lynxcat

$100 spurts and $500-700 when buying new combo. Bought a bunch of JH and trailers last night after losing one yesterday.

A couple that come to mind: - Too hard of hook sets. I’ve broken the line on some big fish by laying onto them too much. I’m a large guy and the reality is I don’t have to set the hook hard to get proper hook penetration. - I don’t think is this is a bad habit per we but it probably limits my catch output: I like to tinker…I can have spots where I know what baits are working but instead I want to evaluate a new technique so I switch it up. This likely makes me a better fisherman long term but it sub optimizes my actual fishing productivity.

Clear water means I am throwing a stealth blade chatterbait or a swim jig. Dirty water means the chatter is tied on. I’ll practically never throw a swim jig in muddy water…there just isn’t enough there for me to be confident I’m triggering a bite. I am up and down on swim jigs. It is such an easy bait to fish that I really want it to work. I have consistently caught larger fish on the chatterbait so I tend towards it. I have a stealth blade tied on at the moment for a clear pond nearby. That bait has been frustrating since it’s release but I think it can basically be a more aggressive swim jig in clear water. A Jackhammer is too aggressive in clear water for my liking.

@Siebert Outdoors Mike, do you have a “summary” on the difference between the Fogy, Tungsten Shakin, Tremor Blade? Primarily wondering if there is any change in action or vibration? I’ve fished the Fogy and Tungsten and found them very similar (with the head material being the only discernible difference). Tremor is new territory for me…

I actually think of the JH and Fogy as different baits albeit in similar segments of the industry. Fogy has that great thump and side to side darting; JH has tighter wobble and straight line. I love both. I have not tried the Tremor yet! As others, I can’t say enough positives about Mike and crew. They make an amazing product at Siebert’s and at very competitive prices. The customization options alone are fantastic but the quality spans all the product lines.

SV for skipping and throwing lighter lures. If you aren’t doing those things, then don’t pay the premium.

I do similar except I go 9 turns up and 9 back. The big thing I changed to make it cinch is going back through the loop 5 times at the end. It’s a long, thin knot and I’ve found it to be quite strong. I can also tie it consistently. I really don’t know what to call this…it’s some kind of modified Albright or Alberto.

30lb power pro braid with 15lb Invizx as a leader.

I got all 1/4oz but I fish shallow ponds so this has swim jig like role in the arsenal. My order came through and I have a few options tigger up to test. - one is a Zman curly tail Grubz that looks JUICY. is the absolute perfect size for this lure. I hadn’t seen this one mentioned yet in the thread. Baby bass color with a green pumpkin mini max. - I trimmed down a Zman GOAT cutting the first 2 1/2 sections off. The length now is perfect and it gives a robust “body” to the bait. - Big Bite Swim On in the smaller size looks amazing. I have the Spot Remover with a flashy silver trailer that are a great match.

I plan to give these a try when my mini max order arrives.

Omnia deal is 25% off for premium members? I've been looking at joining and this might push me over the edge

I don’t fish much top water…it’s fun as heck to catch them that way but it takes more aggressive fish. I like a chatterbait in most conditions, especially if the water isn’t crystal clear. I can cover water, generate typically larger than average bites, and typically get greater numbers of hits than top water. Senko thereafter cleans up whatever is left.

I lived on Mud Island less than a mile from the Pyramid. Cool area of town.

If mixing the brands don’t get odd to you, then an Expride with a Tatula Elite is an amazing combination. That will be under $600 and is hard to beat.

Making me second guess if I should have given a Lews a try! I’ve been a Daiwa loyalist…

Interesting...I will not be fishing these. The durability of GY products is a huge turnoff. I'll never dispute that they work but I'll go with more durable options that perform are reasonably the same level. The more baits I've tried, the more I go back to Z-man.

Long time fan of the Tatula Elite but I just picked up two Tatula 100s for $77/reel on an Academy sale right now. 50% off was too good to pass up...will report back on the nuances I see between the models. These are replacing 10 year old JM Platinum reels so I'm thinking these have to be an upgrade

I just bought two Tatula 100 BC for $77 a piece. I wasn’t even in the market for these but the reviews are way too good for me to pass on 50% off. We get a lot of sales at 20% or so often but it’s rare to get 50%. I have two older reels that are showing age and this became a great reason to replacement them with a solid option. I have two Tatula Elites so I am hoping this is a decent comparison. I don’t expect the same distance or fit and finish but these…are $77 and not $250. I got the 7.3 model which should be a good do it all. They’ll be going on a medium heavy/fast and medium/fast rods.

I put the tag back through five times to secure the knot at the end. It’s made all the difference. I used to only do it once or twice.

I use a 4/0 Gama SuperLine most of the time. Rarely have an issue.

I have a few options but my typical setup is a regular backpack. I bring three rods. Typically a moderate MH, spinning, and HF rods do the trick across a bunch of applications. I have two rods I can carry on my back and then I use the other while fishing. This is not a light setup but I guess I get the benefit of being bigger than 99% of the world so it’s not too bad. If I am in a spot I really like, the. The backpack and rods come off for a bit.

I’m a really big guy and have been lifting weights a ton over the last year…strongest I’ve been in my life. With that said, I really try to avoid laying into the hook set as I’ve popped FC on some big fish. I generally like to do more of a sweeping set because a snap greatly increases the likelihood I break off.

I basically exclusively fish ponds and have my entire life. I have really focused on increasing the size of the bass I am targeting over the years. Soft plastics of all kinds crush it in ponds but I actually find fishing a Senko quite boring. I also think that so many folks throw them that pond bass, especially larger ones, are difficult to catch with them. Vibrating jig has consistently been the best bait I’ve got in the arsenal almost year around. It targets much larger bass and it does very well in grass. I avoid this is crystal clear water but that’s rare in my ponds. Lipless and crank baits are practically worthless. I’ve started testing a wake bait that goes about 6 inches deep and have caught a few small bass but this is just experimental. Variations of a fluke style rig definitely work but they don’t target larger fish as well. I can get great numbers with them though. I’m currently testing a variety of different styles of flukes (weighted and unweighted from 4 to 6 inches) to see if I can find the right balance of bigger bites and frequent bites. Zman Darter is 6inches and I’m excited to test it out on a weighted wide gap. TRD is about as good as it gets if you want numbers. I catch a decent sized one on it every now and then. Jigs are the other big fish bait but it’s so hard to fish in mucky ponds. I’ll use them more in the winter months when there isn’t as much growth. Small swim baits are nice throughout the year…caught an 8lber on a 3inch earlier this year and a couple 5 lbers on 5inxh swimbait. I’ve never tried larger (and don’t have the equipment to throw bigger).

It’s actually a super affordable sport. I have probably spent $2K on my rods and reels over my life and probably another $3K on tackle. Considering the amount of gear and how 20 years or so fishing….that’s amazingly cheap (and I could cut back pretty easily).

I’ve been trying a variety of weight fluke rigs…so trying some new variants there. I’m also trying some new Chatterbait trailers…bought the KaikaZee from big bites on a variety of colors. Separate trip, but Academy has “got deals” on the most random items. Literally 50% or more off…bought some Keitechs for $3.50 a pack because it’s an unbeatable deal. I