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Yeah, if anything I would do the opposite. I would have saved a little longer and bought better stuff. I have nice stuff now but I went through a period where I was worried more about adding rods and reels than adding the best quality rods and reels I could afford. It cost me more money in the long run.

That's why I wear a blindfold when deer hunting. To see them is an act of desperation and laziness.

This thread has potential.

Aldo that is quite a first post. You may be the best bass fisherman no one has ever heard of...or not. Your shoulder may be damaged, but your ego is certainly unharmed. Maybe you're just trolling...only time will tell. As far sight fishing is concerned, some feel strongly on both sides of the issue. Tournament fishing in general is a source of stress to many anglers and fish. We have discussed these things here many times. If you have something to add to the conversation, we welcome your thoughts; if you just want to tell us how good you are and stir the pot, not so much.

She INHALED a 6" savage gear line thru trout and weighed in at 7lbs 3oz topping my previous PB by 9oz which was caught last fall... That's 3 consecutive falls giving me a new personal best, I'll take it! Haha, tight lines and get on that fall bite!

Everyone is saying what they'd do, qualifying WHY with logic. We're all justifying by saying "too good of a deal to pass up" or "this will work forever" or "I could have gotten by with cheaper stuff". Okay, I get it, but... to me, fishing is fun, it's relaxing, and it just makes me FEEL GREAT. I love getting on the water, away from almost everything, and enjoying life. The reason I buy what I buy is based on how it makes me feel when I fish it, not on whether it makes absolute sense logically or financially. Fishing is an escape for me. Do I think my Chronarch Ci4 will catch me more fish? Maybe 1 or 2 over the course of a year compared to my oooold POS Shimano Lexica I bought when I was 10. But the Ci4 sure feels great in my hands and I love how it casts. Do I think my Curado I's have more power to reel in the hawgs when I finally hook into one than my old 200b's? No, I know they don't, but I love how smooth they are letting out drag and on the retrieve. To me, it's about enjoying the experience, not just whether fishing with "x" rod and reel makes sense or not. If you start with whether it makes sense, some will be satisfied with that, but most of us may not necessarily enjoy the experience. I love going home, thinking, "Jeez, that was fun! I can't wait to do it again!", rather than, "I caught some fish, I wonder if I really needed to spend that much to do it and I'm not completely satisfied until someone else agrees with me about it." I just want to go home with a smile on my face as often as I can. -If that means I love fishing with the cheapest I can get away with and that makes me happy, I'd do that. -If that means I save until I can afford what I really want, that puts a smile on my face every time that I make that perfect cast and just makes me feel great, then THAT's what I'd do. More often I'm in that second camp.

A couple weeks back I was fishing one of my favorite smallmouth lakes, tossing a Ned rig on a 6' 10" ML/XF St. Croix LTB spinning rod when I set the hook on a fish and the hood on my foregrip popped loose and slid up the rod. I was pretty disappointed as it's one of my favorite rods as well as one I use a lot on this lake but it was done at that point. Not a big deal though because I knew I could get home and ship it to St. Croix and get it replaced. Got back and shipped the rod out with my check to replace it. A week later I got a letter in the mail from St. Croix to call them because there was an issue with my claim and I'd sent no contact information minus my address So I called and spoke with Vicky at customer service. Long story short, she went on to explain that they'd received my check and explanation of what the issue was, but the cap was missing off one end of the tube and there was no rod inside I'm not going to say I think that someone at FedEx stole my rod out of the tube, but I dropped it off at their store with both ends capped and duct taped shut with enough tape to keep a rabid honey badger from being able to get out, it didn't just fall out. So she gets my information she needs and says she'll talk to her manager and see what they're going to do and give me a call back. I was just sure I was going to get a call back to tell me that I'd have to pay the replacement fee like you do if you break a rod and want it replaced when it's your fault, something I just don't have the money to do right now. Much to my relief I received a call back 20 minutes later and was informed they'd be replacing the rod like I had originally intended for them to I knew they have great customer service, but I also understand they had no obligation to replace my rod at that point, doing so was going above in beyond in my book. Makes me really glad that most of the rods I own are St. Croix

Haven't been posting at all this year, kids man... I agree, the fish have been hitting moving baits lately. Swimming a jig real slow has worked well. Gotten 5+ lbrs in all of the last 3 tournaments I've fished, Massabessic, Stumpfield, Pawtuckaway. Anyone fish Pleasant Lake in Deerfield? Going blind on Sunday, I've never been. Any info would be much appreciated. PM if you want. My old man's day at Stumpfield a couple weekends ago...the small one was just over 4lbs...the big one weighed in at 6lbs5oz. It had the head and shoulders of a 7+lbr but was too skinny, that toad in the spring or later in the fall is a 7+lbr all day....

Been meaning to post this! 7-3 on the Savage Gear line thru trout!

What he said. I went from cheap combos, to moderate combos, to high priced combos. For the most part, higher price comes higher quality components and fun factor.

Wrong! No myth, LMB will eat dead bait, I've caught them on chicken livers & dead night crawlers plenty of times catfishing..

I have caught both largemouth and small mouth with shad sides while fishing for channel cat. It happens occasionally .

One word: smallmouth!

Dozens of times . it's not uncommon and always a thrill. Will never get tired of it .

Good old SNAGLESS SALLY! Young un's down here haven't even heard of it. Pork Chunk trimmed on back.

a grub.

I won some fishing lures . Even though I have been bass fishing for decades , I dont hop on the hot band wagon and instead fish with what I have accumulated . When the discussion here is about new baits or tactics , I dont even know what they are . Chatterbaits have been pouplar for ten years now , but I never have bought one . Well, a Zman bait chatterbait was included so now I get to see what the decade long fuss is about . Also got some Zman Pop Shads which are very interesting and Zman Palmetto bugs which I will texas rig . Thanks again bass resource , its always exciting to get a package in the mail .

Truth right there. I know what I know today because of past experiences. I've gone through a lot of tackle in the 50+ years I've been fishing. In that process, I learned what I like and what I don't, along with learning that following the latest hot trend doesn't always end well. Tom

If I Could Buy It All Over Again​ ~ I wouldn't change anything. The decisions & purchases I've made in the past are what lead me to the decisions & purchases I make today. Although some of the earlier experiences didn't turn out as I had expected or even hoped, there were several very valuable lessons along the way which enable me to make some better choices now. Well, at least most of the time . . . . A-Jay

If I could start purchasing all over again some few things would have changed: Instead of purchasing 3 2005 Limited Edition Daiwa Pixy Airy Red I should have purchased only one I should have purchased the TD-Itö when I had the chance but noooo, I purchased 2 more Red Airy Pixies ..... DUHHHHH ! Maybe I should have waited when I purchased the Scorpion 1000 Mg, but who would have known that several years later Shimano was going to launch it in the form of the Chronarch 50 Mg ? Should have ordered that TDZ 103 Custom when I had the chance, missed the first opportunity to order and let go the second opportunity when Daiwa reopened the production. Still kicking myself on the butt for that one. Should have purchased another Alphas Itö when Ichibantackle had them on clearance. Well that´s pretty much about it when t comes to reels, I have nothing to say about rods, I´m pleased with the ones I got ..... ok, as for the rods: should have never purchased those Kistler Magnesium TS, but since everybody talked so highly about them ........

So what spawned this thread? It's almost October. Have you been mad since March but couldn't find the time to post?

2004 Skeeter TZX 200 and a 2014 F150 to get me to the water

I throw everything with the same 7' MH graphite baitcasting rod and reel. There are some drawbacks to doing this. I will probably lose a bass or two on crankbaits as a softer more forgiving rod would likely keep some of those bass buttoned up. The advantages for me are: 1. I know what a good hookset feels like with this rod. If I do not attain that feel on the initial hookset I will lean into that bass some more to get the point to penetrate. 2. I am a much more accurate caster by using the same rod and reel all the time. 3. I have developed a much greater sense of feel which helps with those light pressure bites. I am also much more in tune with my presentation through feel, which generates more bites. It works for me and is something for a lot of anglers to consider rather than having multiple setups with very different feels to them.

I'll say my experience has been that each fish both largemouth & smallmouth is different as far as it's "Fight" is concerned. However a few things have held true a good majority of the time for both: 1) The rule of gross tonnage applies - meaning the bigger the bass the harder it pulls. Admittedly not all of my biggest bass have jumped enough to clear the surface, but that's actually fine by me. 2). In some places the fish just seem to fight harder, longer and with a higher level of determination for gain their freedom. The toads of Lake Baccarac in Mexico come immediately to mind. 3) Your tackle plays a role - in the Obvious category. Fighting a big bass with 65 pound braid and a 8 foot flipping stick that can easily double as pole vault equipment, is a great way to put the odds in one's favor, but doesn't really allow the fish much in the way of fighting room. (But in many cases where it's used, that's the point). Hook that same bass using a different technique (insert the lighter tackle of your choice here) and perhaps on a longer cast, that same fish might really give you something you'll never forget or perhaps be the subject of Nightmares. Either way, I believe you get my point. As for which bass fights harder the green or the bronze model ? The oversized specimens I been fortunate enough to handle usually accounted for themselves very well. And maybe it's me but I have no problem if my next PB does all of it's thrashing in the net. A-Jay

I have had this happen too, but with my Abu round reels. When I put the reel back together, the button that releases the spool was in the down position. Like I was getting ready to cast. I had to take the side back off and make sure the button was in the up position when I put the side back on.

I just started fishing small local ponds and have had success with shallow jerkbaits and crankbaits down to 6', anything lower and they get hung up. I have had very limited success with plastic worms. My ponds are heavily fished with nightcrawlers. Live minnows under bobber do great but I prefer to not do this.

Makelure.com has great how-to starter videos. Jannsnetcraft is great for the actual components. The best way to do it, is start with topwaters then work your way down the water column. The further down the bait goes the harder it is to make. Good luck, lure crafting is a great hobby to pick up.

If you would have accidentally added another p to stripers this thread would already be 3 pages long.

Water conditions is a factor for what size and lure color. Mepps inline spinner Anglia #3 silver blade, gray dressed. Rapala original floater #F7 in blue or black. Mann's baby 1 in browncraw. Mann's Indiana white spinnerbait, gold blades 1/4oz. With a mister twister 4" split double tail white grub trailer with trailer hook. A shot of scent. The size of the bass relates to the eco system. Food is the factor. I have a few healthy ponds that hold bigger bass the one in my hand is 6lb 1 oz. I've had bigger on my line and seen bigger swim by me.

Falcon cara st amistad. Own it love it. I also own a megabass perfect pitch, emtf,and an nrx 873 ccr to compare. That all work for jigs in the 1/2 oz range. The falcon amistad cara st is outstanding for its intended purpose. That be my pick. No brainer

You don't "punch" through lilypads. You can throw your bait between them, though.

Biggest of the year so far. Caught her a couple hours ago on a jig and Baby Rage Craw. 8lbs 1oz of fall feeding beauty. 23" x 20.5" They've been all over the moving baits lately, and tonight was no different. Swimming my jig was getting all my fish. Hope ya'll are getting in on some of this action. P-S Just realized how crappy the pics came out. Looks like my line might have messed up the focus. Oh well, you get the point! PP-S The line, by the way, is 17lb Vicious Pro Elite flouro. Awesome line for jigs, especially in the rocks.

I bought a cloth from a lure making company . Dont remember the name of it , and just spray painted over it . I used model paint and a cheap propellant air brush .

I have only had it happen to me one time but i have seen another person in my boat do it twice before. Unfortunately the fish were small.

I'd look into a Tatula for sure. The 6'10" mh/f, 7'1" mh/r or mh/xf are good bets depending on the line you use. I use the 711mhrb as a general purpose single hook rod with 50# braid.

I went to LC website. Don't think so.

Sammy ?

I used Plexiglass. I wanted deep divers so I made them way to complicated. Square bills will be much simpler .

sb0....since your needs are at both ends of the spectrum you will have a hard time finding equipment that does either side very well. Your canal and lake stuff wont survive long on your buddies boat or off a pier specially in FL. Salt down there eats gear lol. If you have to have your gear be hybrid i would talk with a shop in your area about trout set ups. I think those guys use 7 or 7-3 MH spinning rods, 25lb braid and 15lb fc leaders. I have seen them throw clacker rigs, jigs and shrimp, DOA lures, mirro lures, and top waters. All things that translate to similar things in fresh water. Its the only way i see you being able to balance fresh and salt while having fun with smaller fish and being able to handle something larger. Please dont buy ugly sticks. No offense but they suck and with everything you have available today there is just no need. Sorry just my opinion. Good luck with finding your set ups .

I made several crankbaits with very little expense. It is time consuming though .You can use any wood , some plexiglass , model paint and some screw eyes .

Lol yikes

i struggled with this over the years. it's evolved to the point where there are only a few variables for me: 1 big water and/or unknown water 2 little water 3 known water. 4 day vs night fishing 5 summer vs spring/fall 1 big water is different for everyone but for me it's 1000+ acres. it requires a chuck and wind approach with fast moving horizontal baits to locate a bass. you're not looking for giants here. ur just looking for aggressive dinks to give away the location of the school. KVD has made an amazing career at it. you can slow down and fish vertical once you've found fish and try to catch big mama. most of the time i'm also looking for weeds to come back on my hooks b/c they hold the quantity and quality bass. a good article was just posted on it: http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/catching-fall-bass.html 2 little water is much easier b/c it's like fishing in a barrel. you can start vertical or with a slow n low approach b/c the bass will come to you. i'd rather slow soak a lure right off the bat at a pond or small lake b/c it's easier to catch big mama if the water has been undisturbed. however if slow soaking isn't working i'm quick to work fast and furious. 3 known water is a combination of the two. i'll use past knowledge to incorporate a big and little water approach. i usually already know where the weeds are. it just a matter of finding out what needs to be done to trigger the bass on that particular day. and it easier to anticipate their seasonal movement when you know the body of water. 4 LMB definitely hold under cover during daylight hours. for the most part they will be hiding during blue bird skies when most of us are fishing on the weekends. of course there are exceptions when an 8lb giant will be sitting in 6" of open water but it's rare so don't spend all day casting open shallow water. why not go straight to the cover holding them. weeds are my number one priority. your lake's cover will dictate what else to target. being in a boat/kayak helps a ton here b/c you have much better access to cover. if ur on the bank make sure to target the banks that have deep water access. from dusk till dawn the bass move shallow b/c there are no longer threats from above like bears and birds. night time is the best time to be a bank angler b/c the fish literally come to you. 5 spring and fall are harder times to be a bank angler b/c the bass are still holding deeper. the water temps are better plus the weeds haven't grown in shallow areas. this time sucks to be a bank angler so make sure ur fishing near deep water. otherwise target deeper water from a boat/kayak. an easy way to remember it is in winter the bass are shallow during the day but deep at night. and during the summer they are deep during the day and shallow at night. these concepts literally changed how I fish. to answer ur questions: #1 and 3 i'm definitely looking for weeds b/c LMB bass will take cover during the day. the bright sun will have them holding closer to cover so the strike zone will be smaller. the exception is if there are smallies in the water. they have a huge strike zone even in blue bird skies. if the weed area's are small i'll start slow and vertical. but if you have 300+yd of weeds to cover I'm going to use fast reaction baits to find where a school is hiding in the weeds. #2 the strike zone will be much larger b/c of the clouds. i'd start with reaction lures over the weeds and on edges to find a school and pitch it vertical once located; chatterbaits, spooks, crankbaits etc. . i don't think you mentioned if ur fishing rivers or lakes. rivers are a whole different ball game but with lakes you can quickly eliminate 90% of the water w/ a topo map. only fish the bank areas that have deep water access. however at night you can fish even shallow water areas b/c the bass will move up. ps skip ur next few rods/reels and buy a kayak. getting off the bank will be the greatest decision you make in a season!

Yeah, but I'll bet he used motor oil worms

1.Good Ole jig,with uncle Josh on it. 2.Black lizard /chartreuse tail. 3.Single spin spinnerbait/ brown&orange skirt. Just to name a few

I think you should look into a Shimano Calais DC mounted on a Gan Craft Dead Sword Magnum. Maybe just a standard Dead Sword for the lady...

www.bigshopsupply.com

Craw Worms; Texas Rigged, Rage Rigged, or Carolina Rigged!

I'd say red with some glitter in it. But that's just me. Tom

The kitchen sink? This lure? http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/lateral-line/2013/08/vintage-tackle-contest-kitchen-sink-lure

I'm not one who believes in search baits, but think of every lure as a locator bait. If I'm throwing a crankbait when there's no crankbait bite, I'm not only covering a lot of ground, but I'm also wasting a lot of time. For cold-calling, I'll generally target aggressive fish first and passive fish last. So the baseline sequence would be Topwater - Mid-water - Bottom Needless to say, conditions often change lure selection and if a noteworthy pattern emerges it will get top billing. Roger