T-Billy

John Wayne toilet paper.

My mechanic recommends 87 octane along with a good fuel conditioner.

Ark Invoker $149 or Tharp $129 series, 7' MH XF. Light, very sensitive, very well balanced. Outstanding for light jigs and trigs.

Now ya just need to pick up a cheap tripod for your phone and you're in business.

You can get BIG eva knobs for your reels. I'm an advocate of just winching on them, because with the lift and reel down method, everytime you let up pressure to reel down, you're giving them an opportunity to turn and get you buried/tangled up. Get em coming on the hookset and keep it that way with steady pressure.

30# Sufix 832. It's abrasion resistant, and sinks better than most braids because of the gore fiber. Problems with a leader are, it's a weak point, and heavy fuoro will impede the action of your weightless plastics. I vote straight braid with a heavy gauge hook. The heavy hook will help get your bait down and be less likely to open up under pressure. Don't do this when fighting fish out of heavy cover. Set the hook hard to turn them and get them moving toward you in one motion. Then just keep the rod loaded and winch on 'em.

Bass slobber is the best scent/attractant. I put Mega Strike on new baits, after that I just roll with the slobber.

Ark Tharp Series "Grinder". 15# XT or YZH.

To bad the bucket brigade wasn't there. Copping a squat on one of their bait buckets would be a priceless moment.

30# will serve you well. It'll still cast those baits a long ways, it's limber enough to not impede their action, and will allow you to pull HARD on fish. Largemouth don't care about seeing it, especially when they're in cover. I'm still on the fence about that when it comes to smallies in open water.

I'm in this camp for single hook moving baits. Ark Invoker 7'4" H MF composite rod, Daiwa Zillion HD, 40# Fins Infinity braid. Good feel, solid hooksets at any distance, and the rod does a great job of keeping them pinned.

Given that info, I'd start shallow and work out. If there's wood up shallow choked with grass, that would be my starting point. Plan B would be looking for transitional areas where the grass types mix. C would be working the first break. No matter where I find them cover wise, I'm gonna be paying attention to where they are on the structure, points, cuts, up on the flats etc. and continue to run similar stuff.

His recent 8-14 was probably 9-2 before the golden shower. ALWAYS weigh 'em FIRST @AlabamaSpothunter!!! ?

I'd approach it from downwind so the fish don't smell me coming.

I've straightened flippin hooks, boat flipped 6# bass, wrestled big flatheads and muskie in laydowns, and poked countless snags loose with my Tharp "King Cobra". Brittle it ain't.

40# braid. No leader.

The most majestic dumpster divers out there. ?

Can't comment on the Daiwa, but that ark blank is very good. I'd recommend spending the extra $29 and getting the Tharp Series version of it for the Fuji guides. Mine has taken beating after beating with zero issues.

Fish easily find neds at night. No need for rattles on jigs IMO. That said, fishing with confidence is important. You fish better when you believe in what your doing, so if rattles give you confidence, by all means use 'em.

That's a dandy. Congrats.

I'll recommend the 7'4" Mag Heavy Invoker for those heavy jigs. It's also outstanding for pitching 3/8 and up, and frogging. It's one of my favorite Ark blanks. Quoted so I could read the comments in the chart. They're over under the ads in the OP in my android browser. Nice write up. I don't frog a lot but I bought two Ark Lancer pro 7'2" H during last falls BOGO sale, and like them for that task.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. ?

In this situation, I keep reeling until the rod tip loads, then sweep into them. My hook and land percentage with paddletails is very high. They hit these things very aggressively and often from behind, knocking slack in the line. Letting them turn with it, and come tight, results in better hookups IMO. They tend to hold onto these soft baits well, and don't often hit-n-spit them. So... I think the way you were originally doing it is best.

^This^ The other options are learn to tie a good leader knot, or don't use braid. The Alberto with an extra wrap or two though the loop before cinching has never failed me. It's also easy to tie with just a bit of practice. I don't use leaders much, but I will sometimes use a short mono leader when fishing deep rock, just to make breaking off easier.

Hello coldfront. Nice to see you. You ended a drought in more ways than one. Best trip since catching my PB muskie back in March. Caught 12 or 13. Not sure. Once I run out of fingers all bets are off. Fish still aren't moving onto the weed flats. Everything's running behind this year. That bite is usually on by the first week of June. I found some quality fish by running a chatterbait down the outside edge of milfoil beds on steep shale/clay banks though. After sunrise it was all about pitching the pine laydowns again. I fished from 2 till 10:30am. 3.06# 3.18# 3.06# 2.83# I had three others over 2# and had another 3 something come off mid air while boat flipping it. I also tied into a lake monster in a deep pine top. Dunno if it was the muskie or flathead variety, but I'd wager flathead by the way it was pulling. Straightened out a 4/0 6th Sense OX flippin hook trying to winch it up out of that tree top. Twas an epic tug o' war.