Boomstick

One day fishing at a local lake, I watched two groups of people on two boats who were completely smashed drove their boats right by the fishing pier. I was rather upset because they ran over everyone's lines as it was, and they had plenty of room to give us some room. Anyway, the couple guys in the little boat were so hammered the kept crashing their boat (at fairly low speeds) into the larger boat. So let this be a lesson to not be like that guy and don't drink and boat.

I just run one I bought from Kmart for maybe $12, it might be a Dickies or Columbia. Has a place to display my ID. I had a pricey Levi wallet before that and it didn't last half as long.

I really haven't had any issues with my Avid X. I don't think I would get microguides if I was using fatter line either, but for the ML/XF finesse rod, I've had no issues. It's my only rod with microguides for that reason.

Don't worry about the youtube videos -- they may not even be shot the same day as others have suggested. Often, Youtubers will know the lakes they fish at or own a boat and know where exactly to go to find them, where if you don't own a boat, you're limited to shore access spots and sometimes the bass end up largely being at the other end of the lake with no shore access, that's just life. Last year, I got skunked a lot. I probably caught two or three fish in August and fished all day every weekend (one of them was this absolutely massive two foot long smallie so that kind of helped make up for it). I probably got skunked at least a dozen days last year. This year, I have not gotten out as much due to health reasons, but have only been skunked two or three days all year, and have caught many more fish already than I did all last year despite much less time on the water. I found some great new spots at new lakes and have done better at the local lakes as well, largely from bait selection (there's only a few shore access spots that you can catch bass). For example, in most of the smaller lakes I fish in Vermont or further south, I can make a killing on a spinnerbait but on the local lakes, I'll only catch something at one of them and it's most often chain pickerel, but a crankbait is quite effective this time of year.

I use a glass rod for cranking, but on my glass cranking rod (Daiwa Tatula 7'2" MH/MF) I still get a lot of feedback when I hit a weed, get a weak nibble etc. that I don't feel on the ugly stik. In fact, you'd never know it's glass based on the sensitivity - it's slightly muted compared to most midrange rods out there, but I have graphite rods with less sensitivity. When it comes to soft plastics especially in the summer when the bass are just nibbling at it and not engulfing it, the sensitivity is even more important.

I honestly haven't bent one (yet). *fingers crossed* Anyway, I do have an Avid X 6'9" ML/XF, use a double uni knot with 10 turns on each side and have never had an issue passing the knot with 10-15lb braid and 6 or 8lb leader line through the guides on that rod. On my casting rods that do not have microguides but naturally thicker line, I have had the knot snag a few times (another reason why I prefer straight mono or fluorocarbon on casting rods when possible).

It's personal preference. For swim jigs, I would prefer a 6.x:1 ratio. For vertical jigs, frogs and soft plastics, I like a faster gear ratio so I can quickly reel up some of the slack. For moving baits, a gear ratio, 6.3:1 or thereabouts is fairly ideal but I will note that some like it faster to burn them in the fall. I will note that for a moving bait where I'm constantly reeling, I personally find it easier to speed up than slow down. It's just my natural rhythm. Some people find the opposite.

I tried to bring my hunting rifle and they kicked me out!

I feel your pain and also understand it from personal experience. Earlier this year, I was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer and Lynch syndrome. My insurance initially denied my surgery to remove the tumor as well as generic testing, telling me that they needed a cologuard (take home budget colonoscopy) and some other stuff before they'd cover it, which not only is there no point doing yet as I just had colon cancer plus it might upset some of the scar tissue as well. Also all of my dad's siblings had colon and ovarian cancer -- also related to Lynch syndrome, so it's no surprise I tested positive! The website now says they approved it but the explanation of benefits was only changed to not say they denied it but still shows them paying zero dollars, although they told me that the decision was closed and I would have to appeal it when it was still marked as denied. Since then, I've had other appointments that have been denied with the reason they already paid for them -- they didn't. Additionally, because I have Lynch syndrome, I need an annual colonoscopy and biannual ct scans. My insurance is telling me that because I have Lynch syndrome, they won't ever cover a colonoscopy. According to the website, they will cover one in full annually (which is overkill for most people) as far as I can tell, and when I called to clear up something, they told me they will only cover it once I turn 50. Either way, at least I get some financial relief once I turn 50! So much for ever getting a bass boat. /end rant

If you got your first check engine light at 100k on a BMW, you're d**n lucky! Everyone I've ever talked to who ever owned a BMW has complained about the constant engine problems. It could very well be a sensor. I believe this was photoshopped, the original was a Ford and for good reason.

Rather than starting a new topic, does anyone have any experience with the St. Croix Mojo Bas 6'8 M/F (jerkbait) vs the 6'8" M/XF (topwater) vs the 7'1" M/F (plastics) rods? I am thinking I would generally like 6'8" better. It won't cast soft plastics as far, but easier to work a topwater with.

I hear you. I went from being in a happy place financially, to a questionable place to not being able to even replace some of the lures that I broke recently, so I hear you on that. I'm generally able to keep the tackle bug at bay largely to put away money into my bass boat fund (which has since became my medical bill fund) as I do have a wide variety of baits that work, but I'm always tempted to pick something else up too.

I can usually get 4 or 5 fish on a soft plastic, sometimes more or less depending on the side of the fish and how they hit it. Often I don't catch enough fish during the course of the day to wreck the plastic, so it's not that bad. Often a single plastic is good for a day. I always carry a few bags and when one gets low, I will buy another bag and once it runs out, I'll replace it with the new bag.

I usually use Booyah or Strike Kings with a weedguard. Use white or white and chartreuse for clear water, and darker colors like brown for murkier water (even if just slightly murky).

I believe that I've caught more fish on the Norman Fat Boy (does that count as a 1.5? it's a little fatter) and the River2Sea Ish Monroe's than any other baits in my tackle box. I've also have had good luck with KVDs and the LC RTOs as well.

If you really like the Ci4+, then I would say save up and get one. It's a favorite reel by many. Myself, I'm happy with my Daiwa BG 2000, which is overall fairly comparable but heavier, and cheaper. Highly recommended if you cannot swing the Stradic you have your heart set on.

I use google or bing map's aerial views often to find shore access spots. It's been quite effective for me.

Up here in the northeast it's more like 50 to 64 that's ideal for moving baits. We're already in the middle of fall patterns as the water is right around 60 degrees.

I will second this. Of course I do have my goto brands that I may prefer over others, but I think with any one brand there is always a certain profile that I am missing.

If I was going to go with one brand, it would likely be Strike King or Norman. They're rather cheap and effective. However, I've probably caught more fish on the Norman Fat Boy (spring and fall) and River2Sea Ish Monroe's (summertime) than any other crankbait, but my youngest son has probably got more fish on a KVD 1.5 than I have on other cranks. My oldest son has been quite successful with a KVD 2.5.

I feel a tap and I set the hook. Generally, with a moving bait I find this is very safe. With a more vertical presentation, I'm better off to wait for the second tap.

I would go with 15lb or 17lb mono. I usually go with Sufix Siege for mono, but Berkley Big Game is cheap and not bad either. The fatter line is easier to pull out birds nests, and you'll likely be doing a lot of that at first.

I have a Black Max and it's not too bad. While it retails for $50, you can find them on sale as low as $30 and they're definitely worth it. I'd also look at Kast King if I'm on a budget.

I use a uni knot for everything too except on braid where it'll be a uni or palomar depending what I feel like tying that day. What I should have said is for presentations like soft plastics where I'd always use a leader, it's easier to rig up.

I primarily run a three rod setup, although sometimes I only bring two depending on the season, where I'm fishing, how long I'm fishing, etc. This covers a lot of different presentations for me. Something like the first two would do you rather well. #1) Daiwa Tatula 6'10" MH/F rod - I get a rather wide variety of uses from this from soft plastics, jigs, hollow body frogs, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and even some topwater. #2) Daiwa Tatula Glass 7'2" MH/R (moderate fast) - This is generally my moving bait stick, which I will usually use for spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and crankbaits. This particular rod works great for all three, as I rarely lose a fish. #3) St. Croix 6'9" Avid X ML/XF - use this for finesse presentations like drop shots, neg rigs and shaky heads. I also have a M/F spinning rod, but that doesn't see that much use. For the first rod, I would definitely go MH/F. For a second rod, you could either go with a MH/MF rod, which would be good for throwing 3/8oz or 1/2oz spinnerbaits or chatterbaits and should also be acceptable for crankbaits, or a M/F which has the advantage of throwing weightless soft plastics, but loses the ability to fish 1/2oz spinnerbaits and chatterbaits (3/8oz and a trailer would be a bit heavy for a typical M/F rod). I'm not very familiar with TFO rods to be honest. The Lews Mach II combo seems to be one of the better combos out there however, which might be a good starting point that's roughly in your budget. A lot of people have good luck with other cheaper rods too like the Berkley Lightning or the Berkley Lightning Shock, or even the Ugly Stik GX2 which makes a decent moving bait stick (my youngest son has a M but it's more like a MH/MF).