johnnybassjr

Always assumed that trolling was primarily for fish that are suspended or roaming off the bottom. I guess if I was trying to catch schooling or suspended bass it might work. Also assumed that you needed a kicker as a TM might not get you to that 2-3 mph range at least consistently?

Of the rods that you stated, the 734 would be my choice for chatters and would be good for jigs but not ideal. But hard to beat the Expride though with the price increase it is a bit above he others.

The best bang for buck rod IMO. Customer service is sketchy to say the least but the rods are the most sensitive I've fished in the price range. X2 on one full power overated.

I stand corrected. A promo that lasts all year so yeah.

Keep in mind that they charge shipping for all orders so that 20% can get eaten up... yes I'm cheap

Another head scratcher. I know so many people who love this bait and consider it one of the best bang for the buck cranks.

I have used PP too for a long and have tried a lot of the more "advanced" braids. The problem is that the more supple and quiet they are, the more they wind knot. I did go down from 10 lb to 8 lb in PP and it makes a lot of difference and is plenty strong.

Absolute steal if you like the grey lenses. Some models are $95 with glass lenses!

Great looking bait. I choked when I saw the price but you get two and they are fully rigged so not cheap but not crazy. I suppose you can swim or drag this right?

That's probably a stab in the gut for more of us than we care to admit. Like others, it's deep cranks. I could never keep them from catching weeds and don't have the patience to learn. I started fishing with a new friend a couple of years ago and that's been great for increasing my confidence in other baits I didn't fish much before... spinnerbaits and big topwaters specifically.

Easier for me to answer this for reels- to me the Tatula SV's and Shimano Ultegras are so good that it is hard to get much more for the money. So around 200 for baitcasting and 150ish for spinning. Much harder for me to answer for rods but but probably around 400 to 500. P5's are definitely a step up from Orochi and there is such a gap up from the IMX to GLX line. Same with Legend Tournaments up to the Elites and Xtremes.

Never traded in a rod to ALF because they didn't pay much. Bought a bunch of used rods and really found them to be accurate in terms of condition and worth the savings. Bought some tatula reels on sale and never had a problem. They just need to fix the pricing on the used stuff and then fix whatever else was bleeding their margin and it should be good.

Sluggos make great bladed jig trailers too. That centipede on a c rig for smallies has done well for me. Of couse, the minus one RIP....

I usually fish 3/16 or 1/4 on DS but you do see some pros say they like to use a heaver weight because it keeps the weight planted when you jiggle it. Looks like most on here don't buy into that. Same with Ned etc.... I always find I gravitate towards the lightest weight that is fishable in the wind/current.

Length is crazy and it still looks fat. The bladed jig strikes again. I can't imagine what I would do if I saw color on a fish like that.

Finally took the time to learn FG and use it for everything but not on the boat. It is an easy knot to screw up so I go with the Shin Fukae knot on the boat.

reminds of the old Bill Dance line... people ask me what the best bait in my tackle box is... I say "confidence"

For me, it's the swim jig or finesse jig bumped along the bottom. It is usually a great bait but sometimes my buddy shows me that they want flash and vibration. Or that they want a big spook on the surface. When I'm alone, I wait way to long to try other moving baits.

Fluoro is a mystery to me. Sometimes, it just breaks and I don't recall what had happened. Of course there are always nicks, kinks etc. It's just part of fishing with it, even the expensive ones. I sometimes wonder why I still fish it but most of know why. Also, braid to leader on casting has never been something that works consistently for me as others have said. I fish very clear lakes here in WI and go straight 30 lb braid for jackhammers. Fish don't seem to mind when I'm fishing it through grass which is almost always.

C rig for me but I'll have to try that dropper loop with the plastic. Seems like a great way to locate them and them hit them with the c rig and or jig.

Anyone fish those suspending IMA lipless cranks? They look great but I've only thrown them a few times and had no luck.

Agree on salmon but I wouldn't recommend it for smallies. It is really hit annd miss in July and August

Used used to great during sales on ALF. I agree that the new pricing makes non sense.

great post.. pretty much captures the essence of why fishing is so challenging/satisfying.. in the midwest during the colder months it is usually minute changes in temperature that can make a difference