DitchPanda

Ha..well I guess we all like different things. I get tired of watching guys crank a ledge or dropshotting small mouth. That's Barf for me.

This!!! I love the grinder tournaments. West point lake from 13...the three rivers classic...anytime they go to the Sabine. Those tourneys are always more interesting...one fish can make a huge difference for somebody...guys grinding for a bite. Seems more like real life to me than catching a 40lb bag.

Just a play on a big bass name...toad, slaunch, swamp donkey. Bass like to hang out in ditches and we hope we get a round one built like a fat old panda.

I'd carry a 7ft medium heavy fast for jigs,Texas rigs and weightless senkos with 15lb copolymer or Fluoro if you prefer. A 7ft medhvy mod fast for lipless , spinnerbaits, chatterbaits or square bills again with 15. Finally a 7ft medium spinning with 6-8lb mono for finesse stuff.

I'm very fortunate that I live in an area where not many anglers know how to target bass. So chances are even if somebody is close enough to me to see what I'm throwing they are probably wondering what the heck it is.

My girlfriend is very introverted...has been forever. I've actually had friends in the past ask it she's a B-word just because she doesn't talk to them..because she's shy and uncomfortable. I always tell them no she hates you...that's what you get for asking a BS question like that. My friends that have been patient enough to give her time to feel comfortable around them find out that she's probably the sweetest most loving person in the world. Lotta misconceptions about quiet people.

I may have jumped the gun on my interpretation of the comment!

I don think the comment is referring to there personality as in either guy is rude or unfriendly. Believe it was meant that guys like Hackney are more laid back and just kinda do there thing. Guys like Martens and Ike are much more outwardly competitive and don't seem to enjoy it as much because they take it so serious all the time. Unless they are winning of course.

Ponds to me mean bluegill and bluegill eating bass. My choices in the small ponds around here are: light Texas rigged creature bait like a brush hog or D bomb- weed less rigged weightless senko- and my personal favorite a 1/4oz bluegill color swimjig with a rage menace trailer. If the water is still warm where you are a frog can be great to.

My current reel on this rod is a 1000 size shimano which is actually smaller than a daiwa...since I've decided to go with daiwa I'm sure the 1000 will be just fine.

I think I'm gonna go the 1000 size route. The rod I'm using is a 6 ft10 med light and I'm gonna run 10lb braid with leader. With line diameter being around 2-3lb I don't see the need for a larger reel..may as well keep the weight down.

Well I'm new here but im also happy to say welcome back. Glad to see your perseverance in dealing with this eye issue deciding not to let it hold you back from fishing.

Ha its all good. I saw Brian Cox and all I could think was whoa Captain Ohagan from Super Troopers is the hottest pro angler?

I think you mean John Cox

The guys that do both are really getting after it...KVD comes to mind...not only has he won over $6 mil in tournaments he's sold about a jillion rods,reels and baits.Wheeler is following in those footsteps.

To go along with my recent braid and budget spinning reel threads I wanted to ask...what size reel do you prefer for Ned rigs?

Oh for sure...that image helps sell product. So from the standpoint of getting sponsors and making that money maybe these specialty guys are onto something. I mean if I need a jig rod am I gonna buy one from a small mouth guy? Nope...I'm gonna buy one from Randall Tharp...he's won $2million one a jig!

Guess what I'm getting at is when you think of Fritts you think cranks..Brauer jigs. There is a reason those guys are known for those baits...its there wheelhouse and I'd wager where a huge amount of success and tourney winnings have come from. Like what I said about Wheeler tho...when I think of his success I think of frogs...crankbaits for largies and smallies both offshore and up shallow...hair jigs on river ledges...spinner baiting dirty water. Guess I'm just thinking these guys have been more consistent by fishing the conditions instead of doing what these specialists seem to do which is lean on there strong suit regardless of what they face. My only logic behind this thinking is ...well take Fritts for example. The dude is an exceptional crankbait fisherman..maybe the best ever. I've seen him get a top 5 cranking then the next week be in the bottom 5. All guys have bad tournaments...but these guys that are more well rounded rarely bomb like that. I'd wager if you put Fritts on a prime cranking bite he'd smoke these guys 9 times outta 10. However if the water dirtied up or cooled off fast or insert any other bite killer they would smoke him 9 times outta 10. Some people are naturally more adaptable and seem more skilled at troubleshooting.

Well I just watched a video of Fritts saying when he won the classic he caught every fish on a Poes crank bait. Also heard Brauer say the same about several tournaments he won with a jig. I think wheeler is definitely a jack of all trades. I've seen him win up shallow with a frog...offshore on a shallow flat with a spinner bait...on a ledge with deep cranks and a hair jig. He also did well at the classic that Defoe won catching smallmouth on a crank bait.

Nowadays it seems like the best anglers competing...Wheeler, Paliniuk, Jlee....are jack of all trades types. But I grew up watching guys like Brauer and Biflfle flipping jigs and T-rigs non stop and Fritts throwing crankbaits all day every day. In the current era of no secrets left because of video, internet information and crazy electronics can a guy that specializes in one thing still be competitive?

My only advice...be thankful you live where you do my ponds all have ice and will likely stay that way for at least 3 months!

For me the only thing I do is trailer with a color that's close or matching. Green pumpkin jig with a green or brown trailer...blackblue jig with a black,blue or June bug trailer. I never do black jig green trailer or vice versa...some guys swear by it.

Well...maybe ill get some smackdown instead!

Are the Revros spools setup for handling braid? I've never thrown braid on a spinning rod but gonna try this year

Definitely a notable difference...about $15 a spool over the two I've mentioned! Only kidding...what do you like better about the smack down?