00bullitt

Used to be the Bandit Footloose. Ran shallower than the 100's. Almost a wakebait.

I know match the hatch is a big thing, but I threw that out the window years ago. I mostly fish blue back herring lakes with threadfin shad in them as I live on Lake Hartwell and fish the SC/GA chain the most out of convenience. My most productive colors are a bluegill pattern and translucent greens. Topwater baits are eaten from the underside. Most often, the color on the bottom of the lure is the contrast unless ultra clear water. Black buzzbaits and whopper ploppers are also my most productive. Remember, bass are bullies and eat their own. Predators often eat whats convenient.

Loomis NRX 893JWR with Lew's Custom Lite spooled with 15# Invisx is 8.2 ounces. Have the Poison Adrena 7'4" Heavy with same reel spooled with same line and its 8.4 Both are feathers in the hand!

Forums are always riddled with opinion and subjectivity. Its not wrong, just different. As a forum reader, the reader has to make the choice in they want to believe. Having auto responses or responding with the likes of "the search function is your friend" do nothing to spur interaction and promote the hobby/sport......in my opinion ?

I think I found the following on The Hooked Up Tackle website. I assume that their "Regular" compares to others "Moderate" actions. I wish Shimano had something more comprehensive for the Zodias and Poison Adrena line. Best would be an industry standard.....wishful thinking, eh?

But those type of questions are the lifeblood of a forum.

A very subjective question and one riddled with personal preference. What I look for is based on the performance I am looking to achieve. All the items you mentioned are factors/considerations. My go to spinnerbait is a 3/4 ounce SpotSticker Mini Me. I like a more compact spinnerbait that I can rip and keep it a few feet below the surface or slow down and stay deeper. The way the Mini Me places the weight down the hook shank really helps and it runs flatter the faster you retrive it. They also use smaller willows which means I can run them as is outta the package (I prefer smaller blades) and their wire is thin. Their color options are also excellent and they offer painted blades. I recently tried the Megabass SV3 and must say it is very impressive. I used the 3/4oz. I loved how compact it was and how it felt coming through the water and so did the fish! I mean, all in all, its what the fish think, right? The other that I REALLY like is the one Dirty Jigs makes. Hard to find though. I like those in 3/8 and 1/2oz specifically. I rarely throw lighter than 1/2, but when I do its the Dirty Jigs. I used to carry dozens of spinnerbaits with me, but now I only carry one of those Plano 3600 spinnerbait boxes with about 10 in it. I was born and raised on a spinnerbait. Its a less popular option than it used to be 10-15 years ago. It still catches numbers and quality. With that said, I find myself throwing a chatterbait more often, but I always have my go-to blades with me. When that bite is on, nothing else compares.

Yes, Im mostly talking power if I understand your question. Their actions are even somewhat questionable. Megabass' "Regular" action is more like most others that would be "Fast". My Shimano Zodias and Poison Adrenas are the same way and I suspect the G. Loomis Conquest is under rated by most U.S. rod companies.

Very important point! Most EWG and Round Bend hooks don't have a welded eye and the snell will not work as that small gap will destroy the knot under tension. Every straight shank style flipping hook that I have seen has the welded/closed eye.

I really dig the St. Croix Bass-X line for trebled reaction and top water baits. Their 6'8" Medium/Extra Fast and their 7'1" Medium/Fast are great for the purposes you mention. I have both as well as the 7'2" Medium Heavy/Moderate Fast. Can't beat em for $109.

Why does it have to be a jig? Throw a green pumpkin and june bug brush hog. See which one gets bit the most. Then formulate a jig that is similar contrast. Another tip....get the $6 pack of dye markers and play with colors on the tails of your plastic or trailer. Last word of wisdom. Black gets bit everywhere. When water has any clarity, I like a pumpkin jig and black twin tail grub as a trailer. I start with contrast in my trailer and will switch to a matching trailer after first bite or about 30 presentations to a high probability area. When there is no clarity, its typically black.

Yeah, don't doubt it. Everyone has their preferences. I wanted to like it. Thought maybe I got a bad spool. Second spool confirmed the first and was the last of the SSv2 I bought. I've pretty much gone back to straight Fluoro on my baitcasters; just use it on my spinning reels.

Right now, 93sv UHD with GT54 transducer is on sale for $599 at Bass Pro. I saw Livescope somewhere a few days ago for $1299 plus the $200 rebate. With tax about $2k. Best investment in fishing I ever made!

I grew up fishing with Jack and Tony Patton. Jack Patton was the chemist who created Jack's Juice; Tony was his son and my ol mans best friend and my god father. Tony is still around and fishing pushing mid 70's. Jack's research proved that attractants would cause fish to strike sooner and hold on longer. He also believed that it masked human scent and the plasticky chemical smell of many plastics. I remember him saying that WD40 taught him alot about formulating his aerosol version too. How they suspended their chemicals was the key. Jack and Tony always used the Anise or Garlic. I still have a couple gallons and treat all my soft plastics and jigs with it. Jack always talked about the specific amino acid chain that he used to deliver the scent...basically "his formula". One that he identified stimulated the best reaction from bass. It gives me confidence. I do think the Berkley scientists are at the top of their game too. Those guys test and measure everything and have invested millions in the science. Their MaxScent stuff has triggered strikes from fish that I could see on livescope that were not touching other similar baits. I have only used the Flat Worm and General.

I use straight shank hooks for most everything except Flukes. If its a straight shank hook....it gets snelled. I use the Aaron Martens G Finesse Heavy Cover from #1's up to 5/0. #1's work great for finesse stuff and I throw 2/0's for most of my stuff. Love that hook and my hook up ratio improved noticeably across all plastic baits.

For spinning reels, I like the Seaguar Smackdown in either 15# or 20#. The size of the spool dictates for me. 15# on 2000 size and 20# on 2500/3000 size. That stuff is butter and makes a fantastic and ultra strong alberto knot for braid to leader connection. I also like Suffix 832 from 10-50#, but notice I break at the leader connecting knot alot. What I despise is the Power Pro Super Slick v2. Very gritty feeling going through the guides and makes a buzzing sound. Also sucks tying knots as they don't slip/slide. Much prefer the original Power Pro over Super Slick v2.

Its certain that there is no standard! Every. Single. Time. that I buy rods sight unseen online....I am disappointed. I have a corner full of rods that I have bought that I don't use as a result. I am VERY picky about my actions for given techniques. I NEVER buy off the label, and only for the feel. I recommend never buying a rod based on a stated technique either; unless the action IS IN FACT what you want. I have resorted to only buying rods I can put my hands on first. AND I carry a reel with me and a lead weight equivalent to the bait I will throw. I will usually have my wife stand on the weight as I load the rod. Then I will feel the tip with the weight hanging with about 12-18" of slack. I just bought another Megabass Levante yesterday.....Diablo Spec-R. Stated action versus feel were way off. Had I went off their "listed" action, I would have ended up with their Perfect Pitch. The high modulus japanese graphite is a different animal in my opinion. I do like the idea of Megabass' "F" power number rating though.....at least now that I better understand it and spent 2 hours yesterday feeling each rod with a reel and 1/2 ounce weight.

For me, its: Buzztoad around wood! Square bill on rocky banks. Jig or Zoom Super Hog in the wood. Crankbait or spinnerbait on the depth transitions in front of wood. Neko rig under/around docks. And once they move up on bed in shallow water, a white double tail 5" grub on a 1/8oz shakey head.

Often depends on the hook, but if a 1/0 or 2/0, I like the Paca Chunk Jr. or just a good ol double tail grub. I'm not a fan of chunks.

Zoom Super Hog

I have the 7'4" Heavy and find it to be too stiff for anything under 3/4oz. I wish I would have gotten the 7'3" and will one of these days.

Hard to beat the Strike King Rage Bug and Zoom Z-Craw. I also like to use a 5" Yamamoto Double Tail Grub and even their 5" Hula Grub, but will use a standard round bend 3/0 hook and use the Strike King or Mustad Tungsten clip on football head weights.

I used to T-rig the Ika, but watching it in a bait tank it just did not look that great. It would drag flat on the bottom. I wanted it to hop more with the tentacles pointed up. Works really well on the SpotSticker standup head and the Mag Ned Head. The Spot Sticker head's dual fiber weed guard will pull through anything but the hook could stand to be one size larger. The Mag Ned has the perfect hook but the weed guard could stand to be stiffer. The Fat Ika has been a great secret weapon near me. Its a heavy bait by itself, so does not require much weight.

Very interesting article! Been crushing big spots on Lanier, Hartwell and Russell for years using a Yamamoto Fat Ika around shaley brown rock and rip rap. That sheads light on why.

I always have a spinning rod in the truck with a Neko rig ready to go and a pack of 5" Yum Dingers in the Bream color. I can remove the weight and have a wacky setup. I can adjust the weight in the worm to match my fall rate based on what/where I fish, but typically use 1/8 or 3/16oz. Not sure its the one bait bass can't resist, but it catches more fish for me than any other; so close. Very versatile and bass love it at every lake I have ever fished across the country. I also Neko rig Zoom Trick Worms and Reaction Innovations Flirt Worms; or any straight worm for that matter. For dedicated Neko rigging; I prefer the Flirt Worm the best, but the Senko style baits are more universal.