blckshirt98

Lead tape, apply on any hook you want to use, in the same spot where the weighted hooks put it.

You have to do both but you have to feel it out how much you want to stick in one spot. As a shore guy when I see bass in the water I always see some fish hovering around in the same general spot, or, I see bass cruising along the shoreline (sometimes in packs). I'll always start with a finesse bait and fan cast, to try and see if any of the ones hovering around their spot will take it, or if any of the fish cruising around will find it. Once I'm done fan casting with a finesse presentation I may try something else depending on the cover and structure of the spot I'm at. If it's a point I'll run some squarebills or lipless baits, if it's a stretch of flat muddy bottom I might not throw anything else and just move on, if there's a transition between muddy bottom and rocks/gravel I'll throw the kitchen sink because there's a high probability there's a fish there, etc.

Thanks Glenn! I don't check that sub-forum so I missed your post!

yikes

I have Bassmaster Live streaming this morning (4/11/19) while multitasking and I heard Davy Hite say "thoughts and prayers to our friends on the FLW Tour", but didn't catch what that was in reference to. Was there an accident or something?

Damiki Air Craws

I once saw a shore guy carrying around his garage rod rack, he had it set there on some flat shoreline, had probably a dozen rods there.

If I only want to bring one rod with me to the water, it's going to be a spinning reel. I think because a baitcaster can backlash if the user isn't skilled there's the notion that it's a more difficult tool to learn and master, something a novice just can't pick up and use, and therefore a tool that implies you're a more skilled angler. Plus you have the people who brag about not needed any/minimal brake setting on their baitcasters ("You set it all the way? I set mine to zero ." *flex*) I can't pitch my spinning setup too accurately but in terms of casting it out and trying to hit a spot, I can usually get my spinning gear pretty darn close to what I'm aiming for.

If you're fishing from shore, a neko rig or a drop shot. If they get bored with those two, give them a squarebill to throw around.

I once tried fishing a large deep diving crankbait with a 7:1 reel and that's when I realized there's reason for those 5:1 reels. The 5:1 reels are also useful when fishing swimbaits where you want a really slow retrieve, like a Hudd. The 6 and 7 reels are all around preference based. The 8:1 would be for something where you need to take up a lot of slack quickly, like a topwater or something you're casting a mile away that might get bit on the fall.

8' is essentially the cutoff point for buying/selling used rods. Unless you're buying multiple rods at discount that'll make the oversize charges worth it, you're better off buying new from a place like TW when they have a sale and offer free shipping. I still don't know how TW makes a profit on some of their rods with their free shipping threshold.

Jackall Flick Shake worms have been the worm that works best for me wacky style! Classic senkos surprisingly I've had the best luck on a shakey head.

Frequest donations to the fishing gods is something I've just accepted as part of the "hobby sport". If you think about it, once you get your big up front costs taken care of (rods, reels, boat), the rest (terminal tackle, line, lures) is fairly cheap compared to other "hobby sports". Things like golf green fees/cart fees, ammunition, are all much more expensive on a "per outing" basis.

I'm in the glass camp for chatterbaits, my rod of choice is the Phenix XG-3.

When I first started fishing the Shimano rods were one of the best bang for the buck rods out there, the Clarus in particular was the standard for a solid quality rod for only $80, with a lifetime warranty to boot. Once Shimano changed their warranty policy from lifetime to one year, no longer allowed over the counter rod replacements by their retailers, and with the number of high quality rod choices available by the competition, their rods really took a hit. My local store that specializes in bass tackle completely stopped stocking Shimano rods - customers were bringing in their broken rods trying to get an over the counter replacement, and they couldn't give them a replacment (like they always used to do) because Shimano now requires the customer to send them to Shimano for a replacement, and customers were arriving with a broken rod, and leaving with a broken rod. The Shimano Expride rods are the only rods generating any kind of buzz or recommendation nowadays.

It's all confidence. Sometimes the expensive gear gives you that confidence, sometimes you have that confidence regardless of the gear you use. This morning I saw some guy fishing with his buddy (who had a normal setup) but this guy was rocking a 2.5 foot Barbie baitcaster as his rod, I kid you not.

"Budget" is a misnomer there are a countless number of solid rods available under $100. The $80 Shimano Clarus and $40 Shimano Scimitar rods were my workhorses when I first started fishing and they still perform like the day I bought them in both the surf and freshwater.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhh you might be surprised at what some people can amass over time.

I bucket them into 4 groups - Budget ($0-100) - they'll catch fish but might not be as light or sensitive as other rods on the market, might break on you, might lose a guide, wear and tear might come faster than normal. Warranty may be lousy. Quality ($100-200) - take care of the rod and it'll last you for years. It'll be light and sensitive, should have quality components, will have a decent warranty from the manufacturer. Specialty ($200-300) - Rods that requires something "extra" on top of a quality rod - a more sensitive blank, a stronger blank, a beefier butt/handle section, better guides, a longer blank, more sections, etc. Surf rods, swimbait rods, boat rods, travel rods that require 3-4 sections, technique specific, etc. Strong warranty, usually lifetime. Luxury ($300 and up) - people with disposable income where price is not an issue and just want the best blank, best guides, best handle, best real seat, that money can buy. Usually warrantied for life. I have a few "Budget" rods that I either bought when I first started out or got as freebies at store sales. Most of my rods are in the "Quality" range. I have a handful of rods that were over $200 but those are the swimbait/surf/trout/technique specific rods, and only a couple of rods that (retailed) for over $300.

One more thing before you get into swimbaits, it's a rabbit hole that can go pretty deep on your wallet very quickly, and the money might be better spent learning other techniques/presentations first at a fraction of the cost.

Since the bass aggressively hit a lipless you don't need to try to rip their lips off, just a nice firm yank taking into account line stretch depending on what you're using. I go straight braid so often times I just give the rod a quick but firm pull and it seems to do the trick.

I would pass on a dedicated swimbait rod and instead go with a heavier multi-purpose rod that'll let you throw small/medium sized swimbaits. Lots of small/medium swimbait options like Keitechs, G2 Shellcrackers, Little Creepers, 3:16 Rising Sons, etc that you can throw and not have to put money into expensive gear that'll only have one purpose.

If you're going the go with Phenix for a swimbait rod go with an M1 Inshore rod like the SMX-90H instead (it has a foregrip), though the 9'0" one-piece length might be tough to drive around with. If cost really is no object maybe look into getting a custom swimbait rod by MOAM. Once you have a deposit made Cam will communicate with you one-on-one to help you with what you're looking for in a swimbait rod.

They all catch fish and they're all a favorite of someones depending on who you ask! Find a brand that's easy to find in your area in case you ever need replacements and keep your color choice to 3-4 colors - something natural (sexy shad, shad, natural shad), something red, something obnoxiously bright, and something dark.

I've been using Decoy snaps as of late, either the Egg or V-Snap. I actually had one of the V-Snap break on me after some use, so I've been favoring the Egg snaps.