AlabamaSpothunter

Being a really big night Basser in the summers, I can't tell you the number of times Bats hit the top of my pole, or the exposed line above the water line......thousands. I'm pretty sure I'd have caught a bat by now if I threw treble baits. Sometimes they wig me out because they're mere feet away from your head when they tag the end of your pole. That's crazy though, once in lifetime deal for sure. You spend enough time on the water, and you're going to see things most other humans never do. Yeah they'll hit stuff in the air all the time, but if OP caught it while working it on retrieve that's very weird.

There are days when they won't eat a 4.5-5.5" standard size A-Rig that's typically rigged with 4-4.5" swimbaits, however they'll hammer the smaller 3.5" Finesse A-Rigs with 3-3.5" swimbaits. If I fished clear water I doubt I'd throw rigs with blades on them, so I'd agree with softwateronly on that aspect. Sounds like you are just overwhelming them.....little too much flash, little too much bulk. I fish 2-3ft of viz, and I find that when it gets reduced even further after a strong winter rain, the A-Rig really shines. Lastly, the colder you are, the better the rig works in my experience. I'm likely 2 months away from the start of peak A-Rig season here in central Alabama.

If I could go anywhere tomorrow to fish shallow for Largeheads, it would be Toledo Bend. If I'm paying to go fish somewhere far away, I'm going to the place that gives me the best shot at a DD fish, and Toledo Bend does exactly that year-round. You can also catch them deeper there as well, place has it all.

Wouldn't be the first time that Spotted Bass were specifically stocked by a state agency to improve catch rates. CA DFG did exactly this with Lake Perris: "With the success of the Florida Bass experiment conducted in San Diego beginning in the late 1950s and through the early 1970s, California biologists turned to another bass sub-species for one of their new lakes. This new lake, Lake Perris, would be devoid of cover and have drastic water-level changes over the course of a season, not conducive conditions for rearing largemouth. Because of this, the DFG looked to the Alabama spotted bass to fill a niche." -Big Bass Podcast

That's crazy, the one that broke on me was gold as well. Guess the materials are more prone to pitting from the surface rust.

Yeah Megabass doesn't make it easy on the US consumer......having a USDM and JDM P5 Destroyer lineup really confuses things if you read the action/power ratings on the rods. The JDM uses "slow" where I would normally expect fast. Buying rods is still the hardest part of tackle selection for myself. Every single rod's action is different, there are just no standards hardly in the rod universe. That Pop-X sounds money, bet it feels so good in the hand. Put a little Steez CT70 on it.....perfection I bet.

I'd love to get the Pop-x rod, I love that category of rods right above BFS. Got a screaming deal on the 110 Stick I just ordered, anybody in the market give Dance's Sporting Goods a call.

One of the most common things found by biologists when examining stomach contents are other Bass. In the Spring, I catch a ton of Bass that puke up half a dozen to dozen Bass fry.

Prepare to meet the modern boogeyman.....enter at your own risk ?

You were right about those youtube videos, lots of very specific videos, watched a few hours worth earlier this evening and it cleared everything up for me. Thanks again.

Tried so many as I'm a huge fan and user of Fluoro.....and have yet to find a perfect or favorite one. I have Sniper 16 & 20lb/Invizx 8lb/J Samurai Hidden Concept 12lb being used the most, but Shooter is about to get added into the mix at some point most likely as I'm just not in love with Sniper's abrasion resistance, and knot tying is a chore. Sniper is very much like Invizx to me, very supple, strong line in open water, but can chaff up faster than other high end offerings if fishing around heavy cover. Can't trust red label due to its propensity to break at the least little kink in the line and knot tying is a pita, PLine is fantastic, but it's diameter per lb test eats up JDM spools. Tatsu is the king, but my wallet isn't king sized. There are a ton of other obscure high end JDM brands as well, most of them are uber expensive, but fantastic in usage. I buy them on clearance at my local high end store....still the cost of Sniper or Invizx. Fluoro is a whole rabbit hole I've found, there isn't a do it all brand imho.

Even if I don't get it to replace my Jerkbait setup, I might still have to grab it....thing wow'd the heck out of me. Felt like air in the hand. The action was dynamite as well. Just can't get any feedback on it besides yours. Appreciate it!

Don't listen to Pat, he catches giants off of everything he throws ?

Freelining earthworms has to be the most finesse way of catching a fish ever ? Can't imagine a Bass seeing that and not eating it. Live bait would be my pick as well in that situation. That or whacky rigged senko....they are almost pressure proof.

Thanks! Yeah that's where my Levante was from, and the USA P5 series in my local store has made in Vietnam stickers. You're right though, the most beautiful Bass rods I've seen are from Megabass, they are flawless on appearance. Rod market has really changed over the last 20 years, back in the day it was unthinkable to not have a premium rod made in the US or Japan. Nothing better than Japanese Bass tackle imho, you just feel a little extra special when you buy JDM ?

I was already sold after some heavy research on this rod, but this was fantastic information.....thanks! Review after review talk about how special the 110 stick is, and how it feels in the hands........I'm looking for that wow factor in the hands when you pay $500 for a rod. Jerkbaiting has always been my favorite way to catch them so I'm about to "Treat Yo Self" ? This rod isn't made in Japan even though it's the JDM Destroyer series, correct? That's still mind boggling to me, but it is what it is. ETA: my jerkbait reel is the OG Steez......and I was using the OG Steez 6'3 MH F with it. The greatest finesse crank, jerk, topwater setup I could ever dream of. I have a feeling this new 110 Stick will be like the Steez rod but with better parabolic action so hopefully even better.

Yeah that's the only real quick moving constant bottom contact bait I can think of. Then again, banging a crank over and over again into the bottom is perhaps the greatest "bottom contact search bait" of all time. eta: If you watch Milliken's videos enough, you'll see he fishes the C-Rig, Swinghead, and Free Rig faster than anybody I've seen.

If I'm not cold they won't bite the A-Rig for me. Once it gets cold, they can't get enough of the rig.

Trying to find a new short high end 110jr/small cranks Jerkbait rod....... I've narrowed it down to the MB Destroyer JDM 6'5 110 Stick and a G. Loomis/Conquest 6'6 Medium Fast that is on sale for a screaming deal...$450. The Conquest feels amazing, and I can't handle a JDM 110 stick at my local store, not to mention the Conquest is $200 off. I just want the absolute best 110jr rod I can find to replace my favorite rod I broke yesterday, a Steez 6'3 MH F from the early 2000s. Never heard anybody use a Conquest for moving baits though, so I figured I'd see if anybody here uses one for those techniques.

Debating buying the JDM 110 Stick but can't get much feedback on it. Trying to replace a 6'3 MH F Daiwa Steez from 20 years ago that was the perfect Jerkbait rod.

Would the Conquest 6'6 M F make a fantastic 110jr rod, or similar smaller jerks and cranks? My store has a screaming deal on this rod, and I broke my Steez Jerkbait rod yesterday which I'm still puking over. $450 for a Conquest is about the only way I could buy one, but if the Destroyer JDM 110 Stick is better for 110jrs, than I might as well just get it. Anyone with experience on the Conquest 6'6 M F?

I was watching BTL with Milliken as a guest, and they were joking about if Milliken won the Randy trip ?

The Sasquatch Hunt with the Hack Attack would be epic. I'd still pick the Milliken trip over everything else. He might just take the person to O.H. Ivie or something. I wouldn't want to go fishing with Randy in all seriousness.

Well than I think we can compromise because my fishing mentor, a man who was friends with Ray Scott and Tom Mann said if you want to love fishing, never make it a job. Perhaps they're equally as stressful way of making a living. Depending on Bass for a paycheck is like depending on a dousing rod for potable water ?

PB Spot, or you mean you almost caught another teener LGM? Either way, sorry to hear about that.....that pain is real for sure. I really need to find some better fishing spots ?