RoLo

Welcome to the forum, SeniorBasser, I find it very interesting that you should mention "Daimon" lures. A couple months back I stumbled onto a jig that I thought would be perfect for pickerel fishing with a jig & dead minnow. It was a "Daimon" Pro Series Jig and satisfied every feature I wanted: 1/8 oz - 4/0 Mustad Megabite, Fiber Weedguard, Skirtless, Flame Red - Bulletnose. Anyway, I ordered a bunch from a given vendor, but when I received their shipment, I got everything I ordered except the Daimon Lures and there was no Backorder Memo :-? I called the vendor and the fellow there acknowledged the shortfall and belatedly sent me the Daimon jigs I ordered. After reading your post, I went to the website where I found the jig and noticed that they no longer carry Daimon jigs, mine were probably the last ones. Veeeeery Interesting! Daimon was probably disenfranchised by this vendor for the same reason that's causing you grief. I have no alternative source for that jig, so I hate to see them go, but I realize that your problem is worse than mine. Though I've used Paypal with E-bay, I've never had a dispute, but this is what I've found...I hope it helps: 1. Log into Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/ 2. Select "Resolution Center" tab. 3. Click "Open Dispute" 4. Select the PayPal transaction ID in dispute. 5. Review the transaction data and select the appropriate reason for opening the dispute. 6. Enter the details of the transaction and initiate communication with the seller in the "Compose Message to Seller" box click "Continue." I believe that a dispute is elevated to a claim after 20 day, but I think the vendor has up to 45 days for resolution. Roger

Yep...Guilty as charged :-[ But No Big Sweat, I've got it under wraps and can quit ANNNYTIME I choose Roger

Honest, I tried to keep this brief, but it just leaves out too many important points :-[ The feet of most plastic toads are like rounded lobes that become active at very low speeds. On the other hand, the legs of the Horny Toad are more like curly grubs, which require a higher forward speed to activate. As a result, if I want to work on top, I'll usually go with a sizmic toad or cane toad whose feet stay active at ANY speed. That said, when you kill a sizmic toad or cane toad, they fall like tossed salad, without any attractive action at all. That's not a problem though, because I never stop a sizmic toad or cane toad, but keep'm coming. BUT, when you kill an "unweighted" horny toad, it spirals lazily to the bottom, actually pivoting from side-to-side, all by itself Though I might buzz the horny toad a few feet, (depending on bass mood), I'll always "stop it", and allow it to spiral lazily down, till it's about 2 or 3 feet deep, then reel just fast enough to activate the grub legs, then kill it again, and so on. In brief, I've had my best success working the horny toad as a subsurface lure rather than a topwater or deep water lure. I heard that Of course, during a hot topwater bite, we can buzz our coffee cups through the bulrushes and get hits...but then what? It's very hard to do (for me anyway), but I force myself to nod to a hit, that is, instead of coming back with the rod, I drop the rod-tip. Once you drop the rod-tip, it's usually too late to pull the lure out of his mouth, no matter what else follows. Does that always work? Heck No! I might add, I prefer a 4/0 Gammie to the horny toad hook, and always use Power Pro line (a BIG asset). Roger

It's safe to say that all trailers catch bass, so it probably boils down to a confidence thingy. I especially like the Zoom Big Critter Craw, but for someone else, if using that trailer meant a 10% loss in confidence, that would constitute a bad trade-off, IMO Roger

Curly Grub - 3" White (watch for working birds) Roger

Thanks Keith, for that constructive heads-up Roger

I like your scientific approach to fishing, it's a darn-sight better than stabs in the dark. Trouble is, a lure does not fall at a constant rate, but descends slower-and-slower as it nears the bottom. Some mistakenly believe that this slowing fall-rate is due to water pressure which increases with depth. Water however is fairly incompressible so water pressure isn't a big factor, but two other factors enter the equation: 1. Water Temperature During its descent the lure will pass through different water temperatures. It only takes one dive off the high-dive to appreciate the difference in water temperature between the surface and 8 ft below the surface. Water not only seeks its own level, but is constantly re-stratifying according to temperature changes. Warmer water is lighter than colder water, and continues to rise until it reaches a like temperature (density). Colder water is heavier than warmer water, and continues to fall until it reaches a like temperature. The volume of water displaced by the lure is constant, but the weight of displaced water is heavier toward the bottom. As a result, the lure falls faster in the warmer upper strata but slower in the cooler bottom layers. 2. Line-Drag Fishing line may look thin, but 50-foot of fishing line creates considerable drag in the water. As the lure sinks, more of the line above the water is dragged below the surface. Line-drag increases dramatically as the length of line in the water increases and/or the diameter of the line is increased. For instance, anglers who do a lot of trolling soon discover that when too much line is paid astern, the lure will actually begin riding-up in the water column rather than going deeper (i.e. line drag). Roger

Paddletail Worm (Handpour) Plastic Crayfish (Zoom) Ribbontail Worm (Culprit) Swimbait (Big Hammer) Stick Worm (Tiki Stick) Roger

I had a similar experience with a Lunker City Buzzbait, but probably not to the extent of your Dying Flutter. One day it dawned on me, that one of the buzzbaits seemed to be catching most of the bass...What's up with that! Oddly enough, it was something intangible, something that wasnt visually noticeable, at least not to me. Like you, I tried different blade-bending contortions, but to no avail Roger

First, I tip-my-hat to Fivebasslimit for launching a great thread! I have to tell you fellows, reading through the replies to this thread was very fulfilling. It's plain to see that the members of our forum have their hearts in the right place, and have a true love of Mother Nature, the outdoors, the quarry and the all best parts of bass fishing. Anything I might've added has already been said, so instead, I think I'll just read over the replies once more 8-) Roger

Kool site RW, thank you Roger

That makes two of us Avid. That's the part of jig-fishing where I need the most help ;D Roger

I haven't bed-fished this year, but only for lack of opportunity, not nobility. As mentioned, if the bass are promptly released, bed-fishing is not harmful. It's important to understand though, that releasing the buck is just as important. A nest without a protectorate can be ransacked in a surprisingly short period of time. Many anglers place the buck in the livewell to get a better crack at the cow. That's okay, but this should not be done when the cow is not present. I'm more than a little disturbed by tournaments that are intentionally scheduled during the peak spawning season. In the interest of $$$$, bass are taken against their will on long boat rides, while hours go by as the nests are left unprotected. After undergoing the rigors of forced captivity, the hostages are finally liberated from a release-point that's miles from their bed. You'd have a tough time convincing me that this is okay. Roger

Mike, "Tensile modulus" began with good intentions, that is, the higher the modulus rating, the lighter & more sensitive the blank. Over time however, two stumbling blocks were encountered. 1) Saltwaters anglers chasing game fish revealed to the angling community that "supra-high modulus" is not the end all and do all. Since higher modulus is more brittle, when it's subjected to prolonged heavy loads it's more prone to failure (literally explode). As a result, E-glass blanks are commonplace on sportfisherman that hunt for blue marlin and giant bluefin tuna. 2) The other problem, as Reel Mech aptly pointed out, is 'marketing hype'. To get a leg-up on their competition, rod builders devise composite formulations and hybridized processing to artificially raise the advertised modulus. That's why, as I've said, some manufacturers have entered the numbers game, while others are smarter than that. Keith, I'm not sure that you understood the point that I was making. By stating that we might be surprised by how low the modulus of loomis blanks really are, I was denigrating the need and superiority of ultra-high modulus, and not denigrating Loomis blanks. I'll repeat, rod builders who know far more than me, believe that the modulus sweet-spot is between IM-6 & IM-8 (40 - 45-million). What you're saying is just the opposite, you're saying that the Loomis TMI may be "surprisingly high", which to me is making a case for Johnny Morris, and may be a disappointment to G.Loomis. To put it another way, if G. Loomis blanks were in fact higher than 85-million TMI, many anglers would lose a great deal of respect for their blanks, but I doubt that day will ever come. Roger

Smithwick Devil's Horse Roger

The T-rig may also be fished C-Rig style. In the usual manner, T-rig a floating worm like the Gambler Floating worm (forget trick worms, most of them sink). Now slide the bullet sinker about 30" ahead of the lure, then jam a toothpick into the rear-end of the bullet sinker, to peg it in place. Roger

Now that's my idea of an informative tutorial I don't believe I've ever seen a cram course demonstrating all four major jig presentations. Super job Russ, you covered all the main bases and you did it in Jig Time Roger

I can't say that I've ever read that Loomis rods are outdated, but I'm aware of a Big Gray Area that may be construed that way. In the rod-blank wars today, manufacturers have gotten caught-up in a modulus race. For example, the $160 Johnny Morris rod boasts an 85-million modulus blank (that's off the chart)! Has anyone ever once seen a numeric reference for the tensile modulus of an IMX Loomis blank? (I'm waiting...). In my opinion, if the number was astonomically high it would be readily available, but I have a hunch that the number is surprisingly low. Is That Bad? I believe that sidestepping the modulus war may be a good thing. Though Loomis blanks may be a far cry from 85-million modulus, no one doubts that they're far superior to Johnny Morris blanks. In order to tout high numbers, graphite fabricators use hybridized processing and in-blank construction. They'll incorporate a very high-modulus core (brittle) with shock-absorbing hoop fibers, or just the reverse, a brittle jacket with a shock-absorbing core. In short, the numbers don't always represent the "true" tensile modulus of the blank. In the opinion of rod experts who know far more than myself, the sweet-spot for tensile-modulus is somewhere between 40 and 45-million modulus. In lay terms, that's embraces rod blanks from IM-6 to IM-8, where IM = Intermediate Modulus. For this same reason, I often extol the virtues of lower modulus blanks like the Daiwa Light & Tough (IM-6). We're all aware that high-modulus means a lighter blank with greater sensitivity. However, lower modulus offers greater latitude (handles a wider weight range) and also boasts a lower rate of blank failure. To get away from high-modulus graphite, big-game anglers (blue marlin - giant tuna) have all but given up on graphite, switching back to epoxy fiberglass blanks. For the sake of comparison, glass blanks range between 6-million & 13-million modulus, but provide ugly-stick characteristics. So in the final analysis, some companies have got into the numbers game, others have not. But the companies that tout the highest tensile modulus aren't necessarily producing the most desirable blanks. Roger

Bass fishermen think nothing of two clumsy, unnatural looking "treble hooks" dangling beneath the lure. Heck, those suspicious looking grappling hooks are automatically accepted by bass, right? BUT, that hair-like strand extending from the creatures nose, that'll spook the daylights out of any bass :D Gridiron, I'm honestly not aware of any line-visibility issue; if I thought it mattered I'd use a leader, but I don't. Roger

Switz, there's no question that the MgFA is superior to a symetre, but of course, this thread centers on "value". The MgFA is a specialized reel that I wouldn't place in a "best bang for the buck" category. However, if you're looking for an enticingly lightweight reel that's non-corrosive even with saltwater exposure, then I'm sure it's worth it Roger

Living in central Florida, I'm no stranger to fishing through dense hydrilla. I found the previous posts to be very interesting and very informative. Remarkably, I do some of the things mentioned in nearly every post, yet, I don't fish exactly the same as any one post. > Replace the jig with a 1/4 to 1 oz bullet sinker (as needed), then Texas-rig a plastic crayfish (e.g. zoom big critter craw) (This offers a weed-piercing, spire-pointed lead-head, while eliminating the drag produced by the fiberguard and skirt) > Peg the sinker, so it doesn't ride down the line and wrap-up in the weeds. > Keep the casts short (Long casts only increase the line that needs to be submerged and reduce your feel of the lure) > Target the densest weed-beds in the area. Work along the dense edge, outward to about the midway point of density, whatever distance that might involve. > Allow the lure to fall as it may while feeling for a pickup. If no strike is felt, lift the lure about a foot or two, allowing it to fall on a 'different path' through the weeds (this is important). > Repeat the 1 to 2-foot lifts (slow yo-yo), like slicing bread, until the lure reaches the bottom. > Once on bottom, twitch the lure a couple of times, wait a moment, then rip it back for the next cast. Roger

I agree with Dodgeguy. The BPS Bionic Blade is clearly superior to a Berkley Lightning rod. Berkley makes some of the world's greatest fishing line, but their rods....pheww! Roger

I use braided spectra (Power Pro) with good results. The lures you mentioned are typically struck on the pause, where line-stretch is not important. On the other hand, the "hook-set" is common to all those lures, where a lack of line-stretch is a big asset. Roger

The Dynamic Duo Roger

Great job Vyron!! If you didn't specify Cyprus, I'd guess you were living in California Roger