LCG

Pack of zoom trick worms, watermelon with chartreuse tail, and a pack of 4/0 round bend off set worm hooks. Rig in Texas style with a 1/8-3/16oz bullet weight. Drag it, hop it, swim it, let it free fall, it will get some bites. Pack of zoom fat albert 5" curly tail grubs, white in colour, pack of 2/0 ewg hooks and those bullet weights from above. Texas rig it and hop it or swim it. Works anywhere. Pack of zman TRDs, black and blue, and a pack of zman 1/20-1/10 oz jig heads. Rig it up and slowly drag it or hop it. Works amazing. Mepps agila in line spinners, #4 in gold colour. Use some snap swivels or your line will twist and be a disaster.

Just a word of warning, it can get overwhelming fast. I recommend focusing on one or two techniques at a time. Watch lots of YouTube videos on those techniques and take it slow. There is so much to learn it can be alot at first. It's fun and we all love it. Good luck to you and welcome to the forums.

Congratulations. It's a great hobby that has an unlimited learning curve. Try keeping the rod bent and use a net to land the fish. Hopefully it helps you. Take care and good luck.

I will second the fenwick hmg. I have the previous generation 6'9" ml-f and it has been rock solid. For medium power, I prefer my st Croix 6'8 m-xf. Even though both rods have the same lure rating, 1/8-5/8, they are very different rods. Cover and target species dictates which rod I use.

X 2.

My son shows marginal interest in fishing so I started him with an iron man pole for two years. He has now graduated to an ugly stick youth model. He likes catching but has little patience and still needs to learn respecting the equipment before he gets the nice stuff. The rod is enough to catch some pond bass.

I think we all have our favourite, go to baits. They vary but here is some my list. 5" Senko in watermelon, black and blue 7" Zoom Trick Worm black, watermelon chartreuse tail, junebug chartreuse tail 7" power bait curly tailed worms tequila color, black and blue 5" Zoom fat albert Curly tail grub white, chartreuse, green pumpkin 4" havoc pit boss black and blue, black and red Zoom brush hogs watermelon, black and blue Zoom Super Fluke white, watermelon red 4" tube watermelon Stained - Dirty water= black, black blue, black red Clean water = watermelon, green pumpkin, natural colors Solid black and solid white seem to work everywhere.

I just spent most of today doing just this

I like st Croix avid x. Just played with a fenwick world class that was really nice. Hear great things about dobyns and g loomis.

Just started using a baitcaster, but to me the right hand retrieve being right handed just felt awkward. Bought a left hand retrieve and it just feels more natural for me. Right wrong or indifferent, it works. I also bought it with the intention of using it for pitching short accurate distances. For this it's perfect. Ready for a hit on the fall no switching hands.

If it's a one piece rod then pvc tubing is pretty cheap, just cut out a section for the reel to fit (with the reel sitting outside the tube and get a reel cover made of neoprene). Probably $25 all in. If it's a two piece lots of padded cases available.

I seem to have a strong preference for shorter rods 6'6"-6'10". Maybe because I fish from shore 99% of the time. Sometimes I think of getting a longer rod but then I encounter an overhanging tree branch and remember why I prefer shorter rods. That being said I have never fished with anything longer than 7ft.

Advancements in technology is an amazing thing, which we have greatly benefited from, ie this forum. However, old school wisdom and experience will always have a strong place in the foundation of learning. Thanks for sharing that article. Hope all is well.

I was in a similar situation last year between the mojo bass and bass x, 6'8" m-xf. After playing with both in store I decided on the mojo. No regrets. Sensetive rod that has made me a fan of St Croix.

Weightless senko Weighted zoom trick worm (1/8-1/4) Dirty water = black and blue, junebug Clean water = watermelon, green pumpkin

If I am going away with the family I bring two rods, both two piece. One spinning ml-f and one casting Mh-xf. If I am going with fishing friends or on a friend's boat I bring two, one piece rods of higher quality. One spinning m-xf and one casting mh-f. I also bring the good stuff when I go bank fishing alone. I always bring a bass pro backpack with 2 Plano 3601 loaded with a variety of plastics and lures. Plus the normal stuff like terminal tackle, multitool, net, scale, line, sunglasses, sunscreen, lots of water and some cliff bars. Total weights of the pack fully loaded is about 10lbs. This set up has taken me awhile to get to. A lot of trial and error. I value simplicity, efficiency, and versatility. I am sure it will continue to evolve, but that's where I am at for now.

Tatula has aluminum frame and side plates. Also had the T wing system. 7 bearings. Fuego has aluminum frame with plastic side plates. No T wing. 5 bearings. I plan on getting a fuego soon. I have an original tatula that I purchased used a year ago. It's smooth and solid. I can tell it's built to last. I really like Daiwa baitcasting reels. I have mine paired with a St Croix Avid X 6'6 Mh-f for CQB.

Texas rigged trick worm Texas rigged creature bait or jig with creature bait Ned Rig Mepps in line spinners #4

I don't fish a senko much, plan to do it more this year, but when I do it's usually wacky rigged on a pond and the Junebug colour works well.

Had a lot of luck with a neko rig last summer using a finishing nail, o ring, wacky hook, and a zoom trick worm watermelon chartreuse tail. Works well.

If you're fishing a reaction type bait or lure I wouldn't worry too much. If you're finesse fishing or fishing slow then maybe it matters. Only the fish really know. So many variables on any given day I think it's impossible to say for sure. If you're fishing a reaction type bait or lure I wouldn't worry too much. If you're finesse fishing or fishing slow then maybe it matters. Only the fish really know. So many variables on any given day I think it's impossible to say for sure.

I would start weightless, then increase 1/8oz at a time.

Rods for me.

X 2

I would try Texas rigged either weightless or a small weight so that it's not sinking into the mud bottom. Ideally I would try to locate a more solid bottom, but sometimes that's just not possible.