MediumMouthBass

@ol'crickety all the above guesses are wrong, its cleary a 8lb bass if you factor in those poor 3 bluegills it had for lunch! About time us northern anglers start catching up to those guys down south

Its one of my no confidence baits, ive seen countless guys on youtube and here catching bass on them, i have a dedicated setup for them and throw them every time i go fishing and barely catch bass on them. Tungsten weights, lead weights, fluoro, mono, braid, any weight and soft plastic combination you can think of and no. In my area they just dont work, or they worked too good to many times and the bass know what they are now. Today i started cutting most of my Strike King soft plastics for texas rigs in half for jig trailers, these somehow still work and work great for me.

Sorry guys but i was too late for this one, just by minutes.... Bass Pro had the Garmin Echomap 74SV (same as the 73SV just with ocean maps) on sale for $350, had it in the cart and went to buy it and was notified there was 0 more stock.

Where the Nessie really shines is with its 7" and 9" versions, heard some reviews about the 5"s not having much action. And the jerkbait would probably be a better choice than the 5, not really sure why they would make a glide bait that small anyways. But even the bigger ones have hookup issues too, depending how the bass grabs it.

@Bluebasser86 "I also have a weekend off in October, planning on being pulled around for 30 minutes, 2 miles downstream by a muskie from my kayak" There i fixed it for you! Ive seen some videos of people catching these great fish on a kayak and the amount of strength these great fish have (although sometimes a fast fight depending on gear) honestly scares me enough to the point im worried about throwing spinnerbaits in the river while fishing out of a kayak. Good luck to you!

TW reviews have a few people very displeased with their MGL's, mainly the thumb bars breaking and having to be replaced, sometimes even more than once. It seems like recently on here and other places all the talk is about either the 21 Zillion (on the high end) or the SLX MGL (on the low end), as an owner of both i can see why. With the Zillion being over $200 from Japanese shops and the SLX MGL 70 selling for around $100 nowadays (since they are now last gen) can you tell me that if i bought a new Chronarch it would be better than the Zillion for an extra $100? Or be 3x better than the SLX MGL 70 for 3x the price? They sure do look like nice reels but a bit overpriced.

Im with @Susky River Rat on Berkley Vanish, its very affordable and does what i need. Only time i use fluoro is when im using it as a leader connected to braid while fishing a ned rig for smallmouth (mainly) in rocky areas. 80% of anytime im fishing them i will eventually get the open hook stuck under a rock and end up breaking off, several times a trip. Ive caught tons of largemouth and smallies on it, even my PB smallie of 4lbs and havent had a bass complain about the line not being expensive enough. But if you are going 100% fluoro the whole spool then im sure the expensive stuff is worth it.

As others have already stated Siebert makes great stuff, i buy the jigs from him by themselves and make my own skirts for them. Saves quite a few bucks and i get to make them look exactly how i want. Great quality and the hooks are always sharp and strong.

A wacky rig is a top producer around the country, but does absolutely nothing for learning to feel a bite. Every single time ive caught a fish on a wacky rig, whether its with braid, mono or fluoro i havent felt a bite or even a slight tap. Its only when i go to reel in and theres a fish on the other end i notice it. Its only good if you watch the line constantly, but even then you really dont feel them bite it.

This reminds me of a local lake, its a smaller one and it gets around 20-60 people a day depending on time of year. Some people fishing for bass and others panfish and the stocked trout, to say its high pressured would be an understatement. Ive spent alot of time bank fishing it and throw almost everything i could think of, the bass are almost always pushed back around 10-30' past where most peoples casting distance ends. The ones close to the bank are either small, or they are on the other side where you cant really get to without a kayak/boat. Some days when theres not a ton of people fishing the bass might come shallow near the bank but its mainly just wasting time trying to catch them. What ive learned is this, once i got a kayak on that lake the bass fishing opportunities became endless Option 1, fish something different that what everyone else is throwing, whether thats color, weight, scent, etc.... And try to make those odd/difficult casts to those parts of the lake where most avoid whether its because of brush/lily pads whatever it may be. Get to those hard to reach areas. Try some GULP leeches or minnows on a jig with or without a bobber even. Option 2, fish right before night. The big bluegills and big bass come shallow and really close to the bank when it starts to darken. The huge crowd at my local super extreme high pressured lake all leave when the sun starts going down, 10-20 minutes later you are hearing splashes and jumping everywhere. And you can see the big circles on the water where they just jumped getting closer and closer to the bank every few minutes. Take something like a jig, buzzbait, night time spinnerbait, chatterbait, topwater stuff, big lizards. This gives you around a 20 minute window before its night and you have to leave. But 20 minutes might be all you need.

I fish lipless cranks and chatterbaits more than any other type of bait or lure, and when i feel something, anything, i rip the rod to the side. If its a bass then game on, and if not i was probably just stuck on some grass and just ripped the lure out of it. And if so then there might be a bass biting the lure a few seconds later (most of my big bass came after ripping it out of vegetation). But for bottom baits and lures without vibrations get some tungsten weights, around 1/4-3/8 and dont even fish, just cast them and slowly drag the bottom. Do this over and over again in many different areas of the lake/pond you are fishing. After a few days you will be able to tell the difference between the feel of a rock, grass, mud, or wood. Then take what you learned and start fishing, now knowing what the stuff on the bottom feels like you can tell if someone feels different and SET THE HOOK always if unsure. Just recently i got a few 6" Bass Mafia swimbaits, and i learned quite a bit with them, i havent fished much since i stopped last September and started back in late March so i was a bit rusty. I forgot what the bite felt like so ive been fishing these things near the bottom hitting rocks and grass alot, so in my head im remembering what each rock, piece of wood, and grass i ran it into felt like. A few minutes later i felt a very familiar feeling, like something was pulling it backwards almost like it was being sucked into a vacuum. Set the hook and had a nice 3.25lb bass.

I am surrounded by many great bass lakes and ponds, even one of the countries best rivers for smallmouth fishing, but yet i keep fishing the same place over and over again with not much success just because how good i did there last year, so today im going to force myself to go somewhere different on the kayak. I also throw lipless cranks and chatterbaits way to much, even when i know a different lure will outperform them on certain days. Ill just keep throwing them. And other times i will change lures way too often and too quickly without giving them much of a chance.

My parents love largemouth and smallmouth bass, they say its just as good as trout and crappie. I dont like the taste of most freshwater fish so ill take their word for it, (before i get people saying if you eat bass you are evil, ill only bring them home some bass to eat when they are gut hooked and cant be saved). Also they taste alot better during the colder months, when it gets really warm they taste like mud sometimes (heard from many others in my area while fishing) But be careful how much you eat it and how frequently since they have alot of mecury.

@FrnkNsteen well said, my problem is the techniques i use the most already have my favorite reels on them, and if i replace one of them with the Zillion i think i would like it too much and go bankrupt buying several more.... But today i found out my SLX XT doesnt do to good with lighter texas rigs so ill probably put the Zillion on the Dobyns rod for 1/8-3/8oz texas rigs and weightless soft plastic flukes. Oh and its 7.1:1

Its not really small but its heavy and doesnt go very deep. Strike King Hybrid Hunter 3 1/2 inches, weighs 1oz, goes 3-5 feet, not really a lure that comes to mind for walleyes but should work. And it sounds like you are probably using spinning gear maybe? Just a bit of knowledge, my casting M rod paired with a SLX MGL 70 with 30lb braid could probably cast those lighter floating Rapalas pretty far, so maybe think about upgrading to gear meant to cast light lures farther.

I have 3 kayaks, My first was a Crescent Lite Tackle (1st gen), it had everything i needed and was only $1,100. Well after my 2nd or 3rd fishing trip i realized it didnt actually have what i needed, i didnt have places to put my bags of soft plastics, or 3700 tackle trays. And i didnt have any places to comfortably or securely store the rods. Reason im saying this is because even though i thought it would be good enough for me it wasnt, make sure you are 100% sure whatever you buy fits you and your gear but also has room for you to add more if ever needed. I kept it tho because its extremely fast and use it for exercise. 2 or 3 months later i saw the Crescent Shoalie SF (specialized fishing) at the time it was their only kayak meant for fishing, i did tons of research, went to look at it and bought it. Now this kayak had everything i needed, for real this time. Its on the slightly shorter side of a full size kayak (11'10"). And doesnt feel like im picking up/carrying a boat like my Old Town Sportsman 120 but well get to that one later on. I have a Yak Attack black pack but for this kayak i dont need to bring it, just the kayak itself can hold 6 rods under the seat, it has grooves for the rods to slide onto (under the seat and up on the front tank well) plus 2 rods facing the rear direction on their "rod holsters". Fits around 10-30 bags of soft plastics on the right side of the seat and around 4 3700 trays plus 2-3 smaller trays on the left side of the seat/under it. If i did have the Yak Attack black pack in the rear tank well these numbers would be 2x. Its a fast yet very maneuverable, stable too. Its a river kayak built by/for Drew Gregory (a river bass fisherman). Everything thats on the kayak was extremely well thought out and had a reason for being there. Paid $1600 and it has mounts on both sides that can either be cup holders or mounts for an Anchor Wizzard. The rear is designed and has mounts ready to be drilled to put a motor on it Months after that a local DSG had a Old Town Sportsman 120 on display that was very beat up on the bottom, was listed for $1300 but the manager was more than happy offering it to us for $600 after asking about the scratches. Now this things stable!!!! But it also feels like im fishing in a boat, the speed and maneuverability are 65% the Shoalie but if theres high wind or bad waves then this things staying put. Its a boat that thinks its a kayak and its amazing. But not very "bring everything you have with you" friendly. What i mean is theres not alot of space for rods, or tackle. Atleast not for me. This kayaks going to have the Yak Attack black pack put in it. Plus you can really feel the weight difference when trying to load this one in the truck.... I like all 3 kayaks but each has a different purpose, do you want speed and maneuverability with stability? Or would you rather be a little bit slower but have one of the most stable kayaks made? Do you fish very minimalistic? Or take tons of gear with you.

Last year i decided to get a few swimbait combos, and one of the combos i wanted it to have a Lews Super Duty reel on it. The Super Duty 300 was a bit too much for my needs so i narrowed it down to the GX3 and LFS models of the Super duty. This would have 15-20lb line and be for 1-3oz baits (but might go up to 4oz). I went with the LFS Super Duty instead of the GX3, mainly because the LFS Super Duty is an aluminum frame where the GX3 is a plastic frame. While some people may argue that certain companies plastic, composite, or whatever they are using today in their reels might be good enough for throwing texas rigs, crankbaits, jerkbaits, etc... I wouldnt trust it throwing big baits for potentially big bass for hours and hours a day. Just my opinion on it. Plus the LFS Super Duty has a flipping switch, so if i wanted to put it on a flipping rod for a week i could have some fun with that.

Shimano SLX MGL 70 7.2:1, 30-40lb braid (Power Pro) Daiwa Aird X 7'3 MH. I dont catch enough bass using them to merit a more expensive rod, but i still fish them alot because i think they are fun. Casts the lighter finesse ones-heavier ones with a huge trailer with ease and great distance. Rips out of grass/wood without issues.

@PhishLI i was going to put it originally on a $275 St Croix cranking rod but after reading some reviews on their handles coming lately off ive decided to sell it (but only got it for $75 so its made quite the investment so far) and the Aird X was actually bought for $33 so it gets even wackier😂

When i first got into bass fishing a few years ago (i did it once before when i was younger but fished for trout and panfish heavily for many years) i was bank fishing a really nice big lake 45 minutes away, sunny afternoon with nice weather, covered as much of the bank as i could, switching spots moving constantly. I really didnt know how to fish for bass at all, i had just bought the rods/reels and the lures that were suggested. I had no clue how to even fish 90% of the lures and baits i had with me, i also might have been using my first bait caster too, the Abu Black Max i got on sale at Walmart. Well after 6 hours and not a single bass i left and was very discouraged. Just hours later that same night before sundown my parents offered to take me to another lake thats very close by to fish for trout or panfish from the public pier/deck. I enjoyed fishing for panfish very much so i left all the bass stuff at home, grabbed my panfish rods and a bag of baits and went. Caught a few small bluegills and then the sun went down, i figured the big bluegills would be coming out soon, picked up my Light action Cherrywood with a 1000 sized reel, took a small plastic Creme worm broke it in half and put it on a 1/64th oz trout magnet jig head and tossed it in the water. Something grabbed it and i was fighting it for several minutes, it was fighting very hard (well for a Light panfish rod with 4lb line) i saw it was a bass and as it got closer it got tangled in the small area of lily pads infront of the deck/pier. I didnt know what to do since it was such a weaker rod and line, i couldnt flip it, drag it etc.... After a minute i was able to get it out of the weeds and grabbed it. It was one of the biggest bass i had ever caught at that point in my life, it measured 19" i got some pictures taken and couldnt stop smiling for days, i looked it up when i got home and from the length google said it was between 3-4lbs with an average of probably 3.5lbs. That day is the reason i never gave up on bass fishing, and have become even more addicted to it ever since. I now know to take every second on the water as a learning experience and to learn as much as i possibly can. I still take some days throughout the year to fish for trout or panfish, but 80% of the time im going for smallmouth or largemouth. Other crazy stories, helicopter was flying around and hovering over us for a few minutes (30-40') until it landed next to the field on the side of a lake i was fishing. (Medical life flight it turned out to be) And i fish a pond throughout the year that someone released their pet alligator in years ago, it was just a small one and several people fishing saw it popping its head above the water, they called the local news stations too. The state hired a reptile zoo or whatever you call it and took it out. Even tho i know they removed it i always hear the theme song of jaws in my mind while paddling over the lily pads in that pond.

Last year i bought the US version for $220 shipped and taxed and have had it sitting in storage section of the fishing room since, wasnt sure what to do with it then and have no clue what to use it for now. Ive been seeing alot of talk about them recently and i really want to take it out of the box and give it the fishing it deserves. Heres what ive got for my 2024 bass fishing lineup for the baitcasting rods and reels. Daiwa Aird X 7' Medium rod - Shimano SLX MGL 70 7.2:1, 40lb braid = Jerkbaits and unweighted soft plastics. Lews TP1X 7' Medium Heavy rod - Shimano SLX A 7.2:1, 12lb Yo Zuri Hybrid = Football jigs and night spinner baits. Daiwa Aird X 7'3" Medium Heavy rod - Daiwa Tatula CT 7.3:1, 12lb YZH = Lipless cranks/Chatterbaits (i use this combo to fish them fast over shallow grass so i need that extra speed with the gear ratio). Daiwa Aird X 7'3" Medium Heavy rod - Daiwa Fuego CT 6.3:1, 65lb braid = Spinnerbaits/Chatterbaits (in areas with lots of weeds that are deeper where i need to slow the lure down). Dobyns Fury 7'3" Medium Heavy rod - Shimano SLX XT 7.2:1, 10lb YZH = Lighter weight texas rigs. Lews David Fritts 7'6" Medium Heavy Crankbait rod - Lews LFS 6.8:1, 12lb YZH = Square bills, and other lighter crankbaits. Lew's KVD 7'4" Medium Heavy rod (-2oz) - Lews BB1 Pro 7.5:1, 15lb YZH = Bass Mafia Daingerous swimbait (Magdraft). Daiwa Aird X 7' Heavy rod - Daiwa Tatula SV TW 103 7.3:1, 12lb YZH = Heavier jigs/texas rigs, close flipping and pitching, also dock skipping. Lews KVD 7'4" Heavy Composite Crankbait rod (-2oz) - Lews BB1 Pro 6.3:1, 12lb YZH = Deep cranking, and 1oz bladed jigs. (i know the line should only be 8-10lb but for fishing the bigger bladed jigs in some wood and rocks id rather the extra strength). Daiwa Beefstick 8' Salmon/Striper/Steelhead Medium Heavy rod (1/4oz-4oz) - Daiwa Tatula 150 7.3:1, 15lb YZH = Swimbaits/glide baits with treble hooks. I have everything covered (that i fish) so not sure where i should put it or what to do with it. Do i go light lures or heavy lures? Do i replace it with an existing reel already in the line up? Or take one of my spare rods to put it on and use it for a different technique? Not sure what to do here.... (The 3 other rods i have in storage but can use with it are the, Daiwa Aird X 7'3" MH rod, Daiwa Aird X 7' H, Lew's KVD Series Dock Skipping/Frog 7'2" MH).

I have a few different swimbait rods (mainly cheaper ones from Daiwa, Ugly Stick, Lews etc...) From 7'-8'. I struggle casting the shorter ones quite a bit, the 8' one however i can cast with ease and prefer it so much more. So in my opinion go with the longest rod available.

Lews Super Duty reel oil Lews Hyper Speed Bearing oil Lews Super Duty grease (all made by Lucas Oil for Lews)

I took the last half year off from fishing, so i didnt hear about this until this week. Its just their new verison of what was the SLX MGL 70 was right?

At that point (depth they are at and temp) i would just throw a drop shot with a rattle inside it, but the +2 jerkbait only goes to 12', Rapala Xrap 10 deep goes to 15', Rapala Down Deep Husky 14 can go to 20'. With the right cast and line of course to get to that depth. Very slow pauses too.