Darth-Baiter

I’m pondering other (maybe less expensive) free-rig bait options. In my imagination a spiraling tube seems like a great idea. I have a huge tube I have tried using as a punch bait. No luck. x-zones or something. I have some strike kings as well. It’s what I’ll try this weekend. Any others? I remember a bud using some Zooms, but those are tough to find.

my friend bought one of those for Striper. it was ridiculous. you had to manually flip the bail closed which is okay. but the thing didnt cast great, wasn't smooth. I have seen it once, and only once. he never brought it out again. we dont even talk about that reel anymore. I think he is embarrassed he spent the money. I tried it and it felt weird. like it oscillated when you reeled it. like it was out of balance.

gah. this sounds nice. I dont mind spending money on stuff. I get butthurt when I waste it. like I buy something I dont like at all, or cant use. storage is also a problem. nothing worse than picking up my favorite worm at the store just because I forgot I still have 6 bags in the storage bin. grrr... your "just in time" things sounds kinda nice. like how I handle groceries.

I can and have dropped the motor and tranny out of a 1981 Porsche 911. I have even rebuilt a Rochester carburetor somewhat successfully. having said that, that tiny parts schematics of a reel is daunting. hah. I cant and won't dig that deeply into a reel. truth be told, I cant even tell you how the knobs on a casting reel come off and on. DVT has a reel of mine (I HOPE!!!). I'll let him perform the work. because that Rochester Carb sucked....

late to the party as usual. I prefer the Keitech V2.0. in my waters, the way the tungsten ball head clicks against the rocks is very cathartic. it lets me know without a doubt, I am letting the jig do jig-things. the click is amplified. I too feel 1/2oz is too much. 3/8th is my goldilocks.

I actually don’t understand the topic. If they are not biting that particular “Search” bait, that leads you to think fish are not there? If they bite, it’s now “the bait”? it’s a speed thing?

I explained it right before you posted. it was a perfect storm of events. I trust the rod. I was horking in 16lb catfish that thought my chatter baits looked interesting. (Clearlake is weird like that). I dont baby my new X-bites, and it has a lot of fish on it. I Love that rod. like really love it. not unnaturally loving it, but you know what I mean.

I have my fav, but take a hard look at Dobyns DX744sh ( something like that). It’s a great rod. my fave is the Xbites.

i'm gonna start a collection of the tiny magnets that come out of a MagDraft after 4-5 fish. hahah.. stick up tiny love notes to my wife on the fridge. great bait, but not a durable bait. lately, i have been using the Little Creeper Trash fish. i'll keep the hook from the magdraft to rig up as a stinger hook.

my auntie said my first words were, "let's eat!" you all are going to think I am a mutant. but here it goes. I LOVE BBQ. but every time I order it, or go to a bbq joint, I leave with regret. it is so rich, all of it. after a few bites I am over it. I cant eat it anymore. my needle for bbq overload is like very sensitive. some dude moved from the south and opened up a place nearby. food is like bbq from angels. so good smelling, moist, juicy.. even the smallest portions wipe me out. I havent been back since the first 4 tries. hahaha..

it would be SICK weightless senkos. (i do it tex-rigged). I used it for that for the first month I owned it. I could feel bass suck it in mid column. then I moved onto the free-rig. sick free-rig combo in my hands. let me expand on how I broke my X-bites. I snagged on the California Delta. main channel. I moved my kayak above the snag to maybe take some angle off of it and come at it more the other side. I lifted the rod up (big mistake). right then, Murphy's law sent a wake boat right next to me. it came out of the smallest reed channel and almost wiped me out. but what it did instead was lift my kayak up on the wake about 5 feet (it felt huge)...I was caught dumbfounded. thumb buried up my arse. the added and sudden tension snapped my rod. I should have pushed the spool release button!! now, I dont use the rod to add tension to test a snag. nope. unless it is a Dobyns Fury.

okay. above your required $$ limit. but the megabass spark shad is a great jig trailer. i use the brown 3.0" spark shad on the green pumpkin or brown Keitech finesse jig and it is a VERY good combo.

asking because i am clueless. what do you do with the shad? freeze them for bait?

^^^ great great fish.

i did break an X-Bites. my "F-NOOOOOO" still echos across the CA Delta. i immediately bought a new rod using the Megabass warranty process which is barely a warranty. you basically cough up the wholesale price. it is my sickest rod, and quickly racking up the bass numbers to be the arsenal leader. would i buy it again, if/when it breaks? oh, you know it. a resounding YES

i have a few that swim seductively sub-surface. i wish i could say i have been crushing it on them, but sadly that is not the case. easy answer is probably: whenever topwater seems like a good idea? i'm going to send a few into/under cover this weekend. i shouldnt snag unless i miss the target.

zero doubt. @$120, the Phenix Maxim. Med-light 7'3" rod is dope for that set up. heck..you could up it to the Med Heavy. the rod has great bottom contact sensitivity. it certainly punches higher up into the next weight class. i have the med 7-2 spinning and it feels the tiniest tick on a drop shot rig. i also have the Med-heavy casting at 7-3 and i fish ball head swimbaits with it like jigs, and i can feel fish in very turbulent waters. so fun. it casts a country mile with 1/2 - 3/4 baits. it holds the distance record with my group in OK. and i am owning guys throwing spinning setups.

i dont love losing a bass. but it totally bums me out if i lose it without laying eyes on it. the "What if's" are what get me. i lost a behemoth in Mexico and it was nice to have seen it and we all still high fived it out.

you tell her, i can catch fish with the same set up..but we will have to move to Cambodia.

the TW sling bag is amazing. i used it for Mexico, and i bought it for hiking the shores of lake Texoma. perfect for both locations. i have started using it for my buds bass boat trips. i simply dont need a bunch of stuff anymore.

I cook way better than I bass fish. I actually belong to a fairly robust cooking forum. Most of those are major dictatorships where they edit posts. No thanks. it would be interesting to see how you all eat.

i can pour marbles at my feet and string a wad of electrical cord down there. standing, i am not tripping on anything because i am not walking around. my feet are planted. tripping hazards is not a thing on my kayak. i'll squat down to pick things up at my feet.

i like simple. Green pumpkin only. i did have this Latte, looking one and it did well. but a worn-out GP is magic at times. size is important. i also have only ever bought the 3.5" version. perfect for my Ryugi 4/0 hooks. i do think a screw lok type would work.

weightless since it is so heavy by itself. I use a 4/0 EWG hook and go into the skinny side, and Texas rig it. they even give you a "pimple" on the other side to just skin-cover the hook tip. I use 14lb flouro. I just seem to skip lighter lines better. the hits are so cool. I have had bass rip out of cover and slam it.

not even close to my most successful. 1. Deps CoverScat. I like it because it is my close contact bait. skipping it (best I can) into deep cover. using too thin of line = fun. 2. Spinner bait or equivalent. I like the violent hits. I suck at these baits, but the hits are addictive and I want more. 3. any topwater. mostly a walking bait (teckle kicknocker - and I LOOVE the company message on the back of every package). self explanatory. if a topwater strike doesn't overflow you with happiness/excitement; get yourself to a doctor fast.