papajoe222

A drop shot. One season, about ten years ago, I tried and actually caught fish using it. I put it down and haven't gone back to it since. Post frontal conditions were my nemesis the last couple of seasons as I'm a little on the stubborn side about using finesse techniques.

Everyone in my club swears by green pumpkin. I prefer purple, or watermelon. A plum worm with the tail dipped in red dye has been my go to color there for years.

It hasn't been asked yet, so I'll be the first; Were your jerkbaits male or female?

Illinois nuclear power plant lake bass. Why it'd be on display in North Carolina is anybody's guess.

Two gotta have baits...Jig and T-rigged plastic worm. You can cover the whole water column, punch the weeds with a heavy jig, or peg the sinker on the worm and swim it over or through the weeds

This

Jig Tube blade bait ribbon tail worm crank Lately, boot tail swimbaits have been making a strong attempt to oust the tube.

The type that keeps their gear ready to go on a moment’s notice even though that notice won’t be received for months.

Rage Craw or Zoom Super/Jr Chunk depending on how much action I want from the trailer.

Just curious...What color belt and shoes go with that?

I have five different crank boxes. Shallow>Med> Deep>Squarebill> Silent. The only ones I bother marking are the deep runners and silent ones as those run various depths.

Then there is the nomer 'dipstick' that implies almost total uselessness.

I used to only throw them when a spinnerbait wasn't a good choice. You know, calm and sunny. Now I'll use them in place of a skirted jig, swim jig, swim worm. They just seem to produce under a plethora of conditions.

I use the muskie sized (XL) Jitterbug a lot when night fishing with fairly good success. I remove the side hooks and add a belly hook. I've caught everything from 1lb to 6+lb on them, though the smaller fish tend to shy away from it.

Another weight option for your C-Rig would be a Lindy weight or walleye sinker https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/bass-pro-shops-walleye-sinker or a pencil weight like these https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/northland-fishing-tackle-rock-runner-slip-bouncer

For early spring I like to throw a blade bait. They seem to commit to it a lot quicker than a jerk-bait and prefer it over a lipless crank. I can cover/eliminate water quickly with one, too. If I get a few from the same spot, I may switch to a jerk-bait in an attempt to squeeze out one more from the spot.

You don't need to bang a crank into cover, or along the bottom. What triggers a strike on a crank is most often from a quick change in direction, or speed. I use them as search baits throughout the water column and a stop and go retrieve produces in that open water. One suggestion; If you'll be bouncing it off rocks, bottom, wood, or whatever, you may want to up that leader to 10lb. It will hold up better. Either way you go, check your line above the bait and retie frequently.

I prefer a one knocker, but honestly I haven't tried the SK. I have a ton of red eye shads and the only knock I have against them is the finish chipping off. Three or four of the ones I use the most are missing half the finish or more, but they still produce.

I prefer a thin wall when rigging with a jig internally, especially when stupid rigging as it's easier to turn it inside one. I go to the thicker wall ones when fishing brush, or shell beds. They just hold up better. I have a few bags of custom poured that are very supple, but thicker that I use when I'll be fishing different conditions.

CB'S Hawg Sauce. The gel really sticks to cranks and ribbed soft plastics. The spray assists a worm working its way through vegetation.

Either could work, give both a try. I'd start with the more subtle presentation first and even give the bait time to sit on the bottom prior to lifting. I've had bass pick them up off the bottom when the water was in the 30's. No matter how high you lift it up, go just slow enough to feel the vibration and follow it back down with your rod tip.

I use 3/8oz. Down to 10-12ft. Unlike most, l don’t use Colorado blades as their lift makes it difficult to keep the bait down. I prefer tandem willow or a tandem combo with the bigger blade a willow. If I want to use a Colorado blade, I’ll upsize to 1/2pz.

I'd take it over iodine anytime.

FYI, red is the first color to washout as your lure sinks or the water gets murkier. That being said, red and orange have been thought to be bass strike triggering colors for decades. Whether or not that is an actual fact is up for debate, but almost all the hard baits I throw have a splash of one or the other on their underside.

Although I've given away quite a few rods over the years, I can say I never disliked any of them (except for the spinning rods?). I did, however, purchase a Daiwa Exceler that I was very dissatisfied with. After using it twice, I traded it for a BlackMax. My only regret in doing so was that fact that I'd spooled it with Sunline Sniper FC.