Glaucus

Same. If I knew of an electric purple reel of quality, I'd be them all. ETA: Except for pink being a favorite color, as it's not, but that particular reel is sharp. Purple is my favorite color though.

Where are you located that bass are still in pre spawn? I like a Texas Rigged Havoc Pit Boss or a Wacky Rigged Senko for these situations.

They would all be really skinny if that's the case.

There's no way those photos weren't intended.

A Fluke... So simple, so fish catchy, and yet, I'm a fool with the Fluke.

Daiwa Aird X paired with a Daiwa Fuego LT ($155 retail) Or Fenwick HMG paired with a Pflueger President ($160 retail) Power, action and reel size depends on what you want out of your spinning setup. If you're going to prefer throwing Ned rigs and dropshots, a ML/F with a size 1000 (Daiwa) or 25 (Pflueger) reel. If you're going to prefer throwing Senkos and other weightless plastics, wacky rigs, and small Texas rigs, a M/F with a size 2500 (Daiwa) or 30 (Pflueger) reel. Cheaper options would be a Daiwa Aird X paired with a Daiwa Legalis LT ($125 retail) or a Fenwick Eagle paired with a Pflueger President ($120 retail). [ Notice the pattern? ]

That's one that should have been made into a meal.

We don't control the weather, but we are capable of breaking it, and we have.

I'd like our rain to be gone and some heat to come. We're still dealing with unseasonably cold temperatures and flooding rains. It's almost July and we're still getting 50s and 60s for highs, some low 70s, and cold rains that have once again destroyed river fishing. My home river has risen 4 feet in a day and the forecast for the next 2 weeks shows 1 day of no rain. In fact, it's raining now and thunder is in the distance. The seasons have been so strange for several years and it has continued to get worse. We're destroying the planet.

I sometimes forget to take a bag of plastics out and they always end up bent out of shape from the heat. I have what I consider entire bags of ruined Trick Worms especially. This is in Illinois. It gets hot here (not yet this year tho) for a few months but nothing like other states. I don't know how people get away with keeping them in their cars.

That's a hard budget, if I'm being honest. Berkley Lightning rods and Abu Garcia Silver Max reels to be at/under budget. Daiwa Aird X rods and Daiwa Fuego reels would put you a little over budget but is an outstanding combination for the price. My advice though? Get one setup for that money. I've heard the Shimano SLX rod and reel combo is great. A Fenwick HMG rod and Daiwa Fuego or Shimano SLX reel would be great as well. Okuma EVX rods are really good at $100 and again you can slap one of those kings of $100 reels on it (Fuego or SLX). The 6'8" MH/MF Okuma EVX is such a great all purpose rod. I wouldn't settle on getting 2 low end setups when you can get 1 nice one, or if you can swing a little more you can get 2 Aird X and Fuego setups. I'm definitely in the minority here when I say this, so take it as you will, but if the Dobyns Fury gets recommended don't do it.

So, $100 total or $200 total?

You're not getting a good hookset because those rods are way too weak for those jigs. You're also seriously overloading them. A 3/8oz jig with a trailer weighs far more than 3/8oz because only the weight of the jighead is taken into consideration, not the hook, skirt, or weedguard, and certainly not the trailer. You probably don't have to worry about the Ugly Stik breaking but don't be surprised if you do break the rods casting those. The MH rod is far better suited for this but the 12lb mono is not.

That's a strange way to spell Daiwa Fuego

Bass try to eat bass their size. Tons of photos of, say, a 15 incher with a 15 incher stuck in its throat. The only issue you might find is far fewer to zero bites for days on end. Which is why I don't throw huge. I'm not a trophy hunter; I'm a fisherman.

Good choice. With a higher budget i definitely would have said Lightning rod and President reel, but the step down at Cherrywood and Trion isn't bad. It will serve you well.

I like the sensitivity of the Fury, but that's the only thing they got right in my opinion and from my experience. I hate their false power and action ratings, the cork on the 2 of 5 Furys I kept (bought in March, sold 3) is already chipping away from casual use, and the spinning rods (kept 1 of 2) wouldn't fit my Pflueger President reels correctly (narrowed that down to probably being Pfluegers fault) so I got some Daiwa Legalis reels to put on it and they both have massive line slap when reeling (with braid, mono, or Hybrid, and I use thin diameter line). The guides on the rods aren't straight or even. One of the rods was received bent. One had a cracked guide. Worst fishing purchases of my life.

You can get that fixed locally for the cost of shipping the rod if not cheaper.

Going by retail price alone and not Amazon or eBay or used prices, Berkley Cherrywood rod with a Pflueger Trion reel, and you still have a little left over to throw some Trilene XL on it. I would actually fish that combo and have no problems doing it.

I don't target anything but largemouth and smallmouth bass. My most impressive bonus catch would probably be this crappie: I didn't weigh or measure it, but it's the biggest one I've ever caught, and I catch them frequently when bass fishing. It hit a Texas Rigged worm. I've caught big channel cats, big carp, and big drum when bass fishing as well, but I see bigger than the ones I've caught all the time by people who fish for anything that bites or who intentionally targeted them. I don't like to touch carp or drum. I caught a small Muskie once in a tournament. The lake is known for Muskie. Before we started my buddy told me I wouldn't catch one because they're hard enough to catch as is when you're targeting them. My first fish of the day shortly after launch was a Muskie LOL. I enjoyed that bonus catch the most, even if it was small. It took me a little while to appreciate it. At the time I was upset because I thought I had a good largemouth. I released it quickly with no photo. Doh! I'm probably going to start intentionally targeting crappie as a secondary fishing hobby. I don't mind hooking into them when I'm bass fishing. I currently have no interest in toothy, whiskery, or sucky, slimey fish.

Remember, a weightless plastic (usually) is always about the slow fall. The action of the bait as it flutters down the water column in plain view of bass for what is "forever" in fishing produces the bites because they just can't help the easy, delicious looking snack/meal.

Polarized sunglasses help with seeing the line. Just cast the weightless plastic and let it sink. Lift the rod tip up every once in a while to repeat the action. Twitching the bait is also good. Giving a Senko a good pop or a jerk produces an eratic action that triggers bites as well.

@TOXIC is way better versed on Senko variations than I am and probably anyone else here. He covered some basics. There is a difference for sure, but they also all have the classic Senko characteristics. As far as TRDs, I didn't notice any difference between the softer vs the stiffer other than the Molting Craw caught more channel catfish than smallmouth bass yesterday, but I'm sure that had nothing to do with the different characteristics.

So how did that work? Did they tag a bass and whoever caught it got the truck, if anyone caught it at all? Regardless, super epic win, man.