smalljaw67

I'm going to try that this year, thanks for the tip!!!!!!

I've really come to like the underspin, but for me is has become a great Spring and Fall bait. I've had some success with them for suspended fish in warm water during Summer but when I began using them in cooler water, low to mid 50s, the bait really did shine at that time using a slow retrieve allowing the blade to just tick the bottom every now and then. I like a 3.5" to 4" paddle tail swimbait or a 4" fluke style baits as the trailer, for the warmer water, above 55 I use the swim bait and below 55 I use the fluke, that seems to work well for me.

When I started messing with the Ned Rig I tried different weights and different sizes and type of baits as well as head styles. One thing I found is the more weight, the less bites I got, straight up fact, and because of that I never used a weed guard and I have only been hung up a few times. If I'm fishing cover like brush piles I'll use a shaky head and that is because the if fish are holding in cover, they'll bite a T-rigged worm, the Ned Rig is more about catching fish that are suspending or cruising open water when pressured or in a neutral mood, fish holding on cover will usually bite other baits so I never felt the need to use a weed guard.

The difference in all of the paddles tails is the plastic, the softer it is the slower the speed at which you get tail kick and body roll. In the waters I fish, the Keitch Easy Shiner worked better than the Swing Impact models, then I tried a River Rock Baits Striker swimbait, similar to the easy shiner but 1/4" shorter (3.75"), and it is softer and I get full tail kick and body roll even when using no weight and just a rivet for a line through presentation. All of them work, it just seems certain places one type will out produce another, I know most of the good anglers and guides are switching out the Swing Impacts and going with the Easy Shiner type, most of the river smallmouth guides are using the River Rock model, it just depends on what the fish prefer. I have Gene Larew sweet swimmer, those are good as well as the RI Skinny Dippers, so my suggestion would be to buy a few different brands and types and see what does better.

If you like Falcon rods then stick with them and there are a few reasons. Like Hogsticker mentioned, their builds are more traditional in styling so you are paying for components and not decoration. The reason a lot of Falcon rod users don't like other brands is because Falcon has their own actions, they are different than most other rods I've used. They use slower tapers for techniques you would normally use faster actions and if you are new to Falcon rods you kind of have to get use to their tapers but anglers who have used them for a long time have a tough time adjusting to faster taper rods. So if you are looking for a different rod similar to a Falcon I'm afraid there isn't much that you'd like, Hammer rods will probably be close but they all have the same taper so if I were you I'd just stay with Falcon, good rods with unique tapers that work.

I missed this topic before but I'll add my picks as well since I love jerkbaits. Like others have said, the Rapala Shadow Rap is really good for the price, and I too like the Luck-E-Strike RC STX. Those are in the $8 range, drop down to the next level and the Smithwick Suspending Rogue, and you need to get the suspending model as they also make a lot of floating ones as well. If you only get 1 rogue get the clown pattern, I've taken more smallmouth on that jerkbait than all others combined and it doesn't get ass many largemouth for me but the ones that do hit it are usually bigger ones. After the Rogue I'd look at the Yo-Zuri 3DB Jerkbait, I got to use them last spring and this fall, this bait will flat out catch them on a sunny day when the fish are willing to move higher in the water column and the rogue and 3DB are in the $7 range. The cheapest and becoming a favorite of mine is the Storm Twitch Stick, I have both sizes but the 10 size is what I like to use, it does have a slow rise but no more than a Megabass 110, and the bait is the same size and weight as the Lucky Craft Pointer 100. It isn't as well finished as the pointer and doesn't suspend as well at low temps like the pointer but the action is similar and on the pause it has the same slight wobble effect that I believe makes the pointer effective. You can find the Twitch Stick in good colors for a little over $5, and they catch fish, in fact I've had days were it was my best jerkbait and I fish jerkbaits in all price ranges as I have the famous Megabass vision 110, a bunch of Lucky Craft Pointers, Xcalibur XT3s (discontinued but once were $12.99), and a couple Jackall Squad Minnow 95s and the cheap list I gave you aren't just about saving money, they work. One thing I've discovered is most jerkbaits have a unique triggering quality that makes them different, like the Pointer has the wobble and finish, the Rogue has the "Rogue roll", Megabass vision 110 has a unique profile and tight darting action, and the Rapala Shadow Rap has a slow sink in a nose down posture. The less expensive baits try to mimic these triggering properties but never get them exact so what happens is you get a little different action that can make a difference, in waters where everyone throws the LC Pointer, the Twitch Stick might be a better choice, it has a similar profile and action but different finishes as well as a slow rise and a little less of the wobble during the pause that can make fish bite if they have seen a lot of pointers. So have confidence in less expensive baits, they catch fish and when you are confident with that lure you can add a few higher end baits to have when you need a little extra mojo!

The tight action with the sound and vibration is killer when the water is cool in spring. One thing I suggest you do is get a few different brands and different sizes, the main differences in each are sound pitch and speed in which they begin to vibrate. I also started to like the silent models in clear water, and always make sure to have some one knockers, for some reason when they don't want to rattle the one knocker will get creamed.

I have a 6'6" ML that I use for small shallow cranks. It allows me to make target casts with pin point precision, but it depends on what you are using that length for.

It depends on how and where you are going to use them. If you use them the original way they were intended, which is deep clear water on light 10lb to 12lb line over rock and sand bottom, then you'll be wanting a light wire hook version with a thin or soft weed guard. If you want to use heavy line in areas that may have some cover or in shallow areas with stumps and rock, well you'll want a heavy wire hook with a stiff weed guard. If the hook is light wire then the weed guard will match, same with the heavy wire hook.

The river is my main destination since it is usually clear of ice before any of the lakes. The hair jig is a bottom presentation, and in spring it really depends on water temp and water clarity. If we have a warming trend, the first 2 days a hair jig will be the best bet but if it extends to 3 or more days a tube and a jerkbait will be the better offerings since the fish are looking to feed by then. For me the hair jig is what I use when the fish aren't actively looking for food, I focus on deeper pockets, eddies and wintering holes but like I said, a few days of warm weather will move the fish out of holes onto flats and that is when a larger profile bait like a tube or a jerkbait can be magical.

The medium should be fine, but if you want to know for sure just look at the rod specs. I'm guessing the rod is rated for 8-17lb line and a lure weight of 1/4oz to 5/8oz, if you plan to use baits over 5/8oz a majority of the time then you'll want to go to a MH. The other thing is you want an "all purpose" rod that you are going to throw both single hooks and treble hooks, the medium power, fast action rod is more forgiving and a better choice for that as long as you are within the rods weight specs.

Use a regular EWG hook and a Lindy EZ tube internal weight, the weight is designed to be used with offset shank worm hooks in order to keep the weight in the center. Using the EWG gives you a bigger bite than a standard worm hook but not quite as large as the tube hook but it still has enough for good hook penetration.

Here in PA a lot will depend on the weather, sometimes ice out will occur during a big warming trend and will have the water in the mid 40s by the time you can launch a boat. If that is the case then it depends on water clarity, clear water my first lure will be a suspending jerkbait, if I got stained water to the point a jerkbait isn't any good then it will be a jig, either a dark craft fur hair jig with a chunk trailer or a small finesse jig with a chunk trailer. If ice out happens normally when the air temps are in the mid 40s during the day and below freezing at night, well the water will be in the mid to upper 30s by the time you can launch a boat. When that happens I'll be throwing a hair jig first, its that simple.

I like Devcon 2 ton epoxy but it is a brush on method and you need to work fast. The 2 ton is listed as 30 minute working time but in actuality it is about 15 minutes until it gets thick and hard to work with. There is also KBS diamond finish but it has fumes and will require multiple thin coats so for me I like the Devcon as it is strong and clear but it is one coat coverage and self leveling so you don't need a drying wheel.

I just wanted to let you guys know that American Legacy has a killer deal right now. G.Loomis Bronzeback SMR811s is on sale due to being discontinued, they are getting rid of them for $165.75!!!! I grabbed one, couldn't help it, I always liked them but I thought at $250 they were a little much but under $200 and I'd be on it all day long. Anyway, it is a 6'9" light power, fast action, it is really more like a medium light but it does have a soft tip and is rated 1/8oz to 5/16oz. If you fish drop shots in the 1/4oz range, slider worms, in-line spinners or hair jigs, this would be a great stick.

I make my own but if I was going to buy off the shelf it would be the Stanley Wedge Plus!!

We've actually done rather well on them. My buddy who received his as a gag gift from his brother caught his personal best on it 2 years ago, a 7lb 9oz largemouth which is a giant in Pennsylvania. I have really got into good smallmouth with the Jr. model and if there is one complaint I have, it is that they should have had a stinger treble on the bottom and a fixed single hook on the back. I say that because the fish like to key in on the big body and when it is moving they miss the rear double hook, but we have no shortage of strikes on it. I prefer the Jr. model which is still pretty big but I get more hook ups with that, I'd say 75% of my buzz plug Jr. strikes result in a hook up, where as 60% of the regular model get hooked up. The one thing to remember is that the buzz plug isn't a magic bait, it has a time and place where it does work well, for me it is when the fish are blowing up left and right on my buzzbait without getting hooked, and it happens a lot on the waters I fish, that is when I use it. I don't get many hits pausing it, but I do get a lot when I reel it slow and then stop for 4 or 5 seconds and then start again, that also happens to be when I get most of my hook ups, so give it a shot, you may do well or you may have a Christmas tree ornament but you won't know until you try.

The closet thing I can think of would be the Style "S" jig, it is a hybrid of an Arky and the Sparkie head. the Style "S" has a wide flat bottom like the Sparkie but the nose is rounded up like the Arky. The reason I say it is the closes thing is because the vertical line tie isn't recessed but it is low profile, the Brush head has a recessed line tie which means it has lead around the outer part of the hook eye. A low profile hook eye is when only part of the eye comes out of the lead, so instead of seeing a full circle you see like a 3/4 circle, it doesn't protect as well as a recessed line tie but it does a lot better than a fully exposed line tie.

Anything weighing less than 3/16oz would pretty much fall into that category.

I will admit bias toward Fenwick, I'm not a brand loyal guy but I have bought more Fenwick rods over the last 5 years than anything else. Most of my Fenwicks are Elite tech smallmouth rods and Aetos rods but I do have a 7'2" M-MF HMG rated 3/8oz to 1oz, pretty strange rating for a medium power rod. It is designed as a cranking rod and I use it for square bills mostly but it does well with most cranks down to 10' to 12'. Anyway, the fit and finish along with how well the rod feels in hand along with the performance makes it a favorite of mine even though I have cranking rods that cost more than twice as much. The Veritas is a rod I never used but they are made by pure fishing as well, and judging from the amount of guys I know who use them I'd say that no matter what you choose it will be a good rod, to me it would come down to the handles, the HMG has a thinner handle, I happen to like it but some may not and the Veritas has a more tradition handle diameter and is a split grip. The ergonomics would be the deciding factor as both rods perform above price point.

I've been using the Owner Twist lock light hooks for a few years now for fishing soft plastic jerkbaits. They were designed to be used with the Senko but work with a lot of different baits and don't let the "light" in the name fool you, these are forged hooks and will not bend out easily. What is nice is the screw lock does make a soft bait last longer, having a worm hook pulled through the head multiple times makes for a short life with any good soft plastic bait.

Quantum Smoke rod with a Lews LFS Speed spool. The rod is $140 and the reel is $100. The 7' MH-F Smoke rod is 3.7oz and the Lews reel is 7oz even making the combo 10.7oz alone or about 11oz when spooled with line.

I still use a lot of Bomber cranks, in fact they make up most of my mid depth cranks. The Bomber 6A and 7A along with the Deep Flat A and Fat Free Shad Fingerling make up the bulk of my 8' to 10' cranks with the rest being Rapala DTs and a few Wiggle Warts. And you are 100% correct, they still catch a lot of fish!

Mepps uses a folded clevis but the stirrup clevis' you are using should work. Now when you say they didn't want to spin, do you mean they did spin but had trouble getting started or they didn't spin at all? I ask because the smaller the in-line spinner, the harder it is for the blade to spin, I have small trout size Mepps Aglia spinners that you need to give a quick jerk then begin the retrieve or it won't spin. The other thing could be the clevis, specifically the size. You need to make sure the clevis is close to the wire size but still fits with the blade size. I don't know what size spinners you are making but if you are using solid beads and the bait is heavy with a small blade with a medium size clevis, well that could cause problems. I use .024 for 1/8oz spinners and .028 for 1/4oz spinners, both use a size 2 clevis but the 1/8oz uses a size 2 French blade while the 1/4oz uses a size 3 French blade. I'd look to try reducing the clevis size or increasing the blade a size.

Poe's Cedar crankbaits. The flat sided models were always a killer in cold water!!!