smalljaw67

It depends on the water color but if you have 3' of visibility you can use a jerkbait or fish head spin like a swarming hornet. I believe fish head spins were developed for getting suspended fish to bite, just like a spy bait, make a cast and count it down and begin your retrieve.

I've been using the weedless banana jig to make finesse flipping jigs. I've been making a 3/8oz with an Owner 5313 hook in a 3/0 and it is killer for boat docks and moderate cover using 14lb line an a MH-F rod. I like that jig mold as I was making finesse flipping jigs before that Missle jig was even thought about as I live and fish in the Northeast and I had a need for a compact flipping jig. The jig has a ball collar and I cut a slit in the mold for it to accept a wire keeper to hold my trailers on, it has cavities from 3/16oz to 1/2oz and it uses heavy duty 60 and 90 degree hooks, it is super versatile. http://www.barlowstackle.com/Do-It-Banana-Head-Weedless-Jig-Mold-P254C56.aspx

Good rods are measured in durability, it is a common mistake from less experienced anglers. The higher the cost, the more fragile the rod is but it will also be light and sensitive. These rods are the standard fare of low cost house brand, they aren't what I would call "good" rods but they will serve the purpose, more for the casual angler that is wanting entry level gear at a low cost. I'm sorry if you were hoping for more but it is priced that way for a reason, but it isn't a bad rod and it is probably more durable that most rods costing 6 times as much.

I started using them on flukes and they worked so well I decided to try them on the bait they were designed for and just like the fluke, perfect!!!!

You poured your own and your friend bought his, so what kind of head does each jig have? if the flare is different then the fall rate should be a little slower on the one with more flare but there could be a ton or reasons like where you're fishing. I say that because I've had days when I was only getting bit when my jig was right next to the laydowns, and it was so critical that if I was just a few inches away my jig didn't get as much as a sniff but if I was right next to log I'd get a good bite, fishing is like that, not everything can be explained.

For suspending jerkbaits I use a variety or different hooks because adding or subtracting weight will really affect a suspending bait. That said, the two I use most often is the VMC 8540 and the Owner ST-36 stinger. For crankbaits, I'm with Papajoe222, Eagle Claw Lazer Sharp 374T, they are 2X strong and wicked sharp!!! The thing with those hooks are the weight, too heavy for jerkbaits but for my river grinders, the Lazer Sharp hooks get the nod!!! I use the Lazer Sharp hooks on my river square bills because the extreme rocky substrate is tough on hooks and these take a pounding and not only do they stay sharp but they hook fish extremely well, they are the same hook used on the Manns 1 minus series as well as the Baby X and a few others.

If fish are close and feeding on the surface you make the cast, the bait hitting the water will more than likely spook the fish. By waiting for the rings to disappear you are letting the fish turn around to investigate what caused the commotion and then the first little move of the popper results in it getting crushed by the bass. This is just a general rule, I've made casts already that as soon as the bait hit the water it was smashed but if that doesn't happen, wait until the rings disintegrate.

Gold is for cloudy conditions and silver for sunny and I use willow leaf blades for just about all my spinnerbait fishing except for dirty water. The color or finish nobody talks about is the universal finish, it reflects light like the silver blade and creates flash in overcast conditions like the gold blade, and that is copper!!! I've been having tremendous success using copper plated swim jig blades on my bladed swim jigs.

I'm fishing a popper when the fish aren't wanting the walking baits and when I have a small area that I can't work a spook effectively. I start off fast and adjust by the reaction of the fish and it doesn't seem to matter what season it is for the type of cadence, that is tied more to the activity level of the fish. The dog days of Summer, late July until late September, a slower cadence is what normally works but like anything else, there are times when a faster retrieve works during this time, like a storm front blowing through. There is one time when a slow "splash-n-sit" presentation is what I'm going to use as soon as I start and that is when you have weeds and pads and you hear bluegills popping bugs. Just sit for a minute and listen, it is usually when the sun is up and often it is mid day, and when you hear it make sure you have a popper tied on to a rod. I cast to the weed edges and let it sit until the rings disappear and then give it a small jerk to try to get the same sound level as the bluegills, this works for me about 80% of the time, and it is usually a good way to get the fish going as they will sometimes come up and swirl or hit it with their tail and that is when you follow it up with a Senko or other worm. That is it as far as cadence goes, at least in my water as there are times when working a popper quickly is the only way to get a bite and other times you have to "splash-n-sit", but it is purely tied to fish activity and not season, at least from my observation and poppers are a bait I like to use a lot.

I treat poppers like lipless cranks, you need a few different styles. For more aggressive fish I like a Rattling Chug Bug, that popper walks and makes a racket. If they aren't chasing and the water is clear I like the Super Pop R because of the translucent colors and they still make a loud sound. If it is tough, the Don Iovino Splash it as well as the Zell Pop are killers, the Rico and Yellow magic fall into the "subtle" category, these poppers don't make the typical "plop" sound, they spit and it can be the deadliest way to get them. Recently I've been fishing the Yo-Zuri 3DB poppers and these are the first that have a combination of things going for it. The first is the translucency of the colors, very natural yet they stand out, and then the way they are weighted makes a big differences as they sit level on the water and it allows you to walk the bait with ease. The mouth has a traditional cup but it has a small circular depression at the top of the mouth, a double cup if you will, that cup along with how the bait sits in the water allows me to walk the bait with a spitting action, or I can sit it still and give it a loud "ploop" if that needs to be done. Right now the 3DB is my favorite and it is because I can do so many things with it and it is catching them. I don't think 1 type of popper is all you should use, there are times that one type of popper wasn't working only to switch to another type and catch the fire out of them and I would never have known it if I didn't have a few other styles.

I fish the Susquehanna a lot all year until it freezes and if it doesn't freeze then all the better. I'll tell you exactly why you see helgramites and stone cats working better than craws as live bait and it isn't hard to understand. The Susquehaa became a world class smallmouth fishery because the place is a crawfish factory and when it comes to craws, smallmouth feed on them at leisure. Helgamites and stone cats on the other hand are only available during certain times, like rapidly rising water will force stone cats to move and it will dislodge helgramites and when they are out the smallmouth go into a feeding spree. So when you put a stone cat or helgramite on a hook and begin working a hole, any smallmouth in the area will take advantage of the easy meal, but a crawfish can be had anytime and unless it is right in front of the fish that it doesn't have to move to get it, you won't get bit unless that fish is actively feeding.

What kind of crankbaits are you going to throw? The reason I ask is that a 3/8oz medium diver is great with a nice moderate action rod but a 3/8oz square bill would do better with a little bit faster rod and so knowing what kind of baits you like to throw will get you better results. I have a rod that I love for square bills down to a DT Flat 7 and I use some heavy square bills like the Xcalibur XCS 200 and 300 size which are 5/8oz and 3/4oz respectfully. I also love it for lipless cranks and the larger size 8 shad raps, it is the Fenwick HMG 7'2" M-MF, yep, it is a medium power with a moderate fast action and it has a lure rating of 3/8oz to 1oz but the length allows you to throw 1/4oz baits with no problem. For the same price there is the Tatula XT, now the thing is the graphite model is a medium power and only goes to 3/4oz while the model that goes to 1oz is a glass rod which may be considerable heavier than the graphite model. I think those 2 at the $100 price point are going to be solid contenders, the Tautla XT has the same blank with different components to get the price down so it should perform very well and I own the HMG and it is an awesome rod for just about every crank I use but shines on square bills down to 7' or 8' but I could probably use a DT-10 with no worries either.

That is the problem with most MH-XF spinning rods, Quantum makes a few as there are a couple others but they only have a max lure range of 3/8oz or 5/8oz.

I have one of those myself, a medium power, fast action and you are correct, the blanks were made by Loomis. Not many people know this but Cabela's actually helped Gary Loomis get his blank business off the ground by ordering blanks for their in-house rods. Then when Gary began making his own rods he still made blanks for Cabela's but only for the higher end Fish Eagle and XML lines, and the XML I have is a 6'2" M-F and it has the same weight and taper as my G.Loomis Jerkbait rod, blindfolded you would not be able to tell them apart by holding them but the XML has more power and can handle larger baits as the tip is slightly stiffer than the jerkbait rod but still softer than most fast action rods.

Daiwa Procyon, they have a 7' medium extra fast that is rated to 3/4oz and a 7'medium heavy rated to 1oz with an extra fast action. The rod is $70 but, I recvieved a 7' Medium Light, extra fast as a gift and I was going to send it back but I fished it instead and it was pretty decent. It is hard to find that type of spinning rod because the applications you would use it for are normally covered by casting rods for most anglers but the Procyon fits your needs and it isn't a bad rod by any means.

You got a selection of plastics that is really good along with topwaters, so I'll give you specifics on my most successful river cranks. 1. Mann's Baby 1 Minus - dives to 1' 2. Mann' Baby X - dives to 2' 3. Bomber Square A - dives to 3' 4. KVD 1.5 - dives 4' (12# mono) I also have a mix of Bagley and Rapala baits that are Balsa and will get beat up in a rocky river but they do catch fish, the Rapala Fat Rap is good for 3' to 4', they claim 5 but on 10# to 12# line it is a hair deeper than 3'. The Bagley Killer B square bill is 4'+, and it draws strikes but the body gets beat up, I have some that catch fish and are more than 8 years old but they are beat up but if the possibility of a balsa bait breaking doesn't scare you away, they are worth a try because they deflect different and they float up so fast that it becomes a triggering quality, I've caught countless big smallmouth just by stopping the bait and letting it float up.

The hook is way too big for me and the weight is too heavy. I make my own using a size 1 hook for regular stick worms and a size 2 for slender versions and occasionally a 1/0. The weights never go past 1/4oz but I like using 1/16oz and 3/32oz the best as I'm fishing the wacky rig in water less than 10' and I don't want it to fall too fast.

This part is trivial but say "Soft plastic worm" instead of "rubber worm" . Now that I got that off my chest, my favorite soft plastic production worm is a tie, it is the 7" Berkley Power Worm and the 5.5" Stanley Sidewinder worm, the Sidewinder is more versatile and the power worm is a fish catcher plain and simple.

Your best bet is to go to Tackle Underground in the wire baits section, you'll get a lot more information. As far as finding a store in your area, good luck but I can tell you that you will end up bookmarking 2 dozen sites that have the items you will need and you'll end up buying from just about everyone. The reason is simple, it seems all these places will have something unique to them that no place carries and you'll want it or need it, a good example would be hooks. I have to use 3 different places for hooks because one place doesn't carry Owner, the other place has a hook they had made so it is exclusive to one store only, and still another place carries a hook I can find at the other two, and that is pretty much how it goes for us that do this tackle craft. Do yourself a favor and go to Tackle Underground or TU with your questions.

I use mostly silicone because I live in an area that gets hard water in winter. Rubber skirts can, and will clump and melt together if left in a box with a little moisture for too long but some prefer the action. Silicone works well but it moves slower and isn't as buoyant as rubber so when the jig hits the bottom rubber material separates and lifts up and begins moving, while silicone slowly floats up and separates so it gets the bad rap of not having as much action as rubber. I will agree that rubber moves faster, but silicone has a very fluid motion when it is being moved and it is very different than rubber, so try a jig made with a rubber skirt and see if you do better with it, some claim they do but I never saw any proof that one out produces the other.

I really think if you want to keep everything a spinning set up except for flipping then you only need 3 rods. A 6'6" - 7' M-F for most stuff, a 6'6" - 7' MH-F for bigger stuff and a 7'6" H-F for flipping, done. I say this because I really can't throw a spinnerbait on a spinning rod or a crankbait although I use to use one for the #5 shad rap but since you can you don't need 5 outfits. Most fast action spinning rods have enough flex in them to fish a crankbait so you can add a MH-M spinning rod but it isn't necessary but why only spinning? The only real reasons for this is either you have tried and don't like casting or you never learned it or you did learn but don't like it, but in my opinion, fishing a spinnerbait, even a 1/4oz model on a casting rod is so much easier than a spinning I just don't understand but whatever the case, 3 rods is all you need if you want to keep it spinning.

I get pure soft lead and I melt it down into 1 pound ingots and then I buy lead with 5% antimony, this lead is hard and I melt it down and make 1/2 pound ingots. The reason I have one type in 1 pound and the other in 1/2 pound ingots is so I don't get them mixed up, and it lets me make a custom alloy for different types of baits. I make spinnerbaits with a 70/30 mix of soft to hard, over the years I found 30% hard lead is enough to keep the wire coming out of the spinnerbait head without it coming loose yet it is still easy to pour. For larger football jigs I use a 60/40 mix of soft to hard, it makes for a nice hard jig head but as Jig Man has already pointed out, it isn't necessary if you throw them in heavy cover and even with the hardest lead you'll find that a day of banging a jig over nasty jagged chunk rock will result in a banged up head along with a few lost as well, keep it simple and you'll be fine. One last thing, if you plan on powder painting the jigs and adding tin to your lead, you need to make a little spoon size test piece to try first because tin has a lower melting point and adding too much tin could mean your jigs will melt before getting hot enough for powder to adhere properly. Good luck.

I think Cabelas house brand rods are one of, if not, the best house brands out there. The pro guide and tourney trail will work fine, I have a tourney trail I got for my wife and it is a good value rod, not super performance but better than an ugly stick. That said, labor day sales will be coming shortly, if you can hold out a little bit you may be able to grab a Fish Eagle 50 for around $50 or if you can spend a little more you may get an XML for $75, the XML are great rods, especially when you get them on big sales.

It has been a case of so much rain made our water high and dirty so we have been doing a lot of pitching jigs and plastics to flooded brush. Now the rain has stopped for a bit and the water levels are dropping and the visibility has increased and now square bills have been a killer but it seems to be down from last season but that is just because we had so much rain that those baits weren't the best to throw.

I like the Manns 1 minus, and the Baby X (baby X is a 1 minus with a square lip that dives to 2'), those are readily available. I have some discontinued Sebile Crankster SR 50 that are 1/4oz and they dive about 6" or so, they make a small wake when reeled slow but both largemouth and smallmouth seem to really like them. The others that I like have been mentioned, like the Bomber square A but one that wasn't and is new a little harder to find is the Bagley Rattlin' Kill'R B2, it isn't balsa, it is a plastic bait and on 10lb line it hits 3', the rattle is very low pitched and they deflect really well and most importantly they catch fish. Last, but not least, look at the Yo-Zuri 3DS series, the "S" means small, most baits run 1/4 to 1/2oz but the 3DS crankbaits are really good, I have the SR (shallow runner) versions in Holo bluegill and Tennessee shad and they aren't square bills but they deflect well and run great at high speed, the 3DS popper is something you will want to look at as well.