snake95

I'm on a mission to get the maximum possible distance with a low profile baitcaster (for an upcoming trip, and also for a pond where the bass like walking baits, if I get them out to the middle). Using a long (8') MH rod rated for 1/2-3 oz baits, and throwing 3/4 to 1-1/2 oz lures: walking baits, poppers, and jerkbaits. I have my choice of Power Pro braid for the main line - 20 lb, 30 lb or 50 lb. I plan to use a short mono leader. Two related questions: 1) For castability and general manageability, which line would you go with, and why? 2) Are there any fairly simple ways to lubricate or otherwise adjust the reel to optimize distance? (nothing too complicated i.e. involving reel tear-downs, etc.) Thanks for any suggestions.

I think it is primarily a Walmart thing. I've seen lots of their higher-end (for Walmart) rods on huge discount over the past several months. Picked up rods ranging from $7 to $24. Prices highly variable depending on the store and when you happen to go in. Not exactly sure why, but this started around inventory time, according to a manger I asked. Not all stores have the same sell-off happening, and they might be regular price. With the Vengeance, the graphics have changed from the older black with grey lines to predominantly grey with black lettering. Not sure if there was a material change in the rod itself or just a refresh. I'd be interested to know if there is a physical difference between the older and newer Vengeance. With the Vengeance, I've seen both the older and newer rods in the clearance bins, depending on the store. It could be they were indiscriminate in making mark-downs. My best I can tell, the Vigilante is a Wal-mart only rod (maybe other discount big box stores too). I got one a couple of years ago and its been good overall but don't love the foam handle, it's just OK. They have also been selling off the Vendetta in some stores, but there is no graphics or other change that I am aware of. FWIW they have also been selling off rods from other brands - Quantum KVD, Skeet Reece, and Falcon, but only certain stores and not others. Good luck!

Revo SX works very well for me. $120 right on the money. Feels light, casts great, looks great. Noticeably better than lower-priced Abu's; almost as good as the STX (well, just as good, except for the less sophisticated braking system).

I sure do, and that's the main way I get to fish these days, hence the motto "casting wherever whenever." I have a 2-pc MF Veritas 6'-6' that fits in the trunk nicely, with a ProMax reel, and/or a Shimano Spirex reel with a 2-pc ugly stick about the same size and weight. My approach is that it's more important to fish when you can with good gear, than to wish you could fish more with better gear.

I also started baitcasting last year, and the STX Gen 3 was my second baitcaster, in 6.4:1 thinking it would be OK for crankbaits. I wasn't aware of the generational issues. Overall, I am happy with it, but it took a while to get there. When I first got it, the crank wobbled slightly and after I sent it back for inspection, the wobble remained and the handle keeper popped off. Abu replaced the reel after my second return. It feels solid and light, and reasonably smooth, but I actually prefer the feel of my SX for most applications.

I've used variations of all of the above with success. 5/0 or 4/0 keel weighted swimbait, swimbait jigheads, and boxer-style jigheads (I used the 1/4 oz VMC's but they were on the small size). Just to add to the mix: This morning I made a weedless "poor man's" swinging jig by just T-rigging it with a small bullet and a 4/0 EWG. Fished it using the retrieve recommended by roadwarrior and it worked great. Recently nosehooked one with a 2/0 octopus hook and threw it weightless in open water. Fished with the old fashioned pop/pop/pause retrieve. That worked too.

I fish mostly ponds and small lakes in GA. I have the most luck early to mid morning, and late evening. In my experience there is also a seasonal consideration: I have the most luck from post-spawn through late fall. I have only noticed much better topwater bite in the past 2-3 weeks. HOWEVER, one of the biggest bass I caught last year was on a buzzbait at 3 pm on a downright hot early September day, bluebird skies. I also had bass hit prop baits and buzzbaits in the time between Christmas and New Years in really shallow water. In the past week: 9 pm (dusk): 1/2 oz chartreuse Banshee buzzbait, moving at a good clip on "glass top" water (my second biggest yet); 6:30 am: YUM migthty craw buzzed near some submerged brush so the craws churned the water; 7:30 am (2 hours past twilight) two hit a Strike King sexy dawg walked on smooth water under clear skies. Others recently include on a Pop-R at 7:30 on a clear evening and on a Booyah poppin frog on a cloudy afternoon worked near cover. In short, later and earlier are best for me, and they have only become much more active on topwater in the past 2-3 weeks for me.

Semper Bass, Because of your post, two people are now happy: 1) My 8 year old boy. 2) The manager at my local Dicks Sporting Goods. I asked for advice on the forums about how to get started using plastics in ponds. I took some of the advice I got - and tried a few different things. I've done great on creatures and paddletails since then. I've even caught bass with T-rigged senkos - with a guide - when that's what we were using. But I've just resisted using what I thought was such a boring bait - despite the obviously massive fan base. Last night I picked up a bunch after thinking about your post. This morning - didn't land anything on my creature baits. As a last resort, thinking about this post - I showed my son how to use the o-ring tool I picked up 2 years ago and let him chuck the bait out. Before I know it - the yelling starts and the bass are going wild. I will be getting more... so, thanks, bud!

That makes sense. I'm sure the jigs A-Jay referenced would be excellent. Looking at the way the jigs are set up, it seems to me you would have a decent substitute in a pinch by pegging a bullet weight close to the eye of the extra-long wide gap that A-Jay mentioned. Some good starting points for further experiments...

Having some success lately swimming paddle tail swimbaits on swimbait jigheads. Mostly fishing from shore, among brush and other cover, so snags are a problem. The most obvious alternatives to the jigheads that I'm aware of are: 1. Use a weighted swimbait hook and rig weedless. 2. Use as a trailer on a swim jig with weedguard (haven't tried that yet). Does anyone use a plain weedless jighead for this application (i.e. no skirt ?) Maybe there is a good reason why weighted swimbait hooks are preferable to jig heads with weedguards? If so, what are they? Any recommendations for plain jigheads with weedguards? Thanks.

Interested if anyone can report on the pulse vs other swimbaits yet? Like several posters on the thread, I like to keep my costs down, and in general I like companies that can put out stuff mere mortals can afford. I'm not a very good trend follower. However, I "accidentally" picked up a few Swing impacts in one sale, and then after seeing how well they worked had to go get some Fats the next week. I have to admit they have been just an incredibly simple and effective bait on a swim jig. I just came across a lone pack of Pulse swimbaits that had a "worm" sticker on them and were mixed in with the latest YUM assortment at my local WW. Not sure if that means they are a flash in the pan, they are mixing them in with other plastics to help make anglers aware of them, or they simply had a bunch left over and tossed them in with the rest of the bargain bin shipment. I will try them out alongside the Impacts soon and report back...

Catt, between this explanation and your explanation of EWG vs round bend, I think I will have you to thank for countless future hooksets. I'm new to plastics and experimenting and reading and fishing like crazy, but your posts have really shed a lot of light for me. Thank you.

I tried them out a while back because they were on sale. The good thing is they are as good as people say they are - maybe better. I'm a rookie and doing great on them. The bad thing is the price and how fragile they are, but DSG has frequent sales on them. Last week they were buy 3 get 1. Go for it.

They almost always have decent deals in both the flyer and non-flyer sales that are consistent from store to store. This week it includes: $6 ea for Keitech Fat Impacts (2 or more) $4 ea for Scatter Raps, all types (5 or more) $10 for 3 SK Banshees (e.g. Red Eye Shads and buzzbaits) Bogo for all clearance lures, when you get 6 Some buy one, get second at 50% off - not sure which

Mend-it is 15% off until June 6: http://www.menditglue.com/2016/05/memorial-day-15-discount/ memorialday15 I started using Keitech swimbaits and hard-to-find YUM mighty bugs. After reading an old thread on expensive swimbaits I thought I'd better give Mend-it a try...

Tried paddle tail swimbaits for the first time about 6 weeks ago, and having a lot of success. Using Zoom swimmin' super flukes, and Keitech Swing Impact and Impact Fats. Mostly just swimming them on a VMC boxer head. I'm fairly new to bass fishing, and mostly fishing shallow GA ponds and small lakes, so I don't want to throw anything like an A-rig. Been reading about Donkey Rigs for Flukes and got some Yum Double Up spreader rigs, and I'm going to try fishing two at once. Interested in anyone's experience with casting twin paddle tail setups, and looking for any pointers if they've worked for you.

Headed up to Mass. later this summer and will be fishing from shore. Last year, I discovered a jetty I can cast off of and had a bit of luck with bluefish. The setups available at the place I'm staying are an inexpensive but cumbersome surf spinning rod, and a whippy medium spinning rod. Neither were super for casting. I will be fishing mainly with lures. Last year I threw saltwater poppers and caught bluefish, and Creek Chub Striper Strkes - I think I actually had a striper strike but failed at landing. It helped to really chuck the baits to get out to the bluefish boiling on surface. Obviously, I'm a bass fisherman most of the time, and like to walk, pop, and swim all kinds of bass lures. I'm happy to spring for an inexpensive new rod/reel combo to use for a week up there, and then abandon the rod until I return next year, within say $100-200. Looking for general advice on the following: 1. Thinking of trying an inshore baitcaster since I'd feel at home with that and could use the reel elsewhere. Any experience with trying to fish topwaters for this application? Specifically, does casting distance pose a problem for inshore/surf fishing? 2. Experience casting and working topwaters and plugs with surfcasting spinning gear. Suggested setups?

^x2 to these and all the comments that a rubber net is an absolute must for fishing with treble hooks, and probably any other method. I will never go back except maybe a large-holed net for single hooks in saltwater. If your existing landing net can be opened up, I would replace the netting. I have a Frabill folding that had a small-holed nylon mesh -- until I used it to land a brown using a minnow bait with trebles. Unfortunately the trout and the lure had to be extracted with a pair of sharp scissors. Neither the net nor the trout made it. I ordered a Frabill rubber replacement net to replace the old mesh; it took a maximum of 5 minutes from the time I opened the replacement net until I put the new and improved net in my trunk. Simple, cheap and 100% recommended.

Ryan, if you can spare the time, I would pop in to your local Wally world if you are in the market for that rod and reel. Check their clearance/talk to a manager. I recently found a 7' Vendetta spinning rod (current version, MH/F though) for $25 and the President reel the guys have mentioned for $17. I asked for the manager, asked if he could do anything better, and he further reduced the rod. I saw Quantum KVD and other $80-120 range spinning rods in clearance at a different store recently. They seem to be on sale these days for whatever reason. Its a shot in the dark, but you just might luck out. Above all, 2x on the President. I got one 3 years ago and its been a good reel at the right price for me too.

Back in the "old" days (70's and maybe 80's) - Rapala provided pamphlets with floating minnows that showed the use of weights to get the lure down deeper: either split shot or dipsey swivel sinkers, placed anywhere from 12-18 inches ahead of the lure. My uncle used to troll for Walleyes that way. Not exactly a modern way to fish, and some downsides, but it worked. In any case, fish them shallow and get a countdown minnow if you want to fish deeper (or one of the many other minnow varieties they put out). And when you change out the hooks, change out the split rings too.

I'm a relative newcomer, and I already have a few favorites. Above all I like the firetiger Rapala Crankin' Rap squarebill they seem to be discontinuing. The reasoning: 1) I don't normally have much time on the water, so I like to chuck and wind, and cover water. 2) Its fairly versatile, despite being a crankbait: I've lobbed close to cover with a wake/stop/wake retrieve in the heat of summer, and burned it till it vibrated like a rattlebait in muddy 50's winter waters. 3) In my particular situation, it works well in Georgia ponds and have caught on it 12 months of the year, when the ponds are muddy, stained, or clear. Bottom line: a confluence of preferred fishing style and success in a range of conditions, for the waters I fish most often. Reality is I have lots of favorites that are very close seconds, all for different reasons: Pop-R because it works in the right conditions and I'd rather catch 1 on topwater to 2 any other way. Yum mighty bugs and Keitech paddletails: because I'm catching on them these days, and can be rigged to get through cover. The close seconds list goes on and on.

I bought a few to try and wouldn't bother spending $4 on them. It takes a lot for me to be unimpressed with a bait. They have decent paint jobs, swim with a pretty intense side to side action, and are essentially a wake bait. I can imagine them working for bass ambushing surface lures along the bank, but no luck yet. Hooks are undersized. Might work fine, but would choose a Bomber Square A or Manns Baby 1- for the same price and application, based on my experience.

I thought I was the only one who did this... Walmart never ceases to amaze me. It seems to me that stuff just pops up from time to time with no good explanation. Walked into one that is out of my way and they had decent rods (by Walmart standards/my standards; Quantum KVD, Skeet Reece, Falcon Jason Christie etc) in a huge pile in clearance, but not marked down. Went back the next day - all gone! Then, in a more local Wal-Mart, suddenly the mother lode of mid-range ($60-80) spinning reels appears in the store. On clearance! It seems like there is no rhyme or reason to when deals pop up there.

I won't second-guess the black cavitron consensus. Where I fish in GA the bass love both the 1/2 oz chartreuse on chartreuse blade buzzbaits, and also brown and blue "bluegill" color baits. I've been using the inexpensive Strike King "banshee" buzzbaits sold at DSG and they seem to do well for me: they squeak like crazy, never fail to turn properly, and seem to have good hardware. Most importantly, the bass love them.

I can't improve on the thread Choporoz linked to, but I recently caught two sub-12-inch bass walking the 4.5-inch Rebel jumpin' minnow. Had tines from the rear treble in both the roof of the mouth and the lower jaw.