Beetlebz

Man you're right about that. My PB for this season came burning a lipless at warp speed in 41 degree water. I tend to not have alot of low light to fish in, I'm just trying to narrow down some choices to minimize my wasted time. I think I'm going to pick up a white popping frog and maybe a white spook style bait to start. Sadly this is the time of year when the grass grows crazy and limits the stuff you can throw in these waters. I haven't had so much as a boil on the lunkerhunt prop frog so I'll stick to the walking frog and popping frog in different colors. Can't hurt to try I suppose.

It felt like it had maybe a waxy type texture to it, I use it on 2 spinning rigs but I've never paid paid that close of attention to it. For about the same price as most everything else is the P-Line TCB braid, looks like it might do the trick. I was looking at the fireline ultra 8 but tackle warehouse only has up to 30lb. The more I read the more I'm wondering if it's a limitation of the magforce Z brakes. I might try playing with my spool tension to see if that helps too, but I still need some fresh braid.

The heart breaker here is that for some reason the Tuf Domin8 can often be found super cheap. I should add that I have more issues with lighter lures. I've turned up while flipping to hit a set back brush pile... the stuff casts great. My terminator walking frogs are a little heavier than some and dont give me too much trouble. The poppin pad crashers are lighter and are the most problematic. I guess itll be trial and error to get to the bottom of it.

A revisit to a post I made a while ago, I switched to an 8 carrier braid for frogging and flipping. I settled on Tuf Domin8 in 50lb test. For flipping Texas rigs into some pretty nasty cover the line has performed fantastic and I've never seen evidence of the braid getting chewed up by minor incidental contact with brush or grass. Frogging is a different story. I can walk the dog like a pro on the Domin8, but when I'm making bomb casts I have to be *extremely* careful about loose wraps on the spool. The braid doesnt really dig in so to speak, but it kinda gets stuck in loose wraps beneath it. It pulls out effortlessly without damaging the line, but its enough of a hiccup to affect the spool speed and cause inconsistent casting at best. At worst that quick little grab when it gets stuck is enough shock in the line to break my frog off and send it flying. This has happened twice now. I break off on the cast but the line can still be pulled by hand off the spool. I dont think that the line is a bad batch either, I've hooked into some pigs and brought up 10 extra pounds of grass and the line has held great. The only remedy this far is to almost max out the brakes on the fuego so the spool can get caught up when it hiccups, but I lost a ton of casting distance. I'm thinking maybe a coated 8 carrier braid like 832? Maybe try the Domin8 again but in 65lb so it's less likely to get stuck in itself? I'd prefer not using a 4 carrier braid just because I dislike the coarse feel under my thumb.

This year I have been making a really hard push to gain confidence in topwater baits. I have been throwing primarily hollow bodied frogs on braid and having a ton of fun but I'm left with alot of questions, the answers to which dont seem to be as apparent as I would like. So I understand that the quieter the water, the more subtle the presentation. At least that is what I have understood. So if it's dead slick calm I'll throw a walking frog instead of a popping frog. If its windy with chop I'll throw a sprinker or prop frog instead of a popping or walking frog. But what if its calm and open water? Do I throw a spook or a walking frog? Would a popper work just as well In open water being walked? When should I switch to a spook with the rattles from a silent stick bait? And just as confusing, what colors apply to what conditions? Almost all of my bites were on a black terminator walking frog and a dark brown poppin pad crasher. I own a couple with white bellies and a couple with yellow, but I just throw the black one because I'm not sure when the other colors apply. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't, but I'm not even sure if color matters that much. Lastly, does the color on fast moving topwater baits like torpedoes, prop frogs, sprinkers and the like have any real effect? The biggest and best fish i have caught yet was in almost zero light on a line green sprinker... not a black one that the internet would make me believe is necessary. Anyway I've rambled enough... what rules do you folks abide by?

I've been having a tough time with them this year. I've tried things to help with the grass, the teckel sprinker and the lunt prop frog to combat the prop tangling issues. It helps alot. I mean, I have only caught one fish on any of them and it was at night but it was a hog.

I own the flambeau ritual 5 backpack... no complaints aside from spinner bait storage.

@Catt and @5by3 might be on to something. I gave up fighting it... I've thrown all types colors and configurations of spinner baits, never caught a bass on a full size one. Ever. My last MTB came with a white and chartreuse dobyns spinner bait... I just caught my first 3 ever spinnerbait bass. Doesn't look like anything I've ever seen in the water there, we have no shad, but it worked. I've thrown dark spinnerbaits before trying to match my gills, maybe I'll try again with an actual green one. Either way, the white chartreuse got it done today.

I feel your excitement. I never fished topwater seriously until this year. The more I do the more I'm willing to throw a frog in perfect crankbait conditions ?

I've been having some really good luck with mine. They catch fish when even a senko won't. My only beef has been the durability. They're tougher than senkos but in my experience, not by much. I have issues where the hook pierces the bait at the bend. A better solution has been to wacky rig them with a weedless 1/0 round bend wacky hook and suspend the hook from crossed O-rings, but for whatever reason wacky doesn't get bit like Texas rigged does here. I have to admit, they're pound for pound a better bite than a senko and a better value since they tend to last through a few catches. I picked up a few bags after one of our forum members posted a review of the minnows. I need a few more!

I prefer having 8.1:1 on my flipping/jig rod primarily for making those rapid fire flips into cover. Going down the bank making tiny roll casts and pitches into the bushes makes things all that much faster. Taking up the slack while I'm dragging is just an added bonus. I like it for a frog rod because if they hit on a pause while there slack in my line I can get the slack in lightning fast to set the hook. For both set ups its helpful too to be able to take up the slack for a good hook set if the fish runs right at you.

You know, you make a really good point here. As daiwa rolls in the tatula 100 and rolls out with the tatula ct they really are in a good position to release a fuego 100 for a few bucks more. That would make a perfect home for the cg80 in the price slot. Hopefully they won't shoot themselves in the foot and expand the fuegos success rather than try to bleed every last cent out of it. I cant see that being a sound business move. However, with the price of the new tatula being released significantly higher than the old one, that looks like exactly what they're going to do. I suppose it's not all bad though. While its certainly not a feature rich reel or a hidden gem, the OEM has been making some not terrible reels. Alot of those reels have caught a hell of alot of fish.

The only thing either of the two have on the fuego is size. They're both pretty stinkin small. But at the same time they have completely different braking systems and both are out classed by the magforce Z brakes of the fuego. If I had to choose between the SLX or the CG80 I would pick the SLX's centrifugal brakes but I would pick neither over the fuego for the same money. I guess at this point it's just a marketing battle.

I would agree, it will serve you well. Just offering another point of view that's all!

I'm in a different camp now. The longer I fish the more I try to get away with heavy rods. The only reason I still throw t-rigs on a medium heavy is because I often use bullets down to 1/4 for 7" power worms. Jigs, chatterbaits, frogs, Texas rigs over 1/4, swingheads, a few otherside cant think of all go on heavy if its convenient to do so. Most of those I will throw on a medium heavy if my heavy rods are tied up with other things but I prefer the stupid amount of backbone to get the fish out of cover from my kayak and to keep my rod from breaking when the fish dart under my kayak when I try to lip them. Just my $0.02

I know its come up in conversation before but I cant figure out WHY daiwa decided to market the CG80. The CR and CC both kinda fill a spot in the line up, but the CG80 directly competes with what may well be the best reel at the price point, which they also make. The difference being the CG is completely out classed by the fuego. It's a little smaller and lighter, but has bottom end brakes vs the fuego's game changing brakes. Even the casitas out classes the braking system for the money, though I think the msrp on the casitas is a little higher. I see it like GM making a geo metro, it's a good idea unless its the same price as the Chevy cavalier. I'm just having trouble wrapping my head around what they were trying to accomplish. Thoughts?

I'm not sure how that keeper doesnt wear out after the first week, but I'm curious enough to try. This is the time of year when all the shallow flats get weed choked out... anything to help at this point! @Choporoz I'm with you on this one. I get annoyed when I have to punch the eyes on painted jig heads. I ain't about to bust out the drill

Kayaking is why I got away from this style bag, although I have a sit-in kayak. I switched to a flambeau backpack that I leave on my back while I'm kayaking. The straps are just long enough that the weight of the bag rests on the yak. I've been shopping for a fishing sit-on kayak though, this bag may be perfect. Roadwarrior might have sold me.

That is exactly what I observed, it makes sense for sure. Funny enough, my biggest bite of the night came during this time but it was my only bite. My senko got broke off which is certainly rare these days, but now I'm curious if it was even a bass at all. If it was a big pickerel that would explain how 8lb YZH broke like that... although full disclosure the leader has been on there for a week or two and is in desperate need of replacement. I have a few supplies to get, namely those fastach swivels, and I have to find a red night light that I can clip to my hat or something but I cant wait to go out again. Thanks guys!

I wish that bag had come out a few years ago! I had a similar bag but it was just too small as I developed as an angler. This is a size up and offers alot of options. Is the inside bulk storage or can you fit more 3700s in there? My tackle strategy has developed too. Now that I fish from a kayak I whittle it down to what works. My spare tackle becomes just that, and relegated to the closet. Everything I want or need lives in my backpack in my jeep almost all the time. You never know!

Well, I hit it. I pre-rigged a 4/0 hook for a senko, a terminator walking frog, a 1/4oz Texas rig with a 4/0 offset and a 3/8 flipping jig. The jig got no love. The senko dif, but I kept missing bites. I'm guessing they were small, but it wasn't a slaughter fest. Switched to the frog and boom, caught a 3 pounder on the second cast. The bite wasn't really there for that either. Few more blow ups but no lands. I switched to the Texas rig on a 10" black and blue power worm. After a few casts working my way out deeper I finally hooked up, the fish just hadn't moved up yet. Caught a few a little off shore dragging the Texas rig. It wasn't until it actually got dark when the fun began. I switched to a lime colored teckel sprinker. It twisted the living heck out of my line but what a blast. Big blow ups. Below is my biggest, just shy of 4lbs. Eventually because I was fishing in total darkness I couldn't see a loose wrap on my braid spool and casted my sprinker off into the yonder. I got it back, but called it for the night. Thanks for the help folks!

We were supposed to have really low Skies and heavy clouds but when I got out of work late at 9 a.m. we had high skies and 0 clouds so I didn't go this morning. Late tomorrow morning we have thunderstorms moving in so I'm hoping tonight and tomorrow morning the fishing will be decent

I'm going out tonight around 7 for the first time ever putting in a solid concerted effort to do some night fishing. What should I try? I'm going to Texas Rig up a 10-inch Power Worm, a weightless senko style bait, what else? Jig? Frog? Plopper? Popper? Squarebill? I'm open to suggestions and thanks in advance!

I use them as my black and blue jig trailer. They look big and awkward but truth be told, those big flappy claws kick JUST like a rage craw or catch co saw craw. Makes for a nice swimming action.

Snell. Snell knot was the one I couldn't remember, but anyway.... Good to know. I literally bought a pack of the owner CPS flipping hooks last week and had been curious about that. The hooks themselves are built like brick you-know-what houses.