928JLH

Whopper Plopper. Have quite a few. Only caught a couple dinks..

7'3 for me.

Depends if it's a fun fishing or tournament day. Fun fishing I'll definitely make more casts and thoroughly work cover more. Tournament I'm covering water quickly. More casts more bass for a reaction bite.

Stubbornness. I studied up on a technique tied it on and stuck with it only. I did it with jigs, spinner bait, chatterbait, lipless, squarebills, cranking, and swimbaits. Very frustrating at times but it got me covering water and working reaction bites. Got me away from dropshot and soft plastics. It was worth it because I got to be very well rounded and out of my comfort/confidence zone.

Won't go out after a shoulder surgery if the wind is over ten in the kayak. I've been out in 20+ and holiday boat traffic. Definitely not a good time..

7.3lmb on an AC Plug Smallies I haven't scaled but a few definitely over 4

Thank you all for the input. Will be picking one up.

Fuego. Not only because I am a Daiwa guy, but price to performance aspect can't be beat. I did everything from froggin, flipping, punching, ripping hydrilla, and throw a Gantarel Jr. on a Fuego. Held up great. Daiwa and Shimano have their own manufacturing centers in Malaysia and Thailand. Not rebranded Korean or Chinese reels like the others for the most part. (Steer clear of the Daiwa CG80)

SV is awesome! Skipping is much easier, and backlashes are almost non existent. Very nice for tournament fishing. In my honest opinion no the Tatula CT isn't worth extra money over the Fuego CT. It is the same reel minus the TWS system. The T wing never really showed much farther casting difference than my Fuego CTs. T wing is a little more forgiving with skipping, but I learned on a a Fuego CT. Technique is key to avoid birds nests. The Fuego CT is probably one of the best reels for the price out there. Can be found on eBay for the $60 range.

Would any owners please share your thoughts on the pros and cons of the Daiwa DX swimbait rods? They seem very reasonable for pricing. Will be pairing with a Lexa 300 for Hudds, Larger swimbaits and A rig. TIA

Uribe Riverside Series rods. Strong, sensitive, light weight, and quality components.

Started off the New Year great! Worked a Duo Realis lipless through some deep grass up to a rock dropoff. 4 largemouth 2 smallmouth in about 40 mins.

This year I'd say I'd have to crank more, fish river current, throw larger swimbaits, and get more comfortable fishing shallow.

No tunes for me. Gotta hear the sounds of braid and flouro on the hooksets.

Never caught a decent sized bass on a Whopper plopper or a buzzbait. Nothing but dinks on them.

Highly recommend the IMA flit jerkbaits. I bought 5 100s I believe last year and they all suspended perfectly out of the package. They are very affordable and great action. Wrecked em a few times last December and early this year. I would go with suspending vs slow sink. But honestly you never know if they want a slow sink that day. Probably be more effective with slow sink, coaxing them out deeper cover in the cold.

Here in AZ the big big girls tend to spawn February. Water is low 60s usually. They tend to spawn deeper on the drop offs before the spawning flats. Try a Biffle bug on a swing head. That thing was awesome. You can cover tons of water shallow to deep and hit possible beds that are too far down to see. The scurrying action drives them nuts too.

Picked up a Tatula CT. Haven't had time to fish. Full time single father and work. Kiddo visits her mom the day after Christmas until January 4th. Can't wait to get out again.

Yes warning shot and kill shot work.

Might want to check out the KBF. It's definitely growing in popularity. There's been a few partnerships with FLW this year if I'm not mistaken. The trail events have been very popular with good payouts.

I went with the stubborn approach. Tie on one or two lures/techniques and fish them only until I connected the dots. Really frustrating but it forces you to learn and master the technique. Had the mindset to master everything even if meant skunks. Try ysome things out of the comfort zone. Before you go back to a reliable lure fish the new techniques a little longer.

Sitting next to the kiddo. Trying to keep her drinking fluids. She's looking pretty rough. Just wondering how long it takes before the little ones start feeling better and eating more. We're on day two now.

Flutter spoons, underspins, and don't forget the spybait.

Get a yak. Your significant other will appreciate the extra endurance and stamina from the exercise LOL.

Thank you for the feedback. Maybe a higher quality build will be down the road. Picking up a M&P 2.0C or a Steyr M9A1 this weekend! Trying not to annoy the Mrs. too much with firearm purchases!