Festivus

Sometimes you may have to clear your cookies and history. Happens to me on occasion when I don't

I know Bass Pro is very popular and probably a sponsor on here but I really don't like them and try to avoid spending my money there at all costs. Now that they have taken over Cabela's I'm forced to give them some of my money. My biggest turn off about the store is the turnstile entrance, it's almost degrading. I mean seriously!?!? Who does this, which company still wants their valued customers to walk through a turnstile for a retail store?!?! The darkness is an actual thing, I just can't get over it. I never have this problem at Cabela's or literally any other retail store. Who came up with this when they were designing their stores? And finally, like has been mentioned their sales are worthless. 30% off of items that are 30% more expensive than most places is not much of a sale. Their house brand is meh at best and only a few of their soft plastics are worth the money. This mega brand of BPS/Cabelas is not good overall for the customer, we need more quality competition. I remember when Cabela's would have an actual sales and clearances that was worth checking out on high quality gear and not just their brands. I get most of what I need at Academy now and will check out the newly made Scheel's here shortly, fingers crossed they have a good selection and decent prices.

Thanks for the replies

Who has fished both of these models and which one do you prefer and why? Most people prefer the pro model but I've heard some say the regular model with the barbed keeper may be better since the tip of the plastic can come off easier to aid in hook ups, it may mean the plastic will probably get a little beat up quicker. I really wouldn't mind as I'm fishing regular zoom trick worms usually and those are cheap enough that getting them chewed up on the tip isn't a big deal and you can just cut off the first half inch and keep going. Also, what weight do you guys usually like?

All Academy stores are different. Literally all the ones up in my part of the city, about 8 that I can get to within a 40 minute drive, had no good rod or reel deals this year. Last year was a different story. There was one that was almost an hour away that had some G. Loomis and Dobyn's rods on clearance but not as low as some of the others had them.This one Academy for some reason has the largest supply of freshwater fishing inventory in this part of the state. It is all variable and also depends on if the store caters more to suburbanites and their tastes or more for the hunting or fishing market. I will say that the ones that also cater to saltwater anglers typically have some of the best selections.

Anybody? I've emailed them but haven't heard back from them. I want to try their version of the trick worm as I've heard it does an excellent job of floating and standing up. All the Zooms I've used have salt in them, even the ones that say they're original and don't say salt in the label. Z-mans float well too but messing with their plastics can be a pain at times.

From what I can tell, seems like Netbait has been bought up. Does anyone know if the new Netbait will still have pork fat in them still? I think it helps with action, flavor, and scent. Plus I think that is why the float so well which is what I prefer. Thanks.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Zoom flukes or super flukes. Get a pack of green pumpkin flukes or larger super flukes and either 3/0 to 4/0 EWG hooks. Can work them fast on the top for a top water bite or you can let them sink and jerk them in the middle or even towards the bottom of the water column.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm going to throw them because I got them for a super cheap price and they had them in the weights I was looking for, these are jig heads for soft plastic flukes or paddle tails that I'm going to throw in salt water and everything ends up rusting when used in that. I did try a bass jig with a swinging trokar hook and I don't think I missed a fish on them. I'll just make sure not to tex pose them or maybe cut a slit on the top of the plastic and put the hook down into that instead of piercing it over and over again.

Just curious what some people's thoughts and experiences are with Trokar hooks, jigs, and jig heads. They are very sharp and can penetrate very deep without much pressure. Only drawback I can see is that the point maybe a little tricky to resharpen if you are into doing that. Thanks.

Yup. I agree. Takes a little bit of knowing how to work this lure but it works. Pausing works and so does a small rip and pause.

Got several bags of these on clearance. Not a big jig fisherman, but I do have a some jigs and I want to give it an honest try. I've seen some of the videos when people add a trailer to their jigs and some have absolutely no action, these on the other hand are supposed to give good action and look like they should. No underwater action videos I can find. I also, want to fish them on a swimming jig. My question is who has used them and what are your opinions? How did you fish them? If you've used them for a while and haven't caught anything I'd like to know that as well. Also, as simple as they look jigs can get a little confusing, specifically on their type of heads. How do you tell if a jig is made for swimming, or bounching, or dragging, or whatever? Thanks.

I was thinking about using a Zoom Swimmin Chunk with this instead of a fluke. Anyone do this before? Or is this jig head made for just flukes? Thanks.

Another one is a wake bait, lots of companies make them and they come in smaller sizes weighing about 1/4 oz.

Thanks. I think the spoons will be easiest fix as they all have a set to them now and I can just make them take more of one cupped shaped than the other. Can't tell as they are already stretched out but maybe the holes weren't put in correctly and that made them not fold over correctly to the desired cupped position.

I bought a bunch of Luck E Strike rigged scrounger head jig heads with their flukes prerigged on ebay. It's a single jig head with 3 flukes. This looks like old new stock as the bills are not clear but yellowish, don't know if that comes with age or if the flukes colored it. Some of the bills are not "symmetrical", don't know how else to describe it. They don't fold forward symmetrically as you would think. I haven't fished them yet but seems like it would make the jig head not run correctly and there is no way to tune them as they are a soft plastic and have a set in them. I guess I could boil them but I doubt that would fix them. Anyone know where I can buy some replacement bills? Or will the uneven, unsymmetrical bills not affect the action of the head as it is supposed to make an erratic motion with the plastic anyway? Thanks.

Smaller Spook Jr., Rapala Skitterwalk 8s. Most poppers are small and so are Arobgast Jitterbugs, hooks are not great though.

Not really familiar with Ardent. Good quality reels?

I picked up some camo rods, both casting and spinning, that were on closeout. Was also able to get a couple of camo baitcasters but no spinning reels. The belt has to match the shoes, and the curtains have to match the carpet lol. It just makes sense that the reel matches the rod. Anyone know where I can get a spinning reel hydro camo dipped for cheap?

I keep topwaters simple in regards to color: bone/white bottom, anything shiny or chrome (my favorites), and maybe a dark color. I see the clear or translucent topwaters and wonder why. When would anyone throw those and does anyone throw them and have success? I always thought it was for people that paint their own but apparently some anglers like throwing these. Just curious as it seems you are trying to fool fish into thinking it is a bait fish. I've never seen a clear fish.

When is the best situation to fish one technique versus the other and what fish does each technique target? Thanks.

Like I said grown adult men will be one of the first to come out and defend them to the nth degree. Haha. Was only a matter of time. Maybe my post was long but if you read it carefully you will see my problem with these little egomaniacs is how and what they are doing, it is NOT just fishing or little adventures but DRAMA and the ABSURDITY that they will keep pushing. As they keep getting bigger they will have to make outrageous videos to keep things fresh and new and that is what they are doing now. Getting kicked off of airplanes for unruly behavior or getting kicked out of hotels is not I want to see or think I would want my kids or niece/nephew to watch. It makes good video click bait but that is it and I'm not going to support it and will voice my opinion about it too. There are several fishing youtube videos that has guys out there just fishing. They aren't ticking people off or getting into arguments or just doing stupid stuff to get people to watch them. I watch this guy called Realistic Fishing, you can call it boring but all he does is fish the same few public lakes he has access to and just tells it how it is, no boat and nothing fancy. He even went out of his way and by himself cleaned up the ENTIRE PARK of trash that careless and trashy park goers and fisherman littered. He reads his fan mail and does giveaways. See the difference? That little stain peric got kicked out of the hotel, and I can guarantee you it was is his own fault and we didn't see it in his selectively edited video, then his entire sheeple cult followers try and start a boycott of the hotel. For what?!!? For the employees doing their job?! GROWN MEN were emailing their companies saying they will no longer be using this particular hotel because their internet child fishing hero was an absolute jerk and the manager decided to have them removed. It was just sad, my jaw literally dropped. I can see his teeny bopper followers getting mad but the grown men getting bent out of shape was just pathetic. I guess we all need heroes. I just don't get it. These kids were also from relatively "well off" families. These kids were not struggling or came from true "working class" living paycheck to paycheck roots. I just have so much more respect for kids that can pull themselves up with their own bootstraps and get it done. The house that Jon B lived in with his parents is a very nice house and is in a very well off neighborhood. They had almost every advantage in the world. A guy I used to work with while we were both going to community college was just getting by like me, loved photography. Saved enough for a beat up Leica camera held together with duct tape, got it cheap since it was practically broken, incredibly successful photographer now. Gotta respect those who know the struggle and rely on themselves and not on mommy and daddy. Just can't get behind these kids or any of their products or any of their hype.

Let's see the pics.

I never paid any attention to any YouTube fishing videos until a few I saw were either very helpful or entertaining. My feed started to get gunked up with googan squad types and I gave them a chance. But the more I watched the more insufferable they became. I expected their defenders to come out and start calling people jealous and haters but that is not the case. They are just everywhere based all on HYPE and marketing and it gets annoying. I find the old timer original product pushers such as Jimmy Houston, Rowland Martin, and Bill Dance in about the same boat, no offense but all they do is push and hawk products and is in my opinion what is wrong with the fishing industry. I knew they were a bunch of self centered entitled brats when that stain flair was posting click bait after click bait of how "he had to quit YouTube" or "how his life is ruined" because of them demonetizing his videos. He even posted of how some DNR rules were changed during teal or duck season and how he got tickets from the game warden, it just kept going downhill with this type of drama filled nonsense. He then went on to cry, moan, and complain that they only way he "could put food on his table" was to post videos, now mostly infomercials, of him hunting, fishing, and playing video games on a streaming service called Twitch. Read that again. He was literally complaining he would have to "get a real job" because the unfair meanies demonetized a few of his videos and he could no longer "make money making fishing, hunting, and video game videos for US", thank you for your service young man. After him the most annoying one of the lot, peric, posted video after video of him getting kicked off of airplanes and hotels. I travel a fair amount for work and you have to do ALOT to get kicked off of airlines and hotels, regardless of what viral video you may see online of people getting escorted off. I am convinced this little brat is doing it on purpose for click bait videos. This is fishing? This is what you want your kids to watch and call role models? Come on, grow up lol. The only role model your kids should ever have is either you or your family. So now you have these entitled self centered brats doing everything and anything to get more click bait videos that have nothing to do with fishing but more with drama and the absurd. They would also sneak around who knows where possibly trespassing to making fishing videos but anyone can tell that the whole point of them making the video was to get caught and kicked out to make more drama queen videos. Now following their lead there are at least two videos of kids either jumping into the fish tanks at BPS or throwing a lure, catching, and pulling out a big bass from the tanks there. All for the Gram Fam. That's what the kids say for doing anything to go viral on Instagram. Now with all this going on and people following them like sheep, they have cultivated a very hard, loud, impudent, and sensitive cult followers. Don't believe me? Just try and go on their videos and make some apt but critical comment and see how they attack. None of the actual googans take the time to even bother reading or replying to the comments but their followers including grown men will jump at your throat for making any critique of them. Just sad. The blatant shameless pushing of cheap, overpriced, foreign fishing gear is something I just can't get behind. I just couldn't believe how much those favorite rods were going for, they wanted almost top end pricing for their junk. Unreal. It turns out as in much of the fishing industry the googan baits, karl's tackle, favorite, etc. are all connected under the same parent company and have been for some time. This has essentially been a very effective viral marketing campaign targeted specifically for the fishing industry. I keep hearing people say that if it gets kids into fishing or the outdoors then that is fine and are providing a justification for it. But exactly what are they pushing or promoting? This isn't you, your grandpa, or uncle teaching your kids fishing this is using fishing to promote absurdity, products, drama, and an unquestioning fan/customer base. I almost think of Oprah when I think of them to be honest. As crazy as that sounds but they hang on every word and they can do no wrong and it isn't them but you for not following them unquestionably. So yes people who are critical can be considered "haters" or jealous or "jelly" if your hip, but it isn't without reason and justification. They are just intolerable, annoying, and insufferable. Call me hater I don't care. The saddest part of this is how we all in America like to consider ourselves individuals and independent but this just proves to me how quick we are to desperately find some leader or hero to latch onto and be a part of some group. Oh yeah, last thing if I'm going to spend money I'll stick with the original Strike King lures instead of the knock offs.

I have one, bought it on ebay from one of those sellers that sell a bunch of lures at once hoping to get people like me tricked into constantly bidding to get cheap combined shipping thinking I'm getting a deal, lol I always ended up spending too much. My brother fished it for about 30 minutes before he switched to a topwater and caught a huge white bass.