BiteFiend

I have a 7' MH and a 7'6 MH BPS crankin stick that I use. They're both decent rods for the money. They're fairly light for a crankbait rod and just enough sensitivity for a CB rod. The only drawback, for me anyway, was that the "power hump" handle took some getting used to initially. After a few outings I got used to it though. Oh, and they look pretty old fashioned but looks don't really matter to me. Having never used the Veritas Winch, I can't provide a comparative opinion, but either of those two will be decent sticks at that price point.

That's a helluva fish. Way to go!

Used to live an about an hour north of there in the 90's and still try to get down there to visit family from time to time. Bass fishing this time of the year can be tough. Many of the ponds in that area are shallow so the water gets quite warm. I always did best at night this time of year. As far as "what" to throw, it's not much different other than if you fish during the day, fish reallllly slowwwww. Also junebug anything always produced well for me if the water has a little color to it.

I realize by saying this many of you will be thinking to yourself "that boy sure ain't right" lol but I prefer early to mid afternoon on a sunny summer day with 10 mph wind. My favorite way to fish is to punch mats and deep crank and it's always seemed like the bite is better for those two techniques during that time and conditions. Not to mention most of the biggest bass I have caught came from during those conditions.

They're great frogs; they walk easier than most others, are durable, and take on less water than some of the others. As NCBassAssasin mentioned, you'll want to make sure to get one with white on it's stomach and one with black. Additionally, I like yellow because some of the real frogs around here have yellow on their stomach. I feel like all the other colors on top of the frog are more designed to catch fisherman since fish can't see the top.

You may also want to consider checking out any locally owned, non big-box store type of tackle shops. Many pour their own soft plasics and are really inexpensive. For example, there is a tackle shop right by me that sells a bag of 50 beavers for under $8. Plus the durability is better than most large companies.

Strike King Rage Tail Toad.

Around here, we are pretty fortunate. We have a fair amount of small resevoirs up to 1,800 acres or so that are used for flood control and irrigation. We have bigger lakes in the western part of the state and there are some nice lakes in KS and MO that are a short road trip.

That's what I prefer to use as well. The only thing I can add is that it's a good idea to keep a piece of wire handy so you can push the peg of toothpick through the weight when you are done using it. I just use a piece of an old light wire worm hook I cut off at the hook bend.

Hollow body frog, small buzzbaits, Toads (SK Rage Tail Toad, Stanley Ribbit, Zoom, etc).

Dropshot fished vertically. If after a few minutes they still don't bite, I'll move on and try to find active fish. I usually only fish for suspended fish if I can see baitfish in that area on my graph.

For me it depends. If the water is stained to clear (3+ ft of visibility) I feel the top water bite is better with at least ripple type of waves. Less than 3 ft visibility I like a mirror surface.

I bought one of these to fish a farm pond a few years ago. The material it's made from is actually pretty durable. You won't have to worry about popping it due to dropped hooks or setting your rod down with an exposed hook, etc. That said, I would recommend that you carry a roll of duct tape with you to quickly patch it should you puncture it. Be warned though; they are a pain to fish out of but it does get you on the water.

Hi everyone. New to the site but not new to bass fishing. Just wanted to say what's up, contribute to discussions, and learn from others.