MediumMouthBass

There was a post a few weeks ago, but it mightve been an update from a year or 2 ago talking about this, its a known Tackle Warehouse problem now, i think the person just used the cards to buy other cards? I think it was in the everything else topic too, try searching here. @Leeboy ill tag you in the other post, i found it.

Honestly when it comes to budget spinning reels ill go with the Revros line for being a more refined, nicer looking, smoother feeling, and the Shimano Sienna/Nexave/Sedona for being bulletproof. They are all nice reels, the preference on which ones better depends on the individual, do you like black and blue? or black and gold more? Ive used my Shimanos in some really horrible conditions, left them in rain for hours and hours, threw them on the gravel/rocks hundreds of times, never oiled or cleaned even 1 of them. Only 1 doesnt work properly anymore, the rest keep on going. They feel and look not so great but i know they will last a lifetime. My Revros (favorite spinning reel) i think wouldve broken if i treated it like the Shimanos, but wow does it look and feel nice.

All the bass ive caught so far have been either in or just outside grass. Caught 1 on a swimbait, another on a top water walking bait, but the rest all came from ripping a lipless out of grass or burning it above it. Open water (from the bank) there just doesnt seem to be any bass activity, theres been alot of small bass in 1' of water right on the bank lately but the past week theres been a few 3-5lbers cruising along with them. They dont seem to be on beds yet, or even anywhere near that stage. Weve had a weird spring in PA, our pre spawn is just about happening now in 1 lake and is probably another few weeks away in the rest. Very strange its usually still happening or done by now.

Hog Farmer Spunk Shads were already amazing, but Missile Baits took them to another level, making the colors even better. Also i see you have the 3.5" ones in stock, is this a sign youll be making a Fogy in a smaller size to rival the Mini Max?

Glide baits catch big fish. So many different ways to work them, fast, slow, i like fishing them over swimbaits. Now swimbaits catch big bass too, but i have more fun fishing glides, experimenting with their movements in the water, the various different cadences. If you throw them just make sure your rod and reel can handle it, and make sure the lines a heavy lb test so you dont snap off when casting. And be prepared to catch alot of big bass, it just might take an hour or 2 of nothing and then BAM, the fight is on.

I doubt ill ever need a $50k boat but if i did i would buy a brand new one, right off the showroom floor. You really just cant beat new, ive learned alot in life so far and one of the most important things ive learned is about buying used cars, dirt bikes, jetskis, etc.... No matter how great they seem, youll have no idea how they were taking care of, how they were worked on or taken apart/put back together. Was good gas and quality oil used for the whole life of the engine? Or was it almost ran dry several times a year? You just dont know. Thats alot of money, and will probably be something youll use for awhile, do yourself a favor in the long run and get something you will have 100% confidence in. If you can get a new one for similar price go for it. And if tournament fishing you definitely want something that you can depend on every fishing trip. Plus everything will be customized for you, not for the previous owner and their choices. Only advice i can give for this.

This really speaks to me, most of my lakes are pickerel infested or filled with tons of sunken trees so i always used really cheap house brand lures or soft plastics only, i got so tired of not catching fish when i knew i could. This year im throwing every lure i have and if i lose it oh well, the lures are worth nothing to me sitting in their packaging or not being used. Sure you might lose a $6 crankbait in the rocks or wood, but you might gain a 6lb bass.

My mom once asked the owner of a tackle shop if musky taste good, i thought the guy was going to have a heart attack.

And often times the in store prices wont match the online ones, sometimes youll pay full price and have to go back in for them to fix it.

6th sense is one of my favorite hard bait companies (right along with Spro, Berkley, Rapala, Strike King) their attention to detail and amazing colors are just well amazing. Heres the downfall of the hardbaits, in heat they will split open, melt, leak, etc.... And the soft plastics are usually junk. Its sad but what can you do, atleast in every experience ive witnessed someone else having they were quick to replace the bad ones. Keep out of heat and sunlight as much as you can in the future.

Im in the Northeast part of the state, and if it werent for how bad the potholes were id want to stay here forever and fish. Theres alot of quantity and also quality bass, walleyes, and catfish up here in the river. My only experience with the river is from bank, kayak, and pontoon boat from Tunkhannock-Sunbury, and various spots inbetween. This river is more loaded than the baked potato i had with my steak last month. Theres several guides in that whole stretch, dont know there names but a quick google search should tell you all you need to know, ive heard from alot of guys tho they get some days where they catch 30-75 bass, (give or take a few dozen) very regularly, some guides up near Tunkhannock get their clients musky too for bycatches every so often too. Up in the Northeastern part of the state the rivers are barely ever packed or busy, you might see a few kayaks and maybe 4 boats on a good day in a few mile stretch, lots of nice tackle shops along the river as well. Just dont wait too long in the year to do it, in the summer it usually gets extremely low. But anywhere you go in the state the river should be amazing fishing, some areas are known for being deeper, some shallower, it can change so much in just a short stretch.... Biggest smallie i caught so far was about 3.5lbs from the bank, caught several other nice ones that night when there was heavy insect activity. A friend of my dad tho caught some huge bass and monster walleye tho. And any walleye or catfish you catch throw back, most of the river (atleast where im at) is heavily polluted.

When im fishing for largemouth i cant stand fishing a worm or something like it slow, but put me on a river and tell me theres smallmouth and all i want to do is drag a ned rig on the bottom for hours and hours. I dont care what time of year it is, a smallmouth will always bite one. If that doesnt work a fluke, square bill or top water should. Also the river im fishing is so muddy till summer i cant tell what the bass are doing or what stage they are in.

^ covered everything you need to know, but heres something ill add anyways. The Strike King/6th Sense/first company that made them, Hybrid Hunter is a crankbait with a different style bill, it catches a ton of fish (including big ones) and its meant to not hit the bottom. Fish it over grass or above a sunken tree, but this can be done with any crankbait btw. Some days they want that plastic bill to come to its breaking point being slammed into the ground, but sometimes they want it fished above where they are at. Ive done it a few times, cranking 2-4' square bills in about 6-8' of water, give the bass something different is what everyones always saying right?

Looks a bit small, but heres an idea (i do it from time to time). See how the swimbait jig head is shaped like the actual head of a minnow? Cut the front off the paddle tail to where the first ridge in it is, then put it back on. It will look and fit perfectly then. (atleast it should)

Im going to say something odd, in slightly dirty water with between 5"-1' of water visibility ive done really well with an all black and blue spinnerbait. The blade was black with blue glitter. Ive not had much success with whites, golds, or chartreuse in the one lake ill actually use a spinnerbait alot. Sometimes the lake is clear down to a foot, and sometimes it looks like the chocolate protein shake i just had.

I dont know how you guys fish swim jigs or chatterbaits on moderate/mod-fast rods. I just dont get it, ive never lost a bass fishing them on stiff fast rods or extra fast rods, and i only get bass to bite them when im ripping it out of weeds. Id be too worried about a mod rod not having enough strength to rip it through or break trying to do so. Or getting stuck in it, a fast rod i can rip that thing out of there like an ancient Greek warrior, sometimes the bait will fly back at me tho. I guess it all depends on the person fishing with them, some just set the hook too fast i guess and others too slow. Bass fishing sure is interesting

I use Midway to do my research on baits and lures.... They have length and weight selections, and hook size also. That does what you are talking about.

I went all in on budget rods last year, mainly the Aird X and some Lews rods on sale. I have no reason to upgrade the 21 casting rods i already have, but when i do ill be buying several Falcons and maybe an Ark or 2. The Falcons look really nice and have great reviews, and have quite a selection of rods on the budget side. Thats all my knowledge on them. And with every post @casts_by_fly makes about them i want to get one even more.

@Dervish if you really, really want to catch a big bass, for a low price of just $2,500 plus shipping and handling @Pat Brown will tell you where this magnificent bass is! Call in the next 5 minutes and he will even throw in a free Jig. Jokes aside thats a magnificent bass right there, it always upsets me though how cameras usually dont pick up how huge a bass actually is and the colors of them, versus how we actually see it with our eyes. I just checked google and it states that bass should be between 11-13lbs. Wow

I only have advice on the deep cranking, i do it alot and have 3 different setups for it. Along with about 4-6 3700 trays full of deep divers. One of my favorite ways to fish for bass in the summer. You will need a casting combo to do it, or you will wear yourself out trying to do it with a spinning rod and reel. A proper casting combo for deep cranking will let you cast very far and with ease, it will also handle the heavier lures better. With a spinning rod it can be done but itll be very unpleasant after awhile. Think of it as trying to cut the grass on a 20 acre farm with a small push mower when you couldve just done it with a riding mower instead. For a deep crankbait say you can cast 100 feet, well the first 25 feet of the retrieve might just be getting it to its listed depth, so between your start and end of the retrieve you are only getting down to depth for about 40-60 feet. The maths not 100% since im only giving this as an example but its close enough. On a spinning rod you wont be able to cast nearly as far, so then you are at about 15-30 feet. Distance is the #1 priority for me when fishing this way, easy casting is 2nd. Baitcasters are easy to learn on if you watch enough youtube videos and practice, a good 7'4"-7'6" rod thats Medium heavy depending on the lure weigh ratings paired with a Lews BB1 Pro (the best cranking reel ever made) it has a deeper spool and holds a ton of line, what does that do? Lets you cast even further. Take this advice on this reel, they are a bit expensive but think of it as a long term investment that will help you out a ton if you really want to get serious about deep cranking. And use 8-10lb mono, it will help the crankbait get down even deeper. Dobyns, Ark, Falcon, Lews all have good cranking rods between $80-130. There isnt one thats best, they are all good and your choice really depends on what color you would prefer, and for the handle would you rather cork, rubber, or foam? And the most important, the weight rating. Figure out what deep divers you want to use and make a list of how much they weigh, that should help narrow down the rod. Baitcasters can be intimidating to alot of people, but theres no reason to be. If set up properly, and using mono or braid, with the correct rod that can load the lures being throw. Add some youtube tutorials or some advice here on Bass Resource you can learn very quickly.

Unless Shimano states that reel requires a special oil or grease any of the usual/typical reel oils and grease should work. I stick with Lews rebranded Lucas Oil stuff for my reels, its cheap and available almost anywhere.

ill use 1/16 for fishing near the surface or in really shallow/weedy water. 1/8oz is the standard weight for me whether im fishing in the river or anywhere on the lake. 1/4oz for when i want to bring in 10lbs of weeds or get stuck in rocks, its way too heavy for most paddle tail swimbaits unless you are fishing it extremely fast or very deep. Size of hook varies, im more interested in the length of the hook. I usually dont pay any attention to hook size, i just grab a bunch of jigs (shorter/longer) throw them in a open space in my tackle tray and try to fit it best to whatever sized plastic ill be throwing. For the belly weighted ones the Berkley Swimbait Weighted hooks or the Owner Flashy Swimmer's ill use anywhere from 1/0-6/0. But i typically will use the 1/0, 3/0 or 5/0 the most. But im throwing the 3.25-3.75 sizes mainly.

Easy solution, tell the family someone released their pet alligator into the lake. Youll be the only one fishing there for awhile. And theres no such thing as fishing enough, dont let anyone tell you otherwise. 12-24 hours a day is perfectly normal, contact a doctor if you fish for 72 hours or more. Then it might be a problem.

Depends on the brand, the Berkley Warpig comes through grass like nothing else. I can rip it out of pounds of weeds just like i could a Chatterbait. The Strike King Red Eye Shads tho, while they are great and have caught me fish recently and horrible at fishing near grass. Even one small piece and the things done. It comes down to the hooks, and the design.

In my experience Garmin and Hummingbird (more Garmin tho) are miles above Lowrance. My experience is with doing tons of research on the ones they have between $120-450. So keep that in mind about what experience i have of them. For the more expensive ones tho, if i had the money id buy a Garmin, or 2. @MN Fisher made a great suggestion, those Echomaps are great. And theyve been on sale at some really good discounts lately too.