AlabamaSpothunter

5 for 19lbs is what I call a stellar day, doing it when everybody is on the suck bus is the cherry on top ? I'm averaging a 5+ for every 4-5hrs of fishing it, and over three weeks almost exclusively fishing with it, my best 5 would go about 28, so no monsters but big fish has been a 6.10. It's every bit as versatile as a T Rig to me, the other night I was having Spots burning through my 7" Roboworms, so I decided to throw a D-Bomb on it to either to catch them or get them to stop biting me......they stopped biting, but in return I ended up catching 8 LGMs over 2lbs, biggest being a 5.12. Same versatility as the T Rig. Simply change the bait size/profile, same rig. Hopping this thing through heavy, heavy cover right at or near the thermocline which for me has been 8-10fow has been the deal. The more I can get this thing to lift and fall, the better.....I get a lot of my strikes right after this thing hops over something. After figuring this out some more I'd say I now fish a Free Rig with more hops than I ever did/do with a T-Rig. I was mentored less is more on the bottom contact baits, but I can fish this rig a bit faster than T Rig I'm thinking. Baits that have caught fish thus far Free Rigged: Zoom Magum Lizards Roboworm Straight tail worms Missile Baits D Bombs Zoom Ol Monsters

That MLF event at Cayuga made me lose all respect for the organization. Way more than one dude was cheating, so much sketchy stuff was occurring on live TV for everyone to see. MLF seemingly was only concerned with having monster bags given the timing, their rules, and seemingly lack of oversite of those rules. BASS isn't perfect, but I trust the derby results and competitors significantly more in that format. He also failed three questions on his poly IIrc.

I just got home from buying "essentials" lol.....I couldn't go more than a few trips or just wait for a seasonal/bait type change. I'd run out of line and soft plastics first. ETA: I fish around lots of Spotted Bass, you'll burn through a bag of plastics in 10 mins if you're not careful.

Yeah, I treat it no different than a T-Rig. Just got back home from catching 16 on it over 4 hours. Thus far I've only used it night fishing, and there is almost never any wind, so I've only been using the 1/4th oz option. The more I use this rig, the more I'm finding it's especially deadly popping free from heavy cover, laydowns and brushpile type stuff. Like with any other bait, it gets snagged but 99% of the time if you don't set on the snag, and just motor to it and past it, your bait becomes free. I think this is because the weight snags.

Public lake, those are fighting words imho Private lake, just got to take it in stride, kind of like a bad neighbor It just depends on where you are fishing. Also remember people are crazy until proven otherwise, you never want to get in a gunfight over a fishing trip. I had a guy do exactly that a week ago to me, and then had the nerve to try and have a conversation with me, I was polite but not talkative.

Very common, fish usually group up in similar size ranges and wolf pack roam around for forage.

baitcast......throwing it on 15lb Fluoro with a 7ft MH F rod.

I just give it little pops with the rod tip, not much different than adding action to any worm. I wouldn't say I fish it any differently than T-Rig. Milliken just preaches "freedom of movement" with his bottom contact baits, the Free Rig, C-Rig, and Swinghead are the main baits besides true finesse stuff I see him throw. I think the main key is just to achieve that added freedom of movement to aid in realism.

Swiveling tungsten teardrop is the way imho, and based on Milliken who made me finally try this technique. I got ones from Flatout Tungsten and Epic Tungsten. As for the Free Rig, after fishing it for a couple of weeks now, I don't see myself using a T-Rig outside of pegged T-Rig usage in the Spring. I use high end tungsten for bullet weights, but even then have that weight hit that knot like it does hundreds of times is and always has been a huge weakness to the T-Rig. This is eliminated with the Free Rig, something I don't hear many talk about. First night out I was throwing a 8" Zoom Mag Lizard on a 1/4th oz tungsten bullet T-Rig, very slow action! I said what the heck, and tied on the Free Rig with 1/4th oz tungsten tear drop by Epic Tungsten, same 4/0 EWG Gama hook, and at first I used a 7" Roboworm..........almost instantly I was going through a brand new pack of those Roboworms, so then I switched to the exact same Lizards from the T-Rig, and bingo......same action as the Roboworm, tons of action. The technique truly tore up my hands and thumbs. No doubt about it, in lakes where fish have seen tons of bottom contact stuff, the Free Rig makes a HUGE difference I'm finding. I've watched the differences in person, on YT videos, it doesn't look like much, if anything at all.......but the fish again no doubt can tell the difference. The longer the cast, the more effective this technique is I'm finding......and I imagine line type/diameter plays into this equation somehow as well. To me it just feels more finessey, that was my first gut feeling, next thing it reminded me of is a "fun drop shot". The last thing, it has an uncanny odd way of hooking 90% of the fish in the same manner, deep in the roof of their mouth.....perfect place. I'm convinced they pick this bait up differently, OR simply eat it with more reckless abandon. Bottomline, the Free Rig is a lot deeper than simply rigging your weight to slide up and down the line differently.

If I were a Bass, I'd want to live in the areas you fish......your fish are always so pristine and healthy.

Awesome job and awesome fish Katie! Fish looks to be just starting the process of packing bulk back on.....bet she's a 7lb fish over the winter.

Dang that's crazy! Thanks.

My Garmin goes to "black mode" once it get low light automatically, but then once it gets pitch black, I go into the setting, and lower the brightness down to 20%.

Interesting......all mine are JDM, where are the USDM ones made?

These are actually made in Japan reels. The Curado is however made by some sweat shop worker in Malaysia. I bought a new Curado 150MGL a few months back......great reel, but it's a far cry from the Zillion SV TW and especially the HD TW imho. The Curado and Zillion are two different class of reels, they are priced and marketed as such as well.

It'll ruin you, you were warned!

If it's the right 200 sized reel, I think it's the perfect size for those 1-3oz swimbaits or A-Rigs. Saving any wait in the swimbait rig is a huge deal for me. The Zillion HD TW has brass gears and is built like a Mack truck, has an oversized handle and knobs.....it's the perfect reel imho for 1-4oz baits. Can't speak to others. I'm going to get a Calcutta 300 most likely for my second swimbait setup, but that reel will be used to throw 4-7oz baits once I get further down this rabbit hole. I think only a handful of baits would merit a 400 sized reel....maybe a Moby, or a Hinkle Trout. Just my 2cents eta: I bought a Curado 150MGL a few months back, I don't know the guts of this reel like the Zillion above, but it comes with a nice oversized handle so it wouldn't make the worst smaller swimbait reel.

Ironically enough I've been buying from them since about 2008 IIrc, and yet I've never ordered a fishing product from them. They are most certainly GTG and built their business and name in the gun industry.

Yeah water quality is the fundamental base upon which the entire food chain depends on. It's starts with phytoplankton and zooplankton that are responsible for feeding the micro-organisms, newly hatched fry, and Shad. What feeds those phytoplankton and zooplankton are nutrients found within the water......a clear lake means low nutrient amounts. For most anglers, these things are out of their control, these are only things private smaller bodies of water can change, create, or manage. 2-3ft of viz according to biologists is peak.

Garmin Livescope LVS34 on the biggest size Garmin chartplotter screen size you can afford...touchscreen models even better. This unit would be dedicated to the Livescope Second unit would be a 12" Garmin Echomap Ultra Chartplotter with the included transducer that has down/side scan, along with charts/maps. A third unit at the console of the boat would be ideal as well if you're in a traditional Bass rig. I'm nobody, this is just what I'd run.

You aim FFS at a target, and it's real time 360 is unique to Hummingbird, and it's a 360 degree view in a 125ft circle radius of your boat position, works similar to side imaging MEGA 360 Imaging® - Humminbird (johnsonoutdoors.com)

Overpopulation and a lack of forage are the two most likely culprits. Most smaller bodies of water need to have Bass populations actively managed and a culling program should be implemented or stunting and overpopulation will occur.

Dang, I think I would have had to buy one for sure if they had a RH in 7.1 for that price. Not going to beat that price, that's for sure.

So these are cosmetically and mechanically perfect, it's only the packaging and box that are messed up? If so, I both hate and love you.....I'll have a real decision to make. Either way, that's an absolutely SMOKING deal! JDM is $250 IIrc. Edit: NVM......that's for the left hand model only, the RH is $275. Still amazing deal for those who want a Satan handed reel.

Nature is more brutal than most gory horror film. LOL at the tourists who picked the Honey Badger's side......that's like picking the Goliath over David ? Normally I wouldn't feel bad for a snake, but that's a tough way to go. If I'm getting taken out by nature, it better be by a magnificent big Cat.......I'm not letting a Jackal or Honey Badger get me lol.