basspro48

I don't think it makes a big difference whether you put a rattle on your jig. So I really don't make a point of adding or removing the rattles, I just fish it the way it came in the box. However, when I am making my own jigs I like to add a rattle because it gives me confidence that the fish will find the bait faster, also because most of the 4+lb. fish I caught last year came on a jig with a rattle.

Here's a few mods I make to 3 of my favorite baits. Jigs- The first thing I do when I buy or make a jig is trim the weedguard and thin out the skirt. By trimming the weedguard I get better hooksets and a better chance of hooking a fish good, and by thinning out the skirt I can get a quicker fall and a slimmer profile when needed. Also, sometimes I will even add a second skirt when I want a really bulky slow falling jig. spinnerbaits- I like to alter the baits vibration and action by brnding the wire and the blades, and I wil also add a second skirt when needed. crankbaits- When I want a crankbait to run extremely shallow I will cut off some of the lip depending on the length and heat up the rest of the lip and bend it straight down at a 90 degree angle. Also, I will sometimes repaint the whole bait by using an airbrush or markers.

For flipping in heavy grass I use a 5/8oz. Terminator Top Secret jig with GYCB Medium Craw trailer. For pitching to shallow wood cover or sparse weeds I like a 3/8 Persuader Big jig with a ZOOM super chunk trailer or a 1/4 homemade jig with a small craw trailer. My favorite colors for all of these jigs are black/blue and pumpkin craw.

Dang that looked like a good day right there, you caught more and bigger bass than I have caught this year

Wow, yall got some really nice fish over there.

1. LC Slender Pointer 112 in American Shad 2. Bandit 200 series in Rootbeer 3. Hand-tied hair jig in brown/orange and black/blue 4. Yo-Zuri suspending tiny pins minnow 5. 3' Strike King Bitsy tube in watermelon/green flake on a 1/16oz. jighead

I hope so, they're pretty small so I assume they are more aimed towards smaller rivers. I plan on using them to tear up the smallies on the Rivanna this spring and summer 8-)

Alright, here's 2 of the jigs I bought. They come with very sharp lightwire hooks and the top one has a glass rattle, and the best part is they're only $2!!!!! as for weights they are offered in 1/8, 3/16, and 1/4oz. Here are the trailers I bought. The left one is black/blue and the right one is watermelon/red flake, they are about 1 3/4" long. And wvuanother site, look in the May 2005 issue of Bassmaster magazine for a really good article on cranking for smallmouth.

I just found out about Pappy's Baits on Friday while walking around at Bass-A-Rama in Virginia and man does this guy make some awesome looking jigs. They are all hand tied with Fox hair, deer hair, fine rubber, and flashabou. You can get them in any material and color combo you want too, I bought 2 tied with blue rubber, brown fox hair, and green flashabou and 2 tied with purple rubber, brown deer hair, olive fox hair, and green flashabou. Also he pours his own little chunk trailers that go perfectly with these little jigs. He is located in Walkersville, Maryland and his phone number is 301-898-3836. I'll try to post some pics of the jigs and trailers a little later.

No, but it looks like a really good spring and summer time nightfishing bait.

The Slender Pointer 112 is awesome for smallies and Kentucky bass in clear water. The aggressive darting action draws them in and they just eat it, its like a smallmouth magnet.

I've been lookin at several specially made simmin jigs and I've noticed that most of them are 1/4oz. That seems kinda lighweight to me, what is yalls favorite weight for a swimmin jig?

My choice depends on water clarity and season, but my most productive colors have been rootbeer and chartreuse/blue back.

I only break out my hair jigs when fishing for smallies or when fishing in small rivers and streams, I just don't have confidence in them for LM's. I use relatively light jigs, 1/8-1/4oz, but my go-to is a 3/16oz. orange/brown jig tied with CDC feathers, Marabou, and bucktail. For a trailer I like a tiny grub or a Yamamoto baby craw and I fish the jigs on several different rigs depending on the weight of the jig... 1/8oz- 6' Medium Fin-Nor Profiler spinning rod, 6730X Pflueger President spinning reel, 6lb P-Line Fluoroclear 3/16oz- 6'6" Medium All-Star American Classic spinning rod, Shimano Spirex 2000FE spinning reel, 10lb P-Line Fluoroclear 1/4oz- 6'6" Medium All-Star American Classic casting rod, Shimano Curado CU-200 reel, 10lb Stren Original I have caught many solid smallies and Kentucky bass in the Rivanna and James rivers on those rigs, with my biggest being a 3lb. Kentucky bass and 5.5lb. LM both caught on the 3/16oz jig. Most of my big fish bite when I throw my jig across the river and let it drift with the current, I target structure like large rocks, eddies, weedbeds, ledges, and deep holes. I use hair jigs year 'round in rivers but I only use them during the cold months in lakes. I like to idle around and look for mainlake points with a ledge or a brushpile near the creek channel and vertically jig the bait right over the cover. My tackle is different when fishing lakes too, I use a 7' Medium action Fin-Nor Profiler with 10lb P-Line fluorocarbon and I rig the 1/8oz jig on a drop-shot with an 8-14 inch leader and a 1/4oz weight. Most of my fish hit when the bait is sitting motionless right over the cover.

Double buzzers are really good for windy days or when you need to slow your retrieve down.

I agree with flyhatch, smallies love rocks. It could be any kind of rocks, riprap, submerged rockpiles, gravel beds, bluffs, or ledges. But don't overlook points, a long tapering point with maybe a slight drop-off and a few stumps is a brown bass magnet.

I always seem to catch bigger smallmouth on big deep diving cranks in citrus type colors, and IMO the suspending jerkbait is the best bait of all time for monster smallies. The standard Lucky Craft Pointer 100 works good but the Slender Pointer 112 is like a smallmouth magnet. During one outing me and my buddy caught 25 smallmouth over 2lbs. in 1 hour, and my buddy even hooked a monster but it bent his hooks. It's just something about the aggressive darting action and perfect suspension of the Slender Pointer that smallmouth just can't resist.

Another vote for the jitterbug here. Largemouth, smallies, and even stripers will tear up a big black jitterbug. I also like the black Sammy 100, a black buzzbait with a bright green blade, and another old school bait the Bagley Bang-O spintail.

I wouldn't chance it with 6lb. test, go with an 8 or 10lb. test fluorocarbon line like P-Line Halo.

Lucky Craft's Ghost Minnow color is the best color for any hardbait I have used in crystal clear waters, for soft plastics I like watermelon/red, black/blue flake, and pro blue.

Recently, my dad had to go to maintenance training for some new airliners USAirways is ordering. The class was in Philadelphia and while there he began talking to another mechanic, who is Chad Morgenthaler's brother-in-law. Well, my dad mentioned to him that I am obsessed with fishing and after the classes were over the guy told Chad about me. Well, about a week later I found this package addressed to me, in it was an autographed Jasper Fishing Team hat, a T-shirt, a bag of baits, and a note that said his brother-in-law had told him about me. I was pretty shocked that he sent me all that stuff, but that just shows that there are some great guys out there that are willing to take time out of their schedule to talk to fans. Thanks Chad!!!!

I use watermelon colors the most, my favorites are watermelon/red and watermelon/gold.

wow that is a monster crappie and those are some really good lookin' pics.

sweet lookin spot, sounds like it would be a good spot fer a big spawner.

Nice fish!!! you've been tearin em up on that swimmin senko.