snake95

Just have to be careful, the "promotional" zoom fluke bags at $1.18 near me have fewer per pack (as labeled) vs a standard fluke pack. Still a better unit price than most regular fluke packs, plus they have some good colors that aren't as common in big box stores. Recently marked down to 0.75 at one of the stores I went into, but not all. As others have stated, I noticed the variety of items on clearance varied from store to store (one had KVD squarebills, others did not), and the timing at which they implemented successive markdowns also varies. One store I went into had already sold everything off and re-set they new stock, another had only a few rods left, and others were apparently just putting the clearance stuff out. The pricing was the same even in different states though, unless they were in "deep clearance" mode where it appears the stores have discretion to price as low as they want to.

Thanks @dsqui I will learn from your experience. Great tip.

Seems like this would be covered somewhere else but can't find much on it, even in articles on how to set up a Neko Rig. Looks to me like some use wacky hooks while others prefer straight-shank hooks. Any experience trying and comparing both hook styles and/or others? I know there are dedicated VMC Neko hooks out there, but what about more common types?

Wow you hit the jackpot. They have been having super sales lately and periodically the prices drop. They seem to be priced identically, just the items vary. The best prices I've seen are Rattle Traps for $2.50 and certain Rapala jointed minnows for $4. Maybe they are now in the mode of just selling it all off at any price.

Man, that's an awesome shot. Glad this thread wound up generating so many positive responses. Its great to be on a forum where the responses from anglers with such a broad range of backgrounds focus in on the main objective - catching fish and having a good time.

I keep some rods on the less expensive side in the trunk. As mentioned in a current post, that's where I keep an ugly stik and a vengeance, 2-pc'ers. Because I have them with me, they are what I use the most. I am almost always a bank fisherman and so as others have stated I don't have a division between regular-duty and beater. I wanted to know what I felt like to fish a St. Croix Mojo Bass, my idea of a high-end rod, and so I use that rod from shore whenever I can. I also have a Daiwa Coastal reel with a blue finish that made it look like it belonged in a hot rod museum, but I've actually used it for its intended purpose - casting for stripers off a rocky jetty - and it now looks like a reel that has been beat among the rocks and surf, saw some action, and caught some stripers.

My problem is stopping at just one (or two, or any multiple of those numbers...). I try to mitigate the damage by having a policy of only buying on sale. But there sure are a lot of sales throughout the year! Now, when there is a deep discount in a store I try to tell myself that it's not ethical to clear a place out when some other guys will miss out on the same deal and the baits will actually just sit in a box in my attic for a couple of years. Sometimes that works.

Awesome. I've also just seen roboworms for sale at one of the several Walmarts near me. At another one, they have always carried the minus one, frogs, and a few huge jelly worms. One place carries a huge selection of War Eagle spinnerbaits. Its the only one. Here are some other new finds: At an inner city southern Walmart: new deep Shadow Raps Also: - Booyah frogs - Three-packs of Booyah frogs - Rapala shad raps and Rattle-Traps with new colors - New YUM baits (not in bargain bin) including new craws and dinger colors I live in a big city with few mom-and-pop store options. So I like to pop into Walmart too.

Yeah there are lots of guys I know who DO think they are gold, like my father-in-law. I found a few extras for a deal and put them aside in my collection for those guys. Another great point. My two top PBs and the only two bass I've caught over 5 lb (so far) were both on ugly sticks with Trilene mono and 1/2 oz DSG banshee buzzbaits. This is since I acquired some gear more consistent with the enthusiast equipment discussed on the board. In both cases, the key was I had the Ugly Stik in the trunk, the night was warm and I found 15 minutes to fish, so I used what I had. As they say, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take and the having gear to use at hand is essential.

Nice. I got some of those inexpensive Bombers and figured they would be good to rig with paddletails. How will you plan to use them, as-is?

Just a note that the boxes of mixed Yum baits for about $2/pack are being re-stocked at Walmarts. I like those boxes because they often contain some good deals, and best of all some interesting baits. I really like that you can often find a few of the more obscure bait types and/or colors to try out that you'll see on lurenet or yumbaits.com, but won't find easily in your local tackle or big box store. This year so far I have found some offbeat-looking baits like a beaver-style creature with claws, a paddletail frog, plus bad jamma's and swimmin dingers. Interested to hear what guys are finding out there.

I know, I know, premium tomato stakes... Back in the 1980's as a kid growing up in Ontario, the Ugly Stik was the thing to get for walleye and lake trout. So, not knowing any better, I got one when I started bass fishing a few years ago, and I've kept one in my trunk and use it occasionally and caught my pb on it. My impression after a few years fishing with numerous "better" rods (including some similarly-priced) is they are limber at the tip, pretty heavy, and lacking in sensitivity. On the bright side, they come at a budget price (by bass rod standards) and live up to their selling point as being tough as nails. The best "application" I have found for them is throwing fairly heavy moving baits, such as 1/2 oz buzzbaits. I'm also not afraid to hand them to kids who might be rough with them, but again they are on the heavy side. Interested in what guys think they can be used reasonably successfully for. To be clear, I'm no gear snob and recognize that a huge number of recreational anglers swear buy them. Just wondering what guys who have "moved up" to better rods have wound up continuing to do with them (aside from putting them in the garden).

I already have last year. I mentioned once before that I hold North America's strategic Crankin Rap reserve. I did not do that knowing they'd actually be discontinued. I mostly have accumulated shallow firetiger and Helsinki shads in 03 and 05. I know lots of guys like the deeper runners, but I am mostly fishing shallow ponds and small lakes from shore. I don't get out in a boat much.

The shallow Rapala Crankin Raps (size 03 and 05) deserve credit for being the lures that really got me into bass fishing after a long fishing hiatus. I got some extra cheap back in 2015, and they were my go-to bait in 2015 and early 2016. I believed that they were being discontinued, because they show up in clearance sales and discount Rapala boxes. Just saw on the Rapala website that they are officially "discontinued." I'm wondering if anyone else will miss the crankin Rap?

I am a cheap gear and good deal aficionado, and I think you scored by walking away and keeping $29 in your pocket for something else. There is always great satisfaction in getting a great deal, especially if you work for it by asking for it. But regardless of how good the "deal" part may feel - I don't think you'll feel good about a re-tipped reject rod over the long term. If you search tip repairs on the forum, you'll see that replacing a tip leaves you with a different rod - and normally not for the better. I had FX2500 reel that someone gave me new, and it worked well for a few months and then the handle and other components started feeling loose. There was no repairing it back into shape.

By small, I mean 1/4 oz and 1/8 oz. I guess guys use those for crappie and other panfish. I mostly use 1/2 oz and 3/4 oz lipless cranks (RES in particular), even in shallow (3-4 ft) water casting from shore. It just occurred to me I have a bunch of 1/4 and less in my collection. When do you like to use them?

I get it. I started bass fishing about 2 years ago and made some poor and some good choices starting out. Hang in there. After scouring these threads during that time, I feel like the broad consensus is that for economy gear you can't go too far wrong with the pflueger reels mentioned above. Looking back, I bought a President spinning combo in the 35 size, not knowing what on earth I was doing, and the good news is the reel has been really great. I would go with a size 30 though, have bought a few of these since then. I also bought an ugly stik, because growing up in the 80's that was the thing to get back then, and I couldn't fathom paying more than about $40 when I was starting. I so thought 6-6 was the right length because that fits with "old-school" advice. Looking back, the ugly stik was not the best choice. I have since bought several rods in a higher price category, but if I could do it again for about the same cost, I'd pick instead the lightning rod shock (I don't own one) due to popularity on here, or go with the Abu Garcia Vengeance or slightly more expensive Veritas (both of which I now have and use as my main "trunk" rods). The advantage of these rods is that they are generally more sensitive and have faster tips than the ugly stik, which will help with detecting bites and hooksets, which is key for most bass baits. The Vengeance costs about the same. Oh yeah, I now almost always go with 7 ft or so rods and rarely consider a 6-6 though nothing really wrong with them. For me the casting distance improvement is worth it for most situations. Go with those, keep it under about $100 total, and you won't regret it.

I can confirm this in my area. I've been in several of these stores since this came up on the thread. For the most part, prices on many baits and some lines and accessories are "good" - reduced by around 10-40% - common examples are Norman Fat Boys for $4.50, silver Rapala No.8 Flat Raps (where they have them) for $5, certain Yumbrella Rigs (e.g. the 3-wire for $7), and Bomber Square A's for $3. Good prices, but selection varies and not earth shattering. But whoa - if you are looking for Hula Grubs (in some colors) for under $1/pack or Booyah Boo Teasers for $1, overstockbait.com has them on sale until some time on Wednesday.

When to choose a ribbed tube over a non-ribbed tube (e.g. Yum Vibra King/Big Bite Craw Tube) vs a plain tube? Do the ribs really make a difference?

@GT Tompkins All I can say is you have to catch one of those big fish, no matter what species it is, because at this point a whole bunch of us will go the rest of our days wondering that was in your pond. I for one, am rooting for you and will keep checking back every day until you catch one of those monsters. If it turns out to be a 2 lb carp instead of an 8 lb bass, I won't hold it against you, just post it up and end the suspense.

Last year I really got in to fishing all types of soft plastics, and I enjoyed trying out different types of rigs. Recently I tried the rivet rig for paddletails (not much time for fishing lately though). I've seen some other interesting rigs based on actual hardware, and some based on household items. I'm looking forward to trying some out. Examples: Using drywall screws at the base of a worm for either Neko Rigs or Chicken rigs. Using pieces of coat hanger wire inserted into the nose of a paddletail or fluke to change the weight and weight distribution. Interested to hear if anyone has other hardware tips for making up soft plastics rigs.

I fish both the 1/2 and 3/4 oz in ponds in shallow water. Have had the best success in cool late fall weather. The 3/4 might seem like overkill, but it has caught me some of my biggest pond fish in 3-4 ft water, when just making long casts and burning it back to the bank, trying to pass over small breaks and vegetation. Seems to me in that condition burning a 1/2 or 3/4 oz is a "big fish magnet" relatively speaking. Not surprisingly, it often comes back with a fistful of junk, but when it comes back with a bass on it, its usually a good one. Have also had success in ponds chucking the 1/2 oz into relatively deep pockets (where I know they exit) and where there are indentations in the shoreline, letting it fall and flutter for a second, and then ripping it out of the pocket. Often gets bit on the fall.

My wife told me that she thinks I literally have more tackle than our local Dicks has in stock at any one time. And I am primarily a bank fisherman! And I'm OK with that. You are not alone.

Gold sexy shad is just awesome for me in most water conditions. Chart belly craw has worked in cloudy low-vis conditions.

@Ktho Risto Rap in Parrot https://www.fishermanswarehouse.com/shop/rapala-risto-rap/ I don't think that is a shad rap, but someone can prove me wrong. Looks like you can only get jointed shad raps in parrot these days.