T-Billy

Jig, T-Rig Beaver, small Keitech Fat or Rage Swimmer.

That rod is fairly stout for a M rating. I use mine for light jigs t-rigs and senkos mostly.

Well... That didn't take long. I just ordered another Battle III for the Dobyns Sierra STP 741SF that I also just ordered. At this point, I'm not even sure how many rods and reels I've purchased this year. Clearly I'm not responsible enough to have internet. I bought a STP 700SF last spring to try and temp those finicky smallies during the summer mayfly hatches using tiny marabou jigs. That didn't work out well for me, but I sure had fun using it to load the freezer with fall crappie. I wanted something with just a bit more power while still having the ability to throw 1/16 a good distance. The 741 should be just the ticket. These are REALLY nice panfish rods.

Casting: 7'6" H-F, 7'3" MH F, 7'4" MH MF, 7'2" M F Spinning 7' ML F With four dozen rods and a couple dozen reels in the stable, I would never limit myself like that though.

This seems especially true with the brown bass. Notoriously migratory, following the forage, suspending, holding on large areas of structure without much/any cover. It's often feast or famine for me when chasing smallies. Largemouth on the other hand are often easier to catch consistently for me. They're more predictable, and their fondness for cover makes them easier to locate much of the year. Bite windows also seem less important with them. You can often generate bites even when they're neutural or negative because of the way cover allows you to present your bait. You can generate reaction bites with fall rate, and aggrevate them into biting by keeping that bait in their face. I'll often pitch into a bush with my line draped over a limb and get bit say the 4th or 5th time I drop it in their face. Not so easy to do with brownies in open water.

The EWG makes a big difference. They tend to hang onto them well too, with no exposed lead to feel unnatural they generally give you plenty of time to stick 'em. There's alot of plastic there for them to clamp down on, so a hard hookset is required to move the bait in their mouth and get good penetration. I mostly fish rock structure with it and move the bait with a sideways pull of the rod. Let it fall on slack line so it spirals and darts. I set the hook kinda like swinging a bat. I point the rod to them, take out the slack, and give them a hard sideways swing, turning my hips through it. Swinging for the fences so to speak. Hookup % is very good. 90%'ish I had an awesome 3 days a few years ago fishing mainlake structure with a Stupid Tube. 30-40 fish per day. After the 3rd day it looked like I'd taken a 90mph fastball to the ribs. Wasn't really very sore, but it sure looked nasty.

Now that you mention it, both of the big flatheads that kicked my butt last July did so mid day. Both ate my T-Rig and ran back under laydown piles and wrapped me up, and there was nothing I could do about it. I don't know what it takes to pull those bruisers out of there, but an 8' flippin stick, Lew's Super Duty, and 40# braid ain't up to that task. Not even close. First one left me with a braid burnt thumb, a bent reel handle, and had some terrible sounds coming from my rod before I surrendered.

Dunno about that, but if one were to categorize bass fisherman, I'd definitely fall in the same group as Brauer, Hackney, Tharp, and the LEGENDARY @Catt. ?

History is also a help on new waters. Looking at the available structure and cover on a new lake will surely remind you of places you had success on lake X,Y, or Z, and give you a starting point.

Nearly always 1/4. I make my jig heads using the Do-It Shakey mold without the screwlock. I like the ball head better than the traditional tube style. Whatever head you use, the EWG hook is very important. It gets you a better hookup percentage and comes through cover better than a round bend. I don't tex oppose the point. I leave it exposed. Rigged right it lays tight against the body. Hookup percentage is very good if you hit'em hard. Stupid rig comes through rock much better than a T-Rigged tube, and when it does hang up you can pop it loose most of the time thanks to the plastic covering the head.

4" Big Bite tube, green pumpkin, stupid rigged, 4/0 EWG head, 7'3"-7'6" MH rod, 14# XT. Pitched and cast on chunk rock ledges, flats, and rip rap. I switch to a T-Rigged beaver when fishing wood and grass.

Been making my own for many years as well. You can one stop shop at Do-It. Their essential plastisol is my favorite of the half dozen or so brands I've tried. Their X2 colorant is excellent, as is their glitter. I have no idea how many of their molds I have at this point, but I've never had an issue with any of them. I like their injector too. Nothing but good things to say about the company and their products.

Yup. Caught my 2nd best LM the other day. Air in the 40's, water 40 at the surface, 10-15 mph winds. Not exactly what most would consider prime bass'n conditions. Most of my best bass have come from cold water, or at night. The big girls bite best when most folks aren't fishing.

T-Rigged worm or beaver type bait.

I've bought a Spinfisher VI and two Battle III's in the last couple years. 2000 and 2500 series. Zero complaints. Smooth turning, aluminum frames and rotors, good line lay, sealed gear boxes, cnc machined gears, smooth drags. I'm a 100% satisfied customer, and will likely buy more.

I keep them in the bags and keep the bags in a plastic container of suitable size.

One of my favorite wading spots is fairly popular. It's a lowhead dam. I have a technique for catching fish there that I've never seen anyone else do. That's one spot I don't share info. I'll just cast around like everyone else till my company leaves, then I'll go about catching them. When I go there I'm usually fishing for supper. It's a great saugeye spot.

Roger that. I often tell folks both where and how I caught 'em during conversations at the ramp, and occasionally gain some good info in return. The little lakes in my neck of the woods get HAMMERED from April-October. If y'all ever meet Fletcher or Hunter ask them about fishing the MWCD reservoirs. There are few if any secret spots, and no unpressured fish. If you're fishing Sat or Sun you're fishing used water by mid morning at the latest. Most people are anyway. I look for the fish most are missing. Pressure will move them into the thickest stuff they can find to get into, or out to the first break. That's where I spend most of my time. I'm either putting my bait where most won't dare, or I'm fishing structure around that first drop down to the thermocline if there's one. The vast majority can't fish either place very well. Sportsmanship applies to every aspect of life, so I just do my best to love my neighbor as myself, just like my wise friend from Nazereth told me to do.

Beat me to it. Two of the very best for river smallies in clear conditions.

Yes. I have a 6-9 ML spinning. It's definitely a medium.

These flat out smoke a fury. In fact I prefer these blanks over Kaden, Sierra, and Champ XP's too. $99.89 at TW right now. I bought one of these "One More" rods because they don't offer this blank in the Tharp series. 110% happy with it.

No experience with that particular model, but I have several Veritas. They tend to run a power higher than their rating. Solid rods IMO. I've never had an issue with any of them. That's a great price.

This scenario caught me my PB largemouth. Picked it out, reeled up the slack, and my 6-10 was swimming for deep water with my jig.

TRD Bug, Stupid Tube, small Swing Impact or Rage Swimmer on structure. T-Rigged Sweet Craw, or Trick Worm in cover.

Thanks. That's the goal. I spend alot of time fishing places most folks won't put a bait into. That big girl today came out of the heart of the pine on the left. Top of the tree is in about 9'. She was suspended tight up under a thick bough soaking up the suns warmth. She was no more than 2' down. I was lucky to stick her. She caught me WAY out of position. As the bait hit the water, I lifted my rod to 12 o'clock letting line out so my bait could get to the bottom. Just as I got to 12 the limb she was under shook. OH CRAP!!! I reeled down and when I got the slack out she was just sitting there with it like the bigguns often do. Stuck her right in the crusher. Gotta love those snelled flippin hooks. No way she was coming off. Spent about 20min picking those trees apart and caught two more keepers out of them. Can't wait to get back out there tomorrow.