Airman4754

I put together a plan before I go based on the information I have of where I am going to fish. When I get home I go over what I would do differently given the situation.

To me it comes down to practically for the situation the bass are in. 1. How much water can I effectively cover? 2. What technique will put my bait where the fish are the most/longest? If I'm fishing a canyon reservoir and the fish are holding on bottom in 10'-15' I will fish a drop shot in areas with big rocks and a shaky head in gravel or clay bottoms/banks. I can cover at least 40ft per cast in the zone the fish are holding. Take the same scenario in 30'-35'of water and I'm going to run a T-rig in big rocks and a C-rig in gravel or clay with a big weight. If fish are suspended in open water I'll use a wacky rig or a magnum fluke and count it down and fish the level they are at. For points I use a Senko for the first 15' and a Neko when I get deeper than that. If fish are on points they are there to eat, period. Put something worth their time in their face. If there is a mud line I will burn a Keitech on the edge of it. The biggest problem I see, I won't say mistake because there is no wrong way to fish, are guys pull up to one spot and throw technique after technique with no purpose. If you want to change colors or the plastic you are using fine, but if you have the electronics you know where the fish are. Stop trying to luck out and get to where the fish are and stay there.

6/0 EWG for T-rig and 6/0 straight shank for C-rig. The only shaky head I use anymore is the Megastrike Shake2's. They come in both EWG and straight shank for personal preference and they will handle a magnum worm. I run 11" ribbon tails on them occasionally.

Reaction baits any rod that isn't under powered is fine. Bottom contact is a completely different story.

I'm the winter I fish it really slow and shake it on semi slack line. When the water is warmer I keep a constant retrieve and shake the rod through it.

So many of these videos that are "instructional" leave out the instructions that actually matter. They almost never talk about water temp, water clarity, season, spawn cycle, what the cover or structure they are fishing is, boat positioning, etc. There is also so much equipment pushed and they rarely explain why you might need it or the benefits of it. They rarely break down techniques either.

I just go fish in California. It seems to calm the nerves.

Just because someone says something that doesn't make it right in fishing, regardless of what their status is. How much money do you think has been won on a Senko not rigged with a 3/0 EWG? I bet it's well into the millions. I use a 5/0 and I've read everything Gary has to say on it. I typically fish deeper and a 5/0 increases the rate of fall and gets down to the fish faster which is all I care about.

That sounds about right. I think the size range is 2500 for Neko, 3000 for drop shot, and 3500 for shaky head. I could be off one size either way. The Supreme has caught well over 500 Spots and a good number of largemouth up into the 7lb range and it still runs like a champ. The other two are new for this season so we will see how they do.

65lb PP Maxcuatro.

That TFO will fish anything finesse. I have one, it's a pretty decent rod.

Berkley Trilene XL 12lb. Nothing will even be close for user friendliness.

I have four. Two 7'6" Phenix UMBX M/F. I use one for drop shotting and the other for Neko. Megabass Orochi XX Shaky Head for scroungers, Ned, and shaky heads. Lamiglas Infiniti 723 for weightless plastics which I consider a finesse technique.

I have that same boat with a 225 Opti and I can get it to 68mph in calm water. With a 250 Racing Merc you should be clearing 70mph.

I use both and it seems to me like I get a hook in fish a little easier with a straight shank and they stay on a little better with the EWG. I think both get the job done if you do yours. The only real difference between certain hook styles for the same technique is a finesse gap vs a light wire straight shank on a drop shot. The straight shank is infinitely better in both hookup ratio and keeping the fish pegged.

Cover every inch of your body from direct sun exposure and wear light colored clothes that wick away moisture. Don't get crazy with the liquids, but don't forget them either. Keep your feet, hands, and head cool. You can usually do that by dipping your hat and gloves. Don't do anything that keeps your feet wet for a long period of time. Also eat food, not crap, real food. This isn't survival training. You are going out into the elements for a short period of time.

Huk

Yes in the summer. I throw a one ounce steel sinker with around a 3' leader and a floating Rapala. How I fish it is basically the same sweeping hook set I use for a normal C-rig then let it sit for about ten seconds and do it again. Sometimes there is a fish when you set it, most the time there isn't. Someone else posted a Count Down, but they can take awhile to sink in a summer or winter scenario when they are in 30'+ water. It's not some magic technique. It's just a technique.

I won a big fish tourney in 04 as a back seater this way. It was summer and the weeds were really bad near shore and super thick. This was back before I knew what punching was. There was a hole about the size of a dinner plate about fifteen yards away from me and I was throwing a 1/8oz bullet with a 6" Gulp worm. I knew I was going to blow my reel up to make the cast but I made it anyway. The worm lands in the dead middle of the hole, reel blows up, and I start stripping it off like a mad man. It took me at least twenty seconds to get it out and my line reeled back up. I lift up on the rod and it just feels stuck so I give it a jerk to set it free and it starts pulling back. 6.4lbs and check. Pretty sweet deal.

They work well on a scrounger as well. Everything else has pretty much been listed.

Parallel to worm, run it away from the nose. Place it 1/3 of the way from the nose.

Kick Fish Hightail Hole Shots.

I fish with a guy that weighs, measures, photos, and uses a tape recorder on every fish he catches and he fishes 300 days a year minimum. when I say photo I don't mean like a quick selfie. I mean he lays it down on the ground, carpet, wherever and takes a photo of it. If the bite is on I'll have two or three fish in the boat during the time he is back there dicking around with an 11" fish.

3/8, tungsten, lethal.

Any Lew's Team reel is an extremely good real. Most of my reaction setups have Tournament MB's on them and they have been bullet proof. I was an Abu guy, but I've converted to Lew's.