BrackishBassin

So, jigs don’t work for you once it gets cold? Hope that’s not the case. It’s pretty much all I’ve got left in my cold water arsenal. Jerkbaits have been a complete bust as have soft plastics, both weighted and unweighted.

Thanks! I’ll definitely be picking up more jigs, if I can catch a fish with one. Made a rule for myself - no new lures of a particular type until I catch a fish with one. Was able to knock out plastics, frogs, poppers, whopper plopper, and buzzbaits this year. But no luck with any of my jigs. Even tried throwing a bitsy bug in a pond with a trailer that had been catching fish all day thrown weightless, but there were zero takers. So, I hope that I can manage to catch one on either the black/blue or green pumpkin Booyah Boos that I have, or I’ll be stuck with them for another season without any to add to the collection.

Thanks! It’s a privately owned pond, and I don’t plan on keeping any. I doubt that DNR would worry about it, but I’ll see what the law says. I have two jig colors currently - black/blue and a green pumpkin. The green pumpkin is heavier than I’d like (it’s no deeper than 10’), but I lost my 3/8 green pumpkin this summer to a log.

True enough.

So, I have a local pond I fish quite a bit. It’s where I caught my PB. I was fishing it earlier this week to try out some cold water techniques (tried a jerk bait and worm slowly drug on the bottom), but got skunked. Then I realized that up and down the bank, as far as I could see, were crawfish chimneys. In spite of all the grass, I’ve decided to try fishing a jig and craw combo to see if I can’t get some fish this winter. The only problem is, I’ve never actually seen a crawfish there. Never seen a dead one, or found one in a bass’ mouth. Does anyone happen to know if digging up/around the chimneys would work if I wanted to get my hands on one to try and match the coloring with a jig? I’d like to avoid buying 10 different colors and just trying them until one works. Would rather start off matching the hatch. Any other suggestions for ways for me to figure out what color they are would be greatly appreciated. Another thing I should probably ask is anyone aware of any other aquatic species that build chimneys like that along the bank? Don’t want to waste time imitating crawfish if there aren’t any in the area. Thanks!

Not sure what WalMart has available, but I’ve used my Penn Fierce 2 and an Ugly Stik Elite to fish everything from trout to the surf. Never had any issues. Going to run you a bit more than what you’re looking to spend, but I’m afraid that if you buy any of those freshwater combos and aren’t really, really attentive to cleaning them after every saltwater trip, they’re all going to end up rusting on you like the previous combo did.

Use it until it dies on you and then just buy something else. Got a L Daiwa combo from Dick’s. They were buy one get one. I could tell the reel is a piece of junk, but it’s held up so far. I’ll use it until it fails.

I’ve wanted to get into jigs myself, but every time I fish one I spend all my time dredging up grass. So, I stick with the t-rigs.

Sorry dude. I’m having to do the same with some hard baits. Especially since I was able to get the go ahead for another combo ahead of Christmas.

I tossed a Shimano reel in my cart. Discount was applied then. Even more than the listed sale price. Interesting that it seems to be different for everyone.

Just to back up what everyone else is saying - Booyah. I like both the pad crasher and the popping version. Greatly prefer them to the Spro I picked up earlier this year.

I’ll keep my eye out, thanks! That’s one thing I love about the Tatula CT. It feels solid and makes no noise when I’m fishing it.

Thanks! The one pond I fish matches that description to a T.

Looking to keep the total cost for rod and reel at or under $200.

I agree entirely. That’s why I wanted some input on those recommendations. By buying another Tatula CT, I’d be essentially locking myself into Daiwa. As a bank beater, I never carry more than 3 combos with one of them being a spinning rod for weightless presentations.

He is, for sure. I’m still new to bass fishing (longtime saltwater guy) and want to try out different options before I lock myself into just one brand. I do really like my Tatula CT, but I will say that there are things I don’t love about it. The line guide is one of them. I think it’s a great concept, but it keeps me from being able to put my finger on the line to feel for ticks and it will occasionally not line up correctly and I’ll have to re-seat the line and continue reeling. I’m sure it helps with casting distance, but how much? Is it worth it in the long run? I just don’t have enough experience with other products to know for sure. That’s why I appreciate all the input provided by members of this forum.

So, you think getting another Tatula CT would be a better bet then?

Going to need to check out a conversion chart for their power numbers vs power names. Not familiar enough with how they match up. Appreciate it!

It would replace my current MH combo, so, yes, in a manner of speaking. I tend to throw all my moving baits (minus the larger ones) on my M combo. So, this combo would be more for my larger baits and the usual worms, jigs, etc.

So, I’ve been contemplating replacing my first baitcasting combo (Black Max) with something better. It’s a great combo, and I still plan on using it for throwing frogs and fishing a heavily weeded local pond, but after fishing my M combo that’s got a Daiwa Tatula CT on it, I find it lacking. Some YouTube guys I watch do a yearly gift guide and recently covered combos for under $200. Their suggestion was a Dobyns Fury or Shimano Exage paired with a Shimano Casitas 150. So, my question is, does anyone have experience with those particular pieces of gear? I’m interested in hearing it all - the good, the bad, and the ugly. I’ve never fished a Shimano reel before. How would that Casitas fish in comparison to my Tatula CT? I can almost always find another one of those on eBay for about $89, but the Casitas would cost me a bit more barring a good Black Friday deal. Thanks! Any and all input would be appreciated!

You use the naked or the skirted one? How does it do in grass? Everything I fish has quite a bit of vegetation

I really like the Xcite squarebill I got in one of my boxes. Works great along a rip rap dam I fish pretty often. Usually catch at least one or two fish with it and it’s crazy heavy, so it’s easy to cast even in the wind.

If you have a MH, you can probably get away with throwing frogs on that. I have a heavily covered local pond I fish (wall to wall lily pads), and I haven’t had an issue throwing the frog on a MH. Disclaimer - the biggest bass I’ve caught there was just a little over 2lbs. Don’t know how it would do with a bigger girl.

Here’s the link. Now, I believe he’s using a MH in the video, but it’s still pretty applicable. As as far as testing my ML goes, I know for a fact that it can lift a 5lb bass over/through a bunch of bushes.

Guess I’ll give the magnum popper I have a shot. And possibly the grass burner.