flipin4bass

High priced, high end tackle has been around a long time. Can you imagine an "average angler" forking out $2.25 for one of these in the mid to late 50s. Sears & Roebuck sold these then for that price and at the time this store targeted the masses. There was cheaper lures you could buy, but back then, if you wanted to play with these you had to pay. Today, we laugh about going into the water to retrieve a lure...I remember as a preteen making .50 cents a week doing that. Those "crazy prices" have been around a long time.

I'm going to try the LC X-14 and X-18 this year. (top row in pic) They look promising and the bills are tough. I think with a little added weight I can get the X-18 to 20'.

Great advice...ask the bass.

Compile your wish list and wait for the Memorial Day sales...would have been nice to have spent that money on TW gift cards when they were offering them at 10% off, then you could have really made a good haul come May.

Not at all. I think in the 1990s, ESPN, B.A.S.S., and a handful of professional anglers started a revolution, or evolution in equipment that seems to have no end. I for one am thankful the direction the market has gone in the past 25-30 years. For quite a few years now, the selection of tackle at every price range has grown at an almost geometric rate. Although the price to climb into one of those nice rigs seems to have gone out the roof, you can acquire quality tackle without breaking the bank. Thanks to on-line shopping, Black Friday, Memorial Day and other sales, a working stiff can get quality, high end tackle. With very few exceptions, I don't think I've paid retail prices on tackle for the past 15-20 years. For example, I picked up some new Lucky Craft lures this past Black Friday for $8 a piece. About five years ago I landed 4 new Shimano Calais reels for $200 a reel, no tax and free shipping...wait, they were actually under $200 because I applied my Cabelas Club points. So, you Pros keep catching those hawgs on TV with that Lucky Craft and Megabass tackle so that the manufacturers flood the market because of the demand you are creating...I'm going to lay low and wait to ambush that tackle when the smoke clears. No, I think this middle class working stiff will be enjoying fishing for a few more years.

They do have a good action in the water, but I don't think I could throw any of these in the lake. I'll use the cheaper Pop Max...same action. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3f_sAZSiN4

It's tips like this that justifies the hours I spend on this forum. Great idea!

"But they're not for fishin...they're just for lookin." These 10 lures will never see the water.

Received the final one yesterday for the set...I think they qualify as art.

Added these to my collection today. If you're a collector of old lures you may recognize these classics, Rapala F13G star foil and F11G diamond foil from the 1950s.

You've got a little more than 4 months until the Memorial Day sales...put tungsten on your list and be done with it.

It;s the Gene Larew 6" HooDaddy. They have been making it for years and it has landed me countless Hawgs.

This article is listed in Gear Tips and I hope those who reply to this thread will read the article first. I grew up on straight shank hooks and they served me well for years. I also started keeping notes on my catches beginning in the early 70s (they call it a log today) in pocket notebooks. I didn't jump on the EWG band wagon when it first debuted, but I did so sometime in the early to mid 90s. My straight shank hooks subsequently either went into storage or I gave them away as I started using EWGs for everything. After reading Mr. Redington's article for a second time last night, I decided to dig out those old notes and review them. Although I didn't keep enough information to work up an actual percentage of missed hook sets, I do know what style of hooks I was using at a particular time. As mentioned in his article, EWG hooks have their place among some baits, but before I rack up the missed fish that I should have had to old age and "head space and timing," ... I'm going back to my roots and start using straight shank and offset shank hooks, at least for worms and creatures. Mr. Redington's article is a good read and I hope the "EWG for everything crowd" gives it some thought. Thanks Tom.

I got a feeling the Megabass I-Slide would do very well with those Florida bass.

Mann's Jelly Worm Gene Larew HooDaddy (smothered in crawfish Hawg Sauce)

LOL...I hear ya DRH20. I don't care if you're a bank angler, riding on a john boat, bass boat, or yak...bass anglers spend hours, for the most part, on their rides and equipment so they can "style" on the water. I don't care if you're executing a blooper or landing a catch...we got to look good doing it. Don't take my word for it, just go to YouTube for a few hours and you'll see it. I got to hand it to the kayak angler...I don't know of another group of folks that can take an ordinary milk crate and give it style.

Heavy duty zip ties. If you plan on making one of these, you might consider ties that are rated for extreme cold weather considering where you live, especially if you store it outside. I've been using zip ties on my crates for five years without any problems, but I don't live up there where you do either.

Crate comes from milkcratesdirect.com. Crate dividers were cut from the sides of another crate. Rod holders are from Cabelas. Nav light is made with a dive light w/diffusion cone and 1/2" PVC. Molle pouches come from military surplus.

I use different brands of punch weights, but I like using the BOSS hub because it allows you to use regular bullet weights pegged against it.

The crate...so far...and I still feel I'm carrying too much. Going from bass boat to yak, 15-20 3700 boxes to 3 has been an interesting journey in down sizing. I'll never go back though, fishing out of kayak has landed me more fish, more peace, and more gratification.

Owner and Gamakatsu ...is there any other brand?

From the Urban Dictionary - "A term used by all branches of the United States military services to describe one whose performance is even with or above satisfactory level, and that has continued such performance consistantly for an extended period of time. Alternately, this term may be applied to objects, placed, events, or generally anything that presents a high level of military order and discipline."

Same here.

My son, an Infantryman stationed in Alaska, squared away my Stohlquist PFD I use when kayak fishing. Along with an American flag it also displays my blood type and a "No Known Drug Allergies" patch.

I replaced the bearings in a couple of my Shimano Calais reels with Boca ceramic bearings, cast a 1/2 oz crank from the north shore of Lake Texoma and intercepted a pass in the Texas Stadium.