primetime

I like the quality of the bitsy bug jigs with the exception of the skirts. I simply change out the skirt and tie one on with wire. I have a few from Missle/VMC that I like, The skirts are better quality and like others have mentioned, the bitsy flip is better quality but I find a miss more fish with the really stiff weedguard and amount of gap. Seems to not be optimal for me for whatever reason. I prefer the original bitsy bug and I also do not throw them in super heavy cover, for that I simply use a smaller texas rig.

No matter what storage system I choose, I can never fit everything I want in just one.....Regardless of size...I blame it on the tackle manufactures for making so many colors and sizes....

smaller BFS sized lures. Been getting into ultralight fishing again and keep forgetting that often times smaller baits can catch bigger fish. Picked up some cool looking 40mm topwater walkers, 1" popper and 38mm sinking jerkbaits. Looking forward to throwing smaller baits on lighter tackle this year.

Glide baits.....Probably because they require patience and I tend to get bored throwing a lure or bait for a long time if not getting strikes. Same with all the big hard bodies swimbaits. I also never throw the Whopper Ploppers, I am sure the smaller sizes would work better but personally have more confidence in a topwater prop bait. Not into the huge swimbaits. My nephew loves to throw giant swimbaits up North in Ct. and he will cast em all day for one or two strikes....but, the fish he catches tend to all be big. I basically keep my fishing pretty simple. My tackle arsenal is ridiculous since I only use 10% of it.

If fishing horizontal, I like to use a belly weighted hook, actually like the VMC drop dead hook for bigger flukes 6" over and also the owner twist locks and sometimes will use an underspin as well. On a spinning reel, I would rig up a light split shot or slip shot rig for your son, light C-Rig is a great way to fish a fluke if he prefers to cast far and cover water. If weeds are not to bad, I love rigging flukes open hook with hook on bottom exposed and it keeps the head down so it dives better. Also takes away the challenge of feeling hooksets. Nose hooking is great as well if you can. I also like to flip and pitch flukes and swimbaits instead of creature baits at times and when it works, it often works really well. I prefer a fluke or sluggo over any other soft bait for Carolina rigging. I cast it a mile and if you simply reel slowly, it darts all over and you can get that lift and drop action....Split shot rigs on smaller flukes. If I feel structure or bottom change, I will dead stick it and slow down. yes...I love a weighted fluke. Also love a double fluke rig, on top or bottom. I probably fish a fluke more than any other soft bait and although it's not considered a "big" fish bait, I feel a 7" fluke will do just as well as a big swimming worm or senko. I throw the Z-Man flukes for the 7" size and slug-go's for all sizes from 4"-10", lunker city, Bass Assassin, Hogy etc. The Strike King Caffiene shad is my go to in 5" size and second would be a zoom fluke or Houdini Shad from Yum. Also love to fish the downsized 2.5" lunker city flukes.

I use the same colors for lizards as all other soft baits. Stained water, tanic color--Black/Blue, Green pumpkin/Red, Junebug...I tend to use a black blue tail or black chart tail lizard the most. If clear water I go something natural-watermelons,gp.... I don't throw a lizard that often. I tend to find I can use a brush hog instead.

CDM Tackle like BKK making a mark and looks like the trend is going to keep growing.......They have been making great hooks for decades, since 70's I believe, glad they finally starting selling the BKK Brand in USA. Actually since 1856....https://bkkhooks-americas.com/our-history/ There are several China Branded hooks that are top quality.....China tackle is like everything else, you get what you pay for and if you do your research, you can save a ton of money on terminal tackle and accessories as well as lures and soft baits if do some research. I don't think BKK would put there brand on inexpensive hooks, I have always been amazed out how sticky all their hooks are.

I feel like just about every company who makes reels has models that can compete with the others. Granted, Daiwa reels hold value a bit better than Abu or Okuma or Lew's, (and other dozen) and Shimano the same.....But for any brand...You get what you pay for. Buy a $200 Okuma or Lew's reel and it will hold up if you take care of it and last a decade or more and perform great. Okuma also has best customer service from my experiences but have owned more Okuma products than others. High End Okuma reels hold up great, inexpensive reels wear out over time....They will replace products if you break a guide series rod lifetime warranty in the car door or lose the side plate over side of boat. Every Brand has to outsource and they all use OEM's in different locations in case the supply chain is interrupted so they all use factories in China, Korea, Thailand etc....Not a bad thing, that's where products are made these days and it's interesting how CDM tackle like BKK and Haibo-Ark - and other's, are starting to make some waves in the USA....Kast King has high end reels now and from what I understand great service and stand by products so I would guess there $300 reels are as good as any others for $300...Just my take. They also can sell reels for less with how they set up their business. Marketing is marketing, amazing how many new companies have popped up recently and they all look alike. Daiwa does make great reels, Still have 2 Cabelas Prodigy "Engineered by Daiwa on the sides" 15 years old and going strong. Also have a 15 year old OG ABU Garcia Silver Revo SX and Heavy Metal Pflueger President that is going strong and super easy to dial in..... I guess my rant is...You get what you pay for....However, I have had $70 reels last longer than reels 3x the price. I would never buy Quantum again based on my personal issues with them, but I am sure others loved them when they had the smoke and exo etc....

what rod do you have the Daiwa paired with? I have looked into BFS since I throw alot more finesse baits and lures these days & with the cold I prefer fishing panfish sized baits & light slider worms etc.... You can legit throw a 1/16oz bait or lure over 100 yards on the lighter spooled casting reels? Thats crazy distance, I cant get near that on any of my ultralight spinning set ups. Never even contemplated putting braid on my casting reels under 30lb test or 10lb Mono/Fluoro. I was going to buy one of the Ark baitcasting bfs reels when Tackle Warehouse had their X-mas sale, but reviews were not that great. I have a few BPS/Cabelas gift cards to use, so maybe will grab a good combo and I think Abu Garcia has a new REVO BFS which I would think is good? Daiwa Tatula BFS likely in same price range, imagine Daiwa likely casts further with T-Wing System. Any suggestions from first hand experience appreciated. I wouldn't mind a 2 piece rod or one piece and mainly be looking to throw 1g-4g. I had someone tell me Kastking has a quality BFS reel, but not sure if it's one of their high end or entry level. I know Kast King now makes reels in price ranges to compete with other companies.

I like all 3 brands. I tend to buy whichever is the best value when I need to make a purchase. I like to buy mostly Daiwa and Abu for baitcasting reels just because I have used them for years and have always been happy. I find that a $100 reel from all the major brands is about the same quality, however it is easier imo to find sales on Abu Garcia baitcasting reels on sites like Ebay. Shimano and Daiwa tend to hold their value more. I own way to many baitcasting reels and out of all the Lew's, Okuma, Daiwa and Abu reels I have along with BPS and Academy, I have to say....I tend to reach for my Abu Garcia Max Pro's and Academy Mettle more than I do my more expensive reels. Super easy to get them dialed in. The Abu STX and Pro series are a great value pound for pound.

All the china sites are nothing more than a marketplace of online venders. Same as Amazon or Ebay etc. I just picked up a Fuego 2022 Spinning reel for $45 and Daiwa Revros 2023 for $40. Both are legit, believe they were both from an American company based in Miami since they arrived in like 3-4 days. Alibaba has venders from lots of countries, lots of products ship from America and you can search for that criteria. Customer service has always been good as well. Just make sure the place you buy from has feedback and a good reputation. You can find just about anything on China sites, if price is to good to be true than it is likely fake. I am probably going to order the older Abu Garcia Orra casting reels which are going for $29.99. Those were $100 reels 10 years ago. CVS Pharmacy takes Alipay now....times are changing

I am sure it will be really nice braid since Suffix makes quality line, 832 being one of them. Personally, I try to avoid the really thin finesse braids as I have a hard time tying knots and it drives me nuts in the wind, especially if the coating is slick. I would give it a shot as I am sure it will last forever. I can't imagine throwing line that thin on a baitcasting reel, have not gotten into the BFS casting system yet. I love ultralight fishing but stick with spinning gear and straight 4-6lb mono. May have to try a BFS casting reel this year and see if I prefer it over spinning gear.

Very True....Your original point is spot on. So many of the new baits are simply slight mods on older ideas. The Senko was a huge revolution in fishing but is essentially a slight modification on the Slug-go which was a huge hit when it first came out. The lure you posted made me think of the Yo-zuri Snap beans....I think those are discontinued as well. Good Topic.

Next time you are making an order on tackle warehouse, this is a fantastic lipless crankbait worth picking up. I have a bunch I grabbed about 10 years ago from Reaction Strike at a liquidator and after using them on a few trips I purchased about 30 of them in all sizes. I tend to throw these more than the old Xcaliburs (now booyah) which are considered gold. They are mainly silent, have a slight rattle which is almost the sound of sand but a bit of a deeper sound. They sink faster, cast a mile, and stand perfectly on bottom so you can fish em like a jig or chuck and wind and rip out of weeds. I love the 2 line ties as well. They come with cheap hooks so I change mine out to better ones, mostly Triple grips or owners. I believe Castaic/Reaction Strike is an OEM and makes baits and lures for other companies, so much of their stuff is slept on. Granted, some of the other baits they make are poor quality imo, but this is a worthy investment of $7.99. Both sizes are good, they are different weights than the standard sizes which I think helps with the action. Sometimes less noise is the ticket. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Castaic_Baits_CXV_Lipless_Crankbait/descpage-CCL.html?from=gshop&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA7se8BhCAARIsAKnF3rwv3yjyYqiOLHYZf44U5U9ms3W17YeZs3D6Naltr-3wKc0SqUDKcsUaAgEfEALw_wcB

https://www.berkley-fishing.com/products/digger?_pos=1&_sid=fc842c938&_ss=r Still have a ton on Berkley's website. You can often find really good sales on there site. I always check it, have found awesome sales on just about everything over the years.

Picture reminds me of the little bfs Jackall baits. Jackall sells the tappy for $20 but I picked up some knock offs from Amazon for ultralight fishing and hoping they work well. I remember the Bill Dance Eel and never caught a fish on it but also didn't like it after a few casts.

Strike King Red Eye Shad in chart perch pattern or gold sexy shad 1/2 oz. and gold Spro Aruku Shad. Smaller size which I think is 3/8. I still have a ton of the older Xcaliber xrk 25 & 50 One Knockers which I have always done really well with. All colors seem to catch fish. When in doubt I throw Chrome colors or something in chart pattern. Also have some Reaction Strike lipless cranks in 1/4,1/2 and 3/4 with multiple line ties and are mostly silent, they seem to have sand inside based on the subtle sound and they work awesome. I am sure they are probably still around. Luckily stumbled across them years ago at a liquidator and purchased a ton of them since they work so well. Just change out the hooks and they work great especially on a lift and drop retrieve. They stand upright on bottom perfectly.

Houdini, Baby Bass-watermelon/white laminate & Green Pumpkin/Purple. Pumpkinseed in clearer water. Culprit Pumpkinseed translucent is one of my favorites. Also like the Kalins grubs in Pumpkinseed.

I don't throw alot of suspending jerkbaits anymore but when I used to throw them often in clear colder water, I used mainly Smithwick Rogues, Bomber Long A's(suspending)- Love the Long A floaters in Summer. Rapala X-Raps are good and erratic as well as Lucky Craft Pointers. Husky Jerks are good baits with more subdued action. I also used to do really well with a slow sinking jerkbait as well, Rapala Countdown was always really good. Some suspenders will also sink or float depending on water temps etc. so I used to use suspend dots and strips to get them to act the way I wanted. Booyah used to have a good jerkbait as well. I also used to throw a small Matzuo Jerkbait on light tackle that used to work really well. Was cheap, $2.99 but some days would work fantastic. Tricky part if finding the right depth, cadence, size etc. is more important than brand imo. Color tends to matter more than it does with other moving baits in my experiences as well. Takes patience to get good with jerkbaits and luckily by brother would always figure out the pattern which made cold days much better. Sometimes the smallest details on retrieve make all the difference. I have never thrown a megabass so not sure if they are worth it or not.

look online for BKK hooks. China domestic brand but have been making premium hooks for years. They used to be super cheap when I started ordering them in bulk from China but I notice now they are considered premium and are the most expensive hooks at Dicks etc. 8 bucks a pack and selling a kit of hooks for triple digits. Also being used on the most expensive lures it seems. You can still find treble hooks to your house in 2 weeks inexpensive and they are plenty good and you can buy in small quantity. You can also find deals on other solid brands from the lure making companies like lurepartsonline etc. Daichi are still fairly inexpensive I believe.

I still do alot of bank fishing, especially at night. I live 10 minutes away from a really good lake in Florida which is also one of the deepest, believe it has the FL. Record of 19lbs still....I prefer fishing from the bank near the outflow especially after it rains, much easier to just grab a couple rods, bag of baits and go. If fishing isn't good, can hop in the car and drive to other spots....Some of the best bass fishing I have had in Florida are from random ponds and public lakes/parks from shore. Sometimes it's better to not be able to move and instead have to figure out a pattern....I also love to fish boat ramps since many of the fish released from tournaments linger for a bit at least I think that is why the fishing is really good at times.

I use Medium Heavy fast action casting rods more than any others I have. My favorite casting rod is a 7'2" MHF and there are times when I throw treble hook topwaters and cranks on it and also standard T-Rigs etc. I can cast anything from 1/8-1oz. and I try to set the hook accordingly. I have a similar G-Loomis rod that is 6'6" and I love it for bank & Kayak and actually like shorter rods at times. Great all purpose rod...For my Medium Heavy rods I tend to use 15lb Trilene big Game or 30-50lb braid. However, if I am only bringing one, I will use Mono and go anywhere from 10lb to 15lb.

I had a bunch of these type baits show up in a bulk plastics order about 6-7 years when I used to sell them at a flea market. I eventually was able to ID the bait as an "Arkie" bug which Tackle warehouse sells and they are not expensive. I never actually threw them but believe I have a few stashed somewhere and plan on making some of these myself as well. I have a ton of old plastics stored away which are damaged etc. so now I can likely make some good ones. Appreciate the post. I have become a big fan of wacky rigs lately since the water is clear this time of year in many of the places I fish, so a slow falling bait with silicone will likely be fantastic especially in the parks which are pressured. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Arkie_Salty_Crawlin_Fry/descpage-ARKFRY.html?from=gpmax&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA1p28BhCBARIsADP9HrPvEeZ81BIipADQkhLtehcuQx8Z5Sz9zNjmY0fN0RiRmuU_XLpPrOwaAkGHEALw_wcB

Worden's Timber Tiger - Older lure but when I used to throw cranks up north, they worked great. Also the Luhr-Jensen Speed Trap is a great lil shallow running crank that I know lots of guys still throw. I used to also throw the Rapala DT-Flat Series alot..DT-3 I think it was for shallow. No rattle but flat side was great in cold like the shad rap. Shallow shad rap would be good, cranks still make noise without a rattle with treble hooks and vibrations.... Maybe a Smaller Lipless crank like Spro Aruku Shad with head down, I throw them in weeds and fallen trees and they come through pretty good.

Yamamoto Floating Craws. My New favorite as of late.