snake95

@Dropshotdave would be great to hear how it went for you. @Pond how do you feel about yours now? I had the same issues with my bluetooth version of the Deeper. When it worked, it worked great, but the connection would be lost on lots of casts, and I'd spend all kinds of time fooling around trying to get it to reconnect. Even from a jonboat, I had spotty connectivity. I've just sent mine back to Europe and waiting on repairs or replacement.

I'll throw my 2c in here as a guy who switched over to complimenting spinning gear with baitcasters about 1.5 years ago - recently enough to really relate, but with a little experience too. I don't have anyone to teach me - just Youtube and Bassresource. As a little background, I started out very frugally - at the time I couldn't imagine spending a penny more than $100 on a rod and reel combo, and was very concerned I might not like it. My experience is in agreement with all of the above - note that the guys who have commented already are avid fishermen and experts that you can rely on - I have listened to their advice and it has paid dividends. To mostly echo what they have said: - You probably won't actually get a better value from a pre-made combo than by putting one together yourself - I started with the Abu Promax. I soon upgraded to more expensive Abus and Daiwas. I learned on it and I became a better fisherman because of it, and got much more into bass fishing. These lower-priced max series reels are liked by many, and DO work fine, but I agree that you can get a better value by spending just a little more, e.g. the suggestions posted above - There are reasonable rods under $50 as mentioned. The idea to check out your local Walmart is a great one. It is clearance time, and you can always ask a manager if they can reduce the price further. I have great KVD and Falcon rods I got for $15-20 each there. - I gravitated to a lefty since I spin left like most. If you can try both, that's a good idea. Its not likely you will regret picking up a baitcaster. If you can go over $100 a bit you won't regret it. But you'll be fishing just fine if you can't make it above that level, too. Oh yeah - use mono appropriately sized for the rod ratings. Lots of opinions on that one but Big Game is a super choice; Berkley XL is what I use mostly too.

Good point. Usually there is clearance stuff with .x7 endings and plain tags, and non-clearance with non-.x7 endings with bright red tags, and I don't see any reason why.

If you can find a DSG with enough of them, here's the scoop: The latest incarnation of Strike King brand "made for DSG" baits is called the "Banshee" line. I'm 99% percent sure the Banshee lipless bait IS a Redeye shad, but only in the 1/2 oz size. Same oval line tie, same red eye, and in my experience, loved equally by bass. After extensive field research, I've only seen the following four Banshee lipless bait colors: - Chart belly craw - Smokin hot shad (close to sexy shad) - Simple shad (basic grey shad)- Rojo craw (red craw) Others in the Banshee lineup include spinnerbaits (exclusive to Dicks maybe) and buzzbaits which have been extremely effective for me. They also offer a curved-lipped popper and a "pro model" type crank. Vimage sells closeout Banshee lures and you can see the lineup there: http://www.vimageoutdoors.com/strike-king-5/ DSG are having a 5-for-5 sale for the rest of this month, for clearance lures. Good luck!!

Just wanted to also say "thanks" to Pradco for supporting the site. Regarding the size of the company: given the skill and tenacity of bait monkeys everywhere, I am sure we will find a way to support all the sponsors. I will! They may be a big company, but they deserve a lot of credit in my experience: they have great customer service if there is ever a question or problem with a product, no matter how small. They produce effective baits that the working guy or gal can find locally and afford. Their facebook sites are updated regularly and promote stewardship and enjoyment of the sport. Plus, they support some great Pros.

And... the bait monkey strikes again... I just had to add to the lineup and get a couple in the ultralight size to try those for small pond bass and sunfish. Will report back to the thread when I get to try some of these guys out. I saw a broad range of Pradco rig configurations at my local WM, including some Booyah Boo Spin and Teaser Rigs http://www.lurenet.com/supersearch/search/result?keyword=boo+rig Interested to hear about any experience y'all have had with any of these Yum and Booyah castable rigs.

Good point. Agreed, they are tough to cast as any light balsa lure, and especially the deep-bodied crank styles. I've had the best luck with the size 5 and 7 shads with 6lb test mono or YZ hybrid on ML and M spinning rods.

Yes and their clearance is buy 5/get 5 free at this point, so you could clean out their Scatter Rap selection for $2.50/each. I think that reflects their lack of popularity. Many stores have been picked over by this point.

Saw them on clearance, so I picked up a YUMbrella flash mob Jr. and a 3-wire rig to take a shot at some "small time" umbrella rig fishing. The 3-wire rig is just a head plus three arms -- no blades. I also have a few Yum "double up" spreaders with no head. Thought I'd try all of these with paddletails and/or grubs for fishing shallow water. Anybody have any luck fishing any of these in shallow water, and in which conditions would you chose one configuration over the other?

Several varieties of Scatter Raps have worked well for me in shallow, stained to clear water. Have caught bass on the smaller size 5 scatter rap shad in gold, bleak, and bluegill, and size 5 scatter rap crank in bluegill and Helsinki Shad. Cast close to vegetation or fan cast over shallow areas where bass are cruising around. I know these have had mixed reviews, and I think its because they don't fish like a conventional crank. When reeled slow and steady they wobble and hunt and then scatter erratically as you increase the retrieve rate. The advantage is that they act like a bait that has deflected off of cover, but without needing the cover. Yes, they get unstable, "blow out" and skid sideways through the water when you reel too fast, and I think this limits their versatility and popularity. On the other hand, they look convincingly like a darting baitfish, and certainly work for slow to moderate retrieve rates.

@d-camarena I've heard people say that, but I don't recall ever seeing the reason why. Any reason in particular?

Cool. How long were the rivet sleeves Ott was using? Did they come out of the bait or stay inside?

A-ha! I hadn't thought of that. I feel enlightened.

@RMax thanks for the reply. Can you explain a little further what you mean by your line "sliding up" on the ring? Seems like mainly for moving baits, so not sure how much it matters for hookset?

My man Hot Rod, @Hot Rod Johnson , for one: I had seen the article about Ott elsewhere before that. Didn't want to threadjack when all I was looking for is the size. The rivets I found at my local HD only went up to 1/2 inch long. Maybe that's OK since the hole where the line comes out is small and there isn't a significant open pipe through the lure. I have been meaning to do it and just getting around to it tonight...

Anyone use VMC line tie rings with the teardrop shape? What is the advantage of these VMC line tie split rings over regular round ones, besides range of motion for the bait?

Just trying out the "trick" of putting a rivet sleeve into a small paddle tail swimbait. I used 1/2 inch long sleeves, and they don't go all the way to the nose on a Keitech Fat Impact. Seems like it would work OK, there's just a gap between the end of the sleeve and the nose of the bait where the line will pass through. Would longer be better for some reason? Any preferences for diameter?

To get it out of the way - I'm ignoring some important technical stuff here, and talking in generalities. (See below*). I know that for many applications, broadly speaking, slower is better, for example, deep cranking, slow rolling big blade spinnerbaits, etc is much easier with a slower reel. But what about for the following mix of common baits that can be fished shallow: T-rigged plastics: flukes, worms, craws, jerkbaits, minnowbaits, shallow cranks, rattle baits, walking baits, poppers, frogs, etc. Any reason why an 8x:1 is too fast for this mix of lures? I'm debating between a new 8x:1 and 7x:1 - I mostly have 7x:1 reels and can't think of a time when I've felt like they were too fast for the lures I use most. *I recognize that "fast" is a relative term; and the technical stuff, e.g. one models' IPT for a 6.3:1 reel is different from another models' IPT; and IPT will vary with the size and how full the spool is.

I also asked a similar question for the same reasons. @Bunnielab introduced me to those ballhead jigs and I tried them. They are super jigs, but I find I have to glue the bait on to prevent sliding. After a summer of experimentation, I feel like (per Bluebasser and others) that a smaller jighead (for many reasons) and not fishing right in the cover is the way to go. However, at someone else's suggestion, I also tried using them T-rigged on a small EWG with a small bullet weight or spit shot. That works, and I have chucked them very close to cover rigged like that.

My young son and I have gotten into (small-time, recreational) bass fishing over the past few years, and now we follow the pros on social media, fishing publications, etc. I have never been to a bass tournament, but thinking about going to the Bassmaster Elite at Cherokee Lake in TN next month. I've seen the shots of the pros heading out, and watched weigh-ins online. It sure looks like the Classic would be worthwhile, with all the surrounding events and exhibits. Is it worthwhile to go to an Elite Tournament? If we went, without a boat, what would we get out of it as spectators, and what would we see? Anything? How would you get the most out of it? Can you meet the pros and talk to them? Thanks for any recommendations.

Glad to hear it. I think you will be happy with that approach!

@keltonz I wanted to respond because I hate the buyers remorse feeling, and I think I've been down a similar road recently enough. I started baitcasting only in 2015, coming from many years of spinning. I also fish mainly from shore. I wanted it for accuracy and throwing slightly bigger lures too, and because that's what bass guys use. I started off with a MF, and have since been bit by the rod monkey and have a number of additional rods, including MM, MHF, HF, etc. Here are my perspectives: 1. Keep it, you won't regret it because you will certainly use it, and it might remain your main baitcaster. My medium rods are the most used versatile rods for me for the size of baits I throw the most. I certainly supplement my M spinners with them. It will add versatility. Focusing on the baits and depths you mentioned, consider the following (all baits I throw in conditions I fish weekly): - Super Spook Jr - 1/2 oz - Whopper Plopper 90 - 1/2 oz - 3/8 to 1/2 oz spinnerbaits and buzzers - Rapala skitter walk - 7/16 oz Some others that I throw: - KVD 1.5 (3-6 ft dive) - 3/8 oz (I use the 1.0 and other comparable cranks more often) - Red eye shad - 1/2 oz - Keitech or other paddletail on 1/4 oz head In reality, I fish a lot of 3/8 oz range lures for these depths, and find myself fishing more and more plastics these days that wind up working well with a M rod. Because of the depth you are talking, I'm not using heavy weights or jigheads with the lures. Then look at the ratings on the rods. They are only a guide, but still the main place to start. My M Abus are rated up to about 5/8 oz. So, you might be near the upper end for 1/2 oz baits, but personally I use 1/2 oz baits on my M rods and don't at all feel overloaded. 2. The next step will be to get a MH. Before you know it, you'll find a use for both M and MH rods. Road Warrior put out a super thread that states the three basic bass rods: MH/F, MM or MF, and spinning. My experience coming at it as a beginning baitcaster is this is right on the money, even as a bankbeater. As I got more into bass I found that bigger baits such as 3/4 oz redeye shads and 1/2-3/4 oz walking baits also get a lot of use, and a heavier power is needed. 3. Re-consider the rod rating vs lure weight if you remain unsure after all that. If you absolutely must have only one bc rod for more than a year, and you are going to throw significantly heavier baits, then you might think about this further. 4. I hate to tell you this but if you like to throw crankbaits, before you know it, you'll be looking at the action, not just the power, and you'll be considering which moderate action rod you need. Eventually. Hope this helps.

@Caballero87 I have 3 x promax3's - got one as my first baitcaster two years ago, and then a two-for-one open box deal. I have fished them all, and in my experience they work great and can recommend them. Full disclosure - one of the three doesn't feel very smooth when reeling - but it was one of the open box reels that I couldn't return and may not have been representative. The other two are smooth. I later got bit by the "reel monkey" and got two in the Revo family (SX and STX) and a Daiwa Costal TWS (bigger and more expensive). Comparing the promax to these more expensive Revos, I would say the promax deserves credit for comparable or perhaps even better fit and finish; it just feels solid. I respect that you are deciding between these two. That said, if it were me, I'd be looking at a Daiwa reel after the great experience with my larger Coastal. In that price range I'd consider the Fuegos or Aird Coastal, or perhaps fork out the extra for a higher priced Daiwa.

My top producing fluke color last year was pink bubblegum for largemouth in slightly stained shallow water. I know a lot of guys like basic white, baby bass, etc but pink was the ticket for me again and again.

I clean mine - when they are in need of complete rehab - with a sonicare toothbrush and a dedicated head. I add a sprinkle of baking soda to toothpaste. Don't confuse the lure cleaning head with the one used by your significant other. I would think an inexpensive vibrating toothbrush would work as well as a fancy one. Otherwise the gentle soak and or soap sounds good to me.