RDB

Sure they will catch fish anywhere, that wasn’t the point I was making. Without a doubt, shad raps shine the most in colder water which is not common in Florida v. your water in Illinois. IMO, there are better crankbait choices than shad raps for Florida waters, especially since water depth is typically pretty shallow and there is often vegetation. My first choice for a crank would be a squarebill. You can get them that run from 0 to over 10 feet. Brand - lot’s of good choices in the 1.5 size. I don’t mean to take anything away from shad raps…they are fine lures and have a place in my box. As far as shad rap size, you may find it difficult to throw the smaller sizes on a baitcaster.

I would start with a 3/8oz, especially if you are dealing with Florida vegetation. Unless you are slow rolling, you typically fish spinnerbaits above the bass. As far as colors, I would just buy replacement skirts…something shad colored (I.e. white) for clear/slightly stained water and something brighter (I.e. white & chartreuse or chartreuse) for heavier stained/muddy water. You have a lot of tannic water in Florida, so maybe something darker as well (bluegill, junebug). Brands - lot’s of good ones including War Eagle. Trailer hooks - as needed, especially around vegetation. I usually opt for one unless I can’t due to the trailer I am using or conditions I am fishing.

Out of curiosity, why a shad rap? In Florida, I would assume mid 60’s water temp would be cold for you guys. IMO, shad raps are great cold water cranks but I don’t think they would be my first choice in Florida.

This^^^ I the only thing I would add is I assume you are referring to G Loomis MBR rods. I am a Loomis fan boy but for cranking, I think it’s overkill for the price and there are better rods for that application.

Personal motto: Swings are free

For 7 setups, it’s probably not going to matter but just remember, if you are going to leave your reels on your rods, most rod rack specs list rod only capacity. I store rods with the reels attached and in the picture below, I have to skip every 3rd/4th slot. The KastKing pictured lists a 24 rod capacity but mine only holds 17 with reels attached. If I store them facing out instead of sideways, it would be worse due to the reel handle. It’s preference but I prefer vertical storage.

I am looking for a new home. Do you mind reaching out to your family and gauging their interest?

Don’t worry, the Fed said that inflation is transitory. Edit: Sorry, I forgot I was posting on a fishing site: transitory trăn′sĭ-tôr″ē, trăn′zĭ- adjective Existing or lasting only a short time; short-lived or temporary. Continuing only for a short time; not enduring; fleeting; evanescent. JK…Aren’t we having fun

If there is 1 rod that I wouldn’t skimp on, it would be a jig rod. I would go to the top of your price comfort range for that rod. Most jig rods can handle a good amount of fishing abuse. So many people (including me) spend more than necessary on rods for techniques that don’t require the benefits the added dollars provide. That is not true for jig/bottom contact rods IMO.

I agree…if you had a way to capture the actual number of bites compared to bites detected, my guess is the bite detection for the average jig fisherman would be pretty poor compared to “masters”. From a physical standpoint, for me it’s deep cranks and big swimbaits. I have bone spurs in both shoulders and they won’t hold up to the long casts and lure weights anymore.

IMO, I don’t think you are bad at the technique but likely don’t have confidence in the lure. You mentioned you are bad at chatterbaits but you don’t list spinnerbaits as a bad technique. There really isn’t that much difference between the two from a technique standpoint. There are some situations when you would throw one over the other but 80% of the time they are interchangeable.

Probably one of the top 2 lures that most beginner LM bass fishermen start with (not sure about SM). It’s forgiving, it can be fished year round in any conditions, and after 70ish years, it still catches fish.

I agree with Catt. Also, what he is showing isn’t what is considered a traditional Neko rig but more of a Chicken Rig with a new Neko Cover hook. You can accomplish the same thing with a regular straight shank hook and not spend more $’s for a specialized hook. Whatever you want to call it, that style of hooking does work well in cover v. wacky or a traditional Neko.

That looks good. The easiest tell on what the problem was is your original picture and the second above shows the line swelling out on the top 1/3 of the spool. That means you are getting too many winds at the top. Whether it lays 90 degrees or has a taper, you shouldn’t get that swell.

https://www.hawgtech.com my preferred aftermarket handles

I had to spend all day listening to my twins ***** about having their wisdom teeth pulled. I’ll trade you days.

Yep. It wrapped several times right at the top, but at the bottom, not even once. It looks to me like you have diagnosed your problem. The spool is pausing in the down position which is adding extra wraps at the top of the spool…it’s a shim problem. Your line catching is a different problem…that is likely the knot. Like you, I also use longer leaders but your knot becomes critical if you reel into the spool. You said you feel comfortable leaving some tag but if you reel the knot in the reel, you are not going to be able to have it both ways. You need a small, strong, unobtrusive knot. I use an FG with zero tag and no edges to catch.

I have never tried them but they seem like a redesign of the Trapper Tackle hook. I have a guide friend that swore by the Trapper hook but he is the only person I have ever seen using them. You might look at some of the reviews of that hook as I would think the theory would be similar. You can get a pack of 6 Trappers on TW for 99 cents.

I’ve been in a 12 step program for 10 years. I can’t seem to get past the part where you have to admit you have a problem.

I agree with the answers above…it has to do with spool travel and spending too much time down. You may be able to use a shim from an old reel. You don’t need to wait for warm weather. Get an old spool and a drill to remove your line, then re-spool.

Don’t give up on this one…your experience is what motivated me to read the book and try. I can’t speak for smallies but it has been great for me with largemouth around rocks, shells, and brush. Next time your on a spot and know there are fish but can’t get them to commit, give it another shot. If you don’t like the fingers to palm retrieve, try holding the rod above the reel with the line pinched like on a cast and retrieve with short pulls with your other hand like fly fishing. Since you already are holding the line with your rod hand, at the end of a set, you just reel in the slack on a tight line. I often do that on windy days because the slack line can get fouled on my reel with the fingers to palm.

It somewhat depends on how you fish and the care you take of your tackle between trips. I usually do a full tear down every 2 years but I fish from a boat and am anal about rod and reel care. I never leave rods & reels in the boat, reels have covers on at all times (I hate boat rash), I won’t hook my lures to the reels, and I do a quick cleaning/inspection after most trips.

I use fluoro on everything baitcaster except for flipping & frog (braid) and topwater (mono) and have never had any issues. Fluoro can be more difficult to manage on spinning reels and there I use braid to fluoro. As far as brands, just get a good quality fluoro and you should be fine. I use Sniper and Tatsu but have tried them all. As far as storing, fluoro shouldn’t be something you have to baby. I have a few 1000 yard spools in the closet that are probably 3 years old and they are fine. I personally don’t use line conditioner. If I get some memory, I may give a light stretch to the first 10 yards. One hang up or fish fight and the stretch from that will remove most/all of the memory.

Since you are in Florida, why not try what your fellow Floridian swears by. JT Kenny (who has won a ton of $ in Florida) suggests throwing darker colored spinnerbaits in tannic Florida waters. I have seen him throw Junebug skirted and bladed spinnerbaits with great success. In Florida, blacks and blues, Junebug, etc. are staples in tannic water for dragging baits presentations. Also add to the list above Florida staples like swim jigs and swimming worms.

I’m agreeing with you and think his experiences support the comment that many large bass spend most/all their time in deeper, unpressured waters. I believe one of his fish was caught at ~4ft over 40ft, usually suspended around trees and not in open water with nothing around. For many years crappie fishermen have caught monsters this way. LiveScope has just opened up that world. How does that relate to NS? I’m not sure but I don’t know why it wouldn’t translate.