txchaser

results so far?

110 boxes sure are pretty. This looks like @A-Jay speed. They have them for +1's and +2's too. Hard to justify the space for other cranks, but a box full of 110's might do it. I kind of feel bad with mine jammed in a box.

one other thing - If you've got a really choice bit of cover that you think has a high likelihood of holding a big fish, sometimes you can tick that fish off enough to bite a buzzbait. Don't be afraid to cast at the same spot three or four times. And when that fish comes it's going to smash the crap out of that buzzbait. I don't think I'd do that on every bit of cover, just the one that has the "this holds a monster" feel to it.

Shelta hats are outstanding! My favorite hat for when it isn't brutally hot out. Huk's new boonie has borrowed the idea of having a stiffener in the brim, both in the A1A and the regular one. I think the regular is a better fit for bass fishing in crazy hot weather... the A1A seems built for sight fishing with a giant brim and black on the underside which I'm guessing is to cut glare.

JDM zillion is the best buy on the planet right now. $225 JDM, $369 US. I had a Tat P/F, I traded it in. Zillion is a whole new class of reel compared to the Tat Elite. Or the zillion HD which is $275, no US equivalent as far as I know.

If moving baits are on the menu, a flatside squarebill worked slow is a must-have.

Two more things 1) end your cast with the rod tip at 9 o'clock, and use the rod tip to get the slack out and get the bait moving on touchdown. Should be moving it from 9 to 100, and as Kyle mentioned, moving it back down as you get closer to the boat 2) stop the spool before you engage the reel, it's really nasty on the gears otherwise. I have one reel that makes some really odd noises now, and it's 100% from engaging the handle without stopping the spool.

On the peeve side, it's frustrating to watch a five minute video that's really a bullet point or two. Video is a great format to add nuance and detail, and even some what not to do.

Learned this here. It's helped me get on some big fish.

A CD case for spinnerbaits or buzzbaits fits well in that pocket. Stiff plastic carriers like Keitech Fat or Rage stack up well. Senkos turned on end, can fit quite a few colors in there and can see which one you are digging for pretty easily. Any other soft plastic works too as long as you don't mind a little pressure on them. Alternate the worm-holding part of the bag on the left and right side of the bag with the empty part of the bag towards the middle. Can fit quite a few in there that way.

The L/MH and H/MH heliums are special rods. About a half-step in either direction, so will likely fill a spot that other rods don't quite fit. As an example, the L/MH is perfect for 3/8 underspin with 3.8 Keitech, and at least for me, also perfect for the unweighted senko that I almost never thrown. H/MH is quickly becoming a chatterbait favorite - Heavies are a little too much for a chatterbait, and MH feels overloaded on a 1/2 chatterbait with a zako.

I wear a boonie hat, so the reflection off the water makes my neck one of the hardest-hit areas starting about mid-day. I don't really like the gaiters, but some of them are pretty thin and have the cooling dots. Otherwise SPF 10trillion.

comedy gold!

Most of the brands will tell you that some time in a warm dryer will re-activate the DWR. https://www.gore-tex.com/support/care/dwr > Once dry, tumble dry for a further 20 minutes to reactivate the durable water repellent (DWR) treatment.

If I get to Ivey, probably an a-rig. If I don't, flatside squarebill.

It'll be a Keitech Fat, on an owner flashy swimmer underspin. Probably bluegill flash color (which looks like a shad /shrug) or green pumpkin. I mostly use the 3/0 version with a 3.8", although I wish they'd make it in a heavier weight. 5/0 with a 4.3" made for some big fish last year when they were eating bluegill too. Good in weeds, good in brush, good on laydowns, good up to about 8' deep, doesn't get snagged, can grind on the bottom when the fish are feeling funky. Big fish are happy to bite it.

I really don't enjoy dropshots, and like many of you, they are responsible for the smallest fish of the day anyway. I've pretty much given up on the ned for the same reasons. I've had more success with other presentations that are more interesting than the ned anyway. However, don't sleep on the bubba shot. You can throw it on about anything, and with a weedless rig it makes a great presentation right next to cover when the fish aren't face down on the bottom. 12-18" seems plenty long, and you can throw it on whatever baitcaster you have around. 6" netbait t-mac trick worm, or a similar roboworm. Also, while you are 'not supposed to fish it horizontally' it seems to do a nice job fished that way when there's sparse weeds on the bottom but you want to move more slowly.

Should be pre-spawn. It can be a little temp dependent as we sometimes get late feb ice storms. For me pre-spawn is on the table starting mid-feb, although that is usually a tad early. FYI https://tpwd.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=fd103605049c44a8b81be6f9da6f4956 has some cover installed by the state marked on it.

Congrats! Water temp?

1/2 or 3/4 depending on how slow you need to go. I mostly use Zako trailers.

Simms Rogue Hoodie. Zip-up. Waterproof for a while too, and very windproof. Inexpensive on sale, and they seem to always go on sale.

20' flats, fished like a bifflehead has been productive for me. Might have also worked lifting and dropping, but this way has made for some amazing days. Basically keeping it running just over the bottom, banging off it. Requires some stop and start to keep it down.

@ol'cricketyIf I recall correctly you have some musky gear. Consider taking a smallish setup with you (for the bass) - some of the smaller lakes down here can end up with a few bass that got big enough to eat everything in the lake, including other bass and the biggest of the baitfish. Worth a shot after you figure out generally what the fish are up to.

IMO there's more to it than just the tech. And these particular fish would be unfindable without the FFS anyway. I'd guess legacy-class fish (13lbs) in texas are caught about one for every few thousand FFS sold.

@A-Jay thanks for doing the thread, I started out thinking the year wasn't very good, and while I got no Texas monsters, it was a pretty good year! Flat-side squarebill - this is the bait that got me started on crankbaits and getting over weedy hell. In fact crashing it straight into a weedline is a thing. Big fish went 8lbs 15oz. Silent lipless - I don't get many small fish to bite this. Work it like a trap in prespawn and early summer, and like a blade bait as it gets hot. Big fish went 8lbs 14oz. 4m Jackall crank on 20lb tatsu - so probably runs about 10ft. Really got to dig in on color changes and how they can make a difference. The weirdest one was when the water was clear and they wouldn't bite white or natural, but when I put a chart/blue through there I started catching them; opposite day I guess. Big fish 8lbs 2oz, on a natural color, casting shallow to deep, smashing it into the outside weed edge. A-rig - it's an a-rig, in texas. It's probably going to work well if they are on the shad. Seriously though results were usually better with 1) gold eyes on the jighead 2) 3.3's or 3.8's, never 4.3's. 3) have had zero results with making the trailer bait larger or a different color. 4) baits matter a lot here. Jackall's swimbaits meaninfully outperform everything but Keitech, and usually outperform even those. Tight wiggle. Got some stealth a-rigs too, but never got on the fish on a day where that was the deal. Had ***-fish cast, all over three pounds, and I was howling like I caught a true monster, until I saw what I caught. It was fun though. Bubba shot - saved the day more than once. Netbait t-mac worm accounted for the bigger fish vs roboworm. There's a color I haven't found in the robo. Owner flashy swimmer (mix of GP 4.3 and Bluegill Flash 3.8 Keitechs). Unexpected results here, both in really specific circumstances. Dragging it slow on the bottom, and pecking it through wood. Repeatable though, so there's that. I think in the slow on the bottom it was pure floridas and they were acting funny/inactive. On the wood it probably substituted for a spinnerbait. Giant TRD on a t-rig. It floats. Nice meaty presentation like a 7in senko cut down an inch. Carolina Rig - braid with tungsten, brass clacker, plastic bead, mono leader. Mostly bigger baits drug behind it. Learning the presentation this year. I did seem to have better results with a 2ft leader than a 4ft. Z-man Crosseyez chatterbait - I fish this more often than the jackhammer now. The weedguards really work. 6" Optimum baits paddletail - was giving me fits this summer getting fish to the boat, but BR came to the rescue. Big fish like this bait. Topwater was almost a total bust this year, which was a bummer as last year it got my pb.