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Watching MLF competition sets the tone for today's pro's with anywhere from 10 to 15 or more rof combos out on the front deck while fishing. It amazes me how bass anglers copy what they see on TV. A few days ago I took an old friend who can't get up early due to his health issue fishing. We arrived at the lake around 9A bright sunny day and the spawn is on so you don't need a lot of different rods and reels. We both got out 2 rods for worms and jigs put them out on the deck and launched. While I was parking another bright yellow 21' bass boat launched and I got back to the dock the other guy arrived looked at our 2 rods each, I look over at thier 20+ rods out on the deck and said " are you fishing MLF"? He answered can't catch em if you don't have the right stuff. Got in my boat and idled out about 20 yds while the other guys were trying to figure out what to start with and metered a rock pile with bass on it, turned off the engine and put down the trolling motor, turned around and the guys yells to me "your secret spot and starts laughing. Fred and I both made a cast to the rock pile, we both caught bass on the first cast while the guys watched. Before the others got their rods sorted out we caught 7 bass between 3 to 4 lbs off that rock pile. Silence, no more laughing from the peanut gallery. Tom

Well, Facebook famous anyways From the Rage Tail Facebook page today.

When we allow words to lose their definition, we also lose our ability to communicate. Roger

You are correct, people have started to use the terms flipping and pitching interchangeably, but they are in fact two different techniques.

I wouldng wouldn't even consider the Revo. The Tat Ct is a far superior reel and can be had for around $100 for the base model. This model also is more compact and palms better than the original Tat.

Please learn me if I am wrong here but I always thought flipping was done with the rod in one hand and a pre-determined length of line out and that line was held in the other. The reel was never touched and the spool is engaged. Meant for quick, short, precise bait placement and the length of line never changes or is reeled in until bait is bit. Pitching was done with rod in one hand and the bait is held in the other. Spool is disengaged while the bait is sort of sling-shotted out; meant for further "casts". Why I ask is I see and hear people all the time say they are "flippin" but they are doing what I described above as pitching. Am I wrong? Have the terms changed or do people just like saying "flippin" better?

Came home today, my girlfriend and daughter had a present for me. She didn't want to be in the picture, but that's my PB, only 4.26 lbs but she was proud of it and so am I. I love my girls!!!

Flipping seems to be the term used by most anglers for short range cover fishing....Doesn't mean it's technically or historically accurate, but that's just what people say. I use it that way. It's really just semantics either way, if someone uses either term I'll know what they're referring to and I don't care enough to correct them. If you really want to get technical, a 'flip' and a 'pitch' could be seen as different types of casts and the actual technique is short range cover fishing....Which could be generically called 'flipping'.

As Catt said.,. Anything you want, it really doesn't matter. Id venture to say the vast majority of folks here have one and will use it for almost any presentation. If you like it use it, don't over think it. Mike

Never even bothered to check. Apparently our fish didn't know it makes a difference either

Got the first one of 2017 today, probably a 35" fish. 41 degree water and icy guides made for an interesting hour or so that I was out. I was walleye fishing with a 4" swing impact on a 1/4oz head, fish was hooked right in the corner of the mouth and my 10lb mono didn't have a scratch on it after the whole ordeal! This is the second musky that my little Calcutta 50 has bested

It is used incorrectly very often, mainly because the average fisherman is likely doing 80% or more pitching, but calling it flipping, let alone, the crap ton of fisherman who NEVER flip, but call it that.

They are indeed two different things and you are correct. Lots of people confuse (or just don't know) the two or just use "flipping" to describe both. There's probably 20 posts a year on this forum about what the difference is and 10xs that on youtube demonstrating the difference between the two and yet there's still people that don't know.

I don't name my rod-n-reels that way if I throw a jig on my worm rod it doesn't get confused!

So that's where jerkbaits go to die then. I always wondered. Might be time to fish a fluke. A-Jay

Had a slow day Thursday, which I expected the day after a massivery 5 day cold front left the area. On the plus side, most every one I caught was a nice one. Had 4 keepers for 14.56 pounds, all on jerkbaits.

Gander mountain has a code to get $20 off a $50 purchase. Code is GETLUCKY

^^ This ^^ ....though honestly, I don't give a rat's behind whether mine float or not I don't even bother checking.

I used to tell everyone that was having a hard time catching fish to throw a Keitech and a Drop Shot. Seems simple. Big fish eat little fish and a worm dangling in a fish's face is usually a successful outcome. I got off work early today and it is a CAT day (Cold-Awful-Terrible) with a steady cold wind out of the north. It's what every piece of knowledge tells you will be a slow day. For this experiment I picked a local pond that I have never fished before. I used green pumpkin for everything because well, it works 24/7/365. I set out to fish the entire 4ish acre pond all the way around with all three in the order of Keitech first, drop shot second, and Ned third. By Keitech I mean a fat impact, drop shot was a 6" Robo, and Ned was a TRD. The first trip with a Keitech, no bites. The second trip with a drop shot, no bites. The third trip with the Ned I caught 14 and only got half way around the pond before I lost the two Morel heads that Mike makes. I just left after that, the results were in. Another shout out to Mike and the heads he makes. They are awesome and I didn't lose a single fish. I think the bulk of thatits rod and fisherman, but they were part of the equation and did their part. Me being a finesse guy I don't know what took so long to really get into this technique, but it is the real deal!

If you're a long-time member here, then you'll recognize a familiar logo on the right column of the forums. Okuma is back again, supporting BassResource and partnering with us to help you become a better angler. Makers of quality rod and reels at affordable prices, Okuma Fishing helps you focus on the fish, and not the equipment. From Okuma: Please join me in welcoming back Okuma!

I have been working on a couple documentaries on bass behavior. First one will be on the spawn. I was playing around with iMovie canned trailers and thought I'd share it.

What ? - No Jerkbait ? ? ? - I am seriously having trouble breathing right now .. .. .. .. .. A-Jay

It's kinda like the term "finesse" has come to mean small lures, lines, & rod-n-reels. Finesse: skillful handling of a situation or resourcefulness in handling situations.

Well said!

90% of all fishing gear is good enough to get the job done. I would rather spend 20bucks to get 3 crank baits that cover 3 different colors or depths than spend 20 on one crank that makes sounds or whatever. I have bought GY Senkos for 6.99$ and caught fish then went and bought 2.99$ yum dingers and done just as well. I know some baits just work better than brands but you figure it out as you go.

I agree, and have often wondered about the same thing. I think corn-on-the-cob provided the reason Roger

Yup. As previously stated, that rod and gear ratio are often cited as a good all-around, do anything combination. Throw anything on it you want and decide afterwards what works best for you. That will give you an excuse to buy more.

Wasn't too long ago the OP's combo would be known as a bass rod, we all owned a few of them for our bass fishing with every type of lure. Tom

I'm a fan of Clunn but his method of breaking down a reservoir into three sections didnt make a whole lot of sense to me . I think Bassmaster was just looking for a filler article .

For a light weight spinning set up anything over 10 lb braid for bass is over kill. That said, I run 20 lb for my open water setups which are heavier

Yes that is what I use in general too (braid). Please note though when you have snag DO NOT use the rod to snap the line. You're asking for trouble. Use the line to snap a snag. That is the main thing about using higher rated lines, in general I don't even do that on light line either. A rod is usually more valuable than Line.?

Any bait ya want

Same..I'm tired of cold weather.

Give the guy a break. He spells better that Tipptruck who is AWOL as well

I agree. But I'm Daiwa biased even though years ago I had several Revo SX gen 1's and liked them. The braking system on the Daiwa is just flat out superior in my opinion and makes for better control.

To be fair, he has to know how to spell it first. and use a keyboard.

A vast collection of various styles/weights of jig heads will be far more helpful with catching bass than a vast collection of rods/reels... and considerably cheaper as well. oe

I use tubes a lot in a variety of colors. Both for largemouth and smallmouth. I use bigger 4 inch power tubes for largemouth and smaller 3 inch tubes for smallmouth. I like green pumpkin and root beer as my favorite colors. In weeds, I texas rig it and in rocks I usually use a tube jig.

Just stick a needle in the cork and see if it hits the blank or keeps going

Original 3 1/2" Gitzit is all you need, available nearly everywhere. Tom

You can always go with a 2-in-1 Frankenstein setup and tie a dropshot rig but instead of using a dropshot weight, tie on a shakeyhead. I used to do this and it worked but stopped because I fish a lot of snaggy places from shore and got tired of losing a bunch of tackle every time I had a break off. Go with a size 2 hook and nose hook a 3.5-4.5" plastic for the dropshot, and a 1/8oz or lighter shakeyhead for the bottom. For a completely different style go with a cranking setup. Slow finesse can get mind-numbingly boring, cranking gets you involved with constant tactile feedback.

I've done some experimenting with them in the tub (and no, I was not in it with them...). I found the same; some sank, some floated and some were half in between. This is due to the salt content of the baits. Which I would have thought would be more consistent but I'm not familiar with the manufacturing process so I don't know. What I do that helps is I put them in warm water, not hot because this softens them too much, and I stretch them gently. You will see the grains of salt come out of the bait and feel them soften up. Retest them and they will all float after this. They will be a little more limber too.

i prefer the Owner Shakey Ultra Head over the Finesse ball head , as i like the longer hook ( 4/0 vs a 2/0 ) and definitely love the CPS bait keeper ! you'd be better off with the Ultra SledHead as it also has a 4/0 hook

You've got way too much free time to be posting every single piece of tackle you own on an online forum...

You will not catch fish without a fluorocarbon leader weaved from a yeti's nether-region and wetting the knot with unicorn tears.

Your first issue is the FG knot. It is not easy to tie anywhere but on a stable surface. Not in a boat, no matter what the dude in the video says. Look, people have been using uni-to-uni and Albertos for years without major issues. They are simple, and they work, and I can tie either while sitting in my yak in 20 mph winds being rocked about. I know. I did it the other week. I know there's a religious following for the FG knot. And I get that it is super thin and super strong. But it is not the answer for all of us. *Most* of the time I tie the uni-to-uni these days. I'm also a big fan of the Mod'd Albright/Alberto knot. Practice tying them well and they'll hold for you. Set your drag properly and get your whole system in gear for the fight (i.e., learn to play the bass on the end of your line, drag, rod position, and so on). You can land big bass on light line. As for no leader, that's totally cool. I've caught plenty of fish that way, but once I discovered using a leader saves the number of times I cut into my braided mainline (ok, so I'm married and have four voracious-appetite boys, so $$ doesn't grow on trees for me and I wanna save my braid!!) I never looked back. Again, I can and have caught bass on straight braid as have we all who use braid. I just prefer a leader tied on, and I never worry about the knot breaking... Good luck, mate!

That what I use for the past few months. I use gammy ewg #2 instead of reg dropshot hook in case of snag. I caught fish on both of them.

Nothing wrong with the I. Easy to get setup right. Casts great. Smooth.

I fish it in water with less than a foot of visibility with a lot of success. Purple Haze, coppertruese, black and blue, and junebug are my best colors for those conditions.

I just tried the Zinker cut in half today. It works, but they tear up way quicker.