softwateronly

I have a Tat 200 and Tat 300, the rest are shimanos. What are we looking at to get through the sub 300 size T-wing w/ an fg knot? I haven't really experimented with the 200 enough myself. .32mm co-poly/mono/floro wrapped w/ .32mm braid? .32mm co-poly/mono/floro wrapped w/ .28mm braid? scott These are some people's preferences, definitely not absolutes. The T-wing is your limiting factor for playing to the strengths of braid to leader with the least amount of hassle. scott

I don't own it but have been eyeing a jdm version. 25g seems like it's pushing it, but at the same time I'm thinking of getting it for a M jerkbait rod which would be the same thing. So I understand your dilemma and interested to hear what others know. scott

You're living my dream, definitely something for us to work on. One day, hopefully sooner rather than later. scott

I've probably caught a dozen in my life and they were all between 3-5lbs. Every single one of them left my bait unfishable! They are definitely the most underrated fish in terms of fight. The hit so angry and dig so hard. Between the ugly, teeth, aggressiveness, and blood they're hard to forget. I've always caught them clean on a single hook and they leak like a stuck pig. Must be because of that air they can gulp down if the water is stagnant, but I have no idea. Old timers in MI call em dogfish and want them killed for some reason. scott

I think @A-Jay has the right question. I would lean toward 40# because I have mostly 150 sized reels and w/ a MH/F it seems like a good pairing. Clear water has me prioritizing casting distance. If dragging a trash fish through the salad, 65lb might cut through it better. scott

I really hope so, bait monkey wants a big red color scheme for my next gear purchases... scott

I like braid to leader and at this point it has informed all my rod decisions and preferences. casting - fg knot 65lb and 30lb PP 10, 15, 20lb mono 16lb and 30lb shock leader spinning - alberto knot 20lb PP 8lb Invizix scott

Thats a beautiful fish, congrats! They are so much fun when you're hooked up. You live in the freshwater goldilocks zone and has me and the Mrs looking around there for a winter home! My first big fish, was a 20" football in N Michigan when I was 10 or 11. My friend's dad took 5-6 of us kids out in a fish 'n ski w/ wax worms and cane poles. We were plucking perch left and right, when all of sudden my little perch got real heavy. To this day, I still think s/he attacked/ate the perch not the worm and I've maybe equaled it twice but never beat it. And a 5lb smallie on a cane pole is a trip. scott

You're going to have to show me the way. I'll be watching you..... scott Don't forget to fish them like jigs too! I was just in TX and getting skunked until I got a 4" scottsboro in smelt on a flashy swimmer and dragged and popped it across all the wood scraps I could find in 2-6' fow. scott

LM have a logic to them that allows me to think I understand most of their behavior. SM are nomadic ghosts that show up every now and then to rattle everything in my brain and try to take my rod out of my hand. scott

I'll give it a try.... Spinnerbait - 1oz MB tequila baccarac 5/8oz DC735 3/8-1/2oz PA 173MH & DC734 Buzzbait - ? Carolina rig (3/4 - 1.25 oz barrel weight) - Expride 7'7"H Texas rig - PA611M+, PA172H, Conquest 904 & DRX755 deep water Squarebill - DC 734, PA173MH, Expride 7'7"H Frog (personal favorite is original Jason Christie Cara frog rod) - Expride 7'3"XH, DC 735 Jerkbait - PA611M+, Avid 7ML spinning Flipping/pitching - 3/8 and under; PA611M+, PA172H 1/2 - 1oz - Steez 172 power pitch, Expride 7'3XH, MB Tequila Baccarac Punching - 1oz + - MB Tequila Baccarac A rig - Expride 7'7"H, DRX 755 Swimbait - almost all of them, decision based on weight, hook diameter, open hook/weedless, and open water or target casting by length. I want one more Fast long rod (7'6 - 7'9) that can handle 2oz weedless and could also punch. Shallow crank - DC706cb, DC734 Med crank -? Deep crank - light pull Expride 7'7"H, hard pull MB Onager Weightless worm/senko - Conquest 904 Bladed jig (really like veritas 7’ mh and Tharp honey badger 7’4) - PA172H, PA173MH, DC735 Topwater - DC734, PA173MH scott Ironically, my maybe favorite rod never made the list...Expride 7'6"MH

I need to stop thinking. That looks like a cartoon, not an actual useable lure. I know I'm wrong, but thanks for reminding me. scott

I'll give it a try.... Spinnerbait - 1oz MB tequila baccarac 5/8oz DC735 3/8-1/2oz PA 173MH & DC734 Buzzbait - ? Carolina rig (3/4 - 1.25 oz barrel weight) - Expride 7'7"H Texas rig - PA611M+, PA172H, Conquest 904 & DRX755 deep water Squarebill - DC 734, PA173MH, Expride 7'7"H Frog (personal favorite is original Jason Christie Cara frog rod) - Expride 7'3"XH, DC 735 Jerkbait - PA611M+, Avid 7ML spinning Flipping/pitching - 3/8 and under; PA611M+, PA172H 1/2 - 1oz - Steez 172 power pitch, Expride 7'3XH, MB Tequila Baccarac Punching - 1oz + - MB Tequila Baccarac A rig - Expride 7'7"H, DRX 755 Swimbait - almost all of them, decision based on weight, hook diameter, open hook/weedless, and open water or target casting by length. I want one more Fast long rod (7'6 - 7'9) that can handle 2oz weedless and could also punch. Shallow crank - DC706cb, DC734 Med crank -? Deep crank - light pull Expride 7'7"H, hard pull MB Onager Weightless worm/senko - Conquest 904 Bladed jig (really like veritas 7’ mh and Tharp honey badger 7’4) - PA172H, PA173MH, DC735 Topwater - DC734, PA173MH scott Ironically, my maybe favorite rod never made the list...Expride 7'6"MH

Gambler big EZ, EZ, little ez are becoming favorite all-arounders, price, action, durability, colors Scottsboro swimbaits - 4" and 6" have unbelieveable waggle R2S D walkers - both 100mm and 120mm, possible best bang for the buck with water over 50 degrees They last forever... Xzone swammers These all give me a good head shimmy and have been durable enough.... Got Miyagi's, largos, and more time with the swammers lined up this coming year. scott Have had some good luck w/ fluke style baits doing this in near freezing water. I think the limited action helps, could be wrong. scott

It's a little pricey and maybe too long for shore fishing, but I find the 7'7H expride w/ braid to leader really versatile. R2S TB crank, megabass deep 6, 1/2oz swim jig, a-rig, 6-7" soft swimmers on a jig head w/ an open hook, spinnerbaits, carolina rig, light pitching/flipping, swaver 168, gantarel jr, 6" bull shad, whopper plopper, football jigs... I also really like the 734 and 706cb from the dobyns line up. scott

This is my usual assumption but like anything with bass, certain lakes at certain times of year, midday can be the best time. I think nothing is certain. scott

Haha, maybe soon. It doesn't bother me much. I went to TX with the hope of getting a PB, and it turns out I probably beat it 3 times between Tuesday and Saturday, my first fish was @ 8lbs and my last was @ 10lbs. By my best guesses, I had a light 7, heavy 5, and a 5 mixed in with a handful of 2-3's and I also got skunked 3 out of 6 days. New lake to me, 4 days with a boat, no electronics, and was probably fishing 6hrs a day max. Lots of failures and successes all rolled into one week. Wish I could have made it 2. scott

I think I'm in the DD club, this girl was 25.25L and 18.5G. I fought hard for this one and did everything wrong, multiple times, and still was able to find a way to get her. What a rush, I'll take the luck. scott terrible pics, I know

Thanks guys! She hit a slow rolled jackhammer with about 10' of line out from a pier. I thought I bumped into some standing timber and did a quick pop up on the rod, then the "tree" started swimming at me. It was a great way to get rid of the skunk, but I'm wearing it again tonight. Got a couple more tries before I head back to the land of frozen everything. scott

First fish of the year and a pb, great way to start the year. All it took was a 13hr drive south west... scott

I guess I’m most confident saying it’s a great moving bait rod. It is also great with a 1/2oz jig and 5/16 Trig worm in light weed cover, but that’s the only opportunity I’ve given it this year. Heavier weeds, I prefer the H/F or the M+/Fast action because I feel like I can shake it free with more control. Simply put, I really like the rod and highly recommend. Yeah I’ve seen the weather forecast. Hoping they are staged just off the flats in the nearest deep water. At least the water won’t be hard and no matter how cold you get it’ll be warmer than up here. Best of luck with whichever rod you choose. scott

More than welcome. I did start out not loving the 7'3"MH, because I thought it was a bit too soft, plus it's so d**n light in hand. It wasn't till I started hooking fish, that the power became apparent and now I feel like it's one of my favorites. If you've ever handled a Dobyns DX 734, the PA has very similar action, with a touch stiffer tip, but I find it way more sensitive when fishing weeds/soft bottom. We're road tripping down to Lake Murvaul next week for a break from the cold. Hope to get on some of your legendary TX bass, even if I'm at a lake that peaked in the 90's and I'll be trying to find them on my own. scott

I have the 7'3" MH/RF, 6'11M+/F, 7'2"H/F. I can say that fast should be ruled out for sure. I find the 7'3"MH/RF does everything pretty well. I haven't really thrown many trebles on it yet. I'm about to bring it on a trip where it will serve as my squarebill rod, so I believe it will be good. Blade baits, swim jigs, chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, underspins, T-rigs, and jigs have all treated me well on that rod. scott

X2 scott

I've had the best luck with the spro rock crawler. Not quite as deep, but light weight and I'm pretty sure I'm getting a good 12'-13'. I've also had good luck with TB DD crank. That feels like 15'+ and it's under an ounce. scott