timsford

Yes I fish them out deep both slow rolling and ripping them up and letting them sink. Works great, especially when fish are active. I like the red eye shad, xcaliburs, and aruku shad for deeper stuff in the 3/4 or 1 oz sizes. If I want a slower fall or fish are suspended I use a super spot. I use underpins with fluke trailers, swim baits with jigheads, hair jigs, scroungers, silver buddys, and tailspinners in the same locations and all work depending on mood of the fish. The lipless seem to work best when there's a lot of bait around and fish are active

The pop max is nice but the 2 lures primetime mentioned are great alternatives. Lots of poppers can be made to walk like the skitter pop, zell pop, and chug bug, and lots of baits designed to be walked have popper mouths like the gunfish, showerblows, and chug-n-spook. Just starting out I'd try some of the cheaper versions or buy some used lures til you figure out what you like and master target casting. I use a lot of roll casts and side arm casts if there are overhanging objects. Also if you have that happen quite a bit Maybee consider using stout braid so you might get your lure back

I haven't tried them but I've tried their copy of the megabass 110. Sank slowly instead of suspending or slow floating and I didn't care for the hooks or hardware. I replaced the hooks with lighter wire hooks and got it to suspend, but still didn't cast quite as well and didn't have the same action. I think it's because a lot of the knockoffs don't have the quality control and I don't know if they use the weight transfer systems a lot of the nicer baits use. Yes the irony has been a killer walking bait. I got the ones I have off ebay but I've seen them on some other sites. I usually use a lot of less expensive and some knock offs when using cranks and baits I fish around cover but using top waters or jerkbaits I just spend a little more and get the reel thing since I rarely break them off or fish cover with them and they float if the line does break

The showerblows creates a lot more commotion than the gunfish imo. I use these 2 and the Sammy and experiment to see what the fish like the best that day. Usually I use the Sammy when it's calm or fish are finicky, the gunfish with a little chop, and the shower blows when it's windy or fish are active. Walking baits are my favorite top waters and I've found its best to experiment with these and other baits. Some days the fish want a spook, sometimes with the same conditions they prefer the sammy, some days they love the zip baits irony. I know you have a bunch of top waters but that's another bait you should put on your list of stuff to try. The irony has been lights out for me all year

It has here on bassresource, but most people I know, and especially those willing to spend more than 60 bucks on a reel prefer shimano or daiwa

I know it's a different top water than the gun fish or sammy, I was referring to the op posting that he desired a bait that could walk and spit water. I was just saying that there were other baits that did that. I actually like the looks of it and plan on ordering a couple on my next tackle purchase

I feel the weight ranges are off on a lot of their rods, but other than that, I love them and have no issues. As stated all the mh rods handle 3/8-1 oz fine and most handle 1/4 oz fine, especially in cover. The medium rods feel best with 1/4-5/8, but I've use as low as 1/8 and as high as 3/4 comfortably. The medium on the old smallmouth models and most of their spinning rods handle 1/8-1/2 great but the 3/4 oz high end is too high on the medium spinning rods. I have a 7'6" heavy rod as well and it feels best with 1/2-1 oz but I've thrown 1 1/2 with no issues. The newest elite tech bass are a little stiffer than the aetos or smallmouth series and a ml feels like the old smallmouth medium. Hope this helps anyone interested in these rods. I own several and they are awesome rods with a very nice clean build

I use both. I upgrade the trebles to owner stingers and usually add split rings to the trebles as well and hook and land a lot more fish. And at night I use at least 15lb mono and sometimes 40lb braid if I'm around grass or a lot of heavy cover. I saw an article a month or two ago where a guy caught a new state record smallmouth at night on a black jitterbug so they definitely work and catch big ones too

The gun fish has a unique popping and walking sound that flat out works and I haven't found a better bait to replace it. The storm chug bug has a bigger popping sound and still a good walk. The Sammy is my favorite walking bait, but the gun fish offers just a little more sound if there is a little chop on the water. If I was going to try the river2sea baits I'd probably pick the bubble walker. For poppers the pop max, splash it, and rico are hard to beat imo

I catch lots of smallies and other species on white or chartreuse rooster tails with silver or gold blades. I use underspins more now though if I'm targeting bass primarily. I catch a lot more bass and they are bigger on average. I've used the fish head spin but I like the Davis baits and xtreme custom tackle versions better because they have better swivels and bigger, stronger hooks. I still use inlines quite a bit in creeks and streams but larger rivers or lakes I think the underspins offer the same type of presentation but better than an inline. I usually use super flukes as trailers

I can't use just 1. I have 4 color patterns i use, but the actual colors vary between manufacturers because u can't afford to have EVERYTHING custom painted lol. I use shad colors. Mainly black back with white belly but sometimes green or blue instead of black. This is to imitate shad and other baitfish. Craw colors are my second most used. Brown, green, or red mainly with orange highlights like my local craws. My third favorite color is bluegill colors. I like the natural bluegill patterns when pond fishing. And last but not least I have to have some muddy water cranks like albino white and black back chartreuse belly

Don't like em. I switch them out for mustad short shank triple grips, vmc round bend, or owners depending on the type of lure

I have that rod and I use weights from 1/4-1 oz comfortably. All the other Fenwick rods I have that are mh have a 3/8-1 oz rating

I'd get the aetos recommended above and a daiwa exceller or tatula off ebay. Or looked for a quality used reel

Alphas sv in the low gear ratio would be perfect. Or buy any alphas, sol, pixy, t3, steez, or tdz and swap in an sv or diy spool with zpi or other quality bearings and you have a great reel for anything light. Really light stuff try an air reel like ss air, alphas air, or t3 air. If you want to stick with shimano a scorpion 1000xt or curado/chronarch 50 e with avail or ktf spool and upgraded bearings is as good or better than the aldebaran. A lot of it is also the rod when throwing light baits. Look for bfs designed rod with a softer tip to load for casting light baits and to keep fish hooked with small trebles.

Mattlures ultimate bluegill boot tail in male bluegill pattern

Tatula xt 7'2" heavy for 80 bucks from Sportsmans outfitters

Bandit 200 and bomber 5a and 6a in craw colors, hair jigs, tubes, war eagle finesse spinnerbaits, 1/8 oz buzzbaits, small poppers, grubs, 3-4 inch paddletails, and senkos are my go to river smallmouth lures but in shallow rivers I'd probably use the bandit 100 and bomber square a more

I like these on a stand up, football, or mushroom head so they stand up off bottom with the claws waving. I use a lot of different craws, but these are always in my rotation

Tackle tour just did a review on the metanium dc and said that it was much better at casting lighter weights under 3/8 than all the other dc reels. I've heard most people use their excense dc for frogging or heavier duty stuff which makes since because it's basically a dc version of the chronarch d. I'd say it depends on what you are wanting to throw with it. If you are wanting a frogging reel or something for throwing heavier stuff I'd get the excense, if you want a reel that can throw 1/4 ounce and up well I'd get the metanium

That's a good deal on the sammy's. I buy some off here, some off ***.net, some off fleabay (there are a couple of sellers that have hundreds of Jdm baits under 10 bucks apiece listed at all times. There all kinds of brands and models like lucky craft, evergreen, jackall, and megabass and even a lot of really hard to find stuff from small jdm companies. If interested pm me and I'll look through my bookmarks for the sellers' names. I've bought from them quite a bit and shipping is a couple dollars per bait straight from Japan and they combine shipping. I get some off the flea market here but *** boards usually has a lot more traffic and tons of new stuff posted every day.

Yeah I use a lot of light wire hooks and have never straightened one. I guess maybe if you were using 80 lb braid and an extra heavy power rod and set the hook as hard as possible

I like 14-20 lb mono depending on the cover. I usually use big game or trilene xl. I've used braid but didn't like it on a fast action rod.. If you fish around grass I'd use braid

I'd save up just a little more and try to find a quality used reel for around 50-60. Reels like the pro qualifier, citica d, daiwa exceller, abu orra, quantum accurists and energys, lews speed spools, and a bunch of others cost 100 retail or more and are going to be a lot better reel than one you can buy new for 40 bucks. The only reel I've tried that cheap was one given to me as a gift. It was a Shakespeare that was like 39.99 new but it had horrible magnetic brakes that were either all on or all off and the whole reel felt like a kids toy. Buying used will allow you to buy a much better reel that will last much linger. It will have a better cast control system to help you learn without back lashing so much and be made of much better materials. I'd look for something with an aluminum frame if possible beacause it will last longer, unless I got a really good deal

I really like the casting of my t-wing reels and I prefer daiwa's braking system and ease of customizing spools and handles. But I can't spend that kind of money. Most of my reels have been bought used but it will probably be awhile before any start coming up for sale I can afford. That being said any reel that costs that much is going to be a sweet reel and I'd be happy with any of those reels.