ClackerBuzz

imo you're giving fish too much credit. buy some indestructible Z Man ElaZtech and fish for days/weeks with one bag.

my last two home lakes have been a complete bust but they have made me a far better angler than i would have ever become. some guys hate new lakes b/c they struggle. i feel like a rockstar when i finally get on quality water and love knowing a big bass can be just around the next corner.

boat down the beach

ur worst nightmares are true: it was a double digit bass. get back there asap

yup I use 3/8 oz standard and 1/2 oz in wind, rain, prefrontal and at night for big girls.

great lures. -point rod tip directly at the buzzbait removing the rod from the equation, so ur just using reel, line and lure, and they bounce great over timber, through lily pad stalks etc (this also works with any lure you want to bump over cover). -do a directional change as you're passing by ur target to get more strikes. keep the rod on left side of body and when ur buzzbait approaches corner of a dock switch rod to right side of body. it will pull lure 1-2ft right like it's fleeing bait (again works great with other lures). -one buzzbait can catch hundreds of bass so replace with skirt rubber band with a cable/zip tie before you lose it. -buy a file to keep hooks sharp. -I like my buzzbaits running slow so i use a small drill bit to add holes. -some guys swear by trailers but i don't bother with them anymore b/c i saw no added benefits and plenty of cons: they cost extra money when aren't necessary, make the lure roll over at higher speeds, and continually slip and/or require glue maintenance.

a few weeks ago i was too lazy to get my frog rod and made due with rod in my trunk--it has 20lb braid on it. a few casts in I hang up on some cat tails. the braid snapped like butter while trying to pull free. $11 frog went sailing away. I spent 20 mins looking for it in high grass. 3 days later went back to fish with my frog rod i.e. 65lb braid. guess what i found in the grass!? with 65lb braid i've never broken off a fish let alone frog. i'll never make that mistake again

thanks. how are the MicroWave guides? I'm worried about them being a weird gimmick. any chance you use braid/leader? I don't like micro guides b/c the connection knot slams so hard when casting. I'm worried about the same thing but they look slightly larger in the pix

90% of the time this is the only bluegill/crappie lure I need. Things are ridiculous. 1/64 or 1/32 if ur fishing vertical. 1/16 if ur casting. 1/8 only if it's windy or when you need it fast so they can't get a good look at it. if they aren't biting that I switch to any sinking fly fishing lure that has a gold bead on it.

lotta good recommendations. just for another point of view: sometimes less is more. Greg Hackney often talks about how great his hook ups and land ratio were pre-fishing b/c he's relaxed. come tournament day his ratios went way down b/c he started swinging hard and fast from being so excited. ratios went back up after he adjusted to pre-fishing hooksets letting the rod, line, terminal tackle all do their job. i've seen buddies jack a bass so hard the punch rig came flying back to the boat. they say "darn he only had it by the tail." My reply is always "He had the whole bait but you jack it so hard u blew his mouth open and almost blinded me at the same time." just something to think about

how did the rods hold up this season?

SK 1.5 are running too deep. Conditions are 5-6 ft visibility, flats that are 2-3 ft max. I'd like to burn a crankbait ultra fast w/o it diving. Is there anything that runs under 12", just subsurface? Or a wakebait that slightly dives? The bass are very skittish b/c there is very little current flowing thru lake so the faster the better. Silent or flat sided would be a bonus. Seems like alot of wakebaits have extra wide wobble/thump which I'd like to avoid.

...shallow around weeds is my milkrun. a 2ft strike zone is a pimple on a horse's behind when ur fishing deep. but a 2ft strike zone is enormous in 2-3 ft of skinny water. I'd also PM roadwarrior for local tips (sorry i don't know how to fancy hyperlink his name). opps looks like he far from you. but still might point you in the right direction. https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/profile/75-roadwarrior/

this is when i knew it was time for me to get off the bank and buy a kayak

so far I've found the retrieve is far more important than the lure. my two retrieves are below but I'd like to hear more: -work the lure so fast it's bouncing off the rock tops only (pure power fishing--could be done with a crankbait, spinnerbait, biffle bug, even drop shot etc. The long arm of a spinnerbait deflecdts much better vs a chatterbait head that wedges in cracks). -like Ktho, I use a much slower retrieve keeping it on semi slack or tight line, quickly dragging it over rocks, never allowing it to fully stop and sink in between them. I'm more likely to do this with a drop shot, tube, T rig etc.

LM do semi frequent head shakes. Carp feel more like a bulldozer going about their usual work, in the opposite direction, while pulling drag. long runs will have ur drag peeling more like a saltwater fish. large catfish can be similar but usually have more head shakes trying to throw the hook. carp seem to care less about a hook in their lip and just want to run away from the problem. a small catfish can feel like a big bass only i get suspicious when there are non-stop head shakes while sitting in one place.

looks like it's: 20% off 1 rod 30% off 2 rods 40% off 3 rods 50% off 4 rods

Are you spending the money on an lightweight canoe so you can easily car top it? if so my next question is: do you have a yard or driveway to keep a small trailer? if so I would forget car topping: buy an indestructible $300-500 polyethylene canoe like coleman or old town and spend the extra money on a trailer. i fished from a 14' Radisson for 3 seasons and it was fragile. i know what ur thinking: no problem, i'm very careful, and i don't fish rivers i.e. no rocks. but bad things still happen in lakes, roads, launching, docking etc. plus strapping mine too tight to the roof of my car would even compromise the seams and rivets. even more bad news: the bad design means the seam is located under a welded tracking bar. tearing out the foam interior and paying an aluminum welder is far too much time and money. expensive fiberglass/ polyester blends will have their own inherent problems. are you attaching a trolling motor? if ur paddling only why not consider a lightweight kayak?

hands down the motor. it can keep you entertained and learning for 2-3 seasons before you crave a fish finder. now i wouldn't consider buying sonar unit unless it has side imaging. it's the difference between trying to look at a lake thru a pinhole (standard sonar) vs 180 degree panoramic vision hundreds of feet each side. i made the mistake of wasting $300 on a unit that didn't have side imaging and was bored with it in less than 3 days.

if ur fishing power fishing from the bank any jig head will do. if ur fishing slow and low i'd go with a dropshot.

90% of anglers catch 90% of the dinks- and are happy campers (and I used to be one of them. I miss being happy).

yup they require a little extra care. however 50-100+ fish per lure is easily worth it to me

just some more food for thought for OP I guess: a bunch of guys are very happy with the rod. a bunch of guys have rods that broke. who know's how they'll handle warranty issue? I do not have a GM location near me and a $12.99 rod is not worth shipping costs even if they do cover under warranty.

like this guy my $12.99 Vortex spinning rod lasted 15 minutes before breaking. apparently their site has bad reviews i didn't take the time to read b/c the price was 'too good'. not sure about his language thru entire video so youtube: Warning: Rant About Gander Mountain Vortex Fishing Rod