TotalNoob

Don't mean to confuse, hopefully these screenshots will clarify. VS Additional info to compare: VS The "Japan" version is 38% less. The only two differences I see are 1) the sticker on the packaging and 2) the silver hooks on the Japan version. Listing states they both suspend and that's what I'm looking for. Swapping hooks anyway so no worries there if suspension is the same. Substantial price difference just makes me want to ask if anyone has any experience with these.

Not a chance! I'm glad that was the first presentation I learned. It's catch rate has kept me interested in bass fishing. Looking to expand out into middle water column/faster moving presentations when the fish get active. We have walleyes in the same res so I've tossed a jerkbait or two after dark ? Do you prefer a fluke trailer over a swimbait trailer in that pond?

Specs appear to be the same, the Japan Pointer 100 has silver hooks... but the characteristic I'm concerned with is whether it suspends the same. There's a sizable price difference between the two, as in, the Japan Pointer 100 is 2/3 the price of the Pointer 100. Does anyone have any experience with this?

Look like the lipless crank is a pretty consistent theme! For those who said Chatterbait, is that taking preference over spinnerbait? Just to reiterate, this is a smallmouth-heavy reservoir (during the Spring) with shad as main forage. Yes, largest bass population is Smallmouths. Is the jerkbait in specific reference to smallies, or the spinnerbait? To be honest I haven't even touched jig fishing yet!? This reservoir I fish has a lot of shale and rock w minimal cover in the few places there is shore access. Also it's Smallmouth-heavy. I've spent the first 1.5 yrs bass fishing putting effort into the Texas Rig (so effective - and cheap if you snag) and Topwater. I'm definitely ready for some "middle water column" presentations when the bite get hots. Not being confined to shore this year I will definitely be opening up and adding jigs into my arsenal, I have no doubt about that. This thread is more about identifying the best fast moving baits for Spring time fishing so I don't miss that boat during Spring.

Doesn't the sun (length of day) play a substantial role here? In eager anticipation of fishing I check this site almost daily: https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa Plug in your city (or the largest nearby city) and it pulls up everything you need to know about the sun and how it impacts your location (exactly when Astronomical, Nautical, and Civil twilight begin/end on any given day, etc). Also has detailed moon cycle info if you fish at night or fish for walleye or whatever. What excites me is that we're now gaining 2+ minutes of sunlight everyday here. It doesn't seem like much but it adds up fast. In the 28 days of February we will gain just over 1 hour of sunlight. Ice and frigid waters can only tolerate so much solar radiation... Local conditions aside, the days are rapidly getting longer and the sun has more and more time to do it's thing. This keeps me encouraged.

I was looking forward to that combo big time. I wasn't casting baitcasters at that time last year so I passed on it. I passed on a couple of purchases in the Fall in lieu of this sale. Didn't realize what a deal that combo was nor did I know it wouldn't come around again (or something comparable). My thoughts exactly. Even w/o the carbonlite combo I was hoping for some otherwise terrific deals. It's really all about the trade-in ... the exception being that PQ reel on the front page. No guarantee my store will even have that.

Moving Lures is what I think of when I see or hear the term Power Fishing (finesse presentations being on the other end of the spectrum). The water is still 35° so I've got a little ways here but trying to put a game plan together. I should add that topwater is something I started last year from shore so that category doesn't need to appear here. Spinnerbaits, crankbaits, chatterbaits, squarebills, lipless crankbaits, soft plastic swimbaits - I know you can easily go down the rabbit hole in any of these categories. I'm trying to narrow it down to maybe the two top categories (for starters) based on the lake/species/forage information provided.

Background/Facts: -Started fishing in mid-2017 from shore on a large/deep reservoir with minimal cover. There is some submerged vegetation in places but I'm not aware of anywhere on the lake where there's anything real thick -Gizzard Shad are the primary forage in this multi-species reservoir -Texas Rigged Plastics have been consistently producing fish for me; have generally avoided traditional power fishing due to snagging & minimal access to the lake from shore -Will be offshore this season on a Pond Prowler (10' plastic boat w electric trolling motor) -Will be fishing power presentations really for the first time this Spring - and pretty excited about it -Reservoir has all 3 black bass but Smallies are most prevalent followed by Spots and then a small-to-moderate population of LMBs Looking for advice on which 2 or 3 "power" presentations I should work on this Spring (given the above species and lake information). I suppose these would be presentations that I should have tied on essentially all Spring and have dedicated rigs for.

+1 Very cool, maybe he'll get the chance to see the positive impact his writing had on an inexperienced angler. Reading it... this is excellent! 35° water (where I am) has me thinking I'd be doing a disservice to myself not to absorb information right now in preparation for the upcoming season. I could sit and think about fishing soon or I can sit and learn something about the habits of the fish. Thanks for the feedback though (?) ... just thought I'd try to give back to the community what little I can at this point in my fishing life.

If you're: -In the early stages of fishing (1-2 yrs) -Don't have any sort of "mentor" (or don't have the opportunity to go fishing with experienced anglers) -Or often find yourself overwhelmed by the abundance of "information" in youtube vids (and other non-specific information out there) ...do yourself a favor and READ THIS BOOK. I feel like it cuts to the chase and it checked a lot of boxes I'm looking for right now: 1) Author summarizes and compares key observations from the authors of three classic bass books (Big Bass Magic, Trackin' Trophies, and In Pursuit of Giant Bass) 2) Author compiles information from thousands of reported catches then analyzes & cuts the data to draw conclusions (or NOT) regarding key fishing concepts 3) It's not a long, cumbersome read (123 pages) My only complaint would be that I felt there was too much skimming over bass biology in general but that wasn't the point of the book. Also a little frustrated that the information was specific to Largemouth bass. Would love to find a book like this about Smallmouth bass as well. In my brief time doing it, I've come to think of fishing as a mixed skill/luck "game" (similar to poker) where short-term results often seem random at face value. But when you dive into the details/specific situations you find there are adaptations you can make based on your observations to sort of "create your own luck"/increase your overall probabilities. This book definitely solidified my belief in this and backed it up with data and actionable conclusions. Will definitely be reading this a few more times. Just wanted to share this with anyone else in a similar boat or who finds there's almost too MUCH "information" out there in this crazy internet age we live in now.

I currently have a couple Swaver 168s, a couple Savage Gear 135s, several 5 & 6" trout plastic swimbaits, and a couple packs of 5 1/2" GT360 Searchbaits. I basically picked these off on various sales throughout all of last year, knowing I wasn't quite ready to throw them but knowing the time would eventually come. I've seen some folks say to throw swimbaits on something like 7'6" H flipping sticks. I've seen others say it's a good idea to get the proper equipment. I can see myself eventually throwing the 2.3oz Savage Gear 185s and/or the 3.5oz Swaver 200 - and who knows what else. Any thoughts on a rod/reel combo here? Not looking for over-the-top gear, but definitely looking for solid functionality. Additionally I'm curious if there's a difference in swimbait rod properties as it relates to whether or not you're throwing big treble hook hard baits or big plastic baits with the single hook?

State record Blue and Flathead catfish are out of the reservoir I fish that's practically in my backyard. Blue 2016 --Reservoir 24lb-7.712oz 35 1/2" *Flathead 2017 --Reservoir 30lb-9.6oz 38 5/8" It's a highly pressured lake with lots of anglers from the Denver metropolitan area (and their 50K bass boats) coming down to fish it. For this reason I try to fish it at night ... I feel like that's MY edge; sometimes I'll get there a couple hrs before sun-up and fish through the dawn bass bite ... sometimes I'll get there for the dusk bite and fish into the night some. Oh yea, state record Wiper out of here as well Wiper 2004 --Reservoir 26lb-15oz 37.50in FWIW I literally had no idea I was going to run into all these species when I picked up my Dad's old bass tackle in 2017. I watched Bill Dance and Bassmasters when I was a kid. I just wanted to Bass fish. Turns out there's some tank walleyes ... caught this post-spawn 30"er last April - thought she was a random toad but this last Fall fishing at night I saw walleyes in the water as big & bigger. This reservoir is supposedly named one of the top Bass fisheries in the region but I have yet to come up with any tank Smallies, Spots, or Largies. It's been somewhat frustrating. My biggest Smally is 17"/2lb, biggest Spot is 16"/2.5lbs and biggest Largemouth is smaller than either of those two. Where the heck are all the Bass at in a reservoir like this? I'm gonna find em this year.

Southern Colorado +1, multi-species fishery has me a little stumped/overwhelmed Love this btw. I'm ending up with a bunch of tackle probably from watching a lot of youtube vids but mostly because I'm trying to find a balance between all the different species I end up catching in my reservoir, while Bass fishing. The purpose of this thread is to identify as clearly as possible what kind of tackle best suits my situation. When jerkbaiting I run across a LOT of walleyes and their mouths aren't real thick like that of a bass. Heavy gear is not needed at all for these guys. By contrast, while bass fishing, I've had Wipers and Catfish crush my lure out of nowhere and absolutely run with it. So having too light of tackle also seems to be a problem. I've broken off several times this last Fall on 8 and 10lb test creeping weedless keitechs across the bottom by what I'm sure were wipers or catfish. Trying to find a good balance. See pic below of walleyes caught on TOPWATER and FLUKES and a wiper on a whopper plopper. Note that I was fishing for black bass at all of these times. I was in the middle of a terrific Smallmouth frenzy on the whopper plopper that morning when the wiper came out of nowhere, stopped the plopper like I hit a brick wall. I actually caught the walleye on a pink fluke in late Nov semi-intentionally. I was HOPING for bass but frankly I rigged it up specifically just to see if a walleye would hit. No pics but I've caught multiple walleyes on green pumpkin tubes and texas rigged 5" senko(knock-off) plastics as well. Most days I really envy you guys who have straight-up LMB or mixed black bass fisheries. It definitely would simplify things. If anyone's read this far would definitely appreciate any thoughts or insight into how they might go about fishing this type of fishery from a rod/reel/line perspective. I know there have to be other folks out there who have fisheries similar to this.

Yea this is spot on. Because this is a Bass forum (and because I mostly seek to catch Bass) I am hesitant to mention that I fish a multi-species fishery; it's primarily a Walleye lake honestly. The State does a Walleye egg-take operation every Spring and as a result it seems like they generally don't want any other species to out-compete the forage (gizzard shad) for all the Walleyes. HOWEVER, we have a lot of Smallmouth, a good amount of Spotted, and some Largemouth bass (in my experience). They stock some Wiper fry every year as well. Much like your fishery, we seem not have a lot of cover. Having said that, I've been fishing exclusively from shore the last 1.5 yrs and haven't even been able to fish any of south side of the reservoir. This year I'll be able to explore some new areas in hopes of finding areas more likely to hold Largemouths but the takeaway is that we don't seem to have a lot of traditional heavy "bass cover". Not that I'm aware of. It's a graphite frame and a "Rulon" drag system (?). I didn't use it hardly at all last year frankly, either the rod or the reel. I have concerns about the random Wiper I occasionally catch. Those suckers grow quickly, are exceptionally fierce fighters, and pull a lot of drag. If there were no Wiper in the lake I'd have no particular concerns with the reel. But that random chance of a wiper picking up a jerkbait or topwater or a chatterbait or a keitech swimbait make me think I should have gear that's at least a step or two above low-grade.

How about this? I already own it (sale @ Dick's last year). It came in a combo with a 5 bearing, 7.1 ratio reel that I would replace. I know it's hardly a top tier rod (though I am willing to spend a little more and am open to suggestions?). I can't find any specification from the manufacturer whether or not the tip is fast or moderate - the rod definitely has some good bend in it. I'm thinking it could be good for topwater trebles (thinking whopper plopper). Would this be at least an "okay" option for moving baits with single hooks (spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, buzzbaits) in addition to larger treble applications (plopper)? Or, for the single-hook moving baits, is a legitimate fast tip something that shouldn't be sacrificed?

Well that's terrific news! Though, seems like no concerns about the prolonged exposure to extreme annual temperature swings in an uninsulated environment? Combined with the years of line being snugged up pretty tightly by the reel to the hookkeeper, putting the tip & blank in a sort of "sustained flexed" state (albeit not extremely flexed)? Ultimately it seems like the integrity of the tip and/or blank might be a concern given the prolonged state of the rod? Don't get me wrong! ... I don't know exactly how many millions of modules is "good" but 85 seems like a solid number! And this rod would certainly fit the bill for me this year. That's why I'm trying to figure this out now .. if I should replace the tip and go with it or look for something comparable during the upcoming spring classic event at BPS.

It's a Johnny Morris signature series rod, it was my Dad's - I don't know how old it is but I would estimate somewhere in the 10-15 yr range. I know for sure that it stood against the wall in my uninsulated (Colorado) garage for about 3 years (unused/untouched). Prior to that it's probably safe to assume it was in an uninsulated environment for it's life, though, likely also saw very little use. For at least the 3 years it stood in my garage (and probably before this time) the reel was spooled with 12lb mono, through the guides, and attached to the rod's hookkeeper by a crosslock snap or something. I believe it was fairly snug. I didn't know much about fishing by the time I reached for it last year. So I don't know if the line put enough pressure on the tip/blank for all that time that I shouldn't even consider using it? On the last line guide, I noticed (when I ran my finger over it) that there are a couple little divots (tried to get pics, below) - presumably from the line but I'm not sure. They would definitely be abrasive to line running through the guide. Is there a way to fill these in? Is there any way I could confidently use this rod?

+1 ..... ???

-No brand names - please specify the properties of the rod/reel/line that make it versatile in your mind for multiple presentations -Specify line on each setup (main line/leader/# test) I'm going to be off the shore this year on a Pond Prowler (a 10ft plastic boat/electric trolling motor). Assume I can fit 3 setups and that all presentations are on the table. Consider that another angler may occasionally be in the small boat with me (potentially tight casting quarters/rod length issue). Looking for practical solutions - I understand 3 "perfect" setups don't exist for the entire spectrum of presentations. Consider it an exercise in determining the most versatile set of properties in rod/reel/line that gives the best chance of correctly presenting and landing bass on any given presentation, within the given limit of 3 setups. If you have to omit any presentations in order to build the three please specify which presentations would be omitted.

I know the Spring Fishing Classic will start on Feb 15th (just 19 days away) but what I'm semi-anxiously awaiting is the accompanying ad - I check their 2019 Fishing Classic page almost daily and it always says "Details Coming Soon". Does anyone know (approximately) when the information on the Fishing Classic is released? This is just my second year fishing and last year I didn't really even know what I was looking for in terms of gear. This year I feel substantially more prepared in terms of what I'm looking for and my budget ... I'd like to put a purchasing plan together - only problem is I don't know whats going to be on sale or for how much.

I bought a pair of split ring pliers from Amazon last year and they seem to work pretty well. When changing #4 and #8 trebles these do the trick - but when I go to replace hooks on my Shadow Rap jerkbaits (these are size 6 trebles but I think must be a size 2 split ring?) I struggle to even get the ring open and once I do the ring always ends up permanently opened a little bit. Not comfortable fishing the split rings with a gap. Does anyone have any recommendations for a pair of split ring pliers that'll do the trick here?

Yea this is how I'm starting to think about my presentations - in terms of the water column. To completely simplify, and if there's one presentation that (I would think?) is #1 to master, it would be the Texas Rig. Weedless plastics on the bottom probably give you your highest overall probability of literally just "catching fish". The point is, when you aren't getting skunked very often you're more likely to enjoy fishing, build confidence, and want to branch out to different presentations as a result. Just my two cents.

I fish a reservoir in Colorado that's heavy in Smallmouths. We have all 3 black bass but smallmouths are by far the dominant Bass. The water temperature is 38.5° as of 3 days ago. Only the backs of some of the shallower coves are frozen. I recently purchased a Pond Prowler (small plastic bass boat w an electric trolling motor) and I have access to the reservoir that I haven't previously had. We have air temps in the mid to high 50s today and for the next 3 days before a cool-off. I haven't previously fished in the winter but I believe I have a favorable set of circumstances - and now access to being out on the water. 1) Is 38.5° water "warm" enough to target Smallmouths? 2) What time of day increases my chances? 3) What parts of the lake/lake features should I be concentrating my efforts? 4) What 3 or 4 presentations should I focus on? Any tips/suggestions/feedback much appreciated.

Do you have any experience with this, or any product recommendations? If it doesn't hurt anything I'm definitely open to it. This was mentioned earlier in this thread - and I also found the same exact thing mentioned in the long-running "Pelican Bass Raider" thread. Someone asked this question back in 2012 and below is screenshot of a response. I don't know what other forum he's referencing or their sources. For reference, here's the link to the page of that thread from 2012: Pg 16 & 17 of Pelican Bass Raider Thread - Truck Bed Liner Question (scroll down a little bit). Would definitely like to know your thoughts on this. Are you saying I'll wear out the bottom specifically on the rough terrain of this reservoir... or that the bottom will just wear out with general use? And are you speaking from experience...? Has your PP shown premature wear & tear compared to other brand boats like these? I'm not clear on what you're trying to say exactly. I won't be "dragging" it over the terrain in the pictures. It will be dollied TO the shoreline, however, there will inevitably be contact with some rough shoreline right at the water, from launching and returning to shore. I took her out for her maiden voyage yesterday afternoon, spent an hour making sure my batteries and trolling motor worked etc. Got a decent feel for her. Very smooth ride. I had a second battery on the bow, a small tackle bag, and an anchor that I had already removed before snapping this pic. You can see the muddy Colorado clay in the boat from my boots from launching where I did. This is one of the few places on this reservoir where it isn't primarily a rock or shale shoreline. @OCdockskipper I had two rods sitting on one side of the boat and they sat quite even. I was a little surprised. I feel like 3 rods per side would easily fit and you could probably make 4 fit. I'll be putting velcro straps on to secure the rods. I'll post more pics down the road so you can see. Trolling motor is mounted on the stern for now, I believe I will need a rudder for the rear if I'm going to bow-mount the TM. But yea, after being shorebound for a while it felt good to be OUT THERE above the water column that I've been unable to access. This might sound crazy but I feel like I need to actually learn how to fish from a boat - that is, be able to take the information from my electronics and apply it to my presentation. Just as importantly, I need to understand how to stop and/or control the boat so I can make presentations to the fish with the boat in a stationary position. I found that when I stopped the motor I would inevitably drift (from the wind) and my presentation (jerkbait) would drift right along with me, thus rendering its action useless. I'm definitely open to any suggestions or resources in terms of making the successful switch from shore fishing to boat fishing, particularly as it relates to these smaller boats (Pond Prowler, Bass Raider, Bass Hunter, etc).

The homemade dolly will likely be something very similar to the one in this youtube vid for a 10ft Pelican Bass Raider. I think this is something of a common design for the Bass Raiders, I saw an almost identical one in another Bass Raider video. I expect the dolly to get me past the bulk of the shale/rock/shore but undoubtedly the hull of the 10ft boat will make contact with the first several feet of the shore under the water. I intend to use this something like two dozen times/year so I feel like this constant contact with the rough shoreline will add up to damages. I really don't know how tough this plastic is. I don't know the typical lifespan of these types of boats but I'd sure like to have mine for at least five years. I'm trying to determine if it makes more sense to be proactive in some way to maintain the integrity of the hull or if I should just look for fixes down the road as things get rough on the boat & hull. I found a couple more pics showing more of the type of shoreline I'll be launching into (and returning to after fishing). Some of it is pure rock, some is pure shale. There are a couple areas of the reservoir I'll fish where launching is mostly into muddy or sandy areas. But those areas are the exception, not the rule - and I don't want to be limited to fishing just a couple areas.