MontclairDave

That is true. But “partnering” means different things to different people. Their partnering with those companies (Daiwa notwithstanding) involves them helping to design products based on market gaps they saw that needed to be filled. So there’s arguably some innovation there, and yes profit-sharing, which is totally appropriate. My issue is with some YouTubers whose partnerships just means they contract to promote the company’s products to the exclusion of others, and agree to do x number of vids or mentions about those products per week or month, etc. The latter channels are what I have tended to move away from. That’s just me; everyone of course is free to watch what they want based on what they find informative and entertaining. (Another non-starter for me: drama and negativity. And stupid click-bait titles like “96.7% of people fish this bait wrong,” blah blah blah. Silliness.)

Got my first swimbait rod (Shimano SLX 7’ 3”) and I have a River2sea S waiver that I’ve caught a few nice bass on. So I want to take the plunge and get a more $$ glidebait. Can’t decide between Baitsanity Explorer Gill or Spro KGB Chad Shad. One of my local lakes I fish the most has no shad; bluegill is main forage. Other lakes I travel to have the more usual mix of shad and BG. Leaning towards the Baitsanity. Anyone have experience with these baits and could offer an opinion? Also, fav color for each? The bone Chad Shad looks pretty sweet to me.

I’ve got the JDM Zillion and I’ve used a buddy’s US Zillion. You’d be surprised at how noticeable that .5 ounce weight difference is on some (but not all) rods. Love my JDM Zillion. Only gripe is I fiddled with the supposedly zero adjust tension knob and it was all of a sudden a bit harder to dial in. I think I figured it out and it’s casting again like a dream. No idea if the aluminum vs brass gears over time will make a difference. But I can’t go back to 7+ ounce reels on my lighter rods any more because of the Zillion, they just feel unbalanced. Maybe it’s the bait monkey telling me that but I am definitely going to pick up a few more of these reels before the rate goes in the wrong direction.

GF = gluten-free? Finally, a reel manufacturer that takes my dietary restrictions into account! 😊

Went out to local pond, wind honking at 25-30 mph, big drop in water temp the night before, figured a skunk for sure is coming. Lo and behold got 10 fish on my new fav Senko color #901, watermelon white laminate. 4” size is killer on small ponds, wacky rigged with my fav hook: VMC Weedless Neko 1/0 size. Most were dinks but this one was about a 2 lber. Definitely not ready to hang it up yet for the season; not with the 75 degree weather coming in next few days around here. I sense a kayak outing in my future….

Got my new Shimano Miravel pretty soaked in salt water during a kayak outing in a back bay after I set rod and reel down in kayak to fish with another setup and completely forgot to wash it down when I got home. It sat for a week unused and when I next fished it, very loud raspy sound on retrieve and drag sticking. Is this worth sending out for service or is it a total loss?

Got these in my tackle already so gonna try all of em, thanks!

Was afraid someone would say that! Not my fav technique, but probably one I need to get better at. Thanks!

Found a pretty sweet spot on a local river that has steep bluff walls with a deep drop off. Picked a few fish off there with finesse jigs and tubes but wondering if there is some other bait I should be trying? (Not sure I am getting deep enough.)Water clarity varies from pretty clear to chocolate milk, depending on amount of rain and runoff. Have spinning gear and baitcasters on kayak when I fish this spot. Thanks!

My # 1 goal was to fish with my son, who is by far my best friend and fishing partner. Did just that this weekend on the Delaware. And I also had the goal of having more fun on the water by slowing down and enjoying the scenery and I did a pretty good job of that. I did catch my first bass this weekend on a technique I’ve read about and tried a bunch of times but had no luck: retrieving a swim jig through lanes in Lilly pads. Nice 3 lber. My next goal is for the off-season: getting the bait monkey off my back. I’ll let y’all know how THAT goes in the spring!

The Delaware was fussy and all the fish I caught were on finesse stuff on spinning rod. But yesterday I got on a private lake with one of my fishing buddies up here and caught this 3 lber on a 3/8-ounce white/chartreuse swim jig/Largo shad trailer I swam through lilly pads. The 783 had no problem horsing that fish out of cover. Great rod—soft tip for accurate casts, with more backbone than I expected. In fact I was stressing about getting the 783 versus 784 but now feel I made the right call. Love bass fishing in the fall!

Just got my first G. Loomis rod, a classic MBR 783 IMX, before the IMX line was upgraded (and way before IMX-Pro). So maybe about 15, 20 years old? Rod came yesterday, looks like it’s in great shape, a few minor scrapes here and there. Perfect cork and guides. Fishing the Delaware this weekend, gonna throw some tubes, finesse jigs, small jerkbaits, topwaters. Junk fishing at its best! Will be a good test I think of the MBR action, which is supposed to be well-suited for all-around stuff like this. Hopefully the smallies will cooperate.

I just picked one of these up from flea bay. Always wanted to try the MBR action so this is an affordable way to do it ($145). Can you (and others who fish it) tell me a bit more about what you liked throwing on it and why? Any line preference for the rod? Thanks!

It certainly does, thanks! Glad to hear you all take that unbiased approach. I will take that into consideration when I read product reviews on this site. It does, Glenn. Thanks for taking the time to share your approach to these situations.

I’ve been using the Kaden 713C for 1/4-ounce Mini-Max. Haven’t had a bass come off yet. Using 12-lb Fluoro which is a nice pairing with rod, since it does have a bit of a faster action than dedicated chatterbait rods.

St. Croix is an advertiser for this site. Glenn owns the site. Glenn reviews their rod. This strikes me as a conflict of interest and makes it hard for me to consider such a review unbiased. Same with his posts about St. Croix’s Seviin reels and various other advertiser products. Not trying to be a troll, and I love all the great information and peer support on this site. I really do appreciate what it’s done for the bass fishing community. But this one aspect has always bugged me. (I work in publishing and I know the separation between editorial and advertising can sometimes be a challenge. But this obliterates it.)

I just bought out what was left of 3/0 Haymakers at Omnia. Sorry not sorry ?

Ooh that Ryugi 5/0 hook looks like a nice fit. In my TW cart for sure! Good luck finding Haymakers in anything larger than 2/0. I haven’t been able to for over a year now. If someone out there has a source, lemme know!

So, I tried the Owner 5/0 screw lock with larger CPS spring. Definitely makes Cover Scat last longer. But even the 5/0 hook still doesn’t hit right position for sticking into the little hook-keeper bump at top of bait. So on every cast I have to grab bait and skin-hook it; it keeps popping out on every cast, especially when skipping. So I have yet to find the right hook that takes advantage of that bump. Maybe an EWG without screw lock, but start hook deeper in top of bait so the hook point comes down farther along the bait body? I’ll try that later today. Or I will try Ryugi 5/0 a lot of folks recommend.

What size Ryugi for the 2.5 and 3.5?

Yup should have used search first! Lots of good info.

I’m traveling to Orlando area in October for business and want to take an extra day to do some bass fishing. Are there any tips for shore access I can drive to with my rental car and reach some productive water? Would also consider a local guide if not too crazy expensive. Thanks!

Well, I must have cursed myself because last night I lost a $20 Megabass Popmax in a brush pile just out of reach from shore. So it goes…

Just curious why the thumb bar needs to be held down when adjusting the spool tension?

I’ve been using the 3.5” green pumpkin candy and other GP variations. Amazing how far this thing casts on straight braid with my 7’ 1” Irod Power Finesse rod. (I fish murky water and so lately have not bothered with Fluoro leader). I feel like I’m Surfcasting with this set-up. Great for reaching deep water drop offs from the bank, or covering huge water expanse out of yak. And boy does it get bit. I’ve stopped throwing a weightless Senko because it doesn’t get me nearly as many bites, nor does it cast as far. Yes, somewhat fragile bait, prone to head blowing out on a regular EWG worm hook. Gonna switch to Owner Twistlock 5/0 and see if that makes a difference. May switch out the CPS spring with one size larger to make it an even more secure connection. And don’t overlook the 2.5” size for small ponds or when the forage gets really small. One more thing: yes, drop-and-jig retrieve works great. But I’ve gotten slammed when I was retrieving the bait back to me to throw again, and so this thing also can be used as a moving bait lure. It spirals as you move it and that action definitely will trigger fish at times. So mix up your retrieves with this bait (as with most others). Also agree it’s a great skipping bait but I still suck at skipping. The few times I did manage to skip it deep to the bank and under overhangs from my kayak, it got inhaled after 2 twitches, max. Just put in an order for another 4 packs. They’re a bit easier to find now than they were when this thread started. I’ve had most luck with the guys in Arizona who specialize in JDM baits. A bit better color selection than TW. Jesus this is a long post gotta get back to work!