Hook2Jaw

I fished in the downpour on Saturday and culled 35 dinks out of a local pond. Lost a good one, tried to walk the log she wrapped up on, and ended up busting my tail. I was soaked anyway, so I just toughed it.

I can't catch squat on a bladed jig. @J Francho, never again.

Like someone mentioned above, kinks are bad for fluoro so if I get a bad backlash, I'll change it before the next trip or on the spot if I've got line. Otherwise, I change braid almost never and fluoro about every 3 or 4 months.

As a budget rod guy myself, I use the 13 Fishing Defy Black series for jerkbaits, topwater, small paddletail swimbaits, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and squarebills. Basically, anything that's a tight line presentation with either treble hooks or excessive feedback. They're not the most sensitive rod I've ever thrown, but they're sensitive enough. They're also budget friendly and in my opinion, attractive. As far as bottom contact goes, I step up to the *** line, and they're light, sensitive, and strong. I also plan to get two more, one for frogging and the other for pitching jigs. I've seen some of these sticks go for 60 bucks on Amazon and eBay. I still haven't decided which line to go with for crankbaiting, but I think the devil is in the details with that technique so I might opt for more sensitivity.

@fishwizzard, do you think an 8' 1-4oz will handle that task?

Glad to hear that about the gill, about to pull the trigger on one.

Yep, and Rayo still managed to beat him beating the banks.

Thanks, Francho! Sadly, most of the kayakers around here are strictly inshore fishermen.

Mine is the yellow in the rear.

I'll raise you the YUM Money Craw, Christie Craw, and Craw Chunk.

Starting a petition to change your name to 5.5poundbass

Set your jaw, square your shoulders, and grind that jiiiig. If you wanna give stick worms a go on A budget, throw a YUM Dinger. They sink more slowly than a Senko and if there really are a lot of those being thrown, that slight variation can produce bites.

I think the average BR member would get served a big slice of humble pie. Personally, I've only wet a line in a lake on about three occasions and while I can be hell in a river or a pond, that much water and my limited experience with my electronics would probably be my undoing in the '73 classic. There are numerous members I'd give a good chance to, but I do not count myself among them. What would you guys throw during the 1973 Classic? With it being October in the Southeast, I think baitfish would be the name of the game in relatively shallow water. The bank to 15', and I would probably try to focus on humps and ledges as well, and target them with a Strike King Redeye Shad and a H2O Xpress Squarebill. I would probably throw a fluke as well, should the bite be tough.

One of the best parts about that 4 pound personal best is you'll beat it soon, time and time again! A 4 pounder is a fine fish, and I'd be happy to catch one any day. Happy birthday, Martin! My suggestion is a jig and craw. They can be fished anywhere, anytime, and arguably have caught more big bass than most other lures! You're probably familiar with throwing a Texas rigged worm with a weight on it, so get after them with a different presentation using the same technique.

@12poundbass, when you become 13poundbass, I vote all your points get moved to a new account!

Oh, of course. I'm a poor father of one with a wedding to save for, and when I was looking for a rod brand to all match on the kayak they caught my eye due to price and the plethora of lengths, powers, and actions they offered. So far I have a 6'7" *** Medium Fast that's caught a ton of jerkbait fish. I'm just happy I can ask folks about their spinning rods and cranking rods in the future. To be honest, I can't stand the look of their reels. Edit : Can ya remove *** from the filter list? Haha. Defy Black would be nice too. Second edit : F-a-t-e C-h-r-o-m-e!

This cheap little fellow right here. I've nailed two in the 5 pound range in the limited time I've had fishing it, my Daiwa Millionaire Classic UTD gave up on me. I'll get back to throwing it once the fiancee lets me have my birthday Daiwa Lexa-WN 300 7.1:1. Both of the fish have come from fishing it like a jerkbait. @Bluebasser86, that Slammer is absolutely destroyed.

I started to type out a reply like I had a set pattern like we think fish do, but I often head to the water to try something new. Then I'll cycle through baits from there. My fishing normally starts with what I've most recently added to my tackle. For instance, I headed out Saturday with the intent of trying to catch fish on a dropshot. A shakeyhead, wacky rig, and a squarebill later, I proceeded to catch double dinks on one jerkbait just power fishing the absolute crap out of it and had a 20 fish day from there.

I know these things, Francho. Still, it seems like a huge amount in a 1000 size reel. I suppose I don't look at other brands enough, but my Penn Conflicts and Fuego LTs aren't as fast as that KK in a 2500 size. Edit : My Daiwa Fuego 2500D-XH is faster than the 1000 size Kastking, but the IPT on that little reel is still amazing.

Man, that tiny Kastking has an IPT that makes me say fake news or wow.

I came in here to suggest the Fuego and you've already bought one. Excellent choice, my good man.

During my first day of actual, dedicated jig fishing, I caught my personal best. While I hardly ever drag them as much as I used to, I spend a lot of time pitching them into the jungle and wrenching out those reaction biters. There's not much better than jacking a jaw off a stump or out of a laydown and skiing one to me.

@Glenn, thanks for opening up 13. I haven't been able to discuss my rod of choice and that means a lot!

I probably caught my first bluegill or catfish when I was four or so, and I've been fishing on and off ever since as sort of a loose hobby that I would partake in when I was younger visiting my grandparents. My grandfather was a farmer, and there were quite a few ponds on the property. I took it seriously from 21-22 and now I'm back again, nearly 32 years old, and bass fishing something serious for about the past three years.

I mean, *** has people who know nada about fishing altogether praising them every single day on Facebook. Some dude will ask for a rod recommendation, and in comes the *** horde. Thing is, I've never seen the *** pro staff post a single picture of a fish on one of those ridiculously expensive frog gigs.