Cgolf

Dobyns Sierra 692SF (medium light/fast) I bought and used last year. It hands down became my favorite spinning rod. Sensitivity was very good as was the balance. For me I use spinning reels in the 50$ range, and hope for a sale to get them even cheaper. The Dobyns Sierra 693SF (medium/fast) Might work if you want something a little heavier. I picked that one up this year but haven't fished it yet due to the pandemic keeping me off the lakes. Also don't sell that Ugly short. I still carry a 6'6" medium spin in my boat and it makes a great jerkbait and spy bait rod. I also leave it in the truck all year to river fish on my way into work.

I have been using some Daiwa Regal XIAs and Pflugar Presidents for the last couple of years and been happy. One of the Regals needed a washer under the spool to get the line to lay correctly on the spool but works fine. I will say I have to of the XIAs and an old Regal Z and everyone has broken a bail spring. Ultimately I don't believe that a lot needs to be spent on a spinning reel. I am still using a 15-20 year old Shakespere Excursion on my river rod I leave in the truck, or on my trout rod. That reel by far has caught more bass than most of my other reels and is still going strong. You had the bail spring issue with the Regals? I assume it is a design thing since I have seen it on 3 reels in two different trim levels.

I would second the Dobyns Sierra 703SF (medium/fast) or 693SF (medium/fast). I just purchased the 693SF this year during the sale, but haven't used it. Basing the recommendation on the Dobyns Sierra 692SF (medium light/fast) I bought and used last year. It hands down became my favorite spinning rod. Sensitivity was very good as was the balance. Just depends what length rod you are looking for, the 6' 9" is better for my boat than a 7' stick. I would also agree with others that Dobyns fast is seems a bit softer than my St Croix fast. This imo would help with jerbaits.

Do you carry that all in the boat? My wife complains I take too much tackle on a week vacation, and it is less than you have in the picture lol. She doesn't believe me when I tell her a lot of folks take more for 2 hours than I do for a week!

I actually use my Ugly spinning rod for lighter Jerkbaits, especially since that is a no feel presentation. The action is perfect for my style of jerkbait fishing. They also go in the kayak and are my in truck river rod for the summer. Save the better rods for the boat when I need more sensitivity. I honestly don't mind the extra weight.

I have a bunch of Zoom worms, brush hogs, lizards, grubs, etc and I rarely if ever throw them. Not that they are bad baits, I have just found better options. One interesting thing is over the years Gman, a Zoom guy has had a menace grub tied on a lot in pictures.

90% of my plastics are in Plano 4700 boxes. This way I can put them in there so they don't take a funky set and are ruined for fishing that day till I can do the boiling water trick to straighten them out. The baits packaged nicely like Rage or many ned baits are stored in the new KVD worm bags.

Depending on how they are deformed, I have boiled water in a mug and then dipped baits in them briefly to get the bend out. Essentially set them on a paper towel to dry. Works pretty good.

That is unless they were put in the bag improperly at Zoom? Only quality control issue I have had with zoom is some baits come dry as a bone, what I prefer, and others have so much oil additive that its like trying to hold onto that water filled practical joke toy that is meant meant not be held lol.

If it works for you great, I have just not seen any evidence and I have tried. Could be you are just better stick than them too;) The abrasion resistance is definitely a plus though with fc leader for some of the cover I fish is why I am sticking with it now. Who knows maybe I will see a difference some day, but usually it is finding out what the fish want. Last year it was a subtle rod twitch after bait had hit bottom shaking it in place. All my fish caught on the gopro showed this twitch I did. I didn't even realize I was doing it till like day 2 lol. I have the same argument about scent and the need for it and the huge difference it can make. The argument against line that baffles me though, is that they will see the line, but not the really thick, compared to line, flashy metal hook in the plastic or 2 to 3 trebles on a crankbait. I think finding a way to mask those would be more important than the line. Maybe that is why a jig is such a successful lure, the skirt pretty much hides the hook.

Usually I have fished the Ned rig on 10 or 20 lb fireline with no leader and caught a ton of fish. That said I currently use a 10 lb Red Label FC leader, maybe for the abrasion resistance. It hasn’t changed the number of bites like some claimed it would. Once the spool is gone so are leaders for me. I have fished clear water all my life and don’t buy into the line shy thing. Used to fish XT solar on a gin clear lake, great line fr the day, without any issues.

I have two, one for the kayak and one for lures in the boat after they were used to dry before putting them away. I just know from others to be careful picking them up because hooks sometimes poke through.

Bandit 100 - Flat or moving water this thing just gets crushed like no other crank I have fished.

Baits would be slider rigged plastics and square bills. Slider rigged plastics covers a lot, because I fish all styles of plastics on them. As far as cover goes, I love reed beds. With or without millfoil. I just have my system really dialed in. Saying the above I fish a lot of different stuff throughout the year.

Generally I prefer the santone Rayburn swim jig design with the flat bottom head, a bit multi purpose, but have used others. Outkast, Greenfish, All Terrain, etc. I have a couple of siebert but haven't thrown them yet. I generally like 1/4 to 5/16 but will toss a 7/16 now and then. Ironically PB Musky was an a 5/16 Santone swim jig with a Kalins 5" single tail, 45" so not too huge.

I have settled on either a Kalins 5” single tail or a yum pulse or pulse jr. both options are easy on the pocketbook and the fish seem to like them.

Not sure if these are WI colors or not, but Water Red and Motor Red work in both dirty and clear water here. Do I successfully use a lot of other colors, sure but the other two flat out get it done.

This isn’t new, it goes back years when Lucky Craft was just becoming a thing and Rapala prices went up. I hate it, but can’t say I blame them. This is what happens when folks show they will pay big money for baits like a jackhammer etc.

I was the same and tried them 3 years ago, and they are one of my to baits now, rigged on a slider head. I do agree the price is more than I want to pay so I buy them during the TW black friday sale. Just Hope TW doesn't up them to 6.99 like the other new Rage plastics. I know Sieberts offers the new baits cheaper, but the holiday sale prices are really tough to match at TW, under 4 a pack. I don't waste them on swim jigs though, I generally throw either a Yum pulse Jr, smash tech smash shad Jr, or an old yum wooly bullee rigged sideways. Most fish caught on one Menace was 23, may have been able to get one or two more but I retired it.

Where do you get your swimbaits from? Is there a decent online store or do you do auction sites.

I really like the original wart hawg as a ned bait. skinnier than other stick baits commonly thrown on a Ned head. That is the only way I have ever fished the Wart Hawg.

If I remember correctly they went out of business a few years back and someone else bought them and brought them back. I know a guy that was sponsored by them and now throws Anglers Choice bait, another good Canadian soft bait company.

The fish is interested in the lure, but there wasn't a trigger to get it to strike. Perhaps briefly pausing the retrieve or speeding it up would trigger the bass into striking the lure. As a last resort it may be the right lure and retrieve but the wrong color. This is similar with Musky and the figure eight. A straight in retrieve becomes an erratic one with the figure eight which has speed and direction changes that trigger muskies. The odd thing is musky are harder to get to hit, but when they are locked in, they can't see the boat or person, where as a bass, much easier to catch, will turn away at the boat and never be seen again. I have stood on shore with a pair of 45" plus muskies a foot off the shore in front of me, while fishing for panfish and they didn't move. In fact as I was preparing to lift my 2" grub out of the water one hit the bait and thanks to 10lb fireline the fight lasted what seemed to be 5 minutes before it broke off. Never seen such arrogant fish lol.

Finally got my my Dobyns SO order today. All in one piece and looks really good. The DC 684 CB, still need to learn the naming system, really seems to have a soft tip which will work out great. Thinking jerkbait or square bill rod. The Sierra M spinning rod will pair nicely with the ML I already have.

I honestly would only care if I could throw all my plastics together. Since Ned baits are cheap I am not too worried about using up some standard plastics. I have been know to stretch the Menace grub for probably a 15 fish per bait average. So I might be easy on baits or deal with lazy fish lol. The Zinkerz though is the bait I do use if I through Zman. IMO it has more movement than the TRD. I guess to someone on a budget how many fish per bait could matter, but too many of us are on good terms with the bait monkey;)