J.Vincent

Well I started fishing with artificial lures for bass in 1995 on Lake Columbia in Brooklyn Michigan. I was 16 and didn’t own any dedicated bass gear of my own; so I would borrow whatever combo my uncle had rigged up in the garage. There was always a green pumpkin worm with ringed body and a fat curly tail rigged up; and I first learned how to fish with this style of worm. I then started buying my own gear in 1999 and I’m positive I was buying Zoom Dead Ringers at that time to match what I remembered. But now I sort of want to know when the Zoom Dead Ringers we’re first introduced ?

My uncle taught me how to fish a Zoom Dead Ringer Texas rigged.....I fished that style of worm for an entire season before trying any other bass lures. Almost 25 years later and Im still very confident with all of the Zoom line of plastics but I also like Manns Jelly worms when I'm fishing 10 inch or larger worms ....and I like Culprit Worms for their durability . In the end I will fish any brand if it's a quality product but I will always have an affinity for the Zoom Dead Ringer.

The BFL draw format is a gamble for any seasoned angler; and I agree it can be frustrating especially if you get paired with a boater with a different fishing style than yours ; many many years ago I fished Redman and Walmart BFL as a co angler for a few seasons and most of the boaters I was paired with were very good anglers but there were a few who were just plain awful to be in a boat with. It always boils down to luck of the draw and also the amount of rapport you can develop with the boater.

JerkBaits are nowhere near my confidence baits either; but I like to use 8lb Yozuri Hybrid on the spinning tackle and 10 or 12lb Yozuri Hybrid on the Baitcasters. But I recently spooled with Pline c21 and although it’s a budget line with mixed reviews , I found it works well.

I like a 6’6 medium fast spinning for when I want to impart quick eratic action, and I use a 6ft6 Medium Moderate Fast casting when I want slightly more forgiveness and a 7ft Medium Moderate casting when I want to pull and long pause suspending JerkBaits in cold water. I’m not sure if this makes sense or if it would work for other anglers but I’ve found it works best for the way I fish . Also from what I’ve learned over the years, the jerkbait is one of the more difficult lures to match properly with any given rod...in other words the weight, action and internal casting systems vary so greatly from one jerkbait to another ; that I think it makes selecting one rod for all jerkbait applications basically impossible . Just my 2 cents

I like monofilament for everything 80% of the time : )

Maybe the Shimano Casitas I’ve only tried 10lb monofilament on it once but it seemed to cast 1/4oz poppers pretty well on a Medium; might be even better on a ML

Nice find, those are one of my favorite budget reaction rods.....and at $9 dollars , I would have cleared the entire shelf !

My opinion is this: the best way to locate bass is by keeping the rods in the rod locker and learning the Lake in relation to the season. I’m amazed how often I can determine something relative when I set the rod down and observe the conditions for 10 minutes. That being said, if I’m still spinning my wheels after some reflection and lure rotation; I Texas rig a 6 or 7 inch Plastic worm and get back to my roots !

I agree #2 and #4 are keepers, but it depends what you already own...

Never seen this in the wild; but I’d say the bigger bass just bit off more than he could chew. Makes me wonder if going with a giant swimbait would have worked. ?

Huk Sun Gloves but they are always out of stock; as far as non tangible stuff; I'd be grateful to receive some Peace and Sanity.

Lord only knows

Interesting stories...I definitely think some people have a greater amount of Gods grace than others.....how or why is beyond me. I can recal one instance when I rigged up a Texas rigged Zoom Dead Ringer and walked down the shoreline to fish a productive 30 ft long flat in the late afternoon. I was fishing for at least an hour with zero fish, so I set the rod down and picked up another setup with a different lure. My 14 year old cousin rides his bike down the hill towards the shoreline on his way home from a friends house; he parks his bike at the edge of the road and asks if he can fish with me. I said sure and he picked up the same Texas rigged setup I was using earlier and made one cast and caught a 5lb Largemouth.....he releases the fish and then makes a second cast to the same area and catches a 4lb Largemouth. He made a few more casts and after about five minutes he gets back on his bicycle and rides home : ) He wasn't bragging and he wasn't full of himself, he just had to get home for lunch or to use the bathroom. True honest to God story, and we talk about it to this day and that was 8 or 9 years ago. Timing, chance, luck or Gods grace...I really don't know how to explain it, but this is one of my best and more profound fishing memories over the last 20 years.

I removed the standard apostrophe symbol for foot from my post so Y'ALL don't get confused as to whether I was referring to the diving depth or length of lure . But as for the OP, I think we know he is referring to a lure that will dive 4' to 5'

Amazing story, and I've always been impressed with just how much we discover about ourselves with ancestry DNA kit. My mother purchased my kit last year and afterwards , we were able to connect with family members who had photos of my great grandfather who was an avid bass angler in Florida. They had more information about his life than we knew , and we even found pictures of him from newspapers.com where he did an interview with Salty Sal and other photos of him holding up a 10lb trophy bass. It's just amazing what we can discover, and in my case it sort of helps me further understand and make sense of my love for the outdoors and bass fishing. But I don't want to take away from your story, because it's genuinely monumental to find a lost family member and something to be very thankful for ! Congtatulations and Happy Holidays !

The two SquareBills I've never broken are the Storm Arashi 3 and 5 also the Cotton Cordel Big O. These two lures see the bulk of my shallow cranking duties over the past few years.

Happy Thanksgiving !

Find the nearest boat ramp or tackle shop and explain your quandary ; I'm sure they will know someone who knows someone who can help . Good luck and keep us posted !

Beds in November ? Is that typical to see a large amount of spawning beds on Lake Okochobee in November ? I was under the impression the great majority of Bass spawn in South Florida between late December and April.

In my tackle organization system (one gallon plastic ziplocs), I put Zoom Brush Hogs and Baby Brush Hogs in my Lizard/Creature Ziploc Bag because they more closely match the slender profile of a Lizard...and I put the Zoom Super Hog or Z-Hog in with my Yum Christie Craws and Berkley Pit Boss bag labeled Craws and Trailers. So this way I’ve categorized according to how they get presented most often and also by length. That being said, I only have two creature style baits (zoom brush hogs and Lizards) the rest of my appendage style lures just emulate crawfish .

December 2013 was the most recent trip I made to Miami ; I fished on foot exploring canals wherever there was shore access. My most productive lure was a Lipless Crankbait. I caught more fish on a yo-yo retrieve, when the rattletrap was popped quickly and then fluttering. Again that was in December and 5 years ago; all I can say is, if the Rattletrap bite is on you better hang on to the fishing rod , they are strong enough to knock the rod out of your hand !

A good compromise for all these presentations would be a reel that recovers 26 or 27 IPT (inches per turn).

The Curado is an exceptional bass reel. It's universally accepted as a tournament grade reel with great performance and longevity.

Nice fish !