ChrisD46

*I'm waiting for the Mid West guys like Team9Nine to weigh in with their set ups . This is where I learned about using straight Power Pro #8 lb. or even #5 lb. braid if conditions allow . Otherwise PP #8 lb. Hi - Viz Yellow Braid main line tied to a seven ft. #6 lb. InvizX FC leader as FC leader line helps to get a light 1/24th oz. ~ 1/16th oz. Ned Rig down in the water column . Also lighter FC line and lighter jig heads (start with 1/16th oz.) will get you more natural action -> more bites . While straight #6 lb. to #8 lb. Mono or Co-Poly line will work , I just like a straight braid or braid to FC leader better . I use a 7' ML/F spinning rod and a 2500 series spinning reel (more so to balance out the rod better) .

Although I have not seen in person yet - the price point of the new Jordan Lee rods is good ($99) and the rod models are application specific to make selection a bit easier . A little heavy on the rod graphics (which I could do without) and could fill in some rod holes around the similar priced Veritas rod line up . Lastly , seems to mirror the approach used by Lew's with the KVD series of rods and reels . https://www.abugarcia.com/pages/jordan-lee-series . Your thoughts ?

*The Strike King Rage Swimmer in the 3.8" size is better in my opinion than the Keitech FAT Swing Impact on a chatterbait . While Keitech FAT Swing Impact is a great swimbait alone - they are just not as good as other swim baits on a chatterbait .

For extra silver buzz bait / spinner bait blades I have , I thought I would try my hand at painting them (i.e. white , gold , black) . I started with Rustolium white spray primer then finished with a a couple of coats of either Rustolium gold , black or white ... After curing - I'll see how they hold up in actual use. If the paint wears off too fast - I'll just buy painted blades from Janecraft , Lurenet , etc. Anyone else tried their hand at painting blades ?

SoCal old school bass'n - gotta love the results !

Good to know - I would think most people tie better leader knots with mono + braid than with FC + braid . Maxima Ultra Green , P-Line , Sufix , Berkley , etc. all have good money saving mono / co-poly lines which make good leaders .

*Curious if you found a mono leader matches with the YGK main line sink rate - or do you use a mono leader for another reason ?

I may try a bullet weight with a couple of bobber stops so I can easily go from a T-Rig to a "mini C-Rig" .

Wes offers some good tips - I enjoy reading / watching the viewpoints of the best Pro swim jig fishermen do what they do best !

*Yes , more open water with less targets .

*This is a 1/16th oz. ID with 1/8th" OD - I found some tubing protecting a hook and it is too small - so must be a 1/8th" ID with 3/16th" OD size the video discusses .

You can also can experiment with line (FC , Braid, Co-Poly, Mono) depending on your rod set up . The Lews TP1 7'3" MH/Mod would fill a hole in my line up as all my MH rods are Fast .

*True , I don't know if the 1/8th" was the ID or OD (hard to tell from the video) ? *There is no one size either for IV drip tubes : 1/8th" ID or OD ??

For covering water in the Fall with a 6" Trick Worm - what is your favorite method : 1) A T-Rig worm set up with a bullet weight or 2) A shakyhead worm ?

Good replies ... The bait monkey beckons !

Perhaps even better : 1/16" I.D. Clear Flexible Vinyl Tubing for Fish Hook Protectors (onfireguy.com)

Depending where you live , the top water bite for bass will begin to slow replaced with jerk baits , jigs , worms , etc. ... What are your 3 to 5 favorite late Fall lures for bass ?

*I believe this may be the correct size tubing : 1/16th" ID (1.57mm) x 1/8th OD (3.18mm) ... This is very close to that size : Tubing - T4304 | Qosina

*Due out in Spring 2022 is my new book : "Bait Monkey Tricks Revealed : How to launder money and have tackle shipments sent to remote locations" ... If you are married you will want to buy my new book (lol !)

*Curious if the 1/8th " tubing through the center of the stick worm hack would stay on the hook ? I suppose you would have to count on the hook barb to keep the hook from from backing out and throwing the stick worm off ?

*I need to give that a try !

*I've done two (2) rehab stints at Restful Meadows in the fishing ward to get a handle on the Bait Monkey ... After I was released the Bait Monkey re-entered my life once more , so I have learned you can only hope to curb the Bait Monkey's appetite and not try to eradicate him altogether .

I have a Dobyns Sierra 702ML I bought for the Ned rig and I find it well balanced and sensitive enough to do what I want . Since the Ned rig is not a 100% drag on the bottom technique, it opens up a variety of suitable rods . Now for football jigs - having a Dobyns Champion series quality level sensitivity will be more appreciated.

With bait cast reel speeds all the way up to 10:1 now , what is your favorite bait cast reel speed for walk-the-dog top water tactics (Spooks , Sammy's , etc.) ? I have new PP #30 lb. braid I want to spool up on either a 6:3:1 or 7:1 bait cast reel matched to a 6'6" M/F rod for walk-the-dog Spooks , Sammy's , etc.

There are two distinct camps for chatterbait users when it comes to rods : Fast action rods OR moderate action rods ... The wild card in the selection of chatterbait rods also depends on whether or not you use braid main line or FC , Co-Poly or Mono main line with varying degrees of stretch ?