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I couldn't disagree more that you need "high-end " lures to be successful in bass fishing... How on Earth did our grandfathers catch bass before there was a 26 dollar jerkbait. Stuff is ridiculous to say the least dude. The "middle of the road baits" are more than good enough.. more often than not it's the fisherman not the lure that leads to success . Also timing and location... Far outweigh lure selection... So many hog bass are taken on so many different things... Worms, jigs, spinnerbaits , top waters, jerkbaits and everything in between.... The world is advanced beyond belief. And so is advertising. If I had a nickel for every sap that walks the earth I'd have a fancy boat of my own. My PB ... Was taken on a topwater cheaper than 10 dollars. More like 6 bucks... So tell me why I need a megabass popmax when this particular popper has caught me four fish over 20".. doesn't sound that impressive really but if you consider the amount of time I get to fish , and the water I have access to... It's more than impressive if I do say so myself. All this being said I don't recommend buying 1 dollar Chinese made crankbaits .. often won't run "true" and are not able to be tuned.. junk split rings and hooks don't do so well either.. however many companies offer nice lures for modest prices. Check out bomber , bandit , and rapala for your hardbait needs

The former IGFA record caught on a Chicken Nugget was only 7lb

Zman, zoom, bandit, Bagley, yum, Berkley, some strike kings, etc. Only buying things on sale will allow you to buy higher end stuff for the same price as lower end models. You can find most stuff significantly discounted most of the time, if you are patient. Keep an eye on the latest sale thread for deals.

Ill give Zoom a shout out as far as soft plastics go

I buy things as the monkey commands me to. No real rhyme or reason, I just see fishing gear on sale, everything goes dark, then when I wake up all my money is gone and there's banana peels everywhere.

Let me know what you think!

Ok so yesterday a small crew of us went two hours north for some fishing in the woods .. it was me my two sons and my buddy Shawn .. the challenge was to catch a north woods bass 20 inches or bigger / 4 pounds or more .. we were fishing waters that hold large and smallmouth bass .. also these waters are known to hold giants for Wisconsin ( over 5 pounds ) the weather was horrible wind and rain not to mention it was cold .. this was a challenge none the less .. So long story short .. we didnt get the challenge.. missed the length by one inch , the weight by 1/2 pound .. ? But hey we caught a nice mixed bag of bass .. till the next one ☝? tight lines .

I love getting presents at work

Had an awesome day of fishing today. In 5 1/2 hours this evening we caught 99 fish, we fished for an hour after dark looking for that 100th bass but it never came. Would have caught even more if we had a trolling motor, it broke last week and we're still trying to fix it. So we used the outboard motor to limp around the lake, not ideal but it worked. Almost all of them hit a pop x walked right next to the bank around bluegill beds and near where the bass spawned. Also caught some on trick worms, rats, and whopper ploppers. Post spawn trick worm and topwater bite is at its peak right now. Around 20 of those bass were keepers with the best five weighing 16-17 pounds. It beat my previous record for numbers, and sure beat the heck out of fishing the dead sea of Monroe.

Navionics on your phone is the best 9.99 you will ever spend!

I have not yet noticed any difference with soft baits of similar profile like say a GYB creature, Craw, or Worm compared to say a pack of BPS, Charlies, Havoc, Zoom, Yum etc. I think once you go past 1/2 ounce, the flipping/punching bait is essentially a hook holder to keep the hook weedless. I catch just as many fish on my Rapala Minnows, Long A's, Rebel Pop'r, Super Spots, home made chatterbaits and cheap spinnerbaits, and for cranks I am good with almost any crankbait under $7 and most of my "go To" baits are a simple Red Eye shad, Torpedo, Spook etc. I like buying tackle, I like nice stuff, I have purchased $15 Ima Lipless cranks on sale, $20 topwater lures, Glide baits, expensive plastics etc, and the only difference I notice is they look really nice out of the water with awesome paint that I doubt the fish are staring at. If you love the Ima Skimmer, Try throwing a Rebel T-10 the next time you are on a walking lure bite. You will be surprised. The most important thing is buying Quality Hooks, line and the right stuff, not the most expensive. I love to collect frogs and have some imported ones that fish awesome, but when I am only bringing a dozen frogs with me, I grab my Booyah, Live Target, Snag Proof, and Spro Frogs. I also will always grab the $2.99 scum frog Rat for skipping on spinning gear. I actually do better with scum frogs when it comes to hook up percentage, the new one's are pretty, but not a Scum Frog. If you want to make them heavier simply add some split shots, but over weeds, not sure the fish are aware what is moving, or what it costs. I gave a young kid a bunch of bass tackle about a year ago, and he is in love with casting the Creme Midget crawler and reelling it in like a spy bait. some days He will outfish me when I am using a Swim senko etc. We all over think fishing and the companies do a great job of catching us, They get me all the time, buying lures is fun, but results are usually based on figuring out patterns and finding fish, the stuff that takes years to learn. Just my opinion. Just stay away from matzuo hooks. Some days nothing will beat a Zoom Trick worm or a Centipede worm. Those 2 plastics can save days.

Anything from Yum and Havoc are the best bang for your buck if you ask me. As for hard baits i catch so many on a 6$ SK 1.5 that I won't even consider a 20$ S-crank,it's unnecessary. Also my PB came on a 7$ Booyah Pad Crasher. For the price of an S-crank i can buy the 1.5 ,2.5 and 3xd in bluegill

H2O hard baits are hard to beat for bang for the $.

We don't need 99% of what we have to catch bass, it is a hobby. My time on the water is limited so I would rather pay $15 for a topwater that works correctly than $1 for one I spend half the day tuning. The other question is how many topwaters does the average person lose? I figured it out and I have lost 5 since 1987 so the cost isn't that big of a factor. Allen

I'm trying to understand this.....you guys are using long nose pliers and expect to cut braid with them as well? I've never seen any pliers that cut braid worth a darn. I use a Boomerang for that purpose and a simple long nose pliers for just about everything else. I'm also not impressed with the combination of long nose and split ring pliers, all in one. I have separate pliers for split rings. Combination tools just don't seem to do any one job as well as a tool designed for just that one purpose. You can easily carry specialized pliers in many tackle bags these days without much inconvenience.

Zoom and Havoc line of soft plastics are inexpensive and catch plenty of fish. Crankbaits I recommend Sk, Bandit, and Norman as they are great for the cost. Spinnerbaits I would try SK and Booyah as those 2 cover most situations. Allen

took advantage of the sale on one knockers at overstock bait and snagged a couple of used megabass deep six cranks.

My oldest son, Lake, has really wanted to go fishing lately but the rain has kept us away. Finally got a chance to go this weekend and he caught several fish, including a huge crappie in our neighbor's pond on a wacky rigged 5" stickworm. It looks big in the picture, but it was even bigger in person, 15-16 inches by the mark on rod he was using. The 5" bait just about fit in it's mouth without having to be bent.

This morning I went to a local pond for a few frog bites and had a bit of a mishap. I'm going to email Lews and see if they'll do anything for me, this was definitely a first! (Grass was soaking wet, rained all night into the morning, so the fish should be fine!)

My suggestion is Sieberts EnRaged series jigs on sale under $3 and is site sponsor offering member discounts. 3/8 oz in this series jig would be ideal for you. Tom

We have a ton of good info in the How To section of our videos: https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/How-To-Fishing-Videos There's a 3-4 that focus on each type of crank bait. Good Luck!

bobber and crickets will do him good.... to us a bass is a big deal, but to a 5 year old ANY FISH is typically a big deal. you'll catch all sorts of by-products in the meantime, but you'll hook into a bass too! here's my nephew at age 4 with a bass caught on a cricket under a bobber.

I always fish flukes nose-hooked with a size #1 circle hook. The fluke's power is in it's open water action, either walking the dog or any other erratic retrieve styles. No reason to be using an off-set worm hook, in my opinion. This open hook arrangement is extremely effective and sets great. If you want to use it in weeds, I suppose Texas rigging with an off-set would be an advantage; but there other, more effective presentations in those situations. JMO!

my package from huddleston showed up i got 2 8" rof 12's 1 rainbow and 1 hold over

I won an FLW hat...maybe next time Ill cash a check

Agree with @Yeajray231 100%. Just about any lure that comes standard between $4-10 each or per pack, from a major name brand will catch bass when presented the right way and in the right place. Some more effective than others, depending on the situation and who is fishing them. Yes, there is no free ride, and the bargain-basement knock offs are often junk. The more expensive baits can be fun to collect and fish and can be very effective. But necessary? Rarely. Want to get name-brand lures that retail in the $5-10 range for under $5/each? No problem, you just have to watch and be patient. 1) Check Amazon periodically - on the phone app is easiest for lures. 2) Track the latest sale/deal thread thanks to @IndianaFinesse aka the chief bait monkey 3) Check the discount online sites periodically (names in (2)). Don't be afraid to pay $5 for shipping, when $8 lures are $2 each. 4) Stop in to Wally world and check clearance; want something on clearance still cheaper? ask a manager if they can reduce it, about 40% of the time they'll knock it down further; tell them you'll help them out by taking several lures if the price is low enough, and point it out when they've sat on the shelf for months. 5) Watch the fliers online from DSG etc. It makes for light reading. At Dick's, do the online review form to the get $10 off of $50, so when you get $50 of baits on sale, you get them for $40 instead. 6) Save up, shop clearance, typically in the fall (often in August believe it or not); and again just before or in the *** months after Christmas. 7) If you use the site, shop a sponsor or two, regardless of the price, most are excellent. Good luck.

Soft Plastics - Zoom and YUM Hard Lures - Strike King and Bomber Lures come to mind. Excellent value for the quality and these brands will catch you fish guaranteed.

You can still look at Maps and Google earth and follow points out to deep water . Inexpensive marker buoys are a must and toss one every time you catch a fish . This has worked well for me in the past.

Finally got my new PB bass this weekend! Fishing was tough and I decided to pick up my crankin stick. First cast out with it (Berkley Pitbull) and this big girl said she was hungry! 21.5" and 4.13lbs might not sound huge in some states, but for WI that's pretty dang good! I had been trying to beat my previous PB for 6 years, and just so happens two months after one of my best friends/fishing partner died it happened. I believe he had a hand in it.

tried out new lake this evening wow! is all I can say, caught 18 lost 4 more six of them above 4 lb. got two 4's two 5's one 6 and one pushing 7. two hogs right at the boat lost them. guess my new favorite lake!! they hit a frog a sammie a spinner bait and a bubble gum trick worm. i'm still grinning !! yeee haaa!!!

This past weekend was very eventful for the smallmouths. I decided after not getting a bite on anything to tie on a carolina rig. I took my boat out to 20ft deep or so on a rock bed and got three smallmouths with in a 10min window. I set my pb twice for smallmouth with two over 3.5lb it was great. I recommend for anyone who gets the chance to get out soon and try it.

I have two Gerber multi tools. Bought one and got a second as a gift. Much more of a real tool than the Leatherman. If I ever manage to misplace both Gerbers, I will be buying one of the SOG versions. A bit pricy, but the real thing.

Figured it out and have it pretty much mastered now. Only a bit of splash into the splash well now. Thanks guys for the help.

Thank god! Here, I thought that I was the only one who experienced this! I tried to tell people about it but, they just look at me weird!

First fish on the rod I received from Gary. Caught on a siebert outdoors sniper jig in 5/16oz. The rod is unbelievably comfortable casts a mile and the sensitivity is out of this world. I still want to get a new reel for it I have a gen 1 revo s on it now thinking of trying a kastking or sticking with my revos and getting a premier, alt or mgx. Again thank you @.ghoti. and everyone else who has mad it possible

If fishing from a boat and normal water depth is 12 are less. Bandit 100,200,300 series cranks. Colors- pearl and black back, crome and black back, red crawfish, sunpearch. Rat-al-trap and cotton cordell size- 1/4, 1/2 once Colors- pearl and black back, crome and black back, crome and black back with orange bell, red crawfish, bluegill. This list sum's up 90 % of my cranks and lipless cranks. Hope this helps sir.

What looks like a perfect day for boating can quickly become hazardous if someone ends up in the water. Boating safety advocates across the United States and Canada have teamed up to promote safe and responsible boating – including consistent life jacket wear every time boaters are on the water – during National Safe Boating Week, held from May 20-26, 2017. “Each year hundreds of people lose their lives in boating incidences, and they may still be alive if they had been wearing a life jacket,” said Rachel Johnson, CAE, executive director of the National Safe Boating Council and lead organization for the North American Safe Boating Campaign, a yearlong effort focused on boating safety that kicks off annually with National Safe Boating Week. “It’s not enough to just own a life jacket and store it on a boat, you must wear it,” Johnson said. U.S. Coast Guard statistics show that drowning was the reported cause of death in three-fourths of recreational boating fatalities in 2015, and that 85 percent of those who drowned were not wearing life jackets. New life jackets are much more comfortable, cool and lightweight than the bulky orange style most boaters know. Innovative options, such as inflatables, allow for mobility and flexibility during boating activities such as fishing, paddling or hunting. “It’s important to encourage everyone on board the boat to wear a life jacket,” said John Johnson, CAE, executive director and CEO of the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators. “Accidents can happen too fast to put on a stowed life jacket.” Throughout the year, the North American Safe Boating Campaign will also remind boaters to always maintain awareness of their surroundings and never boat under the influence. Campaign partners will host local events, teach classes, offer on-water training and perform free vessel safety checks. The campaign offers a variety of free and paid resources to support local boating safety education efforts. The North American Safe Boating Campaign unites the efforts of a wide variety of boating safety advocates and is produced under a grant from the Sports Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, administered by the U.S. Coast Guard. For more information and to follow the campaign on social media, please visit www.safeboatingcampaign.com. http://www.safeboatingcampaign.com/boating-safety-advocates-across-north-america-promote-safe-and-responsible-boating-during-national-safe-boating-week/ A-Jay

Rapalas are a great value, and they are usually less than $10. The Skitter Walk, DTs, X-Raps and Rattling Raps are all great lures at or under $10. For soft plastics with value, I think Zoom is the way to go.

A Leatherman Wave doesnt open split rings but they handle a lot of jobs .I dont have the Wave I have the Charge which is the same thing with a better steel used on the knife blades . I use it constantly every time I fish and the diamond file is a great hook sharpener . I would get another if it became lost .

I went to lowes and picked up 3 pairs and put one in the front, middle and back of the boat. They do everything I need them to do and didn't need to spend very much.

Figured I'd join the party. Never have caught a smallmouth before with this red of fins. Only a 2.5 lber but exquisite coloration none the less.

Shad rap and bomber model A are two hard baits I wouldn't want to go without.

I'd say the services are good for anyone wanting to try new things - experienced or not.

Hummingbird PiranhaMAX 4 DI features a 256 color 480V X 272H, 4.3" display with 2400 watts PTP power output with Down Imaging sonar. $149.99

Use a jig and a c-rig to drag the bottom while fishing to figure out the area your fishing. I think developing your skills this way will put you further ahead for when you do get the electronics or they brake on you.

If you have a smartphone buy Navionics U.S. Boating app for $10. Works with or without wifi/service anywhere you go. Marking way-points on this has led to successful follow-up fishing trips for me. Would definitely recommend to anyone.

Heck I carry those around without even knowing it.

I have lived my whole life on my home lake. When I was 8 or so my parents split up...things were ugly, and my grandparents (mothers side) took me in and raised me from that point on. My grandpa took me fishing for bullhead in the spring, and we caught a bunch, as well as some bluegill. That's my first memory of fishing. When I was about 12 or so, I started riding my bike to the lake, which was just on the end of the road I grew up on. At first I fished for bullhead, and panfish, but caught a bass or two here and there. What hooked me on bass fishing was catching my first one on an artificial lure....a yellow mister twister grub. I promptly told my grandpa I was done with chasing bullheads and panfish and was going to be a bass fisherman from now on. Without saying a word, he went out the shed in the back yard, got some old rods/reels out, dusted off a big metal tackle box, and with a smile on his face said..."OK, me too" That box held bass fishing treasures from days gone by. He never said a word to me, but he too liked to chase bass and pike years and years ago. We started renting small fishing boats from the local boat livery on the lake, and spent weekends, and evenings after work fishing for bass. We used mann's jelly worms, floating rapala's, jitterbugs, johnson silver minnows, and many other old classics, and caught lots of bass and pike. We did this for many years, through my late teens, and we constantly mixed in new lures/techniques I would read about in magazines like In-fisherman or see on TV. We also would fish some small local derbys/tournaments. Never won anything back then, but we had fun. When I graduated high school, moved out, and started working, we, and I rarely fished anymore. It was about 10 years later I got back into bass fishing. I used my modest savings to buy a shiny new aluminum bass boat (which I still have and use daily) and Grandpa let me keep at his house as it was just up the road from the lake. For the first couple years I owned that boat, it was just like old times again. Gramps, now retired and all alone (my grandma passed a way a few years before I bought the boat) went with my all the time. We fished our home lake, made trips to explore and learn other lakes, and had a ball. He could still catch them, and I showed him all the new fangled things and ways to catch bass. A few years into it, he started wanting to go less and less, and then he had a stroke about 5 years ago, and I couldn't take him at all anymore. Grandpa passed away early last summer, but he left me one last smile on my face.....I won the next four tournaments in a row that I fished. I have won plenty over the years, but never 4 in row....I don't think it was luck. Now my boat sits in a new spot. His house, my childhood home, has been sold off to strangers. But I drive by it all the time on the way to the lake, and the cemetery he, my grandma, my sister, my mother, and my uncle who was like a brother to me are buried in over looks the lake, so every time that boat hits the water they are all with me and watching.............Sorry guys, it just got a little dusty in here.

After landing a new home state smallie PB earlier today, I didn’t think my day could really get any better, but it did. Big Time ! There, sitting on my stoop, was the unmistakable white pvc tube that can really only be one thing – A new rod. “ I didn’t order a rod ?” I said out loud as I pulled in the drive. . . . . . Thank you Glenn & Bass Resource and obviously a very special “Well Done” is in order for @Alpster for a truly quality and ‘made for me’ custom build and one of a kind rod. Please know – you made this Retired Coast Guardsman very happy. I don’t talk about my Coast Guard career much on the forum, but truth be told, everything I have & everything I am as a Man, I owe to that service. It literally saved me. As a younger human I had made some poor decisions that were leading me in the wrong direction. The best thing I ever did was take the oath of enlistment and commit myself to the cause. The journey lasted over 28 years. Crazy how it flew by and much of it now seems like a dream. All my assignments were up & down the east coast from Maine to South Carolina; each saw me conducting & or planning Search & Rescue, participating in Federal Law Enforcement, Drug Enforcement, Migrant interdiction, even did 2 tours as a Drill Instructor – which was demanding & very rewarding. Saved some people, caught some bad guys & worked alongside and learned from some of the most honorable, committed & dedicated humans I could have ever imagined; even managed to have some fun along the way. All the while I had the distinct honor of having the privilege of making the sacrifice to serve this great country. I’d do it all over again in one second. I am very proud of my service and having such a wide array of assignments is in line with the Coast Guard’s motto of Semper Paratus – meaning Always Ready. It’s a tough thing to do – being always ready. But even now, that phase is something I live by and still strive for every day. That fact that you chose to inscribe this on my rod means more to me than you will ever know. I get choked up just typing that. So THANK YOU One & ALL – This high speed Rain Shadow Blank, with it’s very Killer reel seat & split grip will no doubt be my New Jig Rod. A-Jay

I've been sitting on these pics for a couple weeks because I couldn't post them til the project was announced. Since my forte is cork and reel seats, I declined the pre-fab grips and did my own thing. Please excuse all the fuzz on the rod. The microfiber towel I wiped it with seemed to deposit more dust than it removed! Butt cap with Army insignia inlay. I wanted to do more with the grip but a technique I have been experimenting with wasn't working out . The reel seat hardware provided wouldn't work with my plans of using acrylic, so I substituted in Fuji SK2 hardware. I had a bit of scrap left from the reel seat, so I turned a matching winding check. Slogan decal provided by Batson. Personalized decal by Decal Connection. Alps guides provided by Batson.