Tatsu Dave

Up north we only get 4-5 months of open water fishing so for me I change out every year. Stored inside and kept out of UV and heat would expect it to last for several years minimum. I would have no worries buying a spool and it would take me about 2 years to use one up.

Zoom Z Craw and Stanford Baits Big Show and the new Berkley Powerbait Speed Boss are all pretty interesting but I like the colors offered on the Berkley. Zoom however looks the best and is probably softest. Wait though seems like they would only work in spring and fall ??

I use 3/16 oz tungsten shakey heads with built in screwloc made by real deal ( very reasonable at TW). Even come already painted grn pump, I'm partial to BBB kriet tail worm with swimming tail to give it a good fall rate and enough movement to entice bass into checking it out. Also use large beefy grubs as well rigged weedless for the veggies and wood I fish. Color is kind of subjective to most but junebug, plum apple, and tilapia are all favorites for me.

Next spring I bet it looks different! Mine took all winter to add casting deck, close in the bow, add seats and swivels and mount an edge bow mount troller and anchormate. Carpet and install sonar and keel rollers. Two man set-up that goes 12mph with both of us and gear and 19mph with just me (thats with a 9.9 gas motor) some rod holders too.........

Voles serve no good purpose in my yard, I poison them and fill up the holes. Holes are a big deal as well....on three cleared acres I filled 96 holes this summer and most are under apple trees and around flower beds. My wife grows hybrid daylilies and they have a taste for them and iris. Skunk beat me and I tried different locations and different baits, was probably dropped here cause we live where town turns to woods. Game on now.......night walks with malice already and subsonic 22's.

Same here I search for active SM usually on points that come out of deep water. Trolling a craw tube or single grub usually finds them if active, the bottoms here are loaded with wood and stick-ups.

Yeah love the old Susky and its great smallmouth fishery. Crawfish come up a lot when we get into SB on a bite, those colors look exactly like crawfish colors up here. I gotta do more with swim jigs this fall, I've got into a grub/stick bait/creature/and worm routine and when something works well its hard to switch up the menu. Welcome back onboard the forum.

They should work very well, some fisherman like myself don't fish skirted swim jigs enough in river settings in my case. Like the colors....let us know how you do.

Soft plastics in general and the senko, grub, worm, and sluggo in particular.

That was exactly what I started with and later added chartreuse.

I was influenced by Billy Westmorland and his pre finesse but never the less finesse fishing style in deep water with light line cause them ol' brown fish can be smart and hard to fool. This thread is just coming of age........

Well they were what I was speaking of but skeeter's and this midge thing (no see em's) thats going on this year is right about as bad. I like the way you can be on a woods road and they are hitching on your side mirrors out of the wind waiting for you to stop and get out. You can rig the same deal out of fly strips fastened to the back of your hat. They get a few..... But not to hijack this good thread, I would and have most of this summer dealt with them in the quest for big ol' brown fish. I live for that drag testing run the big ones like to do, triple digit heat index and deer flies (we call em' stealth bombers) pale when the bite is on.

You have to remember the OP said Giant SM bass..........I would do anything legal to catch a true giant and probably would endure about anything as well............blood sucking insects - triple digit heat - and bear ?

Yes we are going to use palomer knot and he won't use a leader, wants to run straight braid. That will be something for him to deal with if its a problem. I understand what you're saying but will let him decide how to overcome any obstacles he hits with advice on my part. Thanks for good advice Dave

Packaged well, light and good looking. I use some beat old rods now that I don't need to treat special but now things are changing. Reel shows up tomorrow and it gets spooled w/line and I go fishing. I got a Pfleuger president xt and a Daiwa legalis to compare...... one for the new Sierra and one for the next rod I will buy very soon. I hope to wrestle with a couple big ones to see how it does, I can feel the bottom pretty well with my clunker rods so this should be an experience. Haven't followed any advice on here that hasn't been pretty much spot on..........fish on. Dave

I didn't like invizx for manageability, same with red label. Tried tatsu and things came together well, I use it now on all spinning rods and change it out at years end. For low stretch/visibility and good sensitivity I am a fan, cost is up there but watch for it to go on sale and buy a large spool. For me it was made for SB fishing with the low viz and strength it works so well. I think everyone should fish what they like best and have confidence in for me its tatsu.

Good call A Jay looks that way to me as well. They work real well in cover...hey a tube and a crawfish lure in one. Chomper and BBB both work well....love crime scene-magic swirl-and tilapia. Around cover on the fall they work.

Thanks for all the quick responses, son picked the Seaguar smackdown to spool up with. 40# and away we go.........don't think our knot will let go and I never burn the line pulling the line tight. Will report when we get fishing with all the new rods - reels - and line. Dave

I second that as well, soak a small cloth and pull it thru with just enough pressure to spool it even. After that when you feel it needs a shot or so on the filled spool.

Yeah it calls for some research for sure, actually I've never seen a bass so light looking but our water is so dark maybe the fish are dark for concealment.

Don't think a fury is a bad choice at all. I was considering buying a fury but the micro guides and several posters replies made me rethink and opt for the sierra. I'm glad I did ?

Says in store only.

Need some suggestions for a good brand and what color and # test he should use. I'm a FC guy and have never used braid myself but he's gonna do it so any suggestions will be appreciated. Heavy wood cover as well as thick pad and arrowhead vegetation, something to fish frogs with as well. Heavy 7' rod and lots of spool capacity with a pretty stout drag which he wants to fish pretty close to locked down. Thanks Dave

Thats a deal for sure but the nearest SW is a couple states away. If a place don't ship they automatically lose my business up here. Good tip for those with a store a bit closer. If I like mine when it comes the next two will come from TW this winter when they have a sale.

We catch around 20 or so pickerel a trip and I use cheap plastic lures so the bite-offs don't hurt so bad. Pulled a 4lb'er in the other day and my whopper plopper was totally in his mouth ,YIKES!! No more ploppers without a leader. If I was a different type of fisherman I would feed every pickerel to the hawks and eagles.....but I can't do that so we endure the frequent interruptions and line reties ?