JFlynn97

Saved up and got myself a little graduation gift, paired it up with a Shimano Citica 201I

I'm a pretty big fan of Reaction Tackle on Amazon - I use their worm weights and flipping weights, I've fished their tungsten jigs and the skirts are a little flimsy but besides that they're pretty good. I like their shaky heads too, can't go wrong with em IMO.

Maybe a little late considering how close we are now, but what do you guys have on your fishing Christmas (Fishmas?) list? Maybe new rods/reels? Some tackle that you could stock up on? Perhaps something to upgrade or keep on your boat, or even just a fishing tool/accessory?

I saw that Boca Bearings is having a sale and have been considering getting upgraded bearings for my Shimano Citica 201I that I picked up recently. I'm a little confused as to if some of the bearings are specific to certain models and I'm not sure exactly which ones I need. I think it's these but I'd appreciate confirmation. https://www.bocabearings.com/products/fr-008c-os-ld-17028?make=SHIMANO&model=CITICA 201 Thanks!

The bait monkey got me there was a used Shimano Citica 201I on clearance on Tackle Warehouse for only $85 and I just couldn't resist!

Welp, I wasn't going to place an order any time soon but now I think I'll have to ? been fishing smaller jigs lately and those finesse cut versions look deadly

Reaction Tackle jigs on Amazon are pretty good, the skirts aren't the highest quality and may start to fall apart but I've definitely caught fish on em before. May be worth checking out

Apologies, I haven't been to this body of water before so I'm not sure about some of those but I've done a bit of research! First, this is in Delaware. Not sure about vegetation/offshore structure, but there are definitely some docks scattered around and it's 8' at its deepest point (northern point and what someone else pointed out, it looks like there is a fountain in that spot). From what I've found (as far as bait fish) it has crappie, bluegills, sunfish, and perch. And unfortunately, I'm not sure what kind of vessel I'll be fishing from. Thank you for your input!

Shop Karls has their Halloween scavenger hunt sale, these are the items included

Ah my bad i combined the names. I did mean the 843, but that sounds like exactly what I'm looking for! Makes sense, I'm really in no real rush to get it (especially with fall starting and me being able to fish less) so I might as well save up a bit longer

The next rod I plan to save up for is a G. Loomis 743 MBR. Is the IMX worth the extra $135 over the E6X? I likely won't be buying this rod for a little while as I have to start saving money up (finishing up college in a couple months and have to start preparing for the true adult life!) but I'd be willing to wait a bit longer and save a bit more for the IMX if it'll be worth it. Or, should I consider waiting for a possible new series of rods to come out? Thanks! Secondary question, is the 743 or 744 MBR better suited for a "multi-purpose" rod? I've heard you can't go wrong with either one, but I'd love some input from the guys here.

What are y'alls thoughts on this? I got a jersey for my university team that has my name and all our supporters on it, but we only fish a few tournaments a year and I myself only fish a couple those. I think I'd feel kinda weird wearing it while not competing and don't want to come across as one of "those guys," but I love wearing it because it's comfy and offers good protection from the sun. Those who have them, will you wear your jersey while out fishing on any normal day? Or do you generally save them for competition days? Also I apologize if this belongs in the tournament talk forum, I wasn't sure if it was necessarily tournament related or more clothing related.

I've been sorta in the market for another "all purpose rod," that is, a rod that can be used for a somewhat large variety of lures with success (ideally spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, paddletail swimbaits/swimjigs, some topwater like buzzbaits, maybe lipless cranks and bottom baits in a pinch). Currently I'm looking at the Okuma Scott Martin Signature TCS casting rod, the 7' medium-heavy/moderate-fast model. Do you guys think this might match my needs? I'm looking at this rod specifically because it's on sale on tacklewarehouse ($130), but I'm open to any other ideas in a similar price range. Thanks in advance!

I recently picked up some mustad fastach snaps to try out, mostly when using treble hook baits like cranks, poppers, jerkbaits, etc because I find myself retying often as I can never decide what exactly I want to throw. I've heard you never attach the snap to your split ring and instead attach it directly to the lure. My question is, is it necessary to remove the split rings when using a snap, even if you aren't attached to them i.e., just leaving it hanging there while you're fishing? Does it change the action of the bait to a reasonable amount? I might want to keep the split rings on in case I ever use those baits on another rod or decide not to use the snap. Thanks in advance!

Looking to get more into lipless cranks as summer starts to wind down and fall draws near. What do you guys think is better for fishing them: 7' medium-heavy/fast with a 6.4:1 baitcaster with monofilament, or 7' medium/moderate rod with a 7.1:1 baitcaster with braided line? I've heard, especially when ripping them through grass, it's good to have a bit more stiffness to the rod to really get the grass uncaught, but I've also heard you can use your typical cranking stick and instead of using mono or fluoro tie on braid and the lack of stretch will give you what you need to rip your bait through the grass while the medium/moderate rod helps keeps fish pinned without pulling out the hooks. I ask because these are the two rods I have that I would use a lipless crank on, so I'd love some input!

Hey all, after throwing some cheap inline spinners for a while my line is incredibly twisted (I'm using 8lb power pro braid) and I'm looking for a way to fix it. Everyone says the best way is to let your line out behind your boat while you're moving then reel it in with pressure on the line and it'll get the twist out. Unfortunately I don't have a boat to do this so I'm looking for other options! One idea I had was to, instead of moving with a boat, toss my line into a moving creek or river and let the water carry my line out then reel it back in while keeping my fingers pinched on the line above the reel so it goes back on straight. Anyone tried this before and had any luck? The other option I've heard about is to tie a barrel swivel to the end of your line and connect it to something like a fence, walk backwards to let your line out, then slowly reel in as you make your way back towards the fence and the swivel will spin so your line goes back on straight. Problem is, I'm super cheap and don't have barrel swivels and I'm not sure if I want to go out and buy a pack just for this reason I'd appreciate any tips!

I have 5 setups that are able to cover most of my bases when fishing, four casting and one spinning. So far I haven't felt the need to get a new rod for any other lures or presentations. 1. 6'9" medium/fast spinning rod, spooled with 8lb braid - used for lightweight lures and more "finesse" approaches (texas rigs 3/16oz and lighter, wacky rigs, shaky heads, ned rigs, etc. Water in my area is generally pretty stained and dirty so I don't do a ton of super finesse fishing, but I'd have no concerns using it for a dropshot in a pinch) [Dobyns Sierra and Daiwa RG-AB 2500] 2. 7' medium-heavy/fast, 6:1 reel with 30lb braid - used as a general purpose rod, mostly chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, swim jigs, swimbaits, and buzzbaits. Works in a pinch for texas rigs and jigs too. Tie on a leader and I have no worries using it for treble hook baits, it's super versatile [Abu garcia silver max combo] 3. 7' medium/moderate cranking stick, 6:1 reel with I believe 12lb mono - use it for all my cranking and treble hook bait needs from squarebills, diving cranks, lipless, jerkbaits, poppers, whopper ploppers, walking/spook baits, etc [Duckett micro magic and Daiwa fuego] 4. 7'1" medium-heavy/fast, 7:1 - 8:1 with 30lb braid or 15-17lb fluorocarbon, used exclusively for jigs and texas rigs up to 1/2oz because of its sensitivity [ALX Zolo deputy and Shimano SLX] 5. 7'3" heavy/fast, 8:1 with 50lb braid, used for thick cover flipping/pitching, heavy jigs/t-rigs (over 1/2oz), and frogs [Dobyns fury and Daiwa fuego] This works well for me and my style of fishing, so you may need to experiment a bit to see what works for you, but I think it's a pretty good guideline. Tight lines!

I recently received a deeper smart sonar pro+ for my birthday and I'm psyched to use it but I'm worried about casting it and breaking my rod or my line, so I want to pick up a dirt cheap combo dedicated to using the deeper. Does anyone have suggestions on rods (I already have a cheap reel I don't mind using for it) and how heavy of a line I should spool it with? It weighs 3.5 ounces for reference. Thanks!

Thank you, I'll check those out!

I'm interested in picking something small up for myself to get off the bank and on to the actual water. Something that won't break the bank, but will function enough to get the job done. So far I've heard good things from the Bass Pro Shop Pond Prowlers, as well as from the Sun Dolphin Sportsman. I was curious what the people over here at Bass Resource thought might be the best for my needs. Ideally I want to be up and running for ~$1,000 (for example, a pond prowler, Minn Kota C2 30 trolling motor, rudder, and trolling motor battery/power center should come in just below a grand). I'd be using it for ponds, creeks, and some smaller lakes in my area, and generally will only be carrying myself though I'd like to be able to fit two people onto it to take friends or family out on occasion. Any tips or advice would be appreciated, thanks!

Does anyone know if this is a thing for the Shimano SLX? I'm absolutely in love with it, and I currently have it spooled up with 15lb fluorocarbon main line as I've been fishing a lot of clear water and hard structure lately. But I want to be able to use it with braid main line too (personally I'm not a huge fan of connecting knots like using braid to fluoro leader), but without having to buy a whole new reel for it. I have a Fuego CT that I used to use on the rod that my SLX is on, but frankly I like the SLX better than the Fuego though I'm content continuing to use it when I want to use braid. Thanks!

What kind of conditions determine whether you throw a Texas rig or a shaky head? To me they seem very similar, yet I don't think I've caught many (if any) fish on shaky heads but similarly weighted Texas rigs like 1/8 or 3/16oz are probably one of my most confident lures. Maybe it's because I fish a shaky head too much like I would a Texas rig when I should be using a different technique? Or I'm using it in the wrong places? I would love a bit of input on the differences between light Texas rigs and shaky heads and when you use each! Thanks!

I have a 7'3" heavy fast dobyns fury that I want to use for heavy cover flipping and pitching and frogging, because my area is littered with grass and pads. Will I risk damaging the rod by running 65 lb braid on it? Or will I most likely be alright?

Recently hooked into one while targeting bass with a chatterbait, didn't end up catching any bass in that pond but the snakehead made it worth it.

Siebert arky jig with either a rage craw or sweet beaver trailer. Best jigs I've used, and you can use an arky practically anywhere