lynxcat

I have no concerns about FFS. This is just the uncomfortable transition for an industry that was old school for a very long time and is now being greatly disrupted by technology.

Weatherproof AFTCO gloves caught my eye.

I into use a swivel if I’m fishing two flukes on a donkey rig.

85/15

I connect FC and braid using a modified Alberto or Albright knot. I have seen if called both. I wrap the line 9 times and then I bring the tag in through the loop 5x. The basic knit says to do this 1x but I found that I had occasional slippage and breaks. I then wet the knot and ONLY pull the tag end to tighten. This avoids burning the FC and…if it does burn at all…it’s part of the tag that it going to be snipped away. I use a palomar for all knots tied to baits. If I go straight braid then I sometimes go double palomar, especially if fishing frogs.

It’s only certain colors but it’s still a wide variety. For ones that are typically almost $6/pack these are a no brainer if you like Gambler. I’ve crushed largemouth on swim jigs recently. Love how these get the secondary action from the skirt. Not the most durable but manageable.

Tacklewarehouse has amazing deals on Gambler right now. Like 50% off and another 20% off that! $2.22 a pack.

Made a large Tacklewarehouse order this week. I wanted to find some better swimbaits for swim jigs. Variety of sizes and colors but basically a $160 order of… Xzone Swammers Gambler EZ Vibez Gambler EZ Swimmer Zoom Fluke Zman Paddlerz A bunch of mini max in 1/4 ounce. Needed to restock this winner. Flukes are perfect trailer for these. I got a couple packs of the Zman ZWG swimbait hooks and I’ve been very impressed thus far. Really holds the bait in place. A few other soft plastics but those are the bunch. I caught a 5+ lber today a @Siebert Outdoors swim jig paired with the white swammer 4”

Don’t overthink this. They are all great lines.

20% off Hybrid Hunters at Tacklewarehouse.

I bank fish year around. I have the means for a boat but no desire. My neighborhood ponds have big bass and plenty of fish. Each has a different vibe and I can use a variety of techniques. Fish are pretty spread out typically so a lot of walking to cover water. I’ve had some random experiences fishing these ponds…caught a smallmouth in a culvert (I’ve never seen a SM in this area), found a school of massive Crappie (in a different culvert) and was catching them every cast until dark, have caught double digit lb catfish in Jackhammers (seems to annoy them when spawning)…caught both my PBs…7-8lbs. Love pond fishing.

I own a two piece rebellion casting that is for taking on trips. It’s an okay rod…I much prefer my Tatula elites over it.

Fished briefly today and caught three as described in original post. Biggest negative is my bobber wasn’t strong enough to stop the free rig weight on an aggressive cast. Bobber would slide down and basically defeat the purpose of the test. i absolutely think this accomplished the goal of forced separation between hook and weight.

I tried the Free Rig for the first time today and interested in a modification to try tomorrow. I’m using a bobber stop to “force” separation between the free rig weight and the lure….going to create at least 18-24inches…so no matter what happens when I “pop” the weight up in the water column to create separation, my bait will always start with a minimum amount of separation. I think the principles of the Free Rig still hold true…the weight will crash back down to bottom and pull the plastic rapidly and then it will free float to the bottom. I should be able to have more consistent separation between weight and plastic throughout the cast is the idea. Anyone done this modification?

I have both the Elite and 100…I got the 100 for like $75 on a steal of a deal. It’s great for what it is but the Elite is better build quality. I can throw plenty far with either.