MIbassyaker

1. Topwater popper, propbait, or 1/4oz buzzbait. 2. Weightless 4" stick worm rigged weedless on a 1/0 or 2/0 hook. 3. a 4" power worm on an Owner bullet head:

In ponds, I almost never catch the bass I can see.

You don't need a 300 dollar rod. The St. Croix 6'8" mojo is $130. I use the same rod in the Avid X line, but I don't think of it as a "wacky rod", rather I think of it as my "senko & fluke" rod. Sometimes that means a wacky worm, weightless or on a 1/16-1/8oz head, sometimes with a weedguard, sometimes not. Sometimes that means rigged snagless on weightless t-rig or screw-lock hook. The M-XF can do all of that exceptionally well, whereas a lighter power or softer action suffers a bit on some of those things. Although, if all you're fishing on it is a wacky rig, it doesn't matter much.

I still have about 8 worms left out of an old pack, circa 1990, of purple gator tail worms. Evidently, Terry Scroggins has the molds: https://www.***.com/fishing-rigs/big-shows-baits-ditto-gator-tail-worm/ (EDIT: OK, blocked. Google it if you're curious, I guess) My favorite of the style, though, is the Mister Twister thunderworm, which had a longer tail portion and a shorter body, more like a ribbontail version. They are discontinued as well, but have been brought back temporarily a couple times. I stocked up last time.

I just got a 7'1" HF Omen Black on clearance at TW for under 100 during the classic sale, specifically for 'yak-froggin. I had heard mixed things about the quality of these rods, but I have had one in the MLxf spinning model for a couple years and it's been great, so I figured it was worth the gamble on the closeout price. The main reason I had my eye on it, though, is that the handle is fairly short for a 7+ footer, which to me makes a huge difference in the Kayak for any kind of twitching/popping/walking work. The omen seems like it will be up to the task, although I won't get to try it out on the water for a while yet, so we'll see.

That was really close! Let us know if you win anything.

I haven't been watching live today, but Basstrakk right now has Canterbury with a 6

Strike King Blade Minnow

How about: https://www.siebertoutdoors.com/Arky-Jighead-433.htm or: https://www.siebertoutdoors.com/Dredge-Dock-Rocker-Jighead-306.htm

Tougher day here, too...got just two going tomorrow, Crews & Williamson.

Cook Crews Williamson Dipalma Morris

I keep them on, unless they're really chewed up.

Yup, two 5'6" panfish spinning rigs, one for me and one for my wife. But they catch bass too, and are a good option for small-stream smallie fishing, where quarters might be a little tight. Good for 1/16-1/8oz crappie jigs, 2"-3" curly tails, roadrunners, beetle spins, smaller-sized mepps, and such.

I fish mostly from a kayak and sometimes on foot, on shore or wading. In the 'yak I can bring 5 rods. On foot I can handle up to 3. This has not prevented me from accumulating rods, however. I currently own 24.

I use spinning and baitcasting about half and half, and some presentations I fish on both more or less interchangeably, such as light texas rigs, jerkbaits, and some shallow crankbaits. But if I ever go somewhere and bring just one rod, it is a spinning rod.

The accuracy claim is the one I don't understand. There is no good reason for a spinning rod to be inherently less accurate than a baitcaster. I rather suspect this claim is based on simply having less experience (i.e., less practice) casting to targets with spinning rods than with baitcasters.

Even though ice-out was later this year and Jan-Feb were worse than last year, I seem to recall last year's March-through-April as being much more miserable than it's been so far. Last year, I didn't actually get on the water anywhere until April 26, although I was able to cast into open water from shore a few places in early march.

Me, but yours shouldn't be that much worse. You're supposed to get maybe an inch more snow thursday morning than me, and mine will transition to rain faster. But then it is supposed to rain more late thur/early fri for both of us.

Looks like we'll miss the worst of it, and it'll rain more than it will snow anyway.

I saw an article once about wacky rigging a lizard. Don't remember where. I've never tried it. The only thing I wacky rig are stick worms and (rarely) straight-tailed finesse worms.

I also endorse the HMG, an excellent-value rod at $100, and the medium is stout enough for good hooksets on a texas rig for a spinning rod. At the top of your budget, have a look at the MF Fenwick Aetos, still enough backbone but also super sensitive, and the 6'6" and 7'0" models are almost an ounce and a half lighter than the same models of the HMG: http://www.fenwickfishing.com/fenwick-freshwater-rods-fenwick-aetos/fenwick-aetos-spinning/1405238.html

... I added some content so folks can tell us apart.

For jigs, the stated weight (1/4oz) is typically just the weight of the lead. Add a hook, skirt, and a bulky plastic trailer, you could easily be pushing 5/8oz total weight. For chatterbaits and spinnerbaits, add the weight of blades, wire and hardware. Many MH power, fast action baitcasting rods in your price range will have a lure rating from 3/8oz to 1oz, which should do you just fine for jigs, spinnerbaits and chatterbaits listed from 1/4oz to 1/2oz.

Too stiff or weak for what, exactly? I use a 7'0" MF spinning in the previous generation as my main shakyhead/jigworm rod. I would expect the 6'6" MF to be fine for the same things, as well as senkos and flukes, while the 6'9" MLXF would be good for drop-shot, ned rigs and such. The Aetos is not dramatically lighter or heavier in power compared to most other companies' models at the same price point. Fenwick has a reputation for their lower-end rods being a little stiff, but the Aetos isn't like that.

Should be very good for jigs, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and possibly frogs as well.