DeepStructure

Are you making sure you set the hook when you feel the weight of the fish, and not right when you see the take?

This "Lake Fork" style of flutter spooning seems to be a hot trend and you have tackle catalogs hyping "flutter spoons" but I want to know why I can't just use all my old Dardevles for the same purpose? They look like basically the same spoon style...

The far bigger loss is their removal from the gene pool, the loss of their reproductive capacity to make many more big smallmouths.

There are guys on e-bay who put custom paint jobs on stock lures, they seem to run about $12-20. You could message one of them and ask if they'd do this specific request and how much it'd cost.

That world-record area for smallmouths is not what I would call the Deep South... it's the Upper/Mid-South.

There was a 9 caught in Lake Jocassee, SC in the early part of this decade so they are there, but for actual probability of catching a nice one, you're best off trying a TVA impoundment in northern Alabama or East/Middle Tennessee.

Awesome! I'm jealous!

Micro is right, it's a Strike King Pro Model. I knew it looked like the Strike King I had, but I couldn't remember what the name was.

Definitely a Fat Free Shad, but are you sure it's Bomber and not from the Excalibur era? If it's one of the old Excalibur colors, it's likely discontinued, but if it's one of the Bomber colors, you should still be able to find it.

I agree. I've used both and have far fewer hangups with beetle spins. They do make a 1/4 oz beetle spin that I think you could rig a 4" grub on.

How much do you think a rod from that rodbuilding room costs versus an assembly line factory rod? Would everyday anglers even be able to request one, or is it a pros-only thing?

Could you tell (by how far he chased them) whether he went after the perch to eat them, or to get them away from the "pre-bed"?

It does look a lot like a Strike King that I have, but I don't know what variety it is.

Do you guys use pre-existing stock clear crankbaits, or do you have to take the paint off of a standard plastic crankbait?

Can't find the article at the moment but I remember them saying Williamson used the aforementioned swimbait in both 6" and 7" sizes in a "light hitch" color.

Mass. record was a 15 lb. 8 oz. freak the likes of which New England will not likely produce again... I've heard it was the largest confirmed pure Northern-strain largemouth ever. It was caught through the ice, no less...

Does anyone know, in a general sense, why lures are discontinued? I've heard almost nothing but good things about the Fat Raps/Down Deep Rattlin' Fat Raps and the original Excalibur Fat Free series, so I can't imagine they would be poorly-selling baits. Why the decisions to discontinue them?

Rapala DT series are notorious for the very thin lip breaking. At like 8 bucks a bait, that adds up. I've even heard of them breaking when anglers slap the weeds off on the water surface after a retrieve. I won't be buying any because of all the negative press I've heard about the lip. I have the full-sized Fat Free Shads which supposedly get down 14'-18', and a Bandit 700 which supposedly hits 17' - these have thicker lips which hold up better against rocks.

The Tender Toad sucks! The plastic is way harder than any other frog I've used. The harder plastic doesn't collapse as easily and you end up losing alot of fish. Just my experience though. Thanks, I hadn't used one, just wondered if they were decent... guess not!!

I'm trying to keep track of all the knockoff names I've seen. BassPro has XXX Shad as M and M said. Bandit has a knockoff called "Sparkle Ghost" The Fat Free Shads now come in "Foxy Shad" ... Can anyone think of others?

I agree, a grub on just a plain jighead is my ultimate confidence bait. I can do almost anything with it: bounce it off the bottom, crawl/drag it on the bottom, straight retrieve at any depth, burn it just under the surface, etc. Is it a water clarity issue? Maybe bulky flipping jigs are too much in clear water? I'd be interested in hearing the guys who don't have luck on jigs/guys who do have luck on jigs describe the water clarity/cover (or lack of cover) that they fish and the type of jigs they use.

What do you guys think of those frogs, I think they're Panther-Martin, that have a downturned hook with a wire weedguard instead of upturned hooks pressed against the body like most frogs. It seems like you'd get better hookups but it might also be more prone to snagging junk, too. Also, what about the Bass Pro XPS Tender Toad?

Could you get a rod that could do decent double-duty? Something 7' or 7'6" in medium-heavy to heavy, fast action? Keep in mind I'm not a tournament angler, so I don't feel like I have to have the absolute best for each technique. Any recommendations?

Hi, I'm new here, but I've got a lot of questions I'm looking forward to having answered, so here goes. In your experience, are jigging spoons all mostly "the same"? Is there a reason to have multiple brands of jigging spoon, or is any Hopkins-type spoon good enough? How deep can you effectively fish with them? What's the heaviest weight of spoon you would use?