MediumMouthBass

Awhile ago received many Lews rods and reels i purchased and had a few questions about them, went to call Lews customer service and was told by a robot they werent taking calls for awhile and to use their email. Had a question about a Daiwa reel that i was interested in buying, called the number and got a quick answer. The person was very helpful and answered my questions, bought the Zillion after that. So win for Daiwa on being able to talk to an actual person.

Here in PA almost every body of water has chain pickerel, some have pike or musky added as well. The one lake i fish is around 50% bass and 50% pickerel (well for bigger game fish that is). Some pickerel run away when a bigger bass lure goes near them and some will attack it. They dont swim around all day like most of species, they hover. Yep thats right hover, they stay suspended in an area waiting for food to come by and then viscously attack at a very high speed. Usually they are right nearby lily pads or grass waiting to ambush minnows or other small fish, from spring till around july they are in a few inches of water to 4 feet deep. Ive caught a few so far this season on panfish jigs with a soft plastic minnow by casting a foot or 2 off the bank in 8 inches of water. For baits, jerkbaits, crankbaits, spinnerbaits/buzzbaits, ploppers, topwater poppers, spooks, bladed jigs, paddle tail swimbaits, flukes, wacky worms, or other smaller sized minnow lures like spoons or spinners. Live minnows work really good too. They have teeth and bite through most fluoro, mono, and braided lines so either a very high test fluoro leader (around 50lbs-120lbs) or a steel leader to prevent bite offs. Edit. Fish fast, very fast. They really like anything moving fast and will generate a viscous strike.

Last year i was fishing on of my local lakes and the bass just werent biting so i switched over to fishing for panfish using a 1/64oz jig with a panfish tube soft plastic or a crappie magnet. Caught alot of bass fishing these a few feet under a small float skipped under docks, biggest one was around 3lbs. Get some small jigheads and light bobbers and give those a try, and if you dont catch any bass you might end up getting some good eating sized bluegills or crappie.

Update. Tonight i went for dinner with my parents, the bartender was our waitress. I asked what bourbons they had and she started saying Makers Mark, Knob Creek. Before she could continue i said ill have the Knob Creek. At first sniff i could barely smell any ethanol like scents that were very heavy in the previous 2 brands, really good smell. waited a few minutes for it to open up, somewhere i found said to wait 1 minute for each year of its age. Then the taste, just wow this was a amazing bourbon. No ethanol smell or taste, couldnt really get 1 flavor it was kind of all mixed together (but im new to this so not sure what im doing yet) but i was able to take much bigger sips and really enjoyed the drink. That being said there was a little burn going down but surprisingly enjoyable. This is 100 proof so a big step up from the previous 2, someone on here mentioned to try a higher proof since it will have more flavors that might over power the ethanol taste, and wow you were right. No ethanol taste and a really enjoyable drink all around, thank you all for the advice and suggestions.

Thank you all very much for the help and good information, ive picked up a few small 50ml bottles of different brands to try, some simple syrup and bitters to try old fashions as well. Im thinking the bourbons/whiskeys will be the same thing as the beer with taking a awhile to get used to it, but in case i cant get used to it, well i like it mixed with cola if it comes to that.

Since some are talking about DSG, my local DSG has a decent selection of stuff, baits from Strike King, Rapala, Yamamoto, and some other good stuff. Its just almost twice as much as i usually pay for those baits other places. Rows of those green companys stuff like others have said. The rod selection is alright with stuff from Lews, Dobyns, and some Ugly Stiks. They have alot of cheap budget combos and reels but they also carry some more expensive reels from Lews, Shimano, and Daiwa. 40 minutes away theres another DSG that had a Field and Stream merged in it (this was like a mini Cabelas/BPS) but they decided to close down that part and reopen it as a DSG with a rock climbing wall and other sports stuff. Which was a terrible idea, they are going to lose around atleast 500k a year in the sales from the stuff they decided to no longer sell and spent another 300k atleast in redoing the store. As well as closing down from Jan-August. So lose over a million dollars to have free sports simulation areas and a rock wall? This store had hundreds of rods, really good rods too. They carried many rods from Dobyns including the 806 swimbait rod. This store carried alot of stuff that wasnt on DSG website or other stores. They had dozens and dozens of Dobyns rods. Tons and tons of really nice reels and their bait selection was the size of a church. They havent reopened yet but im not sure if they will remove their large selection of fishing gear like they did with almost everything else. But for BPS like others have stated, they can make alot more on their on stuff than others. While they do carry several good brands, they are starting to have more and more of their house brand stuff. Their sales used to be very good, but now almost all of it is their baits or rods and reels, not much from other companys.

@VolFan the only thing i dislike is the Makers Mark, i really enjoyed the taste of the Buffalo Trace. Im just not used to the higher alcohol taste since ive only had beer until that. And at first i really hated any beer i tried, but a few months after having it more frequently and letting my taste buds adapt to it i now love the taste of the beers i once didnt like. So maybe the bourbon will be the same, just take awhile for my taste buds to get used to it. And the reason i want to drink it is because im now legally able to do so, and its been a long wait.

Hey guys, ive had food cooked in bourbon alot and really enjoyed it, ive always wanted to try it. Well tonight i had my first bourbon, it was a Makers Mark. I kind of liked the smell and flavor but hated the rubbing alcohol taste after taking a sip, it only lasted a few seconds but it took a long time to drink a small amount. (I got through most of the Makers Mark but couldnt drink any more so i added some cola to it and while it was good, id rather find a bourbon that i can enjoy without having to add soda to it). A suggestion was made that i try Buffalo Trace and it was a much better drink, still had a rubbing alcohol taste but it was almost cut in half compared to the Makers Mark. It also took awhile to finish even with the lessened rubbing alcohol taste, even tho it was lessened it was still there, after it went away (lasted a few seconds) i really enjoyed the taste and flavor of the bourbon, but the bigger the sip the more of the rubbing alcohol taste. I just started drinking within the past few months and have only had beer so far until this. When i first starter trying beer i could barely drink half of one at first because i never drank until i was able to do so, so beer was a completely new taste to me. And i really disliked it. Ive tested several different beers the past few months and now actually enjoy the beers i once hated. So i have 4 questions. 1. To those of you who have experience with bourbons/whiskeys, does it get easier to drink the more you give your taste buds some? 2. Do you still taste the rubbing alcohol after being used to it? I had to take extremely small sips (barely can even call it a sip) to not get that taste. 3. Should i be taking such small sips or bigger ones? 4. What are some bourbon/whiskey brands to try for beginners (mainly ordering from bars or restaurants so not buying bottles of it, so common ones). Easy to drink and not too expensive options please.

Heres a tip, dont wash the gloves. It (the smell) keeps the other fishermen away from your good spots.

I have both reels, they are both great reels but are very different. My Fuego is more of a flipping/frogging/punching/big spinnerbaits reel, it struggles on 1/4oz so i dont think getting good distance with an 1/8 is going be that great with it, atleast for my reel. It excels in heavier baits fished in rough conditions (tons of grass/lily pads). The SLX i think would be a much better choice for lighter baits over the Fuego, but because of how limited it is in brake adjustment idk how it will be with an 1/8oz. If you have both reels already the SLX may be better for that purpose, but if you dont have either yet think of this. The Fuego is $120 and the SLX is $100, the SLX XT (which has external and internal brake adjustment) is only $130 ($10 more than the Fuego). The SLX XT would be my top choice for a reel in that price range.

They do it for the drama and to seem cool, theres alot of debate on whether to do a light or a harder hookset but these "influencers" take it unnecessarily way to far. They seem like they are trying to launch the fish into outer space and apply a ridiculous amount of force and say "yeah its a 6lber" and they pull up a fish weighing 2lbs.

I have a very wide jon boat with either a trolling motor or a 2.5hp motor depending on the place being fished, and also several fishing kayaks. There are days were being on the boat would be better, and days where its the kayak. If you can afford it i suggest you keep the boat and try to get a nice fishing kayak used for a great price and use it in tournaments if thats what you want to do. 1. For me its better to skip baits and fish under/around docks in a kayak, getting near docks is sometimes difficult in a jon boat even with a trolling motor where the kayak is very simple and quick to just paddle away from the dock or towards it. Plus the kayak can get into very tight and close quarter areas. 2. They both get blown around almost the same by wind or waves. 3. The trolling motor and 2.5hp motor are close in speed but very similar to how fast the kayak can go, main difference is its you doing the work vs the motor. And for longer distances sometimes its much better to have a motor doing it for you (especially in the high heat days of summer). 4. Kayak takes 5 minutes to get to the truck and 5 minutes to fully load with gear at the boat launch, the boat takes around 20-30 minutes because we have to move several vehicles to get the trailer out and then another 10-15 to get everything in it/on it. So the kayaks get used more than the boat recently. 5. The one lake we fish has a limited space parking lot and is usually packed, much better to have a kayak in the back of the truck than a huge trailer in a very tight spot area. 6. The one day the lake i was on had 12-20mph winds, everyone was getting blown around and a bass boat almost got blown into a tree thats in the water (they were trying to fish it and then the wind hit), while most of the people loaded up and left i took my kayak and paddled to a small dirt island and slide the kayak onto it, had a great day and caught several fish. So you can take a kayak almost any where (including over acres and acres of lily pads that most people wont fish). A boat and a kayak are both great options, if you can afford have both.

I have rod floats (like smaller pool noodles) on my rods, i dont know if they can actually float with the weight of the rod and reel but i prefer having them on. I wouldnt suggest using a leash on the rod you are casting with but for rods you take with you that you arent using right then the Yakattack Black Pack (new version) has the rod holders with a bungee clip that attaches to your rods. Fits in the rear tankwell of almost any kayak. Edit. It allows the user to take up to 6-8 rods depending on the size pack used.

There was a video on YT yesterday where the guy was talking about the biggest bass will eat the biggest baits at the hottest part of the day and to cast into the shade, so definetly fish a jig try a slower fall and a faster fall. But for other baits, swimbaits, shakey head with a big worm, 1/8oz or lighter ribbon tail worm on a t rig are my suggestions.

@TnRiver46 ive caught several rock bass in the waters i fish but always have throw them back in, how do they taste?

Im not sure if any of the above comments have this but, even if you arent catching fish on jigs they are excellent for this. Understanding what the bottom is made of and whats on the bottom, (for those of you who dont have fish finders a heavy jig dragged along the bottom works very well for this). I was fishing a local lake ive fished dozens of times and i havent put my fish finder on the kayak yet, i didnt catch any bass on a jig but i now know where theres rock bottom and a brush pile from dragging it in areas ive fished alot.

Take a drop shot rig, but instead of using a weight a foot beneath it use a jig and put a soft plastic on the hook. Now you are fishing on the bottom and above the bottom. Should work good with flies and streamers for bass or panfish.

I just got a few of the new knockoff Mag Drafts Zaldain has on the market, ive wanted to try some Mag drafts for awhile but these were on sale and people have said they work good reeling them fast or slow. That being said im kind of disappointed in how small these and the actual Mag Drafts are (not in length but how narrow and thin they are, well compared to my other soft swimbaits in same lengths). I think ill use them more for smallmouth or skipping under docks since its hard enough of a plastic to do so. Now my bigger swimbaits are a mix of soft line thru trouts/bluegills, and hard swimbaits/glidebaits, along with a couple big wakebaits. They range from 1oz to over 6oz. Big swimbaits arent going to catch you tons of bass, now there are days you can catch lots of bass but where they really work is catching the biggest bass in your lake or pond. But sometimes you will get a 1 or 2 lber that thinks it can somehow eat it. Depending on the bottom of the lake and where the fish are might slow roll on the bottom, fish them around structure either fast or slow depending on how the bass are feeding that day, or fish them just below the surface. I dont get to fish them as much as i would like to because every pond and lake near me has pickerel or pike, some lakes there is a 50-50 ratio of them to bass and others you might get a toothy fish every one in a while. So when i fish them theres a steel leader on them, and i think that makes the bass bite less. Sometimes it might make them not bite it at all.

From my experience with them so far, it usually does. But idk what they have planned for tomorrow.

Guys dont buy the Tatula rod yet, wait till tomorrow. (edit) i forgot to tell you all to check the home page on their site.

I have the MH/F (733C) Dobyns Fury rod, really nice rod. For me compared to my other MH rods the rating is accurate, many talk about the rods being rated higher than what they are, but this one isnt. I also have a 7' MH/F Lews TP1X rod which is very similar to the TP1, another very good option. Its a bit stiffer than most of my other rods so i use it for spinnerbaits and football jigs, both rods have been excellent with durability and sensitivity. Some people have had Dobyns and Lews rods break (any brands rods can break tho) but the nice thing about buying a rod from either one of these companies is a very good warranty, although Dobyns costs more than it use to, but almost everything does these days.

I bought it on sale, i had high hopes for the Max X because the Black Max was my first baitcaster and if its new its supposed to be better? Well not really. The last generations rods were really nice for around $30 if you got it with the combo, i have 3 of the rods and only 1 broke but that was user error the other 2 are fantastic rods, i have my Tatula SV TW 103 on one for smaller crankbaits and it does a great job. They (to me) are very similar to Ugly Stiks, rod has lots of flex but also very durable. The Max X rod just doesnt have the same feeling, its more of a stiffer Medium rod which doesnt make much sense since the whole purpose of Medium rods is lighter lures, well how is a light lure going to load up on a stiffer rod? But it also just feels cheap, they gave it the new plastic wrapped or whatever they call it grip on the handle and then an overly large foam knob at the end. Alot of people on YT have complained about the new plastic grip so its not the best for long days of fishing. It also doesnt have that kind of ugly stik rod feel that the last gen did, like if you hit it against a tree 20 times it would be fine. The last generation reel was excellent, i had braid on one an mono on the other and both of them casted really nicely and smooth. I dont use the reels much now because i have upgraded to Tatulas, SLX's, BB1 Pros, and a Zillion. So to the newer and more expensive reels they really dont compare, but for $30 are definitely amazing reels for the price. They could cast far too with very minimal to no backlash. The new reels are made to be more of a modern/more expensive reel but when fishing with them its the opposite. My reel kept getting line stuck in the side of the spool, and the same line ive used in many reels with no issues, also on casting distance it just was very poor. I have dozens and dozens of baitcasting reels and can cast them very far on light or heavy lures but this reel would backlash on any setting almost every cast. Im not saying the Max X is terrible and not to buy it, if you want one try it out. Im just saying that for less money buy the Black Max if you can get one.

WRB made an excellent point about the drag, during pre spawn i was fishing a lipless crankbait on a MH/Fast rod and kept losing bass over and over again, well my rod was way to stiff and too fast of an action to keep the treble hooks in the fish, i also had my drag very tight. I decided to loosen the drag to where the line would pull out if pressure was applied and caught dozens of fish including my top 10 bass and didnt have any bass come unhooked the following weeks. I always thought and was told to have my drag set as tight as possible, i learned differently fishing for salmon in NY, these were 10-35lb fish and the only way to land the fish were to have the drag as loose as possible. Theres no comparison between a 30lb salmon and a 3-6lb bass but fishing for the salmon really helped me understand alot about how to become better at bass fishing.

@flyfisher slowing downs not really an option for me on this lake in most of the areas you have boats and jetskis coming at you or near you over 60 mph in the no wake zones right next to the shoreline, so ive gotta get out of there as fast as possible. On other lakes it not much of an issue since i can paddle smoothly but build up enough momentum to gain speed. Thanks guys for the replies it really helps, i knew when i first bought it that it would be alright if water got on it, but i wasnt sure how long it would last being soaked in water a couple hundred times a year.

Why pay $50 for the reel when you can get the combo for $60? (in places that still sell them). The reels get alot of talk but the rods are very good also, i have several Black Max rods and reels and they are all really great, especially for the price. Awhile ago someone on YT said they were one of the best selling combos in fishing, which wouldnt be surprising. What is surprising is the new Max X (which is supposed to be the new version) its just no where near the quality of the last generation.