AlabamaSpothunter

You can throw the frogs, T-Rigs, buzzbaits, and spinnerbaits all on your SLX/703c combo. I'd throw on some really nice abrasion resistant 15-17lb fluorocarbon.....Seaguar Red Label is a good place to start for new fluorocarbon users. I'd throw the Ned Rig and anything else that is similar like a drop shot on the Shimano 3000 sized reel. Between these two combos, you can throw a ton of stuff and figure out what you like the best and then buy technique specific combos for those. You'll figure out what techniques work best for you and your water in time. Until then don't rush to go out and buy technique specific stuff. The other 1000 sized combos are more in the vein of panfishing, trout, crappie, etc. Ultra Light duty type stuff. 30lb braid to 10lb mono isn't ideal and a bit overkill for spinning reel applications. 12-14lb braid to a 6-8lb Fluorocarbon leader is the route I'd take. Part of the frustration and the fun of Bass fishing is having to figure things out yourself through TIME ON WATER! There is no better teacher or resource than simply going out there in your kayak and playing around. Every lake is different, every angler is unique......you can get suggestions here, but the best way to know what you actually need, is for you to find out over time on the water. Lastly, welcome to the forum, it's a great place to learn and share!

If you listen to the industry players from sponsored pros, to tackle company owners, they all say the same thing.......lots of pain is in store for the fishing industry. The economic outlook is bleak at the moment. Most of these companies spun up to level 10 during Covid, now not only do people have to work again, but they have way less money in their pockets due to the overall economy and insane inflation. You see this effect top down in the industry, boat sales started tanking many months ago with interest rate hikes. If BF sales were an indication of a company going under, Pure Fishing would have gone out of business after last year 🤣

Anybody say b/t 6-7lbs yet? 😁 Never leave home without 1.) Camera and 2.) Scale.....you never know when you're going to catch the fish of a lifetime! Congrats on Piggie Sue!

AHHHHHHHHHHHH.....I said I wasn't doing this, yet I just hit submit to the tackle monkey God. 50% off stuff I would have had to buy anyways...albeit some colors I wouldn't have picked perhaps but I'm not picky on colors. I can only imagine some of you degenerate orders 🤣

Bravo Mike, meta to the max!

I just work it slow, but at 4ft or less, it's going to get the attention of any fish in that part of the water column unless it's chocolate milk water.

When I want a Jerkbait, but the depth is sub 4ft., I use a soft jerkbait like a fluke or better yet the Jackall Rhythm Wags. Almost all hard Jerkbaits are going to run 4ft+, especially on Fluoro.

Bob, I think he's referring to jet skiers, pleasure boaters, wake boaters, and generally anybody that's not a respectful Bass angler on the water as "lake lice".....and I'd agree 😆

^^^ That's all I do, and it works excellent Just because there's bait doesn't mean there predators actively feeding on them, graph around until you find spaghetti and bait.

Being relatively new I never got the chance to post with Gary or get to know him, however he seems like a wonderful human as evidenced by all the members who knew him and replied. Very nice eulogy Glenn and may the Bass in heaven always be biting for Gary!

Love that tractor Bob, way to bring her back to life.....you're a man of many talents that's for sure! If society broke down folks like you would be just fine.

Let's GO! The excitement of "winning" a KGB bait is like catching a big Bass. That colorway is dynamite, Kevin from KGB says bone patterns are his favorite. Trying to be patient for the Threadfin colorway to be released again, there is another drop today a 12pm cst, and then another one later this evening I think.

Hate to see the problems you're having Bob, but on the other hand you have three of the greatest things in life..... 1. Land away from people and concrete jungles 2. A private pond or lake 3. A tractor You're living right brother! 🙂

Yeah I was just listing stuff that I hadn't seen listed already. The complete list as it stands. 1. Price.....JDM is significantly cheaper 2. Gears....JDM uses AI, USDM uses Brass 3. Weight.....JDM is .5oz lighter 4. MFG origin....JDM is Japan, USDM is Thailand 5. Warranty.....USDM has full Daiwa USA warranty coverage, JDM is on the US buyer dime Warranty is a non issue for me, I've never had a "Made in Japan" reel need warranty work and I started buying Team Daiwa models in the 90s, and still fish one heavily that's over 20 years old. Brass vs. aluminum......another non issue for me on the SV TW model.....the JDM Zillion TW HD model has brass gears, and it makes sense why that reel does, and why the SV TW doesn't. The SV TW is an all around reel used for "normal" techniques. On the other hand, the TW HD model is a true heavy-duty reel, uniquely designed for heavy duty applications. Origin of mfg......very big deal for me, and as I said in the warranty paragraph, I've never had a "Made in Japan" reel need warranty work/replacement. On the other hand I've had numerous reels break from non-Made in Japan locations. Weight......goes back to the AI vs. brass paragraph, why not have a half ounce lighter reel if you don't need Brass gears. Finally, and most importantly for the sake of the comparison, the cost......it's not even comparable b/t the two currently in terms of pricing, I could never buy a USDM model for about $140 more than the JDM model. We're living in the salad days of JDM buying as US consumers using the dollar. I'm sure there is something else really small in nature that is different b/t the two, but that's everything that I've learned on them that's significant and worth noting.

JDM Zillion SV TW is made in Japan USDM Zillion SV TW is made in Thailand IIrc For that reason alone it's a no brainer JDM model is .5oz lighter

So many Body Duckett fans...that water has to be getting heavy at this point 🤣

Last year Bass Pro had some stellar deals on Garmin units and LVS 32/34 units in the BF flyer. A neighbor got his 12" and LVS 34 during that sale.

Great article and two of my favorite contributors to the site!

My understanding is BASS only allows two "Legend" exceptions per season......so last year that would have been Nixon and Clunn. Given the way Fritts fished it's hard to think he qualified for the Elites, and I would have thought he too got a legend exemption until I learned about the two per year deal. That's totally different, the Birmingham Barons minor league baseball team didn't specifically say in their mission statement that the goal was to put the Chicago Bulls basketball team out of business. I went to see him play a couple of times, and I know a lady who rear ended him softly at a stop sign on purpose in order to meet him 🤣

@PhishLI That's a genuine LI slaunch donkey 😎 @Fishlegs Great job on the pair of fatties, I really need to go SM fishing.

Man if I quit my job to go work for a direct competitor that lured me away, I wouldn't dare go back to the job begging for it back, nor would I expect any sympathy from the employer. Good for those MLF guys that were trying to make more money, they took a gamble and it's blowing up in their faces......now they should face consequences like most adults do. eta: @volzfan59 Spot on agree with your last post.

I think most of us can agree that Boyd and MLF have hurt the sport we all love, seems 75-80% of the opinions I'm reading are forgive and forget with the anglers. I get that perspective especially if at the end of the day you just want to see the best BASS or unified league. Honestly I think why I like the young guys so much because they don't have all the baggage.....and the future rookie class is going to be epic having gone through the gauntlet to earn their spot. Those 9 guys really, really deserve to be there. Jordan Lee better appreciate the opportunity he got.......lots of guys want to jump that sinking ship, Lee got a hail mary life line. When he failed to fully endorse BASS or condemn MLF in his own video it rubbed me the wrong way. What base is there still to cover, can this guy possible be thinking of going back to the MLF 🤣

Well then let me play Devil's advocate, and let's assume he's going to win a blue trophy or two next year, easily finish inside the top 40, and be in contention for AOY. Now imagine you're Chris Zaldain, a guy who stood by the league while you watched so many of your peers run to the MLF, and what's your reward for loyalty and keeping the BASS ship floating in the lean years........BASS allows a guy that did the opposite of what he did, and now will likely finish higher than him in all the categories, and most importantly make it harder for him to feed his family. If it was a true legend status angler, they'd pose the same threat Nixon and Clunn did last year, instead according to some of you guys, a top 3 angler in the world is getting rewarded for being absolutely wrong and disloyal.

Well the great thing is we get to see next year I guess. Fujita, Cowboy, Walters, Welcher and half of the upcoming rookie class I suspect will dominate next season....not just Lee, but the entire field 4 anglers have won back to back Classics in only 51 years of running it. Hank Cherry is a back to back Classic winner, competed in the Elites last year, and finished 39th in AOY barely making the Classic this year. Hard to compare pro fishing stats pre/post scope. Sure these guys are learning it and even have success with it at the top level, but others are true savants with it. Their technique is the scope, they didn't have to waste a decade or two reading tea leaves and mastering various other disciplines within the sport.

No argument from me about Nixon, I was just trying to differentiate him from Lee. I'm not a fan of KVD at all, I couldn't imagine turning my back on the company that made me right when they needed me the most. Greatest angler of all time pre scope, absolutely. I'm an Auburn alum myself, and Lee grew up about 20mins north of where I'm typing. I'm obviously in the minority here, heck the only dissenting opinion on the topic, but I'll never view the anglers that took Boyd's offer the same as loyal BASS guys. Chris Zaldain on a recent podcast had some great insight into that period and what it took to stay loyal and keep the ship afloat in the immediate aftermath. Boyd and the MLF literally said their goal was to put BASS out of business. Boyd fractured the professional fishing world purposefully, the anglers who followed him did so knowing that fact.