Mike L

Hello and Welcome! Mike

Hello and Welcome! Mike

Oppps You're rigjt of course!! Sorry Luke confusing Morning. Mike

Yeah ok! We'll see....We'll see Mike

Absolutely! Jrob has already done the leg work putting it together. Its all automatic. All you have to do is set your lineup once a week and you're good to go. If you've never done it before all you have to do is ask. Mike

Shaw Grigsby (no name knot) Gary Klein and Gerald Swindle all have you tube videos of the same knot but they pass the loop through the bottom loop next to the hook eye. I've been useing it more and more lately instead of the SDJ Mike

Hello and Welcome! Mike

Hello and Welcome! I have a 06 TJ with a 3" lift, 33 tires, 6 cyl and few other mods. Mike

Curado I Trip dueces....2 on 2 off and 2 on the dial Mike

Straight Braid for select presentation's Flouro or hybrid for everything else. Mike

Yo Zuri Hybrid Mike

I wanted to help also but there isn't much more I could add! This thread should be a sticky!? Mike

My favorite is any top water, but if I had a choice I'd rather punch. Mike

I've been in both a few times over the years and imho it's both more nerve racking and pressure filled when you're struggling to get a bite, when you're on the clock and money is on the line. Even tho you know everyone is doing the same. Every small decision you make about everything you do comes into play as you have to lean on your experience and knowledge of all things Bass constantly for 8 hrs. Granted your skill can get you a kicker in an shoot out, and usually thats how it's won and more times than not by mear ounces. It does take skill to find that one fish, I don't want to minimize that.... But if you're landing a fish every 10 min and 50 other anglers are doing the same, a case can be made also that it was more pure dumb luck to stumble on that one bite. I'd much rather fish a tournament in tough conditions, the tougher the better. Mike

My kids and grandkids will use them until they're about 8, then I ween them off. They come in handy for someone who doesn't know what to do and just want to have fun. Mike

Any frog will walk..Any! It's the way folks work it that matters. The reason "it looked more like a swimmer doing the butterfly stroke" and "the head kept kind of popping up out of the water" seems to me that your retrieving it more like a jek bait or a popper. Throw it out, let it sit a few seconds on the slack line resulting from the cast, engage the reel, with a slow deliberate motion of you wrist only, use 1/2 the force you normally would working a top water popper and the frog will turn. Continue working it the same way until the slack becomes to much to move the frog with the same force. Pick up SOME slack with just a few turns of the reel and contine until you're past the strike zone you chose. The key to all this is slack line. If the frog "pop's up" you don't have enough and/or you're working it more like a popper. Mike

Hello and Welcome! Mike

Hez... I don't look twice at anything dead, mat's or anythjng else, there really is no need too just move and look for something else. Keep your presentation as low as you can while still having enough momentum to penetrate. Sometimes you'll have to lob it high and crash down to get it through but if you need to do that, and you're convinced there's fish there, go to a 2oz weight and treat it like a shaky head, it'll go down. Now, in really thick mat's I'll dead stick it after bouncing a few times. I know you've been told and read if they don't hit on the fall bring it up a few times, bounce it off the underside, pull out and do it again. Yes, that's the way to do it but sometimes just dead stick it a few seconds. You may be surprised I use a 4/0 Trokar TK 130. Won't use anything else. I know they get a bad rap here because they're so sharp and tear up the plastic. If you find that also, don't tex pose them. Bring the point up but don't penetrate it, keep the point in the meat and you won't have that problem. Another knock on them is the keeper, don't understand that one. Granted, Other hooks may have a better keeper but I don't use them because of the keeper. When I get bit under a mat and stick it good with the Trokar that fish is comimg out, the keeper is a non factor. To me flipping a punch rig is akin to hand to hand combat. It'll drain you doing it all day but it's bar none my favorite way to fish. If you want to be introduced to Big Mama, you gotta go to her house. And absolutely! If you ever make it down here pm me. Lunch is on me! Mike

I always do when throwing it over and through vegetation. If throwing on the top or in widely scattered light cover I don't. But keep in mind I use the Magnum about 90% of the time Mike

I don't like experimenting with every little thing that comes out. I tend to stay within my comfort level. However, if a bait keeps getting rave reviews on here I'll pick one up and try it at a local pond or canal. So far this year there are 2 that I tried and would consider a bust for me...a small underspin (Clayton, don't feel alone ) and the ned rig. I'll keep trying to make the underspin work but forget the Ned. Mike

I've accumulated so much lead over the years, I'll use them when throwing a moving plastic such as a Speed Worm. But for anything on the bottom, I only use tungsten. To answer you question, when throwing the standard size I'll start with a 3/16, but on the magnums which I throw much more often, either an 1/8 or weightless. Mike

Hello and Welcome! Mike

Hello and Welcome! Mike

Hello and Welcome! Mike

Down here there's always somewhere else to go, but I like fishing the same 1/2 dozen or so lakes I frequent the most. I've already spent so much time trying to figure them out that now I'll fish a pond or canal around the house only when trying something new. Mike