Spankey

Pretty simple really. Tie on a 1/0 or 2/0 worm hook. Straight shank or off set it doesn’t matter. Than just pinch on the split shot 8”,10”,12” or 16” whatever above hook. Size 4,5,7 shot. Round, clam shape you get the idea.

Rat-L-Traps for year round. You only need three colors. Chrome w/black back Chrome w/blue back Gold w/black back If you have a hard time finding Bill Lewis get some Cotton. By both brands.

I don’t think it’s a dumb question. Good question. I don’t have a scientific answer or a scientific approach to it but not being an expert I would not over think it all to much. Green Pumpkin, Pumpkin Seed, Watermelon w/ blk. fleck, black, black and blue seem to fish about the same for me. But I don’t hesitate to throw natural Shad and shiner colors either. Regardless of light conditions. I think you are talking about soft plastics. Hard baits I feel about the same way. Hey where does bubble gum/pink fit in. There have been times that I was real hard up and couldn’t buy a bite. Throw a bubble gun Zoom Shad or pink RoboWorm and have a smallie slam it. I doubt there is a real answer to why bass do what they do.

I’m very satisfied with my Revo Winch.

I know nothing about this app. Is it something regional you are looking at or is it just in general? You are North Jersey, is a guy from Cali or Texas following the same info? Just curious. Thanks.

I think foremost when it comes to crankbaits don’t over think the color patterns. The strikes are reactionary. I don’t believe they are looking at the green back gizzard Shad you are throwing and saying I’m not hitting that because the back is green. I’ll think about striking if it were blue back. On something that is moving I don’t believe there is much of a thought process behind it. I think they react or don’t react. The XD that Strike King puts out there are a lot of successful patterns that I’ve been using. This season natural patterns were almost all that worked for me. I only got a handful of fish on fire tiger, chart. w/ black back, chart. w/ blue bk., spring craw, brown and orange craw. These are generally good colors for me. I struggled with them. I stopped throwing them and beating myself up over it. I switched to more natural colors. Lighter bluegill patterns. Maybe the lure is not called bluegill by manufacturer but shades of bluegills colors are in them. But as far as some good SK color patterns that work real well are blue gizzard Shad, gizzard Shad, green gizzard Shad, gizzard Shad w/ black back, Tenn. Shad, silver tenn. Shad, Pearl w/ black spatter bk., chrome w/ blk. Bk., chrome w/ blue bk.. These are just a few off the top of my head that I would not hesitate to have tied on and they are just a few SK patterns. And my opinion on SK patterns is they are not the cleanest. They could have a better finish but the fish do not seem to care. They truly do not look exact as any baitfish. I have my share of Rapala and Bandits I do well with. Again just a rough representation of something on the natural side. Over the winter I’m going to pick up a Rapala DT in the original bluegill. This is a great pattern for me. I’m going to remove the hardware and put some rtv sealer over the hook hangers to keep them from rusting and hang it in one of my dogwood trees and try to fade that lure a bit. I don’t think I’ll be wasting my time. I believe it will work as good or better with that faded color. I’m certainly no expert. Will never be an expert. I just give it heck. I do like fishing crankbaits. Like catching them on them. I like the reactionary bite. I think you just have to believe. I think if you are near a Rapala display of Shad Raps and you are looking and let’s say “Gold” (gold body w/ black bk & red at gill plate) catches your eye and you say “that gold shiner is the ticket”. Buy it and go with it it will work. But you have to believe. Don’t buy it if you don’t believe. I don’t think color is real important but I have to believe in what I’m throwing.

Stanton had a nice shot last night for sure. Had a tough start against the Indians. Yanks and Rays are always a good match up.

Sounds like the time to get a few packs of Zoom Craws. Pick out a few colors you feel good about. 1/16 oz jighead w/ 2/0 hook and go at it. 6’8” - 6’9” ML fast action rod, 6 lb. test. I’m feeling it.

I was off base with the recent rains. No noticeable water rise. Slightly stained. It was colder than a well diggers butt to start out Sunday I do know that. Surface temps are down some, but far from what I call being in true fall form. I think we are going to go into it now. Don’t see anything summer like ahead of us. Caught two on Zoom Split Tail Grubs, got hits on a few Fat Albert colors. Could tell you if it was bass, perch or what hitting it. Thought I would have made something happen quick with a crankbait or jerkbait. No such luck. For the record I’m no expert or profess to be. I just like giving it heck. I’m after that Pennsylvania 6 + pounder. Good fishing.

That carbon pattern is a great jerk bait also. I have not landed anything of size yet with it. Dinks and runts. But it will come. They like it and I hope a nice one will like it. I wish Rapala would incorporate that pattern in more styles of their baits. I’d love to have it in a Shad Rap or DT.

No gizzard Shad up there? In bigger lakes. Maybe not in a retention pond. I can see that. I use no real image or live image CB’s. Had a very short try them and forget about them. They are not in the set of cards meant for me. But I have many productive Rapalas, Bandits, Bombers and Strike Kings. Sometimes a productive patterns dies off but it gets broken out again. I’ve never written off anything that has been productive.

I hear you buddy. I like some of that good old days stuff from time to time. Heck I set there and think about it and laugh like heck. Like I’m a crazy person. I’m in it for what today is bringing. You have to. And can only control so much of that. Listen man some of that old stuff is like a happy place. Don’t loose it. This country is a messed up place right now. I can not and won’t get political on here. This day to day stuff we have to go through doesn’t help us any. Don’t be going and getting yourself all depressed. There are things that you/me can control and there are things we can’t. And those thing we can’t just leave them for somebody else. Sorry I don’t know you. If it were so I’d hook up the boat and we’d go fishing and talk about that old day stuff. Today and near future will get better. Don’t over stress yourself and don’t let anyone put unnecessary stress on you.

Life long Yankee fan. They played well against the Indians in the short wild card. Up hill battle from here. Stanton is not ready to play. But hope Gary Sanchez can pull it together. He’s not washed up. He needs a spark. He is certainly not solid. Voit, LeMahieu, and Urshela are solid. And Brett Gardner can come through. Up hill but I have to like their chances. If they play like when the season started they do stand a chance.

This is not a big purchase or anything but over this winter there are some guys on here that I’d like to reach out to and fish with them this upcoming season. Take the Time to make some good arrangements, solid plans and drag my puddle jumper up north and down south to see and fish with some folks.

Not in the winter mode yet but I’m thinking about searching out a nice spotlight that I can mount rigid but can remove easy. I have a nice handheld that I’ve used for years when I need it or want to light something up. Want to free up my hand. Please let’s not go there about what is legal and not legal blah blah blah. I don’t care. I’m not using it illegally. Thanks.

I like them for shallow cranking. I like the Strike King versions.

All I know is, I’d never spend $0.10 on a live image or true image Crankbait again. I’m a Rapala fan boy since I was a kid. Back a handful of years ago when Rapala put out the real image on some baits I could not wait to get some in my possession and fish them. They are dang near a zero to me. I’m saying they suck. But overall I’m a big Rapala fan. Just not a real image fan. Too much other stuff works better to waste my time with them. The true image smallmouth in a DT and Shad Rap work great for the occasional channel catfish. But I’m sure they work great for the next guy.

I’m pretty sure a square bill is designed to deflect off of cover better than round types in certain situation. Not an matter of water clarity. Colors and bait patterns fall more in line with water clarity.

I find that to be true on some days.

It a good proven pattern as far as me fishing it but I would never say it would be MY best all around crank pattern. The Rapala Original Bluegill is one of my most productive patterns. Not the Real Live Image stuff they put out. The original bluegill - still in production. But not the best all around pattern. In my opinion. But has caught a lot of fish. Green and brown bass.

I’ve seen that condition before but maybe not quite that bad. The other week is was channel surfing between periods while watching the hockey playoffs. Came across this show where this Dr. guy and Dr. chick were doctors who work on people’s feet. Let me tell you that was some gross crap and I don’t know how a human can live with what I saw on that show. I would have thought it would have kill them with conditions that bad. Real foot rot. I think those bass will survive just fine.

I believe it includes days before and after a full moon ?. The same with a new moon ?. If you want to believe that. I’m not saying it is true or false.

Have fun. Nice looking back water cove. Your first fish ? Is that a bass cat?

We got that big shot of rain on Wednesday and decent amounts overnight and this morning. I don’t think it will bring levels up as high as I had thought, but hope it brings fish up onto the bank some. My fishing comfort zone is the bank out to about 13’-17’ of water. The impoundment is much deeper than that. Fall is generally when my nicer fish have been caught, PB has been caught or broken in the fall. I have no control over the bite. Can only try to get them to bite. But as my trips out are starting to fade I am truly fishing for that 6 or 7 lb. bass now. To most of you guys thats not too much to brag about. But in Penna. that is a very respectable green or brown fish. I take every time out seriously, always hope to catch that lake or river giant but I have to try to step that up a bit. Focus harder. I have my confidence baits pulled and boxed and bagged. I’m not looking for any head games and don’t want to create and head games for myself. Too easy to do that sometimes. Might be a bust this fall I don’t know. Weird year as far as number. Pretty low. But have caught some real real nice fish. But I am puzzled over the lack of dinks and runts. It concerns me but overshadowed by catching nice ones right now. Will rethink that in my head over the winter. I’m doing a bit of an experiment with coffee scenting some worm as of recently. Should have started that back awhile ago. Don’t want to waste any time with that. Might play with that before I pack it in at the end of my time out. Or totally back burner it. I think I may play the weather game and get sick from work and try to get some consecutive mornings on the water. Try a three or four morning in a row attempt. Try to cover some water. Sorry for being so long winded. Just stuff rattling around in my head. Good fishing.

The Spot you are referring to you mean CC Rattling Spot? You are correct the gold is a lot deeper in my opinion also. BL Traps are more of a bleached out sun faded Gold look. I have and do use some CC Spots they are a good lure. I’m a BL die hard but truly don’t want to mislead anyone about ever using a CC Spot. I’ve successfully fished their chrome and gold versions. Must admit they are as good. There is most likely a slight difference internally, they are missing that tiny fin. But for a reaction strike bait they work.