Finessegenics

Very good point about the internet. I think that is the answer here. Beforehand, the only way a regional technique/lure would have the potential catch on nationwide was if it was in Bassmaster magazine or on one of the popular outdoor shows. Or if a big tournament was won with it by a pro. I see how in those days there could have been northern vs southern vs western lures. You guys should listen to BTL’s show from Wednesday. They covered this when a viewer called and asked if they had the feeling that the YouTube fishing craze was taking away sponsorship dollars from tournament anglers. It was good stuff.

This is what I suspected, some sort of chemical release when they are stressed. I was thinking more about this subject and realized I've heard the same things about bees (or was it wasps? heck I don't know). When a bee is agitated and stings, it releases a pheromone to let other bees know danger is nearby and to be on high alert. It's the same sort of thing but I cannot find if it is a proven thing for black bass...

Exactly. I’ve never seen the effects first hand either. Early this summer, I caught a dozen or so smallmouth in an hour, all on the same patch of hard bottom within a huge flat.

In all seriousness though, I've heard of people keeping caught schooling bass in their livewells and only releasing them once they have fished around the school for a while, and the bite has died down. Supposedly releasing the fish can turn off the school. Almost as if the fish was telling his buddies that he just got caught. Seemed like pseudoscience to me...or is there some sort of stress pheromone at play or something? I can't remember where I heard/saw/read this but it was most likely on youtube. Anyone know anything about that lol ??

We've got some beautiful weather coming up the next few days here. I'm going to take advantage of that. The temps are dipping down again next week, but I can deal with that. Very likely my season will be done by the 3rd or 4th week of November though.

Mullins Palaniuk Whatley Hanselman Snowden Tiebreaker weight: 71lbs 2oz

Hey guys. I know what you’re thinking; not another thread about “rod recommendations”. I’m just really interested in getting a heavy duty setup and I’m rather inexperienced with the gear that goes with this style of fishing. I rarely every fish ‘slop’. When I do, I use a MH/F which is just fine. But I have the cash and I’ve wanted to add a setup like this to my arsenal for a long time. I plan to buy a mojo bass or bass x 7’4 H/F for frogging, punching into moderate/sparse weeds and pitching heavier t-rigs (3/8-1/2oz) around weeds. I have the opportunity to buy either model lightly used. I’m a St-Croix fanboy (currently own 4 of their rods, 3 mojo bass & 1 avid x) so naturally I gravitated towards this stick when I saw a couple of em being sold on Facebook. So for owners of SC’s 7’4 H/F (specifically mojo or bass x but all input is appreciated) how do you use these rods? Is it a broomstick? A true Fast action or some bend further down the blank? I’d really appreciate your overall thoughts and experiences with the rod. Thanks!

I just noticed some users have a green checkmark next to their total reputation, which is "member's solved count". Was that always there and I just missed it? Either way I'm curious as to what it means.

I see that now, the top load is actually pretty big. On the older models the top load was named “compact” while the front load was named “medium”. My bag is the older model which by the looks of things is exactly the same besides the Shimano stitching being in white rather than blue. The compact/top load did seem smaller when I checked it out in store compared to the medium bag I ended up buying. Maybe they ditched those old names because the front load and top load are actually the same size now. I wouldn’t know though.

I have the shimano blackmoon bag with the front load. I can't really comment on the top load one but I can tell you that the quality is there with my bag. I doubt it's any different with the top load. After a whole season of extensive use, all the zippers and mesh pouches are in top shape. So is the "shell" of the bag. No deformities or cracks anywhere and I beat this thing up. I use it as my tackle storage while on boat as well as taking it with me on the bank. Though I have to say, if you wanna keep it on your back and walk around with it while hitting some spots on the shore, it's too heavy and cumbersome. I think the top load is actually smaller so it could work as a regular old backpack for covering lots of water fast on the bank. But you mentioned in your post that you wouldn't be using it for that and my shore fishing style is much like yours. Plop myself somewhere, fish thoroughly for 20 or so minutes then move on further down the bank. I'm rarely constantly moving and if I'm wading, I'll bring a sling pack with me and leave the bag at home. I think the front-load is especially useful if you like to keep your soft plastics in their original packaging. You can easily fit 15 bags of soft plastics in that upper compartment. If you like to store your plastics in trays then I can see why the top load with the 3700s is more attractive. The price shocks most people but I seriously feel like it's one of the best investments I made. You won't regret buying it on sale. It allows you to organize your gear so much better than a regular old backpack, or the larger sling tackle bags. There are so many well-placed and practical compartments that I bring more tackle with me than I really ever need. If you're a co-angler I could not recommend one piece of equipment more than this bag. There's lots of reviews of either model on youtube, I suggest you check them out. My 4 trays go like this. 1 dedicated to terminal tackle*, the next to jigs (mostly finesse and swim jigs), 1 to hard baits, and 1 to spinnerbaits and miscellaneous stuff. Some of my terminal tackle is spread around the bag. For example, in the mesh pouches you see near the soft swimbaits, I put my weighted EWGs, plastic baggies of worm weights etc..

I'm the same way with bass. I know it makes no sense since I do occasionally keep walleye and trout but I just enjoy bass fishing way too much to even keep one. Even from a lake hours and hours away from home.

I believe the 30 is perfect. It can hold 130yds of .010’ line (most 8lb monos are around that diameter). The Pflueger size 30 is actually similar to the 2500 Shimanos and Daiwa’s which is a little misleading even though there is no industry standard.

I find them hard to Texas rig. The flat sides always make it look kinda funky when Texas rigging. I’m not sure if they catch as much as the senko or if there’s really any difference at all. While I do appreciate that they are cheaper than the senko and still have a good action, they are just as durable as the senko in my experience. Two fish and the bait is usually done. When it comes to senko knockoffs, I still prefer the Ochos over the Dingers. But my favorite is definitely the XZone True Center Stick. A very good shimmy and still a firm plastic. Has worked just as good as the original senko for me so far.

My vote goes to the SLX or even the SLX XT. The SLX is an amazing reel for the price and the more I use mine, the more I enjoy it. You won’t be disappointed going that route.

I don’t know anyone who fills a whole spool with braid. I use cheap/old mono backing and put on about 50-60 yards of braid on most my outfits. Edit: That 50-60 is an estimate, but on my absolute longest of casts, I still have braid left on my spool. However, I can tell I’m getting close to the backing.

I like regular PowerPro. But I’ve been very pleasantly surprised with YoZuri super braid. It casts well and I’vehad no issues whatsoever with it. I have 15lb test on one of my spinning reels. I’d buy more if I had the opportunity.

The joke was about the senko's durability. It was in good fun, I think the senko is worth its cost.

How many packs do you guys think he went through? ? That's a lot of bass

It’s not. I suggest you pick up a new rod and reel, even a budget one. You’ll see and feel the difference instantly. You clearly have no idea what you’re even criticizing. I don’t mean that in a rude way. I’m sure you’re an experienced fisherman and clearly you excel at fishing light tackle. But I don’t see how you can slag on this stuff without trying it.

I like to use my baits where the fish are, regardless of cover. With a dropshot that usually means I’m losing a couple of weights per outing.

That’s actually a really good idea. I’ve seen it done but I keep forgetting to try it myself. The only problem I see is that where I fish, the bait that’s gonna be acting as the weight, will get snagged a lot. Usually it’s just an inexpensive lead weight that gets snagged which is no big deal. If we start talking specialized jig heads and plastics then I’m a bit hesitant...

Those are a pretty diverse range of techniques. M/F would be your best bet, maybe even MH/F.

2500 would be my choice. I'm not a fan of the t-handles at all. The 3000 and 2500 have the same size body, but the 3000 comes with a deeper spool, so more line capacity. The capacity really isn't needed for bass fishing but it may be something to consider if you ever want to use it for inshore species. Some believe that the deeper spool has another advantage in that a larger spool reduces line twists. I find this to be a non-factor when using braid. Here are some other threads you may wanna check out; not all are specifically about the Stradic but the same arguments apply with regards to 2500 vs 3000.

I’m sorry for your loss.

Yeah. I assumed the OP meant flukes which were rigged weightless, the way flukes are most commonly fished for bass, and that’s what I also meant in my post. Those are hard to fish deep. The whole point of the soft plastic jerkbait is to fish it weightless and resemble a hard jerkbait. If you’re gonna throw it on a jighead, you might as well use a power bait minnow which doesn’t have the hook cavity. Here too, the most popular way to catch walleye is a jighead and curly tail grub. Minnow baits like the gulp minnows or powerbait minnows work well.