Airman4754

I tried a bunch of rods and I ended with the 7'6" Phenix UMBX Med/Fast. The Med rating is a little much. The tip is every bit as soft as the multiple ML rods I had but it has a lot more power. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Yahtzee!

It's probably all bad. Just send it all to me and I'll throw it away for you...

This is no BS, I have plastics from when I was a child and I'm 33 now. I could probably make it a good 15 years.

Artificial live bait..... Is that like a non-boater that fishes from a boat?

I like an EWG for Senkos, swimbaits, jig rigs, jigs and shakey heads. Everything else is a straight shank. EWG's keep fish on better, but a straight shank hook up better from my experience. The techniques I listed above for EWG's are mainly line watching or there is a very defined bite so I don't miss many. For everything else bites can be very subtle so I like the increased chances of getting a hook in the fish. I think it would be impossible to prove one better than the other.

They used to make bass plastics. I have a bunch of them I bought from a member on here. I let other people use them. If you do your part they will do theirs. They wouldn't be my first choice, but if they are cheap you can't really go wrong.

15lb CXX would be fine. No fish is breaking any of the line people recommend. The thing you want to avoid is watching your Hudd go flying off into oblivion not attached to your line anymore.

Add another to the braid w/ fluoro leader side. It's the bee's pajamas for drop shot/shakey head fishing on spinning gear.

Yes!!!

What constitutes a high value lipless? They all slightly flutter and some rattle if you so choose. Lipless fishing is 99% technique and 1% gear. As long as you don't fish way too heavy of line so they stop fluttering on the fall the rest is on the fisherman.

I've ordered three times since they started the sale and checked out as a guest all three times. The first time I was charged shipping, the next two times I wasn't.

From my personal experience perpendicular is the way to go. When I would catch one with it in-line the hook would be in different places all over in their mouth. With it perpendicular it's on the top of their mouth every time which is consistent with T & C-rigs, punch, jig rig, drop shots, and shakey heads. To me that means your presentation and rigging are correct. To each their own though.

Lipless, jig rig, T-rig, C-rig, Keitechs with a weighted hook, wake baits, frogs, spooks, 68 weedless Hudds, swim jigs, and so on. 3-5' rule when fishing it. A bass usually won't move more than 5' in shallow vegetation so pick it all apart. Work the edges first then get into the heart of the beast.

I bought into the hype of flouro as a main line and hated it. I do like it as a leader. Now I use straight braid, braid with a flouro leader, or straight CXX and it's so much more manageable.

A couple guys I know had over 80lbs on their ten best fish at Clearlake last weekend fishing Hudds and lipless cranks. Another buddy had 27.5lbs on four fish on the Delta yesterday. NorCal is heating up for sure.

Congrats Rick Clunn! 69 years old and snags an Elite Series win!

Yeah, you can count down any non-floating bait once you figure out its fall rate.

Sebile is selling their lipless cranks for $2 with free shipping on their website.

I have this same rod I use for lipless cranks. It's not very sensitive, but if you learn how to weigh your jig with it you should be OK.

If you're going over an ounce I would recommend the Lamiglas Pro-X 735c. It has a good tip for flipping and a lot of power. It's an extremely good top water rod also. Champion Extreme > Pro-X > Champion

In open water I use a jig head, for cover I use the Savage Gear screw in weighted hooks. 7'3" MH/F. Set the hook like you would on a big swimbait. Once you feel the bite, point your rod towards your lure, reel until you feel pressure, sweep the rod hard to the side. I use Keitech, Speed Shads, and Kicker Fish version of a Keitech. The only difference I notice is the price. They are all awesome in the spring and early summer.

I like them. I think they are a tool like a T-rig, drop shot, shakey head, C-rig, and so on. I make two kinds. The single split ring with the bass cast sinker is for bed fishing and lilly pads. Personally I don't think there is a better rig for fishing into little pads. The fall is much slower than a punch rig. For beds it puts your bait right down there at egg level, which is what it's going to take. The double split ring with drop shot weights is for fish on bottom, so a summer and winter deal. If it's mid-June you're still going to smash more fish on a drop shot and if it's mid-November you're going to catch more fish on a shakey head, but jig rigs do have their place. I added pictures of the ones I make. For hooks I recommend Gammy superline EWG's. The welded hook eye holds your split ring in place.

I have four Lew's and I've never had any problem with those either. You'll be in good shape either way. I like the handle grips better on the Lew's but a pair of Reel Grips on any Abu makes them a lot more pleasant, for me anyways.

If you fish it correctly pegged, no, not at all. All of us that punch fish a lot use gigantic pegged sinkers and we don't have hookup problems. If you use a straight shank hook and a snell knot you will bury it in the roof of their mouth just like a punching rig. It's like if you only use one O-rig on a whacky Senko you will miss a ton of fish.