TheBaitMonkey

So Megabass said it was their Big-M crankbait on Instagram yesterday but that’s them trying to capitalize on the moment and I think the bait was actually their IPX12 that is releasing later this year. This definitely wasn’t a Big-M — Info on the bait - https://www.megabass.co.jp/site/products/ipx-12/

Ice out can’t come soon enough! 1 - 1/2 oz jig with a flapping hog 2 - Jerkbait of various depths 3 - Jighead minnow (likely a 4” Sakamata or Freeloader) 4 - Dropshot

Good luck! Let’s us know how it goes

Got one of the new Vision 110 SR’s in the mail today. Now we just need ice out to get here! A close up of the new lip -

I have a Sniper Pole (used it all of last year) and I absolutely love it. It’s built to last, really sturdy, and the customer service from their team has been great. I have mine mounted with a RAM ball system (using the tracks on my kayaks) but have been debating on getting their new holster mount. The RAM ball is nice though since I have my livescope setup portable to move it from my Old Town powered by Minn Kota to my other Old Town PDL that I store at a pond near my house. Their new mode shift bracket looks nice too where it allows you to switch from forward to perspective mode quickly. I started with the Sniper pole so I don’t have much to compare it with.

Nice! Have you been able to test them on the water?

I couldn’t find a thread for them or any posts so I figured I’d start one. Did anyone get them in the 2025 Megabass lucky bag to try out? It sounds like the full lineup of them will be released in early summer but it seems like it fills a niche so I just “had” to order a few from eBay. The new bill on them looks interesting (added a few pics) - they’re supposed to have an even more erratic side to side action than the regular 110 but they stay in the 2-3 ft zone. I plan on using it over the shallow grass patches here up north where the regular 110 and the shallower running jr both went too deep. I also imagine they will be killer up north on the big flats for smallies! Thoughts on em? What I found online about it - It is a familiar sight to see “ONETEN” tied to the end of the lines of top finishers at U.S. bass tournaments, European seabass (bar) fishing competitions, and various events in China and other parts of Asia. Angler of the Year 2021, Brandon Palaniuk is one such angler. A ONETEN master of systematic jerking, the last sanctuary he wants to conquer is the one-foot zone just below the surface. Yuki Ito has created a special ONETEN to take Brandon's jerkbait approach to the next level. Its name is the ONETEN SR. The action starts up immediately upon landing on the water from the moment you put your finger on the reel handle knob, triggering a bite at the water landing point. The maximum swimming depth has been thoroughly suppressed, while the dart distance to the left and right has been expanded. The dart distance in the water that can be moved with a single stroke of the rod action is the best in the ONETEN series. In addition, when the rod is held up and a short stroke twitch is made by the instantaneous loosening of line slack, many acrobatic actions such as “rise-up trajectory” toward the water surface, “roll fluttering” and “fluttering and darting” by fluttering the abdomen, etc. occur. In other words, ONETEN SR is a rising special that produces the most diverse bite patterns in the shallowest areas just below the water's surface, dramatically expanding the feeding zone. The outstanding fish response can also be seen on the live scope.

Yea, looks like we both struggled!

Wow, what a nail biter!

Gotta love the cold front coming through, with temps getting into the mid-30s tonight. We'll see what they're made of this weekend!

Good luck, guys!

I’m really liking the Beast Coast Lil Magnums, the Dirty Jigs Canterbury compact pitching, OutKast Stealth Feider (they just changed it to Stealth Fighter due to them splitting with Seth), and the Greenfish Tackle Chibi jig with living rubber

Yea, like you eluded to, I’d recommend throwing them on your heavy rod/jig rod first before committing to a dedicated rod. I did the opposite and decided buy a dedicated swimbait rod and larger reel and I didn’t use it much so I sold it at the end of the season a few years ago. Now if I have the itch to fish a Gantarel Jr or S-Waver I just toss it on my heavy rod

I’m more influenced by the people on this forum talking about gear and all of your thoughts than the influencers on YouTube. A lot of fellow, relatable, addicts on here. 😂 That said I like hearing Punch Fishings opinions on rods and reels, because it seems very genuine and unbiased. I wish there were more like him. He’s an addict like us. Chewy Thao has some good reviews too. The Reel Test is an odd duck that has favoritism towards shimano, I’ll watch a cast battle from time to time but that’s about it.

I would recommend getting 30ah just in case. I have a setup where I have two 10ah and an 18ah in line with each other for my Kayak. Technically 20ah would last you 9.5 hours but I would get the extra AH’s This chart on amped outdoors is helpful - https://ampedoutdoors.com/collections/forward-facing-sonar-batteries

The JDM Tackle Heaven sale got me last week! The new combo: Rod: Megabass X10 - Medusa Reel: Shimano Vanquish 3000sdhhg Line: Sunline Almight 16.5#

You’ll love it! I fish a lot of the natural lakes in SE WI and Northern IL using the 873 with 3/8-1/2oz jigs from a kayak, it’s perfect for it.

Got one of the X10s (Medusa) to try yesterday for $230 shipped! Seeing what you listed bait wise has me itching to go look again

Hell yeah, and that bait looks great!

I wish there could be one major tournament circuit so that all the money could flow into one main league where ALL of the best anglers compete. It does give us more to watch the way it is but I wouldn't hate the major tournaments merging similar to PGA and LIV did. That way the anglers could collectively make more; but I like I how this takes out the financial risk for these guys that earned it. I wonder if more Elites will fish the opens now?

I’d recommend the bamboo ones. Free Fly makes a really nice hoodie that I find to be comfortable on the 90+ degree days. I think 6th Sense came out with a bamboo sun hoodie too that mimics what Free Fly came out with that’s a cheaper alternative

They work and I do like them but I still tend to revert to ballheads for my swimbaits. The line through supposedly helps with keeping the fish from throwing the hook but I don’t find that being a major problem with a single hook bait unless I’m using a heavy jighead, which is rare - I tend to use a 1/8th oz.

Well… anyone out there bama-strolling?

hell yea!

Anyone gonna be at the tourney this weekend?