NorthernBasser

These rods really intrigue me. As of now they only have the 2 models. I talked to 6th Sense yesterday to see if they'd be adding more, and they said they aren't sure yet.

I agree with the high hookup ratio. Tho 90% of mine are hooked perfectly in the top lip. Maybe I'm just not catching them as big as yours. ?

To be fair, it's a plastic bait and a weight and hook. I do very well with smallies. As some have said, much better fishing a hard/rock bottom. They don't play well with wood, that's for sure.

Lew's TP1 Black rods are great rods for the price. (this one is the 7'2" med-heavy) Most of my rods are on the higher end, yet last year I found myself grabbing this rod quite a bit. My dedicated swim jig rod is a Megabass Orochi. There were a few outings last year where I also had a swim jig tied onto this rod. I found myself reaching for the TP1 more than the Orochi believe it or not. It just feels so good. The action, down to the Winn Grips. Now I'm not saying it's a better rod than the Orochi, but I REALLY like it. It retails for $10 more the Fury (which is also a nice option at that price point). But Sportsman's Warehouse sells them for $105...when they get them back in stock. I decided to pair the new KVD reel with it for this upcoming year.

Oh on a swim jig eh? I haven't tried that. I either throw them as stand-alone t-rig, on flipping jig or on a buzzbait.

4" version? That's the main size I use. I'll throw the 3" on finesse jigs, tho.

Yeah, $12 for an ounce is a small price to pay when you consider how much money it saves you in the long run. That pic I posted had about 75 baits. And it didn't even take 1/4 oz to fix them. 75 baits ain't nothing to sneeze at when considering the cost of stuff like Keitech's, Yamamoto etc.

So many great options out there. If I had to chose, my two favorites would be the Berkley Pit Boss and the Jackall Archelon. The Archelon has a TINY hole in the butt area where you can insert a worm rattle up into the body (there's a hollow cavity) that a lot of people don't know about.

It's supposed to be in between a medium and med-heavy. All I know is it can do a lot of different things. Heck, it's lure rating is 1/4 to 1oz. The tip is a little softer than a lot of fast actions, but the backbone has plenty power. I will throw light t-rig and finesse jigs on it at times, especially if I'm skipping docks/fishing close quarters. It's also a great jerkbait rod. It'll also throw smaller/lighter cranks in a pinch. But I am running a Chronarch MGL with it, so that helps. Mostly tho I'm throwing smaller Keitechs/underspins on it. But like I said, it is very versatile. Oh, and be sure to grab a hook keeper, since it doesn't come with one.

You can easily throw that size t-rig on casting gear. I'd say most people do. Don't forget the added weight of the hook and bait itself. I have a Chronarch MGL paired with the 6'11" med+ Shimano Poison Adrena. I use it for many applications. I've messed with t-rigs on it, but I usually throw my t-rigs on a 7'0"-7'3" med-heavy/fast rod.

If you fish plastics, like 99.9% of bass fishermen do, do yourself a favor and get some Mend-It! This is just a fraction of used plastics I've gathered over the course of the season. Some were more damaged than others because of fish catches. And some just had holes in them from the hook (no fish were caught on them). So if you aren't already using Mend-It, you really should. You'll save yourself a LOT of money. As everyone knows, plastics aren't cheap nowadays. *disclaimer* I'm not associated with Mend-It in any way. ?

In WI, open water fishing season always opened on the first weekend of May (unless river fishing, then anytime). But starting last year, it changed to April 1st. Super stoked about that! But judging by how this winter has gone, who knows if we'll even have ice-off by then. Normally we do.

Man, they saw you coming. You really got suckered in by their 'special' colors, hey? (BTW, I love the TW Black Blue & Green Pumpkin Keitechs) ?

Are you talking swim jig or flipping/pitching style jig? If flipping/pitching, most wouldn't use a Keitech for that technique. Those are better suited for swim jigs. If fishing muddy/dirty water, I prefer a black/blue trailer. Not saying white won't work. But I prefer dark colors in dirty water.

It's unlikely they're spitting it because they feel you putting tension on the bait. Think about when a bass catches a bluegill, perch, crawfish etc. There's likely all kinds of commotion going on inside the bass' mouth. Same thing when you set a hook on a fish and hook them for only a split second. Many people think that fish isn't gonna bite again. But think of the spiny fins that stick into the bass' mouth when they're feeding on other fish. They'll definitely bite again.

On the XT? (casting)

It's actually marked down to $119.99. (if you're talking casting) I bought this reel a few years back because I got a really good deal, and wanted to test out the Pflueger baitcasters. Very solid reel, especially at that price! All the reviews I read on them prior to buying were positive.

You could get away with using that for jerkbaits. But if you're throwing topwater on it as well, you're not gonna wanna use fluorocarbon (which some prefer for jerkbaits). Since it's x-fast, you may wanna use mono/copolymer anyways. If I were you, I'd get another 7'-7'2" med-heavy/fast. They are probably the most versatile action/power rods out there. So you could use that for other applications (swim jigs, Keitech's, heavier topwater/Whopper Plopper/etc).

I have 4 Kistler rods that I bought a few years back. I've been quite happy with them. But with them jacking the price up $50 on all their models this year, they pretty much lost me.

Another thing that sets Siebert's apart from most others is you can get the skirt hand tied (wire). You also have the option for regular rubber band or rattle band. I always go wire (only .30 more).

It's not often I'm trying to mimic a shad. But these are some of the shad colors I use when I wanna throw a white/bright swim jig. The top 2 are Siebert's. The bottom is Greenfish Tackle. BTW, Siebert's has 2 different swim jigs. Both are good. One is just called "Swim Jig". The other is the "Shot Caller". They're pretty much the same (even same price) except the Shot Caller (which I like a little better) has a more recessed line tie and has a thinner head on it.

These are what I use and they do great. Sometimes I'll actually use 2 in case one 'fails'. Especially when I'm punching. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/6th_Sense_Peg_X_Stoppers/descpage-PEGX.html

I just find it strange that Walmart would get a specific design. Colors, I can see.

The other one I bought had the box packaging like most others do.

It even has a higher pitch rattle than the others. But I literally can't find this on any site. TW, BPS, Academy etc. I could see them making different colors for different stores like how TW gets specific colors in some baits. But this is a whole different design. It was on the paper card like this (not my pic). It didn't say Super Spot anywhere on the packaging either, including the UPC sticker. And I don't think it said Galant (Calant?) Sinking on the bottom. It was just plain.