FryDog62

Brussel Sprouts = Satan's Cabbage... no way to make a neurotoxin taste good IMO. LOL, good luck you might find something to make it palatable ~ ?

Yes tough to skip docks during droughts. They’ll fill in again eventually. I like the floating Neko worms, just skip and either get a reaction bite, or just let the weight sink the worm slowly to the bottom and undulate vertically and soak… until it starts to move?

I still skip some weightless too - although I have switched up pretty much to a weighted Neko these days. The weight helps you stay back farther from the dock and get more casting distance. Just bury the weight all the way into the plastic and super glue the end/opening if you need to. All buttoned up and nothing more than a little "thud" if you klang off a pontoon.

I've been known to call the ones I lose - many multi-syllabic terms that end with "er" ?

Chunk Norris Beefcake Barney Chumley Poomba Honey Boo Boo Orca Chalupa Rambo Beulah Blimpy Big Mac Lardmouth Biggy Smalls (smb) Mrs. Chunkworth Bulldozer Hereford Sumo Thor Michael Phelps

Trade in to ALF. Maybe don't get as much, but so easy/no hassle.

I think your bro’ might be right… let us know after you hook a couple Amazon’s of the same size?

This spring I caught 3 pound - Peacocks, Smallmouth and White Bass. All were great fighters! But the edge (at least in that size category) - drum roll... White Bass

Friend of mine and I went to South Dakota to catch smallmouth and walleyes... and fortunately we did! Biggest walleye was mine at just under 27 inches, and his smallmouth at 21.5 inches. Great trip, great memories?

One of the reasons I have adapted to BFS is because of the much greater casting distance I can get over spinning. Second is that I can use fluorocarbon with a much better/uniform sink rate, and 3rd - little to no line twist.

If undiagnosed/untreated Lyme Disease goes on for more than a couple weeks, it goes systemic and likely will never go away. It will ruin many parts of your body/joints/organs for life. If you test negative but still have symptoms (this is much more common than anyone thinks), convince your doctor to get you on Doxycycline asap.

I have a home gym, but when I travel I either take my folding bike and/or Bodylastics. All you need is a door to keep the muscles toned? https://bodylastics.com/start/ The key every day is to M-O-V-E

Best trailer I have used for Mini Max Chatterbait is the 3.5 inch Spunk Shad. I have found sometimes, certain hard-thumping paddle tails can fight against the chattering of the blade. But the Spunk Shad provides great action without messing up the thump!

I have two BFS rod/reel combos: Phenix Feather Light w/Daiwa Air TW, 7 lb Sniper. Mostly 3/32 Neds or 1/16th oz Hair Jigs Phenix Feather ML w/Curado BFS reel, 15 lb braid + leader. 1/8 oz Jig worms and Underspins For me, I prefer baitcasting over spinning for everything except drop-shotting.

Dobyns 734 IMO is the quintessential Swim Jig rod. Gary told me this years ago and I still agree, although he now says the 735 might be even better for this application.

Plenty of Eurasian Milfoil here in Minn… I like using 1/2 and 3/4 oz AT Grassmaster jigs to get in/out of the junk and to open areas and pockets.

I too have the bulk spools of Tatsu - although I do have 10 lb Invizx that I use exclusively for my jerkbait rod... and as the occasional leader materials for wacky worms.

I had the Dobyns 740 but returned it… the tip was just too light in my opinion around any cover. Also seemed underpowered even throwing a 1/5 oz Ned. So, the Phenix Classic BFS has me wondering if it would work well as a bass BFS rod or too light as well. The Feather 7’1” Light is about right, but for hair jigs another 3 inches length might be nice.

This rod intrigues me, I have thought about the 7'4" to maybe get additional distance when tossing light hair jigs. Have you used it for either hair jigs or light Neds (3/32 oz)? Can it pull a Ned through at least some light cover? The standard Phenix Feather Light does that for me, but the Classic BFS rod has a slightly lighter lure rating.

I have only put one foot down the rabbit hole, with 2 BFS rod/reel set ups… but I REALLY like the two I have. Neds rigs, hair jigs, even jig worms. Light finesse stuff with fluorocarbon to get a good smooth cast and uniform sink rate. The advantage over spinning is no line twist. It’s not an inexpensive category, but at the mid-lower end is the Phenix Feather Light rod paired with a Curado BFS reel. My other BFS rod/reel combination is more expensive but I like both outfits equally and they work great with 7 lb Sniper fluorocarbon ?

Maybe try Cattail/Kettle. Wind is your nemesis in South Dakota, especially in a kayak. That lake has quite a varied shoreline and you’ll probably able to find pockets out of the wind if needed. Some big bass of both species in there too.

Ha! Sometimes maybe.. the square bill rod has been a long learning experiment with some lost fish along the way, but I think this combo is pretty close now ?

No, for instance the 1/2 and 3/4 oz Dark Sleepers come in the 3 inch size... but the 3/4 also comes in a 3.8 inch size just like the 1 oz does. Anything 3 inch size has never been a hookup issue for me - bite size and doesn't come un-pinned.

I agree, I was reeling fast and had the rod tip 3 feet under water knowing she was going to jump… but to no avail. That 1 oz is easy for them to get rid of in a hurry, like a Heimlich Maneuver!