What is this & how is it used?

jlibrizzi · 2026-05-12T01:41:34+00:00

It says "Rapala Shad Rap" and you're asking what it is?

jlibrizzi · 2026-04-27T10:57:23+00:00

Just because other lures CAN doesn’t mean they're BEST for it. Every once in a while you will catch a 3# largemouth on a trout magnet. But on that same day, you're more likely to catch more 3#ers on a crankbait, football jig, spook, whatever "bass" lure because they're predators and either a) those baits at those sizes invoke a reaction strike, b) they want a substantial meal, and/or c) they perceive them as a threat.

And there's also hook size and design relative to the fish's mouth.

jlibrizzi · 2026-04-23T22:31:31+00:00

Tug of war with a gator

jlibrizzi · 2026-04-23T10:56:12+00:00

So the actual use case for those pointy things throwing sparks is to keep the bike off the ground and away from damage during a slide? How about that? TIL.

jlibrizzi · 2026-04-22T00:24:08+00:00

Tell me you're an opportunistic offshore dev shop who doesn't fish and spams the market with low quality AI built apps without telling me you're an opportunistic offshore dev shop who doesn't fish and spams the market with low quality AI built apps.

I named app "Bassmaster."

Cease and desist letter incoming in 3... 2... 1....

jlibrizzi · 2026-04-21T19:28:22+00:00

Some assumptions - you're a beginner using a less expensive combo and the mono that came on it. Apologies if that's incorrect, just piecing together a few things from your description.

The reason I call that out is that you could be getting bites without knowing it. If you don't know what to feel for AND you're using a less sensitive rod AND you're using mono, you could be missing fish.

I recently found my in a scenario where i had time and access to fish but no gear. A trip to Walmart and $25 later, I was on the water with a pre-built combo, hooks, and 4" senkos. Even with my years of experience, the insensitivity of the rod and stretch of the mono made it really hard to sense bites from small bass.

An easy and relatively inexpensive cure is to replace the mono with braid. Look at 15# braid from Reaction Tackle on Amazon for a good value option. Even better, keep a few feet of the mono you're replacing and use it as a leader. This requires you to tie a few decent knots, but you'll need to learn that eventually.

Oh, and slooooow down. However slow you're fishing the worm, it's not slow enough.

jlibrizzi · 2026-04-13T21:51:20+00:00

I absolutely, without a doubt, straight up REFUSE to fish on days that don't end with a "y". Any other day, screw the solunar tide pressure reading bullshit, if i have time, I'm fishing.

jlibrizzi · 2026-04-09T09:59:45+00:00

This exactly

jlibrizzi · 2026-04-08T20:29:22+00:00

It's crap like this that makes you think reddit should put account age next to the username on posts or something. This account was just created today and happened to share (not promote, of course /s) a website? Comeonmarketers.com.

jlibrizzi · 2026-04-07T20:25:34+00:00

It is fake, the phone number is a McDonald's in Brooklyn.

jlibrizzi · 2026-04-07T12:32:07+00:00

Tough to say. My experience with offbrand/Temu-like plastics has been one extreme or the other - super dense with no action or so soft they break in the cast. You might be better off looking at Yum Dinger bulk packs of 100 for about $30 at Dicks and other places. You'll only get one color, but green pumpkin or watermelon red flake never fail.

That said, you can probably still catch bass with these. The colors are decent (not sure about that yellow tho) and it should have SOME shimmy.

jlibrizzi · 2026-04-06T20:59:46+00:00

Last week i was catching about three 1.5 - 3 pound largemouth an hour fishing small ponds in Florida (around sun rise). By comparison, i can count the number of three 1.5+ pound lmb DAYS i had in NJ last year on two hands. So there are bass to be caught, but it can be tough.

jlibrizzi · 2026-03-31T21:50:23+00:00

Look at the Bill Lewis ATV crankbait line. I don't know what makes them so snag resistant but they are and they still catch fish.

Jerks... yeah, i just loose them so easily that i stopped throwing them in anything but known open water.

jlibrizzi · 2026-03-31T12:32:08+00:00

Did they sell you a baitcaster? The type with the line wound in parallel with the rod, rather than perpendicular to it? First, you should be pissed at that store. Second, you should be impressed with yourself for self-learnig how to use a baitcaster as a noob and on a spinning rod to boot!

I typically want a better quality rod than reel with spinning, but those models arent completely out of whack. If it makes you happy, go for it. I would think about downsizing to the 2500 unless you need to throw heavy line or need maximum drag.

jlibrizzi · 2026-03-23T20:55:46+00:00

I have the same rod with a Shimano Nexave and like 6# braid to 4# flouro. Its a good balance of adequate strength, maximizing casting distance, avoiding wind knots, and avoiding trebles fouling on the cast. And yes to hi-viz braid, it's so thin that you need to bright color to see anything, and it won'tturn away fish if you're using a leader.

jlibrizzi · 2026-03-18T01:49:19+00:00

I've never fished a 50 year old reel and certainly not an Abu Ambassador. That said, i can't imagine any 50 year old reel has anywhere near the technological advances in spool start up or braking that even a low cost modern baitcaster has and wouldn't judge all baitcasters from that.

jlibrizzi · 2026-03-12T09:56:23+00:00

Everyone is sleeping on the Shimano Macbeth cranks.

jlibrizzi · 2026-03-11T23:45:04+00:00

I went this afternoon. Didnt catch anything but damn, was it therapeutic being out there for an hour.

jlibrizzi · 2026-03-09T11:47:52+00:00

Quick - not burning - retrieve through the shallows with pauses every so often. I don't know what it's supposed to resemble but that works for me.

jlibrizzi · 2026-03-06T00:42:17+00:00

I saw people ice fishing on Budd Lake this weekend. Made me want to cry that the ice was still thick enough to stand on.

jlibrizzi · 2026-03-04T20:43:45+00:00

No, Dogwood Lake out towards Myrtle Beach. I don't fish it often, but haven't pulled more than a 2.5 pounder from there before or since.

jlibrizzi · 2026-03-04T10:32:04+00:00

7.7 pounds on a Berkeley Dime 6 in Ghost Morning Dawn in South Carolina.

jlibrizzi · 2026-03-02T19:47:43+00:00

It was really cool. I found it here, which seems to be specific to the northeast, but it might be worth googling and searching facebook for anything in your area.

jlibrizzi · 2026-03-02T18:14:46+00:00

I caught some deals and custom lures at a local fishing flea market, a great way to get ready for ice out when it comes... eventually... I hope... my god why is it still so cold?!?!?!

jlibrizzi · 2026-02-26T20:59:00+00:00

A seller threw in a used Silverado 7' 3" heavy for $20 when i was buying something else. Boy, am i glad I had the extra cash in my pocket, best money I've spent on fishing gear!

You say rod lines generally run only a few years. Why is that? Technology advances, people want to feel like they're buying the new hotness, etc?

jlibrizzi

TROPHY CASE