Scott804

Well today I was on a grass line loaded with miniature pickerel and a bunch of dinkers. So I anecdotally I guess you can atleast equate small pickerel to small bass, maybe.

If I am driving more than 3hrs, i'll break everything down and put it in the truck. Otherwise the only thing that comes off the kayak is the drive and the graph. I will only stay at a hotel if I have no other choice, I will do an airbnb where I don't have to worry about thieves and I have my own space to do all my rigging and prep for whatever tournament I am traveling for. I will usually camp before I have to do a hotel too. If I am forced to stay at a hotel, I'll bring the kayak inside if I can get one of those first floor rooms with an outdoor door. Otherwise it'll stay in the truck, backed up against something. If I feel paranoid about the area, I will bring that pricey hobie seat inside too, as well as whatever rods I have stored in the hobie mini side rod lockers. I also have an insurance policy on my Hobie though, so that also gives me some peace of mind.

Jacob Wheeler and Dustin Connell have a few clips talking about this too. No two baits are the same! Hold onto them lucky crankbaits.

Bagley.

Yeah, I have a Jackall Ganteral and a Pistol Pete and both those I am quite fond of. They are both very responsive with how they dart and twitch and glide out, the Spro Chad Shad feels like driving an 18 wheeler compared to them being sports cars. I'm sure I'll get it eventually but it is definitely different than what my comfort zone is.

I have heard a lot of people like the 736 glass. That is what I would probably go with. Currently I use a Evergreen Combat Stick - Jackhammer Special, 7'3 Heavy Glass, Regular tip, 1/2oz - 2oz. Which seems to be very similar specs and from what I have heard of the 736 it all sounds the same as how the combat stick performs. Stout glass rods are awesome for what your normal day of bladed jig fishing might entail, same rod specs usually are good for spooks/showerblows/ploppers too.

I could probably go down to 4-5. But I would 100% be sacrificing. Fisheries around me are very diverse, so different places call for different things as far as how I want to fish them.

I have one but haven't been able to figure it out yet. It is hard to feel confident any time I cannot see the bait directly. When I can see it, I can't figure out what I need to do to make the bait look good. It just kind of swims in a tight S pattern and I am yet to get a follow from that. I have only fished it for one afternoon though, so I probably just need to put in time.

Don't mean to hijack the thread but what's the range on those rods? What do you throw on the L as opposed to the ML? They look like fun rods!

I won a tournament this year letting a weightless trickworm fall down to the roots of isolated cypress trees. Weightless trickworm is a great technique, give it a go. Cycling through new baits has always been a key to pond success for me, I like to just continually show them new things instead of grind it out if I can help it.

Potomac is the worst for pressure. Simply cannot get away from people there.

I like to have 5 by 9. It puts you in a real good spot, especially if it is one of those tournaments where there is a morning bite window and the rest of the day sucks. But it is definitely case by case basis, some fisheries that is almost definitely not the consistent way to build a winning bag.

They're all the same to me practically. It is just a matter of what the people around are throwing that dictates the best one via pressure. As for the main thread, I feel like once a bass has fallen to the plopper trick he is not as likely to fall for it again, unlike many other baits. Even buzzbaits seem to hold up better, despite being so similar. I still think it is totally relevant though. Plenty of guys on MLF tour still used a plopper when they were in the old "catch as many as possible" format. It just isn't a "throw it anytime in the summer and you'll get bit" like it used to be, which is how a lot of hot baits end up. Last year at the Hobie BOS on the Susquehanna it was won half on a Choppo with a full bag of 18 and 19" smallmouth. But OP, I would really recommend you learn both to walk the dog and to use a popper. You will be a much better angler for it and a smallmouth spook bite is truly one of my favorite bites ever to get on, highly recommend.

Wow. Great post OP! This thread has been really surprising to me. So many people saying fall! For me I love April/May and Oct/Nov. Also a lot of winter picks in this thread... I stop fishing in the winter and go crazy... am I missing out on something here?

I looked at this post and thought 3k. I like to set the price a little higher than what I am looking for and then when someone lowballs me it is just right LOL. 2x on what @gimruis said though! Keep us updated on the Lund

What is said combo? I was gonna say maybe it is water temp... but that would be odd anywhere in the country in August. Either way, having skirt pulsation is nice, but it has been done via "The Alabama Shake" for years anyways, so maybe give that a go if you really need this skirt to pulse. Otherwise I would just fish it and see! Plenty of fish have been caught on swim jig setups without getting that secondary skirt action. Maybe it is the speed you are reeling it?

Late to this thread but I wanted to tack something on anyways. It all depends on the day & what I find. It sounds to me like you haven't figured out your own style yet. There is no "right" way to fish. The game is all about making the right decisions and adjustments. How your day goes basically all depends on the thousands of little choices you make throughout it, so the more good ones you make the better. If you are fishing an entire trail/club/series then inevitably you will be put out of your comfort zone and those tournaments will be difficult, but if you are just picking out tournaments to fish then fish one somewhere you are familiar with and fish an area you like and go from there to build some confidence. When you practice for a tournament, don't go looking for bites specifically. Look for ideas and options. Does the grass look good? What does the water color look like? Just poke around at stuff and try to piece the puzzle together a little. Don't rely on your practice and especially don't die with it. A lot of guys can only practice a week out so by the time its time to go most things have changed, but putting your eyes on the water is important. If you can fish close to the event you need to be a little cautious about what you go and hook. Shake some off if you gotta. If I hook two decent fish for what the winning bag should be then I will leave them alone entirely in that area. (another important thing to figure out, it is nice to know what weight you should need to win on a normal day) Don't go in with preconceived notions about what they "should" be biting. Most of the time I "solve" my pattern day of. If the fish you found are gone and you are sure, throw it out the window. Fish free. Generally I only plan out my starting spot. From there it can go anywhere, whether that be carving out a smaller section and working that all day to finding something really specific like "they are stacked on the shaded side of the isolated cypress trees near the channel" and I will go run every spot like that and pick fish off of each one until I cannot find anymore, and then I might run it again. Some days to win you gotta grind out one stretch all day if it has fish. Some days you can roll down the bank when you have them patterned and make 1-3 cast at every laydown and do great. There ain't no rules, it's fishin! Time on the water is everything! As much time as possible and you'll be far better for it. Good luck and feel free to PM me if you want to pick my brain about anything.

I use whatever it comes with out of the package, unless its JDM and I know it is meant to get a split ring.

I won a XTASY 754 in a raffle and that was honestly what pulled me back around to Dobyn's. It really impressed me, Gary knows how to make some darn good sticks, but they are certainly all business. No pretty rod handles or aggressive design choices. However, majority of my lineup at that time was megabass, and I kind of feel like they've done the same thing in different ways. Dobyn's rod number nomenclature makes it very easy to talk about models in the same way that Megabass naming rods cool names does. Lots of people are hardcore for both and it makes sense. XTASY definitely does not keep up with an NRX+ by any means sensitivity wise, but what does? Still... I agree with what you said. I don't think an XTASY is on par with a Destroyer rod vs rod... but that is OK with me considering Dobyn's warranty vs Megabass's warranty.

I have, the mojo bass rods never struck me as anything special. But I didn't have anything bad to say about them either, handle just wasn't my style but the blank performed well. I have been meaning to get around to trying a St Croix Victory to see if I like that better. The Legend Glass series is probably one of my favorite line ups of all time, so I know St Croix has the potential, just haven't gotten around to exploring them. I have been on a big dobyn's kick (mainly because I have a guy offloading them to me at insane prices en masse) but I have really ended up liking them even though I did not expect it. It is nice how fleshed out the line up is and how easy it is to find the right rod for what you want. Sierra & Kadens are kinda meant to be yin & yang to my understanding, if you prefer softer tip then sierra and if you prefer faster kaden.

Tried both Dobyns Sierra & Kaden lines and didn't like em?

Don't got a 744 so I can't say, but I am glad you went 735. I really like that rod, it'll be a versatile tool too. It's great for buzzbaits. From 28" snakeheads to 21" bass, it feels like it just has a perfect tip for buzzbait bites whether they're smoking it or just coming up and swiping. Makes for an awesome summer time techniques rod. I have had multiple days this year where I go out and the 735 stays in my hand the entire time. From the buzzbait in the morning, to retying to a frog, to retying to a similar application to what you will be doing. Mostly a grass rod for me though, I have never seen how it acts with fluoro before but it's a darn good rod with some braid on it. "Beefy" is the perfect word to describe how it feels. Below, my 735c on the left

I love the kayak. More importantly, I love kayak tournaments. I am enthralled by the thrill of the live updating leaderboard. There is nothing like being in the lead and seeing familiar names hot on your tail and dueling them fish for fish until the best (fisher)man comes out on top. Another cool thing is a lot of fisheries that aren't viable for traditional boat tournaments are for kayak tournaments. I did one on the New River here in Virginia last weekend. That type of river smallmouth fishing has never really been tournament relevant until now and that is nifty to me. Also catch-photo-release is awesome and as guilt free as it gets as a hardcore tournament guy who also really cares about conservation of the fish. Always hated having to haul them back the ramp, despite how cool weighing in a big bag feels. In the beginning my kayak was a holdover until I could afford a bass boat. Now, I don't even want one anymore. At least not for how much it costs to run one now, not worth what I would be putting in. Another thing with the kayak is it makes going for short trips real easy. I can go after work for 2-3 hours and it is relatively easy and quick, no worrying about gas or anything, and for me that means I get out A LOT more. I can go 4-6 days a week (part of the reason I am not as active on here anymore lol) and I cannot see myself affording running a boat like that year round, but I have also never done it so I can't totally say. Don't get me wrong, fishing out of a boat is awesome, but the world of kayaks has been perfect for me. The only thing I will warn you about is that if you are going to give it an honest go I would go for a nice kayak. The boat you are in can make or break your experience as the margin between a 300$ kayak and a 2500$ kayak is practically not even the same thing. A few more key things, 1. the stealth is pretty awesome. You can go behind bass boats and pick up fish pretty consistently if you're making a conceited effort to be stealthy and especially if you get crafty and use surrounding cover and things to hide your boat/person behind while making your casts. Less aware fish = they're more willing to bat. 2. You mentioned punching and skipping, I have not found a technique that you can't do in the kayak yet so I wouldn't worry about it. 3. I would try to find a dealer and demo some of the popular boats if you can. I know multiple guys who got into it once and picked the wrong boat and hated it and then came back around later on and found the one that fit them and then it was great for them. I haven't had one I have disliked yet, but I also do hours of research before biting the bullet on that kind of thing. In short, it's been an awesome way for me to experience bass fishing and I recommend you try it.

Finally getting around to posting in here. Got a whole mess of stuff. I got a Chad Shad! But I don't have a rod to throw it on. Oh well, bait monkey wins again i'll need to get another rod... but not anytime soon. But eventually. Got a rapala shad rap, mid ranged bagley, two bagley prop baits for fishing bream beds, some dropshot hooks, and those stupid fuzzy dice. I also got two beast coast football jigs, but I did not realize they didn't have weed guards. I can still find use for them, but not what I expected. And also Largo shads, which I have fished a good bit since getting. Awesome on an underspin, I really like them. Got a 5.3 and a 6.X Lew's Speed Spool at good discount pricing and a Daiwa Fuego 3000 on sale too. Then I got quite a few rods. I got a used Dobyn's Champion XP 735c for a great price, I just got a new 734 and I figured that it would make a good pair to go together. It is a fun rod, beefy and great in the grass. Then I won a Dobyn's Xtasy 754c in a raffle, which is crazy and I have never owned a rod at this price point. The sensitivity and crispness of the rod has really blown me away and every fish I have caught has felt so solid with feedback while fighting, it is really a sweet rod. Hard to figure out what to throw on it though, it is far lighter than I expected. I have really been mostly throwing 5/16 oz finesse jigs. And then I got a new Megabass Orochi Brailist from a friend at half off. My Levante Brailist had snapped and I was super bummed and wanted to upgrade to Orochi but wasn't willing to pay 350 at the time. I thought the Dobyn's would cover what the Brailist did but it was much lighter so I still wanted to replace and this was the perfect opportunity. My favorite football jig is even better than before now. Not to mention, it also makes another great pair with my Orochi Pitch Perfect. Next, two more on sale Dobyn's rods, a Sierra 734c and a Kaden 713c. I wanted to mess with the 734 and see if I like it with braid for topwater, and if not I already know I like it for spinnerbaits and swim jigs. For the 713c I just wanted to try something in the kaden line so I picked that one out semi-randomly. It is an awesome rod. It basically feels like the perfect War Eagle Finesse Spinnerbait rod. Great with a 3/16 underspin too. I am willing to bet that if I put something like a shimano SLX MGL on it, it'll be an awesome fluke rod too. It has a responsive and snappy fast tip while still being very castable. I can see why so many people like the kaden series rods. It is kinda crazy because I went from "I guess i'll give dobyn's stuff another try" to having a large portion of my rods be dobyn's, but I like how they feel. All the stuff from this that I have fished so far has been solid.

ALO has Evergreen combat sticks at 135 with in cart discount. Awesome rods, love the Jackhammer Special. Picked up the Gizmo specific rod myself