papajoe222

It's always a kick when something like this happens. Glad you 'figured out' how they wanted it. Something similar happened to me. I made a cast with a football jig and ended up with a bit of an over run. It didn't take long to untangle. When I went to move the jig afterword, you guessed it, fish on. That was the ticket for the day; let the jig sit for a while before moving it. Never would have thought of that on my own.

Two baits I recommend for beginners; A BeetleSpin and a wacky rigged worm. The first will catch them when they're aggressively feeding and the second will get them anytime, but really shines when they aren't aggressive.

No argument on either of the St.Croix mentioned, I have a Med and a Med/Lt Triumph. However, the OP is looking for a rod with a small fore grip and I don't know that SC offers one.

Glenn turned me on to this T-Rig hack; Thread a piece of heavy 60-80lb. mono through one side of the plastic, the hook eye and out the other. Trim both ends flush with the plastic. It keeps your bait from sliding down the hook shank and also from getting torn up. One plastic worm can last all day and catch multiple fish. Really saves on both money and the occasional missed fish from your plastic balling up preventing a good hookset.

Although my love affair with Daiwa low profile baitcasters began before the TD line was offered, I enjoy them to the point that Sols, Fuegos and Alphas make up the majority of my reel inventory. Other Daiwa models make up the rest. Sweet combo.

I'd go with a tube which is my second favorite for CR. You could also downsize the worm to a 4-6in. I normally will switch to a split shot rig for those, but they work well on the Carolina Rig also. I still haven't gotten a bladed jig wet, but that will change this season. They were hot the last season, and I gotta find out one way or another if they live up to the hype.

I have found that there are days and different times during any particular day, that bass prefer a horizontal vs. a vertical presentation. When they ignore the straight fall of a jig that's flipped or pitched, I switch to a worm with a pegged weight. Although it isn't a vertical presentation, the worm will pendulum on the fall more than a jig and that slight horizontal movement is, IMO, the trigger.

As you can hopefully see, other than a little boat rash on the top side, they are in great shape. I haven't a clue as to what brand or size braid is on the one.

Or you could send them to me. The big box stores around here stopped selling them a few years ago.

I have 2 LH Revo S baitcasters for sale. They are clean and in very good condition with some light boat rash. Asking $85 for the pair plus shipping. I will consider a trade. Pics upon request.

#3 Actually, the most important information for me would be the weather pattern for the previous few days.

I use a combination of storage systems. One is a pegboard for baits and tackle still in their original packaging. This is where I keep multiple bags of soft plastics and a few hard baits that the monkey talked me into buying. The other is a rack (actually two) that will hold multiple 3700 boxes. I mark the boxes with the contents and will replenish from them when necessary. I fish for other species, so some of those are taken when needed. BTW, the racks I have can either be utilized free standing, or mounted to a wall/pegboard.

Three favorites; Jig/trailer, Tube bait, crankbait tuned to run under one side of the dock.

I don't break them out often, but I do carry a small assortment of the jigs. I use them almost exclusively with skinny worms and a 'do nothing' approach, letting them fall slowly, lift and let them fall again. Killer presentation I go to when my tubes aren't getting any love.

If a lipped crank is the way you want to go, pick one that doesn't have a wide wobble (that eliminates square bills). A Bomber Model A is what I reach for in that situation.

Yes it does! I like the fact that you use a torque screwdriver, but even though I have one, I think it's a little too OCD Thanks

I can take apart most any baitcaster for a cleaning and lube, but I'm out of my comfort zone when it comes to spinning reels. I'd like to see how you do a quick clean/lube breakdown of a spinner.

ZZZZZZZZZ

I'm really liking the looks of that Rage Hawk and that goofy monkey is doing his thing, so you should be hearing from me as soon as I put a list together. You can't just order one bait. I know, I've tried.

On single hook presentations, I always check the hook point prior to the first cast. I won't chance loosing a fish because a hook never penetrated past the barb. It only takes a second or two to pull that hook point across your thumbnail and 15-20 seconds to hit it with a file. You'll spend more time than that, beating yourself up over a lost fish.

The Mustad triple grip is my choice for replacement hooks and on some hard baits that come with questionable hooks. I have used the short shanks on my lipless as an upsize replacement. I can't say anything negative about them. Do I loose fish? Yes, but I don't blame the hooks.

Are you asking about 'Stupid' rigging, which is done with some form of a jig, or Texas rigging which is done with hooks like you mentioned?

Over the years, I've introduced many youngsters to this great sport. Without exception, they started out with a spinning combo (some of them still have it years later). I kept it simple; A weightless straight tail worm (Senko) either nose hooked, or wacky rigged with a circle hook, or a Beetle Spin. The circle hook is a plus when starting out because teaching hook setting is all but impossible to an overly excited little person. All they need to do is keep the rod tip up and reel. That is the retrieve to begin with for the Beetle Spin and it is a great choice for teaching hook setting as, more often than not, the fish will hook itself. A repeated, gentle reminder to set the hook builds their confidence in doing so. One last thing; Don't fish yourself. Give them your undivided attention and don't be surprised when you see that they're just happy to be chucking and winding. Like us, catching is a bonus.

I kept logs for each of the three lakes I frequent for years. Sometimes I would need to go back five years or more to find similar weed growth, the main form of cover, in an attempt to shorten my search. What I found was the locations were almost the same weeds or not, so I just zeroed in on the general locations and adjusted my offerings based on the cover. Seasonal locations didn't change much over the years, so I stopped recording about ten years ago. Were the logs helpful? Yes and No. Sometimes I'd waste fishing time and other times, I'd be on fish from the get go. It was fun looking back over them during the winter, though.

Water clarity sounds like it isn't a concern for you and as long as you're comfortable fishing with braid, I say stick with it. As for combos...............................