T-Billy

You don't. It was just a Bait Monkey joke. They are nice for fishing frogs and bottom contact baits because they take up line so fast, but they're certainly not required.

Did you also buy an 8 speed reel for it? You need one for froggin you know. ?

I always have a backup bait at the ready when froggin. Usually a creature bait on a flippin rig or a grass jig. Pitch it into where the blowup was, and it often gets bit on the initial fall.

@A-Jay and @Hammer 4 Sorry to hear. Keeping you both and your better halves in my prayers.

LOL. My granddaughter needs to come get them out of my garage before I turn 'em into firewood. Thinned the herd a little this week. Gave about a dozen rods to my niece and her husband. I've pretty much reached critical mass at this point.

Nope. I like you. Can't stand that guy.

I see pros breaking fish off all the time because they're pitching into cover with flouro. They don't seem to know much about proper line selection. ? #STRAIGHTBRAIDBRIGADE

Bought a house in my childhood hometown of about 350 people in May. CCW rate around here is high. Sheriff, Judge,and Prosecutor ain't lenient. Crime rate is low. Biggest crime this summer was some crackheads stealing the converters off the Frontier Communication trucks. Most folks around here do a pretty good job of loving their neighbors. It's a nice place to live. I feel blessed to be here.

Never.

Rod: Ark Tharp "King Cobra" 7'6" H F or "Guntersville Special" 7'11" H F. Either is fine for pitching/punching, but the Guntersville is better for A-Rigs and Swimmers with it's more parabolic action and longer handle. Lotta rod for $129. Reel: Lews Super Duty. Tough as nails, long casting, plenty of drag, good spool capacity for bombing A-rigs and swimmers. Line: 40# 832 works great for me.

Yep.

Roger that. Cattails on my lakes don't normally have enough water on the backside, but anytime the lakes get a couple feet high, that's one of the first places I go looking.

Start at the edge and fish your way back in until you quit catching them. If there's a creek channel coming out through them, that's where I'd start. Then again, who am I to give advice. You're catching more and bigger bass than me so......

Yep. Even buying the Pro Tec in the little jars isn't expensive. It goes a long way. Toaster ovens are dirt cheap too. Heat it, dip it, bake it. Easy as can be.

Yup. Happened to me last year while trying to pull a big flathead that ate my trig out of a pile of laydowns. I think the awful sounds coming out of my flippin stick were it begging for mercy. Flathead whipped us both in about five seconds flat.

No need with modern drags IMO. Same goes for pulling out line on a spinning reel. Set it and forget it.

Powder coat.

Big fan of my Kaden 744 for 3.5's and up. Ark Essence 7-4 MH R is excellent too.

I'm having a bit of an off year compared to last, but last year was the best year ever soo... I'll feel better about it if I can boat a 5+. I sometimes spin myself out focusing too much on new things. When this happens, I pick up my flippin stick and get to grinding. Soon all is right with the world again.

Happy Labor Day to all you bassheads. 10hrs of double time and a half today made it easy for the monkey to talk me into yet another rod. I like my new Invoker 7-4 H MF so well I had to buy another. No desire to fish a chatterbait on any of my other rods after getting this one. I like having both a 3/8 and a 1/2 rigged while night fishing so.... What the heck, can't take it with ya right? Can't wait to get back after 'em Wednsday night!!! 60's & 70's in the forecast. Love this weather. Water's back in the mid 70's. Good times on the way!!!

Places along bluff walls that flatten out a little and aren't quite as steep, transitions from big rock to more broken stuff, mouths or backs of little pockets, irregular features on those shallow flats... Cracking a stupid rigged tube has been very good for me in waters with a lot of chunk rock. It'll cover a lot of water while still being fairly subtle presentation, can be fished shallow to deep, the plastic covered jighead comes through rock well, and will usually pop free when it does hang.

? I just PURCHASED another Ark Invoker chatterbait rod this morning. IT AIN'T ME!!! Monkey beat me over the head with a 25% off sale on 'em. Couldn't help myself.

When I grow up I wanna be as awesome as ol'crickety!!!

Another reason I make my own. I use a 5/0 Gammy straight shank. Medium wire. Plenty strong and needle sharp.