A-Jay

OK ~ Thank you very much for the input. A-Jay

I'm eager to find out my dern self . . . A-Jay

First off, I always enjoy how the simplest of posts can sometimes spawn such informative & thought provoking responses. (disclaimer - Mine may not be one however) In any event, I'm of this school of thought as well. I'll also add that in many of the super clear waters up here, both green & especially brown bass nests, are routinely located in a little deeper water and almost never visible from the bank. Since my unit can only measure the water's surface temperature, I really have no way of knowing what the actually water temp is down in 10 or 15ft, but it's usually different than the surface temp. Some of the common "markers" like the dogwood bloom have prove to happen a bit past what I've found to be a good time for the Fatties. Additionally, I don't fish beds - I have No Problem with those who do. As soon as I see a flood of Bucks shallow, I'll concentrate my efforts instead to hunt the big girls in backed off staging areas hoping to intercept them coming & going. Before & after the big mamas invade & eventually vacate the shallows and head toward deeper water, I've often found some stopped in these areas to rest and feed. Of course, and not news to anyone, the Mass post spawn Bluegill carnage is Always worth going shallow for. Seems the past few springs, the fish have come shallow earlier & earlier which is OK by me. Especially since this state recently opened up bass C&R all year. A-Jay

Yup ~ But I will admit that when I keep my fingers out of their mouth & gills - the chances of leaking are greatly reduced. A-Jay

Sweet ~ That sale is keeping me up at night. And the Rod Monkey is working overtime . . . A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ I have no experience with Lew's products but am familiar with St rods and will say I'm a fan. You may be pleased to know that the two rods listed below are currently being offered on the St Croix website at a sale price of $89 with free shipping. Probably one of the best deals currently out there. St. Croix Rage Casting Rod RC76MHMF - St Croix Mojo Bass Casting MBC76MHMF http://stcroixrods.com/shop/rods/ Your Welcome. Incidentally, that Rage model was just delivered to my door about an hour ago - imagine that. A-Jay

Sweet looking little bait Jeff - btw - "some guy" from your area provided a positive TW review on this bait recently . . . . A-Jay

Got It ~ Love It ~ A-Jay

Yea ~ sounds like it might be a little too stout for my A-Rigging needs. I have a couple of Swimbait sticks - don't need another. Perhaps something close in length, 7'7" ~ 7'-10" or so but just down a bit - Maybe a MHMF would do it. A-Jay

Best bet in July is to be on the water very early & very late or both. May get topwater action during low light but as the sky brightens up I recommend a drop shot at the bottom of some steeper rocky drops. The SK KVD Dream shot is a good bait for it but the real sleeper is the SK Rage Craw on the drop shot Good Luck A-Jay

I'm looking for any anglers who have & have fished this particular rod. It's listed as the Swim Bait/A-Rig stick in the Mojo lineup. Looking to use it mostly for the A-Rig. What do you like & / or dislike about it. Thanks in advance. A-Jay

Right here ~ PROvider Tackle tube jigs. http://www.providertackle.com/store/index.php?route=product/category&path=73_83 They're all I use. A-Jay

I feel your pain with the pike - I really do. On certain days & on certain bodies of water, there's just no avoiding them, it's a little brutal. One thing that has worked in the past for me is to fish lower & slower; meaning make the presentation in a little deeper water and slow it down. As a few others have mention, even though the snot rockets are a PIA, that occasional Super Tanker U-Boat sized Pike is fun. A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ An answer to your question regarding how one decides when one should be throwing a square bill, swim jig, bladed jig or a spinner bait is dependent on a fairly lengthy list of factors. Right off, these are all moving baits so depending on the cover, they could all be effective at once or not at all. Same could be said for a topwater & a wake bait - unless your using a frog or a popper, a walking topwater & a wakebait are again moving baits. Do some reading here in the articles section regarding a few optional / different techniques that are not presented on a horizontal plane. A jig, Texas rigged soft plastic and even a drop shot immediately come to mind. Then when your favorite moving baits are not producing you'll have an effective option to try. Good Luck A-Jay

Hello Bobby and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Hello Josan and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

LOL ~ To quote Scott Van Pelt "Useful". A-Jay

Neither ~ They Both give me the Creeps ! A-Jay

Because they are men. A-Jay

Wow ~ what a GREAT BASS ! ! ! And on an 8lb leader to boot, really good work. Congrats on the new PB. A-Jay

Thank you very much for the response ~ After looking at your custom double hook bait, something occurred to me. Have you ever considered a different hook attachment point ? Perhaps a small hole drilled forward on the bait, one a little closer to the weighted area. Just a thought - Good Luck with that "Testing" thing. I'll be very interested in your results but also expect them to be rather positive. A-Jay

Yup. Hope that wacky little ground hog is right this time . . . Additionally, I would gladly pay for a mosquito bite right now. A-Jay

I guess that explains the looks I get. A-Jay

I hear ya ~ but a bigger hook might require placement through the head - and that really kills the action. A-Jay

Nice ~ If I may, why did you select the oval rather than the standard circular split ring to connect the Gamakatsu G Finesse ? A-Jay