Bluebasser86

Rigged sideways on a bladed jig or swim jig, they're money. They're also a great bait for flipping weeds because they're compact but have a lot of action and a thick body to hide a heavy hook.

Guys like Tommy Biffle, George Cochran, and Denny Brauer have made pretty decent livings catching bass in shallow when they aren't "supposed" to be there. I catch them shallow all summer long, mainly in vegetation or under docks. As long as there's food and cover (which applies all year round, not just in summer), you'll find some bass.

Haven't gotten to use it much yet but I'm really excited about the new 6th Sense Movement 80X because a lot of our lakes are also shallow and stained. It's a pretty good sized bait with a very wide, thumping wobble, and loud rattles.

They actually get snagged a lot less for me in rocks, but when one does get snagged, it's a goner.

I got rid of all of mine after having zero success flipping with them. After seeing how they move on a straight retrieve, I bought some more to try on a bladed jig. I haven't had a chance yet, but I have high hopes for them.

YUM Craw Papi or Christie Craw Zman BatwingZ Rage Craw or Menace Havoc Rocket Craw or The Duece Uncle Josh #11 Pork

I don't trim mine, I like the larger profile of the full legs. I trim them (or cut them all the way off), on the regular frogs though.

There's a ton of them in the Elk, at least I never have any problems catching them there. Catch a big one on Table Rock every once in awhile. I think people keeping everything they catch is the main issue on those Ozark streams. There's only so many fish in a stretch of river and when they get fished every day during the spring through fall with lots of folks keeping fish, you run out of fish eventually and they aren't replaced until the next high water event.

10 pound Big Game.

Just the name of the game when you're fishing through rocks. Most days if I'm dragging a jig through chunk rock I'd be pretty happy with only losing 4 jigs.

My favorite is the ones I make. They're all my favorite colors, especially when they're catching fish. In bluegill lakes, I fish this one. or this one Stained to dirty water I like this one, or black and blue Really muddy water I go for one of these.

Welcome and thank you for your service!

I wish there was a way to keep the sun from glaring straight into the camera, but I'm usually in the current of the outlet, which forces me to face straight into that direction. The only time I'm not is when I'm fishing those trees, but the only time they're any good is when the wind is from the south, which forces me to face into the sun.

Yes, they're the same and can be mixed.

I fished local weeknight tournaments out of a 15' johnboat with a 15hp tiller drive and no working livewell. It was a catch and release format similar to MLF. Before that it was a 16' Lowe Roughneck with a 60hp.

Welcome!

Those Gamblers are good baits, but they don't have the drawing power of the big baits. If you do decide to give them a try, I'd start somewhere like a Spro Rat 40 or S Waver 168. Both baits are small enough to throw on normal MH bass gear, but have the size to draw in fish that ignore normal offerings.Just be warned, it can be really addicting when you start seeing and catching fish on big baits.

Trap style baits get fished a lot around here, especially the power plant lakes because of the shap populations and the white bass/wiper fishermen. I think that baits that sound a little different have the right profile and sound that the fish aren't conditioned to hearing. I'm not sure it's going to be anything really special, but it's promising so far.

It's not for everyone, but I can say with 100% certainty that big swimbaits catch fish for me that wouldn't have touched anything else. When I started using them I was shocked how many fish I was catching and seeing. Lakes that were known to produce few fish and rarely bigger fish were giving up more and bigger bass than ever before. It doesn't happen every time, but some fish are just programmed to eat bigger baitfish it seems like. I think you'd be really surprised how many guys from the midwest, from Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, even Indiana, are using and catching fish on big swimbaits.

Has been a slow year for me until last Friday. I'd been 3 times and caught a whopping total of 6 bass. Caught quite a few fish on this day, but size was lacking until we hit one of my favorite spots in the colder water. They weren't packed in like they can get, but steady bites and much better quality saved the day for us. Had a bunch of fish on a Ned rig but all smaller fish, minus the only bigger smallmouth caught by the ramp before the camera was on, a catfish and drum. Caught a decent number of fish on the new RES tungsten 2 Tap with 1 decent largemouth, but the majority of the fish that counted were on a homemade swinging football head with a SK Rodent in watermelon red. No monsters, but lots of solid fish.

Not me, but one of my fishing buddies.

Why for crankbaits? I've mostly gone away from fluoro but used to use it for my bottom contact baits but never for cranks. Seems like you'll just be spending a bunch of extra money for minimal benefits.

I have several knives in the boat and truck, none that are a favorite. I use an Energizer headlamp from WalMart. I don't need anything special for a headlamp at night because I leave it off as much as possible, just turn it on to retie or unhook a fish.

Popping frogs are great for fishing targets or small areas. The regular frogs are good for covering more water or in really heavy vegetation that catches on the face of the poppers. I opt for the Popping Pad Crasher a majority of the time.

Welcome!