MassYak85

I don't think being cloudy is enough. I think that cloud cover needs to be on the leading edge of a front for it to trigger those memorable days of bass feeding up. I think we have one of those and the weather sticks in our minds as "fishy weather" and we just remember the clouds. But a looooot of my worst days have been cloudy days, usually in the days trailing a front.

When they're not actively chasing in the Fall I do like to go back shallow and pick apart those shallow areas and look for the healthiest clumps of vegetation or hard cover amongst the dying vegetation. Seems to pay off.

I kept one for about 4-5 years and just kind of stopped. I think it helped me reflect on the day as I was writing it but being able to draw patterns looking back on it, maybe not so much. At least I don't think I was drawing any insights that I didn't already know, and I didn't want to start leaning on it and "fishing history" so to speak. It's always good to have a good starting point but being too locked in to what "should" be working can be dangerous to.

Usually in the Fall every year I’ll get either a pin white perch or pin crappie by accident on a tailspin. The big ones seem to like chasing the schooling baitfish almost as much as the bass. I think last year the crappie came on a vision 110 actually. It’s always interesting cause they’re just so wide you hook one and swear it’s a 4lb bass at first cause of how much water resistance they have lol.

Nice one! Nice crappie too. Always love catching big slabs and big perch on bass gear by accident. Did you get a length? Looks like it could have been a pin.

I avoid micro-guides on any rod I know will see a leader.

2. I have not had any issues with the T-wing down to sub-feezing temps. Ice accumulates but no more than any other line guide. 3. Not sure how this is the case since it's locked around the levelwind housing and and rides on a pawl the same as any other line guide. 4. This is my only major gripe. I simply use a shorter leader (6'). 5. Not really. I service all my reels and never have an issue. The levelwind housing just has a part of it that interlocks with the thumb bar assembly and you have to remember to interlock the two when reassembling. It isn't difficult at all. 6. Never had an issue doing the "bow" method with a T-wing.

I like the T-wing BUT as someone who uses braid to leader a lot I would like a couple options from Daiwa that don't have it. For a while I was buying Fuegos for this reason and swapping out parts from the Tatula series to get the best of both.

For me it's not necessarily about the shore but I just need something concrete to lock in on. Whether that's a point, or a break, or a rock pile. I just need some sort of cover/structure so I feel grounded. It's hard for me to "cover water" so to speak when it's deep. Blade baits are definitely one of those deeper confidence baits for me though. I think my main struggle is it's usually windy in the colder months as the weather changes and it's hard for me to be confident in what I'm fishing when I can barely feel the bottom because there's a huge bow in my line.

Which is why this will be so devastating to small businesses. A large company can absorb or spread out incurred costs, take out necessary loans, or shift around other aspects of the business. Small stores do not have that luxury. A single down year can torch those places.

I find "clear" is relative. To the bass living there 2' of visibility might be the clearest water they ever experience but on another lake if visibility drops from 10' to 3' it could totally throw them off. I also struggle with going deep but I have to remind myself the fish can still sense and find prey even if I can't see well into the water. I also have to remind myself that 20' isn't that far lol. Look at a bass boat going by, bow to stern doesn't seem very far if you're standing on it, so I try not to let 20-30ft intimidate me.

I've used the double fluke in the past with pretty good success. Only issue is if the pickerel are hungry they make a real mess of the rig.

Going to work I turned on the heat in my car this week! Definitely stay keen on things changing. In the past I have definitely hung on to summer patterns through September waiting for specific water temperatures and didn't take a step back to realize the changes I as waiting for already happened.

Yea don't try and fish lures at the low end of the weight rating, at least to start. You need something that will load the rod while you're getting used to it. I'd try 1/2oz jigs/chatterbaits and T-rigs to get a feel for it first.

Like with anything, there are diminishing returns. Tons of great rods at the 100 or 150 dollar price point that will fish well and even meet technique specific requirements well. But step into that 200-400 range and you can really dial in "dedicated" setups, squeeze out some extra sensitivity with the component quality, and balance a specific reel better. Above that it's just more of the same, savings grams on weight, better balance, better sensitvity, but at that point you're really squeezing out drops for HUNDREDS extra. For most people that's just not worth it. I stick to the 150-250 range personally.

I typically don't. I like the compact profile and the skirt has two longer "strands" of rubber ribbon that almost act like a trailer by themselves. It does have a small wire keeper so you can definitely add one but I think the overall action might be thrown off by a 4 or 5" trailer. Something in that 3-3.5" range is probably better. I'd definitely put it more on the "finesse" side as far as spinnerbaits go but the hook holds up to big fish which is part of why I like it.

Does anyone know what happened to Rocky Ledge Tackle? I'd always see them at the fishing shows around here and they made some killer spinnerbaits but I don't see their website anymore? Edit*: Ugggh they retired (good for them) in the Spring. Wish I had caught that I would have gone to their last show and stocked up.

One reason I really like the Megabass SV3 is it has a decent fall on slack line. There's times when I can't get them to commit to normal retrieve or even quick handle turns or rod pumps to get a reaction bite but they're there, looking at it all the way to the boat. Sometimes mid retrieve if I kill it and let it fall for a second or two I can actually get a consistent pattern out of it. Having a bait that actually falls somewhat naturally and the blades react consistently when I do is pretty big. I wish they made them in more colors because I literally only fish the gill one. Another I'll mention that I don't see people talk about a lot is the Bl8nkt Shiv. It's a heavier duty spinnerbait cause these guys are out of the Cali Delta so I like it for the spring or when I want a bigger profile especially with a trailer. Beefy long hook only downside is no keeper. Also does anyone know what happened to Rocky Ledge Tackle? They made some of my favorite finesse spinnerbaits and were at most of the new england fishing expos, but I don't see their website anymore? That sucks huge if they went out of business. (Edit*: They retired I guess 😭)

Forgot about this one... After looking at the new price on TW, I think I'd like to forget again. Yikes I remember trying these when they were 14.99 and gritted my teeth.... now 22.99??!! On the topic of prohibitively expensive Japanese baits, I also want to shout out the Jackal DoooN. My only gripe is the hook, it's very light wire, which does not lend well to how I fish spinnerbaits. But for someone that likes lighter line, more open water, and softer rods these could be very good. I like the 3.8 keitech EZ shiners as a trailer because these are one of the few spinnerbaits that have a good trailer keeper.

Personally I've settled on the Megabass SV3, they're pricey though (especially now with tariffs). My other favorite is the War Eagles. That's stock out of the package for both. I haven't found what I would consider a "perfect" spinnerbait yet though.

Been doing a lot of hiking and not a lot of fishing this year. Next year I'm hoping to swap back. I still haven't caught a 5lber this year! It's probably been a decade since that's happened but there's still time!

I specifically use 4 carrier because I find it saws through lily pad stems better.

Mattlures Hardgill is underrated IMO and fits in that size. That and a Gantarel are hard to beat for bluegill baits. The Psycho Gill is also a staple bluegill style wake bait but can be a bit harder to get. 7" or 9" MS Slammer is also a classic bait. Even if there are no trout. You'll love the PB rat. The sound is so unique. The 2-piece is more versatile IMO.

The thing with AI is you still need to be knowledgeable enough to know when it's wrong or it's fairly useless. Some confirmation is always nice to have but what if it told you to go fish a jerkbait in 40ft of water with 15 second pauses? You'd probably scratch your head, but that's because you already know better. The real benefit of AI is automating mundane tasks that we know how to do but would take us forever to actually do. Imagine giving it a topographic map of a 30 mile lake and highlighting the areas that meet specific criteria. If you're trying to fish secondary points at certain depths it could spit you back a map in seconds with those locations highlighted for the entire lake, which might have taken you hours to do yourself. Imagine uploading the last 5 years of your tackle warehouse purchase history to AI, asking it to analyze your most frequent purchases, and then monitoring their price history and notifying you when they go on sale.

I believe it's technically copoly but I use PLine PF Original for big baits in 20lb and 25lb and love it. It's also cheap as hell. 3000yds of 25lb for like 65 bucks means I can respool anytime I even have the faintest inkling the line might be bad.