DSTN

I'm intrigued. Super Flukes are my go to chatterbait lure but I'm always up for trying something new. With regards to paddle tails the only one I've sorta liked on a chatterbait out of the few I've tried is the Grass Pig because it's heavy so it casts well and I like how it kind of lumbers through the water. Seems like a good profile and the fish don't seem to complain.

The BPS Carbonlite series has a ML Fast action rod. Believe it's in the $110-$120 range regular price but as with most BPS house brand stuff they tend to be in sale fairly often. I've considered one but never pulled the trigger.

The stuff I use is either 22 or 24 ga. I don't remember which off the top of the head and can't find my wire since my wife borrowed it for some creation. There is a short but good thread about wire tieing here (helpful video at the end)...

Check craft sections at stores or a hobby/craft store. They should have copper wire or coated wire. I use copper to tie skirts on lures where the skirt bands have started to look sketchy.

Early spring has typically been ok for me. Nothing special. For me the hardest time (except when we're iced over) has typically been on the back end of summer before fall bit kicks in.

Prett good haul. At least they got 1 Melee in there. Too bad none of the buzzbaits are the new Squelcher, they look interesting.

I've had this Okuma bag for probably 15-20 years. It can hold more than I probably need to take at once and has held up pretty well. Pretty sure I got it from Walmart for way less than the TW price. Haven't had a good enough reason to look for anything else yet. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/catpage-OKUMSTORAGE.html?from=basres

Haven't had a chance to use them but out of curiosity checked the casting rods out when I saw them at a local F&S a couple weeks ago. The White Bird casting rod seemed like a decent rod for the price, especially if you found them on sale. The only other one that struck a chord was the Big Sexy. I picked up a few different lengths in MH and H and they all felt pretty good to me. Can't vouch for whether or not it's comparable with other $200 rods.

Great report! Keep after it.

Patriots and Belichick always seem to find a way... Most importantly though - 2 weeks until baseball!

I would have said buzzbaits until last summer, don't give up! Mine would be a hollow belly frog thats not a Sprinker Frog. Just haven't been able to make it happen yet.

Good stuff!

I second the Hook2 recommendation. I picked one up for my kayak this summer. You can get it without GPS and save around $20. That is what I did but to be honest wish I had the GPS so I could mark waypoints.

I got the 7'-3" Heavy casting rod last year for half price on Cyber Monday. It worked well for frogs, Whopper Plopper 110/130, and any flipping and pitching when braid was required. They seem like a pretty good value. Will probably pick up 1 or 2 other models in the next week or so while they're on sale.

I believe they use their own boats during the 8 tournaments but use the MLF boats in the Cup events.

Hope it works out for him and KK. I like his Pro vs Joe show and he seems like a solid dude. The KK rods are definitely easier on the eyes than his old yellow ones.

Haven't used either but have read that the Spro Aruku Shad and Duo Realis Vibration are both good on the fall. I personally use the RES and like how it works when using a lift and fall retrieve.

Always like reading these recaps to see what has worked well for you and others. All good stuff. As for me the best baits are similar to last year. TRD in mudbug on a 1/16 oz jig head and a 1.5 size squarebill (Bomber Square A or KVD 1.5) did the best for me this year. Buzzbait and Whopper Plopper (90,110) get an honorable mention.

I've been using the Yum Pulse in the 4.5" size the last couple years. I can't compare the movement to a Keitech because I've never used any but the Pulse has nice movement at a pretty good range of speeds. Plus they are usually 2.99 a pack. Looks like Cabelas has a couple decent colors on sale online for $1.88 a pack right now too...

I'm also a bit surprised by some of the invites vs non-invites, especially amongst Elites. Guess they only had 80 to give though and many more to choose from.

Good stuff. I saw the spinner blade on the jig head hook trick in an article somewhere recently.

I've tried some of the tricks mentioned above to tune buzz baits with so-so results. What I have had the best luck with in getting them to run more upright is to find the retrieve speed where they start to run on their side and keep my retrieve slower than that.

Tried a handful of different ones but CC Super Spots are my most used because they are $3 at Walmart and they work for me. Gold or chrome most of the time. My PB came on a 1/2 oz red craw Super Spot in mid-January.

I am a combo bank/kayak fisherman and I've had more issues with recreational fisherman in boats cutting me off than tournament guys. Maybe they underestimate me and figure I can only cast 20 feet or so, I don't know. But I do know throwing cast nets for shad over and over for 15 minutes seems to shut the fishing in an area down for a bit... It all comes down to the people or person involved in every scenario. I've had plenty of tournament guys give me a wide berth when I was bank fishing on a tournament day, no matter how much it pains them to pass that juicy looking rip rap. I've also let guys fish through or let them know I don't plan to fish part of the area, etc. to give them the opportunity if they desire.

I had a coworker who used a ceiling rack in his Honda Pilot. Was a solid set up. He was able to leave his reels on the rods but I would think in a vehicle like yours with less head space you would need to remove the reels for your trip.