twitchfish

The Dude DEFINATELY abides. Amazing Twitch

Thanks Deputy, I will certainly keep my eyes open. Twitch

Knowing this, is now the time to buy up a couple of last year's models? Or does anyone think the improvements will be worth waiting for? I am specifically looking for something to cast lighter baits with. Thanks - Twitch

My nine year old beautiful girl and 6 year old handsome boy were slaying them Saturday late afternoon in less than optimal conditions on 4" pearl laminate stickbaits T-rigged weightless. Lots of structure and only 1 snag that could not be saved. (Unfortunately, 2 fish got to keep their hooks as well earned souveniers). I told them retrieve how you like and one even got jumped getting ripped back to shore. Great fun for all. Twitch

The "casting practice" statement is the most important of this entire thread in my opinion. Don't forget, after your forced learning time, to go back and put into use what you learned. i.e: I spent all postspawn "learning" to fish a jig. I learned how to CAST a jig really well, not necessarily fish one. Went with a pro who put us on fish and then and only then did I learn how, where and why to fish that jig. Working on the Shakey Head now and doing it in places I know where fish are, why they are there and am really learning how to fish it. Twitch

Tremendous, Wonderful, Bravo twitch

First time in a long time I have heard "Twitch" and "Jerk" in the same sentence and it not be from my wife. Twitch

Here in the middle of Illinois, unstable weather warm days and cool nights have made working for the bite the norm. Was getting limits on T-rigged creatures and jigs early, big C-rigged baits in the middle and now those are not as productive for me. Always comes back this time of year to the small stickbait weightless. 3&4" Sticks, Senkos or Dingers. Even my beautiful 9year old daughter was catching them on a smoke 4" dinger last night free-falling down a short ledge. Twitch

Wow.

BTW, the "BioBait" juice, DON'T EVER whatever you do EVER let any of it leak onto any upholstery or floormats..........EVER! Twitch It'll knock a buzzard off a gut pile. For weeks.

Yo-mama's found a place in the speedbag this season. Priced OK and more durable (it seemed) than Sweet Beavers. The one that intrigued me though, was the Big Thumper. A huge stick worm with paddle tails on each end. Looked wonderful in theory, but I think there are alot of bass I have shown it too this summer who think the bait gods have started drinking again. Twitch

I too am getting interested in a tube, and would enjoy seeing your set-up also. Paul, you are a wealth of information, thank you for sharing. Twitch

I have a gift for catching snapping turtles. 2 this year. One on a really nice $6 spinnerbait (avatar) and one on a jig. Other than that, all year long only one bull bluegill and one tiny little crappie. Twitch

Mind me when I say this: I spend A LOT of time in Orthopedic Trauma Operating Rooms, multiple fractures, gunshot wounds, MVAs, motorcycle accidents, severed limbs fingers and toes. Island THAT is the grossest thing I have EVER seen. I will be puking if anyone needs me. Twiiiiiitttt(verp)ch

I will be the first to admit, when a village is looking for an idiot, my name is usually up there high on the list. OK, REALLY high on the list. I have Split Rings, I have Split Ring Pliers and I have Treble Hooks. Is there a trick? I have tried to change just the hook, the ring and then the hook, voodoo dolls and still takes forever with much hook induced pain. I also fear I am doing damage to the new hook I am putting on. Any help is appreciated, band-aids are going to be named "Twitch-Hole-Covers" soon. Thanks - Twitch

The father-in-law bought some MegaBait Swimming Charlies off of Ebay and passed some along. I live in the middle of the middle, I mean go to the middle and look in the middle of the alley. I don't need a $50 swimbait to catch fish smaller than the $50 swimbait, but I did think the Charlie looked good to try. The WORST tracking lure I have ever seen. It doesn't dive, it doesn't swim, nothing. So I tried a softer set-up to see if that helped. Could cast it a mile but zero on the hookset. Took the Charlie off and tried some Bass-majics had in the box and some Money Minnows and had same problem. Trying next on the Citica/Clarus MH to see if any difference. Hopefully can find some fish who are just as curious about it as I am. Twitch

Yes. I have a couple of friends that have nice, private water that I take care of, clean and fish. Chase off the riff-raff you know. Went back today for a little afternoon delight and caught another bleeping turtle. This one not quite as big but just as angry as the one in my avatar. It was from the same place and was 2 feet across the center of the back. Knew it was going to be an off day, caught a dink on the first cast looking for one of yesterday's bigguns. I get called to Peoria occasionally for work and have been known to stop at Gander, Dick's and Pressley's on the way back to Bloomington. Twitch

Twitch has had a poor people week. I ran out of give-s*^ts on Tuesday of last week. Went to order more, BACKORDERED til March. Decided, after morning surgeries, I need to fish and took off to the honey-hole. Started throwing some swimbaits and caught a couple of keepers, nothing special but everyone is happier when their fingers smell like bass instead of fingers. Switched to a BitsyBug and a Craw Critter trailer and caught a few more fish til a nasty snag and a "bionic ninja hookset" then no more snag, no more Bitsy bug. Back to the truck for more gear. Been spending alot of time this summer trying to learn the proper Carolina rig. Today it paid off. I caught a beast as the weight fell off of a ledge. Now this is where it gets interesting. I got this fancy new digital scale from the family for Father's Day and I am by golly gonna weigh this fish! after lipping it, she has got this tube deep. After some finagling, the tubectomy is complete. I fire up the scale and fix the hook in the gill plate right at the mouth and as I see 4# 13oz, she quakes good and SMACK, falls flat on her side on the shore, motionless........for what seems like forever. I grab her, get her in the water to feed some thru her gills and off she goes. Thank goodness, but the bite switch shut off after she told everyone she passed there is an amateur up top and he is not to be trusted with our care. Pack up and move over to the other side of the bay. surely she is not that fast. Toss a nice jig and craw under a shade tree and off it goes. It is peeling drag, I cannot have two great fish in one day?? (side note, this is a residential lake surrounded by a metal retaining wall, this is important.) I reel and reel and reel and coax this fish to the shore. It is bigger than the last, I cannot begin to lift it out of the water with the pole to grab. I see my 12# Yo-Zuri laying precariously on that metal wall and after a brief curse reach for her lip and she makes one last dive which shears the line on that wall and....... BBBBBLLLLLAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Some days just suck. Then you get to fish and even days like this are better than the days you couldn't. Thanks for letting me ramble. All the best to you and yours, Twitch

What are the fellas using to throw these? Tried today on a Medium/Fast and missed 2 beauties. It did cast them a mile though. Also, is there a particular gear ratio that is best and what line. Today a 6:3 and 8# CXX is what that rig happened to have. Thanks again - Twitch

ooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh. I feel faint.

It is good that they will admit what they used. In a past life, I was told many times if I put too much tape over a particular athlete's shoe, and covered the logo, I had to stencil on a new logo so as not to irk the sponsor. Another sad example are pro golfers, if they use a club other than their primary, they try very hard to keep it a secret (example Phil Mickelson's driver a few years back). You can do whatever you want, ultimately, ya still gotta find the fish. By the way, anybody seen any fish lately? Mine all seem to be on summer vacation. Twitch

If I am C-rigging in grass or heavy weeds, I have had success switching the big front weight to a big bullet weight, lower profile helps me. I am using some large brass bullets too. Twitch

Does size of the body of water come into play with this discussion?

12" Culprit Worms and 10" PowerWorms fished on top of lily pads and moss and weeds. Swim Senkos. I have had luck with beavers, creatures and craws with these hooks also. The only one that didn't work was a Fat Ika. Rigged it PERFECTLY, staright, weight in the middle and everything. First cast it came back half way down the hook. Readjusted and the second cast, the hook landed about where aimed and I don't think that the Ika has landed yet. Twitch

AND - I am just cleaning the rod guides with clean water. I do the Q-tip trick too and all guides seem fine, is there anything I should be treating them with also?? Thanks - Twitch