DocNsanE

Jigs and spinnerbaits are both great lures in the right conditions. If you are looking to increase your numbers you might want to consider mixing in more finesse presentation like a wacky rig, a drop shot, a shaky head, etc.... I guess my answer would be yeah those two rods would be enough as long as the conditions are right for those two applications.

Here are a video that will help you figure this out: http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/cast-adjust-baitcast.html There is certainly a learning curve to using a baitcaster but it's certainly not an impossible task. Usually, better reels do a better job at preventing backlashes, but you should be able to dial in the settings correctly to get yours to work. You should train your thumb though. Even you set it in a way where it won't backlash every cast, use your thumb to feather the spool as the bait is approaching its destination and apply a bit of pressure as it hits the water. This is to ensure the spool does not continue to spin with its own momentum. You want the lure to be pulling line out only.

Great story and congratulations on your PB! I also owe everything to this site coupled with Fluke's videos. Before that, fishing seemed so random to me. I didn't have the equipment so I would always borrow from a friend. When I asked which lure I should try, he just said pick one from my box. When I asked how to fish it, there wasn't any thought to it either. A few years ago a buddy proposed that the guys get together 1 week every year to do something now that we have families. Fishing came up as our target activity so this is when I decided to finally buy some equipment. I didn't know where to begin and the help I got from this site allowed me to select a good general purpose rod for a first year. I told my buddy (that I used to borrow from) that I was reading up online and watching videos and he laughed and said man you can't learn about fishing that way, you need experience. Well he's true that experience is a huge factor, but let me tell you: after I shared some of the knowledge I gained from these resources, he's reading a hell of a lot and watching hours of videos as well, and he admits he's a much better fisherman because of it. I went fishing with my uncle last year who's been fishing for some 35-40 years and he was asking me for advice. I really owe it all to this fine community and of course Gene's wonderful videos.

I'm thinking of going with this just because I'm sure I will be able to fill up the 10 370 size planos. Anyone have any experience with this particular bag or have another they'd like to recommend? If you're curious, just search for 1408121027 over at basspro's site.

Kind of came up in another thread on general fishing but I was curious what everyone's thoughts were on this. If you had the choice, what rod and reel combos would you own and what applications would you pair them with? I'm not looking for brands, but more along the lines of length, action, power, casting or spinning, and applications Here's what I currently had in mind for myself however this thread could very well change this. I already own the first three x 6'9" MXF (spinning): drop shot, jerkbaits, walk the dog, wacky out of cover x 7'0" MHF (spinning): wacky rig in cover, weightless t-rig x 7'1" MHXF (casting): jigs, t-rigs, jika rigs, light carolina rigs - 7'1" MHMF (casting): spinnerbait, swimjig, flukes and soft plastic swimbaits, lipless cranks - 7'2" MM (casting): crankbaits - 7'6" HF (casting): heavy jigs, punching, frogs, swimbaits (if it handles them)

Just curious, what 5 combos are these? Not sure I've heard of this list before. Here's the list I of combos I was currently aiming for... length may vary in the end, but it was a rough draft (I have the three first ones) x 6'9" MXF (spinning): drop shot, top water x 7'0" MHF (spinning): wack rig, weightless t-rig x 7'1" MHXF (casting): jigs, t-rigs, jika rigs, light carolina rigs - 7'1" MHMF (casting): spinnerbait, swimjig, flukes and soft plastic swimbaits - 7'2"-7'6" MM (casting): crankbaits - 7'6" HF (casting): heavy jigs, punching, frogs, swimbaits (if it can handle them)

Excellent thanks everyone for your input -- looks like I'll be ordering the Gunfish 115. Any favorite colors? This bait looks like a hybrid popper/walker. Do you fish it like you would a spook/sammy?

I have a bit of money left over on my gift card and am thinking of picking up another walk the dog bait. I was wondering what everyone's favorites were? Spook? Sammy? Megabass? Any specific colors? Thanks!

wow well my story is nothing like you guys... but 4 days in a row of about 35 bass, about 120 a day among four of us, at a buddy's cottage. Only week that lake produced anything over 5-10 bass each a day. We're going back this year at just about the same time so here's hoping we'll get similar numbers!

This Saturday I tried one for the first time. It was the hoo rag that came in MTB a few months ago. I wasn't using it as much for sun protection but for mosquito and black fly protection. It was comfortable enough, except that it did indeed fog my glasses when I had it over the nose. For that reason I like the idea of the SIMMS posted above.

I'd also like to see a Sales forum, but regardless, I think Choporoz hit the nail on the head. What he said made 100% sense and I would not fault BR for skipping on a deals forum.

many anglers like to have multiple combos at hand to handle various techniques with a better tool. Some combos will throw lighter lures better, some will throw heavier better. Some will give you more give for fishing moving treble hooked baits, others will offer more back bone for muscling a fish out of heavy cover. You can of course do a lot of different things with just one combo, but as many people often say, would you play a game of golf with only one club? Even if you do only like one specific technique, having an extra combo on hand allows you to rig multiple baits so that you can quickly change to something different. Or let's say you are fishing top water, you could have a fish blow up on your lure but miss it. What do you do? Pick up your second rod with a wacky rig on it and throw it where the fish was. Having multiple rods is a plus, as long as you have the budget and the space for it.

To be honest, it's been said before, but there's nothing you can do on a baitcaster that can't be done on a spinning rod. Each have their strengths yes, but you can achieve the same results either way. I only own one casting combo, and so I don't know much. But from what I've read, if you go with a cheap reel, backlashes are going to be more common than if you put a bit more money into it. If your budget is very limited I'd say: a) stick with the spinning setup, you can get a decent setup for less than $100. You don't need to break the bank here. if you really want to get a casting setup, save up a little bit more.

for $350 you have SOOOO many options!! Tatula is a lot of reel for $100 off amazon. You'd have like $250 left to get a custom rod

Top waters are fantastic lures for the excitement they provide. They can also cover a lot of water quickly. However there are certain conditions that will make them more viable. Usually low light conditions are prime time for fishing top waters (dawn, dusk, evening, night, and overcast). Often times a little bit of chop on the water will also help. Sometimes bass just aren't feeding on the top. That's why a decent strategy is to fish top to bottom. If they aren't hitting the top, go to the mid water column, and then to a bottom presentation. I love to throw a jitterbug at night, so exciting.

hmm I'd say try showing them something new, maybe a bait they've seen but on a different rig. For example, I think the jika rig still isn't all that popular. Perhaps the solution is to go with something ultra finesse, like a ned rig. Another option could be to try to trigger a reaction strike instead of appealing to their hunger.

The thought did cross my mind but some things like available space and support beams that seem to be cracking up like they are about to give are just beyond what I want to deal with. I'm still looking for a house on a lake, a river or a pond though, might not find it this year, but eventually I will, and my wife is behind me on this one. So one day, I know I'll get to live the dream.

Hey! I know jig fishing has already been discussed at length, but one specific thing I am not certain has been talked about specifically is what bottom composition are you looking for primarily when you pick up a jig? Or do you just not care? For the pure jig fisherman out there, do you use it all of the time regardless? Thanks!

Yeah I'd say the best bang for buck is soft plastics, weights and hooks. You can cover so many different scenarios with just a few baits and some terminal tackle. as a started pack, I'd say get some senkos (or yum dingers), some caffeine shad or keitech swing impact fat (better option), some creature/craw imitations like a rage craw, some offset worm hooks or EWG (3/0 & 4/0), some kind of wacky rig hook (I personally prefer a 1/0 or 2/0 octopus hooks for this but many different types of hooks will work), some bulletweights (1/8 to 3/4 should do it) and you'Ve already got a pretty great starting point. You can add some dedicated top waters later (like frogs, cigar style like a spook, buzzbait), spinner baits, jigs, and crankbaits to that later. Of course, as Alonerankin2 mentioned, it depends a lot on what kind of fishing you like to do, so this is just my personal opinion.

For anyone who was curious, I visited this property last night. The pond was gorgeous, it actually had a little bit of current to it and I was told there was little stream that fed into it on the other side of the pond. The water was clear, looked to be about 8 feet deep from what I could see. I was told it had catfish and perch. However the house itself did disappoint a little and didn't meet our requirements. It was still an insightful experience and I just wanted to thank all of you who took a few minutes go offer some advice and share your experiences.

Holy moly that was a great post! I haven't bought a dedicated cranking stick yet (next on the list) and was always wondering what are the benefits between the different materials and you just gave a fantastic explanation! Thanks a lot!

I believe the Tatula is considered to have a fairly wide spool and it can be found at the $100 mark.

Is one of these enough for a 14' john boat? How does the wind affect it? How often do you need to change the cartridge? And the butane? I am very intrigued, mostly because I'd rather not spray my kids with deet.

I don't necessarily think it has much to do with the spawn other than maybe they like having more light around at night when they spawn to guard the fry? But I do think that night time bite on a full moon has the potential to be better than on a new moon, and consequently I believe the bite at first light will be better the morning after a new moon than a full moon.

Hey all, I've read a lot with regards to bass fishing but I haven't done nearly as much research into other species. I am planning on going fishing this weekend though for Northern Pike and perhaps some Perch since the Bass season has yet to open. It got me wondering, do weather patterns and moon phases affect these species in similar ways as bass?