J.Vincent

Angling is a lifelong sport...take your time and don't worry about Fast tracking the learning curve. If you are new to the sport, stay away from YouTube at first ; instead order Advanced bass fishing by Sternberg and Largemouth Bass: In Fisherman Handbook of Strategies. There are plenty of other great books; but if you Read those 2 books cover to cover and then read them again. I guarantee you will be a lot further ahead. Plus reading a book instead of a computer screen, will better allow the information to become a part of your cognition. I can't explain why without sounding like a know it all , but trust me a good book will grow your Angling intuition differently than reading a message board or watching a YouTube.

Sidewalk chalk , never heard of this being used. How large of a chunk for a Plano 3700 ? Does it cause a lot of dusting ?

So the rust issue is something every angler deals with, and personally I've not experienced too many rust issues beyond the occasional microscopic surface rust around the edge of treble hooks. But Here is my system, I first put one VCI rust proof chip and one silicone packet inside of every Plano box. Second, I put all hooks and terminal tackle inside individual 2x3 re-sealable plastic bags (craft store), organized inside a dedicated Plano, to keep them double protected from the elements. Next, I put an empty One gallon Plastic Ice Cream Tub with lid inside my boat or vehicle. When a soft plastic bait is torn, I put it inside the tub and close the lid. When I'm changing out a wet lure, I hook it downward through the top edge of the plastic lid on the Ice Cream tub. This simple and inexpensive system allows my lures and hooks to dry outside the tub and gives me a convenient place to store torn plastics inside the tub, that I later re-use or recycle. After 24-48 hours I reorganize dried hooks and lures back into Plano boxes. This system is probably excessive but once in place, it becomes second nature and eliminates 99% of the rust, while keeping the floor of the boat and truck clean.

All of my Tackle Trays are Plano, with the exception of 1 or 2 generic. But I think it would be interesting and fun to find out what Tackle Tray Boxes members prefer most ?

Yes what BlueBasser86 says is most likely the case . Especially if there are plenty of insects, frogs and bluegill.

Try the Savage Gear Lily Frog, 3/4 oz size ; they are very good and affordable walking Frogs. Savage Gear designed them with a V shaped Belly which allows the bait to keel from side to side incredibly well. I fish these Frogs best on a MH Veritas which is half way between a true MH and a H. The hook up percentage is very good.

I like Boss Outdoors: they make quality jigs and have an excellent assortment of pre-made skirts and skirt material. Probably the best colors and variety anywhere in the world . So far, I've found the durability of the skirts are excellent.

Most of my BaitCasting reels have 18lb Carbon Drag system, and I like to set the drag around 10lbs give or take a 1lb.....unless I'm fishing Treble Hook Lures, and then I set the drag a few pounds lighter.

Wow, That's a jumbo cat !

You could always easily change out the skirt to something with a tad more yellow and orange, while keeping the same SwimJig head . But I'm willing to bet that jig should work as is if the water isn't ultra clear

I can't imagine that in Iowa you would need anymore then 17lb mono or 40lb braid. Try downsizing your line and see if that helps. Also, Trokar Straight shank Flipping Hooks with plastic hook keepers will hold the plastic exceptionally well.

Largemouth are spawned and there are bass fry everywhere in my neck of the woods (Lower Peninsula , Michigan)

I experienced this problem today on a shallow marsh in Michigan , the carp were everywhere and I had a tough time figuring out the bass bite.

Thank you for all of the input , probably going to try the suffix siege first and maybe the Armilo if I can convince myself to spend $17.99 on 165yards

You must admit, that Slug-O is not easily categorized : ) and probably way less popular then it should be !

Over the past two years I've gone back to Monofilament/Copolymer on all my Rods and Reels, for every technique except Hollow Body Frogs. I've tried Berkley XL, Berkley XT, Cajun Red Cast, Cajun Red Lightning, Spiderwire Ultimate Mono, Pline CXX, Yozuri Hybrid and Matzuo Cold Water Mono. All of these lines perform very differently, and I've yet to find a monofilament I'm completely satisfied with. What mono/copolymer have you tried that offers lower stretch, sensitivity, abrasion resistance and castability. I realize wanting all these qualities in a Mono/Copolymer is maybe impossible, but I'd like to hear some opinions.

I'm interested in this topic also, and remember reading about someone trying "Plasti Dip Clear Coat Spray". Anyone try this as a descent quick way to topcoat or repair a topcoat that's chipping ?

I think Senko was an Original bait by Gary Yamamoto and is now the universally accepted moniker for Soft Plastic Stick Baits....before that I think the Slug-O was popularly used to describe soft plastic stick worms.

When I lived and fished in Florida, I found the high shallow water bite was good when I found areas with the cleanest freshwater runoff. Specifically on East Toho, West Toho and Kissimmee. But I'm not an expert on Florida waters , they often prove difficult for me !

I wanted to revisit my original comment regarding the Casitas vs Revo X debate. After spending more then 100 hours fishing with both Reels over the past two months, I can genuinely say the Shimano Casitas is a much better Reel then I initially thought, even though it lacks a few of the added features of the Revo; the Casitas actually casts and retrieves smoother and it's probably one of the more comfortable reels in hand. But I think the power and cranking ability of the Revo X is top notch. Therefore I can say without doubt, they are very different reels and not created to do the same things equally. The Casitas shines with lighter Texas Rigged Worms and is an excellent Sammy, Popper and JerkBait reel. But the Revo excels with SpinnerBaits, CrankBaits, Jigs and ChatterBaits. I like both of these reels and have a place in my arsenal for each, so for anyone making this reel comparison, consider first what techniques you fish most and base the decision on that criteria, not the bearing count or frame material. I hope this assessment is more spot on, than the first.

When I first began drop shotting, I started with what I had. A lighter wire 1/0 EWG , a 4 inch Texas rigged Worm, 8lb Mono, and 2 small split shots crimped to the line with a simple overhand knot tied at the end. Although not a perfect setup, it worked well, especially in light cover situations. I'm also pretty sure I've even read about Florida and California anglers drop shotting creature baits on EWGs in and around cover. So essentially, an EWG can work but most of us on the Great Lakes fish drop shots in open water situations and prefer to nose hook a finesse drop shot hook.

Transition or Recovery Bass can be tough to catch, personally I would try a 1/2oz Carolina rig or a 1/4 oz Mojo Rig with a Centipede or French Fry rigged on a 1/0 Owner Rig n Hook. Soak that bait with Gamefish scent and move it slowly along the bottom, if the bait is up in the water column high enough, those cruisers may just pluck a quick meal on the way through the channel or creek.

Bass and Catfish will eat any forage that swims , crawls or floats...if they can open their jaws wide enough....and sometimes even if they can't open their jaws wide enough. There are SwimBaits, plastics and CrankBait colors to imitate tilapia , and that might be a good place to start. Personally I've never been able to consistently catch bass on a tilapia bite but I know I've seen plenty in the shallows in various Florida fisheries during the Spring and Summer months.

Does the Spool Shaft even need to be coated with sticky lube (Gear grease) or can Reel Oil be used instead ? Will using oil affect the longevity ? So you are saying wipe off all lubricants from the spool shaft ? And use a high speed polishing method to reduce friction; is there any longevity issue with this approach ?

I can throw 1/4 oz CrankBaits on my Revo X or Shimano Casitas as long as the Rod is a Veritas Medium Moderate. But put those same reels on any Medium Moderate Fast and the lures travel 5 to 10 feet off to the left or right every time....so I agree the Rod is very important when casting light cranks.