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.

As with most new things, it takes some adjustment.

I got the 15% off on the Tatula elite old AGS model I purchased this week…$250 dropped down to $212. No code required.

I just bought an open box Daiwa Certate LT 3000 XH for $308 from Midway...Midway has some great deals if you are willing to search. For what is typically a $450-500 reel, the reviews are too good for me to not give the high end market a try. I also bought a Daiwa Tatula Elite 7'6 M/ML AGS Seth Feider (the old model) from TW with the 15% off in addition to the $50...so $212 for what has seemingly been the highest rated Tatula Elite rod in the lineup for years. I wanted to bump up the quality of my spinning gear before fall and winter so hoping this hits the mark! Also got a hog farmer a-rig setup for the first time....going to be fun to try out.

Interesting thread and the method I use has not been listed. I fish exclusive from the bank but I don’t think it changes the approach. I fish braid to leader in most presentations. I also wear fishing gloves which seems to make it a bit easier. Here’s my approach… 1. Create some slack in the line…I want zero stress on my rod or reel when snapping the line. 2. Take braid into my hand and anchor it to my hip…at this point, the line should be tight. 3. Begin spinning in a circle wrapping the line around my body until it breaks. Using my body creates way more torque than otherwise and this approach doesn’t cut up my hands. It also allows me to manage how much energy I put into breaking the line.

Living in TX, I’ve just accepted it. I cover up head to toe and drink a liter of water almost every hour. It’s manageable.

Same for some of my ponds. Ours our blue but a very clear blue…find green pumpkin is a solid choice.

My area has a lot of clear ponds but I love fishing a Chatterbait before it gets too hot. I’ve had a lot of success lately with the stealth blade in the clear water. I caught 12 LMB in about 90 minutes today using a green pumpkin 3/8 oz stealth blade with a Zman Redbone Razor Shad. It’s a beautiful combination…back of the redbone matches the GP skirt but adds some red flash. Bottom of the Redbone is a silver/white…gives me the ability to mimic anything from a blue gill to a crappie to a baitfish all in one presentation. Handful of bites on initial fall so made sure to have some pops to change the presentation angle throughout the retrieve. I hate the SB for anything other than clear water but I like it a lot more than a swim jig in clear water (before it gets crazy hot). I also like the mini max for clear water. I generally avoid Jackhammer as I think it’s a bit too much vibration in clear water.

I wouldn’t overthink it. MH/F works just fine.

This thread and post made me spend $95 on open box Rebellion 7’2 MH/F 2 piece casting. I don’t have a 2 piece currently so this is perfect for any traveling as it’s the versatile action. I have been wanting to try to Rebellion as there are minimal reviews.

Scheels bargain bin area in the store had some great deals on Stealth Blade Chatterbaits and a bunch of jerk baits if you were willing to search through it. I got a few Stealths for $8/piece. Not my favorite chatterbait but they have a nice role in clearer water. Jerkbaits were mainly Rapala in tons of models. One guy was finding a number of Lucky Craft for $7 a piece.