RyanFishing

What size is best for this bait? I want to get one but I want to make sure I'm not getting the wrong one. Does the size make much of a difference or is there one that's better?

The baits you're confident in and have had the most success with are the baits you'll want to be using in your tournament. There's no need in trying to throw something new for the first time during a tournament. Stick with the baits that work for you and you'll be fine.

Never used the yum but I'm in love with the dream shot. One of the best drop shot baits I have used.

Thanks everyone! I appreciate the advice!

I'm doing some tournaments as a co angler and was wondering how many rods people usually take. I don't want to take too many but I still want as many options as possible. Thanks!

A 3" senko is very hard for me to beat when I'm going only for numbers of fish. I usually wacky rig it and catch a lot of small fish on it. It's one bait I'm confident I can get a bunch of small fish on at most any pond.

Here's an article saying a little of what he did and where he went http://www.scout.com/outdoors/wired2fish/story/1649125-evers-wins-2016-bassmaster-classic

29-3 for one day is probably the best way to win the Classic. Well deserved for Evers!!

I use them in all my boxes. Just throw a few throughout the box as evenly as you can and they work good. I've definitely noticed a difference.

Like others have said you can't go wrong with the dream shot. Has a great action with the shape of the tail. My best producing colors are dirt, ghost shad, and KVD magic.

Lipless!! I can't put a lipless down when ice comes off and that's pretty much the main bait I use. I also use some jerkbaits and dropshot.

I agree with Mosster47 on the spinnerbait. I would also get a small 1/4 oz lipless. You can do so much with a lipless and fish it in many different ways! I'd also get a 1/2 oz but a 1/4 is a lot more friendly from shore.

I would definitely use bigger tubes. The 4.5" Strike King Flipping tubes work great and get big bites.

What are you fishing for and where are you fishing? That info would definitely help in answering your question.

I really like the Strike King Swim'n Caffeine Shad and the Swim-n-Shiner. The caffeine Shad works better faster for larger action and the shiner works really well slower for a more finesse action. They're durability is also good as well.

Does it suspend or float? If it floats you could work it like a dying minnow just jerking it a few times then letting it rise. Kind of like a floating rapala. If it suspends I'm assuming it would work well over shallow cover like a normal jerkbait.

I would highly recommend Costas. I have 2 pairs of 580G and 1 pair of 580P and both are great glasses. The plastic are lighter but scratch easier than the glass. Also I would definitely get Green Mirror lense as they are the best all-around lense. Also, definitely try on the styles to see what fits best. There's nothing worse than having glasses feel uncomfortable on your face the whole day.

My favorite drop shot bait is the Strike King Dream Shot in ghost shad and dirt. They have a great action especially with the shape of the tail.

My favorite book by far on the largemouth bass is Knowing Bass by Keith Jones. It's a great book more on the anatomy of a bass but also goes into detail on how a bass hears and sees and perceives certain lures in the water. It was super eye opening for me and is probably my favorite book of all time!

I've had this happen multiple times but the one time I remember the most was the first swimbait I bought. It was a 6" Huddleston. I tied it on planning to use it and figure out how it worked and the first cast my line snapped and I saw it sail across the lake and land in the water. Let's just say I wasn't too happy to see my first $20+ bait fly away the first cast.

I was out fishing the next day after getting all four removed... And the next 2 days after that as well haha. You'll be fine.

The good less expensive jerkbaits I've found are the rouge, rc jerkbait, and the Strike King jerkbait. They're all good baits and for a reasonable price.

All of your ideas for starting sound good but the only thing I would add is a Strike King series 3. It's a great bait for shallow water and especially works good when you have smaller baitfish. The 3xd would also be good if you want it to go a little deeper around 8-10ft. For the lipless sizes get both 1/4 and 1/2. This will allow you to fish slower with the 1/4 and still keep it off the bottom. Good luck!

Awesome job! That's a nice looking fish. Wish I had open water!

I've noticed the hooks to be not all that great but have never had any problems with any of the split rings on my pointers. The paint, depending on what color you get, can get beat up pretty easily but still use it! I have a pointer with maybe 10% of the paint on it and it still catches fish.