FishTank

I will be dealing with a similar temp shift this weekend..... In years passed, we would fish deep and slow. Generally big rolling crankbaits, jerkbaits with a long pause and jigs were the ticket. Sometimes though, with big temp swings, fish seem avoid the bank at all costs.

I use 1/8 and 3/16oz for most applications. If I am fishing in less than 5 feet with a Senko I tend to weightless. I catch just as many fish on the fall with no weight as I do with weights on a slow retrieve.

15lb Seagur Invizx would work but if you are fishing around pike I would get some 25lb steel leaders.

I caught my personal best (10lb 2oz) on a Zoom Lizard black with blue flake. I don't tend to fish them as much as I use to. I am not sure what the deal is but the bass don't seem to bite on them as much as they use to> that won't stop me from using them though.

That's a good deal. I hear the BaitMonkey calling me......

I would agree. For me, jigs do produce bigger fish, most of the time, than senkos but I catch more fish with senkos. I caught five today on a senko, 2 on a jerk bait, and none on jigs and none on crank baits. The guy I fish with pretty much the same story.... 7 on a Berkley Powerworm and none on jigs. It just wasn't a jig day. Two weeks ago different story. The jig bite was on. I can't explain it. One thing with jigs that does drive me crazy (and it may be me).... I loose a ton of them in the rock piles when we do the pitchin' the jig routine.

I have fished Senkos for years. During most of the tournaments (any pretty much anytime) I have fished in, the Senko is the best producer. I watch guys moving quickly within a few feet of the bank pitching the same jig over and over again and all I do is chuckle because I know at the end of the day, I will smoke them. Sometime slower is better but not always. In the end, I think you have to know the conditions and understand what the bass are after. I also think of bass as cats playing with a toy.... Some chase it and others don't. Maybe it's the way the bait is presented and how much confidence you have in that particular bait.

I would say Tom nailed it. The the spools are too full. You need about +1/16" of spool with no line. I would also guess that the line on the Daiwa is loose at the bottom of the spool. It happened to me a few times. If you let the line out behind a boat and if it is loose on the spool most of the way down then you know it will need to be re-spooled. It should look something like this......(Hopefully this image is OK, you can tell where I got it)

I don't think you can go wrong with either one. It just depends on if you want a round reel or a large low profile bait caster. Either way, you are going to be tired if you fish one of these reels and a big bait all day. I took a hard look at the Lexa earlier this year. I ended up buying a Abu Garcia Revo Toro Beast for $200 (I couldn't pass it up at this price). This reel is more reel than I will ever need, even for big baits/fish. I have yet to hook into anything big enough to max out this reel potential. It's surprisingly super smooth for a big reel and definitely more powerful than the Shimano Calcutta I have.

The 6'8'' M Extra-Fast Avid would work a jig/worm rod. In most Loomis rods this would be a MH.

My fishing partner uses several and loves them but I just don't get it. I like all the Loomis rods I own but this model just falls short. I would suggest a St.Croix Avid over this rod anytime. The 7' MH fast or 7' M Fast would be great picks. You can do just about anything with either one of these rods.

The reason I bring up braid..... I have a buddy that bought one, he loves braid and he found that with (whatever brand it is) braid that it will absorb a ton of water causing the spool itself to be heavier. This appears to make the spool slower on his DC reel. He changed to a different, lighter braid (maybe 65lb to 40lb) and the heavy spool issue with this reel went away. If it were me, I would have pulled the braid off and put on some mono or FC.

I have the DC as well. I have had zero issues with it and it casts a 3/8oz crankbait a country mile. I have been using 12lb FC and have yet to get a backlash on setting #2. I will use #3 in the wind and if I am using a heavier lure, 1/2oz and up, I can generally get away with setting #1. I wonder if the original poster is using braid. Just curious.

I have tried them and to they're just meh. They aren't the worst but not the best either. For me, they don't stay sharp very long and depending on the hook they bend easy. The sharpest I have tried have been X-Point, Trokar, and Owner (in that order) but I use Gamakatsu's most of the time.

I like the Wingman as well but I wish I could put my favorite things from different tools into one that is made just for fishing. I would want the tools accessible from the outside, the handles to be non slip grip, lightweight overall, scissors good enough to cut braid, a straight edge knife, a longer set of pliers that are spring loaded, a removable sharpening file, a heavy duty saw, a bit set in the sheath, 1/4 adapter, carabiner, a can opener and a file. I know it's asking a lot but you would think with all the fishing gear head out there someone would make one of these specifically for fishing.

So far I love my Curado DC. It's smooth and casts a mile.

My guess.....This looks like the older version of a Gary Yamamoto Curly Tail Worm. I think they used the tails off of the Grubs and married it with a Senko. There was also a different version of the 6in grub that sort of looked like this. And.... There were some custom one-off baits with odd colors that looked this that showed up at local tackle shops years ago (eg. Fat Ikas and Double Tail Hula Grubs).

I can't speak too much for the Avid X but I have a couple of the regular Avids and one of the LTB's. The LTB is a several years old and 3 of the Avids I have are also about the same age. There is a distinct difference between these rods in sensitivity and feel. I did purchase an Avid last year though and this newer version feels less stiff at the tip and much more like the older LTB. If I had to choose a new rod, I would probably get another Avid.

6lb is lowest I will go on spinning gear and 10lb on baitcasters.

I use a Falcon Jerkbait box. I wish they still made them. It can fit deep diving baits or 2 regular jerkbaits in one slot without them getting tangled up.

If you don't plan on changing the ice for 5 days, you are getting into Yeti territory. There are alternatives like Nice, RTIC, Orca, and Pelican but when you are gone that long it' going to get expensive. Check out this video maybe it will help...... And this one for under $100.....

I watched the video and I know I shouldn't knock it until I try it but the I can't get past the design. Any reel that relies on a gimmicky look (the teeth in frame) just is an immediate turn off to me> Call me old school I guess. I do like how the gear ratios are color coded, the look of the cork knobs and the materials of the pinion and main gear seem well thought out. The line guide system may also be a plus. It's cone shape looks promising. If I were a younger guy getting started in bass fishing, it would look like a lot of reel at the given price point.

I have to confess this is a googled photo. I just picked the first one that I found that showed the same weightless rig I use. As far as the color goes, I believe that is Peanut Butter & Jelly, #918. Just in case (again), I did not shoot this photo. I should have not been lazy and take one..... In my case, I use 12lb Seagur Invizx on casting gear and 6lb Trilene XL 100% FC on spinning gear.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I ended up getting a Leatherman Signal and Leatherman Style. I found such a good deal on the Signal ($70), I couldn't pass it up. I went to Cabelas and basically they had all the ones I was interested in. The Signal had everything I wanted except a good pair of scissors so I got the Style as well. The other one that caught my interest was the Free P4 but someone bought the last one while I was looking. Plus it was $45 more than the two I bought put together. I will need to pick up a bit set sometime in the future. Only time will tell if this will get the job done.

I use a 4/0 EWG.