DSTN

That is phenomenal!

I was at BPS in East Peoria today and they had a box or two of .45, a dozen total of a few types of .40, a few boxes of 10mm and some pricey Federal 9mm. None but the .40 was range ammo but good to see something on the shelves. There was .223, 5.56, and some assorted other rifle calibers there. Agree it's good to see things in store again even if it means fighting the temptation of all the pretty new pistols in the case.

I haven't used my 60 extensively yet but it runs well and I've caught a few fish on it. I've used a spinning rod with mine. I'll be testing it some more if I can ever get out while there isn't too much wind.

No way that jacket has enough pockets for any serious angler...

I like a fluke on a chatterbait so I'd go with the Dart for that. I'd use the Bandito Bug for jig or t-rig.

In cold water, whether fall, winter, or early spring I have had some success with red crankbaits. I caught my PB on a red craw colored lipless crankbait in December and have caught good bass on a flat sided red crankbait. Gonna test out the red bladed jig bite in the next few weeks. So it's a yes for me.

Man, split ring plier monkey has a real hold on you, haha!

I prep my gear the night before an outing or right before I leave if it's impromptu. I always tie on lures before I leave though so whatever rod I grab is ready to cast. Lures I tie on are a hybrid of what I think will work that day and what I want to work. I don't preassemble things beyond that though. I change my mind too much on the water so I would probably not even end up using what I had assembled.

I had to send a new rod back to TW last year before even using it. There was some kind of nick or something on the tip guide that I found while checking the rod over after taking it out of the shipping tube. I ran a piece of line over the nick and it damaged the line. Rod went right back in the tube and I had a replacement in my hands about a week later. I would start with checking the guides like others mentioned. Good luck

Caught three largemouth between 4.5 and 5, couldn't quite get over 5. One was recently spawned out. A couple weeks earlier and it would have been a different story. Caught one on a finessed TRD, one on a big TRD, and one on a Yum Pulse Jr. Caught probably my top 5 or 6 fish of the year on spinning gear.

Generally agree with what others have said about vibration and blade colors. My best bait in dirty water has been a white chatterbait with white trailer. Next best have been a white/chartreuse spinnerbait with a big gold colorado blade and a fire tiger square bill.

I have the 7' All Around Fast Low Rider. I've only held Bucoos so can't say if they fish similar but it is similarly light weight in my opinion. The name of mine is dead on, I've liked it for virtually every application I've tried it. Still thinking of trying a Bucoo one of these days but the Amistad Low Rider is high on my list for next rod purchase.

I typically take one spinning setup I use for all things finesse, which for me is 90% ned rig. I've used straight 8 lb. mono for a couple seasons and 15 lb braid with 8 lb mono leader for a couple seasons too. Both worked well but the mono was at it's best with a faster action rod and sticking with jig heads with lighter wire hooks. I'm testing out 10 lb braid to 8 or 10 lb mono leader. Won't be much more testing until spring but I definitely get more casting distance and it held up to a 4.5 pounder last month. So far so good.

For me the added length would be in the pro column. I tried a couple 6'-6" rods for jerkbaits and top waters thinking the shorter would make them easier to work from the bank. They made it easier to not occasionally smack my rod on the ground but take a bit longer motion to work the lure than a longer rod. The longer rod should cast further as well. I also despise the feel of the shorter handles on the 6'-6" rods but that's personal preference.

Timing and location kind of go hand in hand for me. Have to be in the right place at the right time. If you don't do that it doesn't matter what lure you use. Not even a ned rig works if no one is around to chomp it.

Definitely the ned rig for me, specifically a 1/16 oz jig head and a TRD.

My most productive has been a Bomber Square A, although they quit making my favorite color some time in the last couple years. The KVD 1.5 is close behind. Been doing well fending off the bait Monkey lately but all these posts about the 6th Sense baits are getting to me...

I saw a few videos on social media a little while back about tying an FG knot using different methods for creating tension besides your teeth. I believe Gerald Swindle posted one of the videos. I haven't tried it out yet but may be worth looking up for those that aren't fans of the chomping on braid method. I have reverted to the double uni knot for my spinning rod use due to simplicity and not noticing a significant difference in performance. The FG definitely makes things smoother with heavier lines on a casting set up.

@NorcalBassin I don't know if I want to know what those cost but that wake bat looks awesome!

Thanks guys, looks like a few solid options to try out. I looked at a lot of jig heads before posting this but somehow missed a few of these. Will be seeing what my local BPS has tomorrow. Will have to get some in my next TW order too. Always fun to test different options.

Thanks for the suggestions gents. I have light wire EWG jig heads I may try in the mean time until I can get some of the Outkasts ordered. I like a #2 hook for a regular finesse TRD but that Outkast head with 2/0 available in 1/16 oz is pretty interesting for the Big TRD.

Picked up a few bags of the Big TRDs on sale a little while back. I've just gotten to testing them out and missed a few fish with them. I've been using the same Berkley Halfhead jigs I do for regular TRDs and I feel like a jig head with a longer shank hook would help my odds. What jig head are you all using for Big TRDs or similar 4"-ish worms?

Similar scenario for me in my favorite bank fishing spot recently. Ned rig with 1/16 oz jighead and TRD or Hula Stick has worked fairly well for me. It's a shallow flat near a creek. I've been casting beyond or near where I see shad rippling the surface and swim the lure through the area. I caught my best fish in a while, a hair under 5 lbs., in water so shallow I don't know how I couldn't see it's back sticking out of the water.

Thanks for all the fishing reports and perspective. God bless