benzmech

I checked out these fishing rods at Icast and was not impressed at all. It felt really cheap and I think it should be sold as a ninja turtle or hulk rod/reel combo for 60 bucks. There were much better rods that should have won.

I use 15lb Daiwa J braid in chartreuse. Really easy to see and handles very well.

Fat ika 90% of the time

I've had bad luck with p-line in general. Specifically, too many break offs on fresh line and is was mid line, not at the knot. Maybe it was a bad batch or two, but now I just use it as backing. I mostly use invizx and have been really happy with it.

I love the Ned rig and fish it all the time. It's always tied on and sitting on my deck. I am a believer in the zman products as well. I think they perform the best for this specific application. That being said, I also think the hooks on the shroomz head don't keep a sharp point for very long. I also had problems with fish just popping off half way to the boat. I started taking a file to the hooks and got a nice sharp point. Now I hardly have one pop free. I'd tie my file to my Ned rig rod but it would get in the way. The key for me was to sharpen the hooks often. Hope this helps you and keep handing out those baits. Swing by my place on your next rounds with some green pumpkin and 1/10 Oz heads please.

I caught my pb in February while in a trout fishing tournament. It was about 5pm and i was fishing a large flat area. used an ultra light shimano rod and a small okuma reel. I was throwing a drop shot with 4lb fc line, small trout worm hook and a bright pink lip ripper trout worm. I must have dragged that thing right on top of her bed and really ticked her off. I just thought I had a huge trout at first. Then I saw it jump out of the water. Biggest bass I had ever seen! People on shore were yelling at me to be careful and not break it off.....well yeah, that was my plan. After about 10 min finally got her in the net and to the dock scales. 12.1 lbs!!! I couldn't believe it. I eased her back in to the water so I could try and catch her when she is 14 lbs.

You should definitely take a look a major craft rods. They are really popular in Japan and many parts of the world. They have recently been sending more of their products to the US. I have been fishing with their rods for about two years now and have been really happy with them. I have several of the nanoace and ms-x rods. I have one of the nanoace rods as my dedicated Ned rig setup and it's perfect for detecting those light bites. I also know that Don Iovino "the godfather" does use these rods on a regular basis and has been very happy with the way they perform for finesse fishing.

I try not to store that much excess tackle anymore. I've narrowed to certain baits I like to use and just stick with that. What I have started to do is keep a box full of old stuff I don't use anymore on my boat. When I'm out fishing, If I see a couple of kids who don't have much tackle but make the best of what they got, I will pull up and give them some lures and plastics. Usually I will show them how to fish it if they don't already know. I hope it gets them addicted to fishing and not doing other stupid stuff kids do. And for me, I would rather give some of my old but usable stuff to kids who need it rather than haggle with an adult for a buck.

I know it wasn't on your list but you should definitely look at the gantarel full size and jr. They have great swimming action and catch a ton of fish. You can fish them super slow or burn them back to the boat without them turning over. I have been pitching the jr size along docks and bass can't resist it. I have one I fish shallow and one with some suspend strips on it I fish a bit deeper. Both are an amazing lure. Best part is they don't break the bank

I have a cull aid app on my phone and it works great. Program in the color of your cull tags and it's ready to go. As you catch fish weigh them, tag them and toss them in the livewell. Once you get your 6th fish weigh it and compare to the others. I have an accu cull scale that works great and didn't break the bank. If you're tournament fishing for money it's not worth using unreliable equipment.

I don't know if I got a bad batch of pline, but had had a ton of hook set break offs on 12lb line. It wasn't at the knot, it was in the middle of the line. It was fresh line. I had been using seaguar before and wanted to try pline. I never had an issue with break offs using seaguar. I now use what's left of the pline as backing.

A pro once told me, the best way to fish a weightless senko is on baitcast gear. When (or if) you get a backlash, by the time you're don't picking it out you'll probably have a fish. Taught me to slow down how I fish a senko. Can't tell you how many fish I have caught picking out a backlash over the years. Just had one a month ago that was 6.42 pounds off a dock while getting a small backlash out.

Well the last time I was getting skunked.....it was beer, beef jerky, chex mix and fire up the electronics. Just motor around the lake and look for some new structure, rock, drop off, or some spring break scenery. Beats being at work. Oh, and tie on the good ole Ned rig.

That is an awesome smallie. Hope your time in the sand box goes quickly. Remember, when doubt empty your mag! Semper Fi!

I would love to buy some of those baits. The painting talent and attention to detail you have is impressive sir. Before you give ebay a shot maybe you could open up the sales to us first.