Joedodge

Yeah the green box inside the large Plano box is an ammo box with the lid and latch removed to make it fit inside.

@GRiver So far I really like it actually. For a $20 tub. It’s really nice and stout. And the lid actually slides down and fits tight and the latches are really nice and actually latch. It’s working out well for me. I went this route for these reasons: -It will stay dry if I get caught in any rain. Even though I try hard not to. - hate putting stuff in the boat at the ramp. Drives me nuts. Reminds me of having to rig my whole kayak in the dark. This I just set in the boat at the house and drive to the lake and don’t even worry about it being back there. -I can pop the lid off and reach anything I want whenever I want. No digging out a ziplock bag full of plastics or let me unzip this to grab a scale. Or whatever. I just pop the lid off and set it somewhere out of the way and I’m set. This gives me “bass boat storage” in my tiny boat. So now when I get to the ramp it’s just throw 4 rods in the boat and go and same for the trip home.

I’d love to make some of these and put one with my retired lures I have hanging up. Since tom was such an insight and helpful the entire time I’ve been on bass resource. How many strands total did you make them and that shotcalller is a nice jig head for grass for sure. Beautiful tribute to him.

Thank you @Glenn thats a wonderful thing to do to remember them and the contributions they made.

I’m not positive if tom ever made any of the top jig. But they are called a puff ball jig.

It’s gonna sound silly. But depending where I’m fishing I’ll switch from a more moderate to a fast action rod. I use the moderate rod in areas with sparse or not thick cover. And the heavier faster rod in areas with more thick cover. The softer moderate tip is gonna load better and let them get the bait and pull some with out you ripping it out of they’re mouth. The faster rod you have to get the hookset down with out pulling it from them. I like 12 pound big game for a bladed jig. Casts great breaks much higher than 12 pound. And has some give on the faster rod. I use a Daiwa crossfire $32 rod And a falcon lowrider head turner. Honestly I love the Daiwa for a bladed jig most of the time.

Just like @MeatHead1313 ive done it for inshore saltwater but never tried on a lure I use for bass fishing. Switch one out and give it a shot. Nothing to lose

I’ll down size to 3/16 weight jigs and finesse cut the skirts. And use the smallest rage bugs or menace grubs, or a twin tail grub. Skirts trimmed up short also

Ventured out to a new lake today about 40 mins from the house. It’s a 118 acre state park. It was drained and refilled and stocked 2 years ago due to a huge invasive gizzard shad population. I’d been told the fish are small but numbers are amazing. I hit the water at 5:45 and fished till 9. I absolutely wore my arm out lol. Lost count but man I had to have caught 30 fish. 12-13 inches were the biggest. But they were destroying a buzzbait. But once I started not getting hook ups I switched to a plopper and that solved that due to the small fish. Flipping a jig along the shoreline and rocks and the tons of lay downs produced fish as well. The state actually treats this lake for curly pond weed. You can fish about any kind of lure you want here. Lily pads as well which I haven’t seen since I left Florida. Absolutely a fun day. No giants but a really fun morning nonetheless the less.

So this boat has a few storage areas. 2 in the back for the battery and the gas tank. And one in the bow where all the safety stuff is and a small tool kit. But other than that storage is limited. I’m gonna branch out to a couple new lakes. And wanted more tackle storage. My bag is full with 2 Plano boxes and plastics. And I don’t care for storing plastics in boxes. So I went to scheels and got a flambeau 7510 and took the lid off. That’s for soft plastics and then at fleet farm got a Plano 14 gallon storage tub. Nice quality and seals well. Great latches as well. Which means I can leave it in the boat for the ride and not worry about the lid blowing off. I also got a small plastic ammo can at fleet farm and took the lid and latch off of it. For pliers and scale and spike it markers and other fishing related tools. Everything measured out great to fit and leaves room for my jig box and hard baits box. This should work out great gonna test it out tommorow.

My boat blows around pretty bad. So I’m usually drifting or on the trolling motor. If it looks good I’ll stay and work it for a while. But I’m well known to camp out way longer than I should. Even on a bank trip lol.

That’s what I’d do. When I lived in Florida from the age of 16 on a fishing rod never left my truck lol

This is probably exactly the issue lol

Thanks so much that is an excellent point for sure. Stupid trampoline anyway lol. I definitely am trying to make more gentle presentations for sure. This year I’m struggling to slow down and be methodical. I’ve caught a lot this year on moving lures. And I need to get back to slower presentations and more methodical.

In the yard I can flip to the tiniest thing I put out there with in 20 feet. Or a certain clump of grass or a shadow line. Low to the ground and gentle. Right up under my kids trampoline. What ever it is. Put me on the deck of the boat and I struggle to hit targets some. Or make a louder splash than I’d like. Anyone else have that problem lol?

I like carpet it’s timeless and fits a bass boat so well. That said when I redo my carpet I’m going with hydroturf Eva foam. It’s softer. Repels water. Dries fast. And is cooler. It’s just superior to carpet in every way

Neat looking poppers none the less. That’s prettty cool.

Sure. I often yo yo hop them off the bottom. Just vary your retrieve till you get strikes. If I’m hanging in grass on the bottom I try to just reel it above the grass barely hanging up. If I can lol

Very well said

Very well said! And definitely more how I do it now that you describe it. Thanks so much Pat! See that’s a habit I need to break. I’m always watching the bait and listening to its sound for speed. If I can hear it in the conditions.

Very well said! And definitely more how I do it now that you describe it. Thanks so much Pat!

Thank you. It’s a continuous work in progress. But I’ve wanted one a long time and love the lil junky boat lol. It’s caught a lot of fish already

I agree. Can’t swing for the fences. I personally still set the hook some though. Even with a swim jig. You and I have talked in depth about it. And every time I try the letting the rod load and reeling down. I just can’t seem to get them hooked. New hooks or sharpened hooks it’s just me and my lack of skill lol Everywhere I fish is weeds and grass too. So for that I do like braid. That’s basically all we fished in Florida. And I can’t shake it for some things lol. But I’ve done well on 15 pound big game also

Oh absolutely. They hook up great. I also struggle with timing but more often than not I get em. I think on longer casts in thick vegetation like my lakes are that braid just suits me better

Living rubber has a different pulse and action in the water than silicone skirts. While different materials do help. It really is up to you nail that presentation for what you are trying to mimic with the jig. Tie some up and give it a shot.