MIbassyaker

Siebert skirt patterns haunt my dreams. I ordered some dock rockers back on the Black Friday sale -- been going crazy all winter waiting for chance to fish them. Got some open water now here and there, but still too busy yet probably for another month! aaaggghh!

Hmm...maybe I'm just a cheapskate, but I'm having a hard time getting my head around the notion of deciding to spend $500 on a rod without already knowing exactly what I wanted.

Some attempts at bluegill, perch, and sunfish-ish patterns:

Even if bass can see braid, it doesn't mean they will be shy of it. I fish around grass most of the time, which means the bass I'm usually targeting spend their lives surrounded by all kinds of stalks, stems, whorls, leaves, fronds, and tendrils. They hunt for food in this stuff day in and day out. Even if they see braided line, it probably doesn't register as anything other than another fiber of vegetation that's in the way. So if I'm fishing around grass, I don't bother with a leader. I DO use a mono leader in snaggy rivers though, so its easier to break off without losing a length of expensive line if (not if, when) I get irretrievably hung up.

I bought two Elite techs and an Aetos this winter, but haven't had a chance to do more than make a few casts. They all definitely look and feel nice, at least. The Aetos especially is a gorgeous rod, but all Fenwicks seem to have a classy look that I dig.

I've got a Dive Master, but haven't fished it enough to tell how well it works. However, if the noises are not a gimmick, they sure do give a good impression of one. Other than that, It seems like a ok crankbait.

I tried tying jigs for the first time this winter, using heads from Siebert and Barlow's.Didn't have a clear sense of what I wanted in skirt patterns, so just tried a bunch of different things, some of which came out better than others -- here was the first few I thought came out well:

A MegaStrike "Semi-pro" Value Pack, just in time for Spring: Clockwise from top left: 3/8oz Pro Shak-e2 heads 3/4oz Evo2 heavy cover jig Green Pumpkin 5/16oz Evo2 finesse jig Halloween 5/16oz Evolution finesse jig pbj 2-pack 3/8oz Strikeback spinnerbait lavender shad /blue nickel blade 3/8oz Cavitron buzzbait chart/white/red 1/4oz Cavitron buzzbait ghost/gold MegaStrike Original formula Scent MegaStrike Crawfish formula Scent 3" Mega Bug watermelon/purple/copper 4.5" Mega Bug watermelon/pearl 3" Mega Grub motoroil/red 5" Mega Stick green pumpkin/black Other than the Cavitron, I haven't tried any of these before...pretty excited.

On my way out of the house to run some where, I'll occasionally just grab a rod with a lure tied on, and find some water on the way back home to fish for a half-hour or an hour from the bank. The setup I have almost always used for this is a 6' M or ML spinning rod with 8lb trilene, and a small plastic body on a head of some kind, such as a grub on a round jighead, a 4" worm on a slider head, or most recently as of last summer, a ned rig. If I had to pick something to use the rest of my life, it would be something like that. I have to laugh at kickerfish's comment about finding a new hobby! Not me. I'd roll with it -- one rod, one line, one lure...it would be just like I was 10 again. Just be sure to give me a lifetime supply of the same bait in case I break off.

Sounds like a good idea -- any particular reason for 2 stops? I always let the weight slide freely above a single stop instead of pegging it completely.

I think of spinnerbaits as a situational lure around here: scattered cover, windy, overcast, not too cold, not too hot, water not too clear. They come through cover pretty well, so don't be afraid to throw them into stuff, as long as its not thick slop. Tick the branches of laydowns from a few different angles. Over submerged weeds, do a stop & go retrieve like Papajoe mentions -- crank them moderately fast, then stop abruptly every few cranks to let it fall. Don't be surprised if you catch a pike on one before you catch a bass.

Save your money for a true upgrade; The lightning rod is a good choice for its price, but that doesn't make it so advantageous as to be worth replacing what you already have. Unless, of course, you're just looking for an additional rod rather than a better rod.

On youtube, Andrew Flair has a nice video on picking up basic tackle box essentials at Bass Pro Shops for $50. I don't agree with all his choices for a beginner (I think I'd ditch the frog and get a regular hard topwater popper instead, like a hula popper or a rebel pop-r), but most of this would be a good start. I also like the suggestions above for grubs, flukes and a spinnerbait.

Booyah Pond Magic is a nice little spinnerbait, inexpensive, suitable for small ponds and streams, and you can throw it easily on spinning rod. I got a Siebert Cosmic tandem spinnerbait last summer with a bluegill skirt..it looks awesome but I haven't had much opportunity to use it yet.

I use an ML for a lot of things: Shaky heads and other "jigworm" presentations, slider-heads, light grubs and tubes (1/8oz), ned rig, mojo/split-shot rigs, drop shotting, small inline spinners, and even small crankbaits and topwaters sometimes (like a rebel craw or pop-r). An ML is great for crappie, bluegill, perch, & trout, too. You won't be winching a big fish in with an ML spinning rod. Proper setting and use of the drag will be important to learn.

I like 5" most of the time, 4" for river smallies. In stained water I actually like watermelon with a chartreuse tip. Otherwise, anything dark is good - black, black/blue, junebug, or plum for instance. Although Green pumpkin is probably fine almost anywhere, almost all the time.

When I was shopping around for my first baitcaster, it took about 10 seconds to learn that a lefty was what I wanted despite being right-handed. Everything about right-handed casters feels wrong to me.

Yes, but it comes down to a matter of preference and what balances your rod. Size 30 is lighter weight and better for smaller diameter line, 35 is heavier but has a bigger spool that is better suited for higher diameter line and faster line pick-up. I do use a size 35 supreme on a 7' MH spinning rod.

I have Presidents in size 25 and 30. They would both be fine for what you want to use them for, but I think 30 is a better all-around size. The 25 is an ounce lighter, but the spool is pretty small.

I like the Sworming Hornet too, but I haven't done much brand comparison. They work just fine in bluegill and perch lakes, too!

I get a lot of my stuff online, but I make a point to stop by my local tackle shop before any of the big chain stores (I have a gander, cabelas & 2 DSGs in town) when I want to get something in person, or want to browse. The guys at the local shop have way, way more knowledge about local waters, conditions, and gear (especially lures, reels and rods above the "budget" level) than the folks at the chain stores. They also sell some things by small local tackle-makers that I can't get anywhere else. I have zero problem paying a little more, as long as I'm getting that kind of service.

Honestly, I think Zoom, Yum, Rage Tail, and Biospawn are all good value for the cost. WIth Zoom and Yum you get more bodies for a lower price, in proven designs and colors that reliably do the job most of the time. With companies like Rage and Biospawn, you are paying for very high quality control and unique designs or composition you can't get anywhere else. Nobody else makes anything quite like a Space Monkey or a Vile Craw or an Exo stick or a Cut-R Worm. Even something as simple as the Biospawn plasma tail (It's just a straight-tailed worm!), is a little different from other worms in its "class":

The whole point of powerbait is that it smells funky, no?

With the St. Croix rage closeouts, I bought 4 casting rods this winter, every one under $100 (not counting the reels, of course):

Careful, now....I think I know what this is...she wants something...