Preytorien

I agree, I killed it last year with a #2 and #3 gold on gold Blue Fox Vibrax. The Cabelas/BPS Classic Sale shows they'll be discounted, I plan on stocking up on a few.

I know I'm resurrecting an old post here, but I just found (and bought) a couple of these at a local discount store. This is about as good of information on these as I've found anywhere. Thanks for this tip......experience with a lure is invaluable.

The original T-1 Terminator spinnerbaits. They’re discontinued, and it’s getting harder and harder to find them

Ah I getcha......no I don't believe I've ever seen those. You're talking about that not-so-glossy silver? I have a couple Mepps and Vibrax inline spinners with those, and you're right, I don't recall seeing those as blades on a spinnerbait. I wonder if you could get some steel wool and rough up the shiny finish to be nearly there?

He tends to do that to you - check out my post in the suspending lipless crankbait thread LOL

I have almost exclusively all silver blade spinnerbaits. In fact I only use one with a gold blade. Granted some of them used to be gold blade and I replaced them with some silver ones purchased from Jann's Netcraft.

I bit hard into the Teckle Sprinker. Not even a strike. To make matters worse every one I’ve used has issues with getting the tail to actually function properly. Last time I used one I got nowhere with it, switched to my Booyah Baby Pad Crasher and within five casts had two blowups on it (probably the same fish twice) but given I had just fished the Sprinker in the same place...well.... I agree with this. If it weren’t for the fact I’ve bought Mike’s jigs as simply a person who admires his artwork, is never buy another one. I can’t get em’ to work for me. I gave them 4 seasons’ worth of a good shot and ended up with fewer than 5 in 4 years on them. Now they’re not even in my boxes. Oddly enough though, chatterbaits are a great early spring producer for me, and they look very much like a jig.

Man dangit - why do I come to this site? LOL - just pulled the trigger on the Quake. Thanks Clayton!

I use braid on every setup. If I need the abrasion resistance or a clear line application I tie on a leader. Upsize your braid and the issues you're having will cease. Braid lasts longer, good braid is stronger, large braid is easy to pick out backlashes, and strong braid gives you a good level of confidence -ie I've had more than a few instances where I was glad I switched that 6lb fluoro spool out for the 15lb braid on a spinning rod, and I'm constantly fishing in heavy cover where mono or fluoro lines on my casting reel wouldn't give me the warm and fuzzies if I happened to hook into my PB.

This is what I imagine Billie Eilish would use when she fished - IF she fished, I dunno.

Yep, various Shimano part suppliers sell them. As well as you can often find genuine Shimano parts on eBay new or used. I've bought several spare spinning reel spools as I switch those more often than my casting reels.

I clean everything, but my one single ritual each year is that I clean all the reels and rods on the last week of February as we start to get some fishing days in March. In January I do the deep cleaning of the man-cave (garage). While that's not just fishing gear, it's just a general thorough cleaning of the areas I work on gear and store tackle.

Like the OP experienced, I fished while younger, then got out of it as career, school, and marital events took precedence in my life for a while. Once things slowed down - in a sense - I got back into it thanks to a friend. Similarly, fishing was really different back before the ubiquity of the internet. While it's not replaced time on the water, it's been hugely beneficial to hear terms of things, then actually see them put into practice on-demand.

Man, that looks a heckuva lot simpler to tie than my usual. I may be giving this a try in the very near future.