smalljaw67

I always liked the Pointed 78 but there is one I'll get flak for but it works. The Lucky Strike RC STX in the smaller size, it is inexpensive and catches fish consistently when you need a smaller jerkbait.

I have 2 left, 1 is shad and one is brown crawfish and it is one of the best producers in clear water. The funny thing with that lure is it seemed to really attract larger than average fish when other shallow cranks didn't work. I still throw it but only when I fish the occasional tournament.

The $70 or $80 dollar Black Max is a decent performer and one of the better reels at that price point. The biggest problem with reels like this is that if you fish a couple times a week they tend to decline a lot faster and it has to do with components. It has a graphite frame which can flex under stress and the bearings and gears are way over lubricated as most buying these reels will never maintenance them so the extra grease and oil will last a little longer. Here is the thing with this reel, it is designed to be a disposable reel, if the gears go bad in 2 seasons or the bearings go, the price to replace those along with time just doesn't make sense as you will be close to the cost of another reel in that price range.

For the type of fishing you do I'd go to FFO (Fisherman's Factory Outlet) and look at the Fenwick Aetos 701MMC for $88.88. It will be around $100 when you include shipping but the rod is a 7' medium power with a moderate action and is designed for the type of baits you want to run. I recommend that as it will be the lightest cranking rod you will get under $200 and when casting cranks all day you'll appreciate even a gram difference in weight. For a reel, anything in the 6.?:1 range will be fine, try to stay with a reel with an aluminum frame which will normally be something in the $100 on up, a Lews Tournament MB is nice for around $140.

You may not want to hear this but I'll explain what is going on. Your "go to" every day reels are broke in and you are use to the feel of them, the black max you aren't, that explains why it feels lighter than your Lews even though it is actually heavier. The same with how smooth it feels in comparison, it is because you aren't use to it, the best way to find out about this reel is to fish it for an hour and then pick up one of you other reels. The Tatula is heavier but it will have a much more solid feel, and the Lews will feel a lot lighter and both reels will be smoother feeling as well. I'm not knocking the Black Max, it is a no nonsense inexpensive reel that is actually one of the better performing inexpensive reels out there but when you fish with it and then fish with a reel with an aluminum frame you'll realize the difference really fast.

If anyone is interested in them contact Seibert Outdoors.

I finally got to pour with the new mold and I'm pleased. I will get to test these out early next week but based on what I'm seeing I think they will be a winner. From left to right is 1/16oz, 3/32oz, and 1/8oz and all have a size #1 Owner 5313 hook, light hook that won't bend out. Sharp and light enough for solid hook set with 6lb line and strong enough for 10# braid!

I learned something today!!!! You are correct, it is exclusive to Dick's.

Since when has a Strike King crankbait come with Trokar hooks?????

I really don't thing a moderate action in a spinning rod is necessary as they are forgiving enough. If you are only using it for cranks I'd look at the E-motion medium/mod, the was a purpose built stick for cranks and you don't use deep divers so it is perfect for your needs.

Yo-Zuri 3DB jerkbait, it is 3.5" and has good weight but it only runs like 2'. It has been awesome, as I like the Lucky Craft Flash Minnow but sometimes the that bait is a little too big and that is where the Yo-Zuri shines, just remember it is the jerkbait as they have a floating version called the 3DB Minnow.

The claws make it sound like a Yamamoto PsychoDad.

This isn't new, a lot of rod manufacturers have composite graphite/glass blends.

As everyone has said, you can do it but use caution and a lob cast. As for boat flipping a 5lb fish, well you are either grossly misjudging the size of the fish or you are taking incredible risk, especially if using high end rods.

EWG and "J" style worm hooks both have offset shanks unless you are talking about straight shank worm hooks. I use to think not being able to land fish on EWG style hooks had something to do with just a mental block preventing a good hook set but there is more to it. I run across this a lot, a friend of mine doesn't have any luck with jigs that have an EWG style hook, I saw it myself, both fishing the same jig with the same weight and I'm landing my fish and he is losing every one. What I noticed is that anglers that use a 90 degree hook set, and I'm talking straight up and down, tend to have this problem more versus anglers like myself, who tend to set the hook on a little bit of an angle. I think what happens is the deeper bend in the hook causes it to lay flat when a fish grabs it and when you pull straight up just barely skin hooks the lip as it is being pulled almost completely out of the mouth. If you pull at an angle the hook seems to get caught on the corner of the mouth, and I believe this because I rarely get the fish in the very top of the mouth with an EWG hook, even with jigs, the jig is stuck in the mouth even with the left or right eye but never dead center like a regular "J" style hook. Now, this isn't 100% of the time but it is over 90% I'm sure, so my advise would be to try an set the hook on like a 45 degree angle and see if it helps at all, the reason you shouldn't give up on them is on tough bites, you can get away with using a size or two smaller hook than the "J" style because of the larger gap.

I do the same thing, suspending jerkbaits in cold water, floaters in warm water. That said, I use floating style baits with great success with water temps down to 60 - 62 degrees, once the water falls into the upper 50s I'll begin using suspending baits. The only exception to that for me right now are baits that I call "slow floaters", these are baits that rise a little too fast to be suspending but too slow to be floaters, these include my old Berkley Frenzy Minnow, the new Rapala Shadow Rap Shad, and the Bomber Long A, and not the suspending long A either. Those slow risers I will use when the water is in the upper 50s if the fish are active, and I usually go with one of these when the morning water temps are in the upper 50s but rise to 60 or so in the afternoon, right at this time of year. Sometimes I have to use a suspending bait early and go to the slow floater in the afternoon but most of the time I can use them pretty much throughout the day, these are very effective but if water temps are above 60 I'll be using a floating jerkbait.

If I'm getting fish on a square bill and the bite is consistent and the fish are all smaller, there are a few things I'd do. The first thing I'd do is upsize the bait, if I'm using a smaller square bill I'd move up to something like a DT Fat 3 or a SK 2.5. If I was already using a bigger bait I'd switch out to a spinnerbait, 1/2oz with a Indiana main blade with a Colorado secondary blade in a patter that is as natural or as bright as the square bills that were drawing strikes. Another thing you can do is move off the bank to deeper weed lines if there are any or look for cover in mybe 6' to 8' and throw a deeper running crank or slow roll the spinnerbait, it is just another option. The reason I wouldn't be flipping or even pitching right away is because the fish are moving after your bait being they are being caught on square bills, I always prefer to get a limit quick and going after the most active is the best way, you also cover more water and have a better chance at getting larger fish.

If you are making a wood crank, you will need ballast weight. I suggest going to Tackle Underground in the hard baits section, those guys will give you all the details to make it easier for you.

I'm a DT-6 fan and it is just because it has what I consider to be the perfect action. It has a nice wobble but not too much so it produces over a wide range of conditions. It is one of the few cranks that I've caught bass in water that was in the low 50s up to water in the 80 degrees range. Lately the Bagley Sunny B deep, which runs the same depth as the DT-6, has been a major player for me, it has a fast shimmy, a little tighter than the DT and at slower speeds it is more subtle but the DT-6 is still a favorite of mine.

Storm Twitch Stick in the Bluegill or Sunfish pattern!! This is not an expensive bait but I'm really impressed with it and if they charged $10 for one I'd still buy them, at $5.50 they are by far the best value in jerkbaits. They come with good hooks right out of the box and if you like using heavier line like 12# or 14#, you don't need to worry about bending the hooks out as they are more stout than other jerkbaits. The only bad thing I can say is that the smaller size 8 needs a Storm Suspend Dot to keep it down as it will float up a little fast for a jerkbait but the size 10 works really well without any help. In any case, the Bluegill pattern in that bait looks really good and if your water happens to have pumpkinseed or other brightly colored sunfish, well the Sunfish pattern maybe the better choice but at the price they go for you can get both.

Jerkbait would be my first option, after that a fluke and from there it would depend on the conditions of the day. If the water is calm a drop shot for the finesse side of things and a swim jig for more of a power presentation. If you got wind, a small 1/4oz or 3/8oz spinnerbait with small willow blades and translucent color skirt retrieved fast could be a really killer but it really would depend on what type of weather conditions you get on that particular day.

River Rock Baits Striker swimbait, it is kind of like an Keitech Easy Shiner but it is 3.75" and it seems to be the perfect size for smallmouth and works great on the back of a swim jig. After that I'd have to say the my second choice is the Gene Larew Sweet Swimmer, those are really underrated but slightly smaller than the Striker.

I'm a spinnerbait guy, my favorite bait by far! That said, for me the chatterbait has taken over the situations I'd normally throw a single Colorado bladed spinnerbait, and that is in dark or dirty water situations. The spinnerbait is just as versatile but there are times the chatterbait works better and at times a spinnerbait will be tough to beat, the only true way to tell is to try each and see what the fish prefer. If the fish are keyed on baitfish like shiners or shad, then a spinnerbait with a lot of flash will be the better choice, but as Bluebasser86 pointed out, days that seem perfect for a spinnerbait can be better suited for a chatterbait, it just depends what the fish want, for me I go spinnerbait first, chatterbait second but it really comes down to trial and error.

I use a ML for finesse techniques but mostly around open water. I believe light power is something you can use but I'd only use it in cooler water or late fall through winter and then early spring. I saw a guy kill a beautiful 4lb smallmouth because he was using an ultra light rod with 4lb line in the middle of summer, it took him a full 20 minutes to land the fish and within 5 minutes after releasing it, the fish was belly up only a few yards away. Now that is an extreme situation and the water was 82 degrees, but you need to be mindful, especially if the water you fish has big fish in it, but colder water has more oxygen and that helps so you can get away with it but I think a ML is your best bet.

I really wonder what some of you guys do to straighten hooks out. I land 5lb + smallmouth just about every year on 1/16oz hair jigs with a size #2 light wire hook and not even a hint of a bend. The biggest problem I see is guys using the wrong tackle for the application, I see guys fishing shaky heads with small 5" worms on a 1/8oz head using a 7' MH rod with 30lb braid and a 12lb fluorocarbon leader and then complain when the hook bends out. Sorry for the rant but I'm guessing you are hooking musky and you are either using heavy fluorocarbon or braid and if that is the case, well you are using the wrong hook. The skip gap isn't a light wire hook, it is what is known as a standard or medium wire and you should be good with that up to about 12# line with a MH rod, anything over that can apply enough pressure to bend the hook. If you have to use a heavy braid or fluorocarbon or even mono in heavy cover, a heavy tube hook would serve you better like a Gamakatsu superline hook.