MediumMouthBass

The Aftco's casts mentioned along with many other brands of fishing gloves are fantastic. They dont last long like he said, but if bought on sale thats about $10-15 for a year or 2 of use The UV protection they offer is great, the grip is better, but the fingerless part is the key. Ive fished with all sorts of gloves, nothing works like they do when it comes to retying. If youve got some older golfing gloves not in use, cut the tips off and get fishing. (not now of course but in the spring/summer). Just make sure whatever you use is able to be washed, these things take up alot of sweat, and the smell of fish very easily.

I go out with a combo costing up to or over $500, no one says anything or cares. I go out with a combo costing $50, no one says anything or cares. People get way to caught up in gear, and not fishing these days. In my years of fishing ive came across many people, almost all were very friendly and nice people. Gave free lures, advice, and alot talked to me for awhile about fishing. These were mostly the older guys, not one person ever talked about their gear, or mine. Let alone bragged or insulted it. But the younger bass fisherman (my age) is another story, well the people my age are just terrible. Not just in fishing either. I wouldnt get worked up or let it bother you. Enjoy your new combo, and let them soak in their jealousy. When their plastic Ugly Stik reel breaks down and they ask to borrow yours let them use it, im betting they will go out and buy it the next day. Personally i only hate on the higher end gear thats useless. We live in a time where $200-300 rods and reels are the highest the ceiling goes. A rod or reel that costs $500 your only throwing money away. In my other hobbies i might spend $1200 on something i can get for $300. But the quality will be miles and miles away. Fishing gear however nowadays isnt the case, after that ceiling its just not worth it.

I bought 2 SV spool reels, i was amazed by how highly praised these reels were. After 10 minutes i realized they were either on par or subpar to my other reels. Another gimmick i tried, im in the same boat with you on this bait. For me however the biggest gimmicks have been "you need a certain rod for this bait or technique or else it wont work and you wont land the bass". This was mainly for crankbaits and jig/Texas rig rods. Ive caught 1-2 dozen bass ranging from 3-5-10lbs (and even more under 3lbs) on cheap fast action rods for both techniques. Sadly i spent alot of money and bought about 10 expensive cranking specific and Texas rig rods combined before that. I honestly do not believe any of the more expensive , or technique specific rods "that you need" to fish a certain bait wouldve caught me any more, or any larger bass. But the higher end rods sure look and feel nice, and i do love the more expensive rods i have, especially my Dobyns. Another thing was Fluorocarbon, i used to buy it in big spools too. I was told by everyone who fished for trout and bass that it was sent down from heaven. To say its got a cult following is an understatement. It was nothing but a sensitive pile of a rats nest, it broke off on any and all snags (even with going through the extensive process of making sure the knot was tied correctly). If the wind blew the wrong way the spinning reels would be a mess. It casts poorly with my casting reels too. Abrasion resistance? Rocks would chew it up, Zebra mussels too. Sensitivity? Sadly i never found the titanic with it while dragging bottom. Or much else. And the price is awful.

Is the river in your area frozen? Or just too cold? I had to give up fishing twice in the past 2 weeks for both reasons. Its been hovering at 27-35 degrees for days and nights the past week, had some 15mph wind the one day. Had to call it a quits after 20 minutes. Here the Susquehanna is still very fishable, had some floating ice sheets last week. But this week its a few feet higher, 0 ice. Water looks great. Going to have to try some neds and hope the water flowing from NY didnt pollute every spot of the bank with trees and tires. The ponds and lakes were iced over last week too, but this week they were open and fishable as well. Got a few trips in for the week, but sadly yesterday there was some thin ice on some spots. About 15% of the small lake. Probably will be iced over for the next week or 2 and then open up again. Caught 0 fish in the lakes, because i have a hatred for fishing texas rigs and jigs slow. Now i have to fish even slower😌. Anyone have advice for how to make it through the 1-5 minute pauses when winter fishing?

Yes. No. Chatterbaits are unlike most lures, it all depends on the person, and how they like to fish them. Whereas most lures and baits everyone just uses the same old rod, thats the standard. Personally i hate glass rods, and moderate rods too. I love fishing most crankbaits and chatterbaits on the same 7'3" MH F rod i use for everything else. I can cast easier and farther, and its just more comfortable for me, and feels tailored to the way i fish. I feel like a glass rod would ruin my experience with how i fish both baits. Other guys will only feel right fishing a chatterbait on a specific glass rod, or one with a soft tip because they need the road to have that load. Try the rod out, only you will be able to tell if its good enough for you, or not. I too fish out of a kayak, can take 12 rods, but only take 4. I found that each round being able to do multiple things good was more important than bringing double (if not triple) the amount that could only handle 1 technique great. As you stated, it was for an all around rod. Sounds like that could do a few things really good.

13 Fishing hardbaits for me, their rods and reels (IMO) are a dumpster fire. No idea about their soft plastics, but their hardbaits were great. The colors were phenomenal too. The Whipper Snapper jerkbait, Warthogs, Flatty Daddy, Jabber Jaw, Scamp and Troll Hunter for the crankbaits. These got alot of great reviews too.... Really hoping Rapala gives these baits there well earned comeback eventually. For soft plastics there were a bunch of huge (5-7") flat crawfish style baits in my grandfathers tackle box i got when i was younger. I have no clue who made them, or what they were called but theres nothing like them on the market now and by the looks of them they seem for sure to be big bass catchers.

(I have no personal experience, just echoing what TW reviews say) The reviews are split about 40/60 on either being brittle or very durable and lasting a long time. As usual for rods lots of factors come into play on why one could snap, but this has more people saying it about this model of rods compared to most. But its worth noting that the good reviews are praising this rod, and the people that got a good one love it. Plus its on sale, and is a Megabass product. If you want one now is the time.

BFS aftermarket shallow spools are mainly for Daiwa reels, a few for shimano, and maybe a little for Lews. BPS reels even though made by Doyo would be a no for that conversion, same with Piscifun. Piscifun and other Amazon reels are very small brands, not many people are making aftermarket parts for them that i know of. Your best bet is to try and get a real BFS reel or something like a Tatula 100 with an aftermarket spool, although that would probably cost up to $150 just to have a base to build off of. Or try a cheap Kast King or Piscifun BFS reel.

A few days ago my favorite place to fish was iced over completely, so to the river i went. The whole distance i could cast from the boat launch was iced over too, 4' from where my bait could land was open water.... The past few days weve had were in the 40s-60s so the lake was open yesterday and the ice was gone, i was beyond happy i could fish it. And now this will plunge the entire thing back to the ice age. Times like this i would make a joke to my parents how i should be down south fishing instead, i guess this artic blast will be powerful enough to make this joke no longer valid. Hard to comprehend it will even be that cold in the southern states.

Went to TW to try to buy a few TP1X rods and it seems that they and the TP1 Black rods are no longer being made since Lews discontinued both.... I know these rods had much better alternatives in the price range for their MSRP, but i think we all know by now Lews products are almost always sold at 25-40% off MSRP throughout the year. So for the $66 i picked my only one up for last year i love the rod, the 3 KVDs i paid the same price for however i cant stand. I really shouldve just bought 4 of the TP1X's. However Lews has a few new rods on the market, #1 being the LFS series and #2 the TP2 Gen 3. (Sadly theres no pearlescent white TP2X rods) But both the new rods have dozens of options, from 1 piece, 2 piece, to cranking specific models. Again with what i stated above, for the $100-130 they cost MSRP these rods are no where near the competition for that price, but if Lews keeps being Lews im sure these will sell at some point for about $60-80 on sale. These released recently so theres no reviews, and not much information other than what TW has on their website for them. And im not very knowledgeable when it comes to Lews rods as i always thought theres better ones out there for the money. The KVD proved that, but the TP1X changed my mind. So to the guys who know alot about the materials, etc, or are big into Lews rods will either of the new rods be worth buying? Are these better, worse, or the same compared to the previous gen?

OP unless youve bought a huge amount of 6XD's then consider switching to Berkley Dredgers for deep divers. I fish from a kayak and almost all deep divers will start pulling me towards them, this is the main reason i only fish Dredgers when im on the kayak, theres alot less drag. And like ranger said these types of cranks can cause alot of drag. I have a few cranking rods now, 1 and 2 are way too short and can only throw 1.5 KVDS, the 3rd is way too stiff and can only throw lures over an ounce, however after switching to Strike King for shallows, SPRO for Mids, and Berkley for deep divers i can throw almost all on the 4th rod since they are within a certain weight range. Example, the 1.5/2.5 KVD's weigh 3/8 and 5/8oz, the SPRO RKCrawler 55 MD is 1/2oz, and the Dredger 14.5 is 5/8, Dredger 17.5 is 3/4 but is very small and feels lighter, 20.5 is 7/8. Now this rod will struggle with 1.5s so ive taken them and all the other smaller cranks out of the rotation. The rod i throw this on is rated 1/2-1 1/4 but it feels more like 3/8-1. Paired with a BB1 Pro or SLX MGL and 10-12lb line i can throw most squarebills, mid and deep divers (that arent over 1oz or cause a lot of drag). Finding a balance between both types of crankbaits while only using 1 rod is definitely able to be done, but will require some experimentation with using different brands, weights, etc... This can work, 6'10" to 7-2" is generally considered the standard for smaller/lighter cranks.

Same thing is happening here. A few local guys pulled their tanks out of the shop and only carry crawlers and grubs now for live bait. Even they dont sell to well, except for trout season. Too much work and not enough money is right. Plus most people seem to have moved away from live bait, i still know a few people who use it. But the masses have headed towards soft plastics, especially the scented ones. And for walleye+crappie they work fantastic (but i still think live minnows are the best for those species). Just alot of work and smell.

This i was i do too. Whether a frozen lake forces me or not. Although the other day i had to time my casts to avoid getting stuck on a ice berg floating at 10mph. And for the op since you said you are fishing from the bank his suggestion is even better. Lakes in the winter i find the bass are too far out to even reach with my heaviest lure. In the river they can be anywhere and everywhere. Want to guess what the best part is? The ned rig you are already using is the king in river fishing baits, especially when they dont want to chase down a moving bait. But regardless of where you fish it, the standard weight should be 1/16oz, anything after that especially in shallow-10' of water with 0 current the bait just falls to fast on the initial drop, and everytime you go to work it too. (Most times the bass will bite on the initial fall) 1/8oz or higher should be a last resort option only if you truly cant get that distance, this time of year these fish (usually) dont want to move or chase down anything thats moving fast. Hence why everyone suggests having a long pause for jerkbaits. But if fishing water past 10' deep or a place with current you might have to go to 1/8, or even heavier just to keep it on bottom. Are you or have you tried using braided fishing line? Disregard if so, but if not #1 it will cast alot farther, and #2 it will let you see your line on the top, which is the most crucial part of a ned rig. Anytime i couldnt see my line (fluoro or clear mono) the bass got badly gut hooked.

This makes me really want to try a black 4" senko with much smaller length strips of skirt matieral for a diy hellgrammite for the river. Thanks for the idea

Again alot of cars are coming out of the factories in great condition without issues, but the ones that arent are also making it through, like never before. You really have to do extensive research to know what to look for. And inspect any car you are interested in for any known issue to rule them out. Now unless you are or have a mechanic with you, you cant rule everything out, but just test and check as much of the vehicle out as you can. Subarus are still very good, as they and most of the import brands are having better quality control/reliability, but theres still a bunch known issues sadly.... And the cars that are on the lots can go either way once you buy them (this is for all imports today). Although id say its more like 20-80/30-70% there have been alot of times it went 40-60/50-50% for these based on different forums i go on. But theres alot of factors and variables that go into that. (These percentages are across all imports, more than likely youll get a good one, or one with minor issues, but the chance to get a bad vehicle is higher than ever, again just do some research and go into it knowing what to look for) Toyota is also very good too if you dont buy their new inline 6 or 4 cylinder unproven and issue filled trucks. Their cars are still great (except for the GR series, which is their performance line. They void your warranty if you go over 85MPH) You might just have to travel a bit farther to find a certain model/color/trim in stock, since most Toyota vehicles are sold either before they arrive or get sold the day they get to the lot. Since they allocate less vehicles to the US vs other countries, also because of this negotiating on price will be the hardest for this brand. Honda is great if you can find one thats a leftover with an automatic instead of cvt transmission. Mazda is getting surprisingly good reviews after making a comeback from ditching Nissans transmission and making their own. (Although alot of reviews about the uncomfortable seats). Hyundai/Kia are either the best car youll ever own or the worst as the reviews say, but their reviews are really split. Stay away from any Hyundai with a turbo, their transmissions keep getting recalled. Buy from a reputable dealer as they will be a significant help if any vehicle has an issue. Stay away from any domestic car brand, sadly these guys have destroyed themselves.

DISCLAIMER: Not every new car is a dumpster fire, and some people love their new vehicle and it gives them 0 issues. But today thats about a 30-70 or a 50-50 split on if you get a solid car, or something that shouldve never made it out of the factory, let alone be sold to a customer. And take my advice below with a grain of salt, and do your own research on whatever vehicle you want to buy. Reddit, youtube, and vehicle specific forums are all good ways of doing so. If made after 2020 or if you value your money, run the other direction. And im a huge Subaru/Chevy guy. I love my Baja, and will love my future C5 Corvette even more. The old stuff has its issues, but are very reliable if maintained properly. Theres a reason cars from decades ago are still on the road, as back then things were made to last. Now they are only made to last a few years to get you to buy another one. Kind of like modern appliances.... The new vehicles are needing to be towed back before even getting home. Do some research into their recent issues. They raised prices 25-100% and lowered quality to 0. Subaru Crosstreks use their Eyesight technology, that numerous people have said several times that their vehicle stopped in the road automatically for no reason. Windshields are cracking constantly, even after being replaced a week before. Then theres the transmissions, even though their CVT transmission is the best there is, its still a CVT transmission. Honda ruined their reputation in reliability by going to a CVT within the last year or 2, constant issues with them. Plus people are coming out to their locked cars being unlocked, these cars rely on way to much tech. (this was more so a Crosstrek/Outback thing). Chevy has also become a disaster within recent years, well all of GM actually. Their new trucks are their biggest pile of garbage, the 2500hd and up dont have as many issues, just the screens glitching and needing to be taken back for a fix. However the 1500's and then the Duramax's are having so many issues its unbelievable. Seriously do some research on the road GM is on currently. If there trucks are having these issues i can only imagine the rest of their line of vehicles being similar. Then with the EPA threatening and forcing them to get rid of any reliability left, aka going to newer, smaller, unproven engines to save 1mpg.... Im a huge car enthusiast, (or whatever we are calling ourselves these days). This is the absolute worst time theres ever been for vehicles, between their prices and their quality, well lack there of. Every brand is having issues, although some not as bad as others. Toyota redid their engines (on behalf of the EPA) for their Tundras, they recalled them in the hundreds of thousands because they were exploding. Stellantis (Dodge, Jeep, Chrystler, Ram) is on the verge of either making it, or going bankrupt. As they for some reason thought they could charge 100k for the cars they were selling for 50, and lowered quality at the same time. And to add, there have been more people than there shouldve talking about how parts of their vehicles have been assembled incorrectly, or not even hand tightened when they were supposed to be torqued to spec happening. Its a quality control nightmare for most companies these days. Sorry for how long this is, and that its all doom and gloom. But this is the current state of new modern vehicles in America.

Copoly/hybrid line is the poor mans (better yet wise mans) fluoro. Or the gentleman's mono. Each brand is different however, i like YZ Hybrid because well its the only one ive used. And has been fantastic for me. Its dirt cheap, and i leave my gear out in the cold/heat year round and i havent had to change the spools for years. Lines like new, just discolored. For me Copolymer line is always the answer (except for braid of course, but thats for something very different) but for this in my opinion i really think the line you are using now is just fine. For drop shots keeping the bait up higher in the water column is 100% user controlled. Line will make a difference but it will still drop to the bottom if given slack, mono/hybrid will just let it fall slower. And i doubt that amount would make a significant difference. Work on counting till where it hits bottom, and just reel in a bit and hold it at your (best guesstimate) desired depth, or even just using a small bobber stop and maybe a panfish bobber would suite you better. I personally couldnt stand fishing a drop shot, a bobber offered a quick and very simple solution. It works great if you know the depth. (BTW use a slip bobber since you can work the bait properly).

You guys said no FFS required, will shaking a minnow work if i dont have a fish finder either? Or is this something that you have to know where the fish are?

Country wide for fresh water (since some states transplanted species) Panfish: Bluegill, Crappie, Perch 1/64, 1/32, 1/16 jig heads paired with soft plastic minnows, grubs or other live insects/live minnows. Trout: Hook and split shot or any of the above mentioned jig sizes, paired with minnows, worms, grubs, or Powerbait eggs/mice tails. Bass: (Smallmouth) Ned rigs, wacky rigs, tube jigs, drop shot, jerkbaits, crankbaits, topwaters. Bass: (Largemouth) All of the above will work, along with Chatterbaits, Texas rigs, frogs, jigs. Pickerel: Almost everything that moves they will try to bite. Pike: Bigger pickerel pretty much, use your bass lures but be sure to tie on a steel leader or tieable wire. If you want to target them mainly try bigger lures like swimbaits. Musky: not too sure since ive never fished for them. Walleye: Jerkbaits, deep diving jerkbaits, deep diving crankbaits, 1/8, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2oz jigs with a minnow or nightcrawler (or soft plastic), paddle tail swimbaits. Catfish: Kool aid soaked hot dogs, dough bait, live bait like bluegills where legal to do so. Snakehead: Frogs are the main ones, but anything for bass will work too. If your not sure whats in a body of water a 1/16 oz jig with a nightcrawler will work for every species. Including bass/walleye, but more so panfish and trout. A ned rig, wacky rig, Texas rig, jerkbait, crank, chatterbait, spinnerbait, topwater baits/frogs will cover almost all bases for most species. And are considered the standard for the whole Country.

Im guessing this is why anytime i write that brands name i have to wait for a moderator to approve it.. But for the OP, for those being that old i would hang them on the wall. Once they are lost you will have a hard time replacing them, new ones are made every day. If you want new ones the Fogy and Tremor from Siebert and phenomenal, or if youre rich the J Hammer or Elite Evo are also really amazing. Personally i give my money to Siebert because #1 i like supporting smaller business. And #2 i can get 2 for the price of Z mans 1. Quality is equal too.

I wouldnt call it that, i would call it the hard truth. As with any protective gear there are limitations. Helmets only protect to an extent, whether on street or dirt. They arent 100% effective and wont give a 100% guarantee that if a person gets hit by a train everything in the world will be rainbows and sunshine. In most cases will they protect and save your life? Yes obviously. But they dont perform miracles. And they dont give immortality to the user as long as its worn.... Helmets can only do so much, and will only hold up to so much force. And then theres whats inside it, our heads. This mans head swelled up to the point they could no longer remove the helmet, and it had to be cut off. Now this is all small percentages but still a percentage. Hitting something hard enough can lead to brain bleeds, brain injury, brain damage, and brain swelling like you mentioned above. A helmet wont prevent all of this, as your head is still taking that force. Although the helmet reduces it, it doesnt eliminate it. Ceramic/steel armor plates come to mind, they can take a certain projectile at a certain FPS, will the armor stop it? Yes, but that pressure and force along with backface deformation causes cracked/broken/bruised ribs. For this is the reason why there arent more ballistic helmets being produced, because that force to the head would cause so much damage to the brain, even if it stopped the projectile. Even a few light hits with a helmet whether it be motorcycles, football, etc, can still lead to brain damage and other issues later in life. Not wearing a helmet would lead to horrible outcomes, but even with one theres no guarantee. Just reduced risk. I too have tried increasing safety being a priority in just regular riding, sold off most the MX bikes and stuck with dual sports and trail bikes/XC alternatives. They can still go fast, but they arent the wild animals, nor do they need rebuilds every 40 hours. I also paid about 3x more for a helmet compared to what i did when i was younger, got to say im impressed with everything but their designs. What ever happened to the cool colors, sick patterns... The technology like you talked about for helmets is definitely better than what it was a decade ago, but im not sure if its improved in the cheaper ones. Which when it comes to life jackets and helmets are what most people buy. Like ive said many times on here, im pro helmet, pro seatbelt, pro lifejacket. And i wear all three religiously. But these things have limitations.

Not to highjack this post, but how do you like that 23 Tat 100 for other techniques? Or does it really only shine for more heavy duty applications?

This is the worst part. Even more horrible when they play the same song every hour sang by a different person.

When did this reel come out? I completely missed that they even made aluminum frame Zata, wow.

The BB1 Pro is a very underrated reel, as most people skip over it because its a Lews.... And Lews isnt a Daiwa or Shimano etc, but its a phenomenal reel. Meant for crankbaits but it can also do frogging and under 3oz swimbaits too. It is made to cast deep diving cranks far, and hold up to the wear and tear that the crankbaits drag causes while coming back. If casting far is something you would like this would be the reel. Tatula 150, Tatula 100, and Fugeo CT are my other reccomendations. More so heavy duty than nice looking finishes compared to the other Tatula line (Fuego is a Tatula minus the T wing). I have a Tatula SV TW 103 and a few Tatula CT's, i dont think they would hold up for frog fishing....