A-Jay

Nice Bass - Love the Hat ! Davy Hite would be Proud A-Jay

Smoke on the water and . . . A-Jay

I do use a trailer (no trailer hook usually), but I need it to be very streamline. I am usually fishing a spinnerbait for brown bass. Routinely it's happening in the top of the water column and at a fairly high rate of speed. Bait needs to run straight & true (especially at speed) - The Strike King KVD Perfect Plastic Blade Minnow and the Yamamoto 4" Zako Swimbait both fit the bill. A-Jay

It's the TAEL691HFB - Andy Montgomery - Skippin' Jig Rod. I have 'several' MH sticks ranging from 6'6" to 6'10" And most all of them worked OK for me for skipping. But I wanted to try a shorter blank that had a decent tip but more at the back end. Turns out - I like this better. A-Jay and here's a pretty killer deal on it right here ~ (wish I had got in on this) https://www.ebay.com/itm/Daiwa-TAEL691HFB-Tatula-Elite-Rod-6-9in-One-Piece-Skippin-Jig-Rod/303255700533?epid=719885555&hash=item469b72c435:g:bYsAAOSwX7BdV8eK

Admittedly not the best skipper in the north woods, I went with the 6'9" H. I really like it - shorter definitely helps me out quite a bit. And I need all the help I can get. A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

I can relate - and at least your doing it in soft water . . . A-Jay

When it's all said & done - they are all 'jigs' - A weighted head (lead, tungsten or something else) and a hook. Differences besides weights can be in head shape, hook type & gauge and of course skirt type, color, style, bulk & length. As long as the hook in the jig matches your gear & the conditions - one can probably 'swim' most any jig to some extent. Head shape may dictate which ones swim a little better. I do have several model jigs that have a 'medium' gauge hook that I consider all-terrain baits. Meaning, I'll use them on gear, and in a manner that allows them be to fish them as a bottom contact bait in whatever cover I encounter (except total jungle slop which requires special up-sized tackle) but they are streamline and light enough to where I can also 'swim' them. Jig styles that I would not consider doing this with are either heavy football and standard flipping jigs. Football jigs don't swim well for me and heavy flippers often come equip with a gaff for a hook. Three decent examples of baits I believe do this multi-tasking well are all 6th Sense baits - Both the 6th Sense Divine Braid and standard Swim Jigs as well as the 6th Sense Divine Hybrid Jig A-Jay

Isn't that the truth. A-Jay

I'll say that using a split ring or an appropriately sized snap will see a crank running and acting pretty much the same. The snap does facilitate a lure change without having to retie. I use both (not at the same time though) I do however, prefer oval and pear shaped split rings for the front of most all treble hook baits that have stock standard round split rings. Line can slip bewteen the rings on the round versions occasionally which can be problematic besides being a PIA. A-Jay

Perhaps Not - But few of us did it for the $$$. Some days I couldn't believe they paid me - in a few instances I may have tried clicking my heels together hoping to be magically beamed back to the beach. I was able to retire (mostly) at 47 - so that was pretty decent. Government fuel contracts were a beautiful thing back then. A-Jay

Cool Test ~ Admittedly I'm a bit of a Lure Hoarder . . . Been one for a while now. Several colors & patterns of the same bait is my standard modus operandi. "So do we really need a hundred different crankbaits if bass will bite most all of them pretty readily on any given day? Is it more a case of if they're biting cranks, any crank will likely do, or do you fall into the category of needing specific sizes, colors, wobbles, etc. for certain waters and certain times of the year, or in certain clarities?" I believe you may have answered you're own question . . . "I did actually have 2 baits I tried that I couldn't get bit on quickly, so I "passed" on them and changed out after a bit." What if these were the Only Two Baits you had with you ??? "Test" results may have been different. A-Jay

Another vote for Cub Cadet ~ A-Jay

Nope. Don't think it would fair well. A-Jay

A-Jay

Nicely Done Sir ~ Your solid summer continues. I foresee a bass of epic proportions in your future this fall. Stay ready. Congrats A-Jay

There's a ton of info on this site on how & where to fish a swimjig. In my world, (northern MI) swimjigs are routinely most effective close to cover. Over it, beside it, around it, or in some way as close to it as I can get; just not In It. The waters here are mostly clear and natural colors & patterns have proven themselves as the best producers for me. I am usually presenting these baits in the upper portion of the water column or in shallow(er) water, so 1/4 oz, 5/16 oz and 3/8 oz are the head weights I use most often. Trailer options are virtually endless and almost anything you want to hang on the back will get bites; as long as the bait runs straight & true. (especially on the fall). Trailer choice, however can & often does determine how fast or slow the bait needs to be retrieved in order to track at a certain depth. This can be a big deal some days. Here's a few that I routinely remove from bass faces. A-Jay

Fishing from shore as a youngster in mostly shallow often weedy lakes, my first 'technique' was live bait; crawlers, crayfish & any type of minnow. This helped me learn about bass location & feeding times. From there I moved to 'techniques' I could fish effectively in the conditions; plastics fit the bill. Swimming a worm worked OK, and in open water a Daredevil spoon and a Rebel minnow were the deal. I used spinning gear exclusively back them, so line twist was a major problem right there. Once I got off the bank (Coleman Crawdad) my opportunities, techniques & experience virtually exploded. Been trying to keep that rolling for the last 50 years or so. #iamold A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

I am not a fan of listening to 'music' while bass fishing. My version of the outdoor experience never includes it. When I'm hunting big brown bass, music seems counter productive. As for ear buds - can't imagine deliberately blocking out the audio environment. Too much to miss, from an angling, nature & safely stand point. And for the anglers who feel differently, I'm totally good with that. However, the select few who selfishly feel the need to subject me to their 'music' from 100 yards away, I can do without. #justturnitdown YMMV A-Jay

I hear ya ~ The talking heads have to have something to talk about - Could be worse I guess - in the recent past it was more about who was 'beating' who and none of that was on the grid iron . . . . A-Jay

Should be another interesting season. I Certainly hope that 'The Rules' & 'Video Replay' are much less of a topic of conversation this time around. But I have a feeling that may not be the case. The Browns & the Texans might surprise some teams this season - And as a life long New England Patriots fan, I do realized that the insane and unprecedented run of eight consecutive AFC championship game appearances might never be exceeded or even duplicated, has been great to watch, but has to come to a screeching halt at some point. This could be that year. A-Jay

Yea - you know what it's like. And I knew you were just joshing, but after thinking about it a bit, I'm gonna do it anyway. Because that's how I roll . . . . . A-Jay

A-Jay

Thanks ~ OK - you got it. I plan on hitting it hard again next week which will offer ample opportunity to capture multiple V-8 ProXS start ups. Stand by my friend . . . . btw - whenever I fire that beast up pre-dawn at a ramp in a state park with a camp ground, I make a bunch on new 'friends'. A-Jay