rgasr63

Lizards are in my stack all year long. They catch fish and usually it is the larger ones. Yum's Carolina pumpkin chartreuse and a white Zoom lizard work for the pre spawn on thru the early fall for me.

Don't forget the DT-4 and all those dozens of square bills that are saved up. I don't change any hooks or hardware until the bait runs right and it catches a couple of fish.

I'm sorry I am a little late to see your post. I'm praying for you. It is tough to have the right words now but you're part of our community here on BR. Love you bro.

Great catch!!!!

Cork is a issue maybe you might have to work around that. Shimano still makes the fx series rod. They are made very well. My grands use this rod when they go fishing with me. My understanding is the only thing that has changed with them is the color over the years. They have ceramic guides also. These rods are inexpensive so it don't cost a lot to try one

Bass Pro also has those old style boxes with the blue rust protection dividers I really have not had any trouble with them at all. Sometimes Walmart sells a couple styles of them too.

There is a old saying that states you can't get a hit unless you swing the bat. That Nessie bait or something like it is something that I personally didn't feel like it would produce for me but I was wrong. I wish to encourage you just to try. I can say that the Nessie works for me.

Pearl and chartreuse is my favorite.

Well shallow water is the condition for the question so I could go with a 7.5 Culprit grape worm 1/8-1/4 tungsten bullet weight 3/0 Owner worm hook. Mostly not pegged unless heavy vegetation then a peg and a 3/8 weight to start out with. There are so many different baits to be used according to what the area looks like that there will always be room to negotiate. I guess you got to start somewhere.

Great catch!!

I have thrown white when I sight fish beds. But I use 2 different colors otherwise. Carolina pumpkin/chartreuse and a BPS black light works most any other time.

Grape, junebug,redbug,Calif 420, and watermelon red make 70 percent of the time.

Send me a note on PM and I will send you some take offs most of them are #4 and #6

The Strike King Menace worm or the Zoom Z Craw were probably the most favored. I actually caught a bunch with a Berkley Choppo. When I couldn't get bit with one of those pot luck

I will always carry and fish a plastic worm. The Zoom Trick Worm is the decades top producer followed by a Culprit. People around me get hung up on the creature baits and the stick baits so much that a old school worm can be just as productive. It has been my go to lure for a lot longer than this thread started. I don't foresee a change in that for me.

I have a couple boogies in my Dad's old stuff. The rattle trap and the super spots were the big thing back when I was coming up. Somewhere along that time the diamond shad came out too. I really miss the Diamond shad it was a good lure for me also.

I have tried a bunch of lines..That suffix line did me ok but if it gets stretched it will get very curly. I used a red box that said elite on it. That I read is called rebound recovery. Big Game has better rebound so I get some longer service life IMHO. The other lines I tried were working with a thin diameter. They advertised a 15 lb line that had the diameter of a 10 lb line.knots and abrasion strength became a issue for me. Big Game from 8-20 lb test works best for me. Everyone has their favorite and that's a good thing. The old saying goes "One man's trash is another man's treasure"

The tug is the drug for me. I am excited on every catch. But ecstatic over the big fish.

I am going back to Big Game. I have been using some other brands and they don't work as good as Big Game.

This is really good advice for me. I have been in a slump with jigs for a while. I have caught a few but not as much as years before. I am going to tone down my hops and see what happens.

The Bomber next gen 4A is currently one of my faves. I also have a bunch of KVD 1.0 cranks I have been using for years. Bandit 100 has already been talked about. If I only could use 1 brand of shallow cranks Strike King KVD 1.0 would get my vote.

I have used a trick worm for this for several decades you can't go wrong with it. June bug, redbud, plum or black take your pick. There is also the Dizzy Diamond that I've been using with a lot of success. YMMV

I have caught fish with a lot of lipless lures. My 2 that I have the most confidence in are the KVD Red Eye shad and the Bill Lewis Rattle traps. CC. Super Spot would get a nod also. The yo-yo retrieve works best for me.

My cats run from the scents on my soft plastics. But mono and fluoro will get chewed on and strung thru the room.

One time only it took for me to learn if weather rolls up I am getting out of the water. I was fishing in a cove with my oldest son and the weather just showed up. I thought that I had enough time to get back to the boat landing because it was just a drizzle but the white caps showed up and slowed me down. We got to the landing wet and and worn out the boat had about 6 inches of water in it. I had to beach it for a couple of hours to let the storm pass. If the weather begins changing get to safety asap.