mikeeasttn

My favorite is the triple trout.

Welcome to the forum and the state of Tenn.

Tennessee

get a KVD 1.5 crankbait and a Rapala DT10 or shad rap. Use the shad rap for cooler waters.

Igo on the average of 8 times a month except for Jan and Feb when our weather here is very cold. During these 2 months I only get to go 3 or 4 times as I cannot stand cold weather as good as I used too

I started my grandson with a Curado 200E. Get a good reel that will last and that you can adjust so it will not backlash easily so they will not get dishearten quickly with while learning.

I prefer the full cork for the look and casting. I also have a few of the split grip rods and just do not like the way they feel when casting.

I use to fish alone entirely as it was my time and also gave me the solitude to think of what I thought was important. 8 years ago a young man(grandson) came into my life and by the time he was 4 years old he was completely adsorbed into fishing. He will fish all day long even if the fish are not hitting and has learned how and when to use different lures and can actually read the water as well or better than myself.. His photo in my avatar shows him holding a 8.5 lb LM he caught 2 years ago. Apparently it was not a fluke as he has also caught 6 fish over 5 lbs. His concentration span is longer and more focused than mine while fishing. When he is in school I would go by myself and try to fish. The longest I have stayed is a little over 2 hours. Now I just do not enjoy fishing if he is not with me. I have found that he has made me a better fisherman as I try to teach him all I can as I do not think about my patients or problems at all as I use to while I fished. The only thing I am thinking about is his and my fishing and trying to out fish him as he has skunked me many times.

I use the Shimano Crucial swimbait rods the older ones with the full cork handles. The H rod should take care of all of your needs and you can possibly find a good used one at a good price.

Have tried most of the soft baits but keep coming back to the Sluggo. It works the best for me.

I love to throw the big hard swim baits and the big Hudds as I feel it gives me a chance to catch a large LM or SM. I also love to throw crankbaits, spinner baits and etc anything I can cover a large amount of water with quickly. Due to my work I do not get that many days off and on my off days I am on call. I also like to throw the other baits such as jigs and etc. I visit the 2 swimbaits sites regularly and try to learn all I can. I do not feel this puts me in an exclusive fraternity but gives me insight on how amd when to fish them.

I take 6 baitcasters and 3 spinning rods. Twice that if my grandson goes.

My favorite is the bluegill color but the bone is good also. Have caught the most and largest on the bluegill.

Do not forget the Silver Buddy or a Rapala Shap Rap in crawdad color.

Bill Dance, Al Linder

I use the green P-Line CXX 15#.

The Ambasedurs are great reels specially for swimbait fising. I use the 4500's, 5500's, and the 6600's for throwing all my heavy swimbaits. I have them tuned and new bearings installed and they are as smooth and cast as far as my more expensive big reels from Shimano and others. I use P-Line CXX 17 to 30# on these reels and they handle the big line with ease. I had many people tell me they would lock up or stick if a large fish was on the line but I have caught stripers up to 37# and never had the reels stick or freeze up. The stripers put alot more stress on a reel than any LM bass ever could. I even have some of the 5000's from the early sixties and do use them on occasion. Someone else used this term but they are really bullet proof and a quality reel.

Retired after 40 years in medicine.

Does not bother me at all. In fact I enjoy certain types of it. Line thru guides and etc.

Fishing the big swim baits is an entirely different game from what most of us would call normal bass fishing. It can get very expensive really fast and I would not invest a lot of money until I was sure this is what I wanted. It takes a different type of fisherman to fish the big baits regularly and if like most the swimbait fishing can be addictive in that you will want to fish swimbaits most of the time. Some very good equipment can be purchased at a lower price and if it turns out you do not like it you will not have a huge amount invested. I would start with a ABU Ambassedeur 5600 C4 or a 6600 C4 reels. They are good reels and will last. I would also start with an Okuma Swimbait Rod. I have not fished those but have friends that do and they are very good rods. Most of the people on the site have reccomended them also. Use P-Line CXX as it is reasonably priced and is the choice of many big bait fishermen. Use the 30# green for your large baits. Good luck and I hope you come to love fishing the big baits as much as I do.

I purchased the 6.3 and the 8.1 on the 24th of Dec. I have only gotten to fish with them on 2 fishing trips before the Artic cold. I know this is not enough experience with the reels to really give a definitive statement about either one but I was pleasantly surprised by both reels. They are really smooth and have a great drag system is about all I can say about them without using them more but at a $125 each I think this was a steal.

If you are really not going to throw a swimbait over 3 oz use one of your bass reels that will hold 180yds of 10# line. Spool it up with 15# P-Line CXX or even 17# CXX and you are ready to go. The reel will hold enough line for you to handle any LM Bass you hook. Just make sure your drag is set correctly. If and WHEN you go to the larger swimbaity you will have to use a larger reel such as the Curado 300 or the larger round Shimanos'. Also you can use the Ambassedeur 5600's to help keep your costs down. You are going to find that swimbaiting can be an expensive way to fish if you go to the large custom hard baits. Good luck and be patient when starting. The learning curve may take a while.

I use most of the good brand cranks. The rapala, bombers, Norman, Strike King, Poes, and a few more. All the cranks have different actions in the water and sometimes it seems that the fish will want one over the others. Especially in winter they seem to hit the cedar baits such as Poes better than the plastic baits. Also there have been times when they would not hit a bomber model A but will hit the fat free Bill Dance bomber the best.

I also started out with the Cardiff and then got a ABU Ambassdeur C4 6600 and had bearings installed and tricked out. I then did the same with the 5500 C4 and used them for a couple of years. I now have a Calcutta and a Luna 300 which are great reels. But I find myself still throwning the big baits with the Ambassadeurs as much as I do with the other 2 reels.. Use the C4's as they have an extra bearing I think in the line guide as at least that is my understanding from the guy that tricks out my reels. Also some will tell you that the Ambasseduers under a load will bind and stick. I fish a large TVA impoundment which has very large stripers and have caught stripers on these big baits than weigh over 35# +. I have never had an Ambassdeur locked up or get in a bind yet. They handeled these hugh stripers without a hitch and believe me they pull a great deal harder than any LM.

There are many people that jug fish for cats on my home lake where most bass fish. They occasionally catch a striper, a LM or SM also. It is legal here but it is fast declining. You do not see as many jugs as you did 5 years ago. In fact last year I took my grandson jug fishing as we caught 4 bluegill and set out 4 milk jugs. Next morning we retrieved them and had caught 3 nice cats. He enjoyed it but has never ask to do it again. As was said before there is not as much sport to it as catching them on a rod and reel.