Tmmytomato

Gamakatsu circle octopus - best hookup rate I have ever experienced for both wacky and drop shot. Used them for many years. VMC Flippin' Hook is excellent and priced below the other top brands.

As another poster suggested - a Lake Fork Frog Stinger Hook - if it'll work on your small frog - in addition to the braid. If the fish are not loading up on your frog even with your hesitation, they may all be striking short for whatever reason - color, size, something... A stinger hook will catch more of the fish that strike short, just like a trailer on a buzzbait or spinnerbait.

Unlike another poster I would hesitate to jump right into braid, aka:Supereline. If budget is an issue I'd stick with your YoZuri which is excellent line. Braid is pricey but it does last forever. It can have an issue with wind knots which you won't get with mono/co-polymer line. And if you get a serious backlash (we all do from time to time) braid can be a real mess, especially if you have to just break it off and cut a lot of line out. $$$ I have three to four dozen baitcasters and have about a third of them with braid and although not an expert I have been doing this fishing thing for over 50 years and find different lines have different characteristics and have varied applications. The simplest advice I can give is use what you seem comfortable with and stick with the YoZuri for a while - it's a good product. And the guys who've posted about rods are giving you good advice.

Being a towering 5' 7" tall I prefer a shorter rod butt section. Rods with long butt sections tend to be a nuisance for me with added length that does nothing. Thinking of years past, everything was a pistol grip so a little bit of a butt section is nice but too much is just too much. TFO rods are a very good investment for the money. Anything with Gary Loomis' name or design has been a quality product.

I'm talking 4.7 ounce Aldeberon, 5.9 ounce Chronarch MG, 6.2 ounce Metaniums (nine in all of those styles) and DO NOT have large hands so the low profile reels are much more comfortable for me. I also have a couple round Calcutta Bs that are great reels but not quite as easy for me to palm on an all day or three/four day event. It's interesting how everyone has their "druthers" and the sponsored pros can throw anything they want but see how many use the low pros the vast majority of the time. They say it's because of the comfort and weight and they fish all day every day..

Lower mass, more comfortable all day casting, lighter weight. You won't find any new round bait casters anywhere near the light weight of the new low profile reels - or as comfortable for an all day or three day tourney.

Kicker is right. Unless you can get a screaming deal on a Lower end Lew's or Abu don't keep looking for a good reel at a garage sale price. Consider stepping up to the $125 range if you can. That will put you in the market for a better reel like a Shimano, a better Abu, upgraded Lew's or more mid-range Daiwa. If you can bump that a little more you'll have a reel you'll get years of quality use and way more fun out of. Forty some-odd years ago I bought the best Abu I could afford and was glad I did. I continued to step up over the years and now (decades) years later I have all top end Shimano. And you can believe the posters on here that will attest to more enjoyment and trouble free fishing with the better goods. Cheap gear will discourage you. Get the best you can afford at the time. Better gear casts easier, less backlashes, smoother operation. As far as the person suggesting you just stay with spinning gear - I have a lot of that also and it's necessary for certain presentations, no doubt. But is you want to get into more controlled casts with more stout lures and fishing in heavier cover you'll want to step up to bait casting gear like you've planned. Check out anything offered by fellow posters here on line too - you might find a jewel here somewhere.

Dypsis - Smalljaw67 gave you the right scoop. You can Texas rig them or wacky rig them - different presentations on different days depending on what the bass are responding to. You can fish a Texas weedless Neko in some pretty nasty stuff and give them a presentation they won't often see.

Color doesn't matter as long as it's green pumpkin/watermelon laminate (usually).

A buddy bought a kayak and has done fairly well from it at Standley. That's a rather inexpensive alternative and probably the most affordable way to get you off the bank and into the lake, other than in a belly boat. I haven't fished Standley this year myself so I can't give you any firsthand info. You might also check with FishExplorer.com and ColoradoFisherman.com. Most of the good fish we caught last year were on 5"-6" swim baits and any soft plastic resembling a craw in green pumpkin. Tubes and Senkos have usually been productive too.

I have two but have mostly only fished the one with 8# fluoro on a 6'8" ML Expride and mostly 1/8 oz tubes. Have also thrown weightless 4" Senko and 1/4 oz jig/pork. Have caught fish up to 4# and so far this combo has been flawless. Undecided whether the price tag is warranted but not at all unhappy. This is one of a few dozen baitcasters that range from Calcutta, Japanese Metanium7, new Metanium, Core, CI4, Chronarch, Curado, and Chronarch Mg and a few ABU Morrum Forrels. This new rig weighs nothing, casts effortlessly and preforms as expected under a load. I'm happy.

For a square bill crank I like a 6.2 or 6.4:1 being as most of my square bills are in the 1.5 to 2.5 size range. The 5.0 means reeling extremely fast just to get action. I definitely fish a 5.0 to 5.5:1 when fishing big cranks like DD22s or 10XD or even 8XD or any other larger big diver with a lot of cranking resistance. I can comfortably crank a 1.5 to 2.5 size bait without killing myself or getting too much torque when using a low 6:1 ratio reel. Using anything faster means a ton of torque and fatigue when using the typical square bill sized cranks. Just my experience and opinion.

The bass that get caught repeatedly are mostly blonde, are easily fooled and lean to the left.

There is a world of difference between a St. Croix Avid and a Premier - Avid hands down- period! You might also look at the latest Shimano Crucial - incredible new rod blank, my new favorite and I own almost everything including GLoomis NRX rods, GL2, GLX and TFO rods. Fenwick makes an excellent rod as well. Many friends weren't very thrilled with the Abu line. Personally - an Avid or a Crucial would be my choice based on your budget.

As an all around speed for a baitcaster I'd recommend something in the mid 6-1 ratio range (6:2, 6;5) rather than a 5.5 or even a 7.1. Reason being it is a great all around utility speed for small cranks, bigger cranks, buzzbaits and spinnerbaits. Too slow and you'll wear yourself out with buzzbaits and small cranks but great for very large cranks. Too fast and you'll kill yourself with larger cranks and possibly move swim jigs too fast to keep them down a little in the water collumn.

I'm in agreement with the responders who use no leader and tie straight braid to the lure. If you're in tannic water it shouldn't matter much anyway. The diameter of braid is tiny compared to mono. NO fluoro if you're fishing topwater because it will sink and crawl your bait towards you even if you think it's sitting still/deadstickiing. There's only a couple braids that sink, one being Sufix 832 (excellent line by the way), so I'd probably stay clear of that one. If you're fishing Florida sinking line probably isn't necessary anyway because your "deep" is our (Colorado) shallow to mid depths. Years ago all any of us had was mono and somehow we caught a pretty fair amount of fish so I'd use it as my standard go-to line if I could afford only one type.

I have about thirty baitcasters, the high percentage are Shimano but I aklso have three Abu Morrums and one Lews Pro Speed Spool. The first Lews (after using Lews thirty years ago) had a problem with the handle nut being stripped on the shaft. Actually it may have been the shaft that was stripped. Regardless, it was either bad machining or cheap steel. I returned it to Tackle Warehouse and they replaced it immediately. A friend of mine had two Lews that had the same problem. He returned his also. The Lews is definitely smooth, fairly light and has a large line capacity, if that's of any concern. I actually like using my Lews reel for certain techniques. I have the newest Shimano Curados, Chronarch CI4s, Cores, Metaniums and Calais reels as well as two Calcuttas. The Curado is outstanding. They now have finer machined gears and are silky smooth as are all the other newer Shimanos. The true measure of a reel is not how smooth it is the first month you use it but if it can stand up to rigorous use over the course of a year or two or ten. And don't get caught up in how many bearings any reel has. There are super hard anti-rust bearings and then there are mediocre bearings. Shimano has super hard bearings that stay round and smooth over time resulting in smooth casts and long life. My confidence is with Shimano because of my long standing experience with their quality. The Curado I series won best of show at ICAST and I see a lot of seasoned bassers using them. They hold up. They have solid gears, excellent drag systems and are somewhat bullet-proof. As you can tell I lean very heavily toward Shimano although Lews seems to have corrected thier flaw. Just my opinion.

I have had no personal experience with a Lexa but I' would definitely read reports from those that have. I'm a Shimano guy but also have a smooth Lew's that I'm impressed with in addition to three dozen various models of Shimanos. The newer Curado I is a monster reel and was named Best of Show at ICAST (manufacturers show for everything fishing related - reels, rods, line, pliers, etc). There are a lot of good reels available. One caution I might offer is to not be overly impressed with how many bearings any reel has. The number of bearings is not a good barometer of how well the reel performs after the first few months. The quality of bearings is way more important than the number. I have a particular reel (kinda pricey) with four bearings that is so much more smooth, strong and quiet than some of the heavily advertised reels from the big tackle stores. Talk with your friends and even borrow a reel for a day or two to see what you like. And ask guys who have had one for a little while to see if they have become loose or noisy.

I have been a fan of Silver Thread for many, many years - long before Excalibur or AN-40. I used it when it only came in a silver/gray color. Although it's not the only line I use I have had no problems with Silver Thread of any type. Excalubur is very abrasion resisitant and AN-40 is more supple, as others have posted here. Good stuff, very good value.

No way would I move it back to summer. This was an unreal winter and was scheduled long before they had any idea of what the weather would be. No matter where they fish it will always be someone's home lake so let's get over that complaint too. The most apparent bit of info taken form this Classic was the diversity of techniques and depths the various contestants fished.

Absolutely! At $120 it's a fabulous rod as was mentioned by another poster. At $83 you're crazy for not pickling one up. It's an IM10 blank that is super sensitive and strong. This could easily be your favorite rod.

Welcome! I lived in Missouri 32 years and now iin Colorado 36 years but will always consider Missouri home. You have a wealth of great fisheries in your area and I see you included Kincaid in Illinois as a favorite. It's a pretty little lake. We fished Table Rock, Bull Shoals, Lake of the Ozarks, Wappapello and Stockton before there was a Truman Res. Great place to live and fish. It was a different time without the tackle, baits and electronics that are now available and we had a ball. But thanks to technology things now are even more fun (and dependable). These are the gold old days.

There is no BEST. It's always a matter of opinion. I like Berkely Trilene and P-Line Fluoroclear and Sufix Elite and Sufix Crankin' Line. There are many affordable mono and copolymer and a few affordable fluorocarbon lines available. Pick what you like, whatever handles well on your reels, has decent abtrasion resistance (not much of a factor in open water) and good knot strength. If you are happy with the P-Line you're using then stick with it. Don't think the grass is always greener soomewhere else. There are dozens of pros and they're all hawking different brands and types of line - they get paid to do that. And there are a lot of good ones. Find what you like, can afford and handles well and go for it!

Actually I would stay away froma reel someone has touted as "the best" if yo want something you can fish hard and last more than one year. The Shimano Citica, Dawia Tatula or Lews would be my choices. I'm definitely a high end Shimano guy but have friends with the Lews (excellent value) and the Tatula and are both very happy with them.

I have fished Senkos for years and years and have used more brands and styles of hooks than Senkos have colors (well, maybe). The VERY best hook I have used for Texas rigging is a Rebarb hook in sizes 2/0 and 3/0 with a sideways sweep and a slight snap and mostly just a steady pull. I've had more consistent hookups with that hook and hookset than any other. As far as a wacky set up I use a Gamakatsu octpus circle hook in size 4 and size 2. That may sound like a small hook but I've caught fish from 2# to 7# by just tightening the line with that particular hook. You will not hook fish with a circle octopus if you try to set the hook like you would with other hook styles. And more than 90% are hooked in the corner of the mouth. Everyone has a favorite and an opinion. I have turned on a lot of guys in my bass club to this tecnique over the years and it's a winner that doesn't seem to need "improving".