GReb

The best part about a fluke is you can be creative and fish it so many different ways. You can let it sink,work it shallow, or Carolina rig it. This spring I was in the bait shop and an old dude came in with a brown colored fluke looking to buy more. Said they had caught a number of 7-8 pounders the day before by adding a split shot 6 inches above the hook and placing it on bream beds

I remember back around 2000 they were one of the big boys and sponsored many pros. Seemed like they marketed a lot more then and had more visually attractive products. The first energy PT reel was $160 and bulletproof. For years that’s all I fished

Their higher end gear is good. Lower end stuff is junk. I have a couple of 15 year old PTs that I still fish regularly.

I prefer the swim senkos in pads. Drag over pad and let fall over the edge. Also fish flukes this way. Typically the bite will come right as it falls off the pad.

It’s all fun and games till you meet the Rougarou

We still bust out cane poles several times a year. Nothing better than sitting there with a box of crickets slaying bream and small bass

I have both and like both. They fish the same. Tatula visually looks better IMO but that doesn’t matter. I should say I had both because the wife stole the Fuego from me and I am now using her old LFS

I don’t doubt it lasts forever. But I can’t make a spool last a season much less 20 years ?

That’s incredible. I burn through a spool of mono in no time. But I’m a bit OCD about changing my line way too often

Several weeks ago you could get a Fuego from american legacy eBay for around $49.

I have 20 H&Hs in my box at all times. It’s all my wife uses. And she consistently catches fish year round on them. She also loses about a bait per hour so it doesn’t cost me much lol

Everyone has their preference. To me a foregrip is just an extra half ounce that does me no good

I’ve had a lot of success on green pumpkin tubes here in central MS. Especially around cypress trees, docks, and shallow structure. I’ve always just t-rigged them with 1/8 oz bullet weight and fished them similar to a crawl or creature bait. Don’t fish them as often as I should admittedly. Also like someone commented, I’ve also caught several nice 5+ pound catfish on white tubes.

In heavy pressure areas I try to give the fish a different look. Go against the grain and use something nobody else is. Try to really pay attention to color and presentation. When it’s extra tough go slow.

Conservatively speaking I have $1,500-1,750 in fishing gear. And that’s overkill really. I don’t need 6 setups and a dozen 3700s full. But i don’t think that’s an unreasonable cost for gear and if you shop smart you can get quality for a good price. There’s a lot more money in my gun safe and golf bag. That’s for sure. And I don’t use either near as often.

This is probably horrible technique but I tend to not engage right away when flipping and pitching. I hold the spool down with my right thumb the first few seconds. I’ve set the hook on many a fish with just my thumb holding the line lol. I’m not even cognizant of it 95% of the time. I should prob just buy a left handed reel for my pitching needs

The market is much more friendly to new fisherman than it was a decade ago. Budget friendly products are much higher quality and easier to use now.

I believe for the most part it’s off the shelf gear just with much higher quality control. The manufacturers aren’t going to send a pro equipment without inspecting it to make sure every measurement and detail is perfect

I bought a Fury 734 this spring to try out. I’ve literally tied on every type of bait I own and really like it for moving baits. It’s comfortable to throw for long outings and has a nice backbone. The tip is not light or heavy. It’s just very versatile and really has no true weakness for the price. With that being said if you are going to use it exclusively for bottom contact baits I’d go in a different direction. For instance the falcon bucco is the same price as the fury and much better for jigs and worms IMO. Edit: Also I think it’s worth noting that this rod really drives bigger hooks very well. I’ve really been impressed with strength of this rod with minimal effort. And with that in mind it really is remarkably light and sensitive all things considered

Kistler is running a whopping 5% off sale.

You can get a lews bb1 for like $110 on eBay with the 20% off right now

Texas rig. Depending on grass thickness you may want to pin it

If you fish topwater a lot I would suggest getting a better rod for this application rather than using a 7’ MH. That rod is very versatile for single hook baits but not treble hook friendly.

If you aren’t in muck then you can switch to bigger hooks that stick off the body of the bait about a quarter inch. Everyone misses fish on frogs.

American legacy on eBay with PRIMO code is $49