smalljaw67

Basstrix Loco-motion worms, they will do what you want. I do have a word of caution for you, don't get hung up on using only floating plastics or you will miss out. I'm saying this because I've had really good days with a worm loaded with salt, in fact it, along with 2 other salt filled worms are my best producing baits. I use the Basstrix Loco-motion worms for the times when the stand up presentation is needed and I find that clear water is one of the times a floating worm on a shaky head is a great presentation.

The *** is better and I really like the new Fenwick rods. I like the new HMG but the *** is lighter than those so that is where I'd go but the new HMG 7'2" M-MF is an awesome square bill/lipless crank rod, plenty of power and just the right amount of flex!!

Sorry about jacking the thread but how long do ceramic ABEC5 bearings last if running them dry? I have yet to use ceramic or even hybrid bearings and I've heard of running them dry and also with a drop of oil and what is 321?

It depends on where you live, I'm in the north east so in winter, if the water isn't frozen, it is in the low to mid 30s, moving baits are the last thing to use as most of the stuff will be hair jigs, and tubes for the most part. Further south you may have water temps in the 40s, jerkbaits will apply in the mid to upper 40s but you'll also be using jigs with a pork or plastic trailer, grubs, and things of that nature but you have to have some experience with it. What I would do is look at what the local anglers are using, talk to someone that has had success and see what they recommend as there are always a few anglers willing to share tips. After that it basically becomes on the water experience as my winter lures are going to be much different than winter lures for an angler in Alabama. Do some research and talk to local anglers and it will give you a good start and from there you will begin to build experience.

For that worm I'm using a 3/0 offset round bend hook unless in heavy cover, then I'm using the TK130 Trokar flipping hook in a 3/0 size also. Before those I used the Eagle Claw laser sharp offset round bend and heavy cover I used a Gamakatsu offset EWG superline hook, the advent of straight shank hooks with a keeper on them really changed my mind on heavy cover hooks. I use to like the Gamakatsu straight shank but the keeper kept moving on hook sets so I went to the Trokar and have been really happy.

I'm going to say that out of a Yak you aren't really missing much. I very seldom use it, I prefer the shaky head and if you don't have sonar on your yak go with a shaky head. I say that because I find the drop shot is better fishing when you are on fish, meaning you have located them on the fish finder near cover or structure, that is when a drop shot is at its best. I'm guessing you are searching and to me the shaky head is better for combing the water because that is what is making the bait work, you drag it or hop it along and then stop it, shake it a bit and let it sit and then drag it some more and repeat what you've been doing with it, the drop shot you make a cast and then you keep a semi slack line, you want to lift the line without moving the weight very much so it kind of sits in one spot while the lure dances above the bottom. Don't worry about missing any thing, I do drop shot some but maybe 5 times a season where I use a shaky head all summer.

What kind of rod are you using that you can't feel the vibration of a spinnerbait or rattle trap? I use mono for most of my fishing except frogs and flipping very heavy cover, and I can tell you that a good copoly line like you are already using shouldn't hamper the feel of a spinnerbait or rattle trap. If you're using a glass or composite rod it may dull the vibration a bit but it is in the rod for sure.

A lot of variables involved but I determine what to use by season 1st, summer is a time when I won't be using hair jigs and suspending jerkbaits are replaced by floating models. The 2nd thing is water temperature, in summer if the water is 85 degrees I know that the low light period is going to be the best bet for moving baits and topwater but then it will most likely be a shaky head or drop shot. The 3rd thing is weather, in fall a cold front can really limit my lure choices, going from crankbait to tubes or shaky heads. The 4th thing is water clarity, spring and fall is when it affects me most as a good jerkbait bite can be hampered or even shut down because of poor water clarity so I have use different tactics. The 5th and final thing for me is the extended forecast, what the weather was a few days before and what it is going to be in the next day or two is very important, during the winter if the day I'm going is warm with sunshine and a high of 42 degrees, you may thing the fish may be active and a jerkbait will work in place of the hair jig, but if it was cold for 3 days prior, I know it will still be slow or in summer if I know a front is going to move in the next day, I'm going to run a fast moving bait first as the fish are more active before a front. So if you use those 5 variables and apply it with your lures, you'll always have something tied on that should work.

This^^^^ !! I had a neighbor who recently moved, who was a St. Croix fanboy, he loved those rods and he and I fished together a bunch of times. Anyway, he had the St. Croix Eyecon rods that he used to drag tubes with, and of course I had to use it to see why it was labeled a walleye rod. Mitch is spot on, the balance is tip heavy but it is meant to be that way and the tip sections are soft, I'm not sure about the Fenwick Walleye rods but the Eyecon rods my neighbor had were all fast and extra fast actions but the tips were really soft, drop shot specific soft and that is what his other Eyecon rod was for but that is it, if you have one with the right power and action for what you want to do then it doesn't matter the label.

Changing hooks on suspending jerkbaits is very critical because the bait was designed with the original hooks as part of the weight. I saw a friend lose 2 good jerkbaits because he put 2X strong hooks on his Pointer figuring the hooks won't bend out, what happened was the 2X trebles added just enough weight to make the bait sink and they got hung up and broke off. As for determining which style to go with there are a few things to look at, round bends hook better but EWGs hold fish better so for a bait like the X-Rap, it has a lot of movement and fish will swipe at it and so I want a hook that will get them on quickly so I like a round bend, for baits that have 3 sets of trebles, those I like the EWG style because there are enough hooks for the fish to get hooked with, the problem is these baits tend to get thrown so I want hooks that hold better but there really isn't a wrong or right. If you are unsure try experimenting and then let a season or two help you decide, for example start with a triple grip type hook and after a full season you can tell if you were missing a buch of fish that hit and lost a lot because they weren't hooked to well, then try some round bends and see if they solve your problem or you may find you land a high percentage of fish so you may opt to stay with the same style. Look at your current bait for clues as to which hook to use, if the bait you have is a RC STX for example, those suspend really well and are very finicky when it comes to hooks as they are made with a really light wire VMC, they tend to bend out as we often use heavier line than what most baits are designed for but that is another discussion, anyway, one of the best lighter wire hooks for jerkbait is the Owner Stinger ST-36, the number is important, ST-36, that hook is what I would go with for the RC STX or the LC Pointer. If you have a bait that floats up too fast, then you can try a heavier hook to balance it out and as far as whether to go with a short shank or not, for jerkbaits I say no, short shanks are made to use a larger hook on a lure without the problem of it tangling so baits like square bills and lipless cranks are popular baits for the short shank.

Jig, T-rigged worm, and a shaky head just because in that type of situation the fish stay tight to cover and will rarely chase a bait. That said, a cold front in summer is the one time where I'll fish a moving bait and for that situation I really like the flat side crankbait, a Rapala DT Flat 7 ir if there is shallow cover I'll opt for the DT Flat 3 but most other times I will resort to techniques where I can fish a bait in or close to cover for a long time very slowly.

The lipless crank is one that I honestly believe it pays to have several different brands. I say that because the biggest difference besides profile is the sound and I've had many days when just the sound change was what made a tough day into a great day. For me, I really like the Xcalibur XRK50 baits, these are the one knockers and I find that they get bigger fish on average, I'm not sure if it is the overall bait of the one knocker sound but it seems to get better than average fish. I'm a big fan of the Cordell super spots, those are really good in the cold water period in spring, the reason is I can work them slower than other baits while still getting vibration and sound. You can use them all year but a lot of anglers like when the grass just begins to emerge in spring and they just reel fast enough to tick the tops of the grass and then rip it free, killer presentation and it is similar in fall but you are pulling it free from dying vegetation and working it slightly faster than spring. In the summer I use them as a search bait in murky water and sometimes it works to the point I use it all day, summer is funny with lipless cranks as they sometime are the best bait and other times not so much but if the water is stained I'll throw one, it is that simple.

Hot head and Clown are both good when smallmouths are present. I amaze my one buddy every year with that clown color X-Rap, he just has no confidence in that color when the water is clear even while watching me do well with it. I can also say I never caught a largemouth on Hot head or clown color X-Rap but a Smithwick Rattlin' Rogue, their clown pattern is a largemouth killer and it seems to get big bites.

You have a Heddon Bayou Boogie and a spoon plug of some sort. There is a Buck Perry spoon plug but I know that there were a few different versions made by other companies.

Totally different crankbait. The new rock crawler is basically a deep wiggle wart type of crankbait, it is said to have a very similar action in a deeper diving bait in the 9' to 14' range.

That is a hard question as I've had success with a lot of different baits but there are 2 that work really well on the pause. The LC Pointer 100 and this will make a lot of people laugh but the Storm Twitch Stick 10, those two are great baits when fish are reacting to the pause. Some may ask what a $5 dollar bait has in common with a $15 dollar bait, well it is a triggering property that both share. The Pointer 100 and Twitch Stick 10 each stop dead and wobble in place, I'm not sure if there is a free floating ball in the lures that cause them to do this but the suspending quality and that wobble or vibration thing is what got me to pay the high price for Pointers. The Twitch Stick doesn't have the same level of detail the Pointer has but it does have decent hooks and that same wobble or vibration, the downside to that bait is the suspending qualities, for me the size 10 has always suspended well out of the box, the smaller size 8 needs help but other than that, these are what I would go with.

Storm Twitch Stick, 4" long, 5/8oz.

The spinnerbait is still my favorite bait but swim jigs and chatter style baits have a home in my bag as well. I'll throw the spinnerbait first almost every time except if the weeds and/or brush is heavy, or the body of water is getting pressured then I'll use the swim jig. The chatterbait comes into play in dirty water where the cover is a bit too much for a square bill because I use it like a square bill most of the time. I know there are a lot of different ways to use the chatterbait but the swim jig and spinnerbait cover the bases for me fine but when there is grass on the bottom that fouls my square bill that is when I bring the chatterbait out and let it do its thing.

If you like shad raps, check out Bagley Lures website, a new bait being released in the Balsa Shad 5, it falls between the shad rap #5 and #6 in length at 2.25" and has very similar diving depth but the kicker....It has the same weight as a shad rap 8 at 3/8oz!!!!! Will it be as good as the shad rap? I don't know as I haven't found any other shad crankbait that is even close when it comes to effectiveness in cold water but this is a balsa bait that has the weight I was wishing for with a shad rap 5. This isn't a cheap knock off of the shad rap, this new Bagley bait is made with through wire construction with precision weighting, I hope it comes out before spring as I'd love to have a couple to try out but just from what I've saw so far I'd say it has a chance. BTW there is a new square Bill and topwater bait coming from Bagley as well but the shad is my focus, so check it out.

There isn't any rods in the *** line designed for cranking but you can use just a medium power rod but they still seem a bit fast for cranking.

Your line will get cut under pressure, if you don't think you can do it yourself then don't use it until you find someone who can replace it for you and if you insist on using the rod, cut the bad guide off and use it that way, at least it isn't going to cut your line when fighting a fish but even that isn't good as it really stresses the guides in front of it and the one behind it pretty hard, just don't use it until fixed.

I'm one to say that you should get the best you can afford and what you have will work just great. What you have is a solid set up, no frills just very good function. There is nothing wrong with your combo, so go enjoy it and get some big ones!!!

Welcome to the board!!!! I'm siding with Gulfcaptain as well, it sounds as if the fish are becoming stunted, in 3 to 5 years a large population and deplete the forage base and then over time, the bigs ones show up less and less and are replaced by smaller fish. If there are larger fish left, they may be exclusively night feeding but if I wanted to see if any big fish are there I'd do what you already do, I'd show up at 4:30am with a big topwater, a buzzbait is my choice as it draws big strikes most of the time, and after that it would be a super spook, if you can get them early on a topwater like that, you may be seeing a population of stunted fish.

I use a few, it all depends on the fish but generally when the water temp is 43 to 45 degrees, I like the Pointer and the RC STX because the suspend really well which is very important in the lower water temps. 46 to 50 degrees I like both a Rattlin' Rogue and an X-Rap.

They work, the Katsuage hooks are made by VMC, and the hooks on the RC STX are made by VMC also. The reason they work is they are light wire, now on a 110 you can use the VMC Barbarian out barb hooks with no problems because the hooks are a little more stout but the 110 is a slow floater so the slightly heavier hooks don't hurt much. The RC STX is really finicky and it will sink with the VMC Barbarian out barb but is good with the Katsuage hook.