RipzLipz

Be glad you don’t live near me - I would wear you out & talk your ear off.🤣 I’m curious as to the approximate timeframe the large bass began to be caught out there (when did it start for you & the others)? If I recall these were mostly if not all F1 hybrids, were they not?

That can recall, right hand retrieve reels were more readily available. One didn’t have PCs or internet as an option for researching and/or purchasing equipment & often retailers carried far more RH models than LH. I’m sure tracking customer buying habits wasn’t much of a thing until PCs were more readily available.

Pretty sure I do but hope you elaborate a bit more.

Look into that Power Pole Spike, Katie, if you’re in shallower waters. Same issue getting bullied when we use the Crawdad.😠

Time for you to get the spinnerbug out! 🤣

Congrats Pat. Get a weight on her? That tail though…

Come to Indiana in December - it will quickly change your mind 🤣 Just kidding. I envy those of you fortunate enough to have nice enough weather to fish in the winter months. If it’s above 39° in 8+ days, I’m going for the first time in December.

Been there myself many a time, as I’m sure most if not all of us have. That is what makes it so fun when we do have those better days & why the big ones are so awesome (and addictive). Can’t wait to see the big one - you know what I mean.👍

@Mossman, Unless I missed it, something not mentioned might be to keep a log for each trip. This can be an invaluable resource for you down the road. Use maps (hard copy or digital) if available. I took screenshots of lakes on Google maps & marked numbers corresponding with log entries for larger fish I encountered (not necessarily caught). Same principle can be applied if quantity is more important to an angler. Scales & measuring tape or bump board (de-liar, golden rule) for weighing & measurements are encouraged but not absolutely necessary. Can use a cut length of line each for length & girth & measure the 2 later for weight approximation. I second skirted jigs with trailers. By far this has produced larger bass for me over the years. Not everyone will agree, but that’s just my experience up to this point & is what I first taught my son to use when he showed an interest in fishing. Not necessarily a technique for numbers but can be fished year round between ice-out & ice-in. In addition, weighted worms/soft plastics, spinnerbaits and/or chatterbaits (I prefer both with trailers), weightless soft plastic stickbaits and/or soft jerkbaits, lipless crankbaits, topwaters, frogs are all great starting points, catch many fish & can also catch big fish but all can be fun at the right time & place. I left out hundreds of other possibilities but I feel those can come later once you gain more experience. Most of the above except maybe some of the weightless or finesse (Ned rig) techniques are good for casting rods & reels but certainly not exclusive to them. To each their own in that regard. After you’ve gotten your feet under you & experience some success & have a basic understanding of when & where to fish certain lures, leave everything at home except one type of lure & take a few with you. You will learn to master that & others in time. Try to learn something new each time you’re out on the water. Disclaimer: I’m not 100% right but I’m not 100% wrong, either. Same goes with every response you’re going to get, in my opinion. Once that makes sense to you, the rest will be a blast once you begin to build confidence in what you’re doing & achieve success. It’s fine to be disappointed but don’t get discouraged. Confidence in angling, to me, is very important. I fish to my strengths & over time try to improve my weaknesses (see paragraph above). You don’t catch fish sitting at home but you can do other things to become a better angler. Lastly, have fun!

Living in Indiana all of my life, I envied those of you fortunate enough to be there & experience what I feel was history being made at that time. I had to read about it, often many months or a year or two after actually occurring. The 3 anglers who pursued Dottie were also anglers of which I thought very highly - at least for all I was able to know about them. Stand up guys who could have tried to fool the world but chose not to do so. Not that my experiences or accomplishments compare but there’s something to be said about those who pursue incredible fish such as those caught during that period - the time & dedication it took & how those fish got to those sizes. It’s always fascinated me. Was anyone else who watched the video surprised at how "light" of a rod they were using? I would have expected something more in line with todays swimbait rods but much shorter, as 6’6" to 7’ rods were probably the longest commercially available rods back then. If I recall correctly, we were just beginning to get away from pistol grip rods, as shown in the uppermost image @WRB posted in the late 80s & early 90s. Maybe I’m mistaken?

Never held a Revo SX, so I cannot speculate on that particular reel. To me, they’re just as comfortable as the Revo MGX2, which would be similar to a Gen4 frame, I believe. I would think the Gen5 Revo Winch you mentioned would be a comparable fit, if you’ve had a chance to actually hold one. Based on appearances alone, each generation seems to be similar in size & shape so I would assume they’d all palm similarly from one model to another in the same generation. I’m not a tall person & I do not have large hands & they fit my mitts just fine. Here is a Gen4 MGX2 (black) side by side with a Gen5 MG-LTX (silver). Using digital calipers, I measured the widths (parallel to spool) & they were both around 2.41 inches across (near tension knob area & across to peak of dial). The redesigned side plate is much narrower at the front & upper portion of the reel (area marked in red - much narrower) and swells where the brake adjustment dial is located. It’s also a bit longer, front to back so the line guide is further from the spool which is intended to give extra casting distance. To me, it’s slightly more comfortable, more naturally fitting to the hand with the new design. It’s not wider by any means. I could care less about casting distance - lure weight & rod selection can impact that ability as well as one angler to another, in my opinion. It casts just fine if you know how to properly adjust the tension & brake controls, as should any baitcaster on the market that is worth a darn. Casting accuracy puts more fish in my boat & these reels aren’t intended to be your long lining crankers with which you’d want to bomb a lure in most cases - that’s the Winch’s job in my opinion. You didn’t ask, but the reel handles do not feel like foam EVA. They feel more rubbery but unsure from what material they’re made. Softer than the previous generation for sure. I like them much more. Like I said in my first response above, these are expensive reels. There may be better reels out there & everyone has their own opinion on that sort of thing & I’m not here for debating or defending my choices. I’ve not had a single issue with any of these reels, own close to a dozen (mostly Gen4 MGX) & they’ve been bulletproof for me, even with a few having been purchased on eBay. However, I’m not going to tell you or anyone else to buy one. That’s a lot of money for a reel, I know. But I have absolutely no reason to consider replacing any of them with another brand or model reel. I hope these last me decades & am passing some of my Gen3 & Gen4 off to my son in hopes they serve him just as well as they did me. I’ve done a bit of quick research on these newer Gen5 Revos & would urge you to watch out for frames that are not listed as alloy, should you set your sights on the more affordable models. They will use all sorts of fancy terms to describe the frame material & unless it says alloy in there, I’d stay away from it. This usually means it’s carbon or something composite & not metal-based & I’d hate for someone to buy a reel & have it crack. Much less likely to happen with a metal based frame. I also prefer the reels with IVCB brakes, as you never have to remove the side plate to switch magnets off & on like with the Infini types & for me, cast like a dream. Warning, the Zenon X model does NOT have IVCB - it’s Infini braking. Sorry for the long post but I’m trying to be as descriptive & helpful as possible. Don’t drop the money on these if you have any reservations. At the very least, handle one of the Gen5 reels before doing so if that is your biggest concern. I hope you’re able to get one, but more importantly I hope you get any reel that suits you & your fishing style & strengths whether it’s an Abu Zenon or not. Keep me posted & as always, ask if you have additional questions.👍

@CanadianPowerFishin - No problem bud. Am curious if the Zenon X would fall into the same general area as the 2 models I mentioned. I imagine it’s a bit heavier since it has an aluminum frame compared to the LTX & MGX, which I believe are magnesium frames. They are super light - LTX listed at 4.7oz & MGX at 5.1oz on TWarehouse site. I forgot to mention they also come with a zippered storage case, as I think all the Zenon models do. Not crush proof but fairly nice. No reel lubricants though, which is a first for Abu baitcasters in my experience.

@roadwarrior - Thank you. LTXs are paired with Dobyns Xtasy rods. I feel the jigs falling through branches (twigs) at the ends of laydowns. Love the setup 🤌🤌🤌

Before I start, I’m brand loyal & have never had a reason to try other brands. Abu has been good to me since I began using low profile casting reels. Others may have different opinions but I am fine with what I choose to buy & use for the type of fishing I do. By no means am I touting these as the best reels. They suit me for what I do. No, they aren’t what I’d call budget or affordable but, as humbly as I can put it, I’m blessed that isn’t at the top of my list of concerns at this point in my life - I worked hard to get to that point so I spoiled myself a bit. With that said, I own both MG-LTX & MGX reels. Both are comfortable to palm, comfortable handle grips, super lightweight & IVCB-4 braking is awesome in my opinion. Very smooth casting reels when you get them properly dialed in. With the right rod, one can cast very light lures with these reels but for me, that’s not something about which I’m concerned but I do know some anglers are into finesse casting so it is worth mentioning. My biggest dislike with either reel is that the MGX has a clicking drag. It’s not the live bait type with a on/off switch either. Would have been fine with the on/off switch but whatever reason, Abu decided to make just that particular model click. Just feel it’s unnecessary. The reel performs just fine though. I honestly preferred the Revo MGX2 generation but the Zenon MGX performs equally well - just the clicker is a bit odd to me. Drag may be a bit light for some, with the LTX coming in at 11lb max. & MGX at 15lb max. I live in IN & while we do have DD bass, that pales in comparison with our more southern neighbors but that aspect with max drag suits me just fine. I don’t necessarily want my drag locked down anyway - just personal preference. Between the two models, there’s not much obvious differences other than the clicking drag, appearances & maybe the weight. They come in different gear ratios, with the LTX only being offered in 8.3:1 & the MGX in 6.8:1 & also 8.3:1. I use the LTX for all my jigging & worm fishing. MGX 6.8:1 would be anything else except maybe deep cranking & umbrella rigging as I prefer something with a lower gear ratio, like under 6:1. If I’m not hitting a point about which you’re wondering, feel free to ask.

Thanks for the info @Jar11591! 👍

I’ve only smashed barbs when required by regulations (when I’ve fished out of my home state). I’m not one for "telling" another angler what to do, but rather give them things to ponder & let them decide based on their experiences & personal knowledge. With that said, if you had a potential PB on, would you want to risk losing it should mashed barbs come into play? Me only, I’m not mashing them.

Slow rolling means fishing the spinnerbait slow enough that the blade(s) are barely turning. This term can be applied to a multitude of lures & in general means retrieving a lure slowly & steadily while maintaining a constant depth during the retrieve. Over grass beds would mean whatever aquatic vegetation is there is growing profusely enough that it’s forming large areas with enough clearance between the top of the vegetation & the surface of the water over which a lure can be retrieved. ….at least that’s my take on those commonly used terms. Great question.

@Jar11591: Just noticed that it appears like you fish from a Crawdad like I do the majority of the time. Awesome boats for small waters or when fishing alone or dragging from one body of water to another. I wish that Coleman still made them. Curious if Humminbird still makes that fish finder mount you have or if you could give any details regarding it? PM is fine if you wish. In the process of converting my Solix SI unit into a portable option.

Love those Wera tools!

The famous Cap’s Rock-A-Roo jig tied by Cap Kennedy (RIP) & Roger Coffman took over upon Cap’s passing up until 5-6 years ago from what I’ve been told.

@WaskaCrank12, No problem. I’m glad you were able to get what you wanted with the extra discount from the sale price. They’re being a bit odd with what they’re putting on sale versus what is not on sale IMO. Seems easiest just to log in & add applicable items to cart & make sure all discounts are being applied.

Found this vintage clip on YouTube of both Mr. Crupi & Mr. Kadota from a fishing show. Not affiliated or promoting anything, just posting in honor of both of them. Seemed fitting given the circumstances. Unreal at the small hooks they were using on a split shot rig! Be sure to watch after the cooking portion. Note: this had to be shot in the 90s rather than 80s. Mr. Crupi caught his 22.01 goliath in the 90s, IIRC.

I’m RH dominant. Spinning, I’m fine casting right & retrieving left. Baitcasting is a mix. I’m an oddball like a few others. For anything that requires a cadence or more action than dragging or slowly hopping, I have to cast right & retrieve with the left (mainly jerkbaits & topwaters). For almost all other applications I’m casting right & retrieving right (switching hands after casting). LH reels weren’t readily available when I first started using baitcasters, prior to the internet or even home computers being a thought. I’ve considered going with all LH retrieve reels but I’d have to reinvest a ton of money to do so & not being more than a pleasure angler (non-tournament), I can’t seem to justify doing it, especially when my preferred reel brand went through a price increase for their latest generation of reels.

I was mostly joking - ‘tis the season for Bait Monkey attacks. I’ve evolved just the opposite since the advent of fluorocarbon & lighter rods & reels. Grew up fishing light line on spinning tackle & losing fish on Ribbits converted me to almost all baitcasters save for some lightweight & weightless presentations.

…..ooooorrrrr give in to the Bait Monkey & getcha a medium baitcaster setup just for spinnerbuggin (and squarebills and chatterbaits and and and and….) 😆