B_Rose12

I’m going over a friends Lews Tournament MB and I noticed the metal drag washer with the ears has bent ears. I’m sure this can’t be correct and just curious what caused this

This is a ball of fry I ran across for the 2nd year in a row. Located on eastern shore/Maryland.

I’ve never replaced my split rings before, except for my line ties. I do replace all my trebles with different sizes though. I use Mustad KVD 1x Strong 2x Short Triple Grips religiously, and always go up one hook size from stock size. Ex: KVD 1.5 Squarebill has #4 Stock hooks, I put on #2 KVD 1x Strong 2x Short Triple Grips.

I’m in the process of replacing my treble hooks on all my hardbaits and am coming across some split rings that are needing replaced. I’ve always just had some BPS rings that I’ll slap on if they get bent or if I find a lure. I’m lookin to get replacements and was wondering what sizes would be best to put on. I’ve been looking at the Owner Hyper Wire series and of course the Owner Ovals for line ties. The bulk of my hardbaits are KVD’s 1.0, 1.5 shallow, 1.5, 2.5, Red Eye Shads, Tungsten 2-Taps, KVD J200 & J300, then some Rapala #6 Shad Raps and some Bagley Squarebills. I figure one size would work for most since they’re all about the same size. Any recommendations or advice would be awesome and much appreciated!

Oh yes, I bought all i could find that were marked down. Living in Delaware we have all ponds, lots of em. Heck I’ve got close to 10 or so within 10 minutes of me. But the kicker is the deepest pond in the state is 10ft, and avg depth of all state ponds are around 6ft. Seriously. So my crankbait inventory isn’t much other then 1.0s, 1.5s, shallow 1.5s, 2.5s, Echo 1.75s, Lipless, and a dozen or so medium divers.So I’m Granted, we do have the Chesapeake Bay and a few rivers but ol 15ft sea nymph ain’t a fan of tidal water. I’ve fished the Nanticoke some, but having one of, if not the the most productive pond in the state 3 mins away....”When in Rome” ?? oh and LETS GO MOUNTAINEERS! #BeatBaylor haha. I lived in Fayette County for 10yrs, moved back up here just a few years ago. I miss catchin monsters out of the Kanawha and trout from Sunmersville Tailwaters.

I went a few weeks ago and got some killer deals. I got some KVD J200 Jerkbaits for 1.88 a piece. Normally 9.99. Snagged some 1.5s and 2.5s marked down to 3.88. I was a little surprised not only did they not have KVD Triple Grip 1x Strong 2x Short Trebles, but they didn’t even stock them! I figured the guy was mistaken but I never did even find a spot for them on the shelf

I’ve tried a couple different storage options for crankbaits. IMO I prefer the Plano 3707 Medium Crankbait Organizer. Now keep in mind I’m from Delaware, we just have ponds and you don’t find much water deeper then 10ft. So I don’t have many cranks that run deeper then that. But if your wanting organization, I’d say go with the Plano Crankbait Organizers. But if you want quantity, I’d say go with a Deep utility box or the Bass Mafia Deep Coffin. I put the small craft bands on all my cranks too. The Plano box is made where the dividers slant, allowing the hooks to go under the next section and the lure body to stay up. Without bands, the only way to prevent a hook mess is to make the lures meet bill to bill. When I put bands on I more then doubled how many I fit. I believe I have 30 cranks in mine. 1.0s, 1.5s, 1.5 shallows, 2.5s, Echo 1.75s, Couple Shad Raps, and some Bagley Medium Divers. It holds 3 per section perfectly. Then I have Red Eye Shads, Tungsten 2-Taps, and Rat’L Traps in it too, again 3 to a section. And lastly I have a handful of KVD Jerkbaits in it also. I just do 2 to a row, but you could stack them and probably get 4 in each section. But Plano has different sized boxes, another 3700 series for Large Crankbaits and 3600 series boxes for Small, Medium, and Large Cranks. I’m all Bass Mafia, the 3700 Coffin is the best thing I’ve bought in awhile. Not only the durability, but having 48 slots, heavy duty, dividers that fit, and built to last. Hopefully this helps you out man.

I can’t say enough about my 3700 coffin, once I get it setup to my liking for terminal tackle. So I’m with you 100% on the Bass Mafia! They may be pricey but the quality and durability are unmatched. Right now I keep my squarebills in the Plano 3600 Hydro-Flo Box, I’ve got it to where it’ll hold 18 with no problem at all, each crank in its own slot too. In another 3600 Hydro-Flo I have some KVD 2.5s, Bill Lewis Echo 1.75s, and a few deeper cranks and it’ll only hold 12. I’ve read where the Plano Crankbait boxes will hold like 20-25 cranks, so if I could perhaps turn 2 boxes into 1, that’s what I’m hoping for. It has like a v bottom where the hooks stay away from the body, I’m content with that.

I’m wanting to get one of the Plano Elite Crankbait boxes but am unsure which one. I am wanting the box to store my Lipless Cranks and Squarebills (KVD 1.5s, 1.0s, and 2.5s). For anyone who has one, I was wondering which box best fits the lipless and squarebills? Small, Medium, or Large, and about how many does it hold? Both 3600 and 3700, I could use either one. Its a bummer that the nearest store besides Dicks Sporting Goods is Cabelas which is about a 90min drive. Making a TW order right now and was just gonna add it to my list.

Jig fishing is the way to go man! The past two times I’ve went fishing, which was last yesterday and Thursday. I was bank fishing at a pond not too far from my house after work, pitching jigs to isolates cover tight to the bank. Last week I got a 5lb 11oz and yesterday a 6lb 2oz. They eat the jig man! I use a 7/16oz stand up Arky jig, my go to trailer has been a Yamamoto Cowboy. Remember, the heavier the trailer, the slower the fall. But I also like Strike King Rage Craws, Netbait Paca Craws, I could go on for awhile lol. You’re missing out by not fishing a jig man. Get some strike king hack attack heavy cover jigs in black & blue and green pumpkin, some crawdads to use as trailers and you’ll be on em!

I have a couple different Lew’s Reels and I purchased the MB for cranking, it was the first reel I’ve had with the internal centrifugal brakes and I’m not a huge fan of them. But I really like the reel. I use 12lb Seaguar InvizX and I can cast with it almost as well as my Tournament Pro G. I also occasionally use it pitching Texas rigs and smaller jigs and even with the fluoro I typically have no issues. I have the cranking model as well with a lower gear, a longer 95mm handle, and a larger Spool capacity. I replaced the stock grips with Winn Grip paddles and am pleased with how well they work. Ended up putting the round Winn grips on my other reels as well. Check out the Lew’s Custom Speed Stick Series rods too, I went with their Squarebill Crankbait rod (6’9’’, medium heavy, moderate fast) and I absolutely love it. It’s super light, comfortable, and extremely sensitiveWorks well with squarebills, 5-10ft crankbaits, Chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, and jerkbaits!

I use Strike King Jointed Structure Heads, Eco-Pro Tungsten Free Football Jig, and Owner Pivot Heads. The Eco Pros are tungsten and I prefer them for that and you can swap hooks, the Owners I like because they’re just on a swinging head with the hook linked on a split ring, so I replace my hooks, I like the Strike King for heavier cover!

I’m very OCD when it comes to my tackle, especially my terminal tackle. I’ve used a lot of different boxes, bigger boxes, double sided boxes(one for hooks, one for weights), but I finally found the ideal solution.... Bass Mafia 3700 Bait Coffin. It has a total of 48 slots for things. What I did was section it all out, purchased small craft bags from Walmart, put each piece in their own baggie, labeled the slot and also labeled the baggie near the zipper and also put a piece of card stock in the bag and labeled it as well, to make it easier to get hooks in and out mainly. weights and pegs are at the top section each weight has their own section, then instead of each hook having their own section I have it kind of filed away by type, EWG lightwires, EWG Superlines, Round Bends, jigheads, swimbait (belly wt), etc. I have yet to have any problems and plus the box is waterproof, durable, and sun resistant. I do keep my triple grip trebles in it also and I put z-rust dividers cut up inside my box too to prevent rust. When im done with a hook or something i Let it sit out for awhile before I put it back in the bag. It took me some time to finally get it the way I liked it but now I know where everything is, where it goes, and have no worries in the world!

For me, Bill Dance and the Great KVD.

I have a 14ft Sea Nymph Mod-V aluminum boat and am looking for recommendations on a pedestal setup. I recently bought a Lean Pro Seat from bassboatseats.com and am happy with it but it doesn’t come up far enough for me to utilize it as intended. I’d like to get a power pedestal so I have wider adjustment. 24”-30” seems to be the right range I need. Any recommendations on brand or a good setup?

Strike King Tour Grade Finesse jig with a rage chunk, 1/16oz t-rig baby brush hog watermelon candy has been FIRE lately, and of course a ned rig!

I’ve fished just about every way there is except offshore fishing for tuna and marlin and such. But bass fishing, for me, just drives me more then anything else. I love to think thoroughly about stuff and having a strategy. I guess that’s why I love to play golf if I’m not fishing for bass. Plus I love seeing a bass slam a topwater bait, seeing my line move or snap when I have a jig on, setting the hook on a jig, and how my heart starts racing when I see it’s a quality bass I’ve got hooked up.

Aw man you ain’t kiddin! Go to launch a lure and it hits a limb right above your head or behind you and all you can do is look down and shake ya head. I had one almost as bad as hitting a limb. Throwing a weightless Senko and it came off as I let off to cast. I wish I coulda seen my face as the Senko went soaring across the lake and then I look down and saw the mother of all backlashes ?

That’s what I’m thinking I need to do too. I’d say my thumb needs a little more adjustment. I had sunline assassin on a Lew’s carbon Fire Combo towards the end of last year, if memory serves me correct it was 12lb. I liked the castability of the line but it seemed to me the memory wasn’t to my liking. I fished with it a ton and after a month, no more then two, it had line twist like crazy. And I never had a bad birds nest, maybe just a little over run here and there. But coulda been a bad batch, I never go off of the first time trying something different. I probably will get some assassin once this InvizX gets bad line twist from me experimentally pitching lol. I’m starting to think that’s a big part of the problem is not having my thumb trained to fluoro. I have no problem casting good aerodynamic lures with fluoro....crankbaits, Jerkbaits, stuff like that. Just gonna have to keep at it I guess! Thanks for your replies guys

When I first started bass fishing, the first few months, that’s all I ever threw. Started out with a t-rig finesse worm, then started to get into the lizards and brush hogs and such. Then I read all the hype about jigs and finally got a couple and once I started hooking into more quality bass, and one of my favorite parts of bass fishing to this day, setting the hook on a jig. I kinda went away from Texas rigs, I kind of get in this trance when I’m out fishing with a jig...I’ll pitch and pitch and pitch and and would come up with nothing some days. After about a 5 month hiatus from throwing any Texas rigged, weighted soft plastic, the past few months I’ve been throwing them again and have been increasing my catches. Can’t go wrong with a Texas rigged bait for sure man! I used to throw a swim jig if I didn’t get a bite Pitching a jig, but now before I tie on a swim jig, I typically already have some type of Texas rig ready on the deck and pitch it!

I don’t necessarily think it’s the reel, unless it’s just in my head....or in this case my thumb lol. But I’m thinking it’s different with fluoro, for me anyway. I’ve picked up other reels that weren’t mine and pitched fine with them, with braid on of course. And yes there are some instances when I pitch with my braided baitcaster and I’ll turn up the brakes just so I can pitch it a heck of a lot further. But if I’m just pitching 5-10yds I prefer to have my brakes completely off and my tension a good bit loose, never had a problem. I can’t pitch with fluoro to save my life. It either overruns or it won’t react to my technique like the braid does. I dunno, I guess I’ll just try a heavier jig and see if I can work my way back down to my go-to 3/8oz.

I keep all my soft plastics in 3 big ziploc bags, I’m guessing Gallon size. One for worms, one for creatures, and one for flukes and swimbaits. I have never had any problem with any senkos going through. I know most of my yum baggies break at the zipper and occasionally fall out, but nothing I’d worry too much about.

I figured it’d be a tank. I actually had the third eye on my TP1 break 2 weeks ago. I purchased the rod back in Jan-Feb and of course didn’t keep the receipt. So I called Lew’s Speed Service, they never even asked me when I bought it. I just had to cut out the section that shows the model number and action and the rest of that info, mail it to them with a $20 money order and they’re gonna send me a brand new one. I’ve been a Lew’s fan since I bought the Tourney Pro G about a year and a half ago, bought a bunch of other rods and reels from em, first time I ever had an issue. With this experience, Lew’s is all I’ll ever own. I did purchase the Custom Speed Stick made for Squarebills, it’s a 6’9 MH/MF. It’s unbelievably nice, light, and sensitive. Contemplating the Magnum Pitching model or the TP1 Pitching...if only I could get my hands on either one lol

Hey Richard, WOW! That’s ALOT of reading! lol. But there’s a lot of great tips and techniques throughout this thread for sure. To answer your question, even though you may not see them, doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Crawdads are native to my home state of Delaware, and I’ve never seen one with my own eyes, but I’m sure they’re around. But even if they are or not, I’ve caught 90% of the bass on a crawdad trailer. The claws help slow down the fall rate, and when the jig is on the bottom it makes the craw look in a defensive position. I personally believe a jig (except a swimjig) is most effective with a crawdad trailer for sure! I’d personally recommend a pack of Strike King Rage Craws and Netbait Paca Craws. Can never go wrong with black and blue flake!