softwateronly

@Joedodge I like the cut of the peewee skirts as well. Just an fyi, I think the TW pics of their jigs is a closer approximation of what they look like in hand. scott

It's not cheap, but this is the deepest diving jerkbait I've ever fished, works 15' reliably with the outer weight attached and is a top producer for me. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Nishine_Lure_Works_Erie_115_MD_Jerkbait/descpage-NEMD.html scott

I use these for jighead minnows, finesse swimbaits, and 2.5" tubes. The 1/0 and 2/0 would work for your grub, there is only a .25" difference in gap. I've found them to be reliably sharp and sturdy enough for a light wire hook. Good choice. scott

This is an out of the box rec that I got from @bulldog1935 and it has been absolutely perfect; neds, minnow shaking, finesse swimbaits, finesse jigs, free rigs, tubes, kirashi, bayruf seek, br heads, spoons, etc. I've landed loads of big fish on it (13lb laker today) in the last year plus throwing PE1 w/ 10lb shooter. It's rated 1.5g-20g, has a solid tip, can let lures fly, and is plenty sensitive for bottom contact - it runs $205 plus shipping and tariff situation at asian portal right now and is usually hard to source. Abu Garcia Salty Stage prototype Kurodai XKRC-73MLS-BF https://asianportal-fishing.com/products/036282110861?_pos=22&_fid=ce375425f&_ss=c Here's a write up in english.... https://fishingshop.kiwi/ABU-GARCIA-SaltyStage-KR-X-Prototype-Baitfinesse-Kurodai-XKRC-73MLS-BF/?srsltid=AfmBOoprPtZS8AKhlf9ingwMOiGD5SuH6VhJeRl3Xcodx_Sixm04QO7y scott

BKK does it right. If it's the right price for you, you're gonna like them. scott

And a paddle to get out when you end up back in there!! scott

I love throwing 1/2-3/4oz blade baits on my 6'10M and think a little extra length would be even better. I have a very good hook up to land ratio with it. Honestly, I rarely feel blade bait bites, most often I lift into weight because I almost exclusively bottom hop. With a properly set drag and a net, you'll land em. scott

That's almost an Australian rules football! Congrats!! scott

Yesterday morning was too cold, 25 degrees but no wind, for the boat lift cables to safely lower the boat, so I made do with some pier casting. Ended up with a few little guys. scott

Yes, it's about frugality, and real world problems. I've set the hook on a smallie about 20' in front of me and about 20' down only to have them drive immediately left or right and nick my braid on the mussels. Don't like not catching and even less happy with a fish dragging around that much line with a new lip piercing. So my leaders go away completely when I'm less than 15 feet and usually start with 30' ish tied on. I burn through enough that bulk line is what my wallet will take right now. PE 1 w/ 10lb shooter, the right wind, and the right lure on 3 of my rigs also allows me to cast 40-50 yards to reach the other breakwall and get in front of those fish. This is my best of both worlds so far but open to suggestions. Appreciate the info and will keep an eye out when ordering from overseas. Thanks scott

@newapti5 can you give me a quick sniper vs mastiff in terms of abrasion resistance? It would help me get off this fence. scott

It is! Got it in the late summer and definitely chose it for that very reason. scott

I looked thru some old posts regarding it and interested in current opinions and any changes or solidification of thoughts/concerns. I throw braid to leader on most everything and really need a thin diameter, abrasion resistant leader, to get my smallies over the zebra mussel rock shelf I often fish. Currently 10lb shooter is tough enough with frequent line checks to do the job. Mastiff at these prices would be very cost effective, as I burn through a lot. I throw 20-25' leaders, so mainline users would have insights on manageability that might come into play. I tie fg and sdj knots 99% of the time. Thanks, scott

Today is that day, 22 degrees with a 15mph wind. Yesterday was 38 degrees with a similar north wind and I ended up crushing. I fish braid to leader and can't deal with all the crunching ice that well. I need to find a couple rigs to move over to straight floro for times like these. scott

Now yesterday morning saw a bit of winter show up. Overnight temps got into the 20's and we had our first significant snow with a good stiff wind out of the north. Not the most comfortable fishing, but I was really expecting the cool down to effect the shad and ignite the bass. I went to my pinch point shortly after first light and threw the underspin and got rewarded with 6-7 decent bass in the first 3 hours. So good, but somewhat disappointing compared to my expectations. I was motoring back to the dock, and noticed the gulls swarming and diving over a 35' deep flat. I pulled up in the vicinity and dropped anchor so as not to get blown off in a matter of seconds. I had a jighead minnow rigged and tossed it at the first boil, slammed but no hookup and as I was reeling I got 2 more bites but still couldn't bring in a fish. I tried my underspin, various jigging spoons, and a small crank, still nothing and the gulls are still feasting all around 30-40 yards of me. Finally a boil and a successful gull happen close enough where I can see the size of this shad school, and they're about 3 inches. So it finally dawns on me that everything might have slowed down a bit because of the temps and I start to think flutter spoons. First cast, tightline and count, 16 seconds in and the rod is practically ripped from my hands. Now I have enough info and was lucky to get in on what I thought was gonna happen. I played with various flutter spoons in the 3-5" range and was rewarded bby all of them. I pulled at least 20 into the boat with a few 4's and 2 5lbers.

Late fall in the midwest is quickly approaching to be my favorite time to get on the water. There's some struggles, but in general there is opportunites for both numbers and size. The bite window is shorter, but it's packed full of action. I spent Tuesday/Wednesday on a beautiful and comfortable day, sun and temps in the high 50's. The bass and the birds were set up early morning on a pinch point that opens up from 15-25' fow. This location is becoming close to automatic historically for me. Overall, both mornings had at least 30 fish with about 6 over 4lbs, so plenty of action and a few decent ones even if it wasn't a big bass school. First up was slow rolling a 1/2oz underspin w/ a 3" largo shad, casting up into 15' and tracing 4-5' off the bottom out into 25'fow. The hits were subtle, maybe a tick, but mostly they just got heavy. As the sun came up, more shad were chased/pushed up and I switched to a heavy jigging spoon working aggressively by reel ripping it off the bottom and tightlining it back down, even working it in 2-3 bursts. Many hits were swipes/not hook ups, but after a miss a couple fast handle turns and rod lifting would almost always give them time to circle back and connect or allow their chasing buddy to get caught. Fast was key!

Heck of a fish, congrats!! I hope your gps recorded your sleigh ride around the lake! scott

With fellowanglers blessing I grabbed the 4 power, looking forward to getting some quality testing done before the ice. I have a couple feathers that I like and have heard nothing but praise for the k2's. scott

Thanks @FellowAnglers1, that was one of the most bait monkey approved posts ever. I hope the other one is going to a "good home" as well scott

Well done @MIbassyaker! Sounds like a great year to me. scott

Thanks! It was so good, that I ran out of fuel and took a 3.5mile walk of shame back home and almost didn't care! This location and time of day stays excellent for me until the next turnover/shad kill, then goes back to being a just good place to check. I think I have my schedule set up to get 6-7 mornings in over the next 2 weeks. Fingers crossed. scott

This post certainly resonates for me! On my little lake this time of year, I can reliably have 20 fish mornings and complete skunk afternoons. This is my most predictable bite all year, the time when "I know my bass" and it's a total light switch. I just spent the last 2 days on the water and had 5 afternoon fish, all dinks, and over 60 morning fish with 6 over 4lbs and 2 of those 5 lbs. They are so bunched up and keyed in on a specific forage, that if I hadn't found the deep side of this one funnel/pinch point in the morning I'd have absolutely nothing. So even when I'm at my "best" I have no idea how to locate and or trigger bass for all but 5 hours a day from one specific anchor position. I'll just keep working on my educated guessing and enjoy every minute of it. scott

These keep me going with whichever gloves I'm cursing that day. scott https://www.amazon.com/Rechargeable-Electric-Portable-Christmas-Accessories/dp/B0CG65PYBV/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3U34P7TJV8IPL&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.BbfQU1skBH9gO2SNfYiaky8LRNSYihHDEDNM9qFI461cv9XLFGQA4z4NPDzF18P7s2I51OU_ekJcev-GkX7LFRwzoypQwrfPzzKC_4PeXNmhxhj5CGKMTVMvRM2bcV6IWfsUMKOIzjL4sogZhIZNfm8_8nIQxQcPI9cg5BqB7FJCtGGClff4JzmduZgGfXDu_Ok8kbL0NDb7LZFHllHS8BiNlOTwovsJZ2eLymDUrRE.kjShZBDUTm96eYYdi7Ue9mqNbfTk98Tna3rYSRIm7Qg&dib_tag=se&keywords=electric%2Bhand%2Bwarmers&qid=1762229752&sprefix=electric%2Bhand%2Bwarmers%2Cspecialty-aps%2C122&sr=8-2&th=1

@Crow Horse season opener.... season finale.... edit: I tried to embed your videos too, no luck apparently.

I throw YGK XBraid PE 1.5 to a 15-20' 10lb sniper leader. The long leader is necessary for me to get the deep divers to stay down. I'm braid to leader on all my rigs and can't say enough good things about the new japanese braids. YGK and Varivas are my current favorites, and I've barely explored their lineups. scott