Mainlybass

Yeah, up here in Maine we're just starting to see a little water around the edges of the ponds. Last year it was around mid May before we got to put the boat in

Ika, that is. Neither Cabela's or BPS carries them any longer. I could not find them on either site but GYCB has them in stock so he's still making them. Anyone know why we can't get them at our usual locations? I talked to Brent at *** who used to sell a very similar product and he had a problem with his supplier so he's looking for a new supplier. I know a lot of us love these baits but I guess now we're forced to pay about $8 bucks a pack from Yamamoto. If anyone knows of a place to buy them, it would be much appreciated. Tight lines everyone

Hey Woodsman, welcome to the board! Glad to have anotha Main-ah on board. I'm from the Portland area and love to fish smallies but down here we have mostly largemouth. Are you in the Rangley area? MB

Hello SM89, welcome! Glad to have another of our northern neighbors to the forum. My wife is Canadian from Nova Scotia. Hopefully this summer we can catch some smallies in her neck of the woods. And I agree, that is a great looking fly. I wish I could fly fish : Again, welcome! MB

Thanks for the web info. Looks like they have quite a good selection at Northern Bass website. Thanks again! MB

They are made by Lunker City, same folks that make the Slug-Gos and Fin S lures. I went to their website and they have about every other bait EXCEPT the Fleck spinnerbaits. Maybe they no longer make them? :-? Maybe you can google them and see if anyone carries them

My wife and I use the Ikas as our go to bait. They work just as well forward or backward. As mentioned, use a 4-0 or 5-0 EWG hook and T-rig them texposed. It is an awesome bait and about any color will work althought I still love the watermelon w/red flake.

Nice. Hope they catch you some big ones! MB

This question was in this month's Bassmaster magazine question to Uncle Homer. He said using the bait of choice, give it 10 casts each and if no takers, move on. MB

I checked our state fish & game website and our state record smallie is 8.0 lbs even

What part of Canada are you headed to? I'd love to take a trip up to BC for the salmon run. Good luck! MB

ROFLMAO! ;D ;D ;D Dude, you're not right! LOLOL

I too lost my mother to COPD due to her smoking Camel's for over 50 years. I smoked too for years and finally gave it up 2 years ago and am finally rid of that monkey! I used Nicorette and the first week is the hardest. Sometimes you have to use whatever works. For me, I would think about all the reasons I want to quit, for example: when I would find myself out of breath just walking up a couple flights of stairs, or suddenly get a good whiff of how much my car would smell like cigarettes, and the filthy ashtrays, or how much your eyes burn when you get smoke in your eyes, or driving down the road and go to flip the ashes out the window and knock the lit end off and it falls on your carpet while you're driving! And now, with a pack of cigarettes over $5.00 in Maine, it was a very easy decision. Just think how much money you can save for new fishing equipment with the money we WASTE on a product that will eventually KILL US :o MB

I remember all those as well. And don't you all remember when gas was that cheap, that it seemed to stay the same price for months and months, only varying a few cents? I remember my parents telling me they paid $28,000 to build a brand new ranch home with 3 acres of land in 1959. That house now is worth a quarter million dollars. Sigh... MB

My wife and I fish out of a canoe and just discovered these baits this year. We have tried several colors and so far the green pumpkin with black and the pumpkin with red flake and my favorite, watermelon and red flake have worked well for us. The great thing is you can turn them over when the tips get trashed and reuse them upside down. What an ingenious bait! MB

I'm a believer in scents. Just my personal experience, but to me, it makes sense. I think anything that helps the fish locate your bait can't hurt. Without scent, the fish have basically two ways of finding your bait: seeing it or feeling it. If they can smell it too, they may follow their nose to the food source. I use Crossbow's oil based garlic scent and definitely have seen the difference it makes. The first time I used it, my wife and I were fishing & both were using Fat Ika's, one with scent, one without. The bait with the scent got 2 fish in the boat before the unscented bait got a bite. I also use Megastrike on my soft plastic swimbaits when ocean surf fishing and feel I get more fish chasing my lure because they can smell it. MB

Ya know, they catch fish so well, I don't mind paying $0.75 each for them. I'd love to see a cheaper version too, but then again, you often get what you pay for. :-/ They just flat out catch fish MB

Hey guys, thanks for the welcome. We rig the Ika skirt down and when the tip gets trashed, usually after about the 2nd fish, we cut it off and go down one hook size to make it fit again. I'm embarrassed to say it, but we never even considered turning them upside down...well, DUH! :-? That's what is great about this forum, there is so much to learn. Glad I'm among the "enlightened" when it comes to the Ika. Man, what a bait...but shhhh, we'll keep it our little secret along with CB's Hog Sauce. Tim

I've had great success with Mepps, Blue Fox and especially Panther Martins in 1/4oz.

Have you tried Yamamoto's 4" Fat Ika? My wife has been catching fish consistently with the green pumpkin w/black flake. She T-rigs it on a 4/0 Gammy offset worm hook. Here's a nice 4lb'er from last weekend. It's amazing, but the green pumpkin has been the only color to produce consistently so far. I've tried color #286 Pumpkin w/black and also #021 Black w/blue flake with no takers (yet)