blckshirt98

I like to walk game trails because I figure the deer walk them all the time and they don't seem to get bothered by snakes, so I just assume the snakes are aware that large things walk those game trails so snakes will think I'm one of them and will leave me alone.

I stopped using a double uni for my braid to fluoro and just use Spro power swivels with a Palomar on each side. Nothing wrong with it but just be mindful of reeling in too much where the swivel will hit your guides.

One time at basspro all I did was pick up a shimano reel before the guy behind the counter started his schpiel to push me towards the BPS branded reels. Didn't even ask what I was looking for or trying to catch.

5-6" zoom or kalins single tail grub!

You could probably use the brush hog if you trim off the side appendages and shorten the overall length of the brush hog to fit with the chatterbait you're using.

Depends on the shop...there's a couple of local shops that recommend things honestly even pointing them to clearance racks or lower priced alternatives. There's another store that always seems to recommend higher priced rods and whatnot . All depends on who gets hired and if they're just there to make a buck or really have a passion to fish and put people on fish.

Strike King makes a crankbait called the "Shallow Runner" which is the KVD 1.5 with either rattles/no-rattles that's designed to run 0-3 feet which is shallower than the 1.0, it's almost like a subsurface wake bait. I only just saw these at the local Bass Pro Shops for the first time so don't think they're carried widely. Search Bass Pro Shops for "shallow runner", or, it looks like Tackle Warehouse carries them but they call them the "KVD HC Shallow Squarebill". Lip design might not be the same as the 1XS, but it might run at the depth you're looking for.

I'm really curious about the Daiwa SV series, if they really are "backlash proof" like they claim. Anyone own one that can confirm if you've backlashed on it?

I always use a trailer as well, usually a single tail grub. If I wanted a more subtle presentation I would probably use something like a fluke.

I stick with 15# PowerPro when throwing squarebills! Distance seems fine and it's strong enough to get lures out of most underwater vegetation when I get hung up.

+1 to Big-O on his responses and contributions to this thread. Members are getting into a my lure is better than your lure tiff but he's stayed professional and has talked about what his bait/design has to offer instead of disparaging the competition. Both baits will stand on their own merits, a I'll definitely give the Rage Swimmers a chance to win my tackle money.

The S-Waver is a proven bait and one of the cheaper ones to get into the swimbait game. One of the local pros here throws the S-Wavers most of the time and does well with them. One thing with the glide baits though is they'll fish a little differently than the line through trout you're using now. Another bait I'll throw out there is the Gantarel Jr which was just released...I've heard a lot of good feedback about that one.

Where there's small fish, there's big fish, where there's big fish, there's bigger fish! One local told me that every school has that one big b**** sitting on that prime piece of structure or cover that the little fish won't mess with, it's just a matter of getting that big fish to bite! Maybe try changing things up or like someone suggested, upsize your bait!

Out in Cali I know some of the waters that have produced larger bass in the past have had their ecosystem tweaked - like stripers taking over Castaic, or a total end or severe reduction on trout stocking in MANY places up and down the entire state. Coyote Reservoir in Santa Clara county has been known as the best shot at a local DD, as it produces a few each year, but once they completely stopped stocking trout the DD numbers have plummeted.. As the larger fish die off the smaller fish either never make it to DD age or the forage just isn't there for enough to get to DD size.

Dry Creek makes about every tube color known to man!

Here's the original article - http://sdfish.com/freshwater/whats-zombie-bass-barrett/

Not sure if this is the right forum but thought people needed to see the fish picture here - I wouldn't touch that fish with my hands! BR won't let me post the link to the original story but there's an infection going around the fish at Barrett Lake in SoCal, likely due to overcrowding and low water levels (5%) where they say there's enough fish in there right now for 600x more water.

For bladed jigs that are somewhat easy to source, the Strike King Rage Blade and Picasso Shock Blade are nice options.

While the design may share some similar characteristics it sounds like the baits will behave differently. All anyone can really do is fish them both and see for themselves. Maybe you prefer one over the other, maybe you'll find a spot in your tackle box for both just for a different situation. As long as a company isn't in danger of going out of business, just be glad you have options as a consumer.

The 6th Sense Divine swim jigs caught my eye at the local tackle shop over the winter. Picked a couple up but haven't fished them yet, but they look great and the description on the 6th Sense site sounds good!

I got some of the Sufix Performance when Sports Authority was clearing out their fishing departments. I have some 832 as well and between the two the Performance isn't as soft/pliable as the 832. Plenty strong though, just not as supple if you're looking for a softer line.

The 3771's are great for soft plastics but I wouldn't recommend them for hardbaits - you can't really "stack" hardbaits on top of each other because the space doesn't run deep and i feel there's a lot of wasted space.

Love the Phenix M1! Still bummed out the last guy on the forum that got one on member recommendations had his rod break on the second cast

I saw the NPS stuff show up in my Facebook feed a couple of weeks back and it pops up fairly often now., especially advertisements of Zoom looking for like a hundred or so pro staff people. I went and checked the site out and it was interesting but I'm not out there enough for a company to add me. However, if I wanted to be all in on finding a sponsor some things I'd promise is wearing their branded gear whenever I enter a tournament or fish recreationally, putting their stickers/decals on a boat/kayak/car, promote them on social media, give out samples of their baits to people I meet while fishing, etc. In the current state of technology I think having social media accounts with X many followers would go a huge way in helping you get a pro staff gig, especially if you often post pictures of yourself with fish that you've caught - if you can say you caught that fish using X rod/reel/line/bait and wear a companies branded gear each time, it would really help them see how often their brand will go by a pair of eyes.

Is it legal to just clean the fish in the lake shoreline? I couldn't find anything in the California DFW regulations about cleaning/gutting a fish in the water. I've done this with trout on a few occasions in a local reservoir when the cleaning stations were shut off because of the drought.