FishDewd

I don't think it matters that much tbh... lighter is likely best, but if it comes down to stretch or no stretch then it'd be a questions of how much the rod loads to say whether braid or mono would be a better choice. For smoothness, I'd probably go with braid, or a middle ground between mono and FC and say co-polymer. Both seem equivalent in my usage. Then again I am hardly a long caster.

I saw those other day when contemplating what to do with my DSG gift card. They looked all right, but when I read the depth readings... decided it wouldn't work for me. Just not deep diving enough for my waters. Seems like they may be effective for really shallow areas, but... I like 'em to go a little deeper than 12" or whatever it said on the package... I've gotten too fond of Lucky Craft cranks. I don't really buy anything else anymore cause those work so darned good.

Swimbaits (keitechs?), beavers, curly tail worms, lizards, and stick baits... looks good to me!

I like how casually people can say "Yeah I just got an 8 pounder, nothing too impressive..." like it happens all the time. Man for me that'd be a monster, and I'd have to slap myself, then jump into the water to make sure it wasn't a dream! Biggest one I caught last year was either on a topwater whopper plopper or that one I hooked a few feet of the bank while retrieving a spinner bait... pretty close between the two. Neither was 2 lbs. but I'll take any fish over no fish!

I don't typically fish during the winter... if I have to wear a jacket then I'm uncomfortable, not as flexible, and not able to do things the way I'd like to do them. Finessing is more difficult when I'm all bundled up. With that said, when it warms up enough to wear a light coat or even no coat, then I find the bite is really slow. This scenario means the temp/pressure changed too quickly and leaves the fish non-committed when they strike. So usually this time of year I take time off, get my gear ready, maybe pick up some new lures or tactics I'd like to try for when spring time rolls around.

I'm mostly a spinshot hook guy for dropshotting, but I just gave this knot a try on a traditional Gama dropshot hook... pretty nice, I like it a lot actually. It's very fast and easy to tie. I didn't have to fiddle with it in the way the video poster did cause I am a master at dropper loop and it's basically the same knot. Idk about the integrity of it where it loops under the hook eye but it should work just fine for smaller game. Don't think I'd trust it for anything larger though.

I'm 99.9% bank fisherman. There are very few occasions I get the chance to actually fish from a boat. The biggest differences I find between bank and boat is that in a boat there you have certain advantages when it comes to finding fish, covering water, and using techniques. If you watch videos that teaches how to fish certain techniques, they are almost always boat based. Which is fine, but some things are better suited to a boat vs. from the bank. So when banking, you have to make some changes in order to get similar results. And when on larger bodies of water with a lot of depth transitions, there is the major disadvantage of having areas you just simply cannot get to from the bank. When limited to the distance of a cast, it often pays to pick outings carefully. The hotter days they pull out into deeper waters where we can't reach them... although there are normally some resident bass that still stay relatively shallow except for during extremes. So yeah... they're different sports in a way. Bankers and boaters have the same goal, but the manner in which we approach accomplishing those goals are significantly different.

I've almost cashed in my $100 DSG gift card I got for Christmas... got a bunch of zoom plastics, various hooks, including some swing heads I've always wanted to try, some glass rattles, a few new crankbaits on clearance, and a few new poppers to play with. And I still have like $10 left over lol. I ended up buying myself two new St. Croix rods from Cabela's as well because I needed a better pole for my new reel, and ended up getting a deal on one of them cause an associate had put the wrong price tag on it and they let me have it for $50 off normal price. So I'd call this a sucessful Christmas! Happy New Years all!

I've never had any luck on chatterbaits, but that's probably 99% my fault tbh. I'm not the best at reading "feel" but I'm always trying to improve on that. With that said, there's something about feeling that thump and seeing the rod tip twitch like "dunk, dunk, dunk, dunk" as it reels in.

A small box with a holes on both sides for a pencil to slide through. Spool on the pencil with empty one on either side to center it. Run line through small hole in front of box to keep line from jumping. Tie onto spool, tension line, wind it up!

Absolutely not. I'm not so easily sold on one brand for -everything-. I pick something up... analyze... test it.... feel it... analyze it some more... if I think it could work I then consult reviews (most of the time, unless I'm 100% sure I love it), then decide whether to buy it. I often even find another brand/modle closest to it and mentally pick both a part before making a decision. Maybe this comes with my career in mechanics lol. But no, I'm not gonna pick one brand or another simply because of name. That's the most limiting thing one can do imo.

I've used spoons for trout, but never been productive using them for bass. Least not in places I have fished them anyway. For me they seem to work best in flowing or somewhat turbulent waters. With that said, the spoons I use are no more than 1/2 oz... I'd say go for it. Sounds like a fun challenge. But if it doesn't produce when you know there are bass there I'd definitely recommend switching up and pursuing other options.

The line I don't have much opinion about, but there really isn't much of a hookset when you're dropshotting so I can't see any reason to use anything over a medium-heavy rod unless you're trying to DS in thick cover... in which case there are likely far better presentations to use. Like punching or bouncing a weedless jig for instance. I've DS'd quite a bit, and I prefer spinshot hook setups cause I can tie a weak sacrifice weight line in case of a snag and just snap it off and retrieve the hook.

I don't have a picture of it, but I once snagged a teeny baby catfish on a crankbait treble while bass fishing. Got him right below the dorsal under the bone. Would have been perfect as live bait.

Nonsense! Those grass carp are everywhere!

Man sounds like a bad day when you loose your foot and water shoe all in one! Careful or you'll end up like Chubbs Peterson!

Haha, I was just about to say "And here I can't even cast 100 yards!" ?

I don't anticipate 2019 being a very good season for me, given that I am now working more than I was earlier this year, and it'll be same story next years. So I doubt I'll have as many trips as I did this season. But if I had to choose a few simple but doable goals... here's what I pick: 1.) Catch a bass on a swim jig 2.) Catch a bass on a popper 3.) Caught a bass 2 lbs or better for a new PB (sad I know but beggers can't be choosers) 4.) Upgrade my fishing rods and add a new reel to arsenal

About 6 seconds with a hard flick.

I have it pretty loose so it moves maybe 1/8th inch either way. Lures are basically a free fall to the ground. Should I loosen it more than that? Certainly new to me even having one that loose.

I don't fish for bass after November and will continue holding off until march-april when the spawn is about over. Since I'm stuck on the bank, I am limited in what areas are fishable since they all pull out into water I can't reach this time of year. No sense freezing to death for a bite I know isn't there.

Been experimenting with it from 0-6 primarily. I don't think I'll run it much higher than that.

Never interesting, I never noticed that before! Well it was in the in position when I checked it, and does move out and in freely. I did actually use the spool holes when I spooled line on, but it was very low diameter braided line so that should be okay I think. I think it's my poles tbh. I just never noticed them limiting distance previously cause I had never had real high end reels before to run bass rigs like these. I have an Abu I like for catfishing, but it's usually throwing heavier rigs than I would run for bass. So thinking I need one that will better load in the 1/4 to 1/2 category of weighted lures. Maybe even a mod-fast action as well. I saw a St. Croix that should fit the bill so I might get that for myself for Christmas.

Yep it's definitely turning with it, I can see the point where the notch it, and at the maximum the notch on outer lines up with the notch on the inner, so that seems to be working properly.

Okay... so 3-5 half hitches.... Sory but I'll be sticking to palomar, uni, or san diego knots!