smalljaw67

It depends on the situation, if I have stained water I'll go with something with more action, in clear water I'll opt for the realistic craw, let conditions dictate your bait, not your preference.

Why go with 50lb braid when cranking? Especially a 5XD, that will keep you from getting the full depth unless you intend to be grinding it in shallow water. You'll need flipping hooks to replace the trebles because any treble hook that fits that bait, most likely a size #2, is going to bend out with 50lb braid so unless you use a different line you are just wasting money.

How about getting him a gift certificate?? A family member got me a rod that I use but it would not have been my first choice, I think I would have liked the gift certificate so I could use it for something else or apply it to the rod I want. I really like what you are going to do and the thought behind it but if your mom's boyfriend is a hardcore angler, he more than likely uses higher end stuff that cost a lot more, but a gift certificate for Bass Pro or Cabelas would mean a lot too and he can get something he would want.

The difference is the profile, both will give a similar look and action but the craw is a little wider and will displace more water while the grub is a little more streamlined. For winter I believe both to have too much action but if I was going to use one it would be the Menace Grub. To be clear, the grub will work but for my personal preference, both have too much action in my winter fishing, as water temps are in the mid to upper 30s when it isn't frozen so chunks and trailers will very little action are what is needed.

Zoom salty chunk, super chunk, super chunk jr. and skinny chunk. When fishing jigs in cold water I'm going to use chunk type trailers, you can also use pork chunks but they are kind of messy but they do work really well.

Will, you are the man!!!! I like plastic myself but a white bucktail with a white spinning strip is just a fish catcher. We use the spinning strips here on small bucktail hair jigs to slow the fall and make the fish eat it, a lot of times in cold water they just "mouth" the bait and spit it really quick but we found that with pork they fish will hold on to the bait long enough to feel it and set the hook. White is a color we use a good bit in cold water, I learned that from some guys a long time ago and it holds true, the fish seem to want to hit a baitfish imitation more often when the water is cold, I was told it was due to the affect of cold water on small forage fish, they become sluggish and stunned to the point the bass don't have to chase them down. I would rather plastic but during times when nothing is working, we break out a white, or white and gray bucktail with a white Uncle Josh pork spinning strip and it works almost every time.

Deep cranking is more about being on fish than searching for them. Before fish finders got as good as they are today, most would find a brush pile or hump or other cover or structure in the 18' to 20'+ range and throw deep cranks around that sort of stuff and it is still done today but those are high percentage areas, unlike casting from the bank which is blind casting. Fishing deep cranks from the bank can work, especially if you have a channel swing or drop that is close enough to get the bait there with a normal cast, but for the most part square bills, mid runners like the DT-6 and lipless are going to be better just because there is more water at that depth available than there is deep water and those baits tend to be better search baits.

I'm with Jig Man on this, in fact I do almost the exact same thing only I don't use a heavy power rod as I don't use spinnerbaits over 3/4oz. 6'6" MH-F for the 1/4oz and for 3/8oz with willow blades, 7'MH-F for 3/8oz with any other blades other than willows and then that rod will also work for all the other blades I use.

The generation 2 reels were much better, and being that reel has some age to it, I think $60 is a bit much. The only way I would do it is if I know for sure the reel was maintained, the reason why is that by the time a reel hits 5 years old, if it wasn't cleaned and lubricated properly there will be uneven wear in the gears and it will be hard to tell by just reeling it but under load you will notice the slight "grind" you get for lack of a better term. If it was a generation 2 I'd say yes, that is a good deal and could be if it was maintained but if it were maintained properly, I'd be willing to be he'd be asking more for it so you are getting a reel that most likely has been used to the point that it doesn't have a lot of life left in it. Remember, this is pure speculation, but ask how often it was lubed and cleaned and ask what was used or who did the maintenance and if they tell you that they don't remember or don't know what kind of lube they used, stay away from it.

Now you did it!!! I use a different bait, a River Rock Baits Kiah's Shad, they have a slightly thinner belly and are just a tad bit longer but very close to the profile of that pan fish assassin. I use them on a 1/32oz jig head with a size #4 hook for crappie and I discovered that it makes a killer bait for lethargic bass during the summer. We saw a bunch of tiny fry in the water last summer, we were trying to find what the fish were feeding on as we could not buy a strike so I saw the fry and decided to try my crappie bait on them. Well it was too light to cast really well so I used a small float and set it about 15" or 16" above the small bait and made a cast and just let it sit for a bit and then ever so gently moved the float about 6" and it went down with force and instantly the line was tight, I just reeled and leaned into the fish, I learned long ago that you can't set the hook hard with tiny hooks. I ended up catching 5 nice largemouth with the smallest being 10# and the biggest was a 19" 3lb 6oz beauty, and I also caught 11 crappie and 2 big bluegill. I would never had even tried that for bass had I not caught them before while crappie fishing with the grandson, now I make sure I have a handful of those with some small jig heads and a couple of floats with me every trip.

River Rock Baits Jake's Craw, it is very similar to the Eakins craw. I also like Prowler lures pro small chunk and the Zoom Super Chunk Jr. and the Skinny Chunk.

I have a 6'6" and a 6'10" jig rod in addition to my flipping stick and my pitching rod, they serve a purpose, for making short cast accurately when I can't get close enough to make a pitch. That said, if I was going to use 1 rod, a 6'8" to 7' would be the most versatile as you can make the short accurate casts but you still have enough length for distance when needed. It comes down to what you feel comfortable fishing, a long rod serves no purpose if it feels clumsy to you, manufacturers still make jig and worm rods under 7' for a reason, not everyone throws a long rod for jig fishing, so go with the length you like the best because it is you that is using it.

I have a Mitchell gold 300 that I got for my wife about 10 years ago and it is just like brand new, it wasn't used hard but it used a good bit between her and my grandson and never one hiccup or problem.

JeziHogg and Jig Man are spot on, make your clay jig unless you are really good with cad software. It will run about $400 for one size but if you want a 3 cavity mold with different sizes, well now you just made it a lot more because now the jig has to be redesigned to get the weights you want and it will be more than double the price of just cutting a mold based on a model. I have a spinnerbait design of my own that I'm trying to save for and the cheapest quote I got was $4500 because it is going to take a lot of cad work to get the sizes and shape right, the mold cutting will be the least expensive part of the operation.

They work and work well, the problem is the hype, I see guys throwing these with 12# fluorocarbon and 30# braid thinking the bait is heavy enough for casting rods with mid weight line. I also see guys throwing it in dirty water, that is the thing I see the most, I ran into guys using too heavy of a line about 3 or 4 times, guys throwing it in dirty water I see almost every time I fish a certain lake and the water is dirty all but in the early winter and early spring and the guys are using it in mid summer. I've caught fish with it but 2 things are the clear water and you have to be on fish, it isn't a search bait, you either have to see the fish physically or on your sonar, the lure is too subtle for fish to find it.

The Revo S looks to be better than a regular Supreme but I'd take the Supreme XT if given a choice. If you are going to go that high why not add $10 and get the Lews LFS Tournament MB, it has an aluminum frame and is considerably lighter. I like the Revo SX and STX, I feel like the S is closer to the Orra series than it is the Revo and so with only ten bucks more you'll get a reel that is much better, but that is me, if you like the look of the Revo S then the other reels aren't going to do it for you.

Spinning or casting??

Target eddies, the larger fish will have prime feeding areas and in small flows eddies are going to be the best spots. There are a number of things that will work, I'd go with a 2.75" or 3" tube or a 4" fluke jr. as the bait in that river isn't going to be big but keep it simple. When fishing the tubes or other bottom contact baits, try to use the lightest weight you can use that will still hit bottom but won't just go straight down like a rock, it will also help keep you free from snags.

These lures are for clear water and for fishing in places that you know are holding fish. The bait is very subtle, it doesn't displace a lot of water and doesn't make hardly any noise so the fish find it by sight and the small vibrations it makes help trigger the strike. There is probably a lot of these at the bottom of a lot of tackle boxes and bags because they are a very specialized lure, I messed with them for a bit and the fact that they made a heavier version for casting makes me wonder about some things. I found that the lure works best on light line, 6lb is the max, it will work on 8 but the shimmy you get is reduced to almost zero, it is really touchy and if the heavier model is the same way, 8lb line would probably be the max you could use it on. I was lucky enough to sell my baits, and it isn't that they don't work but they are even more specialized than a jerkbait and are absolutely boring to use.

The old banjo minnow was actually decent, and I think it is what got anglers nose hooking soft plastics because up until that came out, very vey anglers nose hooked a lure but the banjo minnow changed that and it also gave us the screw lock. It was a gimmick but it just happened to be one that did work, but not like the infomercial claimed it did. The Flying Lure was another gimmick, and while it was pretty much garbage, I have a friend that won 3 local tournaments on that thing and he must have at least 1000 of them, he knew they would become extinct and he made sure it would be a long time until he ran out of them.

This is a neko rig, and if there isn't any weight in the head then it is a special worm made for that as the head area of the worm looks pretty rigid as it is being drug along the bottom.

I agree, football head is the way to go, nothing better than a football head when fishing rip-rap.

I was getting some stuff organized and put away, stuff that won't be used until spring and I found another flat side crank I use but I only use it in warm water. The Koppers Live Target Bluegill crank, that thing swims like a bluegill and when bluegills are spawning it is the deadliest crank made.

Bluebasser86, that all black bladed jig is awesome and I too use that head, very good for that purpose. I just wanted to give you another blade option, I actually found those blade in black nickel, and it will work really well with the flat black head, and the blade you have looks great but I know how much of a pain it is to spray blades with powder and I figured it would save you some time.

I agree, the guys are only trying to help but you know, sometimes a certain look or style may catch a persons eye and they get set on something, or it could be other things. If he likes the look of the inferno then he would probably be more happy with it because he is looking at it for a reason or combination of reasons but we all kind of look at aesthetics as that is what normally catches the eye. For myself, I agree with you guys, better blank and components but, only to a certain extent, I have to like the feel so the reel seat has to work for me, a lot of good rods still use the Fuji ECS reel seat, I never cared for it. As for components, well to be honest, a lot of guys won't notice the difference between the steel inserts or ceramic, sure, the hardcore guys who are out multiple times a week will notice if his average casting distance has increased or his sensitivity has gotten better with one guide compared to another, but most weekend warriors can't tell the difference because they aren't on the water enough to really know, so we, as anglers, tend to take the word of pros who do notice those very things and it is why there are so many different guides to choose from. ChrisWi, don't get mad, these guys were getting you a better rod for the same money, but you like the inferno and so you need to say thanks guys but I want to know just about the rod I asked because I like the look and I'm trying to find out if anyone has it and they like it. That is what you need to say instead of getting mad because we all do the same thing, and that is try to help, most would want the better option and when talking about reels it is a no brainer but the aesthetics of a rod are different, if you don't like the look of the rod, you will regret buying it.