AlabamaSpothunter

I don't wanna post the short the tacticalbassin video I just watched a bit ago, but Matt said he threw it on a 7'4 H jig rod. I think that will be just fine. It's been a bit over a month since I had confidence as in, "I can't wait until tom., I'm going to tweak this approach or lure and get even better results" The more I play with this Shimano bait, the more I dedicate myself to only fishing it, the more magic is happening. I mean the 3lb Spotted Bass strike today was the greatest I've ever witnessed, on top with a huge explosion of water and like a mack truck hit your line. I thought the bait would be broken ? I'm gonna get the Rainbow trout color maybe tom., that and the BW Shad that I got were the only two colors. The Ghost Trout looked killer. If I had them all at my local shop I'd grab the ST Gizzard. The Purple looks awesome too.....HAHA, I want them all.

testing @TNRiver46 Beers on me if you ever get around central AL, you've helped me from forum troubles, to IDing critters, to helping grow my Bass fishing knowledge. Thanks for being a huge part of BR!!!!

Dang it, I had a reply typed out about sending me a PM when you are ready to dump it cheap so that I could then give it to a kid ? It was obviously a joke, or the ultimate faux insult for a high end high dollar fishing reel.....it's only worth giving to a kid. I get it though, there is always somebody who doesn't like a particular product, in the Zillion SV TW's case, you are the first however that I've seen. I'm sure that kid will be thrilled, there are many adult Bass anglers who never have owned such an expensive and nice reel.

This one is slightly under two ounces, but more importantly is vastly more aerodynamic than anything else it's size so it doesn't require the same effort on the cast. Beyond that, I tell you Katie it's just got that magic in it. I mean I'm throwing other baits these last two sessions, but nothing is really producing, the lake is still super hard, yet the amount of fish that at least follow and reveal themselves from this bait is a first for me. I've had followers on other big swimbaits, A-rigs, occasionally on Jerks/cranks/etc., but this thing brings fish from a lot further away to check it out I think. I got some really cool strikes on video, hopefully I get some more tom and i'll post it up.

Big fish are slowly returning and this was the first time in a month with back to back sessions with a 5lb class fish, and only the second day of month where I got my new benchmark 5/15lbs. These bigger LGM look post Spawn, especially the one today, beat up tail and looked hungry which is unusual compared to when I normally catch 5lb class fish. 8 quality fish......I'm getting more and more committed to big swimbait fishing because of this Shimano ArmaJoint. I threw it almost exclusively for about 5hrs, it's as addictive as Bass fishing itself. 6 fish including a 5lb class fish and 3lb Spot came from the Shimano bait, and I had at least double that on follows and explosive blowups mostly at the boat. This is a HUGE sleeper bait right now friends, I've got a few hundred dollars into 5-8" hard swimbaits, and a few soft ones, this bait is so unique from all of those. I really can't stress the drawing power on this bait. It has so much flash and electric action, that combined with its running depth of about 1ft., you can track the bait the whole time like a topwater which makes for indescribable levels of excitement and occasional fear. You can almost just tease this bait in place or let it slowly float as it's quasi suspending out of the box, and the fish come absolutely unglued on this thing. Every single strike is either at the surface, or visual and is like a freight train. Welp just wrote all that out and then tried to attach images.....no room left, went to delete pic in my attachments, no white boxes to click or green delete button. It's always so hard to share pics on here. Katie had this problem and started a thread about it but forgot the solution. I wish we could just post pics from a photo hosting site and not use the forum, anybody know a way to do this. Oh well, you guys know what Bass look like.

What an awesome guy and activity. He's helping everybody, anglers, fish, the river. Kind of nutty diving in cold water like that....then again you Yanks are born nutty in that cold ? Thanks for sharing

Lol, I just throw half a dozen in a ziplock bag and put it in the go pack....that's like Buzzbe storage compared to my system ?

Absolutely, being an Alabama lake I was watching closely. He's a super impressive Bass angler, not just a fantastic FFS user. I'm learning so much stuff from him, and then Matt and Tim from TacticalBassin. Wish I would have found Ben's stuff earlier.

He caught a 60lb bag on film. I can't imagine what your definition of a trophy is if those are dinks.

better update your avatar, great fish!

Memory test has me about to turn it off, I'll power on, but my own first hand experience tells me that PLine isn't coming in at the top 3 in memory and it's my favorite and most used Flouro lol.

Gosh I'm a sucker for MegaBass...whats a 110 R? They make you feel special buying their stuff. Nice, both of those cranks are on my list....if I ever find a DD crank that produces I'll start playing the lotto ?

He's a greedy pig when it comes to Alabama Bass....call him what he is, shame the man ?

That's a toad good sir, not a "decent one" ? Nice ones, quality fish for sure.....the more I fish the more I desire quality over quantity except if I have a topwater on ?

A couple of teeners were killed on OH Ivie this year from being scoped/caught deep, it was kind of a turning point for me in some regard. It's one thing to use it to catch and release, but to kill lottery odd fish saddens me deeply. I can't agree with people using it to catch teeners from 50ft+ after knowing they've already killed fish and run the risk of killing the next one they bring up.

My belief is that effective usage of FFS isn't cheating, it isn't Bass fishing, it's a brand new pursuit. You simply can't compare big fish legends, or big tourney legends pre FFS to current ones. Butch Brown is a big Bass fisherman, Josh Jones is a savant FFS user. One isn't better than the other in my book per say, but they are doing two totally different activities. Winning a Classic using FFS is vastly different than winning a Classic without one. I want it very badly, and when I can afford it I will have it, but I have no illusions that any big fish I catch because of it will be viewed differently than ones caught before it, and imho rightfully so. Josh Jones caught ONE DD before Garmin's Livescope, since getting FFS he's caught over 200 DDs. That's the only stat you need to know for how game changing it is.

GeorgiaSpothunter is a more appropriate screenname I say ?

This video is the one that blew my mind and made me realize that FFS trumps everything including decades of time on water. Dude was fishing from a 14ft Jon fish just a few years ago like me, now he's the king of the big Bass universe. Ben Milliken's videos really bring this point home. It's not cheating, it's not traditional Bass fishing, it's something entirely new. I'm slowly shifting my opinion on FFS even though I'm currently saving for it. I think if we could go back in time, we might not invent it. Randy is right in many regards about FFS. It certainly is taking the magic away from Bass fishing. It's certainly hurting the spectator aspect of pro Bass fishing. Randy is also right about allowing these fish to have a "sanctuary" where they can live unmolested. Everybody always knew big fish roamed deep, but now FFS has taken the last hiding place from these fish away. Some people say well you never were gonna catch those fish anyway, to that I say exactly. Again I say all this as somebody who is DYING to get a scope. Go watch some Ben Milliken videos, he's savant level good on it, and he doesn't hide how he's using it. It's crazy how he teases fish into biting. 100% video game fishing when you get good on that level it seems.

If only he could have stretched it out a little further to the camera, I might have thought it was a 4lber.? Why do that on trophy caliber fish, it ruins the pics.

Love it Katie, and you are earning PHD, not an Associate's degree ? There is a special place for poachers and trespassers. A Bald Eagle was recently killed and eaten and made major news....sickening. Our Nation's symbol poached and eaten, ironic, sad, frustrating, infuriating. I like my membership I'll end it there. One of the things that attracts me most to the big Swimbaits is that I know nobody is really taking the time, money, etc. to chunk and wind them on my lake and hopefully they fool big fish. Ben Milliken thinks some big fish will only eat a big swimbait. I'd believe it based on how well he's at reading fish behavior on the scope.

Thanks Katie! We share a very similar fishing mentality I believe having re joined this amazing pursuit of green fish around the same time, and we both seem to be mentor-less sans spending as much time as possible on the water, and the internet, places like here and youtube. Once you can, you'll be fishing like a demon possessed, I believe that was one of my first comments after seeing several posts of yours ? You've been studying for a PHD over the winter, you're dedicating serious time, and effort into this thing even when not on the water. Your results coming soon will be spectacular, that PB in your avatar will be changing! That goes for many other of the regular posters up north, not fishing but still staying in the game and preparing and learning is the mark of a real fisherman. I caught that nice fish 100% because of Ben Milliken video I watched of his last night. Went to bed and said I'm going to the Dam and throwing a Big Swimbait. Honestly the last place I thought to go. Miss a fish, then caught that fish on the 3rd cast once at the Dam, I was like wow, the internet is realz ?

Caught 4 fish today, but one was a 5lb class fish. 3 fish on the Shimano big swimbait, and the ole' Berkeley Slobberknocker is off the board. This Shimano bait is really something else, 3 fish total might not sound like much, but on a day when everything including a Roboworm can't catch a fish, this bait gets three quality fish, and I had at least half of dozen strikes or follows. My budget for a lure is about $40-50 at this time, this is the most expensive bait I own. All the tech, the action, and ultimately the results seem to merit the cost imho. I have high hopes for this bait, it's just a big fish looking bait.

I accidentally hooked/caught a 10.2 Channel on 8lb/spinning gear.....took about 8mins, absolutely epic fight I accidentally hooked/caught a 9lb+ Channel on a big swimbait/rod/reel/line....took about 30 secs To discount the romantic and noble qualities with spinning tackle gives it a great disservice. Beyond applications, it provides both the fish a greater change at throwing/breaking off, and angler with a greater sensation of fight. Lastly the newer high end spinning reels are incredible, oddly worth the money. Way more refined than the nicest baitcaster imho. I have a new Certate that is a marvel in fuction and form. How could you live without one or two nice spinning combos, life is too short!