charlie.m.jr

I'm right hand dominate, but eat left handed quiet a bit, and I too have thought about this. LOL. For something that you're chunking and winding, I'm not sure how much of a difference it would make. I think with flipping though, it would have its place and it makes a lot of sense since you wouldn't have to switch hands all of the time......or maybe I should learn how to flip left handed. If I have to use a fairy wand, I do use it with a left side reel and that feels natural as well. Maybe we all are putting too much thought into this. Lol

No, it is not certain, but it could happen. That's why it is important to get them back in the water ASAP especially if they are bleeding. A fish's blood won't clot unless it is in water. ( liquid )

I'm not a fan of bottom hooking swimbaits as I slow roll most of mine on or near the bottom. From what I see is that the stinger hooks and bottom hooks have a tendency to hook a fish deeper in the throat or in the tongue ( base of the gills ) A single hook in the roof of the mouth is much easier and quicker to remove since they are usually not nearly as far down the fishes throat. That's just my opinion anyway.

I live and fish on KY lake and I agree that the big bait bite in deep water is very, very under utilized. Especially on the T.V.A. lake system. I feel like it's an untapped resource. There 8 and 9 inch gizzard shads roaming in those lakes and I know big fish key in on them. I'm not worried about losing a bait so much myself....that's part of fishing. I just cant seem to figure it out out wide either. I can catch a few fish here and there but there's many, many casts with nothing and the bites are certainly few and far between. I've said for about 2 years now that if someone can unlock that mystery during ledge time, they will make a lot of money and turn a lot of heads. This is something that I really plan to try and figure out this year.

In my opinion I think that where the pinch point is on the rod with each reel would be the biggest difference in casting distance. All things being equal except for the reel, the set up with the pinch point farthest from the reel, will cast with the most distance. That's just my opinion anyway.

I asked Mike about this a while back and I believe he said the 6 inch now comes with the Mustad KVD triple grips in size 2, and the 5 comes with size 4. I'm not sure about the baits bigger than the 6 inch

From my experience on the days after fronts come through, I tend to not get as many bites, but the bites I do get tend to be better than average quality fish. That's not to say every time it is that way, but that's my mind set. Knowing I may not get a lot of bites but the ones I get will tend to be better helps with my mind set. That's always been my take on it from a tournament standpoint as well as a swimbait perspective.

On that set up I use a revenge swimbait head. Not the darter, but the regular head. I throw them in 3 sizes. 1/2 oz., 3/4 oz., and 1 oz. I throw them on river ledges once the fish move out. To me the best all around weight is the 3/4 oz. I fish the 1 oz. some when fishing really deep ledges or if there is a lot of current, but in my experience I get a lot more bites with the 3/4oz. 1/2 oz. gets the nod when the fish are shallower or I'm not as worried about bottom contact I pair them up with a yum money minnow, a strike king shadalicious ( takes more weight to keep those down ), or an ignite baits hand poured bait. The baits I throw with that combination are all 5 to 7 inches in length. That seems to be the best summer time bite for me on ledges. Not to say that I don't throw others, but that is a staple in my offshore arsenal.

Congrats to the lucky winner. Great gesture and thanks for the opportunity

54 and thank you for the gesture

Congrats to all of the winners and a huge thank you to JC for letting all of us have a shot at some great baits.

IN! Great to see someone doing this. What a great gesture

For bibs I have a pair of the 100 M.P.H. ones and they are old as heck ( like 8-10 yrs. ) and they still don't leak. The inside lining has come unsewn so I have to be careful which hole I stick my foot in. LOL. As far as breathability, they aren't the best for that. I have a pair of Columbia rain Pants that I absolutely love. They are light, breathable, and in 2 years in some major downpours, I've yet to get a wet A$$ in them.

I have both the 796 and 806. Both are great rods. I use the 796 for the heavier treble style baits since I lean more towards not doing a huge power hook set on a fish with a treble bait. The handle on the 796 is a little bit shorter, but it's not a deal breaker to me. I have used it to throw bull shads, spros, and s wavers and it does that just fine. For some of the lighter treble baits it may be a bit stiff for that but there's no magic do all rod for swimbaits.

Just wanted to know some destinations some of you have gone to in the early spring. I'm looking in the late February/ early March time of year. I'm looking to go some place fairly warm that has a swimbait bite and also a conventional tackle bite. I live in Tennessee and it's still usually pretty cold here that time of year. Looking for a place that isn't a cross country drive since I will be pulling a boat. I'm realistically thinking Texas or Florida but haven't decided yet. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

I have one that I use that looks like a fish dressed as Bill Dance. ( I call him Bill ). It's on a chalk line with about 20 feet of string on it. The retriever itself weighs about 3 or 4 ounces and has chains that hang off of the front and rear of it. It slides onto your line and you send him down. He has saved me thousands of dollars in swimbaits, crankbaits, and other lures. Since you're fishing deeper than the line that comes with Ol Bill, I suggest putting more rope on an old reel and using it instead of the chalk line. I think it ( Bill ) sells for around 20 bucks and after saving your first swimbait, it just paid for itself.

I used to be a G.Loomis guy until I had a lot of problems with their rods breaking and reel seat issues like you described. ( one particular series of rods broke in the exact same place on 3 separate fish ) I also ran into reel seat issues with the introduction of the NRX series. I'm sure they have figured it all out now and what you have is one of the very few that this happens to. G.Loomis has always been great with their warranty returns and as mentioned above they sent me a replacement rod and a return label to send the damaged rod back to them. If it is something you can wait on, they will take care of it. If you can't wait on it, I've used the same method as JR Basser ( epoxy ) and just went on with using the rod. Like he said, sometimes you just can't wait.

MassBass, I live on Kentucky Lake and fish Barkley quiet a bit as well. They are not known for their " Clear " water but when it is clear for the lake, the fish will bite a swimbait. I don't think they'll track it like they would in ultra clear water or come from a long way away to check it out, but if you put it in front of one, I promise you it will get bit. You may not have the numbers like the clear water guys, but big fish in the TN river will bite it. I sometimes think that since our water isn't gin clear that it actually helps us out. The baits still vibrate and give off sound so they are able to find it.

I have several Dobyn's in the 806 and 796 models and as stated above, they are great rods and extremely light for what they handle. The handle length on the 796 is just a tad short for my preference but it isn't a deal breaker by any means. If you go the Dobyn's route you won't be disappointed. I have several of their non swimbait rods as well and they are as good a rod as you could ask for.

On my home waters, Osprey's are very, very territorial. they nest on the day mark poles all along the lake and if you get close they start chirping and flying around you. I don't trust them for sure. LOL I've had my fair share of unusual things fishing. I once had a cormorant fly into my line and get wrapped up in it. They pull hard as hell. After about 3 minutes of flying/diving I got him to the boat only to have my line broke. The line wrapped around him and the hook went over the line. lost my bait too. B@$tard. I also caught a beaver and a snapping turtle on a frog out of the same pond. ( different trips ) Beavers pull incredibly hard too and you can't win with those things. He straight up pulled so hard that my line ( 30# braid ) ended up slipping in the knot. The turtle on the other hand, I was glad to get him out of there and get my frog back.

In my experience lowrance is much easier to use than hummingbird. I had an older hummingbird with the side and down scan when it first came out so I may be behind on their system now. My hds units are super simple to work and the mapping in them with either insight or navionics is pretty good. I use both of them side by side ( two separate units at the console ) and depending on where I'm at, one map is better than the other. My hds units were set up by Precision Sonar in KY and those guys are amazing at getting them dialed in. They also set up hummingbird units too, so that may be something to look into if you're not too far away.

I started out fishing with my dad when I was very young. ( around 3 and I am fortunate that my dad is a great fisherman ) For me, it is one of the things I've always liked doing, and my dad being the fisherman he is, I wanted to be as good at it as him. I can remember the first big fish I ever caught. I thought I was hung and handed my rod to my dad. He handed it right back and said start reeling. When I felt that fish pulling I honestly can remember it being the best feeling ever and when I finally saw it, the sense of astonishment I had was overwhelming. To me it was the biggest fish in the lake. ( it really wasn't, but we all know the feeling ) I still remember the place and the lure I caught that fish on and that's been about 24 years ago. It's a memory I will never forget and my dad and I still laugh about it to this day. What keeps me coming back day in and day out are several different things. The thought in the back of my mind that the next cast could produce "the one". That anticipation and the excitement of seeing a good fish on the end of your line is unlike anything else. Also, while we're all out fishing we get to see and experience things most other people will never get to witness like seeing eagles and osprey's catch fish, sunrises and sunsets, to time spent with friends and family. There's nothing else quiet like it.

Thanks for the replies to this guys.

Even with the weights in it it was still a floater? I'm very intrigued by the add or subtract weight deal depending on the situation. I just wish I could find more info on it.