djmax22

Clear water: natural colors Stained/Muddy: bright colors/dark/red

Build yourself a 7'6" rod holder out of 4" PVC tubing. That is what I did and it holds 4-5rods with rod socks. I bought a tote to carry my reels seperately. I can post pics if you want.

I have bought a few Megabass jerkbaits this year. They have the sharpest hooks I have ever used. I caught myself a few times.

The 705 R is an awesome rod! Where this rod really shines is throwing big rattle traps and big body cranks regardless of depth. It also can double a big spinnerbait rod.

I would bet if u live in ILL that the water temp would be in the low 40s unless it is a power plant lake. I live in MO and the Lake of the Ozarks is around 40 right now.

Jigs for me. I cant wait to move out West. Hopefully someone will introduce me to Swimbaits.

I have a few of the old Curados (green). I felt that these were solid reels. I was one of the many who went out and bought a new Curado just becuase of the name and past performance. I immediately returned it. No way the Curado is worth $200 and this is coming from a diehard Shimano User. There are so many better options out there and for $50 more you can step up to an Mg, Zillion, or Premier. I hope they revamp the whole Curado line. It also ticked me off this year they didnt participate in the BPS trade-in. You could get a Quantum Burner for $150 with $50 rebate and $50 trade-in.

It must be the bigger one since once size is listed and there is also a little dipper. Brad, what weights do you use?

Thanks for the response. I just love the profile of this plastic. It is like a fluke on steroids. That paddle-tail should be killer. I was thinking about trying them on a spot remover, but I like the swimming idea a lot better maybe with a small 1/16 or 1/8oz weight.

Has anyone use the Skinny Dippper? How do you fish these? Weightless or on a jig head? I picked up a few packs. Hopefully they catch more than just me. ;D

I have gotten too far away from using buzzbaits. That is a bad thing especially how much they have produced for me in the past.

I usually C-rig the lizard, but when I T-rig it I use 1/8 oz with a Zoom Magnum Lizard (watermelon candy).

7' MH. My first crank rod was M. Didn t have enough muscle for the bigger cranks. Had to upgrade. Go with the MH

Braid is often the best choice in very heavy cover. When you get hung up and get the lure free, point the rod tip at the hang up, and reel up the slack line. Hold the line or the spool to prevent the drag from slipping. Then crouch down with the rod held above you and start backing away. Either the line will break, or your jig will pop free, and if it flies out of the water it will not hit you because you are crouched down. Just a suggestion, by doing this with heavy braid you run the risk of bending your spool or warping it. I have seen it happen. Carry a small piece of a cutoff broom stick in the boat with you. Wrap the braid around the stick a couple times and pull until your heart's content. No nasty cuts this way. Thanks for the tip 8-)

I like C-rig in deeper water. Also I perfer to use this lure on windy days. I feel lke I can remiain in contact with the bottom better.

Spinnerbait. Starting to throw it more and more, but still need to gain more confidence in it.

Got to BPS when the doors opened at 9. I was about 100 or so in line. By the time I got to the T-2 spinnerbait bin it looked like a bunch of buzzards after a fresh kill. I managed to get my arm in there to pull out 5 of them. By 9:05 they were all gone. Crazy. My only complaint is the blades on these spinnerbait had a dull finish. Oh well what can you expect for 10 bucks.

Thanks Marty!

5 yrs ago my fishign buddy introduced me to a jig. It is now my go to lure. You will find that it will produce numbers and your number of quality fish will go up as well. You are never too old to learn. My guess it will be your goto bait as well once you learn how to fish with it. Good luck.

Sammy 100. One of my favorites.

I firmly believe that a Lucky Craft Pointer will out fish an X-rap early in the season when the water temp is in the upper 30's. No doubt in my mind. The Pointer will suspend and roll side to side better than the X-rap. This is critical when sometimes you are waiting over a minute before you twitch the lure. However, there are times later in the prespawn period that I perfer the X-rap slashing ability. In the summer time I love the X-rap when bass are balling up the shad. Running the X-rap throough them is a blast. Two weeks ago I tried out a few Megabass (the water temp was 38 on lake of the ozarks). Although the finish on these lures are amazing I still feel the pointer is a better suspending lure. I had to use suspension dots to keep the Megabass down. I will say one thing about the Megabass lures, the hooks are the sharpest hooks I have ever used. If a fish breathes on the the bait it might get hooked.

I don't know. Waiting on forum members to respond.

Yeah. I lost a big bass this way on my ultralight. Got him up to the canoe after several runs and then Snap. Gone. > Landing a 25" pike with 2lb test. Now that would have been something.

Also do you attach the snap directly to the crankbait or attach it too the split ring? Does it make a difference?

Do you put the clip direct on the crank or attach it to the split ring?