blckshirt98

I first used the uni-to-uni know because it was for me the easiest to learn. But I started having a lot of breakage issues so now I just use a tiny Spro Power Swivel and go palomar-to-swivel-to-palomar and knot tying has never been easier, with zero breakage issues.

100% bank here and here's what I bring - 1) Boomerang Snip Tool attached to belt loop via small carabiner. 2) 1 or 2 rods depending on where I'm fishing or what I feel like using that day. On very rare occasions I'll bring a 3rd rod 3) Backpack - Kelty RedTail. Backpack will have: - Waterbottle in external side mesh pouch. - Knife clipped onto shoulder strap. - In small pouch - Phone, Wallet, Keys, Fishing License, Small First Aid Kit, Emergency Whistle, Pocket Book of Knots - In medium pouch - fluoro for leader (usually two types of # test), Bogagrip, sunscreen, pliers, scents, extra terminal tackle like hooks/power swivels/snaps/dropshot weights. - In large pouch - one 3500 sized Plano with finesse terminal tackle and previously used plastics for re-use, one 3600 sized Plano with a selection of hardbaits, one ZipLoc gallon sized freezer bag with an assortment of plastics. On very rare occasions I'll bring a second 3600 sized Plano with additional baits, - In laptop/waterbladder sleeve - small hand towel and snacks like energy bars and beef jerky. Seems like a lot but I have enough space left in the backpack to fit a bulky sweater or a few more Planos if needed but I like to travel fairly light! The water bottle is usually the heaviest item I carry and the backpack tends to tip over in the direction of the water bottle when I put it down.

Norman Speed Clips for me all day long when using a crankbait or chatterbait!

Try using a glass casting rod with your crankbaits/chatterbaits. The rod tips are super soft and you should have no problems loading the rod properly.

Cooch is the man! I always catch his seminars at Mel Cotton's every year...he has a very chill/wise demeanor that would work well for an all day fishing trip.

Spro is the best bang for the buck right now. I like the Trap Bass Baits rat personally because it's still somewhat affordable compared to some of the other hand made rat options out there.

For the KVD cranks the Natural Shad works well anywhere! I also have success with Sexy Shad or Chartreuse Sexy Shad. But really, color is probably pretty low on the reasons why a bass will react to a square bill. Pick a couple of confidence colors and just keep throwing it out there!

I have a bunch of brands but the one I always end up tying on is the KVD 1.0-2.5 size squarebill. That erratic swimming action used to describe the bait in the water is very accurate and has me convinced it draws more strikes, as opposed to other squarebills that swim in a fairly straight line.

This is an awesome thread. Grats to the OP on retirement, hope there's some great years of fishing ahead of you, I can't wait until I get there! I haven't done anything boneheaded enough yet to make this thread, but one day I'm sure I'll have something to contribute!

I'm 100% bank and there's enough bodies of water with good shore access that I don't feel a need to run out and get a boat. My two main techniques are either a dropshot or a squarebill crank because most of the time I'm making 45 degree casts to the left and right so I'm not fishing deep. If there's deeper water I'll usually go with a lipless crank or a chatterbait. Finesse you can use almost anything, dropshot, texas rig, carolina rig, wacky, and it'll catch fish, just use what you're most confident in. Reaction I think a squarebill that runs 1-3 feel below the surface will cover you most of the time because you'll notice the baitfish are either always swimming tight along the shoreline or breaking surface as they're being chased by bass.

6th Sense baits are awesome! Great paintjobs and stout hooks, the quality is more in line with the JDM hardbaits but priced like US hardbaits. One thing to keep in mind is that most of their "normal" sized baits have a larger/heavier profile(5/8 oz or heavier) than comparable baits out there so be sure to check lure weight when buying.

I keep a spreadsheet with day/location/fish caught/time fished, then I jot down some notes. Notes can be what I used to catch the fish with, any large fish caught, any "non-ideal" conditions such as heavy/no wind, lots of moss, water color, baitfish activity, water levels, temperature, etc.

+1 to the Owner Ultra Shakeyheads. For plastics try the Damiki Air Pocket worm or a GYCB Pro Senko!

I would dropshot until my arms fell off, covering as much water as I can hoping to find a ledge/channel or some rock/grass/vegetation the bass might be hunkering down in.

I'm glad TW has the free return label so you're not paying anything extra out of pocket. Sorry the Phenix rod didn't work out for you, was hoping to get another forum person on the Phenix boat, but if the *** rods are working for you, go crack em! Oh, the Phenix pay warranty is the no-questions-asked warranty - you could take a 5 year old rod and snap it over your leg and get a new rod for the pay warranty price (not that I condone this), they have the normal only-pay-for-shipping for factory defect rods as well.

Phenix has one of the best warranties around. This has to be a manufacturing defect but shipping cost is always the problem. I'd check with TW first to see if they can replace it and cover shipping....theyll see you bought the rod a few days ago.

UGH this makes me feel terrible since I was one of the ones that gave the M1 such a rave review. Let us know if TW will take it back and pay for the shipping!

Main issue I have when trying to throw light lures on stiffer casting rods is lack of casting distance because the rod doesn't load properly, and, backlash especially if it's windy. As long as you cast it as far as you want to without backlashes, go for it.

500 or 1000 size Shimano but it would depend on the rod you're pairing it up with. A 1000 size Shimano filled with braid on a 4' 6" UL rod might feel wonky and unbalanced. On the flipside a 500 size reel on an 8' UL rod might feel wonky the other way around.

I'm curious about the benefits of having a rear drag vs a front drag?

One thing I'll add is that if you fish with someone, try to drive separate if the location allows. There's a lake in SoCal called Barrett Lake that's a pay-to-fish lake run by the city, where it's difficult to get tickets and not cheap. It's in the middle of nowhere where people are waking up at 3-4am to make the drive out and get to the gate when it opens. I saw two guys at around 1130am after the morningbite, and one guy was whiny and upset he wasn't catching fish and wanted to pack up and go. The other guy tried to talk him into staying that it'll get better but the other guy was having none of it. So they both packed up and left. I always prefer to drive separate for reasons like this, where if one person needs to cut out early for any reason, the other always has the option to stay and keep fishing.

As a shore guy a great bite for me is a fish every half hour. A solid day is a fish every hour. More common is 2-3 fish every 3-4 hours. As a shore guy you need to be selective(if you have that option) about the bodies of water you fish. There's a couple of larger reservoirs that are mostly rocky bottom with huge stretches of straight shoreline with no trees/bushes/cover where I could probably spend all day casting up and down the shoreline and not catch a single fish. Other reservoirs have a mix of mud, sand, rock, gravel bottoms, with coves and points mixed in that are more bass-friendly for the shore guy and always produce better. If you find a good spot don't fish it over and over again, try different lakes and find a few spots you can rotate around, and keep a detailed log of where you fished, the conditions, what you used, etc. Also try to find a local tackle shop and ask the employees there for some tips on the local lakes - tell them how you've been fishing and see if they can offer any advice on how to change your approach to increase your chances.

Phenix makes their Elixir Trout rods in 3 telescopic models ("Elixir Flipping") - I use the FX802-1X as a dedicated drop-shot rod, and it's a TON of fun to fish with that. The vendor rep said he has a few people in SoCal that uses it to fish in the surf as well. They have a sturdier FX803-1X that's rated for 1/8-3/4oz lures, but I've never held it in hand to see how it would hold up to what you want to use a telescopic rod for.

Anyone that knows anything about the effects that UV rays have on human skin, doesn't mess around when it comes to UV protection. I'll wear a pink buff with Hello Kitty logos all over it if that's all I had to protect my skin from UV rays.

I have a pair of Ray Bans because I got them as a prescription, I'm blind as a bat without a prescription. If I had no prescription, I'd go Oakley all the way.