DitchPanda

I agree its 2 different actions...almost like 2 different lures all together. I would say that overall a chatter bait is more productive in cleaner water but a fogy or any bait with the split ring is more productive in stained to muddy water. The vibration on a fogy coupled with that hunt make it more productive in the sandy water I fish. Like I said two different tools..like a square bill and a lipless.

Sounds like I'm in the minority here. I have one that's 6'9 medhvy and its not my favorite. The handle seems very short and not super comfortable to me.

Sorry to hear about your dads loss. Glad you got to take him out and distract him from this deal for a while. Also I'm sure he out fished you...he looks just like Tom Monsoor.

I've been doing the bass thing for going on 20 years. Obviously my versatility has increased greatly...because of that so has my collection of rod/reel combos and lures. This year honestly taught me a lot about exploring new water even on my home pond. Like all creatures of habit I went back to the same productive spots all the time..the covid thing forced me out of that but I had surprising results finding several new to me productive spots I would normally pass by.

I keep everything in large tackle trays at home organized by lure type. When I'm ready to go out I grab a couple 3600 size trays load them up with my lures and terminal tackle of choice for the day. Also grab my pliers,scissors and whatever bags of soft plastics I need throw them all in a cinch style backpack and off I go.

I've tried a billion different condiments over the years but have settled on hot sauce and malt vinegar myself. Just looking to see if anybody has tried something I haven't thought of.

Hey all you fish eaters out there what are you shaking on or dipping in? Its getting to ice fishing season here which for me means fish consumption season...I spend almost all my open water time chasing bass so winter is pan fish harvest time.

I don't have experience with the Caras but I have some of the old Bucoo micro guide rods and they are fantastic. Light and sensitive. I will agree tho they tend to fish a power light so a heavy is more medium heavy. Dobyns kinda feel that way too so you should be used to that.

Isn't that the point? We all love this sport because it gives us something to obsess over every little detail endlessly until we beat our selves into the ground nitpicking everything. Then we just tie on a black or green jig and start catching bass again. I had a buddy ask me a week or two ago what my must haves are for flipping jig colors. I said for where I fish give me plain old boring green pumpkin...that's it.

Whoa...too soon?

I'm ok with them that's all I've ever had. I know they claim to not be quite as clear or scratch resistant but the thought of them as a safety barrier makes up for that. I've been hit in the lens before with a weight and glass shattering in my eye scares me.

Are those bad?

I went with the Costa green mirror Montauk...they are on sale for 50% off...couldn't pass it up

Thanks looks my girlfriend is gonna get me a pair as a Christmas gift. Do you know if Costa's usually come with a case or do you have to get that separate? Oh never mind I see they come with a case and cleaning cloth

Has anybody used Backcountry.com? They have the Montauk Costa's for $105 in green mirror

Oh my god...I just said that about Frank Talley the guy who won the elite at guntersville a few months back.

I've always used cheap polarized glasses fro Wal mart with amber lenses. This spring I'm gonna upgrade and I'm wondering what the best color lens is for all around? I know some are better for sight fishing, low light etc....but if you could have only one what would you choose? Also I'm looking for suggestions in the sub $100 range?

If you think he's the only elite level angler that has the time,money and support to spend the time needed to get to that level your wrong. How many guys at that upper level are working 9-5 day jobs to make ends meet? I'd wager not many. The other thing I think people aren't mentioning is that winning isn't new to Wheeler now that he has the huge sponsors and money. He won the Forrest wood cup at 21 and an Elite Series event at 23...he's been special. The reason he is able to disguise himself and pull his wrap off is because of his name but he earned that through winning. You can't say its unfair to the other guys because its not like he finishes in the bottom of the field but still gets "preferential" treatment because he's a cool guy and friends with all the tournament directors. It's because of his performance that he now has financial freedom to take some chances and roll the dice. To suggest that he isn't ahead of most anglers in terms of ability is just being disingenuous. What's funny to me about this is nobody is mentioning John Cox. Also a very young extremely successful angler probably on par with Jacob. He did an interview recently where he said next year he may fish multiple circuits because he qualified for everything. So he obviously has the money and time to spend more time dedicated to tourney fishing than basically anybody else so is that in some way unfair? No..he has the money and the skill to get there so its on the other guys to up there game. But in regards to both anglers to suggest there isn't a gap in ability between them and other guys is crazy. They didn't always have this fame and money so something made them win more then everybody even when they were just another angler.

They all seem like solid baits from what I've heard and seen. My favorite is the menace and its not even close.

Sorry that was a rant but this deal gets me fired up. One thing I can't stand is liars. Cheaters fall into that category. The only thing I hate worse is people who lie saying someone else is a liar with no proof. Pretty pathetic to tarnish somebody else's image for no reason other than jealousy and disappointment in yourself.

How do they know its preferential treatment? If they have asked before for the same exact thing and been denied that's a legit issue. If they just assume that's how it is without asking and throw this out its more likely the real problem is they are just ticked that Wheeler is more successful than them. Dude notices things nobody else does and he capitalizes on them...just because he's a smarter more in tune angler doesn't make him a cheater. Now if he gets caught legit cheating that changes it...but as stated above that hasn't happened yet so there is nothing to talk about. Also he isn't living in the gray area he hasn't broken and rules written in black and white so he's living within the confines of what's acceptable. I understand being frustrated by his success for other guys but if you don't like it then start beating him...its your responsibility to become a better angler not his to become worse to get down to your level. Still don't like it? Well go get a regular job..take your ball and go home.

Do you have any experience with the 6ft6 medium Aird casting rod? Wondering how it would be for a jerk bait rod?

I have a heavy Aird I use for frogs and its excellent for the money. This is a great option for sure.

Anybody have experience with the newer blue version of these rods? Looking at the 6ft8 medium for a jerk bait rod. How true is the power and action ratings on these?

Well I went with the 1000 size Daiwa Revros and 10lb power pro...see how I like it next spring.