Big Bait Fishing

very true about it being dry !! went to a small pond i've fished before and it's gone , completely dried up !!

i think it's supposed to be shiny white .... either way i'd pass ...

BizzBaits Sassy sticks are what i've found to be pretty close and are a lot more durable , as i wacky rig my stick baits , Senko's don't last past the cast !! as far as drop shot worms -RoboWorms 6'' straight tail craw baits -Savage Gear Rattlin' 3D craw big worms - Uptons customs shakey head - Havoc Bottom Hopper back up stick baits are BigBiteBaits bottom line is experiment with different brands and styles of plastics and find ones that work and stick with them , i'm like Tom (WRB) i stick to tried and true methods and products . i don't rush out to buy 10 bags of the supposed hot new bait , if i hear a lot about something i'll see if it sounds like it relates to my style of fishing then maybe i'll try a bag ( did that with the Havoc bottom hoppers and found they are great for shakey heads , they have nice colors , and the price is cheap !! )

trust me , those hooks are flimsy junk , they might hold a bait on good by their design , but the hook is very weak and will straighten out without much pressure , i tried them long ago before i went with Owner hooks , if you want a good hook , try the Owner spring lock hooks . and for weighted tube hooks try the Owner weighted tube hook -

if i were you i'd go with the regular Alderbaran as the other reel is for finesse & light baits as the 853 rod is NOT a finesse rod , with the regular Alderbaran you can use it as an all around reel with good line capacity.

customer service is half of what i base my rod blank and reel purchase decisions on !!

Okuma makes a micro guide 7' MH 1/4-1 oz. , the Helios mini guide spinning rod St. Croix has a 7' heavy in the Premier series , it's rated 1/2 - 1 1/2 oz. , might be a little to stout for small frogs but regular frogs it would and should be very good . you can find them at BPS in one piece or two piece .

i don't know , i was by a pocket fisherman display , and i said out loud '' what could you catch with this thing '' and a another customer said that a woman using a pocket fisherman caught a 55 lb. striper at lake Mead on 10 lb. line , kind of crazy !!

i used to fish a lake for catfish at there , i was using cut mackeral , 6 out 10 times i would catch a bass ..

even though they are made at the same factory , they are designed individualy , meaning they are built to Lew's specifications and Abu Garcia's specifications , just built and manufactured in the same place .

i was in the Las Vegas BPS talking to some guy there and he told me about a woman who caught a 55 lb. striper on a pocket fisherman !!!

what is the rod ???

definitely not that light !! lowest i regularly throw is a 6'' straight tail Roboworm throwing baits that light , if i were you ,i would spool up with 4 lb. CXX or 4 lb. Gamma Polyflex

using a braid for the mainline eliminates line twist problems and line memory issues (line coils)

i have no problems with the 10 lb. Sunline SX and Sunline Sniper in 6 lb. , and that's on my spinning rod that has Fuji 3.5mm micro guides on it , maybe try an Albright Knot , but i just tie a uni-to-uni .

i have an ISWB 945 , i extended the handle making it 8'7'' and is now my dedicated catfish rod , i don't know what you have planned for it but is great for catfish !

if i were to ever get a Daiwa reel it would be the Alphas SV 105 & if i were ever to get a Shimano reel it would be the Alderbaran 15 .

there was a gimmiky lure that had a red dot on it , on some infomercial , somebody will remember it just looked it up , called the Laserlure http://www.tackletour.com/interviewlaserlures.html

must be a west coast bait !! don't know if you guys fish stripers , but most guys that do , that's a go to bait ..

in a blind bet , i would bet you'd catch a lot more fish on a Punker than a Slammer ! those Slammers have never inspired confidence in me hence why i can never see my self buying one , i do know people catch a lot of fish on them . sometimes you just got to throw that bait a lot , i dug that SwimBaitsInc. Golden Shiner up and now that i look at it , i might just have to put some 1/0 ST41's on it and fish it in the next couple weeks !! Lake Wholford has a good golden shiner population .

i know a lot of people north of me use them for stripers , i'd rather use a slower wake bait . i must say that is in the top three of lures that can spool you on the cast !! did blackdogbaits fold up shop ? EDIT : just looked and their website is up to date and they are still selling the wooden 8'' lunker punker http://store.blackdogbaits.com/product/8-wood-lunker-punker-custom

3/4 oz. red eye shad

LFT magic shad are pretty good trailers ....

i don't use firetiger but i imagine it would cause a little color flash in the water , something to get noticed in stained water ,

i'm suprised no one mentioned the Lunker Punker !!!