What Gear Do We Really Use? Take A Look! (Cross Country Road Trip)

Ever wonder what we've really got in the boat? What lures are we actually carrying below deck? Which Covid slowing down we decided to drive all the way across the country to fish and spend time with family. We loaded the boats with everything we thought we'd need (tools, gear, and a variety of tackle) and set out on a national road trip with the families. Today Tim is opening up all the lockers and showing you what gear really made the cut. Which baits and what gear did he consider "must haves" for fishing in multiple states. 

Its hard enough to choose what to throw first when you go out on the lake. Try to imagine packing to fish dozens of lakes you've never seen before. Even harder, some are in the South (Summer heat) and others are up North (clear water and prespawn). As overwhelming as that may be, we've done it a few times now and are very confident in our gear selection. We wanted to share with you what made the cut and what didn't. 

We can make countless videos about specific baits and techniques but there is something about taking a look under the locker lids for yourself that is very satisfying. Now how can you apply this to your fishing? The gear that we carry cross country can be downsized into just a box or two for fishing on your local lake. Where we might carry a box of spinnerbaits, a box of lipless, a box of deep cranks, you can turn around and build a box with a spinnerbait, a chatterbait, a lipless, a small glide bait, etc... and on a smaller scale you're now prepared for any situation you can face on the water. 

Below is a breakdown of our top lures from each category. We've also included a handful of rod recommendations that are "do alls", those select rods that seem to be able to throw a variety of different baits, allowing us to save time, money, and space on the boat. The links go directly to Tackle Warehouse where you can see detailed photos and descriptions of each item. 

Tim's Most Universal Picks For Hard Baits...

Swimbait Head- Tactical Finesse Head (3/8 oz): http://bit.ly/2Pqrq3n

Deep Crank- Strike King 6XD (Chartreuse Sexy Shad): http://bit.ly/2ery44M

Squarebill- Lucky Craft 1.5 (Ghost Minnow): http://bit.ly/2BGxKPa

Glide Bait- S Waver 168 (TW Phantom Trout): http://bit.ly/2aiu8Sh

Blade Bait- Damiki Vault 1/2 oz (Black Holo): http://bit.ly/2rnO7e2

Frog- River2Sea Bully Wa 2 (Little Allen 65): http://bit.ly/2axyR2a

Topwater- River2Sea Rover 128 (Abalone Shad): http://bit.ly/2acSVea

Jerkbait- Megabass Vision 110 (GP Pro Blue): http://bit.ly/2j31TKb

Lipless- Lucky Craft LV-500 (Ghost Minnow): http://bit.ly/2aAUUbd

Chatterbait- Z Man/Evergreen JackHammer 3/8 oz (BHite Delight): http://bit.ly/2popvj6

Tim's Most Universal Picks For Soft Baits...

Swimbait- Keitech Fat Swing Impact (4.3"): http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

Stick Bait/Neko- Yamamoto 5" Senko (Green Pumpkin): http://bit.ly/2axAmNS

Ned Worm- Z Man TicklerZ (Canada Craw): http://bit.ly/2mGyDAC

Creature- Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver (Tramp Stamp): http://bit.ly/29W3RZW

Dropshot- Big Bite Baits Smallie Smasher (Green Pump/Purple): http://bit.ly/2ZpCOCY

Jerkbait- Zoom Super Fluke (Electric Shad): http://bit.ly/2aqys0H

Highlighted Items... 

-Damiki Armor Shad Swimbait: http://bit.ly/2KtPDAT

-Lakemaster Plus Digital Charts Map Card: http://bit.ly/2Dk5Erc

-Wave Away Screen Cleaner: http://bit.ly/2PhHmmC

-KVD Speed Worm Bags: http://bit.ly/2GYT4RC

-Spoolin Buddy Jr. Line Storage: http://bit.ly/2EAbynX

-Plano Edge Master Plastics Storage: http://bit.ly/2PaiAq6

-Plano Edge Spinnerbait Storage Box: http://bit.ly/397m4Bd

Our 4 most Universal Rod Combos are listed below. These are rods that we've found can fish a variety of different baits to save money and space on the boat. We're all looking for that "do everything" rod. These might not do everything but they will do a lot!

Jigs/Big Worms/Keitechs/Chatter/Spinnerbait Combo... 

Rod- G Loomis GLX 854C JWR: http://bit.ly/2gqziwT

Reel- Shimano Chronarch MGL HG: http://bit.ly/2n8DghB

Dropshot/Ned/Tube/Popper Combo... 

Rod- Shimano Zodias 7' Medium Light: http://bit.ly/2jOUXAO

Reel- Shimano Stradic CI4+ 2500: http://bit.ly/2gu84t7

High-End "Do Everything" Combo... 

Rod- G Loomis Conquest 843C MBR: http://bit.ly/2iL1PAY

Reel- Shimano Metanium DC 100 HG: http://bit.ly/2qrSZvs

Mid-Range "Do Everything" Combo...

Rod- Zodias 7'2" MH: http://bit.ly/2cgmMAe

Reel- Shimano Curado 200K HG: http://bit.ly/2tHewEh

Budget "Do Everything" Combo... 

Rod- Shimano Fury 7' Medium heavy: http://bit.ly/2bGvlVV

Reel- Shimano SLX HG: http://bit.ly/2NfdOnk

NEW Tactical Bassin Apparel... 

TacticalBassin Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/2TvFMBD

TacticalBassin Hooded Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/38cVi9G