zach t

Im in the same boat. By this time last year, I was up to over 250 keepers. I have a 10th of that right now and I have fished MORE! Now, the average size is WAY up. But still. I am really tired of 1-2 fish outings.

I should add to my answer that I love frogs as much as anything, but the hook up ratio is so poor around lilly pads...that I think you can't go wrong with swimbaits. Swimming a magnum work works well to!

I'm with this guy...of course, I am biased because I MAKE custom swimbaits. LOL!

Two years ago in a tourneament in Tuscaloosa, Al....I was throwing a spinnerbait when the reel backlashed. The boater (my uncle) kept trolling. when I cleared the backlass, there was a fish on. It turned out to be the kicker fish we needed to make our sack and we won the tournament.

I bump a swimbait off of the stalks.

That catfish swimbait is SICK!

Nothing like prefishing for a tournament, finding things that work ONLY in that condition...and having a NASTY coldfront move in and kill the bite. Seems like I can't catch fish during tournaments.... Anyway, read the entire breakdown here: http://best5zach.blogspot.com/2011/04/wildcat-tournament-1-march-31st-2011.html

I buy my stuff from lurecraft. They sell everything to make plastics.

I am a BIG crank bait guy. I have about 3 colors. Sexy(or realistic color) Chartruese (the SK powder blue/chartreuse is my favorite) Red white

Im with the crowd. I don't throw them very much, but when I dedicated myself to the pointer, it catches fish. I like the Aurora black, ghost, and clown.

senkos war eagle spinnerbaits in blue herring and chartruese Spro Lil John swim baits Pop-R

Lizard during spawn and directly after spawn. Brushhog for everything else. It's just a versatile bait!

Swim baits. They are excellent in cover because they are weedless, have a great fall rate, and can be manipulated to do about anything. Just hope you have a plan to get them out! I have a hilarious story about fishing swim baits in standing timber. I encountered the "smart" fish. http://best5zach.blogspot.com/2011/03/daddy-always-wins-part-2.html

Frog fishing is my go-to bait in the summer on Guntersville. I would venture to say that half my summer/fall catches are on a frog. Color rarely seems to matter. In dispersed grass, I opt for a kicking plastic frog. In thick grass, I throw a snag proof, though the number and quality of hits determines if I swap to a Spro. If nothing else is working during the summer, you can coax bites from a frog...even if that means landing it on their head. It is a great search tool, considering the range you can throw it, the rate of retrieval, and realtive snag proof abilities. Catching frog fish is less a function of form and ability, and more a function of equipment. If you aren't using the right rod, reel, line....then you can't afford to let the fish eat the frog. Now, you do have to learn to wait on the fish. In fact, it is better that you spend more time looking for your next cast than to watch the frog. So, when it comes to equipment, if you want to be serious on your froggin', get you a dedicated frog rod, a fast ratio reel, and 50-65 pound braid. Frog fishing isn't a whimsical method. If you dedicate yourself to it, you can catch REAL monsters. I have a couple of 9s and more 5s that you can shake a frog rod at. All in the last year.

Lots of good info. For me, personally, when the bass are active in an area, you will find dead and dying bait on the surface. I scoop those up and select accordingly. This way you know exactly what the bass are eating RIGHT THEN.

Man, it's been a hot minute since I was on the forum. Been busy! Well, finally had some spare time and spare change for ordering supplies. I bought a couple of new molds. I like to have a swimbait in the 5 inch range as well as the 3 inch range. I also wanted to start experimenting with different color patterns. Harder than I thought!

Last week on a Pop-R. Fish went 4.5 and 3.5 respectivly. Straightened both hooks out.

lurecraft /thread.

I have been sprinkling in some garlick powder when I am ready to pour. It distorts the color, as the grains are relativly course. However, the scent is atrocious and it catches fish.

On plastics, it will bleed and discolor.

LOL. Not well. The fish just weren't doing it Friday. i also learned something about double dipping the baits. The legs loose sensitivity when you re-dip them. I won't do that again.

YEAH, styrofoam would be a little noxious. I haven't checked the action. Will be using them tomm. I think it will be more subtle than even the yum. They are certainly smaller on every respect. I am thinking about adding some flair to the legs in order to bulk it up. Appreciate the help with making it float

hadn't gotten that far..lol

No, they won't float with a hook, but I am going to attempt to inject air in them, one way or the other.

In honor of my wife, who is deathy afraid of frogs. Black with red flake, garlic, some with rattles and eyes. Slightly bouyant.