AlabamaSpothunter

Wholesome, and I've seen a couple of true trophy Bass come from those reels. Watched a bank fisherman with live worms catch a 12lber meanwhile I'm throwing a $1000 combo with hundreds in lures in a tacklebox....go figure

Yeah it's quite interesting how preferential or unique each fisherman's tastes are. Went in the shop the other day and the owner was talking about how ridiculous particular his Bass fishing customers were in comparison to his gun, hunting, or archery customers. Said dudes will come in looking for an exact trailer in a color from a specific manufacturer....won't except any substitute. Im the opposite, got a few 7 ft rods left, but they are used for very niche things these days, whereas I'll just take a 6'6 GLX mag bass rod and fish everything in the tacklebox with it.

I have a TD-X with the rarer 5.1:1 ratio. Designed in 1998, and to me it's still as good of a reel as you can find on the market. It's almost as light as the new flagship Steez, casts a mile, silky smooth drag, and has been fished hard for over 20 years. By far and away my most treasured reel, even though I have technically "nicer" and more expensive reels. I want to love the Shimano high end reels I've gotten through the years, but nothing has ever competed with Team Daiwa reels for my usage. I have a newer steez rod/reel combo that is wicked light and sweet, but I still find myself reaching for old Team Daiwa reels the most. The Shimano reels are always much bulkier, heavier, and over complicated in comparison. Only owned one Lews Speed Spool, and outside of that have no other experience with reel makers. So let's here your take of reels, and your favorite of all time

Thanks a bunch for the reply, I was actually looking at this model.... Garmin STRIKER™ 4 Fish Finder Portable Bundle, but will now look at the 7sv model. Awesome, thanks a bunch for the reply, off to go look at this model now.

To me "matching the hatch" color wise is vastly different than when I'm trout fishing a clear river.....what Bass perceive as Shad colored in various "unclear" lakes is harder to nail down. I fish primarily a smaller 200-300acre that has similar things as you mention.....lots of Alabama Bass and annual stockings of threadfins For at least 20 years I'd say, I haven't better a topwater lure for large LGM or any Alabama Bass is a Spitting Image. For whatever reason, it works so much better than other topwater baits in more open water scenarios. A Zara Spook of your size preference is another great producer.

If getting proven wrong means a fishing trip....I'm cool with that

Didn't mean to offend, and I've been fishing for bass for over 30 years, and only recently did I break my habit of relying of constant feedback. Ultimately like you said, you're just new to fishing for bass. Lots to learn, but equally lots of exciting times in doing so. You can read all you want on bass fishing, but the real learning takes place from being on the water, and just time fishing. Good luck, you success will improve

You are correct, use the lightest weight possible, and stop getting hung up on having complete tactile feel over your bait. A good way to break your dependence on this crutch of needing constant feedback is to go out at night, and just fish a mag lizard or mag worm on nothing but a heavy 5/0 hook. You'll realize soon enough that you'll detect the actual bites when you need to, you just aren't going to feel every pebble and trig on the bottom. As for rods, buy once, cry once....nothing tops GLX Gloomis rods imho. Lastly, your gear sounds way overkill for the size/species you are targeting. Outside of flipping I can't think of a reason why I'd personally use a 7'6. A good 6'6 MH rod is perfect for fishing soft plastics and frogs

G Loomis Mag Bass GLX or above 6'6 MH rod is about the closest jack of all trades rod I've ever found. I buy two 6'6 MH rods to every one non 6'6 MH rod. Then again I fish a lot of slow moving bottom baits

Every gamefish I fished for has been affected by line size and clarity of line. Some fish species more than others, but the clarity of the water doesn't factor in nearly as much as I think people think. Fishing below TVA dams with most certainly not clear water, and the difference b/t 6lb fluoro, and 8lb mono is one guy boating fish after fish, and literally the other angler not catching a single fish.

Hey folks, looking at getting a good fish finder to learn how to read and map my neighborhood lake that is about 200-300acres, 30-40ft deep at it deepest, lots of structure and ledges/dropoffs. So basically, something that is higher end but novice friendly. I guess the budget would be 200-400, maybe 500. Not sure if I need maps, it won't ever be used outside of this lake more than likely. I need the ability to save all the structure and key features through GPS I would assume. Thanks in advance for any replies, this is my childhood lake and it's filled with both trophy sized LGMBs, and Alabama Spotted Bass.....I know using technology now as adult that I didn't understand as a kid will lead to fantastic results.

Maintaining confidence in myself, my approach, and the baits I'm using when I'm getting skunked. I find once you lose confidence, or feel you aren't going to catch a fish on a particular cast....you indeed won't catch one. Call me crazy but I think confidence is the most important aspect to Bass fishing. It takes a ton of confidence to do an activity where the success rate is less than a MLB batting average. Second would be fishing to slow, fishing to many T rigged things