5-20

Throw a big plastic trout and swim it back slowly.

Great video. Thanks for sharing.

SportRX's prices are pretty good. Check out Costco too. Good polarized/prescription sunglasses are worth every penny. Might be more affordable than you realize. If you do go the SportRX route, just try on different frames that are in stock locally before ordering.

There's differences. Subtle ones. I'd like to see both companies succeed. Seems like Johnny Rat has pulled back from the bait making business yet once again though. You know.... there's tons of $20-50 baits that work great. Like you'll see Deebo Samuel and Snoop and all of those other famous people carrying Versace and Vuitton purses While a peon like me will be wearing a Jansport backpack. Both get the job done.

+1 PB makes an awesome rat. Totally innovative and different from anything else in the market.

Yep. It's an expensive game. But the good thing is with Biden solidly in the lead for 2024 it's only a matter of time before we become entrenched in socialism and nobody's going to be able to get any more baits other than the ones issued by the government. Think positive, buddy!

Info on those rods isn't very good on Dobyns' website. No idea where the ferrule is located or how long the longest piece is.

Thanks guys. Appreciate the suggestions! I'll check out the soft pouch bag set. That's slim for sure.

All bets are on when water is in that 48 degree range and up with a few warming trends mixed in. Water doesn't get any colder than that in Texas some winters. It's surprising how active, shallow and relatively fast fish will chase baits in those temps.

How are you guys storing your tiny klash tails and hardware? Especially the V tails I bank fish a good amount in the fall through early spring period and like to pack as light as possible. Tried to find a slim case that I could store the tails and V guards in that wouldn’t take up too much space in my backpack. The V tails are already somewhat bent and deformed. Looking for some new ideas for a slim case or box. How are you guys storing your TK V tails?

The Owner St 45 is a really good hook. It's also a little stronger than the Gammy Round Bends. Never used those hooks until I started throwing the Biggs Denali last year Those hooks in a size 1 held up to a 20 pound striper that hit the bait in close range on a fairly tight drag. Bent out and got a little bit mangled but still held the fish. I haven't missed or lost a single fish on those St 45 hooks. Not many fish but every one I've hooked has been solidly hooked including the very light biters. Hooks that bend out a little bit instead of breaking is not a bad thing.

Gamakatsu Round Bends are great. Just have a couple of spare hooks with you if a point becomes dull or a big smallie mangles one or both hooks. And add weight as needed.

No more tape of any kind on any of my spools. Had some finger tape melt and become all gummy on one of my tuna reels. The stickiness spread through the entire spool of braid. Couldn’t figure out why the line wasn’t coming right off the spool on the flyline on one of my trips! Only use a little bit of mono backing. You don’t really need that much.

Inviz is great. I really like #17-20 for glides. Just make sure you check your line often, cut off 3' to 4' and retie periodically. Almost always use a split ring or snap with fluoro.

The albright is really easy to tie. I'd use maybe 6 to 7 wraps at most instead of 10 like the picture says. The important thing is that the braid cinches down on the mono really smoothly and tightly and less wraps is usually better for me. Sometimes 5 or 6 wraps is all you need with this line in that general #30-60 leader range . https://www.netknots.com/fishing_knots/albright-special

If you're going to go with a short 2 1/2 to 3' leader or less that you can keep out of the tip top guide and cast easily the Albright knot is probably the easiest and most solid knot you can tie. It's gonna be a totally great knot for #30 mono. If you're using a thinner #20-25 mono or fluoro, the Albright could slip and you'd want to use an Alberto knot. A little trickier to tie but not super hard. Just keep that in mind if you decide to go down in leader size for any reason. Youtube videos are good when it comes to learning new knots. May have to go through a few videos to find a demonstration that's really clear and shows a technique that works for you. Whatever you do, keep the knot out of your tip top guide and that will reduce 98% of the problems with casting and having the knot catch in a guide that will probably cause your bait to snap off.

SoCal lakes are very, very hard to fish. Tiny lakes that open after the sun comes up and close before the sun goes down. Everyone and I mean everyone has a swimbait tied on Don’t think anyone will ever be happy with the rules. Online tournaments are kind of overrated too… Set up a local tournament for your region if it really matters that much to you, maybe?