Primus

I've been pleased with everything I've tried. The JP Hammer Shad, Swinging Hammer & the Craw D'oeurve have done well. I have not fished the Texas Rig Jig, how do you guys usually rig it ?

I get way more bites fishing jigs/ worms with Floro over any other line. The big advantage that floro has over mono when fishing these baits especially when fishing deep is that the line is more dense and it sinks making it feel more sensitive and you get less bow in the line which also enhances bite detection.Usually premium floro is thinner in diameter than it's mono equivalent. I believe all line types have their pluses and minuses and there is a place for all 3 types in my arsenal, that said floro is on the majority of my rods. On my casting rods I use XPS which is a good steady line that's affordable. Floro is easy to handle on a casting rod, surprised that some struggle with it. Spinning rods I usually go with braid with app 7' - 10' floro leader. The exception is my wacky rig rod where I use Seaguar Tatsu which handles very well. Heavy grass flipping or frog fishing I prefer braid, I still like mono for topwater.

I'm not going to repeat what's been listed but here is another good option is the Xcite baits Raptor Tail Jr. http://www.***.com/Xcite_Baits_Raptor_Tail_Junior/descpage-XBRTJ.html

On line Tackle Warehouse is my number one choice, that said I buy local whenever I can from independent tackle shops.

As the above poster mentioned try smaller finesse jigs to help you get confidence, these typically have smaller hooks which goes well with smaller trailers and usually come in lighter weights around 1/8 - 5/16 oz.. If fishing clear water try thinning out the skirts a little bit and trimming it just beyond the bend of the hook and if the cover is not real heavy I usually thin out the weedguard as well. Also experiment with different trailers, there are times when fish want trailers with minimal action especially in colder water such as a Zoom Critter Craw and other times more action like a doubletail grub or a Strike King Rage Chunk. A small 3" single tail grub on the back of a 3/16 or 1/4 oz bitsy bug type of jig is a killer combo that flat out gets eaten and works great with all the different retrieves mentioned by the previous posters. Keep in mind that trailer choice can affect drop speed which is another critical part of jig fishing. Another consideration is the shape of the jig head, some are different variations of broad rounded jigheads that work better around rocky covers or maybe outside weedlines if fishing grass lakes. Jigs suited for fishing around weeds usually have a more streamlined pointy profile. Then their is the football head which is a subject for another day. One last combo to try is a 4" (5" also works great ) Yamamoto doubletail skirted grub on Bite Me Jacobs Jig ( or remove the skirt from one of your other jigs ) http://bitemejigs.com/components/com_virtuemart/show_image_in_imgtag.php?filename=resized%2FJakobs_Jig_4ac169badecb9_90x90.jpg&newxsize=90&newysize=90&fileout= These grubs on the back of a jighead will get a lot bites, work great with any type of retrieve and the fish will usually hold on to them a long time helping with bite detection. The Chompers Skirted Twin Tail grub is similar to the Yamamoto and also works very well. Tightlines. Tightlines

X2, If I could only keep one that would be it. Besides the other sites mentioned, check ebay.

I like both the KVD & Gamakatsu hooks, both are sharp with Gama slightly sharper until you catch a few fish. The KVD stays sharp longer than any other hook that I've used while the Gama hooks you need to touch up or replace more often in my opinion.

Thanks for the tip, placed an order with them to sample some of their products. I like the fact that they offer a lot of their plastics in a floating formula.

If you can special order them in a Fast sink, it's been a very consistent producer for me. I get mine painted in a Golden Shiner pattern by Baitwerks.

I also would start with a 6" Slow sink BBZ and a S Waver.

I fish a lot clear water, I normally do better fishing jigs without rattles along with thinned out trimmed skirts. Unless someone is shaking their jig I question if the fish can hear the rattle, that said it probably won't hurt and if it makes your more confident use it.

I do the same thing with 5" & 6" Senko style baits, I have them poured in a no salt floating formula. This has been very effective for me fished on a 1/4 or 3/8 oz football style shaky head.

X2, unless you are getting gouged buying local is good for the community. That said I will use the online retailers for stuff the local retailers don't carry.

Definitely a great choice.

Sometimes it's the opposite of number 1, there are times that I have been successful fishing heavy jigs on outside weedlines to get a reaction strike by bass that will ignore a lighter jig. I tend to do this in clear water lakes during the summer. That said good post.

X3 and I've liked most Rapala baits that I've tried. That said when I fished the bait earlier this year it seemed to perform better for me when using 8 lb mono and throwing it on a spinning rod, I did catch a few fish but the catch rate wasn't that great and the bait seemed to tempermental to justify keeping it in my box .

How do you like to rig and fish this ?

Crankbaits are what I feel is the bait class that is my strongest suit, though swimbaits are what I've enjoyed the most the past few years despite the ups and downs associated with learning big bait fishing. On tough days this year my best combo has been what I call the Shaky Senko, which is a custom handpoured no salt bouyant 5" stickworm on a 1/4 oz or 3/8 oz Picasso shaky football jighead, very consistent bait for me and I seem to catch a nicer grade of fish over a dropshot rig or fishing shaky heads with skinnier worms. Also, swimming a Sworming hornet with a lake Magic Shad ( thanks roadwarrior for recomending that trailer a few years back ) has also been very good the past 3 years or so and what I like about it is that not a lot guys in my part of the country throw this as well as the shaky Senko that I mentioned.

The 13 rods will cost you more but it is a much better rod than the Lightning rod, I am not knocking the Berkeley it's a solid choice at it's price point but once you sample a higher end rod you will find it tough to go back.

That's pretty much how I roll.

Thanks for sharing your set-up info and lure observations, I've also have become a fan of braided line with floro leaders when fishing with spinning rods.

Sorry I didn't post sooner but I'm catching up a little. If I may ask what type of line along with rod/reel combo did you use and do you agree with the light (4 lb ) line recommendation that the japanese fisherman apparantly use ? Thanks

I've caught them on 9" MS Slammers, 8" BBZ's & 8" Hudds. I have thrown a 10" Triple Trout some but still looking for my first fish on that bait but I shared a boat with another swimbait fisherman that stuck a nice 5-1/2lber with that bait which is why I now own a couple of them I have done well on the 7" & 8" versions of this bait. Soft plastics would include 10" ribbon & straight tail worms along with full size Brush Hogs.

Nice collection.

Swimbaits, crankbaits & jigs.