SPEEDBEAD.

I hope no one fishes the same stuff I do around me honestly. If the price of the bait scares people away from throwing them, it's just another leg up on the competition (the bass, not a tourney guy).

They are good baits. Pretty popular in the upper Midwest and Northeast. Very durable, which is nice since we have toothy fish. The tail kick is kinda subtle. I agree that his new bluegill bait does look promising.

Dropping it in cool water after boiling can help with the wait time. Your bait shouldn't still be that hot after an hour though. Letting it sit on it's side in the box, especially if it is warm outside, will just kink your tail again. Make a box that allows the baits to hang down and you won't have to worry about it. Just about the only bait I have seen that doesn't get kinked is the RealPrey stuff made from silicon.

I like CLP also.

Seems to loosen up the plastic a bit. Some guys hang them by the tail for drying and have said that it lengthens the bait a bit. I don't have firsthand experience with that though. I boil most of my baits, right out of the box. Things can get funny when they sit in a bag or clamshell. It boosts my confidence if I know a bait will run true. One bit of advice: Only boil the back half of the bait, at most. I made the mistake of dipping a whole bluegill once. Eyes came right off the bait.

Very carefully.

Yep, wading. It's fun standing waist deep in moving water with a 3 foot long fish swimming around you.

One is a good night, two is pretty darn special. Caught, photographed, released two toothies last night in about 2.5 hours.

LOL, you have read some of my aimless ramblings right? You're in good company. No need to split.

I gotta throw it out there that I work a second job solely to support my fishing and gun habits. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do. LOL

LOL, FOS. That cracked me up.

I realize that these things aren't for everybody and honestly, I'm good with that. I'm a little off the beaten path most times and this goes hand-in-hand with my personality. I fish for one fish (or two if I'm lucky ). In the time I've been throwing these things, I've lost only a couple lures. When compared to the fish I've caught, the price is relatively small. I fully believe that without those specific lures in those specific situations, not all of those fish would have bit.

Just as you pointed out with your reels, you will never know until someone shows you or you try for yourself. Your assumptions about "ultra realistic swimbaits" are just that. Until you have used one or seen it applied properly, you are just grasping at straws as to whether or not a generic minnow bait will produce just as well. I'll concede that in some situations, you are absolutely correct in that they will eat whatever is in front of them. However, the days where they are in lockdown or in less than ideal conditions, you will see a difference. I've seen it. Others have too.

Last night was the first time I had it in the water. I think its a keeper. It's a converted SK, just called it a SS to ease any confusion here. LOL

No clue, that was the second one of the night. Water was really warm and I didnt want to keep it out any longer than I had to. Mid 30's probably. Both fish were really thick but didnt have length. My buddy I fish with (who catches WAAAY more skis than I do) reported seeing one that was pushing 50. He doesnt fish the big stuff so he gave me a call to see if I could tempt the big girl. Only the little sisters wanted to play though.

Yeah, I would. Different strokes for different folks. In the last week I've thrown free Bassmaster baits I got for previously signing up and I've also thrown $200+ baits. Deps Slide Swimmer from last night.... It doesn't make me a better person for spending the money on them and it doesn't make anyone a better person for saving their money for something else. It's just fishing. Fish what you want and what you feel gives YOU the best opportunity for the fish of a lifetime. As long as someone isn't waving the $$$ in your face (which yeah, I have a problem with), then just go fish. It's supposed to be fun, whether you are fishing an NRX/Stella combo or a snoopy rod.

Off topic, but I can't catch anything on the A-rig.

Still jealous.

Sorry, computer took a dump yesterday here. You are correct, I would absolutely recommend the LDC Production XH for the Deps. The Mother is a whole new ballgame however. With a bait that big, you are looking at his XXH Parabolic series rods and all reports indicate that this stick is the ultimate for throwing super sized baits. I don't have the Mother but I'm tight with a few guys who do have them and throw them regularly. I'll take their word for it and pass it on to you as the truth,100%. I dont know about using the MHX blank for this purpose DVT. I've heard good things about their conventional blanks but just because something says it's in the weight rating, that isnt always the case. Some of the Dobyns stuff is rated for super heavy baits but you'd be hard pressed to even hold the bait on the line without the rod feeling taxed, let alone actually casting it. JFranch is correct also about the St. Croix, even the LT Musky rod Big Dawg. It's rated to 12oz but I don't put much stock in that. 8oz for sure, but with the Mother being 10+ that is a big difference especially if you really want to lean into a cast. Bottom line, contact Ben at Low Down Custom if you are truly interested in the ultimate swimbait rod. He makes swimbait sticks. That's it. He also throws these baits and catches the fish that swimbaits are intended to target. Even if you don't purchase a rod from him, give him a call. I can guarantee you will come away from the conversation having learned something valuable. Tell him the guy with the beard sent you.

Please, step away from the pipe sir. It has affected your ability to see straight.

I may be getting old, but I recall one of the first Roadtrips where the guy gave a talk at Guntersville and recommended just spraying it onto the filler spool, occasionally as you were winding the line on the reel and then when you finished. He stated that using a cloth could put extra fibers on your line and that was no bueno. May have changed the directions to the "synthetic fabric" use, but I'll just stick to spraying it on. If it ain't broke...

I just fish.

Nice review. I will tell you that the manufacturer/distributor of the L&L recommends that you not run the line through a KVD soaked rag.

Local paper had a pic of a kid with an albino groundhog he shot. Never even heard of one before. Pretty creepy looking honestly.

Had a buddy yesterday that owns a .40 shield tell me about this. He had a rusting issue with it already as well. Needless to say, not really pleased with S&W right now. On a positive note, I still love my m&p's