DitchPanda

Decided to go with the Ark Tharp rod after reading some reviews and a good recommendation. I know I woulda been happy with a Falcon or Dobyns but wanted to try something different.

Ok ok you backreelers have me interested in the old school. I'm gonna disconnect my brakes in my truck, cut my floorboards out and use my feet Fred Flintstone style. Time to get Archaic up in here

I agree with not cheating the warranty. St Croix is a great company with great customer service. Be honest and upfront about what happened and they will work with you I'm sure to give you a great deal. Look at it this way the rod is broken because of something you did accidentally so that is not in the scope of the warranty. So if you call and ask them what the options are even if your not happy with what they offer your not out anything. But you may get a very good offer from them and get into a new rod for a fraction of the actual cost. Worth a shot.

Was fishing my local lake years ago next to the boat ramp. In the corner south of the ramp was a tree laying in the water...kept seeing a big fish chasing bait in the crotch of the tree which was in inches of water. Picked up a spinner bait bait tossed it in cranked 1 time and this huge "bass" exploded on it. Fought it for a long time and it turned out to be a 15+ lb channel cat. Crumpled that spinner bait like an empty beer can. Another story that comes to mind is the first time I ever really fished a jig I took that mindset of leave everything else home and focus on learning the jig. Got 1 bite that day but it was a largemouth around 8lbs. 2nd or 3rd biggest bass of my 20 years chasing them literally an hour into jig fishing.

Ha lost my washers...that's great. I choose to use my drag because I have no fear...that's what real no fear is putting trust in something else and giving up your control. I ain't never scared.

This is important to point out. The sun has no power this time of year...even on a warm sunny day the water may only warm a few degrees and that's usually just surface temp.

Randy is an interesting guy and I like him alot. But he seems to be stuck in the past. He backreels and fights electronics at every step...kinda like my grandpa talking about new fangled computer machines. That's why its interesting to watch the yin/yang between him and Johnny on fish the moment. Johnny is the new generation and Randy is the good old days...nothing wrong with either. Would like to add that basically every time he goes head to head with Johnny he gets beat down. Probably just "bad luck" and nothing to do with the other stuff.

I ice fish alot for pan fish but catch largemouth mixed in...my experience is bass still bite early and late better. Got to imagine it would be the same open water in cold water temps.

I need some feedback here as I have no experience with Ark. I'm really considering getting a Tharp series money maker 7ft3 medhvy fast to use for flipping jigs in the 5/16 and 3/8 sizes. Is this rod a good fit for that? I like the look of the rod plus it has good components and with the Ark sale at TW plus the 20% off I can get the rod for under $100.

Too many options out there even at my restricted budget. I'm really considering the Ark Tharp series 7ft 3 money maker. Its mediumhvy fast and has good reviews. After discount it comes in at $93.57 so under budget.

What low rider would you recommend for jigs that size? I love falcon rods Anybody have experience with Ark rods? TW has the Randall Tharp rods on sale and they look kinda cool

Ha now my budget has been cut to $120 before discount. Any other suggestions? That would put me around 100 or just under. I'm buying another reel as well or I wouldn't be so tight on the rod budget

So I know this has been asked a million times but I need some recommendations. Jigs I throw most often are in the 5/16 and 3/8 range. I would like something in the 7 to 7ft 4 range. With the %20 off sale at T W I could probably swing up to about $150 before discount.

You guys make me jealous with these pics. Very few people around here even know how to fish for bass...I'm lucky if I find half a dozen baits a year. Do find lots of bobbers and terminal stuff...also pliers are not uncommon. Also with the moron bandwagon corona crowd coming onboard this year I've found like 4 rods and reels. Never took them...all cheap Wal-Mart junk.

Decided to go with raw shrimp

Yep guys spend tons of money on top end gear and still don't trust it to do its job. To offset this we do what my grandpa did 60 years ago. I've never had a drag lock up or fail...ive caught carp up to 40lbs and paddle fish up to 65 on walleye size reels and they still worked flawlessly. And my reels in question are far from top dollar. I'm comfortable letting my drag do its job...if it can handle carp it can handle any bass.

So I'm going to the local river tomorrow to spot in a backwater. I've caught cats there in the fall\winter so I know its a good area in cold conditions. My issue is there aren't any crawlers available around me this time of year and I was unable to obtain any cut bait. What are some other good options for cold water channels?

I'm throwing mine on an old lightning rod shock...7ft medhvy modfast. Throw my spinner baits on there alot to...love the moderate tip. What are you guys using for a bladed jig rod?

Put in a small order to siebert earlier this week and a small one to TW this morning...only like $65 total. Had to hold back...I spent $350 last month on tackle so I backed off this time. Tackle warehouse is very bogged down..took a while to get it done.

Usually I would say mid to high 40s...but last week I was out water temps around 40 and had fish busting on shad.

I use a regular 4inch zoom fluke...smaller and more subtle than a super fluke. I also like a menace grub alot...they are great on a swim jig,flipping jig,chatterbait...honestly they can do anything. They may be the best overall soft plastic on the market. I know that's a bold statement but they are super versatile.

Man I love sheep head...both to catch and eat. I grew up less than an hour from Galveston Texas and we used to catch them all the time.

Well I'm working tomorrow..24-7-365 business I'm in so us shift guys are in to make Ethanol, corn oil and cattle feed. It ain't all bad I get 12hrs double pay-8hrs pto in my bank and they buy us ribeyes to throw on the grill. I'd like to be off spend time with my lady and do some fishing but at least they treat us all right.

This time of year I'd kill for one that size. My water temps are in the 30s and its been almost impossible to get a bite.