Mobasser

There are really so many good rods out there now, take your pick. Many will work good. It's down to what feels best in your hands, and as others have said, it's not all brand name or cost.Ive known guys who used rods that some would scoff at, and caught lots of fish. Use what works for you. One thing I know- there's more to becoming a good jig fisherman than the rod you use.

The one thing for me, at some point in my life would be to make a serious smallmouth bass trip. I've only caught one smallmouth in my life, and have always fished for largemouth bass.Smallmouth are not in the lakes I fish locally. Hope to do this someday

My favorite for casting reels also. Tough, affordable- seems like it's tailor made for baitcasters.

Ok thanks Tom. I see what your saying now. I'm from Missouri you know, " the Show Me State". Sometimes you have to show me! I'll catch on eventually .

Of course bass can't hide in cement blocks. I always looked at cover as weeds, wood, etc, but in the bigger picture of structure, which I thought to be the bottom contour, depth changes, drop offs etc.Maybe I don't understand this correctly?

Agree. The way I understood is like you do.Structure is bottom topography. Cover is anything in those areas that bass can hide in.

We found a spot on a 7acre quarry lake by luck years ago before we had any electronics. Trolling slowly, a friend caught 3 bass on 3 consecutive passes, out away from the shoreline pretty far.A hump in the center of the lake, created when they dug the old qaurrey. 31ft deep, hump rises to 16ft. Sunlight causes vegetation to grow on this spot.Structure and cover. We found this place by triangulating with points on the shoreline for a while, but now have a portable depthfinder in our wide body canoe. Next season I plan to explore this spot more. What I'll be looking for is something "different" than the weeds for cover. A rock pile, slight depth change, even a patch of different weed growth, which might have a chance at holding larger fish.

It's good that your getting in to fishing these baits. For many, they have gone out of style. Years ago most guys carried some model of this type of lure. They will always work well at certain times. In calm flat water they can work well twitched on the surface, pulled under slightly and allowed to float back up. Versatile baits. As you said, many favor bone. Chrome/ black is good too

I like Big Game also. Works great on casting reels.

My son ask me what I'd like for Christmas. I really don't need anything, but since he asked- a pack of Rage Craws, and some 6" roboworms.

This is my whole point WRB. A skilled jig fisherman with mono, will outfish a run of the mill fisherman using FC or braid. It takes time and practice. No other way around it

As scaleface says,Bomber Long A, heavy mono line. Post spawn, casting tackle. I've done best with a slight chop on the surface. Another that I like is Smithwick Rattling shallow Rouge. These have been popular in the Ozarks for years

Are you always using a leader with braid?

I was wondering about this. When I first learned to flip several years ago, I thought it was the greatest thing ever. I wanted to flip all the time. Now, looking back, I realize I probably spooked fish that I tried to get in close on, and should have stayed back and cast to. And Catt, I agree. Sloppy boat control will ruin everything. Now, I'm more aware of this, especially in shallow water.

What really made me gunshy with this was FC on a spinning reel. Bad move for me. Spent the. better part of an afternoon jacking around with line issues. No fun! And very few bass! I've been tempted to try a light braid on spinning reels- with no leader. I can tie good knots, no problem there. It's the leader part that I don't like. I'm good to go on casting reels with Trilene Big Game. Affordable good qaulity

Tennessee Boy, this is my take on it. Many will disagree

Years ago, most articles on bass fishing would say to always fish the edge of shallow water cover first. The concept was to pick off any bass holding on the outside first, then target your cast into the cover next, so as not to spook any fish holding in or under thick cover. When Dee Thomas started flipping for bass, I think this changed. He proved that you could flip right into the thick cover on your initial presentation, often getting the best fish off that spot.This evolved into pitching, which many of us employ. What dictates your initial presentation to a spot? How do you determine to cast, pitch or flip. The type of cover? The size of the cover? Water clarity and depth? Do you still go to the outside edges first, or do you go directly into the center of the thick cover? What are your thoughts on this?

I agree! The Tiny Trap would make an excellent " search" lure.

Each spring around my area, some inexperienced or novice fisherman will catch a big bass. Usually random casting a spinnerbait or some hard bait. To me, this is luck. Once hot weather comes in, these fisherman catch very few bass, as they are harder to locate and fish for. I agree that we make our own luck to an extent, by being prepared, knowing what baits will work, and most importantly, learning about the location of the fish.

Recently getting together with my son in laws on Thanksgiving, I heard a pretty good razzing about my fishing line. They have switched to braid/ leader setups for everything. Me, I'm stuck in the dark ages with mono. I like it that way. I like having one knot tied directly to hook or lure. Maybe I'm.sticking my neck out here, but I think many good fish have been lost on a braid/ leader combo from knot failure. I also like the way mono lines handle and cast. The last thing I want to fool with is constant line issues. I want to be casting, not messing with my line. Over the years, the few fish I've lost have been strictly my fault. Not the fault of any mono line. And lastly, I personally think the sensitivity issue is over rated on flouro, braid lines, etc. Good jig and plastics fisherman develop a sense of what's going on with their baits, and it's much more than simply rod, reel, and line. This comes with practice and experience and takes time to learn, regardless of what line your using. I'm not trying to start another line debate here- we've had plenty of those. Do you like, and/or prefer mono lines? They still work good for me

Good info for many A-Jay. Here in Missouri, they have banned ice fishing on many lakes if not all- simply because folks don't pay attention to ice thickness

I've tried twice to like FC as a mainline on spin reels. I'm convinced I don't like it. Simply too many problems. Braid and mono for me. Others may have some good ideas on FC brands.

You might take a look at Shimano rods. They seem to get overlooked by many guys, but are very good for the money.

I live 35 miles north of K.C. Right now, Mahomes is the talk of the town. Can K.C. go all the way? The kids good for sure, but overall the team doesn't have the defense to win the super bowl. I'll cheer them on, but I'm also a realist. The Saints on the other hand, have it all! Gonna be fun to see how it all pans out

Awesome! Incredible story.