mrbassky

These are my thoughts on the King Shad. Background-First off this isnt a Strike King lure. Its actually and ABT lure that strike king repackages and sells. I dont know the details of the lure but if you buy it from ABT it seems like it is cheaper and has more color selections. The lure is one of the most marketed swimbaits by the pros mainly KVD and has won some money such as the FLW on Tellico. Looks-The stregth of this bait is its profile. It is a dead on shad profile. The colors are good for a crankbait not so good for a swimbait. Really it looks more like a high end american made crankbait color selection than a swimbait. The details (head, fins, ect) really arent special looking either but I think the details are usually overatted anyway and the bait will work fine on that end. Durability-My biggest concern. I broke 2 ABT baits in less than an hour of fishing. One I hit on hard object the other broke in open water :'(. The baits have an all plastic joint which is where the break occured both times. I heard the fixed the problem and added a wire but unless I see it I wont buy another ABT lure. > Action-The lure really shines as a rip bait which is what ABT calls it. It runs true and has an erratic action when jerked which is why KVD says he loves the lure. (he gets his for free so durability doesnt matter) I have caught most of my fish twiching the bait on top like a wounded bluegill and the reeling it in when out of the strike zone. No doubt the bait catches fish but I think there are better options out there that are more durable (mattlure hardgill, Spro 4in, TT 4in, ect). Availability-The biggest reason this lure has been popular it was the first hard swimbait I saw in a store like it was for most people. Final thoughts-Unless its all you can find I would go with another option. If I knew the bait I was buying was improved I might buy another but most likely I will buy a similar bait like a spro that has better colors and is more durable. If you do buy one be extremely careful with it. P.S. I may send off my broke Lures and see if Strike King replaces them with improved model. Havent decided.

I did a good review on what I thought. They more than a Herring imitation in my opinion. I would go with a Magic Swimmer in Green halo. Heres my little review. http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1228333320

I would go with a Magic Swimmer in Green halo. Heres my little review. http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1228333320

I caught some solid 2-3lb fish on one at Guntersville. They are OK but I think I would rather have one of the new 4in swimbaits. I did better twiching it on top than reeling it in and jerking it. I think I might post a short review on them soon.

Anything with a white belly. That can imitate a shad, frog, shiner, even small bluegill.

For years BASSMASTER Magazine was the standard. Now FLW is has caught up if not passed BASSMASTER. I looked at the new FLW format and I think I actually like it better. Forget advertisments the words per page in the BASSM vs FLW is not even close. Looking at the two now Bassmaster is 50% pictures in alot of its articles. FLW goes much more in depth in everything it covers. Comparing the two heres what I found. Bass vs FLW Day on the lake vs Day of Practice -most in depth part of Bassmaster but I like Day of Practice better the practice days are all across the country not 1000acre southern lakes, and the pros are doing what they do not selling lures (like in Day on the Lake-sometimes), Day of practice isnt in the new FLW but maybe its just for 1 issue FLW only inside the box Love the inside the box articles but they werent in this months edition hope they come back Articles-Close to same number but usually more are about techniques in FLW, Lots of other articles in Bassmasters, I get lots of BASSMASTERS anymore where maybe 1 or two short articles are about fishing techniqes. The best two features in Bassmasters are "Bass patterns, and Pros Pointers". Equipement reviews-Both are not objective, both say this bait will great blah blah blah. But FLW has some more in depth reviews not just "this is great buy it". Overall if I had to choose one it would be FLW OUTDOORS no question. I still love Bassmaster Magazine but it has lost its spot as the king of Bass Fishing Magazines and not to mention I think BASSIN is catching up but their articles are still pretty dumbed down (basic) but they are getting better every year. In-fisherman actually has some of the most in depth articles problem is there is 1 or 2 on bass at most in each issue. You can get the annual bass edition and it usually summarizes the whole year. So what do you guys like in a magzine? For me its -info on destinations -tour results -IN DEPTH articles not generic "10 ways to fish grass" (BASSMASTER!!) you wanna talk about fishing grass talk about it!!!! This isnt Cosmo, dont make your article look like there "10 ways to Please you man" -Product reviews-more products the better, not just people paying you I like it when FLW compares 10 different poppers, swimbaits, ect. -and a Day of Practice/on the Lake, Bassmasters would be fine if they mixed it up, go to California once, maybe a northern lake, not the same lakes So there you have it those are my thoughts. Agree or Disagree? What do you like in a Magazine? writers pay attention

I am getting one or the other this winter but I am not sure which. I have never been in a 2 man plastic boat and was wondering what they are like? How stable are they? How fast compared to jon boat will they go with a 2hp or trolling motor? How do they handle waves you might see in a 200 acre lake? and any other info would be great and which would you guys recommend?

All yamamoto jigheads have this style keeper http://***/cgi-bin/order/scan/sf=category/se=jig?JfqpuyEv;;367 Its what Fuji or whats his name who fishes the FLW uses.

Helicopter lure. ;D

I have mixed feelings about dead fish penalties. First off we should do everything we can to keep fish alive. But really dont we all do that anyway? Dead fish lose weight so that should be reason enough to keep fish alive. Not that everyone wouldnt try to keep fish alive anyway. I think its an outdated rule. I have seen tournaments lost by guys on the dead fish penalties. I just hate to see someone lose because of something totally out of their control when they did everything they could to prevent it. Our club has a small 4oz per fish penalty which is the right amount if you have to have one. Most of the time its out of a persons control if the fish dies most people I have seen do everything they can to keep fish alive.

I got a similar virus. I ended up doing a system restore to a previous date.

In my opinion the Classic Rogue that was released after KVD won the classic is the best warm water jerkbait ever. Go with LC staysee 90sp and pointer 128 before the spawn.

I use both. Both have advantages. I use biteme heads and picasso screw lock heads. The screw type heads are less maintenance and make it easier to keep you bait on. If your in an area with lots of small fish a screwlock head will keep you bait in the water alot longer because the worm wont slide down as much. The traditional heads usually put a kink in the worm which causes the bait to spiral more. If I am fishing deeper and I think I might get alot of hits on the fall I like the traditional head. For bottom dragging I like a screw in head. Also if use 3X plastics its impossible (for me anyway) to put them on a screwin head. But for really thin small plastics a screw in head is the only way to go the traditional heads tear them up too bad (4in roboworms, Shadshape worms for me). I cant tell a difference in hookups really.

X2 on colors. The colors look alot different in person. All the trutungsten swimbaits look better in person than they do in pictures. But really the fact of the matter is if you decide which baits to buy depending on how the paint jobs look your making a mistake anyway. Might as well forget about Triple trouts and Slammers. :

With the dividing not tangle tackleboxes you have a tradeoff. You get more baits in a classic 3700 but you have to deal with tangles. I like the falcon spinnerbait and worm and hook boxes. I like seeing my spinnerbaits lined up where I can see each blade quick. I also use a BPS jerkbait box. You dont need that many jerkbaits and the tangles are a nightmare. Everything else I use a 3700. I would rather have double the baits and deal with a few tangles myself.

Lucky Craft Kelly J-ripoff of Brians prop-the hottest topwater lure on the pro tours Spro Pop Frog-just an extra frog option MS Slammer-supposed to be a great wakebait and affordable for a swimbait TruTungsten 4in-My must have bait of the year Thats it for me I will probably add another swimbait or two

I have been looking at this board too much today. Does anyone else crave Pizza Hut???? LoL, I have been looking at this board way too much every day! Its almost as addicting as fishing. ;D ;D If fishing was certified addiction then getting on message boards would be like methadone.

The rubber strips you slide thru the sinker. They work like toothpicks but they are easier to get out when your done, they dont damage the line, and they are cheap. Only downside is they are hard to get in smaller sinkers so I use some tothpicks with them.

I havent decided on a most durable one yet. Or a favorite. I had several chatterbaits break on me the wear these baits take is tremendous eventually they need to be replaced or they break. 1 or two good days seems like the max with most. I have been looking at this board too much today. Does anyone else crave Pizza Hut????

I think the TT is 4in head to tail. The Spro is over 4in and it doesnt look like they counted the tail. I think its more the Spro being bigger than expected. Dan its not much more than most LC baits. And alot of them are smaller than that. The other TT swimbaits look fine to me but theres no doubt in my mind if they had flashier colors they would sell a TON more. Not that I think it would matter the colors they have work fine. But TT definately doesnt know how to make colors to catch fisherman like SPRO.

Personally when I think of a 4in shad bait I think numbers. If you only care about big fish and want a big shad imitation then get the Spro. But I see myself owning more TT in the long run. I have plenty of big fish swimbaits I dont have many I can throw all the time. As far as color thats my last consideration. The TT isnt bad and at least it has a bluegill pattern. But I think the baits are more different than people have thought.

See the Difference?? Still think they are the same size??? Spro was smart getting theirs out first. Alot of people went with the spro because of it.

I am trying to decide which to buy first so I am debating which is better which is hard because I dont have either. The good news is there is alot of info on the baits out there. So heres what I have seen. Size-Close but the Tru-Tungsten is smaller actually. I saw pictures with both in a someones hand and the trutungsten is more streamlined and a little shorter. Winner-TruTungsten-for this type of swimbait I think I would like a little smaller one. Price-Spro is a couple dollars cheaper. So its a tossup. Durability-Havent heard of any problems with either both are established swimbait producers. Action-Close from the videos I have seen. I like the Spro on top because the longer fin makes a good wake but not sure if it matters. Hookups-The Trutungsten has 2 hooks which has to help. And I read about alot of misses with the spro from fish slapping at the bait. Winner-TruTungsten-has to be better with hookups. Colors-I like the Spro colors better but they are all shad colors. Winner-Spro for shad, Trutungsten for other baitfish Profile-Spro is more realistic but the its looks more like a shad than a bluegill. So for shad spro, Bluegill Trutungsten. Versatility-The Spro baits can fish at one range Floating, SSink, FSink the Trutungstens have 2 each with removable weights. But you could add weight to a spro. Winner-Trutungsten-another big drawing point That being said unless I find out the action with the spro is alot better or there are some issues with the trutungsten then I dont see how you could not go with the TT 4". Big things are you get 2 depths per bait and the extra hook is huge. What are your guys thoughts.

My Favorite is the GLX BCFR863. Its a light flipping stick that is also good for casting heavier baits. Its MH has a soft tip with some backbone as well. Its $440 dollars so you will be getting your moneys worth. Its not too long (7'2) to use going down a bank its fairly accurate but it also is long enough to make some longer cast as well. I use it for long casts with power baits, small swimbaits, frogging (same as Loomis frog rod with better graphite), and pitching all but the heaviest stuff. Best Pitching rod I have ever used. Straight from the Loomis site. "For years, anglers have asked us for a lighter flipping stick. One you can pitch or flip a smaller bait into lighter cover and along rocky shorelines. One that doubles up nicely for a big topwaters or small to medium swimbaits. Here you go!" After that go with a good casting rod. I have several but I dont know what type you would prefer because its more of an individual thing than pitching. The best thing about Loomis rods is their light so they cast with great accuracy. If you just want to lauch a crankbait there are plenty of other options but when I get a Loomis its for something I need accuracy. Just my 2 cents

I have been in mid march. We caught fish shallow less than 5ft deep. On the coldest days when we were in coveralls we caught fish on frogs under mats of grass that washed into the back of a shallow pocket in a couple feet of water. When it warmed up we did good on various baits. My favorite March Gunterville baits are Rattle traps-fished faster over deeper grass 1-Minus-fished fast or slow over shallow grass Spinnerbait-anywhere Frog-yes a frog, if you can find mats Buzzbait-on warmer days mostly a very shallow pattern but if you put a buzzbait over their head in less than 3 ft of water they usually hit it The easiest way I know to find fish in March is head to mud creek go under the second bridge from the boat ramp and start fishing. Work the channel all the way to the old RR bridge. Theres not much of a channel but its on any decent map but between the two upper most bridges in Mud creek you will find fish somewhere. Use any of the lures I mentioned. Just be careful its shallow I would start fishing once I went under the second bridge and keep moving till you find milfoil.