smalljaw67

I just got home from Cabelas and I thought I'd post some info that I just found out. A few days ago I was trying to buy some jerkbaits that were on sale, they were listed as in stock but it turns out everything was on backorder so I didn't bother because they couldn't give me a date on when they were expected to be in, and I already waited 3 months for backorder items so I said no. Well today I take a ride to Cabelas and fins the jerkbaits, but they are at full price and I was going to just say forget it but I decided to ask the associate about the product price. I told him that I was unable to get the baits online as they are on back order but online they are on sale and so he was checking on his mobile device and sure enough they were on sale and so he told me to take them to the register and tell the cashier that they are on sale on the internet. Upon hearing that I grabbed a bunch and went to the cashier, she scanned them and they came up full price and I told her what the associate told me and she hit a button on the register and rescanned the baits and they came up as the sale price, it was then that the lady told me that the catalog has mistakes that don't have to be honored but if it is on the internet then that is the price unless it is a web only special but she said even with that ask because they normally will give you the sale price. So, if you have a Cabelas near you and you see an item on sale but it is back ordered or sold out, take a look to the store as they may have stock and they have to sell it for the sale price but only if you ask or I should say, tell them.

I've used different ones because to me they are all very different, the slug-o is not a fluke and vice versa. I have now settled on 2 baits from a small manufacturer that are killer, the River Rock Baits Jointed Jerkbait and the River Rock Baits Twitchy Minnow. The twitchy has more of a side to side glide while the jointed jerkbait has a darting, more erratic type action and so the twitchy is used when the fish are a little slower to chase while the jointed works best when fish are active. I also found the Jointed jerkbait to be a killer on the back of a chatterbait but as I said, I use both because they are completely different even though they are all soft jerkbaits. I do like the bigger mass produced baits like the Fluke and Slug-o, in fact the 4.5" slug-o was my absolute favorite and my second with the Super Fluke Jr. as both had different actions but I found that the small manufacturer offered me more with softer plastic and that is a big deal to me when T-rigging because I can use lighter line and not have to worry about the hook not going through the plastic.

That is actually a very good rod, it is a medium power rod and while it probably was ok for jerkbaits it would be a little too soft for my liking. The value would depend on the person, not many anglers today use a 6' casting rod but is easily worth a hundred bucks, probably more depending on condition. That rod would be great for making target casts in tight areas with small square bills and traps, around boat docks, under overhangs and other such areas.

I did that and there are 2 things I'll share with you, the first is you need to use super glue or epoxy and put it on the threads of the hook hanger screws when you put them back in. The second thing is be careful of the split ring size, too small will not give you any benefit as the movement will still be restricted so when you put the spilt ring on hold the hook and move it around and make sure there aren't any spots for the ring to get jammed or stuck. You also need to worry about too large of a split ring, that shows up in a cast or two as you will begin to foul your line, I tend to leave my old model spooks alone, I know the hook hangers aren't great but they hold good and the only ones I ever had that let loose were ones I did exactly what you did and that is why I recommend epoxy of super glue on the threads, preferably epoxy.

I do the same as ww2farmer, I've had many baits not work right after upsizing. I don't use a lot of Strike King models which seem to take upsizing pretty well but I have no problem with the stock size hooks.

I don't know very much but about that line but I can tell you that I've become a big fan of Fenwick rods. I have several Elite Tech Smallmouth rods in spinning and casting, an Aetos casting rod and I'm still deciding on another Aetos or save some money and go with the new HMG. I think if the Methods will fit your needs it should be a good rod for a pack style rod, they use solid components and all of my rods have excellent build quality but you don't need to worry about performance, so far they all have exceeded the price point by a large margin.

I like my X-Raps and Rogues and the Storm Twitch Stick has really impressed me, the LC Pointers and Megabass 110 are for certain situations now. I would like to get some XS4 baits, one of my favorites is my Xt3 deep in pearl melon, that is the one bait I can use after a cold front pushes the fish out to the first drop and know with certainty that I'll catch a few. The EEratic shad is another Good Xcalibur jerkbait on the discontinued heap, Cabelas just had them for less than 5 bucks each but sold out.

If it was discontinued it was due to it not selling well but as others said, maybe it is just out of stock right now. I know how it is, Xcalibur kills me, they make some really awesome jerkbaits, the Xt3 Twitch and the Xs4 Jimmy, both really good baits, and they sold well but discontinued and then they bring out the EEratic shad, Edwin Evers goes to Megabass and they are being discontinued. I will offer you a glimmer of hope, you can check ebay but most of the sellers know when something is discontinued and you'll end up paying through the nose. Or , you can contact the manufacturer or the store and look for old stock to buy up, my favorite wake bait is the Manns Waker elite, it is a big body bait that no matter how fast you reel it, it only dives to 3" and it is a killer, the rootbeer chartreuse color is the best. Anyway, those are discontinued but I sent an email to Manns when I only had 2 left and sure enough they had old stock and I was able to get my best color along with others, so I loaded up, so before you get bummed out check for old stock, a lot of places will take a non selling or discontinued product out of the inventory system and put the items in a bargain bin and a simple email or phone call is often all it takes, these places will gladly sell old stock if it is on hand.

A spinnerbait is my favorite bait, it is the bait that inspired me to make my own so that I could build them for very specific techniques like burning or slow rolling. For you to have success with a spinnerbait you have to have confidence and with every fish you catch on one your confidence will increase but first you have to catch one. When I was teaching my grandson the spinnerbait I didn't want to overwhelm him with information so we kept it simple and I suggest that for you guys that never got bit using them. Start with a 1/4oz tandem spinnerbait, or a double willow, both work fine but the tandem if more versatile. The tandem is a willow leaf blade on top with a small Colorado blade underneath, throw this in mid spring when the water temp hits 60 degrees, make a cast past the target you want to fish. for example, if you see a laydown near the bank, make a cast 15 feet past the lay down and reel the bait right past the laydown, if a bass is there it will ambush the spinnerbait and you will be on your way. My favorite thing to do with a spinnerbait is to burn them in the river for big smallmouth, nothing like slinging a 1/2oz burner spinnerbait a good distance and burning it back, the water is crystal clear and you are close to the surface but is just deep enough that it doesn't make a wake. You get half way back to the boat, your heart is beating faster in anticipation for the moment the bait gets near the boulder you targeted and as it is going by you stay focused on the bait flashing and the skirt pulsing and then all of a sudden the bait disappears, there is a big swirl on the water and then it feels as if someone is trying to yank the rod from your hands!!!! It happens in the blink of an eye but it seems like it happens in slow motion, I never get tired of that and you won't either once you gain a little confidence.

Check that out in a day or two, I'll bet it is listed again. I've witnessed it happen a lot when guys have shills to prop up the price of an item, sometimes the shill gets over zealous and ends up going higher than the retail price and the seller gets stuck with it.

What you need can be found at Harbor Freight, there are compressors that range from $40 to $100 that will work for you. The cheaper ones have small tanks, they are a pain as they keep turning on every minute to build up air, for air brushing I would get at least a 2 gallon tank and you can get an oiless one that big for around $80. If you plan on it being decent then you need to spend at least that much, I use mine pretty hard and it has lasted over 10 years and all you need to do is keep it clean, it will come with an air hose, tire chuck and regulator, just remember to open up the moisture port of the bottom of the tank after every use and you'll be fine.

Most moderate fast rods are soft moderate actions, on a few are true moderate fast. What that means is the rod flexes further down the blank but it doesn't have a parabolic bend, it is basically a fast action with more flex further down the blank. The G.Loomis MBR mag bass tapers are close to being moderate fast, the Phenix fast action rods actually have more tip flex than a fast action, almost parabolic but it is still in the upper 1/3 of the blank so it is a fast action. I have a Fenwick smallmouth rod that is moderate fast and it flexes down past the 5th guide from the top but not in parabolic form. The last thing about moderate fast actions is the power, the lighter the power, the more moderate the action but they will still not be parabolic, the difference would be the lure weight they can handle, like if you have 2 7' rods, both are medium power but one is moderate and the other a true moderate fast, the moderate fast will be rated to about 3/4oz or 7/8oz while the moderate will be around 5/8oz. I know it sounds confusing and it is because there is no industry standard, I found that the Fenwick rods and Kistler KLX series offer a true moderate fast action while the Shimano moderate fast rods are made with composite and have a parabolic bend so I would say they are moderate but a true moderate fast is great for shallow cranks and basically any type of reaction bait, the Megasbass 6'10" Orochi XX spinnerbait special looks like a true moderate fast action, goo to tackle tour and look at the review and that will give a good description.

I like a fast action for jerkbaits and topwaters for the same reason as Bluebasser86, I have more control over the bait but if you work a bait slower then a moderate or moderate fast may work for you. My new jerkbait rod is a medium heavy with a moderate fast action but it is much faster than most moderate fast rods, most in that action have a soft tip with a parabolic bend while my rod just flexes a little further down the blank but it is a different rod, otherwise I would use a fast action. Also, a fast rod with a soft tip is great, the rod still recovers quick enough that you have control but it flexes easier which helps with fighting a fish.

This is easy for me as I normally use the "6-pack" when trying new water. 1. 1/4oz double willow - color depends on conditions. 2. 1/4oz Indiana/Colorado tandem - color depends on conditions. 3. 3/8oz double willow - color depends on conditions 4. 1/2oz double willow - color depends on conditions. 5. 1/2oz Indiana/Colorado tandem - color depends on conditions. 6. 1/2oz single Colorado - Black and Red with Brass or black nickel blade. Those 6 will cover all your bases fairly well, there are a lot more but those are basic, the 1/4oz bait is small so you aren't going to want a thumper blade in that size. A 3/8oz double willow is what I call an all purpose bait, the reason I only have one is because the 1/4oz with the tandem Indiana/Colorado will cover the smaller, hard vibrating bait and the 1/2oz covers the larger area so you don't need to have one in the middle too, but you can go with a single 1/4oz double willow and add the tandem to the 3/8oz is you like the heavier side. The reason I don't have any single blade thumpers in smaller sizes is because of the lift, you need at minimum a 1/2oz bait for a thumper as it won't lift as fast as the smaller ones. This list will cover shallow burning to mid depth slow rolling and everywhere in between.

I want to see this also, great concept if it works.

I never thin it, I did try it a few times and it develops bubbles and Cadman is correct, you need a drying wheel. The reason I was trying to thin it was I wanted to use a large amount in 1 batch rather than working with multiple small batches and it worked but I had a lot of bubbles and I worked with it to correct the problem but I was never able to solve it so I just use small batches and leave it alone.

I have 4 light weight reels, a Lews Tourney Pro, an Abu Garcia Revo Premier 2nd generation, and a Smoke 150 HPT and a Smoke 100 SPT. I find I like the Smoke 150 HPT the best, the cast control works really well for me, they should use that ACS 3 on all of their reels. That is the one I would go with, the Smoke 100 is a good reel too but I do prefer the 150 because of the braking system.

I think the Fenwick Elite Tech smallmouth 6'9" medium power, extra fast casting is just what you need! It has a really small weight range of 3/8oz to 5/8oz but it handles 1/4oz jigs and T-rigs fine. It will also handle above the 5/8oz and I think a better rating would have been 1/4oz to 3/4oz but the 3/8oz to 5/8oz is right in the wheel house of the rod because of the extra fast action. If you want the medium heavy they have the same 6'9" casting rod but it is a medium heavy with a fast action, it is rated at 3/8oz to 1oz but it can handle 1/4oz no problem, it has a lot of backbone and it will surprise you because it is very light weight, the major difference between these rods besides the power is the handle. Now, because of the weights you use and the application you want the rod for makes both rods work and either will work well but if you prefer a shorter handle for pitching the medium extra fast will be the rod you want, if you like a longer, more traditional length handle, the medium heavy fast will be better. The best part is you get a lot of rod for the money, The price is right there, Fish USA has them for $99.95 shipped I believe and you get a lot of rod for that price, extremely light weight and very sensitive, I believe it will work great for what you need it for.

I'll use a bluegill pattern when the water is stained but still has 1.5' to 2' of visibility and when I'm fishing behind others I see using a spinnerbait because most are using white, chartreuse or a combination of white and chartreuse. The clearer the water, the more translucent colors and baitfish type patterns I'm going to use, blue glimmer, green glimmer, and pearl are really good to use in clear water but if you get a little color to the water then use one of those colors along with blue and a few strands of chartreuse to make a bluegill pattern which is a natural color but offers a little more visibility.

I use the Eye Surrender, I have 2 pair, green lenses and copper lenses, they are like $59.99 and have a lifetime $20 replacement, the lenses have great optical quality but the comfort level is incredible, I often forget I'm wearing them and I used to wear only Maui Jims and I went cheaper with these and I'm happier about it.

Cold water I like chunks, specifically the Zoom Super Chunk Jr. or the Salty Pro Chunk. I use the Jr. in the super chunk because it helps get attention to the small finesse jigs I use them on but on a larger jig the Sr. has a bit too much action so I use the salty pro chunk because it is the same size as the Sr. but it has a smaller profile because that chunks has a larger area for the hook but smaller "legs or claws" compared to the Sr. which is the exact opposite with larger "claws" and a smaller hook area.

I got to fish with a spoonplugger once, it is interesting but very similar to trolling for walleye, something I dislike. I'm not wishing to make light of it or make anyone mad but I don't like trolling, I've done it for walleye with a friend and I got to do it with a spoonplugger and aside from line and lure differences it is pretty much the same. What I like about bass fishing is the entire concept of finding the fish and then presenting them a lure that fools the fish into striking my lure and I use the lure most appropriate for the area I'm in. Trolling is basically letting out line to run a lure at a certain depth and then driving around until you get the lure close enough to a fish for it to bite, and when you find them you make a circle and then go through the school again, to me that is boring. I know there is a lot of skill in trolling correctly, it is a skill technique as it isn't easy maintaining the exact speed and course and there are other elements involved as well but it isn't for me and I think the cost of fuel and the rise of competitive bass fishing is why spoonplugging isn't as popular as it once was but there are a bunch of dedicated pluggers out there and to those I say good luck.

You can dye feathers but Cadman is correct, you can't dye black, in fact I don't think any dyed colors can be done over with a good result. If you know someone who ties flies or jigs ask them to do them over with white and red, easy enough.

I may be able to help you as I have that mold and use different hooks but what you want to use doesn't exist, a 30 degree Owner or Gamakatsu, and you also want a heavy hook for bottom contact, well you can only go as big as the 32886 unless you modify the mold but there really isn't a heavy 30 degree unless you use the hooks in the 4 pack with the twist locks on them. Here is my take, there are 2 types of hooks, cutting points and puncture points, cutting points are made by Trokar, Gamakatsu, and Owner while the puncture points are Eagle Claw (needle point), Mustad (ultra point), and VMC (cone cut point). For swim jigs the cutting points are out, at least for me, I was testing some Gamakatsu spinnerbait hooks out a few years back and I was losing fish, that is rare so on one fish I landed I picked it up and as soon as the line got slack the bait fell out of the fish's mouth. What happens with moving baits like spinnerbaits and swim jigs is the fish often hit them from the side and as a result, the get hooked in the soft membrane, well when you have a cutting point, the fish does a head shake and it acts like a saw cutting a large hole in the membrane and as soon as any slack gets in the line the hook falls out which was happening to me so I stopped using cutting points on moving baits. I think the round bend Mustad 32886 is a really good hook and I have had zero problems with it, I think you can use that hook for all your applications but if you want a lighter wire for a swim jig then go with a Mustad 32724. The other thing is you never mention the size of bait you want to make, the reason is when you get to the 4/0 and 5/0 Mustad 91768, it is fairly stout but most anglers prefer the round bend over the EWG style hook.

I do use a thinner skirt on swim jigs and spinnerbaits for the most part. On finesse jigs I sometimes use as little as 20-22 strands but it depends on the jig size and type.