snake95

Planning a trip soon to SW Florida and will be doing some LMB fishing and bringing some bass gear: one of my baitcasters and a spinning rod. Hoping for a few mornings or evenings casting into the Gulf from shore too. I don't honestly know much about fishing in the Gulf. I don't think I'll be doing anything too serious. I am sure you CAN fish with anything that has a hook and line on it - but does it make sense to try to fish from shore in the Gulf with a baitcaster, or would it be better to pick up a cheap surfcasting setup while there? I know my reels aren't designed for saltwater - and I will be using a pretty basic BC reel. Can you just wash them down really well with fresh water afterwards? Where I am going I can leave gear there and use it again in the future. Interested to know if anyone has any experience with this.

I started baitcasting last year after growing up with spinning rods. Started out with left-handed reels and I feel perfectly comfortable with them. Yes, I know, if it ain't broke, don't fix it... And, I've read the extensive discussions on this forum and elsewhere about choosing LH vs RH, the history and pros/cons of each. I know there are some fairly strongly held beliefs about why you should choose one over the other, and most would say ultimately, if it feels good and works, go for it. Of course, ultimately the only way to know for sure what works for you best is to give it a try. I'm somewhat ambidextrous myself and thinking of giving it a shot. My question is, how many people routinely throw both LH and RH without skipping a beat when you change? Is that fairly common?

Went back yet again This time the manager confirmed they were selling them all for $15. I grabbed another two for my buddies and they even refunded the extra I paid yesterday. Hard to complain about that! So my point is - take the time to ask the actual department manager. Went by one that is local to me, and they were piled in a garbage can and hardly discounted at all. Go figure.

Ads, Yes!!! I took one out of the package and I can't for the life of me tell the difference from the version sold as a red eye shad. Everything, down to the paint job, looks identical. Has the nice oval split ring and (apparently) black nickel trebels. The only difference is (obviously) the packaging and price, and the fact they have a relatively limited color selection. In the water - it rattles and shakes like a redeye shad, fishes like one. I caught two small largemouth in about 15 minutes of fishing the 1/2 oz chartreuse belly craw in stained water in February - I guess about 45 degrees water temp. The Banshee line seems to go on sale for $4 each every few months or so, so I figure that's when I will stock up on them. Just wanted to add that I looked closer at other Banshee lures and they don't all appear to correlate to existing SK baits (e.g. the popper is not like the KVD splash popper - has more of an oval cup like the Rapala X-rap pop). Their excellent buzzbaits are absolutely among the best baits in my experience.

At the place I went they were not marked down as much, and it took a bit of time talking to the right floor manager to get them knocked down. You never know why that might be. I assume they didn't go as fast as the others because they are not flashy looking rods. Reviews seem to indicate they are decent quality for the base price. Good luck with it!

Thanks to you guys and this thread, I now have way more rods than I need. I took a break one day about a week ago and checked out one of the local stores and found the "mother lode" of discontinued or otherwise unwanted rods knitted together in a metal bin. They included the KVD series you mentioned, plus a ton of other brands and types. Once you overlooked the rod abuse, prices were mostly good: about 50% off the standard price -- but nothing for $10. I went back again 8 days later, and what do you know? The stock is whittled down to two trash cans with about 12 rods each. What was different? Some of them now had $15 each stickers on them! What a change - but by that point the KVD Crankin Rod I had my eye on was long gone. Thanks to the thread, asked a manager and she said I could expect 50% off at the register, so I grabbed a Falcon Jason Christie MH Spinnerbait/squarebill rod instead and after several calls back and forth, managed to checkout with a pretty good deal - $36. Still not $10 cheap, but a good lesson learned. I guess the point is check back frequently if you can. Thanks for the tips. Wanted to add - the sale prices are by no means uniform throughout the area - this one store is the only one of three that I checked with the clearance pricing. Some still had the KVD rods for $100, others had nowhere near the stock.

T-Bone, your description was the single best, most informative piece of writing I've read in my last month on this forum. (Well, that and a key repair explanation from DVT). Fishing plastics may be perfectly easy to the guys experienced with it, but that description of the process -- even if it is one of a million potentially effective ways to work it -- is so hard to come by. Thanks, bud. I'll fish it that way next time I'm out there with my soft stickbaits. Also great stuff. Are you describing your approach only for when you are targeting a specific spot you think might hold fish? Or, this is how you'd work a whole area of interest, such as a shallow bay or a long weedline? Do you mean to say that after you make that twitch or pop, you (typically) just crank the bait right back in? Or, Do you mean you make repeated twitch+pops/falls, and work it back to the boat or bank? If it varies, what factors determine when you vary your approach?

Last week I foul-hooked a small bass with a rattlebait in about 12 inches of water then got my first buzzbait hit in shallow water on a small pond. I took that to mean bass were bedding and didn't like the company. March 17 I saw my first pair of bass on the bed at another small pond. Just wanted to get the word out that the spawn is on in North Georgia.

First, the brand name seems to get censored for some reason. If there is something I'm missing about the name - please modify or delete the post as appropriate. Moving on... Lunker h... are well known for their frogs, but I found a load of their hard baits that look decent. I bought a few different types to test out. I did a few test casts with their popper and little squarebill today for the heck of it. The popper spit water pretty well when popped hard, and the dressed rear treble looked good. It had a fatter front profile that should get attention. The squarebill was about the size of a KVD 1.0 and floated quickly - so it was almost like a wakebait. I would like to know if anyone has had any luck or thoughts about them If you have tried this line of cheap baits out, which ones have worked for you, and how did you fish them?

Several produced well for me in the last 12 months. The standout had to be the Rapala crankin rap. They seem to be on clearance all over so maybe Rapala is discontinuing them. Have caught on just about every swimming depth they offer. Others on my list include: - Cotton cordell big-o and spot "knockoffs" from the bargain bin at Walmart - Bomber shallow A squarebill

The first jerkbait I have used. Tried it two weeks ago: the 3-hook model in pro blue in stained water about 50F and it produced for me. Tried my best to work the bait as KVD shows in YouTube videos, let it sit over grass. Suspended for me like in the videos. Bass smashed it. I'm kind of cheap and left the stock hooks on for now but the wire is pretty thin. Have seen some very low prices at the big box retailers in the last month, if they carry them.

Thanks, DVT. Yes, a brand new gen 3. I put one of the click springs between the two click washers, dimple up (out of the reel). It is now both tensioning and clicking. I thought the second click spring looked fishy. Who knows, maybe they stuck two in by mistake at the factory. I'll keep the second in case I ever need it again.

My fishing buddy (he's 7) helped me adjust the tension knob on my Revo STX and adjusted it right off. No problem - we didn't loose any parts. But we are left with the following: - Tension cap with a black gear-like insert (teeth out) inside - Two (would expect one?) - bronze-colored springs (not sure of the right term for them) - Another black gear-like insert I can re-assemble the parts easily enough (well not exactly, but with patience and tweezers). Sorry if my terminology is off - but hopefully the pic below will help. The tension cap is face down, of course. The question that remains is -- how are the two spring-like parts supposed to be positioned under the tension cap? Can anyone show me -- or direct me to -- a pic or diagram? The Abu Garcia parts diagram on the website is not clear enough to understand how the springs should be positioned properly. Thanks guys.

On March 5, a quick check shows the clearance baits in the Atlanta area are down to buy two get one free. That said, pickings are slim at this point. Good luck!

Just wanted to second Paul's comment. My recent experience was this: I bought a spincaster for my 7-year old son when he was 6 and that worked well to get him casting on his own and to learn to be self-sufficient. I went small, light, and cheap, but in no time I was frustrated with the poor quality of these reels and found he could handle the heavier Zebco 33 pretty quickly. If he hadn't been so small, the lighter setups would've been unnecessary and the 33 would've been the place to start. Our 33 won't win any awards for fit and finish, but it's held up to reasonable weekly use. I tried reeling in the 33 during an outing last week, and agree it felt extremely slow. Between the ages of 6-7, in one season, he went from using the 33 to casting crankbaits on my spinning rods like a pro, to burning buzzbaits with one of my baitcasters without a hint of backlash. If I were to start him at 6 I might start with the 33 - or one of the better reels mentioned by others. But I found that he picked up spinning and even baitcasting very quickly by that age, and so if you have any plans to move him away from spincasting once he gets comfortable, I would not count on the transition taking very long.

Really appreciate all the input. Glad to hear from others that were in a similar situation and starting out with plastics. I know some guys started fishing with plastics as kids, but where I'm originally from the emphasis was on minnow baits, cranks, and spoons for walleye, pike, etc. I really appreciate the suggestions about how to work a bait. That might sound crazy, but having no basis for comparison, I always wonder if I'm moving a plastic bait the "right" way -- I know, lots of approaches can work, but its good to feel confident in a few basics. Even well-made fishing videos often don't show detail about the action to impart (or not impart): they'll tell you about what bait to use and how to rig it, but then leave you wondering a bit about what the motion should look like to a bass. Also good to hear the emphasis on trying something and sticking with it, and that plastics require patience. I'm guilty of giving up after a half-hearted attempt and then going back to cranking away, when I know I'll get better with plastics if I focus and stick to it. I will make a effort to stick with one bait and rigging style at a time, and post the results.

Background: Started bass fishing seriously about 12 months ago. Most of my fishing is bank fishing shallow ponds in Georgia with stained water. I typically have limited time and fish in short 1/2 hr to 2 hr trips with my young kids. Our ponds have pretty limited cover (I think) but do have some drop-offs, a turbulent drainage discharge, and shoreline vegetation. I just got a castable fishfinder and already learning more about the conditions. The good: I've gotten pretty effective with crankbaits, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, and topwaters. These have been good for covering water given the stained environment and time limitations. The downside: I'd like to get good with plastics of various types, but have a hard time breaking out of my own pattern of pattern casting cranks. I've only ever caught a few fish on plastics: a couple on wacky-rigged dingers, and one fish on a texas-rigged trickworm. I haven't honestly used them much, because I've stuck with what has worked. I've read everything there is about rigging every type of plastic, and have accumulated a collection of plastics from craws to worms to creatures and flukes that would make most pros envious. If only I knew what to do with them. The question(s): For these conditions - stained water, limited cover, limited time, what would you start with to build confidence? Any and all? One in particular? I know the season and temps come into play, but in general?

I'm a bass fishing rookie, but here are two experiences for you: I caught a 7" long bass that aggressively smashed a 5" long 1/2 oz buzzbait in mid-50's water between Christmas and New Years. Today in N. Georgia it was low-50's, water was 48-50, and I saw schools of shad being attacked surface by bass. It might not be the best option, but it can't hurt to try.

Guys: I came up with something else to help reduce the chance of losing the Deeper: the "Deeper Keeper." Made a floating tail for the Deeper via one of the spare connection points. The tail consists of about 12" of 8 lb test mono tied to a tiny round plastic bobber. This Deeper Keeper at least gives me something to hook onto if the Deeper somehow breaks off my line. Might take several casts to drag a lure across this tail and snag the Deeper, but at least there is a fighting chance of getting ahold of it compared to almost no chance with just a slick, round black plastic ball. Tried a few casts. The tail doesn't really get in the way or get tangled. Maybe I'm crazy. But I feel like this has at least reduced the risk of losing it. I've retrieved lost floating lures in the past by hooking on to them, so I thought why not give yourself that option with the Deeper. Of course, the Deeper typically flies further than my longest casts. So that could present a limitation for the use of the tail.

Camaro, I checked and I am using a 6'-6" med Ugly Stik combo as available at big box stores for the price of the rod alone at a specialty store. The reel won't win any awards, but it can cast and crank the Deeper just fine. It says "medium" but I feel like that rod has a significantly larger diameter and stiffness through most of the blank than the 6'-0" medium version, so it seems to handle the Deeper ball pretty well. Seems like the ideal affordable setup to dedicate to the task.

I am right there with you. Thanks for posting all the details, Camaro. Really glad to compare notes and hope our combined initial experience helps someone else. Also got mine yesterday and tried in out on our ponds for about 10 casts yesterday, and 3 today. My limited experience is 100% in agreement with everything you have posted. Here's more on what I did and found: I agree the app s very easy and intuitive to download and use. I also have been saturating myself with videos on YouTube and felt like I was 100% prepared with no real learning curve to speak of, just playing with settings. Used a M or MH (not certain - just a stout one) ugly stick spinning combo with 30 lb Power Pro braid. Tied direct to one of the attachments with a simple Palomar knot. Feels like tossing a baseball. Found that you really "lob" this thing more so than cast it. With my setup it easily flew further than I can cast most lures, even when tossed with modest effort. I could imagine sending it nearly into orbit if you were to really cast it -- but didn't have the courage -- or more importantly, need -- to try that. The splashdown is like tossing a rock into the pond. Based on this, the best approach might be to map out the area of interest, then come back later to fish. I think it would spook a lot of fish. It connected easily about 85% of the time, not perfect - but acceptable. On a couple of the casts I had to reel it back to me before it re-connected A few things I learned -- both pretty obvious in hindsight, but I was a little slow to figure out: 1. It doesn't connect to the phones bluetooth unless plugged in, or the transducer is immersed -- i.e. it disconnects the second it is out of the water. I went away thinking there was something wrong with my new unit -- but I sent a help message to the manufacturer before going to bed, and they responded before I got up explaining this. 2. You are supposed to line up the arrows on the device to ensure a water tight seal (it opens up to reveal a charging port). My concern about potentially losing the Deeper on a cast has been relieved a bit by the fact that it is not really cast on a tight line with significant tension through the cast, as would be the case when you have with a heavy lure you are trying to cast as far as possible. The plots are very clear on an iphone 6, and very easy to understand. It will clearly be a fantastic tool for learning a new location, as well as understanding old ones better. I have already learned that my main pond is much deeper (8-10 ft) on the upstream embankment than I ever expected. I also found a couple of depressions that might hold fish in the future, and one that apparently held one today. It also looks like it will be great for identifying cover that holds fish, and in particular, for identifying cover that could potentially snag a bait. You could almost argue that this alone will partially pay for the unit in terms of snags avoided. I don't think there is anything more difficult about bank fishing than the risk of having to break off lures snagged on unseen cover that you can't access. I think it will be great for learning a new place in ways that aren't even really possible by dragging a weighted lure, or by probing from a boat. Mine worked right to the 3 ft depth as advertised, maybe as low as 2 ft. At a discharge outlet, it seemed to give false "fish" readings, presumably due to turbulence. Not confident it will work in fast-moving water. There will always be some amount of risk that the line will break. You have to be willing to live with that risk, or potentially be prepared to go for a swim. I now feel that risk is worth the trade-off considering the value of the data gathered. To add to Camaro's comments: the upper two connection points are "beefed up" with material and I feel pretty confident in that. The lower point is in the main unit. I can't see the connections being a big risk. Hope this helps -- good luck!!

Same here, Camaro, I'm going to give it a shot, and will do the same. Going to just carefully tie the best knot I possibly can on some strong braid. Then cast away. Might put some bright tape or something on it to help find it if it gets away on me. Will also post once I get to try it out.

I really like the idea of the castable "Deeper" brand fishfinder. The vast majority of my fishing right now is from the bank or docks; we often fish shallow ponds, but also get out to some deep water on southern reservoirs and along the coast. Does anyone have any experience with it? In particular, I'd like to get thoughts on the risk of losing it. I figure I would cast it with 60 lb braid on a dedicated med-heavy rod. I would be pretty careful about where I use it and my casting aim, and check my knot well before casting. But man, I have a hard time casting $10 baits out, not sure if I have the guts to cast a $200 electronic ball. If you have one, how concerned are you that you'll lose it? Does it impact how you use it? Or, do you just tie it on carefully and cast away without a second thought?

Rapala Crankin Rap 05 - Firetiger. Almost every time I went out. Late summer, fall, and right through to New Year's day (aren't rattling cranks supposed to hibernate in the winter?)

Meant to add, if you like Rebel stuff, the company has a great facebook page to follow. Pretty much every day they post pics of old and new baits, recent catches, and discuss fishing areas. I follow them so I can get my daily dose of Rebel eye candy and check out their positive comments. Their facebook page extols the virtues of getting kids fishing and protecting the resource. Sure, its part of their marketing, but it's a whole lot more enjoyable to check out a bunch of lures and positive comments, than some of the other negative stuff out there in other media. I also like the fact that their lures are affordable and work. I admire fancy lures as much as the next angler, but like that someone is producing effective, cool-looking, easy-to-use baits that are accessible to pretty much anybody.