Chris

Gambler's Florida Rig Screw on Weight in a rattling version. http://www.gambler-lures.com/Rat_lin_Florida_Rig_Screw_on_Weight_s/146.htm 5/0 Gamakatsu hook http://www.gamakatsu.com/new_products/new_ewgmonster.htm Braid Moss Green 65 Lb. Test http://www.spiderwire.com/prod.php?k=267835&sk=50685&u=SS-125#SS50G-125%20(1186304)

How does tube construction effect bait action? A palm tree or fat ika is a solid tube that is filled with salt. Salt adds weight and because the weight is even throughout the bait the lure falls like a senko and can be used with out weight. As I mentioned the tails effect the fall rate by either trapping air or releasing air on the fall. Tubes that have more of an umbrella tail parachute more than one with slim tails. The thicker the walls of a tube the more salt can be added to it. The thicker walls also change the noise it produces to a degree also when you put a rattle insert in it. Tubes that have a solid head can be turned and re-hooked many times before it tears. Tubes that have a solid head also add front end weight as I already mentioned. It also gives you a place to use a Florida rig bullet weight. The weight can be screwed into the head no problem. With a cyber flex tube because of the material properties you can counterbalance the weight to manipulate the fall rate more so than a normal tube because it floats. As far as your hook ratio in texas rigging them here are some pointers. I tend to use a between a 3/0-5/0 wide gap hook depending on the size of the tube. After I thread the hook point into the head I want the hook to lay between the tails with only the hook point covered in the bait. I like to use Gama EWG hooks. When a fish grabs it the hook pops out and they get all hook.

4" ring worm

Yep and won a little money with them too. Model 103, 106 Citrus Shad 07

Thermocline-a transitional layer of rapid temperature change between surface and bottom. FISH ARE MORE COMFORTABLE HERE. Most gamefish exist in the thermocline layer. Thermocline is oxygen rich and food rich.

http://www.bigindianabass.com/big_indiana_bass/the-truth-about-fluorocarbon.html Facts on fluorocarbon Braid has zero stretch and can have issues when used. Mono is the best all around line for all lures.

http://store.jobabylures.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=J&Category_Code=SKL here are the skirts you can dress up your other baits too

The original Jig n spin that strike king makes today is off of a prototype lure Denny made that looks just like that.

Cut corners to lower costs. It also could be a "seconds" rod that didn't make the grade and was sold to Dicks at a discount or clearance item. Some companies care about price and volume and not quality for a store brand. I had a rod I bought from Dicks that the guides (2 of them) fell out of its wraps. Easy fix for me because I build rods but for someone else would be money down the drain or a refund.

Actually David uses a slower reel 4.3.1 and Clunn uses a fast reel. 4.3 to 1 is a little to slow for me. When you take a reel and fill it to full capacity of line and also the pound test you use effects how fast the lure speeds up towards the end of your retrieve. As the line stacks, your reel is picking up more line per turn causing your bait to run faster towards the end of your retrieve. Depending on the line you use torque is displaced by line stretch or drag slip. Your reel handle length also changes how fast you reel in your lure out side of gear ratio. The more torque you put on a crankbait the shallower the bait will run because your forcing it to swim and dive. Crankbait fishermen use a low gear ratio to help them slow down their retrieve. If torque was an issue how much torque does a bass put on your equipment? Do you think the bass puts more strain on your reel than a crankbait? Do you still have enough torque to wench it in? The slower you reel a crankbait the more time you give it to dig deep. The more you torque the bait to you the less it will dive. Some guys can take a high gear reel and know how to slow it down other guys like me need to be reminded What most crankbait fishermen complain about is vibration transfer into the hand. The more bearings you have in a reel the less vibration transfer you will have. The bearings make the spool less wobbly so if you have a vibrating crankbait the vibration is deadened because of the bearings. Your worm gear and paul also will deaden vibration transfer along with a thick side plate or a spool that has to much crap on the palm side of the reel. You want a reel that has the spool that butts up against the side plate to get the best vibration transfer. The need for a slow reel is more of a personal preference than a real need unless your like me and need a reminder to slow down.

I agree spinnerbaits.

If I am on fish I'll tell you I am on fish and will give you a few good places to fish. If we are fishing for money you need to do your own homework.

You put that bait in the wrong hands and someone is going home crying.

Was going through my tackle stash today and found several baggies of Mr. Means in both 3" and 4" size. Caught a lot of bass on these back in the 80's, great grub lure. Supposed to imitate a leech I think.Thanks for the reminder. May give 'em a try again on Wednesday. Same bait just updated ->Mister Twister G grub http://www.mistertwister.com/products/info/index.php?pffk=info_ggrub_692

The first thing you need to do is find the thermocline. If you have a temperature gage that you can throw over the side of your boat drop it down until you find a layer of water that has the same temp. What you will find is for each ft the gage will read a dramatic difference in temp then you will reach a depth where the cold water and warm water mix which will have less of a dramatic change in temperature. The mixed water is the thermocline. You can also find it with your depth finder. You need to click on your menu and scroll through until you find your sensitivity meter. You want to raise your sensitivity until you see a span on your graph that looks like broken up lines or small fish. That would be your thermocline and about the depth you need to be fishing. You want to find structure that is located at that depth.

Generally when I skip a tube I want the bait to mimic a fleeing baitfish so I tend to use a 1/8 oz or lighter weight. After the bait hits the water I tend to just reel it in. It don't look like much reeling it in no real action but they do wack it. When I am fishing deeper water if you rig it with the jig head eye moved up from the end the bait will spiral on the fall. This works well in summer and fall when you are fishing the ends of points. Depending on how far back you place the jig head effects the how wide the spiral is. You want to use a lighter jig head for this technique. If I am fishing it with a Carolina rig I sometimes fill the tube with cotton filled with fish scent (Fish formula bio sound is a good one for this)or push foam in it to make it float off the bottom or to adjust the fall rate. You can use it like a jerkbait which works well at times without any weight. When you flip a tube what makes it different is that when it falls it falls different every time unlike a jig and draws more strikes at times because of it. The internal weights are great with the hp hook but before they came out I would shove a worm in the tube to fill it and push a nail in it for weight. The bait lays flat on the fall because the weight is even. (pre fat ika lol) You can also use that worm to hold your flipping rattle in place. Another thing I did for Carolina rigging is to take the head off one tube and melt it with a lighter and shove it into the other tube to create a air pocket. On a belly weghted hook it falls like a senko and works well in weed pockets. In the winter I use the tubes that have the filled in head to flip weightless. The filled head acts like a weight with the hook and it falls super slow I think strike king makes it. Prowler has a big butt tube that has a wider back section which works well for displacing water on the fall. I have found that it makes a difference at times. Also with skipping and spiral fall you want to use a tube that the tails have has been hand cut not injected. The hand cut tails collapse when it enters the water trapping air. Injected tails hold its form and any air in the tube leaves on the fall.

Well, if you are fishing a lake that has a influx in water like a hard rain to the point that it does stir up the mud you want to find clear water because it will effect the pH level which effects the bass. If your fishing and a cold front rolls in the high pressure that follows will effect the bass's feeding habits if the the front lasts for an extended period of time. For the flip side if you are a flipper you can cash in because the bass will be tight to cover or in the middle. They may not be active but if you poke it in the eye enough it might strike. If the front is mild and the amount of rain is mild you might have excellent fishing it just depends.

I would say dropshot also. A weightless plastic that wouldn't dig in or could be fished above it would be my next choice. Third choice would be a to fish lures on a three way swivel like a rapala that will stay up with a weight dragging in the snot grass. It would be like using a bottom bouncer for walleye just make sure you keep tention on your line to keep the swivel up.

inline buzzbait

The lure I liked was the baby Johnny Rattler in a Jim Pfeffer Florida shiner pattern. Ugly as sin bait that looked like it should be for peacock bass but man it caught fish. Luhr Jensen bought the company and they made some cut backs shame too.

Little fishie Mister Twister G grub Baby Johnny Rattler Gator Tail worms Devils horse CC shad The walking bait Bandit made spitz Gay Blade Rattling Spot Minnow Most of the G-finish lures Bagleys spinner shad Producto paddletail worms Creme Scoundrel 8" worms slug-go Bass assassin's Shad Assassin Cyberflex flipping Tube Jerk'n Sam Salt craw Rogue Salad Spoon Mr.Wiggly Slap stick bang o lure

Bill Lewis slap stick or the floating or suspending rattletrap. : I know crazy huh

My take on it is that the bass are feeding heavy. I have caught catfish and other fish that don't eat crawfish on a consistent bases that had red patches. If I where to guess bass don't have the nerve endings that tell it that its rubbing their mouth raw. They continue to feed heavy because of the season. I just chalk it up to the fish are wearing lipstick waiting for Jimmy Houston.

Also don't overlook a simple bait like a sassy shad on a jig head.

Your shad might be spawning or because of the wind the shad might be held up there because of food source and predators follow. If the fish are real spooky then you need to make long casts and bring the bait to the fish not on top of them. You want to target the edge of the shad more than the fish them self because they would be more active. Not to say you couldn't pick off individual fish. It just would be harder. Fishing the shad I would fish a jerkbait or a senko. Fishing individual fish I would fish a wacky rig senko. Fishing the group of fish that might be staged out in deeper water waiting for the shad to come out I would tackle them with a jerkbait, crankbait or a Carolina rig fluke.