Spankey

I agree with that. Something doesn’t smell quite right there. But than again there are more holes in that business than this guys story. I’m a bit old school when it comes to Brands I use.

Weightless t-rig Senko styles in 3” and 4”, weightless Zoom flukes, my physical conditions on the lake are similar to yours. This season I’m going to make a true effort to punch those mats and heavy weed correctly. Have been doing it half ***ed. I’m realizing I’m putting myself off of decent fish.

Welcome. I’m more SE Penna. was just up your way last week. Won’t be long now. Things will turn around soon. 11 deg. this am when I left the house but it will come.

I was just in a place and I seen those mega-bags of Yum Dingers. Priced real good. $9.99 I believe @ DICK’s. But they were only carrying mega-bags of the larger size. I don’t know what it is but I don’t feel comfortable with the larger size. Get a mental block. Why I don’t know.

I use a combination of Senkos, Yum, and BPS. But I don’t throw the biggest version of them. The SK’s seem to be one size. That’s why I stay away from them. At least the other brands I can get 3”, 4” and 5” baits. I t-Rig them for my best results. Yes the senkos are softer. There is something to be said to that. But Yum and BPS put out a good version. I saw back awhile ago Wally World was all but giving the SK’s away for $1.96 a bag. Some Yum Dingers are $.50 a bag there. Bottom of shelf, free for all BS. I despise Wally World for the most part. What You have to sit on the floor like a monkey to go through those BS bargain boxes. But if you need stuff the price is right.

I primarily fish my soft plastics on SC’s. I think you would be fine with any of the three mentioned. I love the 6’10” ML. I've caught Some nice smallies and greens with it and I’m convinced that set-up will handle smallies from anywhere in the county just fine. I drop shot and split shot with that. The 6’8” Med. I fish weightless and weighted soft plastics on it. Sticks, flukes, craws. I would like to own the 7’1”, I’m sure I would put it to good use. Just balance the set up with the correct reel size or weight to give it the right feel. Sometime a rod will feel funny if no reel is on it.

Left the house for work this AM @ 14 deg., but you a right it’s coming. I should be on the river or up the lake at months end. Should be bass fishing before Easter.

Real nice. Last season was first season in my lifetime that I truly done some frogging. I put some honest effort into it. And reaped some rewards and found out where some nice fish were even though I didn’t hook up. Over the winter I’ve worked on getting a few things to go at it even more serious. Good luck.

I would think condition would dictate what that lure might be. I would think there would still be a difference of opinions regardless of skill and experience level. I’m no professional and never professed to be. Tell us what the lure is, what’s the big deal. 3” grub

My soft plastics for the most part I store in plastic type Rubbermaid Containers. Generally by fishing technique and some by manufacturer. Some are in original bags, sometimes it put original in appropriate zip-locs if necessary. I find using sealed containers and labeling them works great. Stack and store in boat storage compartment, easy to find and I do keep some of the terminal tackle required in there also. I just find it easier but there is 1000 ways to do things.

Rust will compromise the point and sharpness of those rusted hooks.

My personal favorite is black with a chartreuse tip tail. The body has silver flecks on it. I keep a few of them. But I find the natural and crawfish patterns to work well. You just have to believe. Doesn’t matter if it’s a Wiggle Wart or a Bomber 6A. Fish them hard and make it work.

I agree with both lures mentioned. I fish WW’s and they are productive all season. WW’s have a great number of patterns to select from and they are well built and don’t break the bank. I know there is a lot of hype about the old ones. There is nothing wrong with the new style. I have older one and find myself throwing the newer one more often. I don't throw them exclusively. Admittedly I’m a Rapala freak. Why I don’t know. Got hooked on them when I was a kid. Also throw Bombers and Bandits. Throw CC Big-O’s. There are a few SK’s patterns I’ve been doing well with. Those smallies are not particular.

No Fruck, it’s the Suicide Duck. I’ll watch a few You Tubes on it and get a bit pshyked on using it. Hope it a Musky slayer.

I have been doing more frogging the last two years than I done my whole life. This season I'm going to teach myself to punch fish correctly. I have a new home waters so to say. Mother Nature beat up my old river home for the last 40+ years with rains and silting for the last few years. It will come back around sometime. Lake bassing has been real fun. The 1/4 oz. mice are gonna be tough to cast with casting gear. The 1/2 oz. ones will be fine. That duckling may be used on the river for Musky.

The mice are hollow body like a frog. The duck I didn’t take out of the package yet. Duck seems a bit corny. The mice I’ll fish like a frog. They are not blunt, sort of pointed so they should walk easily. They claim they are a walking bait on the package. 1/2 oz., 1/4 oz. in three colors. I’ll squeeze them in somewhere along the line. Before today I don’t recall hearing of Savage Gear. Or just never paid attention to it.

I've never given a true pink or bubble gum color a true chance. Would try it and really too quick to stop. But to throw Morning Dawn and Chameleon is productive. The chameleon is a pink but like a flat pink. I never seen a solid color orange soft plastic.

A friend gave me some Savage ducks and mice. It might be interesting to mix these in every once and awhile. He's not a fisherman, someone I help out every once and awhile and never take any money from. A bait that I would never really buy for myself. Have not yet at least. He thought they were creative. Well I have to hook something with them now. I'm thinking Musky. Maybe Brown fish, maybe Mr. Greenjeans?????? Have you ever done anything with a duck or mouse?

I like the pattern of that top one.

Try to hold off until TW has their sale for the “Winch” about $199.00, not really going to find it on sale. Most ship it from factory.

Winch is lower ratio. Got that for Xmas. Can’t wait to use it. Winch Rods are slower tip moderate. Set up more for crankbaits. But that’s how I’m using it.

Would I be wrong in suggesting a Berkley Fusion Hook of some type. I got hung up in the hype of those at the end last season and picked up 2/0, 3/0 & 4/0 versions. Not the super duty though.

Just throwing it out there. Looks like all Rapala sizes are on sale. Even the glass and shallow versions. Prices are way better than their normal price. Color selection looks complete. I was trolling around their site for jointed Shad Raps, they are not on sale. Picked up a few BX Brats when sale started. I feel good about them, I just never liked the price on them. Sale price sold me to give them a try. Been a Rapala fan my whole life but those Scatter Raps turned me sour for a while. IMO they suck. Hope I like the Brats, caught tons of river smallies in Shad Raps and some of my bigger fish. Somehow posted twice. Sorry.

Heck it was over fifty years ago up at and old quarry we fished in as kids. We were not even suppose to be in there. I'm sure that's where it was and most likely a night crawler. I had an old Johnson rod and reel set up back then. You really have me thinking about growing up now and the fun we had.

I'm not proud to admit this but back a few years ago I hooked up this musky while smallie fishing. It's natural to think the fight was great. And it was. This is being taken place on 8 lb. test to boot. It was the largest fish I had ever gotten. Hey, I wanted to land the fish and I wanted my lure back. It was in August and was under warm conditions. This type of weather didn't help. I played the fish to exhaustion. The fish didn't make it, I felt like Heck over it. It bothered me for a long time because I never had anything like that happen before. I'm smarter than that. I fish smarter than that. It was sort of a black cloud day for me. If I had it to do all over again I would have cut my line. It was not my first muskie but certainly the largest. I had a muskie net the next day. I know if I had a net that day those series of events would not have happened. He was legal and didn't go to waste. I'm not proud of what happened that day. Put a real damper on the rest of that day.