NorcalBassin

On a major downer my dad lost two buddies to covid this past week that sure seemed to have a lot of good and productive years ahead of them, so it was great getting the opportunity to head out for some lighthearted fun and escape from things. On cue the fish cooperated and he probably outcaught me at a 2:1 pace... I couldn't have been happier with the way the day turned out. First of many for the day. Even picked up a few trout. Longarming like a boss Ned delivered time and time again. Only cookie cutters for me but it didn't even matter.

Water temp in the NorCal foothill lakes is generally mid-50's right now and I consider that to be winter time for us all the way through February and possibly even early March depending on the weather. I've had huge numbers days in winter when everything lines up (especially stable weather or just before a storm)... definitely no reason to stop chasing them. On top of that winter is one of the best times to catch a giant in CA.

Wow, what a day!

Released just in time to not be part of the 20% off BF sales! ?

Glad you got out and picked one up, and if you're going to backlash you might as well go big!

We've had some really stable weather (actually wish we'd get some storms!) and the water temp is down to 56*, but the spots still aren't biting like we'd expect and it was another single digit day out there. On a positive note, I was pretty happy to see they've started planting at least some trout again. Picked up this fella on a Keitech as I was casting around the ramp area waiting for my dad to arrive. Nothing too exciting as far as size goes, but Pops did pick up a pretty solid one.

Nice job! Gotta ask... Deps 250, Klash 9, or "other?"

I have an 852, 893, and 894 and really like the 893 for 3/8 oz Keitech jigs with finesse trailers. 894 is a bit too powerful for that jig but you could get away with the 852 if you're looking for a versatile finesse baitcasting setup. I don't have any Conquests but do have an 842 GLX that is also very versatile and similar to the 852 with a fast instead of xf action. If you like the MBR taper better for jigs then the 843 GLX or Conquest may also be worth considering.

My girls were interested in heading out for a quick trip on their last day of vacation, and there's no way I'm saying no to that. Within the first few casts I caught a little fella on a jerkbait. After that the bites came to a screeching halt. Not another bite for 2 hours so we called it a day. Then the contents of the snack bag they packed immediately clued me into why we didn't get any more action...

Picked up some swimbaits and a PB rat plus a couple LV's with an underspin I've always wanted to try.

Order came and the jigs look great... really looking forward to giving these a shot.

2 hours in at 225 with about another 5-6 to go. My wife accidentally threw away my butcher twine, so I had to adjust on the fly and tie the legs up with some 30# braid.

In the past if an item was already on sale/clearance prior to a site-wide sale (like BF), then the item was included regardless of manufacturer (with possible exception of trolling motors and electronics- I've seen those be both ways). Even though Megabass is "excluded" you can still luck into some discounts like I did last year with an Onager (at least a few of their full price rods were 20% off in the cart last BF).

That's awesome and pretty much all of us are genuinely happy to hear you got back out there. Pics next time though... ?

Awesome job and congratulations! 5+ pounder is next up on the menu!!

Friggin cancer. Yet another one gone way too soon. He had some great moments on Zona and seemed like a really good dude. RIP and thank you for helping develop some amazing baits.

I heard they sold something along the lines of 300 rods within the first few minutes of the sale starting. Crazy if remotely close to true. Anyone still looking for one of those models still has a chance at TW. Theirs are marked down $100 and if they hold true to form on Black Friday they'll be discounted another 20% from there to basically match the price Hook Up sold them for.

For double clarification, like I said The Hook Up Tackle's entire stock.

https://www.thehookuptackle.com/ BF2020 for 20% off with the usual exclusions. Already put a significant dent in my BF budget with a Deps. Also, for anyone interested in a Megabass Destroyer USA rod, their entire stock will be 40% off starting at 800AM EST. $240 for a rod that "outperforms" its $400 price point is pretty crazy.

I don't either. However, the only time I've been skunked this year I happened to carry a banana onboard and forgot it in the boat. Not a believer but it won't happen again. ?

Dang, that's a nice color and I would have bought a couple if I'd noticed before to see if the spots in CA would hit your TN namesake craw. I picked up Guntersville, Falcon, and Mike's craws and they all look like they'll be winners out here.

I've been on the path of good intentions with Siebert Outdoors the past few years and just now finally made my first order. I experienced some karma with a cartjacking of exceptionally priced clearance jig heads, but I'm really looking forward to getting around 30 jigs and some plastics (great price on Rage!).

I'm hoping to just fill in the gaps this BF and not get too carried away. Next year I'm hoping to get into a witness protection program and hide from the bait monkey until BF 2021.

Screen name does not check out. ? Just kidding. I'm a Shimano enthusiast and have to say the tat ct has been a nice surprise performance-wise on one of my crankbait setups. As has been said, specs look pretty identical and it should be another winner just with a different look.

There were quite a few years where most of my fishing was in the form of flyfishing for trout in high mountain lakes out of a float tube, and I found stocking foot waders with wading boots/shoes to be the best. I'm a big fan of Simms' waders (and boots) and couldn't be happier with their quality and performance. My longest hike into a lake wearing waders and a tube on my back was around 5 miles, and that would have been pretty brutal with built in boots.