SENKOSAM

Jerks and near-surface lures, surprisingly don't work all of the time, but at times, are the best lures for active fish. Lew's speed minnow (in tiny and medium), has a wider wobble. Sometimes small body/large-action lure makes a big difference, especially on small waters and shallow areas. The comparable water displacement for lures such as the popper and Lew's jerk, is a major turn on which fish never expect from a runt. (Bass Pro for Lew's for around $2.49) Rapala's and Lew's require the plug to constantly have to rise to the surface and causing rings to form from small jerks and popping to the surface. Fish have been known to get so excited that they jump clear over the lure! Hair jigs (1/16) in fiber, feather or hair, are fanastic multispecies lures, in the finesse category. They fall slow, can be twitched in place anywhere in the water column and are the ultimate come-&-get-me lure. I found this out this summer. Three weeks ago I caught over 40 perch and 2 bass on hair jigs. Sam

There is a small shallow reservoir where I live and the place is loaded with different weed types, depending on the season. One bait I have a lot of fun with, is a black, Johnson Silver Minnow, weedless spoon and pork or plastic trailer. Those 12"-15" bass ambush that combo within a few seconds of it's being pulled into the weeds from the bank. A Zoom trick worm ( no wt), worked across weed pockets, gets some good hits. One shoreline has some nice overhanging branches, so that calls for casting a short-arm black spinnerbait, #4 blade, with black trailer, as close to the bank as possible and jigging it down the drop. 2 3/4" floating minnows (Rapala and Storm Thunderstick), take a fair share of bass as do Kalin grubs rigged on a light jighead. Your buzzbait might do better with a tri-wing blade, to slow it to a virtual crawl; bright 5" curl tail grubs trailers sometime help give the appearance of a larger surface swimmer. Slow and stealthy are the key for shallow impoundments and you never know when fish will be in one foot of water. Long casts, 8lb test and downsized lures all help in catching well fed fish. Poppers are a great bait for what you describe, but my advice would be to use a hair or feather rear treble and allow long pauses between violent, but erratic, pops. Also, they like being near concrete and riprap, for some reason. Sam

Chris, I've never seen the Big Wag worm anywhere once Riverside went out of business (were bought out by Pure Fishing). Bill Norman doesn't carry Snatrix anymore. Mr. Twister doesn't produce the pocket Phenom. But more important, I fuse parts of worms and grubs together to come up with new designs or copy existing ones. For example, I've made a good copy of Yamamoto's Cut Tail worm by fusing a Zoom Speed Worm to a curly tail plasic worm and cutting the tail at an angle. Good lure action and I'm satisfied I'm not making GY any richer. It's nice not having to depend on a company for tackle you can handcraft yourself, whether it be rods, cranks, jigs or worms. Many don't have the inclination or time to make their own and don't mind the extra expense. I make a good Senko copy in all my favorite colors for a dime. I used to pay 70 cents a worm (S&H, gas mileage or tax not included). Do I chose to pay $70 per 100 or $10 per hundred? Just a bonus in my book. Sam

http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20040424/bob8.asp (The last contribution is my own.) Sam

Over 10 years ago a member from my bass club showed me some jigs he made from scratch using thread, living rubber and sealer. I decided to buy some jigheads with fiber guards and some spinnerbait forms, and tie my own. I was new to jig and spinnerbait fishing, so I didn't expect that my lures would be as good as those mass produced. Thankfully I was dead wrong! For many years, I knew that you can rejuvenate a plastic worm by using a hot knife to seal slits and holes. The plastic was a little softer where the mend took place, but the worm looked almost new and could catch more fish. (This was used on favorite worms that were taken off the shelves and which I had caught bunches of bass on.) Two years ago, I showed a friend how to repair soft plastics using the knife method and he went one further - cutting the worm in half, getting rid of the torn up areas, putting the ends over a flame, and welding the peices back together. Senkos were the prime use of this technique, since they are the most expensive disposable plastic ever made, and came out as good as new. Plus, you could weld to different colored worms together. (ie. bright tail to black body, etc.) He went on to buying a kit that had a few mold cavities of worms and grubs, dye, a quart of plastic and instructions. We went fishing in early spring, last year, and his 4", split shot stick caught the only fish, weighing in at 3.5 lbs. (He was immediately hooked on pouring and has never bought a Senko since and he came in first place in his bass club's second division.) He decided to advertise on his own and other sites, and see if people would buy his handpoured baits. They did, so he expanded his selection, added Mega Strike scent and now has more colors than Yamamoto. All of this shows that "if you build it, they will be caught" (Lake of Dreams) There are many lures you can make yourself, as are displayed in the photo gallery on tackleunderground.com. The site has different sections dedicated to making various lure types. Crankbaits, soft plastics, fly tying, in-lines and other wire baits, are a few. I offer a free how-to on making your own molds from cheap plaster and also sell heat resistant glitter to hard and soft bait makers. Many of the guys on the above site sell their stuff to diehard customers, due to quality, service and lure uniqueness. People can request special colors and not have to worry that a worm style or color will be discontinued. I've copied quite a few worm styles that will never be seen again such as Gator Tails by Ditto and a Riverside design called the Big Wag. Besides, you can make lures as small as 1" to giant 12" worms. Anyone can tie their own, pour their own, assemble their own and create new designs with a little practice and a very small investment. It sure makes the winter months go a little faster and is the best extension of the sport! Sam

I'm from southern NYS, lower Hudson Valley. There are quite a few small lakes and rivers. Sam