blckshirt98

O-Rings or shrink tubing, and as ETX92 mentioned, clear straws(I prefer Costco) for Zoom trick worms (or other worms that'll fit in the straw).

Why not do both at the same time? Tie a dropshot as usual and instead of a dropshot weight, stick a ned rig on the bottom of the leader. It'll cost more out of pocket if you have a break off, but you can see what is/isn't working faster.

Same places people do when it gets hot, and when you want to avoid getting eaten by a raptor - cooler areas, shaded areas, areas where there's cover and harder for things to find you.

I get bites on a dropshot 1-2 feet from shore in probably 12 inches of water. If you observe bass in shallow water near the shoreline a lot of times they're not more than 3-4 feet off the bank, usually in a pack, staring at the shoreline or swimming parallel waiting for food to cross their face.

My comfort zone on reels caps out at around $150 (after discounts), anything higher than that I'd need a really specific application or specialized need (i.e. heavy duty swimbait reel, offshore saltwater reel). For rods I'm okay up to $200 (after discounts), with the same caveat as anything higher than that I'd need a really specific application or specialized need. My most expensive reels at MSRP are probably my Shimano Curado 301 reels (though I did get a great deal on a used Metanium on the Flea Market on these forums). My most expensive MSRP rods are my St. Croix Legend Elite (but it's a Salmon Steelhead rod) and my LDC swimbait rod, followed by a Megabass Orochi and Shimano Expride. Note that everything above, I got at around $220 or under. PS - Don't forget that Skeet Reese fishes the Elites with his $99 yellow rods, so take that for what it's worth.

Another weedless option is to use a normal dropshot setup but instead of nose hooking straight through, nose hook it "halfway" and keep the hook point embedded in the nose of the plastic. Just make sure that depending on the plastic/hook you're using, your line/rod is sturdy enough to get a good hookset in if needed.

On the left side after step 2, you just move the loop under the hook, and the cinch will be "below". On the right side after step 2, instead of moving the loop under the hook, the hook is being pulled up, over, around, and back through the loop an additional time. This is the line crossing that people are referring to. If you're not having any issues you're probably doing it right and no worries, but if you're using fluoro and you seem to be getting an unusual amount of break off, this could be the cause because there's misinformation out there where instructional videos are showing it incorrectly, which is all I'm trying to point out.

The bad part is the misinformation showing it being tied incorrectly but still labeling it as a Palomar knot. I can't remember where I learned it, but I've always taken the hook and looped it up and over back through the open loop. I also can't fathom how many fish I've lost on broken hooksets - it's a freaking lot because I fish a dropshot easily 80% of the time, including hooksets on "heavy pull" bites. #$*(&#*($

I just had an interesting conversation on the Swimbait Universe Facebook group with Michael Rushing (credit goes to him as this was his observation and topic). Turns out I've been tying my Palomar knot wrong for years, since Day 1. After the loop back through instead of pulling the open loop over the hook below the overhand loop, I've been bringing the hook over the overhand loop and back through the open loop. I've had line burn/knot breaking issues forever and it looks like it's the way I've been tying the knot (cinching on top instead of below). If you look at the two videos below, the top is how I've been tying it, and the bottom is how it should be tied. This wouldn't be a problem with braid, but a big deal with fluoro. Anyone else having fluoro breaking issues with a palomar, and has also been tying it incorrectly? Incorrect - Correct - Left is correct, right is incorrect -

I have a couple of these but haven't fished them yet, so curious for responses as well.

I never feel the need to be the first to anything, especially when in a few months down the line it'll be on sale somewhere, with the potential for a stacking discount.

I have a Legend Elite Salmon/Steelhead rod and it's absolutely one of my favorite rods to fish on. In that price range though, also take a look at the Megabass Destroyer and Orochi lines.

Plano 3731, each bait in it's own Ziploc bag once it's 100% dry, and, hook guards on everything.

I nose hook all my dropshot baits so I try to use as small of a hook as I can get away with, which usually depends on the bait I'm using. Size 2 or 4 is probably the most common but I'll go as small as a size 8 if I feel like using a small crappie soft plastic, or up to a size 1/0 if using a swimbait or tube type of plastic with a fat head.

My favorite Yamamoto color for any of their plastics is Baby Bass (305). Their most popular senko color I believe is the Green Pumpkin/Red Watermelon Laminate (925) which was a color idea of Andy Cuccia (RIP).

Your swivel should never be going through your guides, and I'll even argue that your double-unit shouldn't either. You should be able to make a cast on spinning gear with a 30 inch FC leader without any issues.

There's a BPS a mile away from me and I only go there for clothing sales (I'm a fan of their denim jeans and their fleece tops when they're priced at 50% off or more). As for their bass/fishing stuff, it's almost all BPS branded items or items from the major manufacturers. BPS is definitely not a first choice for "enthusiasts", but I can see the allure of the place for casual/novice fisherman who just want to get a line wet. Four local tackle shops have closed the past few years and one had to relocate to a smaller space. The one remaining local tackle shop standing that hasn't had to relocate is the one that gets all of my local fishing tackle money.

Army surplus radio bag, something like this - https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Vintage-Olive-Drab-Army-Hand-Bag-Carrying-Case-Radio-Pack-Shoulder-Military/252401541696?epid=1071310130&hash=item3ac44de240:g:PYsAAOSw-RFYszxH

MS Slammer is proven, current, and immensely popular with the swimbait crowd. On a sidenote it's always a nice surprise to open up a thread and see Tom add in some historical snippets about the industry that not many others may know, it's a privilege to have you on these forums.

PowerPro 15lb, anywhere from 8-12lb FC Sniper/PLine CFX Fluoro leader, fairly long i'd say at least 30 inches. I use a weird setup where i have a Quick Snap on the braid side, Spro Power Swivel on the fluoro side, and quick connect. This also lets me take one rod and switch between drop shot and crankbaits quickly.

The MSRP of the wooden punkers have also gone up. On the Black Dog site they retail for $85-$125 depending on paint scheme.

I used the eBay code to re-stock my dropshot weights, I've been holding off waiting for one of these "applies to everything" codes, thanks!

Oh I'll give the rod a little twitch/tap with the thumb every 10-20 seconds but I'll try to keep the bait in relatively the same spot. Also full disclosure I'm a 100% shore guy.

I cast and let my bait sit in the same spot for 2-3 minutes at a time before reeling in a bit and repeating. Oftentimes the bite won't happen until that 3rd minute. I started off using 7lb FC for a leader but went up to 8, and then 10, and now sometimes even 12 in areas with a lot of crap in the water. A local guide would go up to 25lb FC for a DS leader because FC is basically invisible underwater. If your casting rig lends the same sensitivity and you prefer it, by all means stick to it and use it. I like throwing smaller squarebills on spinning gear, convention be damned!

I have a better feel for super light bites on my spinning gear, and it's easier to find UL/L/ML spinning rods, with the XF action. Also I've gotten comfortable with spinning gear where I can accurately cast to spots, and there's no backlash to worry about. My favorite "dedicated" DS rod is an older Shimano Cumara 6'8" MXF, but i've use an UL trout rod, and a Phenix M1 as well.