T-Billy

Psychic? Psycho? Sumthin like that!!! ?

Try ditching the leader and fishing straight braid, and/or learn the Alberto. It's an easy knot with a little practice. I've never had one fail, and it's small and passes through micros just fine.

I own the same brands. I don't even know how many at this point. More Lew's than any, but happy with them all. They all have their own place in th lineup.

I was pitching to the back side of cattails one April day, just hammering them. Water was about 2' high and the pre-spawn LM were stacked up on the bank side of them. After catching one, I sat down on the deck and re-rigged. It was fairly windy, and it blew me up into the reeds while rigging. I stood up, kicked the trolling motor into high, and stepped on the pedal. A 2 pounder lept out of the prop wash, bounced off my leg, and landed on the deck. Don't reckon it counts as a catch, but it was a pretty crazy experience. My wife caught a bat while night fishing once. She wanted me to try to untangle it from her braid and release the toothy little bugger!!! Crazy woman. Takes about 5 seconds to drown a bat in case y'all were wondering.

Especially with this particular lure. I've probably lost more big fish on this bait than all other baits combined. I've also caught alot on it. It was a love/hate relationship for a long time. Now it's mostly just love. A MH/MF rated to 1 1/2oz and 30# braid is putting a high percentage of bites in the boat. With a MH F it was a much lower percentage, even when using mono or flouro. FOR ME, a chatterbait requires a very specific rod blank.

Yes. ODNR stocks them in our lakes. They can't reproduce with each other, but can spawn with either a walleye or a sauger they say. Kinda semi sterile I guess. They grow fast and get big like walleye. Found me another nice floater last night!!! ?

I've come to prefer the L for neds in open water myself. Long casting and it still has enough power to drive a #1 or #2 hook home just fine, and loads deep into the blank with even small bass. I rarely lose a fish on it. I'm with you on the medium XF too. I recently bought a St Croix Avid 6'8" M XF. It's great for small baits and weights down to 1/8 on 8# XT. I've been using it to throw light Trigs on grass flats lately. Very happy with it. Paired it with my KastKing Zephyr. I had the same trouble with that reel as everyone else with 6# mono or light braid getting into the gap around the spool. It fishes great with 8# mono though. Long casting and very smooth.

They spawn in July here in OH. Pitching to big laydowns can get crazy real fast. Had two bigguns whoop me and my flippin stick last year. They were the first thing I thought of when KastKing released that deadbolt reel with no drag. That thing will get your favorite flippin stick turned into kindling in my neck of the woods.

Took a couple vacation days this week to night fish the full moon. Bass fishing was mediocre, but did manage a couple over 4#. The saugeyes however are all over the weedlines and munching. Caught two over 6#. One was 6-14, the other weighed 6-4. Lost a couple other bigguns too. The 6-14 is my PB. Been a fun few nights. This tank of a channel cat CRUSHED my chatterbait.

No struggle involved. L or ML casting rod and one of the many BFS reels available these days. The only time I have a spinning rig in my boat anymore is when I'm crappie fishing. OP: My only ML is the Phenix Feather 7'1". I have the L also. Outstanding rods but a bit above what your looking to spend. I recently purchased a couple Fishband Clamber Hyper Micro BFS reels. $119 at BFS Empire. Outstsanding BFS reel for the $$$. It's very smooth and casting distance is right there with my curado BFS. Unfortunately they're only available in 6 speed currently. If you're good with that, they're a solid buy IMO.

I have the 7'1" ML Phenix Feather paired with a Curado BFS. Outstanding rod for neds and small swimmers.

For sure. I tried a few and wasn't happy with any of them. Just the other night I decided to give the Do-It ES 3.5 Ripper a try, as I had just made a bunch, and to my surprise it's perfect. Good hard thump that keeps time with the blade, and even a 3/8 will run true at any speed. The fish have been choking it. If you make your own plastics, this is a must have mold.

There's one in every crowd!!! ?

I hear ya. I prefer a spinnerbait most of the time during the daylight hours myself. After dark the chatterbait is killer.

Monkey told me to show you what I caught on a chatterbait this morning Most had it choked just like the LM. LM weighed 4-4. Caught a 4-8 the night before. Caught 4 eyes, biggest weighed 6-14. Dunno what that bruiser of a channel cat weighed. 12-13 maybe. + another dozen LM and had a few fish come off, including another big eye. Most between 4 and 5:30am. Got there at two and only had a few dinks by 4. Then the moon set over the treeline and it was MAYHEM!!! Saugeye and Jalepeno hushpuppies for supper tonight.

I hear ya. Long distance hooksetting power is one reason I throw them on braid. It also makes it easier to clear grass from the bait. B-Hittay or Tatula for sure from those listed. I like a 7 speed for them, but will use an 8 when fishing shallow grass. They follow, grab it, and swim toward you sometimes. It's important to be able to pick up line quickly.

You know, A St Croix Legend Extreme 6'8" M would be great for throwing those new poppers. Especially paired with a new Aldabaran MGL 50. Just sayin...?

Especially with chatterbaits. Bites are all over the place with this bait, from crushing it, to nipping at it, to grabbing it and just swimming along with it... I've had more trouble finding a CB rod I'm really happy with than any other bait. I've lost a pile of fish on this bait, and quite a few big ones, especially back when I was throwing them on fast graphite rods. Got a few I like now, but it's been a journey. Hooking them is only half the battle, getting them to the boat is the other. Mod fast rods work best for me by far.

Got out last night for a few hours. Alternated back and forth between the two rods, each rigged with a 3/8 CB, Do-It Baby Berry trailer. Skirtless. What an awesome CB/Swim Jig trailer. The bite was tough. Only caught nine, 5 Tatula/4 B-Hit, and missed a couple. I'd be hard pressed to pick a winner at this point. In fact, I don't think it's a matter of one rod being better than the other, but more of a situational thing. The Tat is definitely a more powerful rod. Hooksets are more solid feeling and it's easier to clear grass off the bait with it, but the tip is still soft enough for my liking. First fish on it was this 4-8 that hit on a short line. It was a matter of a few turns of the reel handle and a boat flip. The rod handled it with ease. I prefer the Tat in cover for sure. The Tat is a heavier rod though and more tip heavy. Not an issue for me throwing chatters, but it's something to consider for someone looking at these two rods. Tat is sensitive enough to feel the blade get squirrely when a fish pushes up close behind the bait though, so feel is not an issue. All around, it's a great CB rod. Glad I bought it. The B-Hit is also very good. A little less power than the Tat, but it's got a softer tip, it's lighter, and a bit more sensitive, though the difference isn't huge in any of these departments, it's noticeable. Though hooksets aren't as solid feeling with it, it gets the job done. My hook and land ratio has been excellent with the B-Hit. Going forward, The Tat will probably be my primary when fishing gass, and the B-Hit will handle rock crawling duty. Both rods have quality blanks, comfy reel seats, and Fuji K series guides with Fazlite inserts. I do prefer the full cork on the Tat for chuckin and windin though. All in all, these are two great CB rods, and ya really can't go wrong with either. Honorable mention goes to the BP Crankin Stick 7'3" heavy. It's lighter and more sensitive than either of the above. It's very similar in power as my Dobyns 735 Fury, with a softer tip and a slower taper. At $80 bucks or so, it's a steal.

Same here. They're tasty.

Big Bite 3.5 YoMomma, Chigger Craw, UV Speed Craw. All fish catchers.

My Grandpa always told me that when I go fishing, the sucker is on the wrong end of the pole. ? At the time I thought he was kidding. Now when I look at all the tackle and gear I own, I believe the old man was correct. God I miss that man. Best advice, DON'T LEAVE FISH TO FIND FISH!!!

No. I fish 3/8 around grass, and mostly 1/2 on structure and I think it's gonna be just right. I'll know better after I take it for a spin Sunday night.

Or using the wrong jig for the task at hand.

Never heard anything but good about DVT. He's going to get a handful of mine this fall.