FishDewd

Tbh, I usually make due with just 3 set-ups. I wish I had a reason for 5!

This is true... I just don't know the carbonlites internals. I can tear down Penn and some Abus but that's all I know how to do as far as baitcasters/conventionals go.

I'm gonna be a bit different... I normally am anyway, so what the heck? What works for me is roughly a 12" flouro leader tied to the braid with a simple alberto knot. This way I don't need to spool an FC knot which I cannot tie. I run that to a spinshot hook (it has a built in swivel to keep it true) and attach it with either a doubled san diego jam knot or a wetted palomar knot. The other eyelet gets about 6" worth of 6-10 lb fluoro dropshot line. Ican attach that the same way as the first. I then make a little figure-8 knot (otherwise called a "lefty kreh knot") at the end of the line and use that as a stopper for the dropshot weight. This way if I encounter a snag I can tug the line and break the weight line without losing all of it. Works great for me. Why complicate what works great?

It's not a big deal... I wasn't terribly impressed with the reel anyway. I liked how all the drags clicked and everything, but I didn't really need that. The reels I tried didn't have a very good freespool and I was wanting a weightless combo- the reel I have works better than theirs.

So I assume you can smell it as well?

It's not that I can't, it's a timing issue. Since bass usually take that kind of lure on the fall, by the time I've reeled in and set it, they're already gone. Plus, I'd be afraid of gut hooking one with that kind of round bend embedded rig. Tex-posing doesn't require much of a hook set when done properly. The strike from the fish should help to pop the hook tip out of the lure so you can lift the pole and set it in a controlled fashion. I will never use a power set on what I believe to be a small fish, that's just mean and unnecessary. I come from a background of catfishing.. With catfish, they just tend to inhale it, unlike bass which can take it so lightly I may not even notice until they spit it. So maybe that's the reason I don't use hard hook sets. But trust me... I can. I just prefer not to. Hence why I like drop shots, it's very gentle on the fish. I just have a lot of respect for nature and life and do not personally believe in ripping a hole in a fishes mouth just to catch it.

Ah, well I have a hard enough setting them when they are texposed... don't think I'll be trying that one. I just use those exposed if I think I can get away with it, like in an area I know I won't get snagged.

Cool, so Ive probably been doing about right then... figured it didn't need much. I normally just put a drop or two on the lure and rub it around. Let it set for a minute or so and then fish it, but not sure if it even needs to set really.

Indeed not, I learned that one the hard way already lol. I don't use those very often cause waters here nearly always require a hidden point.

If it does, great... first tube I've ever bought so I wouldn't have known.

Mega Strike is a bit pricey which is why I'm weighing whether it's really worth it or not

All right, thanks all, very informative! Maybe I had something on my hands that made it seem like it had an odor.

Hm, that's interesting.!One says it has a lot of scent, another says it has none! I definitely detect an odor of something in mine... like I said, smells like a Powerbait but not quite so punchy. Are there different kinds of MS? This is the only one I've ever seen. Maybe it's intended to do something with the texture? Cause it does make it feel more life-like I have noticed, and this quality at least seems to last longer than whatever the odor is. So maybe that's what it is. Btw, I don't actually reapply it every cast or two, I just assumed that just because I couldn't smell it doesn't mean it wasn't making an odor that something else could smell. Kinda like a zoom worm.

I have heard about various fish attractants on this forum and others, seems like Mega Strike is one of the most popular. I got a tube from Cabela's last week and used it the last two outings... here are a few things I noticed about it: 1.) it smells exactly like a Berkley Powerbait (which hasn't worked for me to catch anything). 2.) the smell doesn't last more than a cast or two before needing to be reapplied. 3.) it didn't increase my bite numbers... if anything, the number of bites I've gotten while using it has reduced as compared to not using it. So it makes me wonder if it actually works at all. I know a lot of you use it with success, but I'm skeptical. What are thoughts regarding the effectiveness of such attractants, and what is the idea behind them working?

I won't spend more than about $7 on a lure cause I will lose it, guaranteed. Too pricey to keep replacing. I don't catch anything on hard lures anyway lol.

Not even a good filet.

I said round bends not straight shanks... I was talking about offset worm hooks.

I mix it up... in the past of catfishing, I used to use a stronger mainline with a bit weaker leader line connected via a swivel. Now I am learning that with bass fishing, a swivel is not usually required, so I have been experimenting this year using leaders and no leaders... mono for leaders, fluro for leaders, and poly for leaders... haven't noticed much of a difference using any of the three really, other than I tend to break fluoro leaders more often. But I think some of that may be my fault in the knots I chose to tie. I've learned that some knots (like palomar) are said to slightly burn the line when used. I don't like fluoro as a mainline at all... it's just awful in many ways. However, I think it has great potential as a leader. Based on my fishing trip today I have actually rearranged my pole rigs a little... I only had one pole using a leader, but it was the same kind (poly) as my mainline just in a weaker test. I went ahead and added flouro leaders to two of my poles though. Even though the waters I fish are very murky, I still feel like any edge to presentation I can add will be a plus in these heavily pressured waters. Plus flouro seems to transmit feel a little better than just using poly or braid alone, and I am hoping it will help to keep the lines down a bit better when the wind gets gusty. I won't use anything but a braid mainline on my baitcasters, I have tried and it just ends in disaster every time lol. So... idk what is best to do. I'm just gonna try stuff until I find something that works and gives me the confidence I need to be an effective angler.

For when I texas rig: I've tried quite a few of the options around for worms and other plastics... for me an EWG offset in 2/0-3/0 usually works the best cause there is always underwater debris. The round bends don't texpose worth a bean. The more abrupt angle of the EWGs just work better for me. I have tried the twistlock stuff... they hold the bait well but I hate how the hooks sit in the plastic. The owner ones are closest to the standard EWGs but I dislike how the twistlock is attached. I've had those snap some lines because of how they sit inside the eyelet. Topwater: I don't do this often because there's never any interest in them, but a round bend offset will work fine for this by theory. For wacky rigs: with lighter baits, I prefer a small weighted jig intended for this. For heavier baits a finesse hook usually works just fine, sans the weed guard. Weed guards cost me hook-ups, I just never can get them to set. Spinshot hooks also work well for wacky worming on dropshot rigs.

Well, granted I've only just gotten into jigs, what do I know? Buuuut. Yes I do match mine! Why? Cause that's what I've seen others do so I followed by example! Is it necessary? No idea... I'll find out if/when I ever catch anything on a jig I guess! So far the fish around here haven't told me what they want in a jig. They're keeping the secret in the depths!

I did actually... no go. They were only comboing certain rods with the reels and wouldn't let me just get a reel for it.

I've caught plenty of catfish on senkos and tubes lol.

If I'm anywhere that bad, I'm probably carrying a machete with me lol.

I recently got a carbonlite 2.0 in medium-lite power for thus purpose. It has more than enough backbone to tear through grass and debris, yet has a light tip that can throw a weightless senko with a light wire hook a good ways. I used it for the first time today, and didn't catch anything, but I'm not at all worried about it being underpowered for hooksets. My area doesn't really have much opportunity for bass over a couple pounds anyway, I'm yet to catch one that weighed even a pound.

I usually bring 2-3 different setups with me ready to go. I have a carolina rig on one pole to feel out an area, although it doesn't generally catch anything. It does let me know if there are underwater grass lines and like though that I feel might be a place where bass can hide. Another is a dropshot set-up which I will start with a finesse worm rigged wacky since I have had luck with that before in ponds. The last one will be for either texas rigged plastics (like senkos), or setup for moving hard baits like cranks or jigs. If something doesn't produce in about 25 minutes or so, I will change what I am presenting. I tend to change my retrieval first though, just to make sure I am not going too fast/too slow or whatever. Sometimes that can make all the difference before switching baits/lures. I do think bass and fish in general can learn to avoid certain baits that are used often, so I try to see what others are using (if anyone else is there) and try not to repeat what they do. Unless of course, something seems to be working really well.