CrankFate

Good idea. I use a thumb tack, the push pin type, with a red handle. It developed a bend in the tip that makes it work better than when it was straight. But really the hard part, IMO, is getting them back on! There ya go, I’m reading these in reverse order....

I use a casting rod, held in my left hand and reel with the right. On spinning gear, I hold the rod with my right and reel with the left. I rarely use spinning gear, except for casting my kids rods and helping them.

I’m having stuff delivered to my work. And, yeah, there’s a handbag in the closet that cost more than most bass boats..........

Baitmonkey

At only 5.8 oz, I could totally see that.

Can’t argue with that!

I’d go with a Shimano SLX or Tatula 100. Both are small and light, with modern engineering and tight tolerances. They run about $100 on sale and would both be worth it. I doubt there’s much difference between them in real world performance as all around multipurpose reels.

Orange with glitter, Black, blue w/glitter, silver/white, green pumpkin, chartreuse tails, all white, all chartreuse, grey/white. That’s what’s in my current box of tricks (a six pack cooler that I use in place of a tackle box). But I use others.

One night I was fishing with a friend on a pier in the ocean many years ago. We’re hangin out with our rods in the water on a calm quiet summer night and his rod just shoots right in the water and disappears. Instantly. I was bummed about it, and wanted to leave, but he was like keep fishing, that had to be big. And we know there are fish out. So we stay there at least another 3 hours just hanging out. No bites, nothing. When all of the sudden, I get a bite and I start reeling in. It’s a big fish. I estimate 25lbs, about, maybe bigger. But whatever it is it was strong and never stopped fighting. So I’m reeling and fighting and as I’m about to get the fish out of the water, we see that I’m actually reeling up his rod! which I hooked with my hook in the top guide on the tip. It was like the greatest moment ever. He grabs the bouncing rod and starts reeling it up. He’s fighting and fighting the fish and as it gets close, it takes a quick turn pulling drag and runs around a piling right next to the pier, he couldn’t stop it — and pops the line! It was the best worst day fishing ever. After that, we decided it was time to call it a night.

I use ReelX. I find I am casting off most of the oil after the first few casts, no matter what kind. Then I’m down to that tiny coating of what’s left. Supposedly ReelX sticks. (supposedly). I run everything with oil, because otherwise after a few casts, I’m fishing ceramic lubed with pond water only. I re oil before almost every outing. For grease, I just use Cals on everything, very thin, except low profile baitcaster plastic parts, because I can hear and feel the grease on the plastic if the reel’s tolerances are tight enough.

Yeah, well at 42, when I’m fishing, I look silly at least 80% of the time.

This is something like what I was talking about when I said zig zagging a floating crank over the fish’s head works. Just like this video, I started doing that after getting bit zig zagging the bait on top of the water just as I was lifting the bait out of the water in a last ditch attempt to get a fish I could see actually bite it. I spend a lot of time zig zagging like this but from far away on long casts, This completely takes the idea to the extreme. That’s an awesome technique. ? It’s a great idea! ?

I have been bass fishing for all fish my whole life, whether they were bass or not. @WRB I found a drop off point last year and was doing something like what you say there, and twice, I felt my bait in a massive suction from a monster bass just as I began the lift, and set the hook right out of the suction field before it was sucked in mouth closed. I know there are a couple big bass there. I will get one. Someday.

I don’t know. The advice is always a soft cast with no splash is best. But the advice is always, you have to learn how to skip your baits because it causes reaction strikes.

Some of my best days fishing ever were on $35 ugly stick combos, or with a $20 Berkeley rod and the old $20 trigger Shimano Quick fire II spinning reel.

I use the lightest rod, with the lightest braid, to throw the lightest bait as far as possible. It doesn’t matter if light is a few grams or 3 ounces. If i’m throwing 3, it’s supposed to be 8.

+1

Yeah, well I just got a special delivery of “I don’t want to see anymore boxes in the mail” from my wife today.

I agree. Especially now. You can get a totally awesome setup for $200-250. I’ve been playing with one for a couple weeks. New Tatula 100 on a 6’ 6” BPS Crankin Stick. About $225 for the combo (I added $25 for a totally not necessary bearing upgrade from Boca + SmoothDrag, to get a more refined feel). I usually use rods 150 and under, because there’s usually no point to spending more, if you feel enough rods. Plus I love soft, parabolic, backbone free rods, there aren’t many as you go up in price. I use braid and set hooks like Happy Gilmore, so I can’t use the super fast hyper backbone rods that are all the rage these days.

Nearly all the bass I caught were northern. However, the biggest bass I ever caught was southern, in Disney World, but the same rule for that fish held true. All of the biggest bass I ever caught, all bit within 1-2 hours after the people who hit the water at the crack of dawn leave because “it’s too hot out.” In fact, at Disney world after missing a few fish that broke my finesse rig line on the bite, during the last 30-40 minutes of the guided fishing trip, the guide said something like, “please just use my rods, these fish are big, and it’s already too hot out now, it’s a shame that you just missed those, and we’ll be lucky if there are any more bites now.” I seriously assumed that those bites were really alligators. 15 minutes later I had a giant bass. As was the case with all of the biggest bass I ever caught it was the only one of the day.

Balsa crank on the surface. Skipped in or zig zagged.

None. Braid wont slip on the spool. Just leave a tail 1/2 the width of the spool and lay it horizontally across the spool, then spool tightly. This is a problem from generations ago, when spools were completely smooth at the arbor. If the spool has any texture, bumps, grooves or holes on it, do yourself a favor and go commando.