smalljaw67

I had 2 Loomis SJR 722 rods, one was the IMX, I got rid of it and replaced it with the GL3. Price wasn't a concern since I already had an IMX, for me it had to do with feel. The IMX wasn't much lighter, in fact it wasn't noticeable and it came down to the reel seat, I like the reel seat on the GL3 a lot better which made it more sensitive since I wasn't distracted by the feel of a reel seat that I didn't like. I'm not sure with the new IMX spinning rods, only the classic spin jig so if you are looking at those I can't help.

I have 2 XT baitcasters and I have a Supreme spinning reel, all are great. If you can get the Supreme for the same cost as the President LE because of the rebate they are giving, get the Supreme. The Supreme is a fantastic reel, I have the older MGX, I wish I would have bought several of them.

I believe the entire XTS line used to be Lews Speed Cranks and Lews Speed Minnows, the very firt one I saw was a Lews Speed Crank and on the back of the package was a Bass Pro Shops bar code.

In my waters the Shadow Rap actually lived up to the hype and was my best producing jerkbait last season. The funny thing about it is that I didn't throw it as much as I did other baits but I went and loaded up on them, this year I'm going to give it a good workout. The scatter rap works, I don't own any, yet, but I will before spring, my buddy let me use his scatter rap crank 5 and it worked as it was said to but if you reel it too fast it will blow out, and it has that unstable feel to it like it is just waiting to flout wide and roll over.

No reason to go with any Lews reel with the name "Laser" attached to it when you can get the plain LFS speed spool for the same price or a few dollars more. Laser means graphite frame, get the aluminum framed model and you'll be set.

Square bill crankbait, I can't list which one or what color specifically because I had a lot of good days with several different baits. If I had to choose it would be a toss up between the Bagley Rattling Kill'R B2 in bluegill or the Mann's Baby X in bluegill and the bluegill patterns for eac bait are totally different.

Yep, BPS line of XTS lures. The cheapest bait I own is an XTS crank and when there is a crankbait bite going I'll throw it. The results are kind of weird but it either doesn't get bit or it draws large fish, there is something with the action of that crank that makes big fish hit it, I just wish I kenw what it was as it held true for just about every pattern I tried.

I use to use the Timber Tiger DC-3 an 4 a lot but I have more success with the Big-O and Bomber Square A so I got away from them. TW still sells the Timber Tigers, there is still a decent following of those baits. The Trap looks like something someone decided to try on their own, and if you want a lipped trap all you need to do is get a Bomber Flat A, because that is basically what they are. The Mann's Razorback, you know I still fish a lot of Mann's crankbaits and I still have yet to find one that dives 2' and deflects as wildly as the Mann's Baby X. The Razorback has a great shape but the new ones (still same shape) are the Go2 and Depth plus.

I like the Eagle Claw Lazer Sharp Tube Hook and I use both the 2/0 and 3/0 for my 3.5" tubes. That hook has a really big bite so the shank isn't as long as a worm hook of the same size and it has a good bait keeper on the hook shank. I use the 3/0 when I use my 3.5" heavy tubes and I use the 2/0 when I rig my 3.5" thin tubes, you read that correct, I use 2 different tubes of the same length with different diameters depending on what I'm using them for.

I make tackle and have a tax I.D. number to buy without the FET (Federal Excise Tax) and the vendors I buy hooks from don't carry Owner because they don't get much of a price break so they don't make much. For my Owners hooks I buy direct from Owner but I pay the same as everyone else when you add the 10% FET on them.

All they are is a hair jig tied in a float-n-fly fashion. What that means is they are making a slightly heavier jig to use without a float but still tying it with mallard flank (duck feathers). So if you want to tie your ow simple get a 3/32oz or 1/8oz jig head with a size 1 hook and some mallard flank and tie, I actually make these using a walleye head that I pour myself, they aren't difficult but you must resist the urge to tie too much material on.

I don't use weights with flukes either but when you use a screw in bullet weight they usually call it a Florida Rig. If you want to see a video using that just go to you tube and type in Florida Rig and you'll find what you are looking for.

I saw the same video, he doesn't tie on the trailer. His traveling partner ties the skirts on and he also ties on a trailer keeper, and it is probably a piece or 20 gauge wire he ties along side the hook collar and then puts a bend in the end of it to hold the trailer in place.

In the mid 90s I was told that rods with more flex were good for cranking and I didn't buy into that at first but it didn't take but one trip to realize there was a lot of truth behind it. As for a good rod in your range, you happen to be in luck, go to FFO (Fisherman's Factory Outlet) and look under rods and then choose casting. Go down a little over half way on the page and you'll see Fenwick HMG GT72MFCB, this is the older version of my square bill rod that works great for most cranks that are in the shallow to mid depth range as it is rated for 1/4oz to 1oz lure weight. They list the rod as a fast action but it is the CB model so it is made for cranking, a lot of anglers like the older version as it has Fuji Alconite guides, but the main thing is it will work for you and since it is the old model it only costs $58.88, that is a steal!!!

I use a Fenwick HMG 7'2" M-MF, it is a medium but it is rated 3/8oz to 1oz. The length gives it more backbone as the mod fast tip gets into the backbone pretty quick which makes it nice for banging square bills through cover or ripping traps off of grass.

I have floating traps and I never used them in cold water. I'll say this, being able to stop and rip the bait in 2' of water generates a lot of strikes, I don't think the fish are used to seeing a lipless crank stop in shallow water.

Reel nice and slow so you get that big "V" wake and it will get smoked!!!!

The 2.0 series is supposed to be vastly improved over the old version. They went with Fuji reel seats with titanium guides with zirconium inserts so I'm going to guess these are going to come in lighter than the old series. For the price on the old ones at FFO I think it would be a winner, the casting rods weren't raved about but I know there was a decent following for the spinning rods.

What are these jigs? I tie 1/32oz, 1/16oz, and 1/8oz float-n-fly jigs but I never heard of a lesser cousin.

I like the larger 100 size better and that applies to all jerkbaits but I also enjoy the 78 size. For me I normally start with a larger bait and let the fish tell me but there are times when I begin with the smaller bait. During the cold water period I will use the 78 when the water temps are falling or if the water is at the lower end of when I use jerkbaits, for me that water temp is 40 degrees. If a cold front has come through I'll start with the 78 but when I'm using a 100 size or larger I watch the way the fish react or don't, to my larger bait. When I get followers or I'm getting fish on the rear treble and or losing them consistently, that is when a switch to the smaller bait comes in. I like throwing the smaller ones on my finesse cranking rod, a 6'6" ML-M casting rod which is very similar to the Falcon 6'6" M-M cranker. The reason I like the moderate action rod for the smaller jerkbaits is because it makes me slow down with them, I like to fish jerkbaits aggressively and the smaller baits seem to lose action when worked too quickly and so a moderate rod really does the trick.

I go with Bluebasser, 10lb Big Game.

Mann's Baby 1 minus is a killer at the 1' depth, the Mann's Baby X is a killer at the 2' level. The Bomber Square "A" is a favorite of mine as well but it dives to 3' unless you are throwing it on 17lb line. If you can find any Sebile Crankster SR 50s, grab them, these will dive about 1' but they have a different wobble and sound than others. The Yo-Zuri 3DS flat crank, it has to be the 3DS specifically, it will have a little shovel type lip, it dives to right around 2', it is a flat sided bait but the action is unreal. Those are my picks for the 1'-2' level, an honorable mention goes to the Spro Baby Fat John 50, it gets an honorable mention because it is good but I haven't used it enough yet to fully find out just how good it is.

Shad patterns work where there are no shad and it is because a lot of different forage species have similar colors. When small forage species die from cold water it is called thermal shock, and a lot of these fish that go through it exhibit the same hues of green and purple in varying degrees. The reason is most of these forage fish have scales and there is a pigment that comes out when the fish begins to die and it is why colors like smoke purple is popular in the north. Alewives do this as well as shad and so do fathead minnows and chubs so you can use shad patterns where there are no shad and alewife patterns where there are no alewives. We don't have blueback herring in any other waters I fish but because they are similar to alewives their color patterns work.

Tackle underground had his e-book for sale for sometime, the guy really knew his stuff with tubes.

In addition to those that Bluebasser mentioned you have Norman lures, You-Zuri has the 3DB Minnow which is a floater and Luck-E-Strike is supposed to come out with floating version of the RC STX. I almost forgot Spro, the make the McStick 115 which is also a floating version.