Finessegenics

If it's going to be a random day on a random body of water, double nickel for me, for sure. When the water is off-colored or its an overcast day I also like a gold frame with two gold blades.

It took some time but I ended up buying a Catch 100 second hand. It's in good condition and I didn't get an excellent deal on it, but good enough considering what they going for. I was actually able to test one for about 20 minutes the other day so it helped me in my choice. It's spacious enough for what I want it to be able to do. Im a big guy but I felt honestly comfortable in it. Not super agile but I was impressed with its stability. So thank you for your help guys! Can't wait to get my first fish out of it.

The line won't catch on it, all of my casting rods have the hook keeper in the same spot. In fact, I don't think I've ever owned a casting rod with a hook keeper anywhere else. It's standard.

Super fluke is hard to beat. But my favorite for the way I like to fish soft jerkbaits is the discontinued Powerbait Jerk Shad (the one with the eyes and thicker body). When you get to slashing that bait it just has a special action. You may be able to still readily find the 'Saltwater' version online. All of them work well.

Braid is a specialty line for me and I see no advantages when using it with a spinnerbait; no leaders for me by default as well. However, I have fished magnum 3/4 and 1 oz spinnerbaits on my 65# braid pike setup without a leader. So yeah no leaders for spinnerbaits.

@LrgmouthShad got it pretty good but I'll suggest some others just for the sake of conversation. #1 Mepps Aglia 09 Floating Rapala

I don't usually think about it. I'll start out with a rattle but when I'm in a popular honey hole or feel like a squarebill should be working but it isn't, I throw a silent one instead. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I've seen the difference first hand with a Flicker Shad vs a Shad Rap. Shad Rap is silent, Flicker Shad has a rattle. Shad Rap outfished the Flicker Shad on the same boat. Of course they don't have the same action as they are different baits but there has to be something there. It was mostly walleye though there were some bass mixed in too. My dad whooped my behind that day.

I like a 3/0 or 4/0 EWG. What line are you using? Spinning or casting?

There are others, I just like the elaztech because of the durability and I think the buoyancy helps with the 'glide' when retrieving a ned a rig. You can use any old stickbait cut in half. I do that sometimes. Another bait I like which is buoyant but not elaztech is the X-Zone Ned Zone. Try those out maybe.

How big is this dam and river?

Braid to leader is my vote. You’ll use less line that way. Breaking off straight line means less and less on your reel every time. It also allows you to be flexible in changing your leader length and strength according to what you’re doing and where. Imo, FC is not always necessary so most of the time I’m using a mono leader. My favorite leader to use as of late is Berkley XL. Just reliable and works for me. I also use Yo-Zuri Hybrid. When going with a FC leader I like Yo-Zuri Topknot. Not a premium line and it is a bit wiry but that’s not a problem with leaders. It holds up well enough to abrasion for me and has not failed me. I think with any leader line you choose as long as you know your knots and take care of your line, it’ll be fine.

There's definitely tackle I regret buying; not cause they don't work but they're just kinda niche and I don't use them often enough because they don't reflect the way I fish or the waters I fish. For example, I have over 20 bags of creature baits that you'd use for punching. I only punch a few times a year. Same with frogs. I really don't need that much but at least I'm set for a long time. Rod and reel wise, the same thing. I have some nice gear and I do enjoy fishing with them but I didn't need to buy that expensive of a reel or rod, when I'm perfectly happy with my more affordable ones. You live and you learn.

It makes me cringe every time I see it

Not updating for me

It’s the one linked in my first post?

Ugly stik rods are not all that bad. Good for catfishing and I’m sure great for ultralights too. But the reel that comes on those combos are junk. You can spend a little more and buy a cheap reel like the Shimano 1000xr. I used to see them a lot around here, not sure if you can find it where you live. For the price those were great.

From the big bite baits website: “1/32oz = #6 hook, 1/16oz = #4 hook, 1/8oz = #2 hook, 1/4oz = 1/0 hook, 3/8oz = 2/0 hook” https://bigbitebaits.com/product/big-bite-jig-elite/

I noticed the same thing. Seems to get no promotion at all, in fact there’s a few other SK and RageTail products that are barely talked about.

For those of you with Brad Whatley in your teams, he will not be fishing the rest of the season. I only found out yesterday, wish him the best and hoping he’s feeling better soon https://www.bassmaster.com/elite/news/whatley-takes-medical-hardship-ahead-of-lake-fork-elite/

Tungsten jigheads are really unnecessary imo. You can still get high quality without having to go tungsten. They won't be 'cheap' but definitely cheaper than those keitech jigheads. Take a look at the Gamakatsu ballheads. They have a good, strong hook but they're unpainted. It doesn't bother me https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Gamakatsu_Round_Jig_Head_5pk/descpage-GRJH.html. Another even cheaper option is from Big Bite Baits. I'm not sure about the size of the hook but they fit perfectly on 2.8 keitechs. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Big_Bite_Baits_BBJ_Elite_Jig_Head_6pk/descpage-BBBJ.html

Wishing you a speedy recovery.

I'm a big fan of Mend-it. It helps a bit in adding longevity to a bait if it's just minor tears from re-rigging or 1-2 fish. If a plastic is torn up really bad, I don't bother with the mend-it and stop fishing them.

You can do pretty good with that budget. Take a look at the Daiwa Revros; 2000 or 2500 would be good. There’s quite a difference between the two in regards to line capacity but the 2000 will be big enough if you’re using braid. That’ll run you $50. The convergence looks nice but your rod options are endless. There’s the 7 ML/F Aird X (55$) from Daiwa which is also apparently very nice. If you want to spend a bit more there’s a 6’10 ML/XF St Croix Bass X (120$) which is perfect for 1/16 oz ned heads. You can spend less on the rod or you can spend something in between the two extremes I recommended. With the extra money you could save I’d invest in a good quality mainline, whether it’s mono, fluoro or braid. But I really recommend braid to leader. It’s really worth it. Best of luck!

$$$$ Still cool but I will not be buying lol This is how it was pictured on the Instagram post. I’m assuming weightless or on a split shot rig. I can imagine just the tentacles wiggling on the fall will make it look appealing enough.

Saw an Instagram post about these today; the Saikoro Rubber. Apparently they are gaining a lot of popularity in Japan. https://osp-lures.com/product/dice_nonsalt/. There is a version with no salt and one which is salted. Just shows that bass will strike anything that 'looks' alive regardless of how we see the bait. Thoughts?