primetime

I often forget about certain soft baits and lures because I love to buy the latest and greatest, and I recently decided to tie on a 5" SK- Rage? Ocho Stick worm which I had used several years ago with good success, but somehow forgot about them since I often lack the patience to fish a "Senko" the Standard way. As soon as I tied on the Ocho which was in a Watermelon Red color, I dropped it in the water and realized that the sides of the worm made it similar to a "Flat sided crankbait" in terms of flash. I started fishing it like a Fluke/Sluggo, near the surface, killing it near ambush points, and basically just fishing it much faster than I would a Texas Rigged Worm. I am not sure if Strike King Designed this worm to be worked like a Sluggo, but I ended up going through my pack of watermelon red, and then finished off a pack of Baby Bass color and I was fishing in the pouring Rain, in Stained water, without any weight or sound, just the standard Scent and Salt from Strike King. One of the things that was impressive was how hard the fish were hitting this worm when I worked it like a "Subwalk" and I clipped on a piece of a D.O.A. Pinch Weight to the back of the hook to make it glide a bit more, and the extra weight seemed to trigger more strikes while it was falling. Does anyone else fish the Ocho as a main part of your soft bait arsenal? I can't believe I forgot about this worm, It really is different than almost any other stick bait I have come across, and yet I almost never hear of anyone using it? One other note......Like all Rage, GYB, Keitech's etc...They are soft and will Rip easily. Do not throw them away. I put a few small 2" pieces on a light jighead and was catching fish just as fast as I would with any other worm on the "Ned Rig". I also think that this worm may be great for the MJ rig as well, the added flash that this worm gives off may not be great for every situation, but I am heading out to Dicks today to buy some more since they are the only company around that stocks the Rage baits. I would recommend this worm to anyone who is like me....Sometimes you lack the patience to fish a Senko slowly, or always like to experiment with different rigs etc. I would imagine this would be a great Swim Jig trailer as well, if one rips in half, put it on a swim Jig and it would give it more flash and more bulk. Is the Ocho a bait that just never received the marketing or attention due to all the different options? Curious to see if other people fish this worm on a consistent basis. Glad I tied one on instead of grabbing the "Caffiene Shad" which has always been my favorite fluke for many reasons but mainly for the casting distance, but this worm offers something different imo. Thanks. Any tips on how you use the Ocho would be appreciated. Curious to see if anyone fishes this instead of a Senko for wacky rigging etc.

MM can be tricky. Usually the 65, 85, or 100 in lure models from most companies overseas is MM. The Sammy is 100mm I believe or standard size, then lures like the GYB pencil Tate 85 are 85mm. I think 100mm is about 4". I made that mistake as well in the past. I have made it in reverse not realizing how big 135mm was. Alot of JDM baits are small since the pressured lakes in Japan cause alot of guys to use light Fluoro which is why they have weird #test like 7 or 3 etc... I have watched videos of them throwing tiny crankbaits and catching big fish, so I would not be upset if a lure is small, most JDM lures have long cast systems, so you can actually chuck a tiny crankbait a long distance, probably has a unique sound that may get more strikes than the normal lures, so I would keep any Lucky Craft Japan lure in my box and fish it with confidence. Sometimes tiny is good as long as you have the right tackle with it, but LC comes with good hooks I would assume-Daichi?

Booyah, Live target are all good frogs. I use the KVD frog since they have a few colors I like and a rattle inside, plus i like a firmer frog at times, but I would say Booyah would do the trick since you can buy 2 for the price of 1 Live Target frogs which are really good, but sometimes the smaller frog can be what they want. You mentioned having fish not commit, maybe try a small Jr. Pad Crusher and a Standard. A Poppin Pad crusher would be a good option as well. Booyah makes a great frog for the money. Great frog period I should say. Pound for pound, hard to beat it when they go on sale Buy on 50% off at Dicks. LT frogs at Dicks have been Bogo and $10, the 45T is small but worth having as small profile can help, but the 55T is probably the most used size. All options are good. Strike King is a good frog. They have gotten better in the last couple years and are softer, still firm but Softer and have some great colors. You can easily add a rattle to any frog as well.

I bet a Plastic/Rubber Hula skirt like on a Hula Grub would also work as a replacement. I always thought they just had a silicone skirt on them but the older ones probably did have living rubber which would rot over time. Hula Popper is a classic no doubt. Cool colors as well. I should probably try one again, that is another classic lure I forgot about that used to be a favorite. Not many topwater lures with the face of a hula popper now that I think about it. Probably a new look. Good call.

I wish they made one with a clear lip instead of the metal color. I use the Jitterbug sometimes and it acts almost like a wake bait, but for some reason I have never done well with them on a consistent basis. I maybe need to throw them more since fish probably are not seeing them much these days. I still have a few old Jointed Jitterbugs and weedless versions, maybe I should try painting the Front black with a shaprie like on a chatterbait. You can bend the lip up and down and get different actions. The one I have caught fish on has a dressed treble on the back. It looks awesome and rides high in the water, I bet it would be great over weeds almost topped out during the day. Need to use it on my next trip. I was just thinking about older lures I have forgotten about. Today's Bass do not learn about Jitterbugs in class, They are Naive to the bug.

Good call on the Zara Puppy. I need to start using that lure again, I kind of forgot about the smallest one which I used to use often. I used to throw a clear zarra Puppy whenever I was fishing clear water or in saltwater. I never thought clear colored lures were good until I watched a friend of mine catch fish after fish on a clear chug bug one day, and now I try to buy clear lures in every category. I read somewhere that fish can't guage the size of a clear lure which is why it works so well and it is also natural like say a school of glass minnows or fry on the surface which makes sense. If I see shad have a yellow tint, or chart tint, sometimes pink, I will take a spike It pen and just dye the lure which lasts but you can wash it off. You can also paint it black really quick or any color, kind of a nice benefit to clear lures although I never use clear cranks etc. Maybe I should try. I like some of the small walking baits out there, everyone seems to only talk 100mm Size and larger when Smaller baits can give off just as much action/Sound. Yo-zuri/Duel used to make the Arms series and they had a small pencil popper that is the same size as a Zarra Puppy called the "Walkin' Dog" which has a cupped mouth, thin but can be loud if you want it to be. They also cast a mile with the long cast system Yo-zuri uses. I use that most of the time and go Super Spook Jr size alot. Black head/Chart body is a great stained water choice. Topwater lures and size makes a big difference imo. One of the only types of lures where I have noticed a difference in shapes, sizes, and color. If I am fishing topwater, I always like to have a Jr. and standard size bait. I never see anyone using small walking baits for Bass, the trend is the big one Knockers.

Looks so nice out of the water. in the water, it looks just like it looks out of the water. A fake Dead bluegill made of plastic. I am sure it catches fish but this is one of the only lures I have tied on and after a few minutes I realized why am I now just using a frog? It will help you find turtles which = wood, so maybe it is a good fish finder.

Subtle walking lures would be a Silent no rattles inside.....Silent Spook, I know the older ones do not have any rattles, neither do a few other models, but often Silent will outfish any lure with rattles. I would also not want a pencil walking lure for subtle, but that is just my opinion. A good Silent but productive walking lure is a Red Fin Minnow. Some guy on TV was winning some tournament chucking the 5" Version and it wobbles so wide you can just walk it or wake it, you can modify a Red Fin to do just about anything. Best part is it also comes in 4" or Rippling version which suspends or floats, put short shanks on it, and you only need a few inches of water to use it. If Lakes have Thread fin shad, big shiners, that is my first choice for a hardbait, and wake baits don't always work , but you will know when is the right time fairly quickly. Lots of guys in Florida throw the big Cordell Pencil Popper which is used more than people would ever know. The Cordell Pencil is big but thin, and when looking for a big bite, hard to beat that as a big topwater. 135 is big.

You should have imo the following types of lures, I am not a brand name guy but some lures have different features and actions that other lures do not replicate. 1-Popper, small, medium best for bass fishing, Sometimes you need that tiny small Popper, a Balsa wood popper like the Skitter pop is necessary imo because no other lure I have used sounds identical to a bluegill. It has a different shape than all the others, the Berkley Frenzy was good buy hard to find now. All Poppers are good, make sure one has a dressed treble hook, that matters some days. 2-Walking lures that are silent, One Knocker, standard rattling. Sound matters, then a Pencil Popper style walking lure like a Chug Bug, Gunfish, Chugn Spook, which then brings to the chugger series of lures with deeper cups. The Rebel Popper is so good because they make 4 sizes, Have all the colors you need, Pradco website offers all the G-Finish lures and I buy inexpensive and expensive lures based on color and if they can do something that is unique. 3- Buzzbaits style lures, Whopper Plopper, but to me, I would never fish topwater without a Torpedo, Bagley's Bang O lure Prop, Rapala X Rap Prop or Devils Horse, then you need a lure that can walk fast like the Rebel T-10 or Ima Skimmer. 4- Wake baits, and Floating Jerkbaits. If you don't have a Floating Rapala and a Jointed Rapala, that is malpractice, they are both balsa lures that are the #1 lure sold in the world for years for a reason. You will never regret that purchase and as a Minnow bait/Rip bait freak, I have yet to find a lure that can do what the Rapala Minnow does except maybe the Older Bang O lures, but size #11 is standard, Bomber Long A 14, 15, Rattling Floating Rogue for stained water, suspend dots help suspend, wake, make them more weedless. 5- Clear water, you need a small clear walking bait imo, clear Zara Spook in the small size. It helps to hit the store to see the sounds, you don't want all your walking lures to be one knockers or loud rattling. Pick the brands you like since confidence matters, make sure you understand why a lure has light "Cheap looking" hooks on them. You can buy $20 Poppers that have hooks that will bend that are top qualiity, but many of the JDM lures are designed for Japanese lakes where fishing pressure is high, so they go light line, smaller lures alot of the time. People complain about Rebel Hooks which are cheap hooks depending on the model and year made, but if you are throwing a small Rapala or Rebel Popper on 30lb braid, you need to make sure you have your drag set properly. I am sure we have all made that mistake. If you google, best topwater lures for Bass fishing, You will find articles on the categories and theories, at the end of the day you only need a few, but I would rather start my collection with a lure in all categories, sizes, than have duplicates of $15 lures if that makes sense. The Duo 64 Popper is fantastic, but some days when you here Bluegills popping, I can't think of a lure that I would pull out of my box other than a Skitter Pop, They make small ones and huge ones. Balsa rides high, over weeds, you can get a balsa lure over submerged weeds where most throw frogs. My last lure.....Kind of my secret bait...The AC Shiner which is hand carved and you can get lucky and find them or $10 or less, New they can be really expensive but on light line, Hard to beat it now matter how you throw it. Hope that helps. Keep in mind. Only a few OEM's or Factories make Hardbaits, so you start to see why all the lures on the market look similar however they have different colors, hooks, and internals. I used to love the Devil's horse until I switched to the X-Rap Prop which has a few tweaks the Bernie Shultz designed, and those Tweaks work, I have not used the DH in years except for the smaller version. Some days prop baits can outfish any other lure. Torpedo is great, just add split rings. I recently had a day where the Tiny Torpedo was all they would touch, I tried throwing the LC G Splash, An Imakatsu lure that ended up in my box, but the size of the tiny torpedo was the key, color didn't matter, but they would not hit anything longer or fatter. Does not always happen that way, but when it does, $5 small lures come in handy.

I grew up on Long Island and as a Kid we had both a freshwater tank and saltwater tank so my brother and I would use a Seine net all day to try and catch new fish for the tank. When I was in college I graduated to a tank with 1 largemouth bass just to see how it behaved and watch it feed, one thing I learned (Off topic but bass LOVE baby catfish) Here is how we would get fish in ponds, try to pick an area with hard bottom, not alot of weeds, but make sure you have the net firmly on bottom and have it so it is in a U shape. Have 2 people ahead of the net to flush fish out from weeds etc. and have them start spashing water to guide fish into the net. The people walking toward the net should start about 10-15 feet wide of the net and as they funnel inward toward the net you have to make sure to keep splashing water to the outside to scare fish and keep them running toward the net, but make sure you are barely making noise when moving your feet with one foot on the bottom string. You want the fish to swim into the net so you really only walk about 10-15 feet (depends on the size of the fish, bigger fish over 6" will get out if not picked up quickly) and pick up the net when the 2 people get within a few feet of the net and you need to do it quickly and make sure you don't give fish time to hit the net and then turn around and take off. That is why having chasers is key, confuses bigger fish. Guys down here will steal Bass from Ponds during the spawn since huge Females will move shallow at night on hard bottom if you spot the nests, and they do it by targeting one fish or the pair and pick off each one then move to the next. If you are trying to rescue Bass that are larger, you need to chase them in, then get them right up. They swim much faster than you realize, I tried last year to save a few fish from a dried up retention pond and it took a few hours to get 2 of them, the 3rd was impossible to get in the net. When it get's really low it is easy since the fish slow down and are losing oxygen, but you may get lucky and be able to save them. Catfish can live for months in just mud as long as it is not dry. They burrow into the mud when times get tough, kind of cool to see.

For a topwater, any color will usually work, I just take a sharpie and add a spot of orange or red to the botttom part near the front of the lure. Most Poppers will have a yellow or orange colored portion of the bottom, but Generally the throught Process is Black, or darker colors at night, but then some guys also like to use the same colors they use during the day since the bait fish are the same color as always. I agree that the Loon Color is really good since it has black and some white on it for contrast and is also good to throw most of the time. I use a Sexy Shad color Popper most of the time since it has some chart, white, and orange on bottom, I never do well with Firetiger or really bright colors but I know that some people do really well on them. I have seen times at night where a white lure would work great, and I have heard guys tell me that depending on the light from the moon or dock lights etc, sometimes White or lighter colors with flash will be easier to see but I don't know for sure, you never know until you try one. All you really need for a popper is 3 colors essentially and a box of sharpies. White bottom, Black bottom, something with orange or chart on the bottom. I like to work poppers differently at night most of the time. I use more of a chugging predictable retrieve with 1 pull, then pause for a 3 count, repeat. Or just walk it at a steady slow retrieve. I have never been able to say with certainty that black is better than matching the forage color at night. In stained water, or any water, sometimes I feel lures that match the water color work well any time. I am just as guilty as the next person when it comes to black lures at night, but lately I have been using the same colors I use during the day. In Ponds, In Summer, I love a baby bass colored lure or worm since the bass that hatched this year are a perfect size right now and I feel the key is contrast. Green/White seems to always catch fish but I would use the same colors you catch fish on during the day. Blugills are still the same color during the day, Flash is flash, and in moonlight, Flash is probably the key, that is why I love the Sebile Glitter series that gives the "Scales falling off effect". I use a Gold Splasher at night since you can walk it, pop it, chug it, or wake it. Patrick Sebile has a demo he does where he shows about 6 retreives with the lure and that hard Chug actually works at times, I never thought to work a lure that hard would work, but if you have some wind, it is worth a try. Seems to attract bigger fish for some reason. Sorry for the long response, I type quickly and the Splasher has Owner ST-41 Hooks so you can throw it on Heavy line and not worry about bending them.

Good hook set on the frog. No Kidding. I often am more proud of myself when I land a 10" bass on a full sized frog with both hooks through the top lip. The best way to learn some ideas on how to set the hook since everyone has tricks they use that work for them, is to visit you tube. You can actually watch how guys do it, I kind of suscribe to the theory that if a Bass wants a frog, it will take it down, hold it, and as long as you have the right equipment and swing hard enough, you will land more than you miss. Even fishing topwater lures with 3 treble hooks is never 100%. I would estimate that you hook 75% of fish on a good day. But often times the swipe allows you to locate the fish and follow up with a different presentation that can lead to a pattern. Regardless, Frog fishing is fun even if you only land a few fish, they are usually good quality and just seeing the strikes is fun. You can do everything perfect and still miss, so don't get down on yourself if you miss a few fish and feel you did it correctly. It happens. When fishing heavy cover, Bass have a hard time getting a bead on the frog, often throwing it right back in the same spot works, or after a missed strike, leave your frog still for as long as you can stand it and then start to work it again with just slight twitches. Other Bass often come over to see what the commotion is all about. At least he didn't land it because he was convinced it was a Huge bass. I had a friend who is new to fishing who hooked a good 3-4' Gator at night, and he was positive it was a Bass because he said he saw the wake. I kept telling him that if it was a Bass, then it is a world record, from a 5 acre pond, likely a fish in the 40-50lb range or bigger, and as it started getting closer (At night) he realized what he had when I finally stopped trying to cut his line and retreated 10 feet back. Gators love topwater lures, esepcially smaller ones. So do turtles but they are harder to hook.

I know this sounds like an easy way out, but what is better for any angler, especially Bass Fisherman, then a Gift Card? I love having the option of spending "Free" money on all the lures that I normally would not buy because they are too expensive etc. It is hard to buy gifts for a Father who loves fishing like yourself, and I would agree, time beats money and you could do both....Gift card to the local sporting goods store or say TW, then plan a trip to a certain lake so he can use the card for that trip. That is a win win for everybody. A road trip "even just an hour to do some type of fishing you rarely do like shark fishing as you mentioned" is always a winner because even if you do not catch fish, it is the excitement of being somewhere new. If you are in PA, maybe a trip to the Tri State Area for some Fall Striped Bass Fishing from the Surf?

When I was younger the Rebel Crawfish crank was one of the first lures I picked out after finding crawfish of the same size in the pond I fished under Rocks. I used to catch a ton of Bass, Stocked Trout, Catfish, and bluegill on that lure. I still have a bunch of them but like many lures, I stopped using them but I am sure they work awesome just like today. I had received a Kit when I was younger that was a copy of the Rebel Lure from I think Cabela's, and they look similar but I remember never doing well on them, and I used them alot when I first received them becuase they came in cool looking colors. Rebel makes good lures. I still think the Rebel Broke Back Minnow is the best of all the plastic molded jointed lures. That lure has a chartruese gold color that no other company makes, a texture that is unique, and it just flat out catches fish and you can cast if far. I have tried copying the color for swim jigs but have not had been able to copy the flash it has.

Plastic worm. I would say Soft baits in general are the best thing to ever happen to fishing. I love all the new options available with Elaztach and floating plastics coming along, but best lure ever would be Nick Creme's original Plastic worm, which morphed into all the soft baits today as I understand it. You could take away all my hardbaits and I could leave the dock feeling good, but take away my soft baits and I would be lost and probably would rather go saltwater fishing. Lures I always have tied on. Rapala Floater, Jig, Plastic baits....Lipless cranks, Chatterbaits, Spinnerbaits, but I would take a 4" Paddle tail swimbait as a bait that can catch fish in any situation depending on how you rig it. Any brand, you can always turn it into a fluke,

I tried them again this morning on light line and a few different trailers and I did have a good strike that I missed when I was just crawling it along when the fishing had died,, and I like the idea of a sluggo or regular fluke style bait. It looks awesome, I am sure it works like anything else once you figure out when to use it, and have some confidence. I think I misunderstood how this bait is best used and when, I watched some videos and read some articles by Aaron Martins which helped me understand some concepts. Some of these Pro's and even regular guys really do a great job of making videos that really help. You Tube is such a great thing to have available. Thanks.

Way too many. Good marketing, Sales, Packaging, Dock Talk, I am a sucker for all of it. I just figure I collect lures and use the same few 90% of the time. I try new lures when my go to lures are not working, so usually they do not produce which would make sense. I carry alot of sizes, colors"Just in case". I think I just like buying new lures, My friends use them before I do, then if they do well I will start using it. With so many good options on the market, it is hard to use all the lures you accumulate over the years, and with all the $50 free shipping, or $100, I end up getting stuff I really don't need because I think I am saving money by not paying the $5 for shipping. At least I am aware that this is not rational, so therefore, I am not crazy right? I love buying Spro Frogs, I have always been into collecting things and I used to collect Spinners as a kid, now I am working on getting all the Spro Colors when I only use 2-3 colors. I just love how they look and they make awesome color patterns. I do the same with Bomber Long A's.

Slider Jig heads with the Original Brewer 4" Paddle tail finesse worms, or a 3" Thin Gitzit tube in a baitfish color. The Slider Jig heads can be really good with almost any bait. I like the idea of the shad shaped worm. I am going to try that myself. The Slider Grubs work well also, or the Yum Warning shot, KVD dream shot...you get the idea. The lighter chatterbaits from 1/8 -1/4 can also be effective over grass, it seems everyone is focused on the larger 3/8 to 1/2 but the smaller versions can be very good, sometimes I use the cheap mini chatterbait minnow which comes in 1/16-1/4 and is usually 2.99. I always sharpen the hook since they are usually dull out of the package. I really want to try that Smaller profile Molix Lover Jig, it looks awesome in the demo that Molix released at I cast. I really like the idea of a clear blade, smaller profile, and swing hook, the colors look fantastic as well, $10.99 just seems steep but I have to believe that it will be a nice change up. Anyone try it yet? Only 1 review on TW which is good.

I am trying to consolidate some tackle, and I have some scroungers that I have only used a few times and kind of forgot about them. I have tried them with a fluke on the back but never really took the time to figure out how to fish them. What works best, Retrieve it like a Bladed Jig? Shaky head? I have read that the Scrounger can be very effective & I want to try them again before putting them away. What is the best trailer to use, skirt or no skirt, any suggestions would be helpful since I have never caught a fish on one. I have a pair in each size, 2 with skirts, and one is the swimming Hornet version. I have to think these work well right?

Cabela's house brand, but they are always on back order for months. Take a good look at some of the new lures, they look good, I hope they are using better hooks instead of Matzuo, but regardless, they have great colors, and awesome deals on Lucky Craft lures. I would keep searching the Bargain cave until you find what you like. They do not carry alot of the Japanese lures, some, but not a bunch. They sell the LC Lipless cranks for $4.99 in fall, and that is a lure that handles weeds like no other lipless bait imo. I forget which model, but the LV series is the one that corrects itself when ripping grass, it is kind of awesome for $5, they sell out at $20.

The Academy Pistol is actually really good, I prefer the saltwater version because I don't have to put heavier hooks on it, but I can't say they are better or not, I have never fished them side by side to get any type of comparison, but I use the Pistol much more since I am not afraid to make a cast into a tight spot where I may lose it. The Gunfish may be made from the same mold, or an older mold, but the internals are different as far as sound and weighting. For $4 and $25 free shipping, it is hard to beat the Academy line of baits. You can look at all there lures and see what mold they come from. They have really good wake baits in awesome colors, I have not used the walker, I have way too many and would never get to it. I use the BPS Slim Dog as my walker I chuck over Logs and branches and such. The Slim Dog actually has the gills like the R2Sea baits and has a good following, cheap hooks compared to Academy who uses VMC I believe, but I think LC made the 117 Gunfish in 6 colors for $7.99 available at all retailers because of Academy and now Cabela's house brand is looking awesome, but they never have any lures in stock. Academy ships orders overnight some times, I think my last 2 orders came in 2 seperate shipments one box next day, one box the day after with only one lure in it. How are they doing that with $25 free shipping? They clear out good lures cheap as well, War Eagle Spinnerbaits were 2.99 for a few weeks. I love that place, I do know that Strike Pro had a bid to get the Academy lures about 4 years ago, I know they are not making the Cabela's line so maybe they did. They all change every so often and put stuff out to bid. They have good casting reels no doubt. Really good.

I think alot depends on the size, they make the walker in a 128 and 80 and one 65? It is kind of like a Chug Bug in shape depending on the size. The Popper is more of a popper, the walker would be more comparable to the Gunfish like mentioned above but the R2Sea Topwater lures are all very good lure imo. You can't go wrong with Lucky Craft or R2Sea. The 128 bubble Walker is unique and is kind of one of a kind with the gills, shape, and colors. I find the bigger the lure the better they walk, or easier, or maybe they just glide a bit wider. I have a hard time passing the R2Sea lures when I see them because they make some really nice colors and lures for the money. It seems every company now has awesome lures in the $10-$15 range. The Rover would be like a Sammy, the Pro Tuned Scott Martin seems to be the better one, but I love the Bone color they have. I love buying all the walking baits out there and 6th Sense has a good one for $10, I forget what it is called, I lost it, but when I had it I really liked it. I plan on picking up another when TW has a sale and I want to try that new Evergreen Pencil Popper that has the bend in it. That looks like a nice change up. I have been looking for an excuse to buy a zip baits lure, and as a topwater fanatic, I think that will be my purchase for the week if they are on Ebay. Hard to find Zip baits online. I keep seeing these Jackson lures that look awesome, I have had one in my cart for a few months but will look at that Zip bait. Good stuff

Is the Pop-X the one that has the adjustable lip and has that white skeleton color? That is the meanest looking lure I have seen. I plan on getting one for a collection before they make a new version or stop making that color. I actually lose a decent amount of topwater lures, I would hate the added pressure of making that cast to a tree with a $20 lure on the line. I agree that Topwater lures are less likely to be lost, but in Florida we don't have too much "Open Water" Fishing, if a good Bass grabs a lure over submerged weeds, and heads down fast, you need heavy braid, and that causes issues with trebles, and sometimes in summer, braid and friction can cause issues, same with hooks and action of lures. That 5lb Bass can weigh 30lbs really fast. I guess it all depends on fishing style, and how you like to target fish etc. You said it right, the mental part is huge. It is amazing how you can be having a horrible day and see someone else catch a fish near by, and all of a sudden you start fishing with much more concentration and confidence.

The Rebel Yell. I am stealing that.....that is good stuff.