Mobasser

I have three. Two 4600c , one 5500c. One 4600c is over 20yrs old. I still fish with one of the 4600c reels. As A-Jay and Catt have said here, the Shimano Calcutta is the top of the line for round casting reels. But, the old A bus are durable and easy to repair also.

I bought 10 bags of Lucky Strike curl tail worms at Wal Mart on clearance at 50 cents per bag. These worms are stiff. I dropped in boiling water, layed them on a paper towell, and they became much softer. Once the water reaches boiling, it doesn't take much time.

Plastic worm, jig, spinnerbait, topwater. In that order

Nice. Those look like the ones I had years ago. Good find

It's been said here on BR in the past."If you have the bite dialed in, you don't need much". Over the last three seasons, this is the approach I take on evening bank trips to a 6 acre quarry lake near home. My " tacklebag", if you can call it that, is actually a nylon, 8x8, flat zipper bag, which I think was actually made as a lunch bag. The contents are 1 bag plastic worms, 1 bag plastic craws, a small 3x3" divided Plano box, holds weights, and a few shakey head jigs. The bag has two mesh pockets inside, which hold worm hooks in they're original packages. One more small Plano box holds two 1/4 oz Beetlespins, one Rebel Pop R, and a chrome 1/4 oz Johnson Silver Minnow Spoon. A section of plastic worm works good as a trailer on the spoon, if I decide to use it. I've rigged the bag with a short section of paracord rope, with a clip that attaches to my belt loop. I havnt weighed this bag, but it weighs very little. One med/ hvy rod, either casting or spinning is all I carry. It's a fun way to fish. After fishing this small lake for years, I've found three areas that I target, which will always seem to hold some fish. Most evenings the plastic worm brings in the most bass, but, it's always fun to try for a topwater fish before I go home at dark. Although many folks will say I'm putting myself at a disadvantage here, that hasn't been the case at all. Actually, since I started carrying less tackle on these trips, I catch more bass. And, when it's time to go home, it's an easy walk back to the truck without having to pack multiple rods, or a heavy tacklebox or bag, full of stuff that I rarely if ever used. Like most of us, I've collected a lot of tackle over the years. I used to carry a huge amount of stuff, and lug it up and down the bank. Now, travelling light is the best way to go. What I've learned here since joining BR has been a huge help. Focus on where to fish, seasonal patterns, and structure, and armed with a few well chosen baits that fit your fishing style, you'll catch em. " If you have the bite dialed in, you don't need much". It's 100% fact.

Chatterbaits. They just don't work here. At least not for me

Good post Rolo. I agree it's always good to trust your instincts. I fish with a 73 yr old friend named Mike. Mike got shot up in Vietnam, and walks with a slight limp, otherwise he's a tough old guy. We had finished fishing by noon one Saturday, when a truck pulled up in the lot, and two younger guys got out and quickly dumped 2 bags of garbage in front of the dumpster- not in it. I was getting the boat ready for the ride home, when I heard Mike say" pick it up", you guys know better". Things got tense for a minute, then they picked up the trash and threw it in the dumpster. On the ride home I said" Mike, what would have happened had those guys pulled out a gun on you"? He shrugged and said" well, I guess I would have picked up the trash instead". I don't think anything scares this old hard nosed guy, but he made a bad move there. It's far better to avoid a confrontation, and let it go. I keep a close circle of friends, all of whom I've known for years, and all of whom are trustworthy to the end. As much as I hate to admit it, I can size up a guy pretty quickly, by his attitude, the way he acts etc. If he's not someone I would choose to fish with, or hang around with, he won't be part of my circle. That's just how it is these days, sad but true.

Agree 100%! It really is about sticking with it, to learn how to catch bass. I got skunked so many times when I started, at one point I was ready to give it up. An older guy took me under his wing and helped me learn more. Now, I'm still learning new things almost 40yrs later. Stick to it, and don't give up! It's the only way to get good at bass fishing. I also feel.like the best way to learn is to fish as much as possible. Books and videos can help, but getting out there and casting makes you learn from experience- the best way.

I used to fish some club tournaments years ago, in the late 1980s. I made friends with an older club member who won and placed in the top three many times by using a Culprit 7.5" worm in blk/blue. Frank's methods of fishing were very simple, and he usually only carried three rods on board. His favourite time to fish these events was in the hottest time of the year. One rod was rigged with a jig/ pork frog combo, one with a spinnerbait or Rattletrap, and the last rod was always rigged with a light T rig and a Culprit plastic worm. The spinnerbait/trap rod was his "search" rod. Marking out some good spots beforehand, he cast a spinnerbait at various depths looking for active fish. Once he determined the fish were in that area, he moved in with the Culprit worm, and fished slowly, and worked the area over thourouly, before moving on. For me at the time, it was a lesson in simplicity, and I've carried Culprit worms along ever since. These worms were first sold in 1977, and as far as I know, have no salt or scent added. I mostly use the 7.5" model, but have used the 10" as well. The larger worm works great fished weightless, reeled slowly over the top of any weeds or vegitation. These are considered an old school classic plastic worm now. I like blk/blue, or any purple/grape shades. I've had the best luck over the years T rigging them, with a 3/0 hook and the lightest sinker I can cast. Imitation could be considered a form of flattery, and, there's been many worms since that have copied the ribbon tail design. I love em. Are you a fan of the Culprit worms? What colors do you like, and what's your favourite way to rig them?

I hope to go to MT someday. I'd like to fish there. As far as dog days fishing, I really don't mind. Bass seem to be easier to.pattern and locate for me in the hottest months

Catt, I'd also call it two great colors, of some classic plastic worms.

Phenom on top, Culprit on bottom.

I still have Renegade 4" grubs left from years ago. I bought worms, lizards, and other Renegade baits at WW years ago also.

What colors have you been using? I've done pretty good with the 1/4 oz catapala green color.

Most folks on this site fish many different plastic baits. I like most. Culprit, Roboworms, Zoom worms and craws, too many to list all of them here

Beetle Spins, Zoom Fat Albert grub, Arkie jigheads, and Yum baits. All a good value for the dollar

Congrats Mike! My daughter gave one of the carpenters on our team a 100.00 gift card to Academy for good attendance through the year. He ended up getting a nice spinning combo, and new line, all on sale. If your good on rods/reels I'd probably stock up on line, hooks, weights etc. I'd be getting some new soft plastic baits to try out also.

I don't belong to any other fishing sites. I see no need to. Every time I've asked a question, or started a new thread here, folks have always been helpful. There's a ton of good info on this site, and it's a great place to learn also.

Catt, I guess I should have worded this thread, I hope everyone is doing ok. I agree, nothing seems "normal" these days.

I don't fish the Z Man plastics a lot, but have several bags I've had for 3yrs, that have never melted or deformed. I just left them in the original bags.

Wondering if anyone has tried the Z Man Spinnerz? And, do they work on other baits besides Z Man plastics?

I don't use Senkos much, but use all kinds of plastic worms. Panfish will tap them, then drop very quickly. Some will grab the tail and run off a short distance, then drop it.Sometimes they'll hit it with 2 or 3 rapid taps then stop. I would just ignore them, and retrieve your bait as normal. And, as others have said, if there's small panfish where your fishing, there could be some bass close by also.

I'm hoping that BR members who were affected during the lockdown are getting back on track again. My job slowed way down in March, and I took a significant loss of income. I ended up taking a part time job, for slightly less pay, and so far it's working out well. It's turned into more than 24hrs a week, and become all most full time. That, and working one or two days in my daughter's family business, has kept us afloat. I feel lucky. I know many folks were hit hard, and are still recovering. I always think back to what my dad used to say years ago. " When times get tough, keep your chin up, hang in there, and do the best you can". Things will improve over time". " never be a quitter". I hope all BR members are back to work, and keeping busy. Hang in there, things will improve over time.

In your case, I would go with a 2 pc rod.Lots of them on the market now.

Like you I've only see photos of the old version of this bait, in lure collections. I'm wondering what the action is with this one?