefit of using electronics - where do you usually start your retrieve depth ? I've generally thought best to run swimbaits slowly just above the bottom to begin . If I'm getting bit as the swimbait is descending then I may adjust and retrieve the swimbait higher in the water column ... Your thoughts and experiences with swimbait running depths ?

*I have a few of the Bomber Long A twitch baits with the reflective foil inside - as far as surface twitch baits or straight reeling sub surface they are still good in their category .

*Spool braid tight ! .. I'll also suggest using a minimum braid diameter of .28mm / 0.11" which equates to Power Pro #30 lb. braid to minimize the braid line digging into a bait cast reel . I once used #20 lb. braid however line however digging in resulted in a brand new Berkley Choppo getting broke off and being sent sailing up in the air on par with weather balloons (the Choppo still hasn't come down yet !)

*I signed up for an on-line course offered by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on : "How To Successfully Tie The FG Knot" ? ... Looks like I may not need the MIT FG knot course now after all (lol) !

The Xcalibur One Knocker / Hard Knocker : *When Booyah took over the Xcaliber lipless line up , they chose NOT to keep making a number of popular Xcaliber colors which I believe is a mistake to omit from the current line up .

*Quick Tip : If you are new to using soft stick worms - look at the colors offered in the large 30 pack Yum Dinger stick worms , BPS Stik-O's to learn what the most popular colors are for bass ... Staple colors like Green Pumpkin , Watermelon Red , Junebug , Black & Blue flake , etc. are offered in 30 packs for a reason .

None better than site sponsor Siebert's Morel Ned Jig Head standard size in 1/16th oz. Green Pumpkin or Black . *The Owner #1 size hooks Mike uses in the Morel Ned jig heads are the perfect size and strength for Ned Rigging . If you are using a little larger Ned soft plastic - the Morel XL with the Owner 1/0 hooks are equally great on a Big TRD or the Robo Worm 4.5" Ned Worm . Bonus Mention : Morel Ned Jig Heads are also great for your 2.75" ~ 3.3" Strike King / Keitech Swing Impact swim baits.

*Line coming off of the bottom of the spool for spinning or line coming off of the top for bait cast reel re-fills .

Go up to a EWG Gamakatsu 4/0 size hook for a little more weight . I will even use the heavier super line hooks in EWG 3/0 and 4/0 to play with the weight / fall rate .

Great detail from Michael Neal - the old school weightless 7" ribbon tail worm on the spinning set up shows how a simple set up that is easy to fish can catch big bass .

Depending on the soft plastic - I use the below scents with success : Mega Strike Original BANG (Craw , Shad, Garlic) Pro Cure (Trophy Bass) Smelly Jelly (Bass Feast , Bass Hammer)

*Yes , a comparison to the Fury 705CB would be great !

Soft plastics = petroleum content of varying degrees , so not a total surprise to see soft plastics prices rise .

*A couple of years back , the HF stores also had red and yellow powder paint on the shelf in the same large size containers the black and white come in . Not sure of the additional color status now for HF powder paints .