David Whitaker

Same here! I like some of the colors in the BOOYAH line just as well as the XR's. I love the Gold and the Foxy Momma colors. Catch Giants!

I've had a lot of people asking me if I know what happened to the lure brand XCalibur. They were popular for their hard baits such as the Xr50 rattle bait, Zell Pop, and the XCS Square Bill. Personally, the Xr50 is the best trap to ever be made. More specifically in the Pearl Melon color. The reason for their disappearance is not because they went out of business. The manufacturer of XCalibur baits, Pradco, is also the manufacturer of BOOYAH. Much like Pure Fishing is the manufacturer of Abu, Berkley, and other companies. They simply took the most popular baits and reincarnated them under BOOYAH. The previously known Xr50 is now the Hard Knocker. Likewise, the Zell Pop is now the Boss Pop. I wouldn't be surprised if they come out with a reincarnation of the XCS. The baits still catch fish.. And big ones. Try them out if you have not yet!

Can't beat a Heddon Torpedo w/upgraded hardware. Or a LC Prop

I can't wait to get my Cork and EVA slim knobs from hedgehog ? I love both materials for handles rather than stock for any reel. And I'm kind of a freak when it comes to color matching (and material matching) so I'm gonna match the material of the reel knob to the handle of my Rod. On the reels on my Loomis rods I'm gonna put cork knobs and on my reels on my Zodias rods I'm using EVA. Also color matching the knob cap ? I'm looking at the "Yumeta" and the "Avail" brand knobs.

That's why it's the dark side! I love JDM to death. It screams quality and it is. The price tag ain't pretty but it's so worth it.

Welcome to the dark side Fishin' Fool.. The JDM side. Once you go JDM there's no looking back..

Super Flukes, big 6" senkos, and Flippin'. I like to throw Gambler Why Nots or Burner Craw flipping or bed fishing. A burner craw is really versatile too cause you can fish it Texas style for flipping, bed fishing, or dragging. You can even swim it Texas style. I also use it on a swim jig or chatterbait as a trailer and even as a frog. Horny toads seem to work better than hollow belly and better hook ups as well as a Gambler EZ Swimmer. A gold or chrome sexy Shad trap works everywhere in open water or grass flats. Lastly, if you like swim jigs I highly suggest a swim jig or spinnerbait. A good median is a white chatterbait. My list of I were you: •1/4, 3/8, 3/4 or 1oz. •4/0 Wide Gap Gammy or Owner (NOT EWG) •4/0 weighted screw lock swimbait hook (I use the Owner Beast) •Gambler Why Not & Burner Craw •Super Fluke •6" Senko -Black/Blue -Junebug -Watermelon Red •Horny Toad and Gambler EZ Swimmer -White •Swim jig, spinnerbait, and/or chatterbait *Disclaimer: I do most of my fishing in tannic or clear Florida canals.

I've heard of a lot of you guys using cork sealant like U-40 on your cork handles. I e never heard of that until I started surfing through the forums. Haven't seen any yet about how it works or a how-to. Can anybody help me understand what it does exactly and how ot effects the feel of the cork? I would love to have my cork last longer but I don't want the feel of my high-grade cork to go away.

Like many said they're made in the same place and sold out different doors.. Although this is true, they could not seem more different. Comparing an Abu and Lews reel is like comparing a Chevy vs. GMC like DVT said but to many it's like comparing Chevy to Ford.. It's all our preference. I personally prefer Abu and specifically the SX. This reel feels a lot more solid compared to the S and casts much further. Furthermore, to me the bearings feel like higher quality than those in the Lews. I've never had one problem with them and I haven't with lews either.. Just saying the Abu bearings feel smoother. Could be all in my head but there is a possibility of a slight difference in beating quality.

Palomar and double improved clinch.. If tied correctly.

I understand completely. I noticed essentially all the scorpions are the same year model Curado only the Japanese version. That's why I find many people like the XT1000 a lot.. It's the same reel as one of the best workhorse Curados made.

Gonna get my first JDM reel here soon. Getting the Shimano Scorpion XT1000 used but in good condition. I'm looking to get the Scorpion 200 (same frame as the Curado I) soon as well. Can anybody tell me how good these reels perform as well as her JDM Shimano reels and what to look for?

Great to know cause I reallllllyyyyy want an IMX

Anybody got their hands on the new Halo Cranking II series? Looking for a dedicated trap Rod. If anybody has any info on that or even the other new gen Halos would be great.

Haven't found anywhere that's sells them for less. They might be like Abu Garcia where they have set prices across the board. Although Tackle Warehouse usually has a lot of discounts store wide every now and again.

50 lb. Power Pro. Since I fish in Florida I fish a ton of grass and I can fish essentially any lure except diving cranks which I don't fish much anyways.

Here's my personal opinion on fishing beds. I don't find it unethical as long as you release it and put a minimal amount of stress on the fish so that they are more likely to reproduce. In a tournament situation I'm more likely to opt out of specifically targeting beds. If it's a rough day and I'm staring at a kicker, then I might opt for trying for her, or maybe a male that is easy to catch that just fanned a bed. As for sport, I see it as very methodical. They can be very easy to catch, I'll admit. But the big females don't get big by being stupid. I've spent three days on one giant sitting on bed that was in the double digit range and still didn't catch her. Over three days spending hours on her each day trying to pattern her I only got her to puff some water at it once and grab the tail at one point just to spit it out. It can be very challenging and methodical and I see it as an art. You can get lucky and stick a big one every once in a while, but I believe the average Joe cannot go out to target beds and pattern each fishes personality to stick em. Many things go into patterning a bass to bite. Look up articles by one of the best bed fishing freaks in the game, Shaw Grigsby, and see just how much it takes to break down a bed fish. It'll surprise you.

My favorite way to get em to react is basically a flipping rig. I throw mostly 20 pound Seaguar InvizX on a 7'-7' 6" MH or H Rod depending on the cover. If the water is super clear, the bass aren't spawning in thick pads/grass, or if they're super picky I'll downsize to 15 pound or even 12. I love to throw a 3/8-1/2 oz. tungsten in black or green pumpkin (depending on the lite color) and a 3/0-4/0 Owner worm hook. I'll peg the weight or put a bobber stop on top. The top baits I use are: -Gambler Burner Craw -Strike King Rage Craw -Havoc Rocket Craw I like to throw stupid simple color choices: -Green Pumpkin/Purple Flake -Junbug or Black/Blue -White (if the waters dingy) Most of these will imitate bluegill or crawfish. If I see a large presence of bluegill I'll throw the Big Bite Baits Warmouth. Hope this helps!!

It seems as though if the pond has a major abundance of pond scum with limited cover and a bunch of minnows, there seems to be no fish in it for me. Also look for gators if you like round them, and water birds like anhingas and cormorants which will mean that there's baitfish fit for a bass.

I would loosen your drag a good amount while playing the fish and let it run when it wants. When it's at the boat, be ready for a run and lower your rod and strip line with your hand to loosen pressure.

I noticed that with Lucky Tacklebox (LTB) sponsored channels as well as Intagram pages. I understand to an extent that you have to mention product because you have to uphold your end of the sponsorship, but people have become "sell outs" and replace heir unique style and tips with those supplied by sponsors which seems the case with LTB and MTB sponsored YouTubers.

No matter what water clarity I'm in, cover, temperate, etc. I can slay with Junebug anything.

Insane man, keep up the good work!

Here in central Florida the spawn is in full swing. Caught a handful of 4-6 pound class females and a ton of bucks. Spotted a giant in the 8-9 pound class range and gave it to my buddy to catch. Surprised I haven't seen any more Giants. Noticed that the majority liked to spawn shallower than usual. Caught all of mine lately on the Gambler Burner Craw. I fish mostly ponds and on the lakes I've noticed the spawn is mostly done with a couple stragglers although they do spawn all the way through August in certain places and can start as early as October on Okeechhobee. West Lake Toho had an exceptional spawn this year with a lot of big girls caught and all were insanely aggressive. Heard from pro "Big Show" Scroggins during practice for the Southern Open on West Lake that they were spawning so shallow you could cast on the bank, drag it in an inch and they would beach themselves to get it. How's yalls spawn doing?

The success rate would more than likely be a lot less, but it all depends on if the male was not caught. Most tournament angler's only try for the female. If the male is caught many times they put him in the live well until the female is caught them return the male because usually they won't be much help to their bag weight. In this case the success rate would not be significantly affected because the male will continue to guard after release in most cases. If the bed is left empty however, the success rate of those offspring will be near zero. You're most definitely right. It would all depend on if she laid any eggs prior to the catch, because keep in mind they can lay up to 10,000 eggs in one bed and can spawn up to three times each spawn, especially here in Florida where they can spawn for up to six months. The success of that particular bed may be much lower, but there is a good possibility of that female producing more offspring that spawn. I have had the same thing happen and it may effect success rates to an extent but often times it won't effect total offspring that spawn season. And keep in mind this is all from a Florida standpoint, this could be slightly or completely different at different parts of the country.