CroakHunter

Under 100 bucks - orra winch Over 100 bucks- curado 200iP

I prefer tungsten. More sensitive and smaller size to weight ratio than any other material. They're expensive, but worth it. Check out omfishingsinkers.com for the cheapest prices. Spend $40 and get free shipping. Usually arrives in 7-10 days

In my experience, pond bass are quicker to push off deeper, but if you get a warming trend they are quicker to come shallower and feed. So if on a blustery cold cloudy day I'd start deep, but if you get a warm front, sunshine, and a touch of wind for a couple days I'd say find shallow-ish water with cover where the sun is shining on it and the wind is blowing into it. The sun will warm the small body of water quicker and the wind will help carry the slightly warmer water towards the wind blown side. Last year I had this happen in a small 2 acre pond, I was fishing where they "Should Have" been (deep) but ended up having one of my best numbers days of the year fishing a jerkbait in 5 feet of water right off the dock near a slight drop. I couldn't hardly look at where I was casting because the reflection of the sun off the water was so intense. So my guess was the sun warmed the water slightly and warmed the dock which had the fish staged there and actively feeding on a small bluegill colored jerkbait hope this helps

Trust nobody, ever. Especially when talking about the outdoors. I've got about half of the county im from convinced that I've shot all my big deer and caught all my big fish from the next county over. Which is not true in the slightest bit.

If a true and fair comparison, the only way to do that would be to have the two rods, the same two reels, with the same line and same bait tied on. Then fish them both side by side choose which one was more "sensitive". I use " " because what is sensitive to you, may not be sensitive to me. Every person is different, Just like every rod is different.

Welcome from another hoosier

Have both. No performance difference, but they do look a bit different As far as colors and finish goes. Either is a great choice. If you can swing the extra 30 bucks I say tatula

Curious why you wouldn't want to buy a reel up to 30% off on ebay? I've bought multiple reels off there. Including a daiwa fuego this week for only 70 bucks. I am not a Shimano fanboy, but they are hard to beat. I think I would rank them: caenan, speed spool, pro max, caius. I'm not sure what an origin a is so I can't speak for that one

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I picked up a drop shot for the first time this year and learned the hard way that it is possible to over work a drop shot. Most of the time I cast it out, let the weight hit bottom, let the worm sink as long as I can stand, then, without moving the weight, pick up the worm off the bottom, slightly shake it on slack line, and let the worm fall again. I do not like fishing this way at all, but I force myself to fish a drop shot a few times a year to knock the rust off in case I have to resort to it during a tournament.

Wow, congratulations! wish I would have known about this. I could've had the indiana title by almost 2 pounds. There's always next year though.

Love the magnum rage bug, and the fish do too. I use it to pitch and then once it gets a little wore out I use them as jig trailers. I also use them as trailers on blades jigs. Really bulks up the presentation and I am able to move the bait very slowly, high in the water column

If you are bank bound, I wouldn't worry about deep divers. I would suggest lipless cranks instead. They are very versatile in that you can fish then at any depth. I will suggest strike king baits because that is what I'm familiar with and they are readily available in most outdoor stores. -KVD 1.5 square bill- colors: bluegill, sexy shad, chartreuse black back, and delta red craw. -KVD flatside crankbait- colors: bluegill, sexy shad, perch, brown craw, delta red craw. -Strike King red eye shad lipless crankbait- gold black back, chrome blue back, delta red craw, bluegill or perch. The last 2 baits I suggested also work very good in cold water.

My second favorite fish to target. Nice catch!

Jig. May not be the best for very situation for some, but for me it is.

Just reading that made me want to buy 426 if them...sorry kids! No Christmas this year, daddy's gotta buy some graphite silicone jigs!

I'm with @Catt on this one. I prefer a slow retrieve for these baits. And a slow reel helps me achieve that.

Swim jig

Recently picked up this rod used off of ebay, didn't really need a cranking rod, but looked at original msrp and I got about 80% off. Can't seem to find any reviews on YouTube. Anyone have experience with this rod? I have another 7'5 cranking rod that I bought but it fishes heavier than expected and now I use it for carolina rigs and wobble heads. Hoping this new rod fished lighter so I can use it for lipless cranks and 2.5 square bills.

I like yum f2 craw chunks. They are cheap and effective, also have a thick body section that allows for good durability. The claws flap at even the slowest movement, and can be used on swim jigs, pitching, and football jigs.

When you make a deal with your wife saying that you will get up with the baby Saturday night, so she can get a full nights sleep, if she lets you go fishing Sunday morning

Awesome story. My family just experienced the same kind of self-less act. They had their alternator go out and were broken down about 1.5 hrs from home. A nice guy in a service truck was nice enough to let my grandpa use his tools and take him to a parts store to buy a new one and made sure my grandpa got it fixed before leaving. He wouldn't accept money or even dinner. He just said "pay it forward". There are still good people out there!

-Which can you cast more accurately? -Which do you feel more comfortable using? -Which combo do you have the least trouble with? (If any at all) spinning : line twist, wind knots, casting accuracy. Casting: backslashes, casting distance. -which is more verstile? If fishing from shore I would guess you aren't carrying 5-6 combos when you go out, and they may not be munching the small swimbait so you May have to change it up. I would answer these questions and then make your decision. For me it would be casting gear. But everyone is different.

They'll be fine. They are made to be in water...

Bait monkey has got me bad last 2 weeks. 7Ft medium halo casting rod, daiwa fuego 8:1 gear ratio, And now a denali Rosewood 903cb.