Hook2Jaw

I buy the best sticks I can afford and direct more of my money towards contact baits, and I'm not going to judge anyone who spends below or above their means. You do you. I ain't got time to critique how you want to spend your money, I'm trying to spend that time with my fish and family.

I got back to my roots this year and started whopping them on a ⅛-⅜ ounce lead bullet, 3/0, and YUM Ribbontail. I've also cleaned up with a ½ ounce jig, both casting and pitching. Also slapped them with a ⅜ Booyah Blade. The jig has led for my best day this year as far as a limit goes, and the ribbontail has been best for numbers. MVL? I'll take a half ounce jig tipped with a YUM Craw Chunk.

I might need to crack mine open, though it's been great so far.

As a YUM fanboy, I had to take a look at that bait. That thing looks delicious on the ball and chain, I can just imagine the flappers flapping on the pull and aiding in the ascent of the bait before it glides back to the bottom and the tube tentacles explode like a jig. Absolutely beautiful, you outta mold us some! Back on topic, my favorite Carolina rig bait for clear and stained water is a 5" YUM Dinger and my favorite for dirty water is the Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog. The BBBFF has a ton of action that moves a lot of water. I like to start with the 4" and move to the 5" if I'm getting chomped.

I'm really enjoying my Tatula XT 7' MM, not the glass model, for working lipless on the bottom as well as shallow to medium cranks. It doesn't have enough backbone to clear algae muck off the hooks, but I haven't found a rod that does. I haven't had the opportunity to rip grass with it. I would definitely recommend it for ⅜-⅝ billed crankbaits. It's pretty well moderate fast and I suspect it would fish very well with monofilament. The stick runs 99.99, but better deals can be found on various websites as well as ebay. With that in mind in addition to the finances you have available, I would also take a look at the Tatula Bass 7' MR. I believe stepping up a level would give you more sensitivity with the amount of weight shaved off and the better components. 150 bones nets that rod, with better deals available much like the Tatula XT. Filling out your two hundred dollar budget are the Daiwa Tatula Elite 7'2" MHR Howell and 7'4" MHR Howell. I have no experience with those models whatsoever, however, my 6'9" Tatula Elite Skipping Jig is a hell of a stick that does what it's supposed to do. I imagine the two Tatula Elites suggested will cast their full rated range as well as have that sweet, sweet Daiwa moderate fast action they're well known for. Outside the Daiwa line, my 13 Fishing Omen Black 2 7'9" Crank has a moderate fast action and it is a pleasure to fish as well. I would also take a look at the Omen Black 3 line that has recently replaced it. Good luck! I wish I had a few bones to invest in a new stick for ripping my lipless through the grass. Buying a new rod is always a wonderful experience for me.

What are you guys throwing these ¼ ounce frogs on?

Drop your lure to the butt of your rod, more or less making the length of line equal to your stick. Place your rod tip at the water and chuck your bait near the rod tip. If seven feet of line takes seven seconds to go taut, you've got a fall rate of one foot per second. If it takes fourteen seconds, you've got a fall rate of half a foot per second. I got this information from Fish The Moment and it's some of the newest information I've seen in bass fishing.

You're getting bites? ?

I've got a Booyah Pad Crasher that has accounted for about 50 fish in my first season of frogging. He is gnarly. He's also brought in massive bowfin and pickerel, both with slicy teeth. He's finally starting to sink after a few casts. I might make a necklace out of him.

Y'all wear your daggum PFD or Old Gregg will take you down to his underwater lair and make you his fuzzy little man peach.

1. YUM Craw Chunk 2. YUM Dinger 3. Netbait T-Mac 4. ZOOM Super Fluke 5. Big Bite Baits Cane Thumper 6. YUM Pulse 7. ZOOM Ol' Monster 8. YUM Ribbontail 9. YUM Killshot 10. Z-Man TRD

I prefer a rod more in the medium fast range for single hook moving baits. I've found that the belief of allowing the fish to get the bait a bit more before I swing on them aids me in getting a good hookset. I also prefer the parabolic action to aid with casting distance, as well as aiding me with a bit more give down the length. I currently use a 13 Fate Chrome 7'3" Medium Heavy Fast. Being a cheaper rod, it loads much deeper than a comparatively rated more expensive stick. I've caught so many fish on ⅜/½ ounce spinnerbaits and paddletails rigged on ⅜ ounce jigheads in addition to quite a few on the chatterbaits(I don't catch well on them) on that particular stick that the handle is starting to spin around. The rod will be replaced with a 13 Fishing Fate V3 Chat-R-Crank. So that puts me in the moderate fast camp. Oh, I prefer 12-15# fluoro for these techniques.

The BOSS Finesse Flip in ⁷/¹⁶ skips like a river pebble to me. It's got a flattened bottom and an upward planed and flat nose to the hook eye that just really gets me distance on a skip.

YUM Crawfish and Shad scent boost my confidence when the bite is tough.

I do. It feels great in hand with the Tatula SV and I've been sending some ½ ounce jigs and frogs a long way under overhanging cover. The rod has an excellent tip for making these baits imitate a smooth river rock and excellent backbone for getting fish out of what they're in. I would recommend it. I think I'm going to look into a different stick for worms and casting jigs, though. I'm sure the stick can do it, I'm just having too much fun using it for frogs and skipping a jig with it.

7' Medium Fast Daiwa Tatula XT Spinning with a Daiwa Fuego LT 2500D-XH. I learned to fish weightless sticks on a spinning rod long ago when I lurked here and have been using one for the technique ever since.

That's awesome to hear. I'll keep flip-flopping the two options in my head. Everything I watch and read about the Rerange has been awesome, though! Did you get a look at the action? If so, how would you describe it? Wide dart, easy to work, suspends well? How much flash?

I was looking at these yesterday, but have little experience with Yo-zuri. How are the hooks on their offerings? I'm thinking of picking up one to give it a shot along with some Jackall Rerange 110s.

We now know @J Francho's favorite jerkbait besides the 110 and his favorite hat. I'm not exactly broke, but I'm d**n cheap. The H2O Xpress Ultimate Jerk Shad is my favorite jerkbait this time of year and in the spring. My least favorite is the Berkley Cutter and Skinny Cutter. I stocked up on both hoping they would be better budget options. They aren't. They are trash.

Here recently, I've had fish eat my frogs on the run as I reeled them to me quickly to get them back in the thick. I've had a lot of luck making as much commotion as possible. Like everyone else has said, just fish it! It'll get bit.

I would prefer a two thousand dollar kayak to an 18' Jon boat that is underpowered. I had a 1436 Tracker Topper with a 9.9 and a 40# bow mount with a foot control. It was a nice little boat and I could do 25 miles per hour in it. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that 18' you're looking at can do 8 or 9 miles per hour. It's also way more above the waterline in comparison to a kayak, meaning if a stiff wind hits it, it'll sail off your spot. Take a look at the Old Town Topwater or Sportsman 120 PDL the Hobie Compass, the Old Town Salty PDL, and the 2,000 dollars and under Native Watercraft offerings.

Down here in Georgia, I welcome 70 degree days!

I've opted for the graphite in the Medium because I didn't read great things about the glass version and I'll be using the rod for squarebills for the most part, where I think the sensitivity will come in handy to inform me of oncoming contact with cover.

If it says Tatula, I'm fairly well in love. I'm now debating a 13 Fishing Fate V3 7'4" Chat-R-Crank rod versus a Tatula XT 7' MHR-G for chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, swimjigs, and lipless cranks.

½ ounce jig, 3.75" YUM Craw Chunk. My favorite worms are the Netbait T-Mac and the YUM Ribbontail.