GetFishorDieTryin

I like a T rig or mojo rig around wood, but for grass or open water I like to use what I know as a jig worm. Its what a lot of people would call a big ned rig except (and this is important) you use 1/32-3/32 with a small hook #2 or #1 depending on the dia of the worm. There are some exceptions, but 4-5" worms seem to work the best. My 2 Favorites are the Bubbling Shaker and GB Airtail cut down to about 4.5". That little jig head makes the bait look and swim more natural compared to rigging it with a typical SH.

Years to fly Spirit out of AC to Orlando every winter. I used to take a few 2pc rods and stow them in the overhead compartment. Not only was it cheaper, I much preferred that to tubing them up and worrying about them being lost or damaged. I don't see why they wouldn't allow that now, but common sense isn't a strong suit when it comes to most airlines.

If you like to throw JBs or cranks/lipless and want to try something new check out Imas' Suspending Lipless. Out of the box its a slowly sinks until it gets to about 3 or 4' then suspends. It like a combination of a lipless and a JB. Even if it doesn't produce particularly well, its a great tool because it can clue you in on which of the 3 (cranks/lipless and JB) to use that particular day. Ghost Ayu and Foiled Gill are the top producers although Golden Shad has its moments.

If you want the reel to fish like new as long as possible do NOT rinse a reel with warm water to clean it after fishing SW. Warm water breaks down crystalized salt and it can just get pushed deeper into the reel. That's why manufacturers stress gently rinsing off your reel with cool fresh water. Just by the nature of the basic design of BC gear water intrusion is guaranteed. I don't like to use WD 40 or silicone sprays on my reels. Not only can it be a greasy mess, but it can attract sand and debris which is can do more damage to your reel then salt. I've heard that WD 40 actually has a detrimental effect on the oil that's already inside your reel. Whether that 100% true or not I don't know, but I could see how that would be the case.

JB crankbait SH/jigworm finesse swimbait lipless

There isn't a difference in the design or build of the SW baits in comparison to the FW versions. The only difference is the hooks and beefed up split rings. You either get tin type trebles or the VMC inline singles, which are outstanding hooks btw. As long as you have the gear to handle the increased weight of the long cast X raps they should work for FW bass. I havent had very much experience with the twitching minnow, although I'm confident it will work. Its really just like a JB that runs a little shallower. The subwalk on the other hand is a bait that I have fished quite a bit and have done really well with it. Its essentially just Rapalas version of a Catch 2000. Its a twitchin bait just the minnow except the shape and weight in comparison to the size of the bait make it cast better then that traditional minnow shape. Rapalas aren't really precisely balanced when it comes to the hooks like MB or Duos. You have a pretty wide margin of error before the action of the bait is affected by changing the hooks.

I know how you feel, once its gets into the later half of July the bite shuts down and the heat/humidity goes way up. Here the bite has been good up until a little over a week ago when we got our first few nights of real cold weather and the bite all but shut off for a few days. I watched IKE trying to film a TW vlog a few days ago and even he appeared to struggle. It usually takes a few days for the fish to acclimate to the rapid temperature drop. Once they adjust the bite usually gets pretty good, especially the JB bite.

I use the Gama AM G finesse trebles in #4 and #5 for the Vision 110.

Ive been looking into getting a Rebellion but there isnt nearly as many reviews on them as the other 2. How do you like the Rebellion? How does it compare to the Victory and Zodias sensitivity, weight and action wise?

DCs are great, but I don't really benefit a whole lot from the DC system pitching/flippin. I prefer the MGLs over the DC reels for pitchin. You can get a JDM Met B for less then 300$ shipped. The spool is a 100 instead of the USDM 150 but the 100 has plenty of capacity. If you do get get a JDM Met just make sure to get the XG so you get the longer handle. The Curado 70 MGL and 150 MGL would be a good fit as well. I haven't had an opportunity to get my hands on one, but so far the Zillion SV looks like a killer.

1/8 nylon overflow/auto tubing should work pretty well. You should be able to find it or something like it at lowes or HD

Once the fish get into the winter pattern the bigger baits will often produce bigger fish, but the smaller bait will produce far more numbers. I think the fall is a little more complicated because the fishing can be different from day to day. When it comes to JBs I've found that the smaller baits like the Duo 85 and 110 Jr have out produced the bigger 100s/110s in mid to late fall.

Take a look at 13s Defy and Fate Black rods. They're great rods for the money and if you break one you can get a new 1 for just a shipping charge.

Don't let the falling temps trick you into thinking that the fish are becoming lethargic. The fish that are actively feeding are pretty aggressive and will chase down a bait. Finding the active fish is the difficult part. I would recommend using a bait that covers water, like a square bill, spinner bait, swim jig, swimbait, chatterbait, soft jerkbait etc, anything that you can just chuck and wind.

Either rod would work pretty well, it would just depend on your preferences. The 6'8 SC Victory might be 1 to consider as well.

If your familiar with Dobyns and really like the power/action and feel of the rods then sticking with them is probably your best bet.

When the water is rising almost all of my fish are caught right off the bank in shallow water. Anywhere where you have water draining in you can usually count on a few fish being there. When the water is really muddy and rising I've had good success fishing dirt shallow. The only difference I find in muddy water is that the fish like to hold really tight to cover.

Quite a few good choices available. Out of all of them I would say that either Power Pro V2 or Berkley X9 give you the most for your money. Both lines are low dia and handle well which makes them cast great. Both handle abrasion surprisingly well, although if you notice a rough spot or damaged line you should cut and retie.

13 makes some stout cranking rods that are fairly cheap. I haven't fished with them only handled them, but they're crazy light and feel pretty good. The 1/4-1 1/2oz feels like it would be great for 3/8 chatters. Not so sure how it would do with lighter shallow cranks. I would imagine that it would do pretty well with 1/2oz or bigger cranks cranks like fat johns and what not.

Blue tails/claws can make a huge difference in the spring and early summer.

Just curious what color was it?

A mojo rig is a great way to cover water in the winter and if I had to pick only 1 bait to use it would be a 2.5" or 3" tube.

I prefer to use casting gear when I can for JBs 3/8 and heavier, it just feels easier. Im pretty good working a JB with my off hand, but the reality is I can work a bait with far more precision with my dominate hand. Being able to make that bait barley twitch after a pause doesn't become an issue until the water gets in the lower 40s. Once it gets that cold I usually go to a smaller JB like a Rozante or 110 jr and throw them on a spinning rod.

I saw this the other day, thought about posting about it but wasn't sure about the name it was like unirig or something. Not sure if the fish will think its a million dollar idea, although definitely looks like it has that million dollar action to attract anglers. If a company could put baits on the market with the tubing preinstalled in the baits, a few welded rings and hooks they would sell like crazy.

I know what you mean. Its kind of a niche line. It does really well in open surf where the risk of abrasion is low.