Brian11719

OSP do live stick for me in this scenario...still throw senkos but if I specifically want a small baitfish / fluke profile but with action that's similar to a senko the do live stick is the best I've found.

I agree worms are probably the best in terms of the number of fish they've put in the boat for me. Someone from this forum also mentioned a book called high percentage fishing which I ended up buying and without spoiling too much of it I will say others that have put more time and effort into researching it have agreed. I imagine a lot of it comes down to where you are at and what you are fishing but that said here's what I've had the most success with these days: Drop shot - with either a roboworm straight tail or a yamamoto sensei on it depending on where I'm at. Shakey head - with either a z-man smh worm or hula stickz. These can be tricky to get on but it's worth it when you do. Texas rig - with either a 3/16 or 5/16 bullet weight and a netbait big bopper or a zoom ultravibe on it. These are both a great deal and they catch fish. You can pitch and flip them into cover and or swim them and one of the biggest ones I've landed was with this setup. Honorable mention to a ribbon tail like a mag2 here but if I had to pick just one it would be the swim worm over the ribbon tail but there are times when that ribbon tail can do very well. Senko - texas rigged with a 3/0 owner twistlock light for me...realize lots of people like wacky or neko rigs these days but this is what Gary suggested for it years ago and it's still my favorite way to throw one. One last thing I'd say here is you can also texas rig a straight tail worm with a bullet weight and catch a ton of fish. If you are going to go that route then the yum dinger makes the most sense to me, but if the rig is weightless I'm going with a senko... All 4 of these options are very effective and which one to go with typically comes down to where I'm at and where the bass are...

^ was wondering how many posts I would read before seeing this one :). This would also be my answer if you are brand new. You could also pick up a pack of flukes and try to figure out what they are eating and then match the hatch or if you aren't sure just buy a pack of bluegill flash flukes as those work well for both shad or bluegill. Aside from that just try a few different spots and try to get there early in the morning if at all possible.

Haven't thrown that one but I do own the BPS Johnny Morris CarbonLite Tech reel and feel like it's one of the best values out there right now at that price point. Especially when it's on sale and you can also get a 10% club discount sometimes. These have a dual brake system on them (very similar to the previous gen Lew's KVD reels) and that type of system does well for most applications. Aside from that some of the newer Lew's ones are mag only but that new ParaMag system is a bit better than the old strip of magnets on the side that shipped w/ the old speed spools. Daiwa Tatulas would be the other ones I'd suggest looking at if you don't want centrifugal brakes. I actually like centrifugal brakes for heavier lures but like dual brakes or mag brakes for lighter stuff personally.

I ended up going with a lesser known brand model and picked up the Fish Xtreme Angler WMB73HF. I like wynn grips for my frog / flipping rod and the grips on these are nice and they have a good warranty (although I've not had any issues with it or have had to call them). If you are considering it one thing I'd say is this is a bit on the 'lighter' side as far as the power on it and frog rods go but in my case I'm usually just at a local pond when I'm throwing a frog and have really grown to like it. Also a good choice for soft body toads and flipping and pitching texas rigs too although I'm not sure I'd go with this model for punching into heavier stuff.

I've been using the Curado for bladed jigs lately but stepped up to the 201m to try and balance out the rod I've got a bit. If it's a lighter rod I'm sure the 150 would be a fine choice but if it's a heavier rod it may be worth considering the 201m if you are concerned about balance at all.

^ agree. I also like the evergreen cr 10. Neither of them are cheap but both companies make solid crankbaits that cast well and sometimes you can find them on sale.

I loved the previous gen Lew's reels. The bb1 and tourney pro are still 2 of my personal favorites. Others I like in order of price are the bass pro johnny morris custom lite (I've seen these on sale recently for as low as $103), the shimano slx xt a, tatula 100, previous gen lew's custom and when you can get it on sale for $300 or under the abu zenon x is also a very lightweight reel and they also offer it in the same 6.8 gear ratio that I like my tourney pros in. I still like the Lew's casting reels and they will always have a soft spot in my heart but I feel like they took a bit of a step back with some models with this latest gen while raising their prices at the same time. Case in point that BPS reel is also an oem doyo reel with a dual breaking system and i'll take it over the latest gen speed spool every day of the week. I really like the tatula 100s (and the 150 for my 736cb glass) for my treble hook rods (all dobyns champ xps or kadens) and find they work great for that purpose. The bb1 matches up beautifully with a loomis glx mbr and that combo is starting to take over as my favorite setup and I've found myself throwing spinnerbaits and 1/2oz jigs a lot more as a result...although I still also really like my legend xtreme with a vanford on it (but that's also a spinning setup that I use for drop shots and shakey heads). I've also been using a tatula sv tw 150 for my frog / flipping / toad setup and like that one as well w/ 50lb braid for that purpose. Went with that braking system specifically for frogs since they tend to be less dense and I've found they can get caught up a bit in the wind. The tatula 100 brakes have been fine for everything else I've used them for and I would argue it is an excellent value when you see them for sale around $135. I really don't need any more rods or reels at this point yet the slx dc (jdm model) has been crossing my mind a lot lately...I don't even know what I'd use it for yet I just seem to want to buy one...

I was in the market for a new one a few years ago and landed on the Tackle HD digital tourney scale after doing a fair amount of research into them. I use it in my kayak and from the bank (usually a few times a week) and have been happy with it. I want to say it cost around $40 at the time and feel like it's a pretty good value for that price.

In general I like crankbaits that are 1/2oz or above as I tend to generally do better with them on casting setups, and if you are just getting into them I'd start with a 'standard' crankbait rod which will be good for throwing squarebills and medium divers. I throw squarebills from the bank a lot of the time and so I like ones that I can get a lot of casting distance with. You should also be able to throw the medium divers I'll mention on a standard crankbait rod. That said here are a few of the ones I currently like (and it's taken me a fair amount of effort to get down to this list): Squarebills Evergreen SH-3 Duo Realis M62 5A 6th Sense Crush 100x (this one looks like it might be discontinued but if you can find any it's a good one) Medium Divers 6th Sense Cloud 9 C10 6th Sense Crush 250 MD Evergreen CR 10 Duo Realis M65 11A Some of these are JDM and so they are a bit expensive but I'd argue you get what you pay for and you can also find them on sale if you are patient.

Edge Rods has a golden ticket up on their site right now. Basically $200 gets you a code for any rod on their site. It took a few days to get the code in my email and there's also a $10 processing fee when you check out and the lead time says 3-5 weeks. That said it came out to $210 out the door for me for a brand new BWS MBR 704. Picked up a Loomis GLX MBR last year and it's one of my favorites already (and I also prefer carbon fiber handle spinning rods) so I'm really looking forward to this one and for that price I could care less if it takes them 6-10 weeks to send it to me.

I've got the Kaden 735cb and it is ideal for squarebills and lipless crankbaits. You can also get away with something like a 5xd on it although I prefer the 706cb or the 736cb glass for deeper crankbaits. But for squarebills and lipless cranks that one is a great choice. Not as expensive as the champ line but the quality is just about the same and I've found that's really all I need for a crankbait rod. On the other hand if you want something a little more versatile then you might consider the Champ XP 705cb. That one also does very good with squarebills and lipless cranks but would also be better if you want to throw something like a hard jerkbait or a topwater walking bait. I also own that one and actually have two different reels for it (one for topwater and one with fluorocarbon on it for crankbaits). So basically if you want a longer rod that can be used to make long casts with squarebills and lipless cranks I'd opt for the Kaden. If you want to throw those but also think you might want to get into some other lures like the ones I mentioned I'd get the Champ XP. Both are crankbait rods and the only major difference between the two is the length on the Kaden which makes it better for distance casts but makes the 705cb a bit better in terms of versatility.

For me most of the time each rod gets it's own reel...balance, gear ratios and whatnot. I do swap on a crankbait rod that doubles as my primary topwater rod (so I have two reels for that one) but that's about it. I'd probably also swap my frog reel w/ braid if I ever actually used my punch rod for punching but I usually just use my frog frog for that and most of the time I'm using that flipping stick for 6" weedless magdrafts or WCZ Citizens...

I love that I'm one of the few that picked not sure. Also I read this and immediately thought it was for crankbaits and not all lures. Based on that generally yet but for crankbaits I'm not entirely sold anymore. Aren't they supposed to do best when they bang of the bottom (or other stuff)? And if so and if that's when all the bass are going to bite it and it would most likely not be running straight at that point is that really a requirement? I suppose my answer is mostly yes but you should probably worry about where they are and if you are putting a lure in front of them that they would be interested in before you go worrying about how straight your lure is running...

I'm pretty sure it's been a rough week for most people and the weather seems to have been weird. I managed to skunk at both ponds I go to this week although I did manage to land one ferocious dink in the kayak this and that one was probably in my top 10 in terms of the smallest bass I've caught. Also got a crappy on the same crankbait but it jumped off. I think for winter I'm going to stop listening to youtube and the internet in general and restrict myself to a drop shot, jig and a crankbait. Anything else just seems like Einstein's definition of insanity at this point...

I actually really liked this TW sale. Stocked up on Roboworms for $3.74 ea...plus some senkos, adrenaline craws, midsize rage bugs, yum scottsboro swimbaits (these things are a bargain already IMHO) and they also have one of my favorite spinnerbaits discounted and that one doesn't get discounted as often so bought 4 of those. OK now this is the last tackle order for a while. No really I mean it this time...

I actually don't like extra fast action rods for the most part...unless it's a st croix 6'10 extra fast action which if you actually bend it and compare it has an action that's virtually identical to a previous gen 6'7 adrena. Aside from that the others I've tried have felt like something I could play pool with and the fastest rod I've got is a glx mbr which is fast enough for me (other than the frog and flipping / punching setup which is sort of in a different league anyway). Agree with holding out if it isn't urgent the best deals I've found seem to have come when I wasn't necessarily looking for anything.

Finesse jigs and shakey heads.

Not going to try to tell you which one to get BUT if it's any help I've currently got a GLX 844C MBR and a 753c and 735c Xtasy. This weekend I setup my own rod bend experiment and went through them all. One interesting thing that came out of that was I noticed in terms of action the bend on the Xtasy 725 and 753 were virtually identical. Both have 11 guides on them and both bent right on the 6th one. Obviously a bit more pressure on the 5 power but ultimately I actually really liked the action on them. The GLX was actually a bit faster. Not much but it did have more of what I'd consider to be a classic fast action with the bend coming in right on guide #7 / 12. That's counting from the bottom / stripper guide up to the top. One of the takeaways for me on all that was that GLX seems to be a little better suited for bottom contact stuff like jigs and texas rigs compared to the Xtasy rods which seem to be a bit softer and better suited for moving baits. Knowing Gary (D. not L.) I'm willing to bet the action on the 724 is virtually identical. So in terms of rod action and not taking anything else into consideration I might actually opt for the 724 for a swim jig. But that said it does sort of feel a bit like splitting hairs at that point and truthfully I'd be fine with either of those for a swim jig rod...mostly just wanted to comment on the actual action of each rod and what I found when I tested it out w/ the ones I've got.

^ I use 12lb Sunline FC Leader for my dropshot rig and yet this is ultimately how I feel. In my case there's a couple of spots where I'll throw my dropshot that get a lot of grass and brush in them at certain parts of the year and I've tried a lot of different lines as a leader line and found this one did noticeably better in that scenario and wasn't breaking off on me while all of the others I tried would. That said I also picked up a spool of 12lb Yo-Zuri T7 and will use that on my other spinning setups that I don't really use in those spots and it's been fine. So my answer is it can be and it might not be and ultimately it comes down to what you are trying to do and where you're doing it. One last thing I'd mention is I haven't actually tried the most expensive options like Seaguar Gold Label or Grand Max. That was actually going to be my next stop if the FC Leader wasn't enough but in my case it has been enough for me and I can usually go a few weeks before I need to change the leader out. I suppose tournaments are another thing to consider and while there might not be 'much' of an improvement that slight improvement might be the difference between cashing a check and going home empty handed.

The ITB is basically a copy of Daiwa's magforce z while the regular paramag is a copy of Daiwa's standard magforce. Both braking systems seem ok but I'm not sure I love the direction they seem to be heading in which is putting magnetic brakes in every reel and their current ACB system is preferable for me with some models like the BB1. I even like their old dual magnetic centrifugal system that they had in the previous gen KVD and custom reels and feel like they could have at least put that in the new Speed Spool for the price increase they put on it. I'm also a bit weary of new tech right when it comes out as some things like that tend to take a generation or two to get really dialed in. So all that said Lew's is actually one of my favorite reel companies and as an example I have a BB1 on a GLX 844 MBR that's pretty much my favorite combo right now but I'm starting to worry a bit about some of the decisions they seem to be making and the direction they appear to be going in. Generally speaking I personally like mag brakes for lighter stuff but for heavier stuff I like centrifugal brakes in a lot of cases. On another note that Johnny Morris Carbonlite reel at Bass Pro is very comparable to a speed spool but the brakes in that one are dual brakes and there are times when you can find that one for $100. For some combos that's all I really need but there are others where I might want something a little higher end and the current Tournament Pro, Super Duty LFS and BB1 models have filled that gap nicely. Really hoping they don't come out with new ones and put mag only brakes in them and increase the price. I also have not seen much of an explanation on the actual difference between these two and see a lot of people just say stuff like 'this has that new Paramag braking system' and it seems like they might not realize there's two versions of it or really understand what they're actually getting. I do like magforce z style brakes for my Dobyns crankbait rods and have been happy with the Tatula 100 and Tatula 150 for those. Doesn't really make sense to me to pay twice as much for the Lew's counterpart in that ugly yellow color they went with and both Tatulas have the magforce z which is Diawa's version of the Paramag ITB and aside from costing less my guess is it's a bit more refined at this point. So in summary I would say I'm cautiously optimistic about the new braking system at the moment. And on another note I'm not sure there's a better reel to pair with a GLX 844 MBR than the BB1 they match perfectly and the balance with that setup is amazing. Completely get that some people love $500 casting reels but for me the ones in this range have been the best bang for the buck IMHO and I'm hoping I'm not watching a good thing get ruined which seems to be happening a bit lately.

I noticed DSG has the yo-zuri pencil on sale. That's a good topwater lure and it's in one of my favorite colors (bone) and OMG it's on sale for only $12.99 which is a dollar off their normal price!! How many should I buy since it's on sale like that?

As others have mentioned one is a glass rod and the other is a composite. The composite is going to have more of a mod fast action to it (and a little more sensitivity I suppose but they are both moving bait rods so meh). IMO it comes down to what you are doing and how often you are doing it. The bend on that legend glass is moderate. You can see a guy bend that one here: vs that composite LTB is not the same action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov7qcJleLOw If you are just going to be throwing treble hook lures and want a sort of purist rod that they are going to have a very hard time shaking off that glass is probably what I'd suggest. If you are going for versatility and want a rod that you can switch between trebles and things like a bladed jig the composite is the way to go. FWIW I'm in a kayak and swap out almost all my trebles w/ single hooks anyway so I use composite rods but if I had a bass boat and wanted something that I'd be doing nothing but heavier cranking with I might actually opt for that glass rod. The other thing to consider is weight. That legend glass is an older rod and it's not light. Most composites these days are significantly lighter but I'd also argue there's a bit of a cost with that if you are throwing a deep crank with a lot of pull that heavier glass rod actually comes back around a bit in terms of comfort even though it's heavier. Anyway TLDR two very different experiences and wouldn't necessarily pick one over the other for everyone as they both might fit well depending on where you are at and what you are trying to do.

They are expensive but worth getting at least one and trying out. It's a more subtle vibration than a standard bladed jig and I personally throw it on the same rod I use for 1/2oz spinnerbaits. The white and chartreuse / white ones are my favorite colors and it definitely catches fish. I personally like it when the visibility is a little lower but not so low that I'd end up throwing something like a 1/2 chartreuse and white bladed jig. So for example if it's early morning or it's cloudy but the water is still relatively clear then I've found it can do really well if they are biting moving baits. That said I still love spinnerbaits (and bladed jigs too although last year I found myself throwing spinnerbaits the most) so it's not replacing either for me but is another option when I feel like throwing something in between those two. I've been using the standard size freeloader as a trailer and the action with one of those on the back is awesome and the color selections match up perfectly for me.

The bass pro shops johnny morris carbonlite is an aluminum frame doyo reel and basically the same thing as a lews speed spool but the brake system is a dual centrifugal / magnetic system so it's basically better than the last or current gen lew's model. Right now if you sign up for their credit card you get a discount that puts it in that range and I'd argue it's the best out there at that price. Or if you can afford a few dollars more I'd personally opt for an SLX XT A although the tatula X also looks good and is in the same price range. On a side note I recently put that same brake system from my last gen lews kvd reel into their last gen speed spool lfs (because the color on the kvd makes it look like something my mom would walk out of nordstrom with and i basically hate it) and those msb brakes on that reel are awesome. I didn't see too much online about others doing that but all you need is a micro screw driver to swap that disc with the magnets in the side plate and then swap the spools and side plates and it fits like a glove after that. Now the heavier 7.5 ratio kvd reel with the lipstick paintjob is a spare (which is where that reel and that old mcs brake system belong IMO) and I've got a nice 6.8 normal looking reel for my old victory rod and that combo is awesome...but my point is that BPS reel is basically the same thing.