wdp

Tom, in your experience is Big Game any better or does it have any advantages over Trilene XT? I've used Trilene XT a little in the past with no issues - it casted well & didn't seem to break off much. I've just used fluoro and braid so much the last 10 yrs, I know it's gonna be hard to use mono again. Last time I tried to use mono, I switched back to fluoro on that rod after one fishing trip. Fluoro is just so much more sensitive with much less stretch. Mono feels way too "mushy" for me, especially cranking and spinnerbaits. No way I could use mono for soft plastics - I use all braid. But I'm pretty sure mono is gonna be the best option for the specific topwaters I mentioned.

As others on here have stated, the problem with giving rod tip actions is that they really can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. I prob like a little bit stiffer rod tip for flukes, senkos, etc. than most people do. To me, it gives me a little bit better hook set. But my point was you prob want a little bit flex in rod tip to work the bait, but not too much. Personally, I go to diff sporting good stores & pick up a bunch of diff rods until I find one I think will work good for whatever presentation I want to fish with the rod. Big thing is, you can get couple packs of all the baits I mentioned plus couple packs of the EWG hooks and they'll all work on that same hook, rigged weightless and texposed. Plus, you can use the same rod/reel set up. So in the end, not an overly huge investment.

I really cut my teeth fishing some densely covered lakes - tons of grass & lily pads. Finally found the best baits and set up were as follows: 7ft MH rod with fairly stiff tip, but not too stiff. 30 lb braid line, I prefer power pro. 5" senko type stick baits 5" soft plastic jerk baits, I prefer Zoom super flukes. Buzz frogs, I prefer Stanley Ribbit & Zoom Horny Toads. Couple packs of 5/0 EWG Gamakatzu hooks. The great thing about these baits, they'll all work on that 5/0 EWG hook and you can change baits quickly on the fly. If the bass won't hit the topwater frog buzzed around the vegetation, then you can easily switch to the fluke or the senko. Some of my best days were when I'd twitch a fluke or senko into gaps in the grass or lilies, then dead stick the bait & let it flutter down.

I use nothing but Power Pro for braid. I've tried a few others & always go back to Power Pro. I've never tried Spiderwire. But I had a buddy that used it & he cussed that stuff on every trip for bout 2 yrs. I never laughed so hard on a few occasions. ??? He finally switched to power pro too, and just went back to using mono for a lot of his rods.

Typically, I switch baits before trying new locations. But I fish pretty small lakes & ponds that I'm familiar with. I pretty much already know the prime locations. If I'm not getting bit, I'll switch it up to using something completely different. If still no bites, I move on to another prime spot. I might keep this up for a few hours until I work my way back to the original spot. Sometimes, they start biting then and it's all about timing.

Yeah, this line looks great. Gets good reviews on TW too. But it sure is pricey. It's more expensive than the fluoro that I use, lol.

Thanks for all the replies everybody. I'm not opposed to using a co-poly or hybrid if it'll work for topwater applications. Since the topwater baits I'll be using all have trebles, I figured a mono would work best because of the stretch and because it floats. I haven't used Trilene XL in quite a while bc I had to many break offs around lily pads & grass. That's why I switched to braid. Same for Yozuri hybrid line, just too many break offs around grass and cover when fishing plastics & spinnerbaits or cranks. But that was over 10 yrs ago & it might be better formulated now for strength and abrasion resistance. If I could get away with it, I would just use 10-15# braid & a really limber rod for topwater. But I've found that prop baits, especially ones with props on the front & back, get tangled too easily in the braid. Bottom line, I just want a good strong line that'll float & have some stretch for these topwater baits. My plan is to dedicate this rod/reel set up for these specific presentations.

I'm looking for opinions on a good monofilament to use on a baitcasting set I'll be using exclusively for topwater presentations, such as poppers, walking baits like a spook, and prop baits. I'm planning to use 12 - 15#. I've been using braid & fluoro pretty much exclusively for about 10 yrs. I've only got one set up with mono, and it's an ultralight with 6# Trilene XT. I like the XT, but thought there might be better options out there. I've used Suffix Siege in the past too & had no issues. Thanks!

This breaks my heart to hear. This has always been one of my biggest fears as a father of two. So far, I've been fortunate, although it looked "iffy" for a little while with one of my kids. Sincerely, know that you and and your family are in my prayers!

This guy in your story had the completely wrong attitude. If it had been me, I'd have swung the back end of the boat around so we both could fish the spot, and I'd have said: Hey man! Throw me one of your jigs & show me how you're fishing that thing. Let's have some fun! Lol.

Yeah, I agree with DoDFire. I've never used a lure retriever, but this home-made one looks like a good method. My problem is when I snag cranks while bank fishing. This still might work the majority of the time.

This is sad. I'm getting my 15 yo daughter to teach me how to use instagram. Lol.

Cool. Thanks, I'm not on Instagram. Might have to finally get an account. ?

Dude, I had one almost exactly like that but my handles weren't wooden. One of 1st baitcasters I owned.

I've never heard of those. They look sharp! Are they still available?

Costas

I use righty for baitcasters & lefty for spinning. I've always done it this way & it feels natural. I've never tried a lefty baitcaster, but something tells me I wouldn't like it.

Nice catch. Which Mann's crankbait? I love the baby 1-, but don't seem to have as much success with it when it gets cold. And I live in the South which is prob a bit warmer than your neck of the woods.

Dang! That kinda looks like an aggressive posture. ? Here's a few pics from the wildlife refuge I fished a lot back when I lived in Starkville, MS. The 2 largest lakes had very healthy gator populations. The last pic is the big girl I would see on a reg basis when I got in this one area. I'd just look over & would always see her swimming & keeping pace with me about 20 yards or so away. She was about the length of my 12 ft jon boat.

I used to fish a couple lakes in a wildlife refuge that were full of gators, many in the 6-8' range. Did have a big 12 footer I'd see almost every time I'd fish this one area. It would make me nervous at 1st, but I got used to it. The worst was when I'd ease into a spot very quite like around all the lily pads & grass. Sometimes I'd spook one that would thrash & swim away. That'll make your heart skip a beat! Did I mention I was fishing in a little 12 ft jon boat? ? Got a bunch of gator pics. I'll try to post a few if I can dig some up.

I'm big fan of 6.1-6.4 ratio reels for shallow cranking. Plenty fast enough for burning a Baby 1- or square bill, or easy to slow it down for say a wake bait if need be.

Kinda hard to say. I like my Curado 200E7s and 50Es (got 2 of each). I also like my Citica Es, got like 5 or 6. I really like my newer Curado 200Is also. Still got a Citica I that I haven't put on a rod yet. I had a Core Mg that I loved - so lightweight & smooth. But it got run over by an 18 wheeler on I55 one day ? - long story. The only 2 Shimanos that aren't great are my Curado 200G and an older Curado 200D. That 200D is just bulky and little heavy. It casts & reels smooth, just bulky by today's standards.

Oh how fickle the masses can be, lol. We had Miss State fans screaming for Dan Mullen's head this season til we won a few we were expected to lose, including the Egg Bowl. And yeah, ole Sean Lee is a beast!

What cracks me up is some of the college sports commentators, especially in football. It'll be completely obvious that this is the 1st game the commentator has covered for a given team, in like two yrs or more. But you'll hear them speaking some pre-written statements or facts about said team, or a player. And they'll speak it like they're an expert or on a 1st name basis with the player. It's quite comical & very obvious to see thru. I experience this a lot being a Mississippi State fan. Seldom do we get national attention or coverage. Sometimes I'm like..... Hey idiot! We're not Ole Miss. That's our bitter rival! ??? I say that bc I've heard a commentator refer to us as Ole Miss, more than once. ?

Yeah, that was hard to watch. Def not the best Dak has played. Or Zeke. Ha! Isn't that most sports commentators?