GetFishorDieTryin

We call that 1 the "Benny Rig" where I'm from

Pro Cure is great and you can get just about any kind of scent you would need from them. Its a brown paste, nasty stuff but it works well. Megastrike and Gene Larews Bug Juice arent as messy and are more like a gel. They both work pretty well and wont turn your stomach.

Small swimbait is relative term, not sure if you mean a 3.8 ktec or hud 68. The XT would do fine for CBs and spinnerbaits, if you want to throw something heavier go with the 200 k. I don't like buying rods I haven't held either, so I know what you mean. The Intezas felt pretty good, much better then SLXs. The whole Bass X vs Fury thing comes up often, personally Im not crazy about Dobyns and prefer SC all the way but thats just me. If you do decide on a SC go with a Mojo, there tough to beat for the money. The year before last I bought a 13 Muse on an impulse because it was on sale, I regretted it almost immediately. I thought I would hate it, but when it showed up I was really surprised how much I liked it. Im not saying spend 200$ on a Muse, but they make some good rods for the money. Dicks usually carries them so at least you can get an idea of what your dealing with. I got a 7'2 MH ModF for CBs and Ive been happy with it. I was going to get a 7'4 but I figured the would be a little more stout so I could use it for skipping jigs. Keep in mind that this is just my opinion and theres really no right or wrong as long as your happy with what you get, good luck.

Going on the 24th or 30th would probably give you the best chance to catch the bigger fish feeding. I would make sure I had a chatterbait and a JB tied on. You can fish a CB fast or slow and cover the entire water column. JBs don't cover as much water, but they can fire em up. The third bait I would have ready would be a small swimbait like a 3" hazedong or 3.5" easy shiner with the lightest weight jighead you can get away with. If the fish wont hit the CB follow it up with the small swimbait.

Thats a good rod for JBs, shakey heads, wacky rigs, and all kinds of things. I really like the grip style on the Omen spinning rods, they're really comfortable and the longer fore grip gives you more area to find the balance point with a particular reel. Its a light rod, but I wouldnt have thought it would balance with a super lightweight reel like the Tat 2500. Where is the balancing point with the Tatula?

Other then the spinnerbait a M XF should do all of them well. IMO XF are great for shakey heads and lightweight or weightless plastics. It should handle T rigs fairly well, if your having issues driving the hook through the bait on the set go to a lighter wire hook. The drawbacks with XFs are that they dont have load deep into the blank so casting distance suffers. Personally I'm not crazy about the SLX rods, my MH F is like a pool cue and very tip heavy even with an 8oz SLX DC. They aren't bad rods, I just think there are better rods at that price point. The only reason I settled for an SLX was because I couldn't get the levante or zodias I wanted for at least another 5 months.

Gosen Gliss is probably slicker, but its a "unifilament" so its not really a braid

Im not really sure if there is a difference in the scent formula or the material the baits are made of. They didn't use to use the same material for every bait, the original jerk baits were stiffer then the other baits. The newer Gulp minnows are far softer as well then previous versions. Other then that I would think the only difference between the fresh and salt formula may be adding or withholding scents. Both smell similar and I haven't been curious enough to do a taste test.

.410s are nice, but IMO the 28 is THE sub gauge to have. Ive got 2 1148s that are over 60 yrs old and they don't miss a beat. The only gun that comes close is my Auto 5 light 20, its hard to miss with it.

Shooting ability has nothing to do with it. The ballistics of steel is inferior when compared to other shot types. Steel is lighter then Bismuth, Tungsten and lead so it loses velocity much quicker. 20 years ago there were many loads that were around 1300 fps now just about everyone has a hot rod load @1650 to try to compensate for the short range and limited knockdown power of steel. Lead and Bismuth are soft and have a tendency to flatten out on impact which transfers more energy into the target and creates a larger wound cavities. Both steel and tungsten shot are hard, and have a tendency to push through the target. The big difference between the knockdown power of tungsten compared to steel is that tungsten retains more energy and far longer then steel. Any ethical hunter will tell you that crippling a bird is one of the worst feelings there is. Hybrid loads like Hevi Metal kill cleaner at just about all ranges, so a it was worth buying. Now that the price has gone up and the ratio of tunsgten to steel has gone down in Hevi Metal loads, Im not so sure its worth the money. What really matters in the end is range. If your like me and want to see the birds finish in the dekes (thats where the skill comes in) you can get away with a 20 or 28 bismuth loads. On the other end, sky busters who knock 1 bird down every 5 or 6 shots wont ever consider investing in TSS.

I do the same....I just rubber band hooks, jigheads and SHs into bundles by brand then by style. I do the same with weights as well. I can throw them into a plano, tackle bag pocket or big zip lock bait bag to keep them dry. Storing hooks in planos can dull them especially if they are in a back pack or bag you carry often.

You want a crisp tip to make a bait that is sitting still dart and stop on a dime. On the other hand you dont want a rod that's too stiff it may not keep trebles pinned very well. I have a gen 1 SC Mojo Bass 6'9 ML XF DS rod that does really well with JBs up to 3/8s. Once you get up 1/2 oz the rod is overloaded. If your throwing smaller 3/8s and under its hard to beat the Mojo Bass ML XF for the money and it can do just about any other finesse technique there is well. The 13 Omen Black has a similar action and power and is available in a 6'7 or 6'10 for 20$ less. The reel is very important, a smooth drag will give you a much better chance at landing a good fish on light tackle compared to using a reel with a choppy drag. Casting distance is important as well, good line management will help with overall distance. I use casting gear for anything from 110 Jrs and up. Same principle applies, a crisp rod with flex in the tip is best. Ive got a 7'1 M F Muse that I found to be perfect for JBs. The Omen Blacks use the same if not similar blank so the actions and powers are very close.

You can use a #1 for the 2.8s but I think the 1/0 is a better choice, 1/0 will work for the 3.3s as well and you can get away with a 2/0 sometimes, hook size can vary between style and brands. There are a bunch of really good heads available for small swimbaits. Gamakatus Round Jig Head, Owners Ultra Darter Heads, Molix Racer Head, Hayabusa Beat Roller, Hayabusa Brush Easy, Outkast Money Darter and more depending on what kind of head or hook you want.

If you want the zako profile and action in a smaller size you need to check out the AFG force by AZ custom Baits. The 4" has a little more mass then the Zako, but they make 3" thats perfect for CBs and smaller swimbaits. They arent cheap, but you get what you pay for. Theyre hand poured with high quality plastic. I would recommend the Spunk Shad as well if you want a straight tail trailer. The V and M Wild Shad is a shorter boot tailed swimbait with a big profile. If you want a smaller profile boot tail the Yamamoto Swimbait is a little longer but has a much smaller profile.

Ima- Bill Lowen Square Bill is a versatile little SB

If your thinking about buying a JDM reel consider the 20 Met

Thats the biggest drawback with the SLX and Curado DC theyre really wide. The Metanium and Antares have a different DC system in them Im not sure if they are much smaller or not. Honestly I think the SVs are much better with lighter baits. I think the DCs do a little better with distance, but IMO they arent the end all reels that some people say they are.

IMO your better off with the Shimano or Daiwa then the Lews. Both the Ballistic and FL have been around long enough to be proven reliable. It might be a good idea to see where the rod you are planning to put the reel on would balance with each weight.

...yes, but the plastic rash guards are made in China. They would be called chrome plated carbon composite frame armor with CI4 technology or Zaion technologyy in Daiwas case.

I really like my M F Muse, the action is just about perfect and its sensitive enough to feel the tick on slack line.

Once the water is close to 50 bass will hit topwater. I dont think its the best way to catch them at that time of year, but the majority of the fish are caught are good quality. During the shad die off Ive done really well with wake baits and I would bet some of those fish would hit topwater.

Ive used it to close the worn out section where you want the hook to hold on Palmetto bugz when I had no option and it works, but not nearly as well as it does with standard plastics. It will melt right through thinner pieces of elaztech, so be careful of that.

I haven't had a serious wind knot in a few years. Avoid taking up slack line will greatly reduce the likelihood of a knot forming. Line twists cause problems, rig your baits as straight as possible to prevent spin. If you notice your line is twisted try to straighten it when you have a chance.

Theyre great hooks but they bend and break easily so keep that in mind. You really dont have to swing on em to get a good set. I just sweep my rod to the left or right or straight up if im fishing vertical. I use the Gami DS and the Trokar DS and most of the time they stick em right in the roof. Ive found the bigger the fish the better the hook is set, Ive caught a lot of fish over 5lbs on #1 and #2 DS hooks and I need pliers to get them out. Make sure to use a reel with a smooth drag and keep it fairly low, I use 8 and 10 lb Red Label and keep my drag about 2.5-3.5 lbs. I like the drag to slip a little bit when im setting the hook especially if im using a braid mainline. The way you rig your bait can have an effect as well. I like to rig my baits so that the point of the hook is close to, but not sticking out of the head of the bait. This time of year using softer plastics like Roboworms, Keitechs, may Bubbling Shakers may make a difference if you have to punch through plastic to set the hook.

You wont be disappointed with the FL. You should notice a big difference between the 2 when once there is some resistance. Hex pins aren't bad, but handles that thread it have a better connection which gives you a better overall feel. It can vary from reel to reel, but the FL should stack line a little better then the Sahara.