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Action has been pretty "meh" lately, but it feels like a great bite is right around the corner. Temps 52-54*.

Decided to check out the 13 Fishing lipless. The color is called Regurgitated Shad. Didn't even notice the eyes when I ordered it. ?

Caught this fella this morning.

Hard to say, general consensus may be to consider down sizing your presentations a bit, make long casts, stay off the structure, cover & fish more than perhaps you're used to, and remember the fish will be getting a very good look at your bait. Calm can be tough, some wind is usually better, and if the conditions allow it, a little speed might not be a bad thing. Otherwise break out the Ned rig and the Drop shot. Good Luck. A-Jay

I'll put some real numbers down for you ... Here is what I've found in my normal chatterbait fishing...Fast to slow retrieves. 1/4oz - surface to 2 or 3 feet (3' is sort of a stretch). 3/8oz - surface to 4 or 5 feet. 1/2oz - down to 6 or 7 feet, harder to keep near surface without high rod tip and fast retrieve (but possible). 3/4oz - I've not used a ton, but seemed to be pretty easy to keep down at 10' without being overly slow when I've played with it...I don't think you'd be effectively fishing the 3/4 shallower than 5 or 6 feet in normal scenarios. You can add or subtract a foot or two from all these for extra fast burning or extra slow roll retrieves and high or low rod angles. I generally use the same line/rod/gearing for all chatters and lot of times will have 2 or 3 on deck at once with different weights (identical rods). Only disclaimer is that most of my chatter fishing is shallow grassy areas so I skew heavily to the 3/8oz and even 1/4oz. I use direct-attach blade models like Jackhammer, original Phenix, etc...No split ring attached blades. Don't know if the split ring types run differently.

This probably isn't the answer you were looking for. If YOU didn't have the dogs then YOUR peace and quiet would not be interrupted. YOU could nap all day and never know he was even there if YOUR dogs weren't barking at him. Do YOU see where I am coming from.

That's a good point regarding the warranties. However, I think we have two different issues here. 1) You (and others) have stated that you don't care who makes your reel or rod, only that it performs to your expectations and is backed by warranty. That's fine. You have every right to spend your money the way you please, and no one, not I or anyone else, should tell you how to spend it or where to spend it. I have the same right. The only difference between you and me is that I would like to know some things about the gear I'm buying. Is it life and death? No, of course it's not. Sometimes, it's no more than idle curiosity. I'd just like to know. However ....... when I get a runaround for an answer, or I get conflicting answers, or I get a counter-question such as, "Why do you want to know that?", then like I said, alarms bells go off for me. To me, that sort of reaction implies that someone is trying to hide something. I don't like that. I think there are others who don't like it either. The first two posts after the OP were of that nature. Dismissive. Denigrating. The implication seemed to be that the OP had no right to ask that question. Of course he has the right to ask that question. 2) After that, issues were raised that had NOTHING to do with the OP's question. For instance, he asked about rods, not reels. And timeframes for this or that had nothing to do with the OP's question, either. And you are correct that the OP was asking for feedback from members here. Being told that reviews on the company website should be a major factor in his decision does not contribute to that. I'm sure that he's capable of reading those himself, and of trusting them if he so chooses. As for me, I don't trust them. Like I said, maybe that means that I'm just an old curmudgeon. That's why I included that as a disclaimer. I went fishing yesterday. I had fun. I'm going fishing tomorrow. I expect to have fun. When you go fishing, I hope you have fun. ? jj

Heck of a mail day. First 6th sense sack came and so did my garmin echomap uhd 73sv. Only thing I’m not crazy about in the sack is the divine hybrid jig and that’s only because, I make my own jigs. Not necessarily a knock against 6th sense. It looks like a good quality jig. the jigs are the only thing I probably won’t try or use honestly.

Exactly! I agree 100%! ?? JJ

Interesting. Which 15 years was that? Reputations tell a person what happened yesterday, not today. Today's world can change overnight. Literally. That's one of the reasons people ask question nowadays. I hate to be a wet blanket, but I don't trust ANY company's reviews that are on their website. Not fishing equipment, not cars, not clothes and not anything else. Guess I'm just an old curmudgeon. jj

Just a reminder to be careful when bank fishing in the weeds, you never know. I know this was discussed in a kayak thread, but bank fishing can be just as dangerous when dealing with critters. Was fishing this morning, I went in the opposite direction when I started this time. Low and behold, a 7-8 ft gator just hanging out. If I would have come from the other direction, I would not have seen him until I was on top of him. Just be careful!

Had a good day down at Hedges today. Got to meet @DogBone_384 and thank him personally for sharing his honey hole with us. Awesome to have a smallmouth fishery you can really break down in a day from a kayak. Only got into 2 smallmouth but they were both quality healthy fish on a 1/5th oz hand tied bucktail jig. My first fish on a handmade lure and can confidently say I’m hooked. Found a couple stacks of em in the Northwest corner in 12-15 feet of water. Little footage I managed to grab of my first fish: NSFW language cause I was so psyched to finally get into fish again lol https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMejgbcee/

Speed vs. depth. All else equal, heavier weights fish: (1) Faster than lighter weights at the same depth. (2) Deeper than lighter weights at the same speed. So change weights if you want to fish the same speed but change depths, or the same depth but change speeds. Exactly how much change depends on individual details of the bait; there's no single answer. And the differences are not constant across the range. so, at a fast retrieve rate, the depth differences are not necessarily the same as a slow retrieve rate. So no real way to know without experimenting. If you usually fish with 3/8oz, get some 1/2oz first to test out, and then get some 3/4 if you need to go deeper still. It is definitely worth having at least 2 go-to weights so you can cover 4 corners of a speed x depth range (slower-deeper, slower-shallower, faster-deeper, faster-shallower)

We swam with lots of gators while cave diving Florida springs (sinks and sumps too). I was an active cave diver in the early 2000's. Might we have crossed paths? How far do gators travel to visit family?

Our gators have lots of teeth, no legs, and are lure pirates. Muskie and Northern But they don’t get in the boat with you either.

i had an encounter with one in thailand, scared the daylights out of me.

Guys use flouro on their A-rigs as to not spook the bass...

I've never seen a gator in real life. Pretty sure I have a better chance of running across the abominable snowman up here. One time I was inches away from stepping on a nest of harmless water snakes. I can't explain the terrifying shock that shot through my body.

I'm digging this one for right now.

I think the fish got sick of them! Gussy just had another fish jump out of his hands, still landed it, and it was 17.9 inches! He had to let it go, still searching for the 5th. he got #5, it’s all over but the crying. He won the derby wire to wire in the same 200-300 yards without casting . Total domination. 20 smallies over 18”, that spot reloaded every single day. Since it’s no secret and gussy has wrapped up the blue trophy, I’ll post pics of two fish I caught on the same spot. I’m sure they were posted here when it happened also and they said it couldn’t be won on purely smallmouth. Don’t tell that to a Canadian!!!

That's enough... Good night Irene.

One of the phenomenon exacerbated by the advent of the internet is it becomes even easier for people to not do any research or provide proof of what they claim...you know, exactly the opposite of what we were told would happen. I am positive that Kistler rods has shipped a bad rod, for that matter so has Loomis, Shimano, Megabass, Daiwa and every other manufacturer, QC issues happen, damage in transit happens, not notifying the manufacturer and giving them an opportunity to make it right before you jump on the internet and start trashing their reputation is a very poor way of convincing folks that these companies make bad products, so is making these claims without any photos or evidence to back it up, the manner in which a company resolves instances of QC failures is a far more realistic manner of judging the company's quality, they have warranties and claims services for a reason, it isn't their fault if you won't avail yourself of them.

Bought these on closeout and hadn't yet posted a pic, can't wait to get them in the boat. Set one up on my desk to mark spots in the meantime while the water is still frozen.

I beg to differ! The nurses in the hospital emergency room say that those blades cut EXTREMELY well! ??? jj

The price Kistler charges has to stand up to the forces of the marketplace. If it doesn't, then Kistler falls. If it does, then criticism is just FOMO. Be patient; time will tell. ?? jj

Before somebody found out doyo made Lews I had heard all kinds of incorrect speculation for years. Bass pro prints plenty of bad reviews of their products. If you're gonna be that skeptical all you can do is buy it and try it.

X2 Also not "brand-loyal". Instead I have brands that have burnt me (repeatedly; I always give them multiple chances) and I will not touch them anymore. Bosch is one of the good ones. Also, if you are looking for a portable saw just for rough-in work don't be afraid to try a Porter Cable. They won't suit you for finish work but my portable Porter Cable has been an absolute work horse for me.

I’ve been in construction for quite awhile and I’m not brand loyal. I do own a few Bosch tools and can unequivocally say that the Bosch tools I do own are top notch. If I was in the field more and using it for a living like I used to or using everyday as a hobbyist then I’ll make that kind of commitment. The amount of projects I do now, just doesn’t require high end tools. That’s for me. But to your original question, I’m a Bosch tool consumer with no complaints.

Gary Klein has a good Video on this topic or look up Dee Thomas who introduced flipping to professional bass fishing. The original flipping rod was 14’ long without a reel similar to a jigger pole. Dee “flipped” the jig using a combination of the rod and line. Pitching follow when rods without a reel and over 8’ long was outlawed for tournament bass fishing. To make longer cast requires “pithing” in lieu of flipping. Like lots bass fishing terms the definition gets lost in the fog of time. Tom

Dunno here - I call them different things cause they are different. Flip - no line comes off the reel during the 'cast' Pitch - line comes off the reel during the 'cast'.

I've swapped several of my combos back to mono, mostly 10-12lb big game. It just flat works

I was fishing with a buddy last spring when he swung on a fish and snapped it off. I cast a dark sleeper out to the same rock pile and caught a fish with his jig in its mouth.

Nope, just call your biggest bass caught your PB. There are guys who fish 30 years and would never catch an 8lb bass in the waters they fish, but they can spend a few days in Mexico and catch a DD. Nothing wrong with that, I would love the opportunity to do so. There are also guys who have caught multiple DD bass in areas where they are plenty and they will act like they are the best angler in the world. In the end, whatever makes YOU happy is all that matters.

It's the healthiest way I have found to pass the cold season, and while I don't quite qualify as old, I've been blown up 4 times and I don't remember things as well as I should anymore, in addition I work 70+ hours a week so anything I can do to increase the efficiency of my off time means I get to spend my precious small amount of it fishing rather than looking for lures or hoping I have this or that. I also cannot afford to both support my hobbies and pay for therapy, one of them had to go and I wasn't about to agree to stop fishing lol.

Just remember the next time you go fishing and go to pull out the perfect lure for your situation and get that sinking feeling in your stomach because you realized that you forgot to add it to your tackle order and haven't got any more, then you'll remember our strange little spreadsheet mania and perhaps think more kindly of it ?

Just came up from deep water.

Well, considering it illustrated my point as well as anything else would have yes, I do consider it a good analogy, and I don't interest myself in what rich old men spend money on in pursuit of women, I just drink with their women who pay for the whole thing while the rich old guy is too busy making that money to notice or care, as to your second to last sentence, that's what we've been saying, vote with your wallet, if you think Kistler is charging too much, go buy a competitors rod, if they can offer a rod just as good or better I'd be happy that you got such a great deal, I have no interest in arguing, or name calling, I just don't think it's fair to single out a manufacturer for the pricing they choose to set unless there is some good reason for doing so.

I thought braid was more sensitive than mono or flouro. You need a good baitcaster with a light spool. I recommend Lews Custom lite. It casts light weights really well.

No, I'm a guy who knows what it takes to run a small business, so I have a bit of first hand experience, saying that a company is charging an unfair price for a product without a shred of evidence can be extremely damaging to a small business, how do I know? Been there, done that, I'm not at all suggesting that his prices are bona-fide, just that there are a million things that can affect the price of goods that you'll never see, nor is it right that you should, look at it this way, Lamborghini charges a mighty large sum for the cars they sell, you reckon they spend anywhere near that amount to make them? Not a chance, but people are perfectly happy to buy one for the status of it, that's a transaction between Lamborghini and its customers and my opinion on whether it's a smart purchase or not isn't worth the time it takes to type it up, I don't like it when people try to insinuate or put down small businesses without a single reason to justify it, if you put a bold comment like that out for public discussion, you'll hear a lot of different opinions, I've said some things others are likely to disagree with, if they want to present a case why I'm talking out of my hind end, I opened that door by commenting, and I can assure you that I won't be getting defensive or snippy about it.

I would add that I find the popping frogs easier to walk.

It got to the point the doorbell would ring and my wife would walk up and pitch the TW box at me like an NCAA level softball pitcher. It’s okay though. I can handle her best stuff.

It's actually a result of Shimano's spring loaded spool shaft bearing. Just tighten the knob down until you notice the lure drop slowing then back off accordingly.

Like any bait - they have a time & place when they get bites. These are decent SK Blade minnow & a Zako May have to fish them a bit to figure what that's like where you fish. Either way, Perhaps consider removing the shirt, repainting the bait head from white to black with some cheap fingernail polish and putting a green pumpkin skirt on it. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Dirty_Jigs_Replacement_Skirts_50_Strand_5pk/descpage-DJRSK50.html https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Z-Man_Banded_Replacement_Skirtz_5pk/descpage-ZMANBSK.html Now you've got your confidence bait for some very short $$$ A-Jay

Years ago, Govt entities would at least apologize for their incompetence. Not anymore. Now it is just a take it or leave it, screw off attitude. The "New Normal" incorporates incompetence and indifference as their routine standard, and it is becoming exponentially worse.

Life member since 1956, 65 years now. You had to have a hunting license for waterfowl on Federal reserves in California. I took a gun safety course to get my jr hunting license and scored a Life Membership to the NRA who ran the program. Tom

A little restocking and some things for my kids.

I fish riprap from shore and yes some lures are lost .So I use inexpensive lures like pre-rigged swimbaits , Beetle spins , jig and grub .A Beetle spin creates more lift than a jig and grub if need be . I fan cast , let the lure sink and as soon as it touches down , pop it up and retrieve , following the contour from deep to shallow . It can be fished effectively this way . On rivers rip rap is best in summer . Large waves from boats or barges dislodges bait fish , crawfish , nymphs... and all sorts of game fish including bass take advantage of it .

I only count fish from my home state, though I've fished just about every state on the east coast from Vermont to Florida. I don't think the almost 9 pounder from Florida is nearly as impressive 7-2 I caught two minutes from my driveway.

I do! ? PB Bass PB Crappie PB Catfish PB Bull Red PB Speckled Trout And so on!