snake95

Yes! Works great for me, too. I really like the speed craws, but same could be said for Yum Christie Craws and any number of other craws.

Very interesting and thanks for the feedback. Without question, you fish way more than I could ever dream of and I respect your experience. I haven't had that kind of regular experience with horny toads flipping over and hooking fish in the tongue. I use a heavy EWG or occasionally a weighted EWG. I will re-evaluate and see if I'm remembering this wrong. I also find the Keitech has a major splashdown. I'm a small-time angler fishing small waters, and feel like the Zoom's more subtle landing is usually a good thing. Again, I'll re-evaluate.

Huge Keitech fan - and the noisy flapper has some advantages. For one, it is heavy and casts a mile. However, I find it a bit awkward to hook (need a big gap) and I lose smaller fish. If stuck on a deserted island I'd take the good ol' fashioned horny toad over the noisy flapper. Always effective.

I started baitcasting with Abu Garcia reels on the advice of a hard core angling friend about 4 years ago. Would like to hear the opinions of folks who use Abu baitcasters and have used both generations, on the relative improvements that have come with the newer Gen 4 models.

@FishTank Which one of those wicked winches were you winding? Gen 3 or Gen 4? I just bought a Gen 4 and recently got an open box Gen 3 also.

Vimage outdoors has limited colors of senkos for $5.99 @ 10% off so $5.40/pack. Free shipping if you buy 40 worth.

I use them as a finesse toad. No weight, retrieve on surface. More subtle than most toads. Great for calm water.

I have a deeper and I don't use it often. A few reasons: 1. When casting, the splashdown effect is like a meteorite crashing into the lake. 2. The consequences of losing it are high. If I'm not prepared to swim for it (most of the time), I'm reluctant to throw it. 3. You really want to have a dedicated rod with 65 lb test or other high strength line on it. I've used an ugly stik for this purpose. 4. Have to keep your phone out and handy and possibly wet. On the other hand: 1. The newer generation ones seem to work well - nice clear images, accurate data. 2. Easy to grab and go, and cast out to probe all around you if in a small boat. So, I've used them primarily for getting a feel for the depths of a small pond, when I am in a jon boat, and they have done a great job at that. That said, if I were to use a small boat routinely, I'd probably get a more sophisticated dedicated fishfinder. I would recommend getting one, but just keep in mind the drawbacks are not insignificant.

I've caught largemouth bass at the northern limit of their range in northern Ontario with junebug that is supposed to be great in tannic FL waters. Caught them on just about every color in a crystal clear south FL pond. Caught plenty on pink and white in GA ponds. Caught them on realistic Kietech silver flash minnow in fast-moving but highly stained water in north GA. When it comes to color for me: haven't met one that won't get a bite.

Won't solve your search for a site with large selection, but worth adding to the list since they have had some great deals on hardbaits and their prices are often good. Their service has been good the couple of times I've ordered from them. https://www.vimageoutdoors.com/

@Glenn thank you! I bought one of the Smith files you use in the video. About how many strokes/minutes does it take to get sharp enough? I know it will vary, but should I expect to be at it for a few minutes per hook typically, or a few swipes and you're done? Loved the organization vids by the way. Lots of great ideas! For me, hooks and sinkers are the hard part, especially considering that I mostly fish from the bank or from the shore. I use small boxes for those, and will try to sort those more by application (i.e. dropshot gear in one, grubs/ned gear in another) I have my "master" boxes back in the garage stocked and organized by type/color, and then also I make up "go boxes" that have a wide assortment from each class of bait so that I can take 2-3 with me and keep the amount I carry down. Always enjoy "shopping" in my own garage to make up the go boxes. I know some guys like to keep plastics in original bags, but once out of the package and since I'm carrying only one tackle bag at a time, typically get mixed up soI'm trying to organize by color/general type as in Glenn's videos.

Thanks Toxic and Mike. Any advice on deciding when a hook is in good shape or toss it? Sounds like you're both saying whatever you do, don't take a chance.

I pretend to be fussy and organized, but things get crazy out there on the water and I always come back with a pile of hooks and sinkers with line still tied on. I usually amass a wad of gear in a plastic box to sort out periodically. By this point, the hooks etc are all separated from their original packaging. What do you do to clean up tackle that has been through the ringer? How do you filter out the hooks etc that need to be sharpened, or just plain trashed? Fingernail test? Thanks.

Interested in hearing how everyone transports rods in their trucks: I know you can always keep them in the back cab, but that's not ideal for the passengers back there. I've gone fishing with guys that lay them out on the bed and then let them bounce around back there. Can't imagine ever doing that. Would be interested to hear about straightforward but protective ways to haul them, preferably in the bed. I don't have a bass boat with a rod locker.

Will do @Scott F Thanks for the awesome pic @A-Jay. Taking my son and the pic helped me hammer the point home with him. We were catching bluefish a few weeks ago so now he appreciates that fishing an involve a lot of blood when we aren't just catching bass. He's seen me catch pike there before and handle them carefully, but the reminder is appreciated. We will be careful with the fingers!

Thanks ~ Thanks, guys. I am sure I have seen that kind of steel line in stores in northeastern Ontario. I've never used it before and this might be my chance to try it. Thanks, everyone. I will be sure to keep my whopper ploppers on a steel "leash" of some sort, and accept the risks that come with fishing everything else on lighter gear.

I'm going to be doing some largemouth fishing in an area with lots of pike in Ontario. I live in Georgia and typically fish ponds with bass, bluegill, crappie and catfish. Where I'm going has lots of vegetation and I've caught both species readily at this spot before. I plan to use some whopper ploppers and other topwaters that will appeal to both species, as well as jigs with paddletails. The water, not surprisingly, is clear. Which option of the following would you go with? Old fashioned steel leaders? Heavy mono or fluoro or hybrid: have pretty much anything in the 14 lb-50 lb test range. This is a last-minute trip and I won't have time to get steel line (I don't think). Thanks for the input.

Favorite: Pop-R and Rapala Skitter Walk My most successful: Biggest pond bass - about 80% of all fish over 4 lb: buzzbait, any color. Top producer the $4 Dick's banshee in the 3/8 size. Consistent producers: Zman finesse TRD and 1/15 oz mushroom head Yum 3" grub on a similar mushroom head Keitech Swing Impact Fat: any size any rig. If I had nothing else, I'd want 4.8" on a swinging jighead. (in warmer weather and low light): Zoom horny toad with a superline EWG 3/0 or 4/0. Overall reliability: Zoom trick worm, weightless texas-rigged

I also do this regularly. I like Yum's mighty craw and Christie Craw for this, but the paca craw and others work great for me, too. Sometimes weightless, sometimes with a keel weighted swimbait hook.

Interesting - had no idea what a doodle rig was. https://www.bassmaster.com/news/don-iovino-doodling

Awesome, thanks. I only had 1/4 oz VMC boxer heads handy, but thought of your post and threw them on the jigheads. Fished in total darkness. How the bass saw that tiny bait I have no idea. But the facts speak for themselves: I got a limit in under 30 mins, and they often nailed the bait on the fall like a Ned Rig. Couldn't get a single bite on topwaters. Thanks for the advice.

Eric, I just went out for about 30 minutes on our local pond and caught a limit (of small guys) using a 3 inch Kietech swing impact on a no. 2 drop shot hook. Fished along weedline. I tried poppers and whopper ploppers and got nothing. But the drop shot worked great.

Thanks a lot for the responses, guys. I found about 10 minutes of fishing time today and rigged them up on a dropshot in a local pond. Caught a bass on the second cast, hooked a second on the fourth cast (she outsmarted me). What I used (basically what was in my bag at the time): 3 inch long Keitech swing impact in silver flash VMC sureset drop shot hook : no. 2 Ecopro tungsten cylinder dropshot weight: 1/8 oz Seaguar Red Label 8 lb test About 8-10" long leader Swam it quickly in front of weedline in about 2-3 ft of shallow water. Stained water. I will also try the other ways you guys have suggested.

Really cool I hadn't thought of that. @NorcalBassin do you mean something like a small horsehead? I haven't seen many underpins that small.

So was my wife. She thinks I have an excessive collection.