ClackerBuzz

1 Don't feed the trolls. 2 Dobyns is the greatest company on Earth. 3 Goodnight Irene.

wow you twisted my story like it's ur profession. 'free rod'? if wanting someone to back their product/warranty makes me a jerk then so be it. 'use and abuse'? the rod was literally flawless and even had a beautiful longer cork handle built by Mike@DVT. believe me when I say I'm not offended by the laughter of a man who hasn't had it happen to him....yet

I've been at it for 2 seasons and if I could give you one piece of advice it would be: don't bother fishing deep unless ur using a sonar unit. fishing days are too few and life is too short.

This past summer i had a a Champion spinning rod snap in half while casting a 5" senko. clearly a defect so I paid the money to ship it to them (they won't give a free replacement rod unless the defect is inspected). well you may have guessed it...they ruled it was rules my fault. of course i asked how and the woman replied "Well the rod IS 4 years old". my reply... "A small blip on the radar for a LIFETIME guarantee". i told her they were losing a customer for life if they wouldn't back their product. after the worse customer service experience I had to pay $70 for a replacement rod. that was the last Dobyns rod I'll ever purchase...and I could care less if they move to Texas, China or Timbuktu. YMMV

Cabelas has some ridiculous deals on clothing right now: Columbia, North Face, Carhartt, Simms, college football etc. Sort Low to High and the deals start at $4.88 or search by brand name. Use 7HOLIDAY for free shipping. eBates has 1% cash back. (7HOLIDAY may have just expired but 7JOLLY is free shipping over $49) http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/browse/mens-clothing/_/N-1102649/Ns-CATEGORY_SEQ_105643080 http://www.cabelas.com/product/bargain-cave/rock-bottom-deals/mens-clothing/pc/105591780/c/105642180/sc/105643080/simms-fishing-sunsleeve/2059520.uts?slotId=82 http://www.cabelas.com/product/bargain-cave/rock-bottom-deals/mens-clothing/pc/105591780/c/105642180/sc/105643080/columbia-mens-silver-ridge-convertible-pants/1330455.uts?slotId=38 http://www.cabelas.com/product/bargain-cave/rock-bottom-deals/mens-clothing/pc/105591780/c/105642180/sc/105643080/carhartt-reg-quickduck-mens-woodward-active-jacket-regular/1386478.uts?slotId=1 http://www.cabelas.com/product/bargain-cave/rock-bottom-deals/mens-clothing/pc/105591780/c/105642180/sc/105643080/simms-reg-mens-rogue-fleece-hoodie/1868539.uts?slotId=33 http://www.cabelas.com/product/bargain-cave/rock-bottom-deals/mens-clothing/pc/105591780/c/105642180/sc/105643080/cabelas-ls-flannel-tech-tall/2235573.uts?slotId=89 http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=2008233&categoryId=0&parentCategoryId=0&subCategoryId=0&indexId=0&itemGUID=4ceb6f3dac10a0562b6af2c01220fe3b http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=1915488&categoryId=0&parentCategoryId=0&subCategoryId=0&indexId=0&itemGUID=4ce5be19ac10a0562b6af2c06ca9a3ab

Ebates is giving another 8% on it.

I'm new to engines. Is this to protect your engine in case a marina is selling watered gasoline?

definitely spinning. don't let the casting gear bigger is better egos sway you.

some people are just easier to get along with

you're right and it's not just lures. but the next 10 years we're gonna see a retail reckoning which will put a smile on ur face (thanks mainly to amazon).

big bass usually like lures one of two ways: very slow or very fast. lots of good recommendations above for slow so i'll add fast. try long lining deep crankbaits. drop ur crankbait 250ft pass the strike zone. disengage the reel and get on the trolling motor heading to the opposite end of ur target. then start cranking. you can be on the bottom in the strike zone for hundreds of feet so it's a very effective way to cover lots of deep water with a fast moving lure. drop a marker buoy to let yourself know where you started and also trying different angles. don't limit yourself to crankbaits bc you can do the same with a carolina rig. it's a good method to get lots of distance between you and big bass. good luck!

I forget the exact statistics but somewhere around 90%+ of the time a product fails it does so in under 6 months. This applies to the majority of products which is why manufactures offer a 12 month warranty. On top of that I avoid extended warranties like the plague b/c there are so many if/and/but clauses attached. I challenge anyone to try and get money out of Hewlett Packard for a printer warranty

braid to 25 ft mono leader=all problems solved

This is a big part of your problem. North Jersey is an amazing multi-species area to fish. Forget the next 4 technique specific combos w/ endless lures and get off shore with a $300 kayak. Bass Fishing Jersey has videos of ridiculous action at Manasquan and others all around ur area. I might give my left pinky to have that as my home reservoir https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPVjYCxv50u2Vja6kYTwQsA

Shim E Sticks don't work. Senkos don't work. Dingers don't work. BPS Stik-O don't work. Try a crankbait.

I was interested until I saw their warranties. they are embarrassing compared to standard lifetime over $150.

'catching bass is easy. finding them is the hard part.'

I don't keep up. Why was the thread taken down?

Sweet mother of mary that's good stuff T9. There should be some kind of 'best of' thread with this at top.

I used to dread dragging senkos in weeds b/c the flat head hangs up so much. yes they like the popping free but sometimes it definitely not what they want. then i saw the tip to put a glass/plastic bead on the line. ur senko will slip thru weeds like butter.

Costa and Smiths on sale at steepandcheap for $60-90 (they are a clearance site for Backcountry, with same customer service reps). Ordered 10 pairs and can return ones I don't like with flat rate $6.99 UPS label. put order in on phone and the guy even waved the return label fee. They charge sales tax in some states but not others so check if you live near a border and have option to ship elsewhere. PA charges tax but NJ doesn't.

I forget which pro gave the recommendation during his seminar but it's helped me tremendously: in clear water, start fishing where the visibility ends. If there is 6 ft of clarity don't waste ur time fishing 6ft or less. Fish 6ft deeper. Also specifically look for structure/cover just past the loss of visibility i.e. 6-8ft

Is this only in reference to a tip? just go buy a $6 tip replacement kit and watch a youtube video. takes 5 mins. i just had a Fenwick Tech Smallmouth break in half while casting. they had me return the rod to confirm a defect. i asked permission to cut the rod in multiple pieces to save on shipping. after cutting into 5 sections it all fit into a bubble envelope and weighs under 13 oz so it cost $6 to ship ($3 shipping; $3 insurance). they must be backlogged b/c they never inspected the rod. i called 4 weeks later and the woman on phone sent out a new rod immediately.

first fish deep.. slow and low. it's not the size that's appealing to big bass as much as another slow easy meal that made them fat. if ur catching too many bass on 5" senkos while deep then by all means upsize till only adults bite. but keep in mind when ur in the right location (usually deep or w/ deep access), with the right retrieve (usually slow and low), you'll catch plenty of big bass on small baits.

i can easily fish 8-10 hours on my trolling motor, in 14ft jon boat, and still have plenty of charge at end of day. variable speed trolling motors last the longest b/c they are so efficient (instead of 5 click speeds you can increase/decrease like a dial). battery size is important also- group 24-28 are standard but you'll go much longer with group 31. my setup is 12v and it's great. it's important to note that my batteries are still like new in their 4 season b/c when not in use they are on a charger 24/7/365.