The_Natural

Those may be too purdy for me...Raul is a little more flamboyant than me ;D. How much are those bad boys anyway? Probably too expensive for me!

I bought some on sale (surprise, surprise) at Walmart for a buck, and it worked as well as any of the other garlic sprays I have used. I just like garlic oil spray, whether it be Jack's Juice, Bang, LFT's Hawg Wild, or other. I prefer the aerosol sprays due to the ease of application and low mess. I will say the Jack's Juice and Lake Fork Tackle's 'Hawg Wild' seem to be the strongest, and my bait will still reek of garlic after 30 minutes of use.

Honestly, you can find name brand stuff at great prices if you are a smart shopper. I rarely pay retail for my baits, but I am always shopping. I hit Academy at least twice a month just to scan the sale items and have several sites I visit that have bargain or sale bins. Checking frequently is key. In the past year, my backstock has doubled just due to Academy alone. They put Bandits on sale for $1.38 over the Summer, and I probably bought 200 baits. They also recently have had Bill Lewis Rattle traps on sale for under a buck, as well as Kinami Flashes, Nories bugs, and Hulas (Yamamoto baits) for .88 cents a bag! I always buy more than I need, because I know I can sell it for at least what I paid. If you don't want to hassle with sale shopping, I've heard that ***'s ebay store has some cheap crankbaits that work well (I read a couple of good posts about them), and if you have an Academy near you their 'Fisherman's Choice' line of hardbaits are actually pretty good, as long as you change the hooks. Walmart Renegade cranks are also another option. Good luck!

Here is my jerkbait box I carry- no pretty megabass baits; just Pointers, Slender Pointers, Staysees, X-raps, Husky Jerks, and some Bassmaster jerkbaits (that are surprisingly good). I try to carry 2 or 3 each of my go-to baits/colors. The baits in the upper right hand corner are WEC/Zoom Z2's, and also if you notice I add Gamakatsu feathered trebles to most of my pointers.

Finally, I have my little canon USB cable that connects to my laptop, so I'll show my gifts. My wife, mom and stepdad, and dad and stepmom all make it easy on me, and I just send them links to what I want. I haven't done this before, but I actually asked my mom in August if she would go ahead and order my Christmas gift, because I wanted to purchase a bunch more of the Yamamoto stuff that this reloading supply store was liquidating. All there Yamamoto stuff was marked down to cost, and I knew if I called and inquired about a couple of large orders, they would cut me an even better deal. I had already spent a all I could spare (or as much as my wife would let me ) on literally several cases of Yamamoto baits, but I knew I would never see them this cheap again. I shared that because I don't want you to think I'm that spoiled; I got a really good deal (only around $200 on this order). Each bag has 12 bags of Senkos/Grubs/Ikas etc. Next is my gift from my wife- I cleaned out all the BDS baits backwaters had on sale (30% off!), and also stocked up on backup Bagley's baits (over half off- $4.76 each!). I lost more Lucky Craft shallow cranks this last season than I would care to share, and was down to only 1 or 2 in each of the baits/colors I throw. I also lost over 10 Bagley B2's alone, so it was time to stock up. I already had the splatterbait and apple green B2's, but the rest are new. These are my backup/refill boxes- I only carry 2 shallow crank boxes; 1 shad box and one chartreuse/perch/craw box and carry about 2 of each bait and color I throw. I didn't want you to think I carried a separate 3700 full of each bait I throw. Backup BDS's Bagley Backstock Finally, my dad hooked me up with a bunch of the Lucky Craft Rick Clunn's that were on sale. I knew at $9.99 I had to stock up for the year. He normally only spends about $100 on my gift, so I was tickled to find about 25 RC's under the tree. This was definitely the best Christmas I have ever had as far as gifts/baits go...I honestly feel a little guilty (only a little )

Red bills? I've got to flip through my catalog, but that definitely sounds like a gimmick.

I think the Bass Pro XPS (now called Pro Qualifier), Bass Pro 100mph, and the Cabelas Guidewear are the top choices. I went with the XPS suit over the 100mph because I wanted a non-insulated suit I could wear all year. A lot of people go with Frogg Toggs due to the fact they are inexpensive, but I've read several posts where people claimed they don't last.

That's pretty crazy, but then again, bass will eat anything moving at times.

Shallow crankin'!

It's cool...I've just been really bored laying here on the couch, and as always, I love to look at other people's stuff. In my case, my internet forum buddies are really the only people I have to show stuff off to...my friends don't fish, and my wife just wants it out of the living room! My wife has had to endure me rearranging my stuff to accomodate all the new baits, and she is tired of looking at baits on the coffee table . Anyway...I'll resurrect this thread and show off some of my new stuff tomorrow for anyone that wants to see it.

Do they make those? Seriously though...you've had the right recommendations 8-)

That rod is less than ideal for cranking as ReelMech has said, granted you need a heavy action rod to throw the large cranks, but one with a moderate fast action. Other than that, your new rod is surprisingly versatile for a heavy action rod, and should work well for light plastics all the way up to pitching/flippin' heavy jigs. I use mine for heavy spinnerbaits as well.

Wow! Where do you guys put all that! Nice Megabass baits Raul...and that is a beautiful pink reel! Were those in your stocking?! RW- That is a nice stash of Yozuri, Yamamoto's and Ledgebusters you scored; surely you only deserved sticks and coal. Alrighty then...great thread everyone ;D

Soft plastic baits come in countless varieties adaptable to an infinite number of situations and conditions. It would be easier to list the few times I don't have one tied on or feel that a hard bait is a better choice. The first situation that comes to mind is prespawn; I generally start throwing plastic baits when the water temp hits 60 degrees. After the water temp hits the 60's, I always have a plastic of some sort tied on, with my favorite target being shallow cover.

A little OT, but the first time I ever threw an X-rap was in a club tournament, during the spring when a severe cold front pushed the fish looking to bed back out in deeper water (8-14' zone). The water temp was 60-62 degrees in practice, and tournament day the water temp fell to 57 degrees with 30mph north winds. The water was gin clear, and I caught a 3.5lber on my first cast of the day, which ended up being big bass. My boater didn't have an X-rap (and I didn't have a spare), so he immediately tied on a Pointer in American shad. I caught fish consistently all day on the X-rap, even culling some squeakers, while my partner only managed one keeper. More impressive is the fact I was in the back of the boat fishing 'used' water, and the fish readily took my X-rap after the same water had been worked over by his pointer. I ended up winning the tournament, while most of the other anglers blanked or only weighed in 1 fish. Most of the other anglers were perplexed at the weigh-in, because they had been jerking all day as well. I shared this not as a pat on the back to myself (I won with only like 6 or 7lbs ), but because I really feel like my X-rap was the difference maker that day. So naturally I'll never forget that, and my confidence in X-raps is very high. From that day forward, the X-rap earned its own compartment in my jerkbait box, and I always carry 9 with me- 3 in the black back, 3 in the white, and 3 in the blue steel. Maybe you ought to give them another try- I have put baits aside that I have tried once or twice without being impressed, until I read something like I just posted. Sometimes reading about another anglers success can create some confidence in a bait you previously shunned.

I have a Lucky Craft addiction, not necessarily just Jerkbaits. The only Japanese jerkbaits I throw are Pointers, Slender Pointers, and Flash Minnows, but my X-raps get a lot of reps as well. I still stock husky jerks and original Rogues along with some of the 'Bassmaster' jerkbaits that run nice and shallow, but I throw a pointer or X-rap 90% of the time. I almost pulled the trigger on some of the Jackall jerkbaits (not the mask series) due to a deal I found at Backwaters, but I ended up with more Pointers. Like I stated in another post, I love Japanese baits, but I won't pay retail for them. If someone runs across the ito 110's for $15 or under...I'm in! I'm about to order a few of the Stacey King Lucky Crafts while they are still on sale for $10.99.

Did they already do that over here?

Got a pic of these bad boys?!

I'm sick, and have been alternating between surfing and napping all day. I know it sounds like a lame excuse, but I lost my USB cord for my camera, so it would be tomorrow before I could show off any of the baits Santa brought me, but I sure would enjoy looking at what you all scored for the time being

I'm generally a 'matcher' in that I like darker trailers with darker jigs and vice versa. I'm just going for what color combination provides the best bait profile based on water clarity. I will sometimes go with a 'flippin blue' or 'tomatoe red' chunk or brush hog trailer, but those are really the only exceptions.

There is no best as far as fish catching ability is concerned, because as stated there are conditions in which each brand will excel. I do believe Yamamoto represents the highest quality obtainable in a soft plastic lure based on softness, salt content, color selection, quality control, and consistency.

I'll add how to properly set up your casting reel to pitch, which is something that I rarely see mentioned. First, your magnetic or centrifugal braking system should be completely off. Next, you need to tighten down your spool tension knob to the point where you can disengage your reel, and your jig falls and hits the floor without your spool backlashing at all. A good pitch should hover a foot or two above the water without getting lift before it drops on your target. Lift will cause your bait to splash down and ruin your quiet entry. A good reference point to gauge how much line you should have out to start your pitch is for your bait to be about even with the wrist of your hand that is gripping the rod. If your bait is gaining altitude when your pitch, you need to inch down your bait a little bit before you swing it out. I, like most others, practiced nearly every day after school with a coffee can in my living room to master the technique. A quiet, splashless entry can be the difference in whether your bait sneaks up on a bass or scares it away.

Chunks like the Paca Chunk and Zoom Super chunk move a lot of water, while trailers like the Zoom critter craw, Tiki-Crawdude, and Gene Larew style craws look a little more realistic. I stray a little from the norm, with my favorite trailer being a Zoom Brush Hog with the body trimmed down and the swimming tails trimmed to be 'whiskars'.

Oh Man!...Love those tubes! Would you mind sending me down some clear water with some Smallmouth, and I'll give your technique a shot! I mainly pitch Texas-rigged tubes, and will pop it once, then twice after the initial rest before pitching to the next target and repeating. I opt for the larger sizes in green squash (baby poop yellow), black neon, and green varieties. I will occasionally swim a tube utilizing a jighead in the spring to imitate a bluegill, and then do the same with a white tube in fall as the bass chase shad. I think the best advice I can give is to keep the weight you are using internal, even while Texas rigging. This insures your tube will spiral down on the fall, which is key. There are several manufacturers that make weights that cling to your hook one way or another, but just make sure the weight isn't impeding your hookset. My method is to actually shove a drop shot weight up the tube until it reaches the head, and then shove in a large glass tube rattle. Works for me 8-)

I only sharpen spinnerbait hooks- the rest get replaced. I have a stone and a Berkley hook sharpener I use, with the stone being the one I use when I have the time to do it right, and reserve the Berkley sharpener for quick, on-the-water touch ups.