BrianMDTX

BrianMDTX Brian is my name, and I relocated from Maryland to Texas.

Congrats on the...fish!!!

5” Senko weightless Texas rig has been working for me.

RIP, Chuck. You were a rarity. And old & bold pilot.

I would be “wowed”!

Placed an order at TW yesterday. Of course, the monkey made me order some extras for myself. Hopefully it ships in time!

I was on the bank until summer when I got my inflatable boat. I’m looking forward to spring bass and being out on the water.

One thing I will also add between the Revros and the Sienna is that if you like an AR, they both have one. But the AR switch on the Revros is way easier to use (easier to find!) than the AR on the Sienna.

Likely so. But as I did not start fishing here until April, I am really looking forward to March!

I bought a Sea Eagle Packfish7 earlier this year. Got a deal for the premium package (plywood floor) for $399.99. I also added some upgrade for about $100.00 total (seat pedestal and seat, rod holders, yak paddle and a mushroom anchor). It’s great for the 2-3 acre ponds I fish. Easy to transport and easy to inflate/deflate. Very comfortable to fish out of all day. It rows fine with the supplied oars when seated in the stock inflatable seat, but definitely need a long yak paddle if you mod it like I did.

I used 20# Sufix Siege on my Revros with no issues.

I will freely admit I have a lack of experience with a lot of modern reels-both spinning and baitcasting. I bought my first new reels in 30 years this year. Decades ago, I don’t recall such a $$$ spread between low, middle and high-end spinners for bass. Looking for my first new spinner this spring (and just getting back into fishing this year), I was not going to spring $$$ for a Stradic or similarly-priced reel. So I opted for a Revros LT2500 without any expectations-good or bad. Paired with a Fenwick HMX66MH-FS-2, it has blown me away. Very smooth, casts well, line tracks great on the spool and a decent drag. It’s my finesse go-to. I also bought a Shimano Sienna 2500 on a Daiwa Procyon PCYN661MXS and it’s a nice rig as well, but IMO, not as good as the Revros. I think you’ll be pleased.

Daiwa Revros.

...and today I caught my first December bass. Just a dink, but was only out from 10:00 to 11:30. Just fishing from the bank. Started with a lipless crank and nothing. Picked up the other rig with a 5” weightless Senko TR (same exact one I caught the November bass on). Never felt the hit-I was reeling it in and the fish was on. But I did have a nice one take it but it went under a sunken limb and threw the hook.

Beautiful bass!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Fishmas, North, South, East and West Take a look at the BR site And dream the bass will bite Maybe a new personal best Its beginning to look a lot like Fishmas Just forget the store ‘Cause the happiness that you’ll see Is the package you’ll receive Outside your own front door A pack of Zoom Tricks or baits looking like sticks Is what every Texas rig needs Swimming jigs for bass that are big Or frogs for the bass in the weeds And all of us can hardly wait to reel crank baits through the reeds It's beginning to look a lot like Fishmas...

Not to disagree, but I have found casting a 5” Senko wacky rig or weightless TR to be about foolproof as far as detecting strikes. If the line starts running, it’s a bass. If it sinks and stops on the bottom, 99% of the time it’s not.

It’s one of my favorite ways to fish. Wacky rig Senkos or Yum Dingers are rather simple. Use a 1/0 octopus circle hook and cast it out. Let it sink on a semi-slack line (meaning not tight, but not feet of loose line out- just a bit shy of tight but with some slack). Watch the line sink until it stops on the bottom. If it stops before you think it’s on the bottom it’s likely a bass. If the line starts running out or to the side, it’s definitely a bass. Don’t set the hook. Raise the rod tip and reel in the slack and the hook will set itself. Fishing a Texas rig is different, and there are differences between weightless and weighted TR’s. Needless to say, a TR with a 1/8, 1/4 or 3/8 oz weight will hit bottom much faster than a weightless TR. When I was young, I used to read “how to” articles in Outdoor Life and Field & Stream that mentioned waiting for that “tap-tap-tap” and then set the hook. At that time any bottom obstruction felt like a tap-tap to me lol. But visualize reeling in your line and having a Texas rig catch a rock, limb, etc. and coming to a dead stop, vs the feel you get when a bluegill grabs your bait and you feel that, well, tap-tap-tap! One your pulling into and the other is pulling against you. That’s not 100% foolproof (sometimes a bass sucks in a soft plastic without much feedback until you start to reel in or twitch the bait and you feel the weight of the fish), but when they hit it, you normally know it. It takes time and practice but eventually you figure it out. Good luck!

To be frank, I meant investment more from practical aspect rather than a financial one. In other words, I would think most bass anglers would get more benefit out of a more expensive (read: sensitivity, feel, etc.) rod than a more expensive reel. Granted, not all would fit that mold (those who use crankbaits, spinnerbaits, etc. as their most frequently used baits might appreciate that high $$$ reel more). But I would think the sensitivity you get from a really good rod makes more of a difference fishing soft plastics, jigs, etc. than the reel. Once again, not that I know from experience with $300.00 and up rods and reels lol.

Being relatively “new” getting back into the game, I’m probably more of a 50%-50% guy. But if (when) I start getting into higher-end gear, my guess is that in the long run, more $$$ in the rod probably is a better investment than the reel. But as my “top of the line” rig is now a Daiwa Fuego CT on a Fenwick HMX, what the heck do I know lol.

I didn’t ask. When you ask, the answer may be no lol. I ordered a Daiwa Fuego CT. In fact, it arrived today! Now I have to decide what line to spool it up with. I plan on using it for heavier swim baits and jigs, but have no spots for punching so 50 lb braid is not needed. Thinking maybe just spool on some 10 or 12 lb Berkeley Big Game or XL.

I was given a great job offer at IAH that eliminated paying state income tax, no shoveling snow and the climate is better for my wife’s MS. And while my deer hunting has suffered (due to a lack of close private land that I’m used to), let’s just say that my bass fishing went from Pre-K to Johns Hopkins. I’ve caught more 3+ lb green bass in 6 months than I did in my life back in MD. And got a carry permit in less than 5 months after moving. I would be older than Moses was before that ever happened in Maryland. But, I do miss the seafood (Chesapeake blue crabs) and the smell of soil vs. crawfish and pine needles lol.

Two things come to mind. The first was I was fishing Piney Run Reservoir in MD in my buddy’s canoe when we came upon a beaver that wanted us GONE. It swam fast towards the canoe looking like a torpedo from a U-boat until it rammed us hard. After two or three strikes we started paddling. It followed us quite a ways before it gave up. When a teen, I was fishing off of a large rock outcropping at Loch Raven Reservoir (also in MD). Some lure I had just bought got snagged just under the surface in the rocks, so I lowered myself head-first to try and retrieve it. When my face was about 4” from the water, I looked at the rock and saw the biggest freaking spider I’ve ever seen about 2” from my face. I believe it was a fishing spider. All I could see were those glistening eyes and those fangs. Needless to say, I forgot all about that lure. Instead, I needed new underwear lol.

I’ll try that next time. I usually release the spool and thumb hard on it so it barely moves as I pull the line out slowly. But I’ll freely admit that most of my backlashes seem to me minor lol. Of course, now I just jinxed myself!

Nice buck! Love the crab claw!