MediumMouthBass

@king fisher i agree with you. Every big largemouth i caught bit a moving bait, usually being ripped through the water fast. And even the ones who bit as the lipless started to fall down slow when i paused they still had to chase the bait when it was moving fast. If bass are like humans the bigger they are the more they need to consume, can anyone think of a lazy bodybuilder that sits on a couch all day waiting for a cheeseburger to swim in front of them? I dont think many large bass would survive waiting for food to come to them, i think they are always hunting for food. Now the guys using live bait fished slow i can see how that might be different, because thats an actual live minnow, bluegill, trout, etc... For manmade baits and lures i think these big bass have to be smart enough to avoid them or else how would they have survived that long? Whereas something going past them as a high speed they dont have that time to check it out, they either follow it and commit or they back off.

Red cranks, red lipless, red chatterbaits all work great in the spring. And still have their place the rest of the year. So i definitely think a red spinnerbait would do good, especially in prespawn which is when i catch alot of bass on red. And if it stops working for you mid season, take the skirt off and tie or add one thats perch colored. Im sure the red accents would fit that quite well and thats something the bass snack on year round (even in places without them).

I was a bit mistaken, by higher end i meant more so in the Curado range since they are $200+ and to me thats higher end. (But are the really higher end Shimanos worth it over a Zillion today? Really dont know much about Shimanos past the SLX/Curados) I remember many guys talking about how the last gen SLX XT and MGL 70 were so good the equivalent Curados werent worth the extra. Some guys even said they had both and preferred the SLX's. I agree with you completely about the part i quoted though, my SLX, SLX XT, and SLX MGL 70 i love. The SLX A i got is nice but it feels more like its on par with my LFS, not that theres anything wrong with the LFS. Its another nice budget reel, but it leaves alot to be desired and feels kind of cheap. And from what ive read about the new SLX XT A and SLX 70 it seems they took great reels, tried to turn them into something new, changed the colors to something odd and added the silent tune that i cant think of anyone who would actually care about that and somehow reduced quality control along the way. I love my Daiwas and Shimanos evenly, but i was going to go all in and buy a bunch of the new XT A's and SLX 70's.... Now im thinking about just getting some different Daiwas instead.... Because the new reels they are releasing actually look good. And the reviews match that.

I only buy YZH when Midway is running a 50% off sale or when DSG adds it to their buy 3 get 3 free deals. I pay $5.50 for one spool and i can fill up around 4 casting reels (without backing), and ive gotten up to 3 years out of it. The YZH i had on several reels that were 2-3 years old were about 75-85% full. Still getting great distance with my T wing Tatulas but not like i would if they were at full capacity. On all the reels when i pulled off the line it felt like it did when i put it on, practically new even after being in a hot or cold car 8 months out of the year. But i didnt like the stain it had from fishing the river the past few years so i changed it. For 1 600 yard spool that will fill 4 casting reels with the average lifespan being 3 years at most i would pay $0.46 per reel each year. I think the reason so many see fluorocarbon as a line that cant last long is because of how many people talk about how their line breaks so much or they just run out of it frequently from retying/cutting it off to retie yet again. Which is caused by 4 things IMO. #1 the Palomar knot, if tied incorrectly like crossing the line it will weaken it. And fail at some point. #2 line burns from not wetting the line, again weakening the knot. #3 pulling to hard when synching the line to fully tighten the knot, on lighter lb test i would notice the line would have ridges in it afterwards? Thats not the correct wording but it was odd, and it would have a slight discoloration too, it kind of wouldnt be clear. So that would mean id have to cut it off and retie. #4 abrasion, not sure about every brand. But all the ones i used would get chewed up by rocks, and destroyed by Zebra mussels from the knot to 6' up the line. Along with getting sliced through by pickerel. Having to cut that much line off from that takes a toll on how much is left on the spool. When i used fluoro for trout fishing in creeks i would go through alot of line, i used the Palomar knot, and got stuck on rocks/overhead trees many times a week that would often break the line after a few tugs, and then having to cut the line and retie if it got burned. I would on average go through 2 spools of fluoro between 1-3 months. The reels would have 1/2-1/3 of line remaining by then and casting distance was very poor. Then when i started bass fishing i would use a ned rig with fluoro as a leader, i would break that off after a few seconds of pulling whenever i got stuck while bank fishing. Couldve been just how lighter lb fluoro is when stuck, couldve been the brand, couldve been the Palomar tied incorrectly, or maybe i didnt get the knot wet enough and it burned. It became to costly for me to justify buying anymore, and to much hassle to deal with. I believe @FishTank when he says his fluoro lasts years, for one reason and one reason only. He said he uses the San Diego jam knot. Maybe if i had learned that knot years ago when i used fluoro my opinion on fluoro would be different than it is today. No matter how much we can argue about which line is better, i think all of us can agree no matter which line being used the SDJ is a god send.

Its a double edged sword, bring only a smaller amount of what you have confidence in = you may be fishing what the bass arent biting that day, and will be severely limiting yourself. Bring too many different lures and fish several techniques = and youll overwhelm yourself and not have enough time to fish each one and will be rushing. I would suggest getting a 3700 sized tray, Walmart sells a Plano 3700 for $5. Take some jigs, hooks, and weights and fill the first few rows with them (if you need more space for terminal tackle check out the Flambeau Tuff Tainer 3003 box, makes storing hooks and jigs great and takes up very little room), for the left over spaces fill 60% with your confidence baits or whatever your go to lures you fish the most. The 40% left throw in some baits you dont have as much confidence in but will be useful if the baits you use the most arent getting bites. 1 3700 sized tray doesnt seem like much, but its more than what most need for local tournaments or derbies. It also doesnt take up much space if you go with someone on their boat, and its easy to carry. If you find yourself needing more lures or backups instead of getting a 2nd or 3rd tray get some Owner Safety Caps. Makes storing several treble hooked lures in the same section a breeze. For spinnerbaits look into the Flambeau Spinnerbait Box, specifically the small sized one, it can hold 6 and is very thin. And for soft plastics take around 10-20 bags, because after that i guarantee the bags wont even be used. Break it down into maybe 2-3 bags per thing, like as an example: 3 bags jig trailers, another 3 senkos for Texas rigs, 3 craws, 3 creatures, 3 swimbaits, in different colors and sizes of course. For storing soft plastics you can go with something called a speed bag? Or a 3600 sized tackle bag which is what i use, but both options will add alot of bulk and may be too big for what you need. In that case its hard to beat a plastic grocery bag doubled up. Dont go overboard on colors, because youll find yourself digging through 10 bags of senkos and getting analysis paralysis deciding which one to use. Black and blue, green pumpkin, something white or chartreuse, and a shad or grey/translucent color will work across the country year round. Although if you have a certain color you catch em on, or a different type of primary baitfish add that too. Finding exactly what to bring to a tournament is hard enough, then to try and find the perfect ratio of how much is needed is even tougher. But because you participate in many of them throughout the year you should be able to dial it in after the first few, try taking as little as possible for the first one, if you need more add just a little bit each time until you get to where you are comfortable no matter what conditions are on the water. Not sure if this long comment helps, but hopefully it gives you an idea to go off of.

Can you elaborate further on this? I have noticed a downward trend in reviews on the new SLX XT A and SLX 70 (mainly parts breaking, replacements breaking too, along with the reels being meh (not good, not bad, just alright), and personally the new colors are not good. Its very sad since the SLX XT and SLX MGL 70 previous gen are 2 of my top 5 favorites, and many others favorites too. Are you talking more so about quality between the 2 brands? Or just that Shimanos arent worth it anymore in the higher end models. Since its been known for awhile the lesser cost SLX XT and SLX MGL 70 were the best bang for the buck in their whole lineup. And anything after that offered the same or slightly greater performance as the cheaper SLX's that was either the same price as a Zillion, or much more expensive than a Zillion. Which for the masses is the best reel?

I could care less about being right, its literally common sense man. And again, i have no skin in the game. I have a hatred for mono. Look it up on google. Mono is the most sold fishing line there is. But im sure you cult following fluoro lovers will say thats still not true. Gooday sir.

You want a 30 page spreadsheet? And me open a call center and ask 50,000 people to do a survey? Youtube, reddit, and on here even its whats always recommended for beginners to casting reels. (And most people stick with what they know, kind of like the post i made a week or two ago about using different brand reels, majority of guys said they stick with the the brand they started with or whats treated them good with no reason to switch or change). The majority of Americans using mono seems pretty much common sense, its what everyones been using for decades when the only other option was junk fluoro (which for many people left a bad taste) and if they had family that fished mono is what they more than likely grew up with (again back to using what you know). And its dirt cheap, most people arent blowing their paychecks on fishing gear like we are. Most people walk into a tackle shop and spend $6-12 on a spool of line that has around 500-1000 yards, who in their right mind would pay $20-30 for a couple hundred yards that may only do 1-2 reels of fluoro sitting next to that? And then pair that with all the negative and very bad PR fluoro has, theres many more people than just me on here that hate fluorocarbon. Some people do check forums and reviews and see that. Most people (the majority of bass fisherman) arent on here, nor on other forums. They dont have 30 different rods and reels, 50 3700 trays full of all the newest and greatest baits. We are the minority. And for the guys that do, do some further research or whatever you want to call it on learning about bass fishing. That go on youtube or other places, the most commonly talked about line for moving baits is monofilament. Seems pretty cut and dry to me that if its whats recommended the most and is the cheapest it would be used alot. Why would i argue with you about this if i hate mono? (and i really dislike mono almost as much as fluoro) Because its common sense. And to add, id bet $5 that everybody who fishes locally that doesnt have a boat over $15k or more than $2-5k in rods and reels (if i had to guess id say thats about 70% of the people i share the lakes with) uses either #1 Big Game, #2 Suffix, #3 Trilene for everything. Ive seen many guys fishing with mono for Texas rigs and jigs even. The guys that do use fluoro mainly use Vanish, because its around $10 a spool. Which adds even more fuel to the fire, because that line will once more leave a bad taste for fluoro going forward.

I sent in 2 forms with money for hoodies years ago, never got any hoodies😌 But thats my 1 person experience. Both are nice reels, and for the price you can get for either are a steal. If you want something more for finesse/lighter baits the Tatula 80 is the way to go. Its very popular on reddit for guys who want an out of the box reel to fish finesse stuff, even more popular on there for BFS spool swaps. Heard alot about how it casts very good for distance since its a deeper spool than the 70. But the Curado M is the only reel that can do that and the opposite. Now i doubt it will cast lighter stuff as well as the Tatula, but from the reviews it can bomb cast frogs and other lighter baits, and with a line change you can flip with it all you want. This reel reminds me alot of the last gen SLX MGL 70, but on steroids. Able to cast lighter lures, and then also be good at casting swimbaits, glidebaits, and A rigs? Atleast thats what ive heard. Personally if i wanted both reels i would buy the Curado M from Omnia for $98, and then get the Tatula 80 from Japan for $127. This may or may not be an option for you depending on funds and if you have analysis paralysis like most of us tackle addicts do.

The wake boaters and jetskiers are the biggest nuisance on the water a fisherman can encounter, regardless of what you are fishing off of. The wake they cause is only half the issue, the other half is they are usually (not always though, theres a few good ones) very irresponsible and think they are the kings of the water. Going in every direction, sometimes even right at you. When im on the jon boat the wake they cause is very unpleasant, i have to sit down anytime i see one coming and even when seated its still a very uneasy feeling, i feel like im in a pinball machine. The kayaks however arent that bad, atleast the ones i have. I can go head on into the wake or line up parrel with it and get hit by it, im not sure what makes them different. The only times they cause an issue is if anchored, this can be very catastrophic if a quick detach anchor system isnt used. You are almost guarenteed to flip without one. Or if fishing near the bank, the wake will shove you towards the docks or rocks/wood along the bank, and when you try to paddle away from it you just keep getting hit over and over again by the wakes that follow that first one. And on the lakes i fish being around 100 acres im guessing you can imagine how much i enjoy sharing the water with them.

Another thing taken out of context i said "Just think, would the masses want to fish treble hooked crankbaits all day if money was on the line with fluoro?" You would prefer fluoro, i would prefer hybrid. The masses would and do prefer mono.

The fluoro part makes sense, mine barely ever had stretch until i got stuck on a rock, and i would put alot of force on that line, well until it almost always broke that is. The part about YZH is interesting, did he test several different lb test lines? I use YZH for about 70% of my spools both casting and spinning, for moving baits its all i use though (minus the 20-30lb big game for swimbaits). I throw cranks and liplesses on fast action rods paired with 10-12lb YZH and havent lost a bass yet from 2-10lbs on that combo (minus the first few when i had the drag locked down and tried to pull them right in). Ive only tried a few different types of fluorocarbon, and monos so my personal experience with YZH makes it seem middle ground to me. So my knowledge on it isnt what others might have, and because im happy with hybrid i havent had any reason to further research, test, or invest in other lines to try.

Water here usually is frozen until 12pm on sunny days through late Feb-March and opens completely around the end of March or April. This spring will probably be mid March-late March open water afternoons and be open 24/7 by April like usual. Yes, its a cold frigid winter, but its also very warm too. The other day it was in the 20's the next almost 50's, now back to 20's and tomorrow will be another almost 50's, then another week of 20's.

Sorry i didnt mean fluoro has 0% stretch, i was more trying to imply that compared to most mono lines it practically has none. (i know a certain line or 2 of fluoros are very stretchy and have poor reviews because of this, but im talking as a whole) Just think, would the masses want to fish treble hooked crankbaits all day if money was on the line with fluoro? No, because it doesnt have the same stretch, or for the opposite would anyone fish a jig or Texas rigs on the bottom with mono even if you had a super sensitive rod paired with tungsten weights and you could actually feel it? Still no because that lines got to much stretch. (Big Game excluded since thats a pretty stiff mono) I was trying to say that for all lines that arent braid hybrid is just that, a hybrid between the 2. Best of both worlds.

Most places id be fishing are in that 8-12' range with lots of grass in the summer. The lakes vary for deepest spots from 12-15-25'. Honestly im not going to use the fish finder regardless of if its down/side scan to find bass, (however it will be used to find schools of crappie on days im hungry) its going to be more for what you mentioned. The lakes i fish i only fish certain areas because i know them well, the rest of the lake im always guessing depth, and unsure what cover lies below. I really just want to find some rocks, boulders, downed trees, brushpiles, and mark them on the fish finder to have reference points for future trips. Plus being able to know the depth is amazing. And back to that reference point saved to the fish finder, id be fishing out of a simple job boat, that gets blown around by wind and wakes. Being able to troll back to the spot i need to be is a huge plus. Im thinking ill go with the side view because i really like being able to see on each side of the boat in the deeper places ill be fishing, because even though i will primary be only using 2d/down view the side view will come in handy mapping these lakes.

I just cant win on here when it comes to anything BFS related, years ago would get called out by the gatekeepers for saying/questioning BFS was anything other than very very light weights or the equivalent to ultra light gear or even lighter. Now i get called out over and over again for the opposite.... I guess if BFS wants to change into throwing 1oz flipping jigs into grass we can call it that if everybody is happy.

Check out the Kage B reel too, alone the rod and reel look out of place. Together it would be a really interesting colored looking combo for sure.

Ive fished old school my whole life, but this year my dad and i decided we would further upgrade the boat and use it as much (if not more) than the kayaks, so i was going to wait for a spring sale on a Garmin Strike Vivid 5CV, but i find myself wondering if the 7SV with that side view is worth the extra cost. I know most guys swear by it, but we will mainly be fishing lakes and ponds ranging from 20-120 acres. Is it even worth it for how small these lakes are? I dont mind spending the extra money for it, but i would prefer to do so if it would actually benefit us.

I have an Edge 3700 Terminal Tackle i got off Amazon on sale around $25. Its nice, but no where near worth what i paid for it. To think they charge around $50 for it is ridiculous. Everything is cramped too, the spaces are thin, the included inserts dont hold much, and the tray is now warped even though i havent taken it fishing. It stays in the fishing room.... I also hate the latch, it can easily be opened and everything falls out. And closing it can be hit or miss, sometimes it closes and other times it only seems like it. The other Edge series for multi purpose stuff that cost around $25 look nice, but they really dont offer anything that makes the cheaper Planos obsolete. I just buy the 3600 and 3700 Plano's from Walmart for $4.5 and $5, buy a pack of 200 desiccant bags for $10 and call it a day. These prevent rust better than anything, and even in my Edge box, i still have a bunch of these in them.

Monofilament has alot of stretch, not great for setting hooks when the line is out far, not much sensitivity either. Nor does it have good abrasion resistance. (also has a severe issue with line memory, although removing the spool with the fresh mono on it and soaking it in hot water will fix this most times, however after awhile it starts to get bad again deeper in the spool. Fluorocarbon is very stiff and has some stretch or none of it depending on brand/series of line of course, its more sensitive and does better at setting the hook at distance (although braid would be the best for this). Usually has better abrasion resistance than mono, but gets sliced right through by pickerel, and doesnt hold up to rocks and zebra mussels as well as fluoro in the 20-40lb + range (again this is brand dependent). But everything budget friendly is junk, even some of the "good" stuff that costs $20 to spool 1 reel usually has some bad reviews too. Some people have 0 issues with fluoro, where others its a nightmare and a mess if not treated properly. It also can be more prone to breaking (again depending on which brand). Hybrid takes the best of both and combines it, while negating most of the issues that each type of line has at the same time. Just enough stretch to catch fish on moving baits (especially treble hooked ones), but enough stiffness and sensitivity to fish Texas rigs and jigs on the bottom. YZH for me atleast has the best abrasion resistance ive ever used in all types of line, i fish many places with rocks and chain pickerel too. One place even has zebra mussels, which are known to destroy line. It barely ever breaks either. Like when you are stuck in rocks and wood and are unable to retrieve the lure and have to pull on it to either get the lure unstuck or break the line. With mono/fluoro the line would often break within the first few tries and the lure would be gone. Hybrid is a tough line, im usually trying to pull the lure out for a few to 10 minutes (but im usually using 10lb +). It does break, but it takes alot more stress and time. More than often though i get the lure back still tied on, cant say the same with the other lines.... Plus if you tie the line somewhat not right the line can be what some guys call a burn? And the line gets very weak in that spot and will usually break very easily. And it handles the elements and time very good, i would change my spools out yearly with mono, or twice a year with fluoro. I just changed the YZH out on a few reels this year after 1-3 years of use, being left out in a hot car most of the year, or in the cold garage the rest. And they had a ton of UV exposure as well. They were still 100% functional, but from fishing the river they were very discolored, hence the new line being put on them. For everything i mentioned, and the cost of $11 for 600 yards (which is usually $5.5 when i buy it on sale i just cant beat it.

Yo Zuri Hybrid beats mono. Yo Zuri Hybrid beats fluoro. Yo Zuri Hybrid beats every other copoly/hyrbid line (for casting reels that is) Its around $11 for a 600 yard spool (although sometimes on sale for 50% less or buy 3 get 3 free when DSG runs them on that sale once or twice a year). I went all in on YZH, and i went back. Back to the store to get some more!!!!

Marketplace is terrible, its not haggling, its worse. Expect 9/10 people to offer you 20-30% of what the item you are selling is worth, even if new. And the ones who do say they will buy might show up half the time, and when they do expect them to only bring a portion of what the agreed upon price was in cash. Im selling a bunch of rods, reels, and baits on there and its the best free entertainment ive ever had. Guys wanting to trade 1 used rod worth $100-150 for one i have thats worth $275 and is still new.... Guys offering me $30 for reels that cost $100-200 that are like new or brand new, guys offering me $100-300 for almost $1000 worth of baits brand new.... Had a guy talk to me for an hour the other day back and fourth about an SLX i have for sale, i finally agreed to his somewhat low price and the deal was practically done. By the time i told him i would have to add a $3.90 in sales tax (selling through my LLC) he said no thanks. Even though the reel is like new and he would be getting it for 40% less than new. And when looking to buy stuff its just as bad too, older rods/reels that were cheap Walmart special rods/reels/combos are selling for $100-300 when they cost $30-50 new? Guys selling used Megabass lures for more than new too? I think your prices are good, gives you a chance to make money back, and lets someone get like new gear for a deal. If you have any local tackle shops see if the owners will sell them for you on consignment. You might lose 10% for their fee, but you will more than likely make more money from this than something like Marketplace.

A Tatula 100 24 model from Japan would be around $115 ish and has aftermarket spools available. Would probably be your best bet of getting BFS sized line? on a 100 sized reel.

My Shimanos all came ready to fish out of the box. Almost all Daiwas did too, minus a Tatula 150 and Fuego CT. They came very dry and made horrible noises when casting. A few drops of oil fixed the issue. Lews were all good as well minus 1 LFS, turning the handle felt like writing on a chalkboard. Its hit or miss with new reels (especially today), if it doesnt sound bad when reeling or casting, and doesnt feel bad then you should be fine and nothing special is needed. If it feels or sounds the opposite than go onto YouTube, watch a few videos on your reel and only take it apart minimally and add some oil to key areas. Even if your reel is fine you still should watch some videos on it, and familiarize yourself with how its built, what does what, and the key areas you should take care of when the time comes to clean it.

Are we talking plain old tube jigs, or the ones with a giant bend in them? I think if small enough hooks they would do great for weighted wacky rigs. Could also work for ned rigging bigger plastics? Paddle tail swimbaits. (of course for the 2nd and 3rd option you would just have to slide the plastic over the lead quite a bit) Probably would also be great for T rigging Elaztech baits, just slide the bait completely over the lead and sandwich it in between that and the eye. You could also just trim the lead down and make it more ball style shaped.