ElGuapo928

Not knowing where you’re at and what conditions you’re fishing, I can’t give too “dialed in” of advice….. A smallish (1/4 or 3/8oz) white/chartreuse spinnerbait will get bit pretty much anywhere in the country. A 3.8 Keitech swimbait on an underspin jighead is another solid bait for someone just starting out. Keep trying, keep asking questions.

I don’t personally know anyone that uses St Croix rods anymore - too many weird failures and a non-responsive warranty. My one Mojo hit the trash can after the reel seat started swiveling on the blank.

They’re not following the rules here either - 85 degree surface, every fish in the winning sack last Saturday had red/bloody tails. Still seeing cruisers up in the shallow flats too.

You’ll get it - just have to keep trying!! I’m on a big fish slump this year so far - only had one over 5lbs, but I KNOW there’s at least one 15+ in this lake, so I’m on a mission!! Got a tournament Saturday and I fully intend to take big fish, if not overall.

If you really want to go flurocarbon without breaking the bank, go with Seaguar Red Label. I’ve found it to have the best life of anything in the rocks/brush. I generally cut off less than 4-5 yards a day on reties. Just remember with any fluoro to constantly check the 8-10 feet of line leading up to the bait for nicks/abrasions/discoloration. Once it starts looking the slightest bit cloudy, cut it off back to clear/shiny line. Also fluoro knots burn as they tighten - keep it wet. I make it a habit to retie after every third fish, or after any significant snag.

12lb is a good all around line. I have 15 on a couple casting rigs, 20 on a couple, but mostly 12. If you’re fishing around a lot of rocks or docks (or anything else abrasive) you’re likely to hate InvizX really fast.

Balsa cranks are quiet and have a tighter/more subtle action. With pressured/paranoid fish, it can make a big difference. Balsa cranks are also more buoyant and float up faster - can help a lot with snags.

I like the 5/8 oz “Junior”. Hard to beat for the price point, but usually take some effort/tuning to get one to run straight. They do seem to handle submerged brush better than a 5XD. At $5 a pop, they’re a nice addition to the arsenal.

Usually not too much of an issue - I’ve had a couple start taking on water when they got wobbly, but nothing a dab of epoxy couldn’t cure.

Basscapital tackle…..got a 7.5 trick worm knockoff, $5 for 10 pack

My all time winner for a skirted jig is a 1/4 oz Phenix football head, with a twin tail grub as a trailer.

15 lb mono is perfectly fine for bladed jigs. I mainly throw them on 15 lb Izorline, but drop down to 12 lb mono for Colorado River lakes.

Only thing I’d really be concerned with is the trolling motor. The 115 can be made to move it around pretty good with some prop tweaking and height adjustments. You can probably get the dealer to install a current Helix/Eagle/Garmin (or 2!) as part of the deal as well.

In the shallows, Spinnerbaits, Frogs, 10”-12” Power Worms. Deeper water is dropshot 6” worm, Westy Worm, or Hula grub on 1oz jighead.

A lot of it comes down to mechanics and confidence. I learned to flip back in the 80’s, standing on a 5 gallon bucket in the backyard (I think it was Dave Gliebe that said this was a good idea in an old WON article). While this helped a lot with focusing on maintaining balance and a good stance, I still get off kilter on the water and lose my mechanics sometimes. For reasons totally unknown, my boat has the trolling motor mounted on the “wrong” (starboard) side - I have gotten so used to working around it, that I can’t flip or pitch to save my life off anyone else’s boat. Stand on the deck in the driveway, drop the trolling motor and hit some targets that way - set up buckets of water to get the splash to a minimum.

I don’t like painted surfaces, but that’s a personal thing. I put EVA foam on my trailer fenders in place of the carpet and I love it - easy to clean and has spent 2 years in the Arizona sun without any sign of peeling (cheap Amazon stuff). When I get around to recarpeting my decks, I plan to foam the bottom/cockpit of my Ranger.

Not really a big issue - I usually throw them on a 6.6, but any reel is fine for the fairly slow retrieve they need.

They’re all equally bad anymore. I’ve had a UPS package from San Diego “in transit” for the last 2 weeks - made it as far east as Kansas, was orbiting Pluto or something for a few days, and finally made it to Phoenix this morning.

I carry 2 dedicated spinnerbait rods on the boat - Identical BPS 7’ MH Tourney Special rods, one with a 7.5 Carbonlite reel, the other with a 6.6 Tourney Special, both spooled with 15lb mono. I’ve found these to be perfect for the 3/8 and 1/2 oz ‘baits I typically throw, and have a great backbone for pulling them out of the trees.

Try a Deps Bull Flat (flat side up) on a light (like 1/16 oz) weighted swimbait hook. Will slow spiral right down in there.

I usually let it sit on the bottom for 15 seconds or so, then start jigging it back. During the Shad spawn, I just throw it and burn it along the bank or brush lines.

Around here the when the carp start their aquatic version of Burning Man, the bass will either move deep or cling really tight to the brush. They’re pressured and paranoid anyway, the carp just make it where you have to be a little more patient and methodical.

Currently on the deck: Spinnerbait DD22 Choppo 10” worm on 3/8 Spot Remover Dropshot Reaper 6” straight worm on 1/8 darter head

My experience targeting bigger fish is that the bigger ones stay closer to deep water access, and tighter to the given cover. Same general areas as your usuals, but fish 30-50 feet further out from the normal targets. And don’t look down on the dropshot…..there was a 16 picked up here not long ago on a dropshotted Morning Dawn/red Roboworm.

Looking through my disaster area of a spinnerbait box, I found a couple others to add to the list of tough spinnerbaits. Strike King Potbelly: Cheap, effective and absolute warriors. I’ve got a couple that look like victims of tragic farming accidents, but the wire is still straight and solid. McCoy VTwin: Have several that have been drug through brush and rocks to the point that I rolled the hook point over, but no harm to the wire. Skirts aren’t as durable as some makes, but still a solid platform.