IndianaFinesse

First off anything can be fished on 100$ rods (and much less), but sensitivity isn't even helpful for topwater or jerkbaits, and is not important for cranks as long as you can still feel what you're banging it off of. Can't help you with the Loomis's, closest I've ever been to owning one is drooling on one in a tackle store. You will be blown away by how light and sensitive they are when you pick one up.

Would that be any good for green bass, if you didn't keep the bait as far above them?

It is entirely personal preference, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. End of story.

Yep, use code FREEDOM17 for %20 off. Not sure if it's still going, if it is there isn't much time left.

Most years I would tell you the ned rig, but there has been so much weeds this year I haven't thrown it much. I've also been trying to avoid fishing it, to force me to learn new techniques. I couldn't pick a single technique this year, but a shallow crank, buzzbait, walking popper, frog, suspending jerkbait, blade bait, and early in the year half of a zinkerz on a 1/16 ounce mushroom head. Deep crank's been catching me a fair amount of fish lately also.

Haven't ever fished geist before, almost went there for a tournament area months ago but it was cancelled because of the amount of debris in the water. Shoot @BigBassLoveSenkos a pm, he might be able to help you out with geist. BTW, it is possible (although unlikely) to catch some bigger bass in Indiana, I was lucky enough to catch an 8.2 pound bass the spring before last.

Pretty much this ^

No budget? It's time to break out the nrx's and metaniums baby!!!

Are you asking for the hook size or the jig weight? I use a #4 or #2 hook usually on a 1/16 ounce mushroom head, but occasionally I'll drop it down to 1/32 or bump it up to 3/32.

If I had to guess, its a combination of not very many lakes (or big lakes either) compared to the number of anglers fishing them, and our physical location. There seems to be a "dead zone" between the north and south parts of the country. We're not far enough north to get the increased number and size of lakes and fish with longer lifespans, but not far enough south to get larger lakes and Florida/Northern strain crosses. Look at other states in the section I'm talking about, Ohio, kansas, Illinois, etc. all of varying degrees of poor bass fishing. Indiana just happens to be either the worst, or one of the worst. I can't seem to find the article, but I believe @Team9nine has done a lot of research on this subject. Yeah, I've been finishing in about the top 20% each tourney this year with our best day being two fish for something like 5.5 pounds. Weighing a fish puts you in the top 20-45% depending on the day.

Still better than here in Indy, no Indiana lake has never made the top 100 list. I you rank the states by the average tournament winning bag, Indiana ranks dead last in the country.

I lost eight different keeper bass in one day, and any two of them would have won the 98 boat event. One fish looked to be big enough to win it on it's own, I still have nightmares about that fish.

Losing fish in a tournament, repeatedly, that would have put you in the money.

Another vote for the pad crasher junior, but I think you will have a hard time fishing it and setting the hook with your current set up. If you have anything heavier powered than the light, use it instead. Medium heavy preferably.

Running out of trolling motor battery.

I'm fishing the the state championship next weekend on Monroe (provided the boat shop can get our boat fixed, the power packs went out on it and they said that they would be lucky to get it done on Friday, but I'm just going to have to plan like we're going to fish it). Frustrating after missing a qualifier tournament earlier in the year cause of the boat, and now after we just managed to qualify for state our boat has more problems. Anyway, does anyone have any reports out of Monroe? What's the predominate patterns going? How much vegetation and pads are there this year? Is it worth going upriver right now? I would prefer of to be low and dropping for upriver, I'm not sure if it would be good with two foot high rising water. Any info on Monroe would be greatly appreciated. We almost certainly won't be able to prefish, and we will be lucky to fish the tournament at all, so I'm going to have to go off of research if we do make it.

The only time I'm going to pick up a whopper plopper over a buzzbait is when the buzzer is a little to fast moving for them, or during a downpour when I need all of the water displacement I can get. The 130 size is used during the down pour, and the 90 when they want a slower buzzbait. I use buzzbaits for everything else.

Good deal, but I can't afford to save that much money lol.

What's the minimum?

Pleasure boaters would be at the top of my list.

Megastrike clacker cavitron.

Do you throw chartreuse in muddier waters than black? I haven't ever tried chartreuse before (just black and white) might have to get one.

You won't be very successful if you only use one retrieve each for each different bait! You have to experiment with speeds, twitching, pausing and so forth on each particular day.

A place we aren't supposed to mention gets most of my business, but fishing factory outlet and e-bay have some great deals at times. Other than them I also occasionally buy from, tacklewarehouse, cabelas bargain cave, and Academy. BTW, never purchase anything from basspro. Way over priced. Edit, amazon also has some good deals at times but are all over the map. One color might be half the price of elsewhere and another might be $1,000. Not joking.

To me it looks like the fish only half wanted it (or missed the bait), considering the crank isn't even really inside its mouth. I kinda doubt the fish could even see the dot, let alone try to eat the dot specifically. Thanks for the reply though.