Bluebasser86

I like swimbaiting, but this bait was underwhelming to me. It accounted for 1 5lb fish that was very aggressively chasing big gizzard shad when I pulled the bait past it. It's a good starting bait, but there's much better options out there imo.

Not going to say I won't be getting one, because I said that about the original and now I own several, but I'm having a hard time imagining the need for one. Can't blame R2S for riding this gravy train as far as it will take them though.

Of those two, I'd rather fish a spinnerbait. Swim jigs are still a mystery to me. I'd much rather fish a bladed jig instead of either of them though.

The deepest any bait I fish regularly gets is about 15-18 feet on a long cast with a 6XD.

I prefer a small, compact 1/4oz bait but I pour them on a heavy hook because I fish them through water willows on braid. I like a twin tail grub for a trailer on mine.

If I'm on the bank I carry 2-4 rods and whatever tackle fits in my pockets. If I'm in my yak it's the same amount of rods and a small tackle bag with the essentials.

Going to need a lot more info to help you out here. What rod/reel/line/shakyhead/bait were you using? How and where were you fishing it and how were you setting the hook? I can't fish a shakyhead much anymore, but when I get to my hookup percentage is generally pretty good unless I'm getting pestered by dinks or sunfish.

Congrats on the new PB!

Spawn isn't my favorite part of the year either, but I'll still be out there chasing them.

Welcome!

Welcome back!

Welcome!

A lot of time I can hold the eye so it's off the side of my heat gun and it picks up little to no paint when I dip it once I get the timing right. Once I have the timing down I just hang them by the hook. It works better on baits with more distance between the head and eye like the swim pro head I use for bladed jigs, but it works pretty well on most heads that use a flat eye hook.

I hang mine by the eye with a hooked piece of wire. It keeps at least a hole the diameter of the wire clear during the curing process.

Very nice work! I modified the same mold to accept a shaker blade to make my own weedless bladed jigs and it worked perfectly.

Depends on the state laws. I remember watching a BASS Elite where KVD caught a bass on a 6XD square in the back, on camera, and toss it in the livewell. Some states they must be hooked in the mouth though. It's kind of hard to see, but my buddy caught a spotted bass on a crankbait while we were night fishing a few years ago by hooking the loop knot of someone's leader that was still in its mouth.

Only trailer I ever put on one is a trailer hook, and even that is only if they're short striking really bad. I fish mine around shallow cover in stained to dirty water with a slow, steady retrieve.

The Mister Twister hooks aren't terribly expensive. Now that the idea is in my head, I'll probably end up buying some hooks just to steal the keepers off of them to make some Elaztech compatible shakyheads.

I've had pretty good success using these. http://www.barlowstackle.com/WB800-Keeper-Wire-Form-P3024.aspx Really the ideal keeper would be something like the keeper on a Mister Twister worm hook though.

This is the hook that I use in mine. http://www.barlowstackle.com/Mustad-38109NP-BN-Jig-Hooks--P449.aspx I think next time I'm going to try the heavier gauge wire though because those hooks are pretty thin and I like to drag the heavier heads on a baitcaster and I have to be careful not to put too much pressure on them and bend the hook out. http://www.barlowstackle.com/Mustad-38108NP-BN-Jig-Hooks--P3132.aspx

It's not so much for the break strength that you need 50# braid, but as you already found out, it's for the handling. 50# braid is closer to the diameter mono that performs best on a baitcaster. You can surely fish 20# braid on a baitcaster, I do because it cast a mile with a WTD bait or 90 Plopper, but it also backlash much, much easier.

The regular screwlock shakyhead mold would accomplish that no problem. That's the one I use and it takes a standard hook or EWG no problems. http://www.barlowstackle.com/Do-It-Screw-LocbrFootball-Jig-Mold-P247.aspx

I usually fish a trick worm on a weighted head. It doesn't wobble like a senko, but the ends of the worms move around quite a bit.

Is it flat on the bottom of the head? I make and use the football shakyhead mold but they're not flat on the bottom.