Master Bait'r

Grabbed some keitech tungsten mono guard jigheads in 3/32oz, some tungsten j-heads in 1/12oz and two more of those cool Ecogear ZX vibe craws, one in 35mm/Crawdad and one in 40mm/Mantis Shrimp. The ML setup is going to be working the bottom so hard this year.

The idea has merit but it's simply not enough gear to be really feasible. I would lean more towards a fanny pack style soft sider that could hold maybe 2 or 4 of the 3449/3450 sized little boxes end to end, with long inner zipper pouches for soft plastics bags.

This is absolute .gif reaction perfection for how I feel hahahaha

Went through the list and nobody named my favorite! Ive be got Uptons and Roboworms coming out my ears and still nothing and I mean NOTHING touches the Lunker City Slug-Go SS for finesse worm duty. It's got the same front end as a 3.5" slug-go so it jumps around like crazy, and a super light whippy tail that just flutters and whips like you wouldn't believe. I t-rig them w/o weight and can literally walk the dog with them subsurface. Truly unbelievable worm and I am never without them. Ever. They get CRUSHED. Also LC pours their own, will make you special mixes, their plastics are very durable and they're awesome people to boot!! One more thing- you get like 15 I'm a bag so they are a phenomenal value too!! You can't lose!

I like the little ones for river smallies. T-rigged (especially with their texposer hooks!) they're so snagless and the action just comes alive with the slightest twitch. In lakes though, the Slug-Go SS worm is one of my all-time favorites. You wan walk the dog with them because of that light whippy tail and the slug-go nose and wow do they get crushed. Perfect finesse worm. Five stars on that one.

I have a tip for you PB&J guys. Use two eggo waffles as the bread- the little squares hold it in real nice and the waffles keep it from getting soggy throughout the day. As as for my favorite boat eats, I usually go for granola bars, jerky, cookies fruit snacks and lots of water- things I can snack on quickly. I absolutely hate energy drinks like monster though- they make me want to hurl. Too sugary and weird tasting for me. If I had a bigger cooler though, I'd have a peanut butter and banana (or other fruits) smoothie or three on ice, nothing beats them for flavor and refreshment, and you can down one in about 20 seconds.

Not that I'd mind if she was more into it, but it's kind of nice having my own thing. My boat is my fortress of solitude!

RUB IT IN, DOOD. My my girl gets that glossed-over look when I start talking fishing stuff. She doesn't shame me for spending dough but she definitely doesn't want to hear about what it is and why it's so awesome.

I don't throw much bubblegum but I always have some methiolate in the boat. While it's far from my top producer, every once in a while it's just on fire and can't be touched.

With rain like that you'll likely need dynamite or an electro fishing rig!

Thats more of a disclaimer that they're used. Most of the stuff I've bought from FGJ was barely used at all with little to no discernible wear. I figure they get scratched and chipped just using them so I wouldn't be worried if they were more heavily used, but it's never come up. As as for what I'm using the exsence/destroyer for, it's for A LOT of stuff. Jigs, bigger cranks, smaller swimbaits, big jerkbaits, vibration and blade baits over a half ounce and pretty much anything else in that weight range that vibrates, has trebles or an open top hook. I only really ever use 4 combos but they're 4 DIALED combos.

Took it out today and was very impressed. Right off the bat it was just humming casts that had me squinting to see the splash.

Youd be amazed where a lot of premium baits are sourced from. Just buy the lure based on its own merits. Who cares if you can't read the box, you throw it out before you even use the thing haha

The bait monkey is ashamed to even know you, OP.

I'm still in ski season, and literally just went out on my lunch break for the first time since last fall. There will be plenty of pics when I can actually get back in the swing of things. I don't know how much I spend though. It's best not to keep track. See "plausible deniability"

At least now you have the spaced-out gaze to go with the online persona I doubt I'll ever not picture that face when he posts from now on haha

In that case I am a 3x Grand Master at making poor decisions and enjoying them. Anybody want an autograph?

6 packs of Hazedong magnums 15# Smackdown 8# Gliss OMTD tungsten weighted swimbait hooks 4/0 weedless Ned Heads 1/10oz warbaits warblade crappie D&M Flip N Spin bluegill A new 3600 Guide series tackle bag 3601 trays x4 Bento Minnows x3 VMC HD EWGs 4/0 x3 Rod Glove in Platinum Spyder Noisy flappers in pumpkin frog Biwaa Divinator x2 Josh pork meat crawlers Egg snaps #1 & #2 Trokar Mag Swimbait hooks 5/0 Swimbait Hedz XL trouts in 3/8oz Mendota rig replacement packs in 5/16 & 1/2oz Texas Tackle split ring pliers (orange handle) Savage 3D craws (the big 'uns) Dry Creek double dip tubes in hot craw Larew Biffle-O 5" leaches Huddleston Hudd bugs 12# CXX MA State fishing license 4-pack of Heady Toppers Definitely forgetting a few things... Still waiting on my cache of trick darters and 110 Jrs to show up from Arigatostan too. Also taking my new Destroyer/Exsence DC combo out for the first time today and can't wait to let that pony run.

Glad to hear the wife wasn't REALLY stuck out there! Crazy though, when I saw that on TV I was just like "You've got to be kidding me". As for me, I actually prefer to go shopping when the snow is falling. People tend to stay home and I can casually grocery shop or thumb through fishing gear without a single elbow to bump into or cart to block my way. Heck, last time we got snow and I went grocery shopping, I had a cashier flag me into their lane they were so bored haha... Being overly prepared for inclement weather is truly an underrated luxury. Can't even tell you the brownie points I've gained over the years simply keeping a shovel & tow strap in my spare tire well and a bucket of road salt in the back.

Remember when the entire city of Atlanta shut down for 1" of snow/ice a year or two ago? Me too. Lol.

I use my ML probably more than my M rod. It's a spinning rod but it's just really versatile and does a lot of things exceedingly well. Also as much as I would love a ML casting rig, the spinner is just the more versatile move. Sure pixies and pressos are cool and fun but they just don't handle the 1/16th baits like a spinning reel can. I keep the finesse BC reel on my MXF rod and the spinning reel on the MLXF. It just works better for the weights and baits I use.

My ski season should be over by then, I'm in!

They're terrible and they never work. Ever. They take on water and they're awful, awful topwater baits

That is an absolutely beautiful build! Classy looks and I'll bet she's a KILLER performer!

I can pick one word It's "No" haha