gobig

00 great pic.

Yep, your the only one. In all seriousness there are many people that don't get it. Once you experience it, your whole perspective will change. Some have no desire to explore the world of swimbaits and that's ok. Through my experience I have learned more about bass from throwing big swimbaits than anything else. Some people think you have to fish countless hours to get bit. Just like any other bait there is some truth in that statement. If they are not eating swimbaits I don't throw them. But what you will learn through persistence is that poor presentation, angles, location and other factors will have a huge impact on how often you get bit. I have had plenty of 10+ fish days throwing baits 8in or larger. There is nothing like culling 6 lbers.

Guess where at least two of these baits are made? China. Good suggestions though.

Save your money and don't buy junk. Just because its made in china does not mean that its junk. If your going to buy cheap baits make sure they are proven.

Marty is right. Especially In the summer around the weeds. Top water is way to effective to dismiss. Most of my really big top water fish have come in the middle of the day with the sun way up high. Morning and evening are higher activity periods and greater numbers of fish can be caught but as that sun comes up so do the weights.

nice slammer

nice

LV 500 spring craw or delta craw.

Make sure that you have the snell knot running through the hook point side of the eye and that its camming out the right direction. I know it sounds stupid but ive been tired and tied them the wrong way. It turns into all kinds of heart ache. Don't try to play these fish either. Get em headed to the boat as fast as you can. The heavier the weight the more apt they are to throw the bait. Close quarter combat fishing can be brutal. Sometimes you do all the right things and they just come off.

I can't stand the EWG hooks (except trebles). For texas rigged senkos (6in) I go with a the Trokar HD Worm hook in 4/0.

Great swimbait. I dont personally own one but I have thrown it and caught fish on it. The one I threw was a slow sink.

Ive become a big trokar fan. The only downside to the trokar is that it is so sharp it tears up a lot of baits. As far as hook size I go with the smallest size I can still having enough gap.

Yes the work in clear deep reservoirs. Depending on the depth fish are located at you may need to adjust the presentation. It takes a lot of patience to fish a un-weighted senko in 30ft of water. Here is one example of what I am trying to convey... using the scenario of fish holding in 30ft of water. If you wacky rig a senko on a dropshot you can use a longer than normal leader between the hook and weight, about 4ft. This allows the bait to get down to the strike zone much faster. Down sizing and light line can also be critical.

I dont think its a question of if the rod can handle both types of fish. Its more about the action of the rod. Salmon have a softer mouth and out here you have to use barbless hooks. So the slower rod action helps keep the fish pinned.

In my opinion a frog rod should be nothing like a Salmon/Stealhead rod. My Salmon rods are glass with a lot of parabolic bend. With a frog rod I like a fast tip with a lot of back bone.

In the price range I would opt for the bbz 1.

In my experience you need to take your time bringing them up. Ive seen eyes pop out and stomachs bulge out in their mouths. If you are putting them in the livewell they will need to be fizzed. If they go right back in they seem to go right back down and stay there.

Get on youtube and search Bill Siemantle. Start watching videos. You will learn a ton. As for a short list of baits that wont break the bank and can be fished without specialized gear. BBZ jr., ms slammer, trashfish, osprey top hook & line thru, river2sea s-waiver, hud68, hud grassminnow, hud weedless shad, kietech swing impact fat, basstrix.

Which can be dramatically effected by the loan you need from Guido to secure your needed tackle.

There are a few reasons for tungsten. One is punching, its a flat out must have. The smaller profile of the weight allows you to get through the grass mats better. It also is good for downsizing baits and keeping the profile small. Some cranks have tungsten in them which allows for really effective weight transfer that equates to longer casts. The noise factor, tungsten weights and rattles have a different sound. Higher sensitivity, you can feel the bottom really well. When the bite is real soft it is easier to detect. Being that you can feel distinct differences in the bottom, when fish are holding at the edges of composition changes you can keep the bait in the right area longer because its easy to feel the change. Its also great for shooting those high ducks and geese. All I got to say is "dead coyote"

What is your budget?

I have caught spots in 80' of water and largies around 50'.

Make sure that the needle is clean and not plugged.

pline

Okuma guide select 7'11" Heavy paired with a Calcutta 400b.