MediumMouthBass

2 words, fish shallow. Ponds, river banks, and creeks. The small (wee craw) and large version can catch a variety of panfish (does better for them than bass actually) but will also catch largemouth and smallmouth, and trout too. Just keep drag a bit loose since the hooks on the ones i bought seem to be very small and also dont seem to be as durable as most of the treble hooks im throwing on other cranks.

As other have already stated money is a main factor. But also why wouldnt they? Now a days these companies have so many options for us, you can get a great rod and reel regardless of what your budget is, whether thats $50-1000. Some people also like buying a rod or reel because of its color, some want a rod with foam handles, and others with cork. A few rods and reels actually do, do the same thing. But most of them are different even if its just slightly. Take the SLX or Tatula lines of baitcasting reels, to most people they are all similar to each other. I have 4 reels in the SLX series, 3 are different and the costs were $100-125-150. Each time i bought the higher priced upgraded SLX (even if just a $25 increase) it got better and better, whether thats the colors, feel, braking system, even the spool technology). But ill use these reels for completely different things. If they only made 1 SLX option i wouldve had to buy a different brands reel to get what i wanted out of them. Same applies for rods, (say for the sake of this well call it brand 1). So brand 1 makes a texas rig rod, well they offer it in 5 different choices. All the same price and all look the same/have same features, difference is just length and maybe some are fast, while others may be extra fast, well if i bought all 5 rods and took them fishing i might dislike the first four but the 5th might be the best rod i ever used for texas rigs. Just because of the different size/feel to it. Having too many options is a good thing, maybe not for our bank accounts but we have so many great choices when it comes to rods and reels, to where we can really narrow it down even further to get the rod/reel, feel/look/price that we want.

@Mbirdsley several different factors can alter how slow/fast the Originals float. Like size of lure, what type of line/its diameter. So depending on that and also the depth im fishing i either work it really slow or fast. But usually ill twitch these in slower durations/longer pauses then my usual jerkbaits (suspending), they really work well fished very shallow (when im fishing these i can usually see the lure in the water most of the time, that should give an idea of how shallow im talking about). Especially near or above grass and aquatic weeds, one or 2 jerks and then pause, ill wait and see if a bass comes up. If it does and bites then great, if not ill keep giving it a twitch or 2. You can even let it float all the way up to the surface, when fishing them this way they will come right up from the grass and hit it. I like to think of them as subsurface walking baits/spooks.

All the lakes and ponds i fish the main source of food for bass is either bluegills or trout. For the river its crawfish. Ive spent more than i shouldve on bluegill imitator crankbaits, and so far not as many bites as i thought they would have gotten, but ridiculously bright and unnatural colors work great. From anywhere between 1-5 feet of clarity. But ill fish them anywhere from 4' to 25' deep divers. I also bought some shad ones (even tho the bass in the places im fishing never even heard of it) and they work too. Not all lakes and ponds are the same, some want natural looking baits and some dont, id suggest just getting a few bluegill, shad, and browns and red/orange crawfish ones, and also try a few unnatural cranks (think chartreuse and other odd colors). If theres 30 bluegill roaming the edge of a sunken tree, the bass will more than likely go for the one that either looks injured or looks different. Just some advice.

Idk if this would work for fluoro, but when im using mono i take the spool off, put tape over the line and soak it in a container filled with hot water for about 10 minutes. Always fixed line memory problems but thats mono. Might be worth giving a try?

There are a few reels that would be great for beginners that rarely backlash and are easy to cast. 2 spools come to mind, Daiwa SV and Shimano MGL, i never had anything DC and dont have a need for it. They are great reels and people love them but im already very happy with the reels i have. Heres a few reel suggestions i own and have experience with. The Shimano SLX MGL (70 or the new A model) are currently running from between $100-150 for the price its unbelievable. Easy to cast regardless of skill level, excels at the lighter lures too. The Daiwa Tatula SV TW and Zillion 21 (between $150-210 for the Tatula and above $200 if you get the Zillion from Japan). The SV spools also cast ridiculously easy (like the MGL's) very hard to backlash too. Any of the above reels i would let my parents fish with them and be completely sure they would do fine and not ruin the line. But you really dont want to let the reel do all the work for you, ill often turn my brakes down very low just to keep practicing using my thumb. Always gotta be learning and improving.

Im not going to make any rod suggestions since i only buy budget ones but ill give a suggestion for the reels. (casting reels). With your budget per combo you can get alot of really nice rods and reels so id definitely suggest 1 or a few 2021 Daiwa Zillion's. The ones from US are $370 but you can get them from Japan slightly above $200. I bought the US one last year and just decided to take it out of the box and start using it. To say this things beyond amazing is an understatement. If you look up Zillion in the search bar youll find it gets lots of praises and can literally do anything. One of the best reels anyone can buy right now. And not too far out there in price. That being said with that kind of budget id also suggest not getting all of the same thing, having lots of 1 certain type or rod or reel (even if its great) gets slightly boring after awhile. Plus its nice to have different feeling and color rods and reels. But thats just me. But for rods its hard to beat anything from Dobyns, Shimano, Megabass, St Croix.

The Xrap and Xrap deep in sizes 8 and 10 i really like, and i have alot of them. For the price they have some really great colors and a good action, ill throw them alot in the more open parts of the river or lake. Husky Jerk and Down Deep Husky Jerks have 2 places in the tackle box for me, 1 is for getting down as deep as possible. And 2 is they are cheap if bought on sale so ill throw them alot in pike/pickerel waters. Both the above are suspending The Original Floaters are something that you may or may not need too. Like the name suggests they float, they are very skinny lures and do something different than most bass see. I really like throwing these outside lily pads or above shallow grass. Also very cheap and great options for pike/pickerel waters. The regular Shadow Rap is too shallow diving for me, i dont have any but i buy the Shadow Rap Shad Deep instead. (it doesnt go that deep regardless of its naming). They are slow floaters. So ill probably use these around rocks, if i feel it hit rock/wood or something ill back off let the thing rise slowly and hope for a fish to hit it. The Ripstop and Ripstop Deep are very different to me in terms of shape and how to fish them, Rapala made them to be jerked fast and then come to a quick hard stop. I bought some to try for fishing the lake when the smallmouth are in a aggressive mood. While all of these are great and have their place, if you just want the basics that work just get a few Xraps in size 10, and some Huskey Jerks in size 8, 10, and 12.

I got into bourbon and whiskey last year and didnt quite like it at first, but now really enjoy it. Ive had $2 shots, and $10 ones too. Theres a difference definitely but after a few shots you cant taste the difference. So ive been buying quite a few of under $20 bottles. Are you mixing? Doing shots? or Slow sipping? My choices of budget bourbon, whiskey, and "bourbon whiskey" as a few companies call it is Jack Daniels, its really cheap, an American Icon when it comes to alcohol and known by everyone, including people that dont drink. I like it, gives me a banana marsh mellow flavor (i know thats odd). Fireball Cinnamon is used alot in bars nearby for mixing. Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey is great to have just for fun, mixed with Baileys sounds like a good idea tho. Evan Williams is another popular one too, Buffalo Trace and Makers Mark are among the other great options, Quality House Heaven Hill is extremely cheap but alright, Crown Royal has various different fruit flavored options (apple, and also just came out with blackberry). Wild Turkey 101 is another great budget choice, Four Roses also. If you can go up a bit more in price i really enjoyed Knob Creek. I know i know you said bourbon, but might as well type out all the good budget offerings while im here. Most of these can be picked up from $3-20 depending on size.

If you want casting distance go with the Tatula Elite. Doesnt Daiwa call this a long cast reel? Elite has a deep spool. Zillion has a SV spool. Both have the T wing and Zero Adjuster, but the Zillion has SV boost, plus many more extras. I like the clicking drag on mine but thats not something needed. Ive had my Zillion sitting in a box since last year but am going to start using it, from other peoples experience it sounds like a do everything kind of reel depending on ratio and line. Either reel can do practically any technique, the Elite will shine on casting that lure as far as possible, the Zillion will shine at being a work of art, no really it will actually shine in sunlight. And youll think to yourself how can i keep this thing looking new. But seriously the Zillion will be good for any technique or lure where you want the ultimate experience of fishing enjoyment while getting all the benefits of the SV spool, like for instance smoother feeling, easier casting without having to worry about backlashes. Pluss youll be able to cast the lighter stuff/lures that arent very aerodynamic with ease. And they are within similar prices right now, JDM Zillions going between 200-210 lately and theres a place online selling the Elite for i think 190 right now (do a quick search). Both are excellent reels though. And ill just be honest here and say what we are all thinking, you buy the Zillion youll be happy with it and wont think back about not getting the Elite, whereas if you buy the Elite you will think back and blame yourself for not getting a Zillion. Plus when you take that Zillion out for the first time to the lake or pond/where ever you are fishing youll feel like a rich man walking into the country club on a nice warm sunday afternoon. And who wouldnt like that?

I and some people put everything in tackle trays and boxes, from weights, lures, and sometimes ill be lazy and throw soft plastics in them. From all the lead, and baits made with who knows what chemical probably not something you would want to mix with stuff you eat food off of.

@PhishLI so in your opinion what is the Quantum most comparable to out of the reels i already have? ive got the base SLX, SLX XT, SLX MGL, Tat CT, Fugeo CT, Tat SV TW, BB1 Pro, Super Duty LFS, Zillion? And from a few of the comments so far ill head there tomorrow and probably buy one if they are still in stock, i bought way too many 7 speed reels last year, and just this week realized i need something slower. This would be great especially if it can cast those square bills.

I pick up the 3700 Planos Pro Latch Stowaways sold at Walmart for $5, they are different than most 3700 Planos in their sections, Instead of all going horizontal for all rows these go horizontal the first 2 rows and then vertical on the last. It works great for holding jerkbaits and crankbaits. So long jerkbaits go up top, and the shorter ones go on the bottom, it works great for me. I have 4 different 3700 trays with jerkbaits (im fishing on a kayak or from the bank most of the time so i cant bring dozens of trays with me like i could if i was using the boat) and i have to keep it simple and smaller in selection. Tray 1 is only for regular jerkbaits, different brands, colors, sizes, some float and others suspend. Tray 2 is for deep diving ones. Tray 1 and 2 are only filled with ones i think i might actually catch a bass on, ones i have confidence in or the more expensive ones that others have had good results with. Tray 3 and 4 are a mix of various lures including some jerkbaits for days i want to only take 1-3 trays and not only use 1 technique. I have several of the same lures so ill put my favorites in these. Even if you took a hundred different jerkbaits, spend days organizing them by color, brand, etc.... do you think youll fish all 100 jerkbaits on a few hour trip? If a jerkbaits your #1 lure then sure go for it, but if you fish other lures more or equal just put your favorites in a box or 2 and go fishing.

Ill just use Dawn dish soap and water, maybe vacuum them first if really dirty. Leave them outside or in the garage to dry, make sure they are completely dry and probably put some anti rust stuff in them before putting lures in them.

1/16oz Johnson Beetle Spin or 1/16-1/8oz Blakemore Road Runner. Berkley Power Swimmer/or Keitech between 2-2 3/4", and a curly tail grub for trailers. Trout Magnets only have caught me trout and smaller bluegills, when upsizing to the Crappie Magnets put on either the Trout Magnet 1/64oz jighead or a 1/32oz ball jig head ive caught bigger bluegills, crappie and quite a few bass. Panfish tubes, ive got a few from a bunch of different brands but really like the ones from Bass Pro Shops, also under a 1/32oz jig. Bobby Garland Baby Shad's or the Strike King ones are great. Cant beat the Monkey Milk or Electric Chicken colors. These are my go to's. There were days the bass fishing was almost non existent but the Bobby Garlands got me a few bass and some crappie too. Strike King now makes a Bitsy Red Eye Shad, and Berkley makes the 1/4oz War Pig. Strike King Bitsy Minnow is a great crankbait and so is the Yo Zuri Snap Bean, Rapala has the Husky Jerk jerkbait that comes in small sizes and also the Original Floater jerkbaits do great for both species too. Trout Magnet, Crappie Magnet, and Rocket Bobber are the only bobbers i use. The Rocket Bobber is the closest humans have come to being able to cast into space. For trolling or long casts, the Berkley Money Badger has been great, same with their Flicker Shads. Gulp Minnows, and Leeches work great under a bobber too, and are scented. Powerbait trout worms have done great for me too (same as their mice tails just without the egg). If you want something cheap, simple, and familar get the Berkley Powerbait Power Honey Worm (looks like a meal worm or wax worm) this was one of my best baits for panfish last year.

I know very little about Quantum, and their reviews seem to be minimal on the big stores, and the ones that have reviews are from several years ago. Local shops always selling their lower-middle priced stuff at a discount but this weekend that reels going for $100. Heard some talk about it on a post about Quantum a few weeks ago but aside from that really havent heard much about them, i already have way too many reels, several different variations of the Tatulas, SLX's, BB1 Pro's/LFS even a Zillion. I dont need another reel but if its a steal at that price i dont think i can refuse, just trying to see if its worth it or what its comparable to? So if anyone that owns one of has experience with it id appreciate your thoughts on it. And to add its a 6 speed gear ratio, ive been wanting a slower gear ratio in a nicer reel for crankbaits mainly, would this cast the lighter square bills good or more of a reel for heavier baits?

7 speed reels are a great all around gear ratio. You can fish anything with it, even crankbaits. Just slow down. Its just not ideal in every scenario, out of the reels i bought last year 80% of them were 7 speeds, and now im upset that i didnt get 1 or 2 more 6 speeds.... I am using crankbaits and Chatterbaits alot more so far this season than in the past and the only 6 speeds i have that are left handed are on the cheaper side and arent too pleasant to fish with. And since the square bills im using are so light ill just fish them on my Tatula SV TW or SLX MGL since they can cast the lighter stuff with ease, but with the 7 speed ratio i just really have to reel as slow as possible, but even that only helps so much and i still bring the lure back to fast.... For a first casting reel tho itll be great, you can fish a wide range of different lures with it, whether its topwater, soft plastic texas rigs, variety of jigs, crankbaits, jerkbaits, frogs, even spinnerbaits just remember to slow down for some lures. Eventually if you want to fish some baits more than the others and need a setup that fits it better then you can go to a faster or slower gear ratio.

I like Lews rods for pitching, so these are on the more budget side $100/110 Lews TP1X Heavy 3/8-1 1/2oz $110 Lews KVD 7'2" MH 1/4-2oz (i use this for pitching the heavy stuff and big Daingerous swimbaits (Magdraft). I got mine on sale for 40% off but that was last year, they seem to be holding at MSRP the past few months.... So id say those are hard to beat for best bang for the buck. Reason being, fishing in those heavy vegetation areas can snap a rod from all that weight and force if you get stuck on a big clump of it, would rather break one of them than something more expensive. But thats just me. More expensive rods ive heard good things about is the Tatula line of rods and the stiffer rods from Dobyns. (i really like my Fury but look at their ratings because my MH is almost like a M)

The ones in PA have been great, whether game or fish and boat. I live closeby to the local office and the amount of ground they have to cover is unbelievable. The state really doesnt like helping them out though, especially when it comes to funding. (at least in my area). Have had some good conversations with them, the one guy was giving some good tips at one of the places i was fishing, he walked i think 2 miles down this really bad walking trail and came back just to tell me the good spot in the back was open. Funny story, this one time the same guy stopped us earlier in the year and checked our licenses and talked for a bit, well we (the people i was fishing with) left and went to 3 or 4 other lakes and ponds after that the same day, and our group and him got there at the same time at each place. Talk about timing.

Here i am too broke to buy a Megabass 110 on a post about someone who broke a Megabass 110 But maybe, just maybe if i bought one i might actually be able to catch a bass on a jerkbait, just maybe. Why wouldnt you call them tho?

Some places might only have smaller bass, whether thats due to over population of a certain species or something entirely different. Do you know if this pond has had bigger bass caught in the past? I would definitely recommend a lipless crankbait, you can fish it at any water depth depending on weight and how fast you reel. Plus they can be casted very far. You might just need to fish some slightly deeper water. And spawn-post spawn is always a tough time fishing for most of the country, might just be that.

This is why i only use the kayak in smaller ponds/lakes and use the boat on larger places with faster moving boats/PWC. Kayaks are hard enough to see with or without waves, bright colors can become washed out in certain conditions too.

@Pat Brown ive been fishing the 6" for a few weeks now, really like fishing them too. Just curious about what rod you are using for the 6 or 7" ones?

Ive been a numbers guy the past few years when it comes to bass catches, usually 1.5-3lbs but 5-20 per trip. Last year i invested alot of time/money and went all in on hunting for big bass, and what i was thinking was between 3-6lbs. what i learned is that most of the year up north atleast they are very hard to catch, except from February to June. They come shallow and bring their appetite. Gotta love prespawn right. Theres a place i fish that held huge bass (up to 10lbs+) but this lakes fished extremely heavily and to say high pressured would be a total understatement, whether by bank or boat. Fishing here rarely pays off, i think out of the past few years of people here catching hundreds and hundreds of bass only 1 or 2 bass were caught in the 5-10lb range. Where as a decade ago people were catching 5-8lb bass from this one spot on the bank every so often. Sadly a few people took their big bass home and ate them (im not against eating bass but let the big ones go). So either the big bass here got smarter and went deeper or their population is starting to reduce at a drastic level.... Theres another lake i fish that has huge bass but you cant fish it from mid June-Winter because of how bad its aquatic vegetation is. The place gets around 90% covered and even punching a 1.5oz weight in all you are catching is a few pounds of slime and grass. But from February to June from several years ago to last year theres 2 spots where the big ones always go. Year after year Last year was my first prespawn for bass, i usually wouldve went for trout but i wanted to do something different. I went on one of the fishing apps and looked this lake up, studied the catches people posted for the past half decade, what month, day, lure/bait they were using, color too even. I saw so many pictures of peoples 3-6lb bass it motivated me and gave me hope. I fished most of the lake early spring with the usual baits and lures and only caught 2 trout on them, i was starting to think i just wasnt good enough with the lures i was using and starting losing hope, but i kept going back day after day. The spots i was fishing just werent paying off, i started to doubt myself about how i was fishing, probably wasnt working the bait right, probably was reeling the lure in too slow or too fast etc.... Days later i found this one spot i usually didnt fish and thats where it began, over a 3 month period this is where the big bass were. I started catching 2-3lb bass and wow did i have a good time, a few days pass and the grass starts to grow off the bottom. My lipless crank and Chatterbait start catching on the grass, so i start ripping them out of it and thats where things go full speed. My PB from the years prior was a 4lb smallmouth and a 3.75lb largemouth and once i started catching 3-4lb bass i started really paying attention to every single thing the lure and i did. I would sweep the rod the same way, pause the lure for the same time, over and over again, the bite died down after that. I could throw every lure i had and they wouldnt bite, bought a $15 Jackhammer and figured it would get bites, but no only 1 smaller bass. I would show up and make cast after cast with the Warpig, i figured that was the lure i could cast the farthest so maybe they went deep. After around 50-100 casts nothing, covered most of that small stretch of the bank and nothing.... But just like the last time i just kept going day after day doing the same thing in the same area, and i started to learn and realize the bass were still there. I just had to be persistent, it took around 100 casts or more over and over again to the exact same spot to get 1 bite. I was now brining in bass from 4-5lbs. Just took an hour of casting to get one, but it was an hour well spent. One day it was slightly warmer and there were alot of people fishing the bank, no one had caught anything yet. I was fishing for over an hour and a half and there were no signs of life. Around the 200th cast with the Warpig i ripped it out of grass and BOOM a 3.25lb bass, another dozen casts and a 3lber, a hundred more and a 3 3/4oz. And just as quick as the bite came it left. Another half hour goes by and i see a bubble on top of the surface out deep above the grass i cast right into the middle of it, and there it goes! This ones fighting hard and its really out there too, its taking quite awhile to bring it in, im worried itll come off the hook when it jumps. And also i had a Warpig hook break a few weeks earlier so now im doubting its strength to keep this fish on. But somehow it didnt jump once, i get it right to the bank and pull it out. This bass's head could fit my whole arm in it, came in at 10LBS!!!!! People were coming up to me and asking what i was using and i got some pictures taken with it. Most people would always just pass by this spot and move on, or make less than 20 casts and continue on down the bank. Even i would leave for the night sometimes after just 100 casts here. The reason im telling this long story is because its very important when fishing for big bass, you can cover a whole lake fishing moving from spot to spot every few minutes, but you are potentially missing out on a lot of big bass. Find 1 good spot and spend some time there, like i said it would take me an hour or 2 casting the same lure in the same spot before i got a bite, but it was well worth it. And there were 2 spots where the big bass would be and week after week those are the only spots they were at. If you catch one in a spot then probably move on, but if youve caught a few or several in a certain spot then keep at it. Something in that area must be going on from them to keep coming there over and over again. Also patience and will power are key components, you cant give up no matter how exhausted or tired you are. If i had given up on the 99th cast i wouldnt have caught 12 out of the 14 bass ranging from 3-4-5-6-8-10lbs. Even if you can find the spot thats good, it has to meet certain conditions. Remember how the big ones wouldnt bite until the grass grew off the bottom? Well im fishing the same lake again for the past few weeks, not much signs of life yet. Even though we have been having great weather theres no grass on the bottom of that spot yet. Well that explains why the bass arent there yet too. So in the next few weeks ill be getting the gear ready and taking my knowledge from last year and hopefully catching some big ones! And dont think big baits = only way to catch big bass, i spent alot of money on 3 swimbait setups and lots of swimbaits/glide baits ranging from 1-6oz, yes they will work and work great but you dont need them to catch big ones. I was catching these on a small lipless. But if you can afford them or already have them then swimbaits are the way to go, you are ruling out most of the smaller bass catches and targeting the big ones (i know i know, smaller bass have bit them before but its a lesser amount). DONT GIVE UP!!!! Having a slow day on the water? Maybe you have been fishing a big swimbait for 4 hours and no bass yet well you could go regular bass fishing and probably catch 20 1.5lbers. BUT DONT, KEEP GOING!

Sounds like one of my local (favorite) lakes last year, it was usually clear for a few feet down and had great fishing. They had some home owners complain about lily pads and a very small amount of grass so they sprayed something on the lake. For months after it was a greenish tinted water with green pieces floating. I would get hundreds of whatever it was on the paddles and have to keep trying to wash it off. Completely destroyed the fishing on the lake too, no matter what species i was going for. But potentially could also be an algae bloom. And if so i wouldnt be fishing there until it went away, algae blooms can have some affects on humans/dogs in certain cases.