Revo_Carrot Stix

KVD 2.5 and XCalibur 200/300's are my go to square bills with 17# Fluoro. My only issue are the hooks on the SK KVD's. If you're fishing them right, you are banging it off rocks and wood. I've broken the factory hooks 4 times. When I buy a new one, I immediatley put Mustad Triple Grip #2. And as mentioned before, the SK KVD finish doesn't last long. I have one 2.5 that caught 150+ fish last year and that thing was UGLY by the end of the season. Last winter my buddy re-painted it for me and it still works like a charm!

The bait monkey got me last year on both of these. And like others have said, they look good... The Frog: The action "looks" awesome and realistic. Unfortunately, the blow-ups have been on the landing after a cast (which in my mind, the bass would have hit almost anything that hit the water). I have not had any strikes as I've worked the R2S frog, whereas, I've have plenty of success working a Spro or Madd Maxx. If I lost the R2S frog, would I buy another? No. I will stick with the other hollow-belly frogs. The Craw: I have NOT mastered this lure. I've tried to use it like a jig with no success. In the swimming pool, this things falls at various angles - landing on it's back 50% of the time. Hopping it and stopping = twists and turns. I've tried swimming it and it twists and turns as well. I was using 50# braid. I bought the earlier version that did not have the weed guard. I'm disappointed at this point, but I had very high expectations. It's made with high quality components - I just haven't had success. If a jig bite is on, it's hard to tie something else on to try. As far as cranking, I can't imagine ripping it through grass or weeds when a square bill, wiggle wart, or lipless crank can do better.

I obviously watch too many fishing shows. Second and gaining ground to the "erratic action" phrase, is: [after first fish is caught] "...that was a good fish. Hold on, let me put down my Power Poles." (push remote and watch Power Poles go down)

At least he's not kissing fish or hollering "son!" every other sentence... The "erratic action" comment is spot on...but it could be a lot worse. The Bass Pro's is the best that's out there now. I also enjoyed the short run of Bass Edge.

Ironically on Sunday, the KC Star had an article about Wipers and Topwaters this time of year. I don't know much about the species, but you're right - it was a blast to catch! I've heard of guys catching them on chicken livers when they're fishing for catfish. I talked to an older guy earlier this summer at Olathe and he was telling me about one Wiper (he said close to 20#) that he caught after stalking it for a couple years near the West dock in or near the cut-in. He said it took nearly 15 minutes to land. I think he got it with an inline spinner or something.

I was at Olathe Lake last Friday evening. I wasn't having much luck and started to look for shad. Near the dam there were some blowups. They didn't appear to be typical bass blowups - more swirling and tail splashing. I threw my Sammy 1 second after I saw a blowup. Twitched it twice...BAM! Twitched it twice...BAM! It was hit 3 times before I hooked up and boy did my rod load up! At first I thought it was a carp...or big saugeye. After a hard fight with 4 strong runs to deeper water, I pulled in a 25" Wiper (17" girth). The biggest I've ever seen, let a lone caught. There have been times when I've hit a school and caught 10-12" wipers, but nothing this big. I'm guessing between 8-9 #'s. Attached is the pic I tried to take by myself... Does this surprise anyone else? I didn't know they got that big in Olathe?!?

I know Pflueger and Browning made the BPS branded reels in the past. The guys behind the counter say the manufacturer is Browning. BPS bought the fishing-side of Browning earlier this year. You can't beat this reel for $80 regardless. I have 7.1:1 and 5.4:1. These reels seem smaller than my Revos and are actually more comfortable in my hand. Great reel.

Wow...that's very impressive! Congrats on that milestone. Keeping track adds to my fun as well. In the last two years, what have you learned? How has your fishing evolved over the last 2000 fish?

I always use KVD Line Conditioner on all my lines. Usually, I re-spool 50-75 yards every 2 weeks or so (especially mono). I back my reels with all the other brands that I don't like or use anymore. Mono: Each year, I seem to have a favorite mono. I liked Berkley XL, then Sufix Elite, then Vicious. Now I prefer BPS Excel. As mono gets exposed to the elements, over time (depending how much you fish) the line will swell up, become unmanageable, and the color fades. BPS Excel lasts longer and is the best bang for my buck. I use 17# mono for buzzbaits, spinner/chatterbaits, and squarebill cranks. I used MH/Fast rods, so I like a little stretch. I prefer mono with squarebills to absorb the shock from rocks and wood. Flouro: I've tried a few, but not many - mainly due to costs. I haven't had good luck with Berkley's Vanish or 100% Flouro. BPS XPS was decent. Right now, I'm using Vicious Elite and I haven't had any problems. I use M/Parabolic rods with 12# flouro for MD and DD crankbaits. CoPoly: Yo-Zuri 8# on all my spinning rigs for shaky heads, senkos, jerkbaits, and small crankbaits. Braid: 50# BPS Excel Braid for flipping on H/XFast rod. This is a great braid at a great price. I've tried PowerPro, Fireline, and Sufix Performance braids. BPS lasts longer, doesn't fade as quick and is very manageable.

Just got back from my first Fall trip to TC late last week with temps ranging from high 40's to low 70's and 20-30 mph winds from sun up to sun down. 40# trolling motors on john boats made it tough to move around. On average we were each catching 25-35 LM and Spots per day, predominately using 5/8oz XCalibur Squarebills XCS200 in crawdad colors. The early mornings and evenings we were able to catch some on topwater (buzzbaits, Sammys, Spooks). Bass were relatively shallow and grouped along main lake points, but it was next to impossible to stay stationary for any length of time with the wind. Secondary points and coves were productive as long as we found green vegetation 5-6' deep. 75% of the time the vegetation was dead or dying (brown). We could pick off a few away from the wind, but it was sporadic and they were small in the 10-12" range. I would characterize the fall fishing as quality over quantity. I caught twice as many bass during the dog days of summer, but most were in the 12-14" range. The fall trip, the bass were bigger (and fatter) - mostly in the 14-16" range, with more 17" and 18"ers predominatly Spots which was awesome. They were knocking my Sammy out of the water, hitting it 2 or 3 times. Cavitrons were driving them nuts parallel to the shore at sunrise/sunset. My deep-divers (Koppers Live Target Crawdads 17-20') caught more frisbee-sized crappie than bass. We tried to fish 2 or 3 pits a day: Lower Duck - good Upper Duck - good The Islands - good Big Blue - poor Upper Cedar - average Trails End - average I can't wait until Spring already...gonna be a long winter...

My last resort technique(s) are Senkos and shakyheads to keep the sknunk away.

I've limited myself to 3 rods for crankbaits and I've been pretty satisfied. 6'6" MH Fast Carrot Stix - Lipless and Square-Bills: I like a stiffer rod to rip lipless through the weeds and to pound the rocks with the squarebills with 17# mono. 6'9" M Parabolic Carrot Stix - Topwater and Medium Divers to 12 ft: I can throw 1/4 - 5/8oz pretty good with 10-12# flouro. 7'6" MH BPS Crankin' - Deep Divers 12-20 ft. This rod can handle 3/4 - 1oz SK and Bombers with 12# flouro.

I've slowly added BPS reels to my Revo arsenal when they go on sale. I don't think you can go wrong with PQ or JM for the money. This is my first year with the reels and they've done great. My PQ 7.1:1 (on sale $79) fits nicely in my hand and is a work horse. The JM Gold 7.1:1 (on sale $124) casts a mile, but is a little bigger reel. I don't think you'll be disappointed with the quality you get for the money.

I have a trip planned next week to hit some productive strip pits in central Missouri. Main forage is hybrid sunfish, bluegill, and crawdads. These strip pits are LOADED with Spots and LM. A guy can catch 100+ spots/LM in the 12-15" range on the surface down 5 feet. Depth averages 15-30 feet, all the way down to 80 feet. Although I don't mind catching numbers with an occassional 4-5 lb'er, I want to hawg hunt with bigger baits. I've been reading threads and doing research and just got some Top-Shelf, Optimum Line Thru, and Osprey soft swimbaits in blugill and sunfish patterns. Assuming the bigger bass are deeper, my strategy is to throw something big enough to get past the 1.5-3 lb'ers and work the swimbait slow. My question is with 6" 2oz Osprey. How would you count these down to a desired depth? Do you add a stinger treble?...and any other advice would be appreciated? I've never thrown something this big, so it's going to be an experience. I don't want to invenst $$ on a rod/reel for a technique that I'll only use 2 or 3X/year. I'll try throwing it on 7'MH Carrot Stix or 7'6 MH BPS Crankin' Stick with 12 or 15# Flourocarbon. I'm sure I'll be worn out at the end of the day.

Spook or Sammy X2. This happened to me 2 weeks ago. I thought it was raining baseballs - there were so many blow-ups. It happened every 10 minutes which gave me some time to figure them out. At first, my adrenanline was pegged and I was walking the dog waaaay too fast because chaos was all around. Once I caught my breath, I got them to bite with a slow retrieve. 3 jerks, pause and count to 5 was the winning cadence. I caught 4 in a matter of minutes, ranging from 1 to 3#'s.

I didn't think much of this concept either 2 years ago until I talked to a city worker who mentioned "big bass" in some of the retention ponds by a mall in my area. I gave it a shot one day and I have been hitting them ever since. Fishing pressure is minimal and they hit anything. The water usually looks like ice tea and at times the trash and scum in the summer gets thick, BUT the bass are big, dark, and mean. I find it to be a great place to practice new techniques and have fun. You can't go wrong throwing a Senko during the day, or buzzbait/topwater in the mornings/evenings.

I've started to lean toward the XCalibur XCS200. Most my waters have a lot of rock and these things can take a beating and deflect well. I'm satisfiied with the Tx3 hooks. The Strike King KVD 1.5/2.5 have done well for me. My only problem is that I've had hooks break on me twice. After some hard fishing, these lures lose some eye-appeal with paint chipping and eyes falling off. I've looked at the Luck E Strice RC series, but haven't felt the need to buy those over the XCaliburs. I can't tell much difference between XCalibur and Lucky Craft SB either, except for the price and color selection. Next year, I'll have a handful of XCablibur SCS200's and handful of KVD Rattling 2.5's (with different hooks) to change it up and I'll be happy.

I was working my buzzbait along the bank, 12" bass took it down and I set the hook. There was no fight. When I got him out of the water, the trailer hook went through his skull (like the Steve Martin arrow-in-the-head skit). Unfortunately, he was DOA. I felt bad.

I average between 125-140 bass per year (25%) using mostly a black buzzbait which is the first thing I throw near the bank at sunrise/sunset. I work it parallel to the bank, along water willows/weeds, brush piles, and standing timber. I usually throw 3/8oz with 3/0 red trailer hook...over 1/2 my buzzbait bass get caught on the trailer hook. I throw buzzbaits with 7'MH Carrot Stix, 7.1 Revo STX, 17# BPS Excel mono. My favorite is black blade/black or red blade/black 3/8oz or 1/4oz Cavitron which can be found at BTD or TW. http://www.megastrikefishingproducts.com/shop/cavitron-lure-buzzbait/ Good luck.

Spinning: Yo-Zuri 8, 10# (runner up BPS XPS Flouro 8#) Casting: BPS XPS Flouro 12# BPS Excel 14, 17# BPS Braid 50#

We just returned from Angler's Paradise last night. I'll start off by saying, the temperatures were 87/53 Monday and 95/66 Tuesday. We fished Wednesday 71/51 and Thursday 62/44. It rained for most of the morning Wednesday and we had wind from the East and ENE the entire time. After talking to Don, the owner, who is an extremely nice guy, he stocks his strip pit with Flordia-strain bass every year which explains the post-cold front lock-jaw we experienced 90% of the time. I guess most Florida-strain vendors don't sell north of I-40 (Memphis). Surface water temps dropped from 81 on Tuesday to 70 on Thursday. Wednesday afternoon, the six of us averaged probably 1 bass every 2 hours. It was tough. Bass weren't chasing much of anything. We had 3 boats on the water and the most success came from Senkos and Ika's. I finished up the day with 8 and my biggest was 14.5". One guy had only caught 1 bass for the whole afternoon. There wasn't an evening bite at all to my disappointment. I had a boat deck full of casting gear and predominately used the one spinning rig I brought next to a pile of dead Senkos. The biggest bass for the day was 19" on a black/red Cavitron. I was shocked when I found that out until I heard the rest of the story...the Cavitron got stuck in an overhanging tree, he got it loose, it fell in the water and sank (as he was reeling the slack), the bass hit it on the way down. Crazy! The temperature was 44 on Thursday morning. Our party of 6 was reduced to 4 overnight and we were just going to fish until noon. I was optimistic because we hadn't fished this water yet in the early morning (even though it was freakin' cold). Thankfully, it was pretty calm on the water. I threw LC Sammy and caught a 17" and 21" (picture) in the first hour. Shortly after that, the wind picked up and the bite shut off. I flipped a jig in brush piles and sqeaked a 13" bass before noon. Two of us ended with 3, and the other 2 ended with 0. Angler's Paradise is a nice place. The cabins were clean and right near the docks. AP allows you to bring your own boat or you can rent their bass boat. If I were to fish there tomorrow in these conditions, I'd bring my drop-shot gear, aspirin, and use electronics. We were graphing fish 25-35 ft down and they weren't budging.

That is pretty darn good for Olathe Lake, especially from the bank. You can snap an ankle on the rip rap getting to the dam. I've had decent luck with square bills near the brush piles lately. It's nice to know they are moving up for a buzzbait bite. Tight lines.

I've kept a detailed fishing log over the last 4 years when I re-kindled my bass fishing addiction. It helps me build upon experience and forces me to try different techniques when I see myself using the same lures/technique. Weather patterns don't matter to me because I fish when I have time even though I record the weather information. If anything, it gives me something to look at during the winter when cabin fever sets in.

Believe it or not, I've actually caught 2 flying V's on calm days - both on a Cavitron buzzbait. I saw a group of V's swarming near a submerged brush pile 15 ft off the shoreline after I had already casted parallel to the bank. I ran my buzzbait between the shore and brushpile and the V's darted toward the buzzbait. I landed an average 1.5-2#'er. The second time, I was buzzing the shoreline again and a V raced 10 feet from a cutout and destroyed my Cavitron. That one was a 1-eyed 20" 4.5#'er. The V looked more like a wake. It was exciting! I think a lot of V's are bluegill and sunfish. I see a lot on calm days or when there is a light swirling breeze on small bodies of water. 99% of the time, the "flying V's" scatter from my offering. That's my 2 cents...

I agree with most. I take pride in releasing bass and impacting the water and surroundings as little as possible. When it happens, I'm bothered that day or evening as I take the day in retrospect...but it makes me a better angler or surgeon (if you will). Like TDZ and BB, I get angry when other anglers don't share my mindset or respect for the waters - whether it's trash on the bank or a stringer filled with obiviously under-the-limit size or big catches. At least we're in a country where we can debate this topic and continue to do our thing as we fill our personal needs.