Tackleholic

I seldom use a Carolina Rig on my lake; guaranteed to snag on the rocky bottom.

This year I bought 2 Daiwa BFS setups; spooled one with 6# Tatsu, the other with 15# Power Pro Hi-Vis Yellow and 6# Tatsu leaders. Next year they will both be spooled with 15# Gray Smackdown and 6# Tatsu leaders; FG Knot is a necessity.

You guys are living what I moved away from; don't miss it at all. Planning to throw some jerkbaits tomorrow.

I'm curious; which Zako do you use Neko rigged, and just how do you rig it?

Nearly forgot two of my post spawn favorites: Berkley Wake Bull and BPS the Egg.

ZIP🚫.

Bought from them many times, only one problem and they corrected it immediately. They shipped me the wrong BFS rod; when I called they sent out the correct model without waiting for me to return the other. That was this year. I will be waiting for Chad and Brian to open; unlike before, this time they will have skin in the game.

My lake is full of Gar and I don't want them in my boat; Longnose Gar up to 7 ft. long can be watched taunting schools of smaller suitors during the spawn, right under my dock. Usually when I see a lot of Gar in one area it means lots of shad are present, and Bass are nearby. I don't hookup with many, but they keep nipping the tails off my soft bait trailers.

Many backlashes occur when alternating between different lures, rods, reels, and line. An angler may get into the groove for one setup, then switch to something entirely different and experience a few backlashes for a short while. Swinging the rod like a baseball bat instead of properly loading the rod will cause problems, so will too little thumb pressure. Too much line on the reel is a recipe for birdnests, so is line memory when the line peels off the reel like a slinky. I have been guilty of all the above.

LC Slender Pointer 97, asst. Scroungers, Megabass 110 plus 1, swim jigs, Megabass Magdraft 6", Bass Mafia 5" Loaded Daingerous, LC Gunfish in 3 sizes. I have all that's needed to play video games, but that is boring and I fish for fun. Weather is getting cold and windy but the water was 62 degrees today so it's not over yet.

Cocoons is having a 20% off sale. Just ordered a pair of fit overs with polarized amber transitional lenses for $72. This is my third pair, I've been using them for years.

I drove Chicago expressways for years before I got out of Dodge; now they are 600 miles in my dust and only a bad memory. Today I travel on 2 laners, cow paths, and rabbit trails; heavy traffic means 4 or 5 other vehicles in sight.

Perfect timing, Mike. I've been putting together an order of your swim jigs; they are the best of the best and I will no longer spend time and $ on other brands.

I found "minnow shaking" to be boring; only took one season to have my fill. No more video games for me.

I retired to an Ozarks city of less than 2,000 population, but still is the largest city in the county. Doesn't have many amenities, but I won't trade it for somewhere that does.

No wife, no budget.

I'm totally hopeless, so out of control with tackle that I can't venture a guess. I have a 500 square foot man cave which is dedicated to my obsession. I also have a 50 foot wall with pegboard and shelving in the garage for overflow. I keep 20 rigged rods in my boat and switch some out after each outing. I have friends who come over to peruse my stock and borrow lures to try out before buying their own. I keep telling myself "No More", but I am weak. Currently I am conversing with Mike at Siebert Outdoors to place a sizeable order for his wire tied swim jigs because the 3 boxes I have don't seem to be enough. Following completion of that venture will probably be a selection of Dixie Jet spoons; seems to be no cure, but you know what? I keep running across other Bass Addicts who are easily my equal or above; incurably diseased.

Megabass Magdrafts are great, but susceptible to damage from a good fish. I use mostly Bass Mafia "Daingerous" line thru models; they cost less and hold together better. Megabass claims they have recently improved the durability of Magdrafts, and I'm probably going to try out their new 5 inch size models.

Strike King used to have a line of tubes made from Elaztec (sp?); they floated. I found them to be great for the shallow stream Smallmouth I pursued at the time when fished as an ultralight topwater. Rigged them with a fine wire wg hook and twitched across the surface. This post has me thinking I still have some cached away; if so, I may try them on my lake with BFS.

I do not balance my rods, but know someone who meticulously does. He will begin by using double face tape and different coins; if that doesn't suit him, he reverts to steel washers, of various sizes, sometimes stacking them. When his OCD is satisfied, he uses a stronger double face tape to to hold the weight. If he changes rods or reels the process repeats.

Rapala Countdowns will allow you to reach just about any depth you want.

I wonder if any cheaters have been caught using false bump boards? I once had a "fisherman's ruler" which would show a 12 inch fish to be 24 inches.

I got away from fixed screw keepers too; what is the Inhaler?

River Smallmouth in early spring; high, cold, and dirty water.

Myself and most others I know have only a few favorite skirted jigs and don't care to switch skirts; I prefer to trim each jig to a specific trailer and keep it ready to go. Wire tied skirts stay put and don't need to be manicured after each use. That's my preference, but not everyone's.