GreenGhostMan

My preferred worms are the Zman finesse wormz. They truly float so they always stand tail up, even when dead sticking. This can be particularly deadly when there is a little current in the water. Due to the elaztech material they are made out of, they can be difficult to rig on most shakey head jigs. It can be really hard to screw them down on there. A trick I learned from someone else's post was to heat up the spring lock with a lighter before screwing them on. But Zman soft plastics are extremely durable. I've had single worms last an entire day before and still be good to use on the next day of fishing. Strike King also has a finesse worm thats made out of the same elaztech material and fishes the same. If you don't want to carry around a lighter, some of the popular brands that are widely available are zoom trick worms, zoom finesse worms and roboworms. But don't restrict yourself to worms. You can fish just about any soft plastic on a shakey head. I like using flukes, craws and 3" pit bosses on shakeyheads too.

I'm newer to bass fishing as well and have been in the process of growing my crankbait collection. Don't know if it's the best way to go, but I try to make sure I have at least these 3 bases covered for each depth or profile of crankbait. Shad pattern (sexy shad, tenn shad, gizzard shad, etc.; a mostly white color) Bright color (chart black back; powder blue chart; chart perch; etc.) Craw color (red, brown with orange, black, etc.) I think this should cover all your bases. Shad pattern for clear conditions and if shad are present. Bright color when the water is stained or if bluegill is forage. And a craw color when bass are feeding on crawfish.

I got a senko do-it mold and an injector for xmas. Plan to cut up and melt a bunch of torn plastics I've been saving to test it out and get the hang of it. Going to melt the plastic in a pyrex in the microwave. Are there any health concerns with the fumes the melted plastic may give off? Should I be wearing a respirator or something?

Looks like you are a natural. All look awesome.

I have a few Dobyn's Fury rods. I like them and use them a lot. But I would suggest a Daiwa Tatula rod. sportsmansoutfitters.com has them for $109. Heck of a deal for that price. I actually just ordered my 2nd Tatula from them this morning. Very light, great balance, very sensitive, strong backbone and they look like a $200+ rod. The negatives some people mention are the small diameter grip and the short stubby trigger. Neither of these bother me at all, but everyone is different. Can't go wrong with a Dobyn's Fury, but for the price of $109, the Tatula is hands down better.

X2. Just bought my 2nd Tatula a couple hours ago. Amazing rods for $109.

Agree with this guy. Trilene XL is very limp, but also very stretchy.

Should start seeing damiki rig instructional videos flooding youtube... I'm sure z-man and other soft plastic companies are drawing up molds for damiki specific flukes as we speak.

haha. I have Lew's on all my rods except one. What reel do you have on your 7'2"?

Just placed an order for a new swim jig/chatterbait/spinnerbait rod less than 15 minutes ago. 7'2" MH-Reg Daiwa Tatula. Probably won't be buying another rod for a while, but I'm thinking the next one could be a short (6'6" to 6'10") medium moderate for jerkbaits. Or another 6'10" MH Daiwa Tatula... such a versatile, work horse rod.

Sweetness... You guys sold me. Just placed my order at sportsmansoutfitters. They have them for $109. Pairing it with a Lews LFS. Thanks for all the input!

Thanks MassYak. I'm currently using my 6'10" for swim jigs right now too, but would like to make it my texas rig rod. Have the funds to buy a new set up and would like to just keep a texas rig on my 6'10 and not have to retie when I reach for a swimjig or vice versa.

Both of my spinning setups are Shimano Saharas. A 1000 and a 2500. There is a new edition Sahara coming out, so a lot of places have the previous models on sale. I picked one up at Dicks for $59. I don't use spinning setups near as much as casting, but I've never had any problems out of them. Smooth and reliable at a good price.

I picked up a sahara 2500 on sale from Dicks a couple weeks ago for $59. I don't finesse fish as much so I go pretty cheap on my spinning setups. Paired it with a Berkley lightning 6'6" medium. Nothing fancy, but takes care of my occasional shakey head fishing.

Awesome. I have a Fury 733 and it's a great action, but feels more like a medium than a MH to me. Sort of want that same bend action but beefier backbone.

Want to add another rod to my arsenal. I would like to be able to keep a texas rig on my Tatula without having to retie. Currently using it for swimjigs, but its a little stiffer than I would like for swimjigs and chatterbaits.

Hello all! I'm in the market for a new swimjig rod. Would also like to use it for spinnerbaits/chatterbaits and the occasional lipless crank. I have a 6'10" MH-Fast Daiwa Tatula paired with a Lew's Tournament MB and absolutely love it for texas rigging and jigs 3/8 and under. Would like to get another Tatula for swimjigs and chatterbaits, but I'm not exactly sure which action to get. I'm thinking the 7'2" MH-Regular (TAT721MHRB). Does anyone have any experience with this rod? Or would you suggest a different action? Not sure exactly what regular means... I would think it means moderate, but from what I've read a lot of people say the Tatula regular is more like mod-fast. If this is true, mod-fast is sort of what I'm looking for. Any input would be appreciated!

Did another company pick up the XCS crankbaits or is Ebay the only place to buy them? I know Booyah does XCalibur's old lipless, but have never heard about XCS going under a different name. To answer OP's question.... For squarebills, I use Storm Arashi, KVD 1.5, bomber square A. I plan on buying some Spro Fat John 60s, heard good things about them. Keep in mind that Spro Little Johns are more of a flat sided crank bait. They will have a wobble thats more on the tight side. Doesn't make them a bad crankbait, but I generally would reach for something else once the water warms up. Deeper crankbaits - Rapala DTs, wiggle warts, SK 3XDs and 5XDs. Plan on adding some Spro Fat Papa 55s to the rotation this season.

4lb largemouth on a chart/white eco pro tungsten rapid fire spinnerbait, 3/8oz.

I'm in the process of getting some new rods in the $100 range and have been narrowing it down the last few weeks. Just last weekend I was at a store that had the Furys right next to the Powell Infernos. I haven't fished either, but just by looking at them and handling them in store, I eliminated the Powells. Fury rods felt more balanced, more solid, and looked better made to me. Pretty much every attribute you could gather from handling them in store, the Fury seemed better. Everything is relative though. Someone could come right behind me and have the opposite reaction.