Jagg

Yup, squarebills if you are gonna be walking the bank in search of the fish. Spot removers, Rage rig and slider rigs if you have a good idea where they are. I also like tubes rigged with an internal tube weight and Tex-posed. That rig has been good to me.

Huh?! Yeti cup of water or Gatorade. Maybe a spare bottle if I'm going on an extended float or gonna be on the water for 14+ hours in TX heat. Used to not bring anything no matter how long I was gonna be out, but I can't do that no mo'. Try not to eat if I'm still gonna be fishing. If I do, it always seems my gut makes me pay for it. Usually just eat fairly big before I get out on the water. When I have to eat, it usually depends on how far away civilization is from where I'm fishing. If it's close, just pack up the yak and get to Whataburger. If I'm in the sticks, I typically have MREs and/or P3s packed in the Jeep.

Pretty vague on details. I've tried the 6900 President and like it a lot. The only reason I didn't bite on it when I was looking for some spinning reels is because I came across a good deal on the previous generation President XT's that came with the spare spool. The 6900 is still a boss reel for the money IMHO.

Starting from scratch here. Last underspin I fished for bass was the old school Roadrunners (horsehead?) with the Indiana blade. I need to know what: What underspins are best or have worked for you? What tackle to throw them on? What types of waters to throw them on? What trailer do you put on the back? Where on the waters do these shine and the conditions? When should I be throwing these? How should I be working these baits? What's the technique? Thanks for the help.

Is this real yellow perch or TX/southern "perch"?

I can't speak intelligently about this subject like a lot of you guys, but I can give you my couple anecdotes that have made me look at color with more respect. Buddy and I were fishing a small lake and we were wearing them out on watermelon grubs. We ran out of the watermelon color. Tried green pumpkin, chartreuse, avocado, etc.. bites dwindled to a crawl. Out of desperation I tried a watermelon stick worm and the bite was back on. That put me on notice. Same buddy and I were fishing and I was catching bass on white tubes and blue pearl grubs. My buddy was casting green pumpkin tubes. Middle of winter. Working the same water. I was out fishing him 10 to 1. He switched up colors multiple times even to our new fave watermelon but still no dice. Tied on the white and he started catching them also. As was said earlier in the thread, color can sometimes make or break a trip for crappie. Crappie are not so distant cousins of black bass. Just something to think about.

I guess I'm brand loyal, but only because their brand "opener" models were so good and customer service was so good, I saw no need to stray a lot. That and I agree with others have said on this post about if I buy rods and/or reels from one or two companies I know exactly what to expect and how it's going to perform and feel. I have strayed from the companies below once or twice, but end up coming back because of feel, performance and/or bad customer service. Spinning reels: Pflueger. The first spinning reel I bought was a Trion and have been Pfluegers all the way since. Have tried Shimanos and Diawas of friends of mine, but don't fit my hand well like Pfluegers. They used to offer spare spools too when others didn't. That was a big selling point. Casting reels: Shimanos and H2O's (Academy house brand). Shimanos are what we grew up fishing on the coast and they are basically bulletproof, comfortable and perform well. I like the H2O's because they used to have them on sale for about $25 for an $80 reel and that was hard to pass up for just trying them out. Now I like them and anything goes wrong, I can just take it back to the reel bar for a replacement. Only had to do that once so far. Rods: St Croix, Falcons and old All Stars. All Stars are more for inshore fishing than anything else, but will cross them over every once in a while. When I was getting more into freshwater, and especially into bass fishing, I tried a lot of brands including All Stars freshwater stuff. All Star sold mostly heavier gear than what I wanted and the light stuff wasn't up to par. Opening models for Shimano were good, but the higher I went in models, the less I liked them. I was fishing a lot of finesse stuff and fishing for panfish when I really started to research and ask around what others who fished the way I fish tend to like. A lot of St Croix came my way. Texas boy; never heard of them. Started to handle them in BPS and decided they were worth a try. Best spinning rods out there IMHO and I like their casting gear quite a lot too. Probably in transition from my Falcons to SC in casting gear also, but Falcon does heavier casting a little better and has their heavier models more keyed in, but that is changing. Line: Berkeley although I am trying Gliss out this year and I like P-Line for the Coast. Soft plastics I like certain brands for certain things. Kalin grubs. Yum tubes and craws but liking SK Rage for craws and Menace grubs more and more. Zoom and Yum worms. Z-man and BPS stick worms. Keitech, BPS and Lunker City for swimbaits/boot tails. Hard baits: Pradco and Rapala. Couple Academy and BPS house brand models. Jigs and skirted baits: Northstar for what I can and still looking for buzzbaits and bladed jigs. Yum right now. Mostly go with what was in my local retailers and mom and pop shops unless they weren't working for me or if I got a lot of recommendations/reviews. I like what I like but don't mind trying something better if the price is right.

It's my understanding that all St Croix blanks are made in WI and the rods assembled in Mexico are with those same blanks.

Ughhh! Don't like fishing muddy because it normally means fish in my areas have been thrown for a loop. But, if I do and if I'm fishing a jig, it'll be a fairly big one for me (1/2 a 3/4) black/blue or black neon with a fairly big 4"-5" matching craw trailer with chart dipped tips.

Longer UL and L rods tend be a "fun fight" set up for me. As JJ said, longer rods protect light line so I haven't lost nearly as many fish as I did with shorter rods. If you really want to try something fun, try a 7'6" BPS MicroLite Glass UL rod. Long glass rod + bluegill and crappie = heap, biggum good time. My main Crappie rods now are St Croix Panfish Series rods in 7' LXF and 6'9" ULF and my BPS MicroLite Graphite rod in 6' LF. These are all 1-piece rods that I like to cast jigs and rigs with. Do most of my swimming jigs on the 6'9" and 6' and most of my rigs on the 7'. Plenty fun for me and still make decent ones feel like biggun's!

7 lb even super skinny spawned out female, post spawn. Caught her on a black/blue Booyah Baby Boo jig with matching Yum Crawbug trailer. What can I say. I really like Pradco stuff. Maybe not as much as I did back then though. Caught her on a gravel flat on a creek arm about a 1/2 mile from the main river. Back then I didn't do a lot of skirted jig fishing, but when I did it was usually finesse jigs. I very rarely throw black/blue plastics. I guess I should since that was the color I caught that big girl on. Oops, just read whole thread. Guess it's not just LMB. PB 15.5" Guadalupe Bass was on a Rapala Original Floating Minnow size 5; color bleeding copper flash. Was actually fishing for Redbreast with my long glass UL rod on the Upper Guadalupe and caught quite a few of them when this came out of a place were the river bottle necks and current is faster. PB 3.1 Spot came from an EasTex river on a pearl shad color Bomber Model B squarebill. That's a big spot for out that way. They have some Coosa strain spots in some reservoirs in the North, NW and East, but this one was a Kentucky Spot.

You're probably right. Not gonna argue with a man with blue bonnets in his avatar. Could probably do without the 'horns though. Gig 'em!

You done right! The new Mojos are great rods although I think I might like the old Rage rods a little more. St Croix Medium power has a little more "umph" than other rod builders' Mediums as has been said prior. I also fish from my kayak and canoe so I get your dilemma. Depending on the water I take one of two regular four rod arsenals. 6'10" MLXF spinning; 7' MF casting; 7' MF spinning and 7'6" MLXF spinning for clear water, high skies or water I know I will have to finesse and or use topwater. On most other waters I use 7' MF spinning; 7' MF casting; 6'8" MHF casting and 7'6" MF spinning. I do plan on getting a 7'1" MHF casting this Spring for my larger topwaters, small hard swimbaits and light pitching; the 6'8" didn't quite do it last year but is great for target casting and my squarebills.

Tried Nanofil when it first came out and gave up on it. Tried it again in Spring 2016 when I noticed they had a green line and it's my favorite for some of the stuff I do now. I use use it on my spinning rigs UL - M when I'm fishing finesse. I tie a mono leader on with an Alberto knot and make sure I moisten the knot before I slowly cinch it down. That seems to be the biggest problem everyone is having. Doubling the line, moisten knot and slowly cinch it down. I also tie on about a 5' mono leader in about the same diameter line. My favorite UL rig and ML rig now have this line on the main spool and straight mono on the spare spool. I fished these rigs heavily this past year and they never let me down. Didn't have one break off, cast a country mile with light jigs and rigs and caught fish that I had been missing when they would bite on the end of a long cast. I did buy some Gliss from Academy last month when they had it on sale, but have not been able to try it out yet. Hoping it's as good as the Nanofil.

On Lake Kentucky, I used flutter spoons and float n fly rig on deep, clear ledges. Add a drop shot to that and you probably would have fared better.

Yeah, the Rage version, BPS Speed Shad and Keitech Swing Impact Fat are the same beast. Only diff is the exclusive colors and sizes that Keitech others to have. That's what I'm told by someone I trust and should definitely know.

Wet knot?

I don't sit and wait nearly enough.

Loosen drag. Alberto knot.

Yup! Smallies have a reputation of at times hitting loud colors with gusto. Spots also do this but I don't know if it's as often and as hard as smallies. I buy a few pink spinnerbaits every year for catching river/creek spots in EasTex spots and CenTex Guads. I don't often have much luck with spinnerbaits, but the spots and Guads love the pink spinnerbaits and I have a field day when that bite is on.

I am not for trespassing or breaking any laws. Fishing is supposed to be fun and relaxing. That being said, it's not just anglers looking for a fishing spot that might be trying to be "cute ...or clever" . I have had the unfortunate experience to come across a couple handfuls of landowners who think they own the creek or river that I happened to be floating and/or fishing at the time. A few have been most courteous and we made pleasant convo, exchanged names and numbers, two even invited me to fish from their property (one because he needed a fishing partner, the other to show her how I was catching bream and bass in this stretch of river). All others had mean sneers and threats at the very least. Had 1 shot fired at me that I now of and another that I didn't see the person but the "warning shot" was in my direction. Both times I called The Law and filed charges. Couldn't ID warning shot so he walked. Other guy stood trial. Got a letter from DA saying he plead down to not serve time. BTW, that firearm thing goes both ways. Used to not carry at all except for a walking stick to take care of the odd dog or coyote, but I carry now. Oddly never came across the coyote (did come across snakes), but have come across vigilante landowners. Thankfully have not even thought once to draw since I've started carrying. Last thing, please pick up your trash. I think angler/landowner relations would be a lot better if everyone picked up there trash and left the water better than when they came. I know all of you guys make this a prime principal, but maybe there are lurkers out there who needed to see this bit.

Mojo Bass also uses the SCIII blank. Same as the Avid.

I am not for trespassing or breaking any laws. Fishing is supposed to be fun and relaxing. That being said, it's not just anglers looking for a fishing spot that might be trying to be "cute ...or clever" . I have had the unfortunate experience to come across a couple handfuls of landowners who think they own the creek or river that I happened to be floating and/or fishing at the time. A few have been most courteous and we made pleasant convo, exchanged names and numbers, two even invited me to fish from their property (one because he needed a fishing partner, the other to show her how I was catching bream and bass in this stretch of river). All others had mean sneers and threats at the very least. Had 1 shot fired at me that I now of and another that I didn't see the person but the "warning shot" was in my direction. Both times I called The Law and filed charges. Couldn't ID warning shot so he walked. Other guy stood trial. Got a letter from DA saying he plead down to not serve time. BTW, that firearm thing goes both ways. Used to not carry at all except for a walking stick to take care of the odd dog or coyote, but I carry now. Oddly never came across the coyote (did come across snakes), but have come across vigilante landowners. Thankfully have not even thought once to draw since I've started carrying.

Stationed in TN, it was the jerkbait and float n fly. Tried the Silver Buddy, but I was fishing from the bank at the time so, not so much. In TX, it's all about the red and/or gold 'trap. Find grass. Throw 'trap. Repeat. I always had my best luck with a tube on the coldest, dreariest days in TX. Sometimes a black neon color but more often a clear bluegill and/or white tube. Colorado is the first place where the water did some weird thing that I thought only happened in the ice box. First time I was preparing for an "open water" season in CO, I reviewed a couple old Bassmaster mags to see where to start. Came across an article with Mark Zona in it and he said he started out with a small soft plastic craw, tube, Kalin grub and a spade tail grub. All on jigheads. This caught my attention because it wasn't absolutely foreign to me since we fish Mann's Stingray Grubs on jigheads for TX inshore (redfish, speckled trout and flounder) in Early Spring, so I had a big selection of 3" and 4" Stingray grubs in many different colors and the perfect rod, reel and line to throw them with. The past 3 ice out seasons, the Stingray grub on a 1/16-1/8 oz jighead has been an absolute killer for numbers for me in CO. A guy I fish with that has been fishing these Great Plains lakes for a while keeps telling me, "Before there was a Ned Rig, there were Stingray Grubs!" BTW, if anybody has any All Star PRL "Shrimptail Special" rods they are looking to get rid of, please give me a holler.

Not uncommon to be fishing a navigable river or creek in TX and come across wire fence that cuts from one side of the bank to the other. We'd call the Wardens and they would inform the land owners. Sometimes a flood would take em down before the landowners would.