Jay Ell Gee

Felix, I can't speak from experience on that particular hook, but I wanted to drop off my .02, as I have really gotten into the wacky rig in the last year. I frequently use the Owner weedless wacky hooks with flick shakes on a very particular pond that I kayak fish. The bottom is completely covered with a type of moss that simply wants to eat any lure that falls through it. We typically resort to burning spinnerbaits, swim jigs, swimbaits and frogs to keep weedless. If it sinks into the grass that cast is ruined. The point of all of this: when the bite gets slow, I toss flick shakes weightless because they won't sink through. These hooks have literally never fouled up in this stuff. I don't use a lot of owner stuff but I was extremely impressed with these. For what it's worth, I throw mine on a St. Croix Mojo Bass, 6'8 M/XF with 20lb PowerPro. My hookset is exactly the same as a drop shot setup.. Simply a nice, quick (abrupt) upward snap of the rod tip. I usually stall the hookset by just a hair though. When I feel that "tap tap tap" sensation, I set the hook as soon as I quit feeling the taps. Either they spit it or its in that mouth! It's usually in the mouth though. The megastrike may help with that. Works for me, anyway. Good luck man! Link to the hooks: http://www.***.com/Owner_Weedless_Wacky_Hook_4pk/descpage-OWWH.html

For what it's worth, my repost was a mistake but the initial comment was a joke. And like I said via pm, employers and colleges certainly appreciate it. An attitude like that won't earn you a lot of help around here. Regardless, I apologize for the joke. Good luck with the cats. They are a blast to catch. I sent you my best methods via pm.

Holy punctuation Batman! Go to any bass pro and look at the catfish stuff. The smellier, the better.

I appreciate the input. I have been tossing it on a 7'0 MH/F rod that I normally use for spinnerbaits, but its a carbon fiber wrap and it scares me to death casting it.For the time being I have adapted a simple "lob" cast similar to throwing a popping cork rig for saltwater fishing. It works but it seems far from ideal. I have also noticed the helicopter effect when tossed this way.

Hey all. We have a few rods going on clearance at work and I was thinking about using my discount and picking up one for my swimbait use. Now keep in mind, the only "big" baits that I will be throwing would be the MS mini slammer, bettencourt dying bluegill, shell cracker G2, 6" weedless hudds, CL8 rat wakebaits as well as a strike king wake shad. In my neck of the woods (South La) there are no trout (except for stocked ones in December) so I won't be throwing any crazy large trout baits. Most of my swimbaits are under 1.5oz. The rod is a Bass Pro Bionic Blade, 7'6 Heavy/Mod/Fast. Rated 1-4oz and 17-30 lb line. After my discount it would be a whopping 40 bucks, so I thought it would serve as a decent beginners swimbait rod. The rod is actually advertised as an "A-Rig" rod, but I was hoping that it may do the trick as a cheap, dedicated swimbait rod for the time being. I plan on throwing these baits on either a Shimano Citica 200DSV or my Lews Tourney mg. only reason I may try the MG is because its spooled with 65lb power pro. Would some heavy mono on the Citica serve me better? Thanks for the advice everyone. Can't wait to start tossing some big baits now that I have a yak!

Caffeine shad.

Swing and a miss... I only fly fish for gills myself but my girlfriend tears them up on crickets, mepps, and beetle spins.

I don't like the Stanley double take hooks because it destroys the legs too quickly. I have never had a problem getting hook sets on these, though. You can take some pliers and slightly bend out each hook on hollow bodies. Not a ton, but just a little goes a long way. Remember, when the fish strikes: 1.) Reel out the slack while dropping the rod tip. 2.) Feel for the weight of the fish or watch for line movement. 3.) Set the hook so hard that it permanently crosses the eyes of whatever bass took your frog.

My local streams and rivers around here are full of spotted bass and are super aggressive. A lot of them don't see lures as often as lake fish so they attack them with reckless abandon. T-Rigged trick worms, UV speed craws (jika, rage, or t rigged, preferably jika), small spinnerbaits (3/16 oz or less), squarebills, Zara puppy spooks, buzzbaits, flukes and especially tube grubs are all personal favorites. I also like tossing finesse jigs when I can. My buddies use rapala floating minnows and do well also. I could do an entire river float trip with a 360 box and a few packs of plastics. Fish in small creeks and rivers rely on their reflexes to catch bait as it washes down stream. If you put it in front of them, they will eat it. My rivers around here are full of lay downs. I throw a lot of squarebills and spinnerbaits to the slack water behind them. Holes produce well also. Don't disregard current seams, as they are a huge producer in any water. Good luck and be safe while wading. It is advisable to bring a friend until you know the river. A few guys around here lost their lives when they walked into a section of river that was stripped of its gravel and sediment by machinery. No fish is worth dying over. Take pics! Joshua

While the Army of Darkness reference is downright hilarious, I would agree with FishinDaddy and say that you need to keep in mind that you are the intruder. Have you ever caught a fish and had someone walk right up beside you and start fishing? Did it bother you? Now imagine a mother with her young. It's just their instinct. Not many actions will deter thousands of generations of this pure instinct. That said, they should be gone soon. Best to just make nice and respect the momma till then.

It seems like quite a few people like the BPS Crankin' Stick. At my 40% off, I just may have to try one!

Awesome. I'll have to check them out! Going to give it a comparison to the Crankin Stick.

Just about every suggestion is over my price range (I mentioned that i was hoping to not spend 150+) but I will definitely check those rods out anyway. I am always up for St. Croix suggestions and I have never really messed with the Duckett rods but I know they are getting popular. Really wish I could find the new Target Cranker and check it out. St. Croix's rods are usually a bit stronger than advertised so their medium may be alright. Anyone have any experience with this rod?

There a few things that I would optimally change. 3/0-4/0 hook at a minimum. Heavier rod. Try a M/F, M/XF, etc. I use 12 lb mono at times, but optimally I prefer 20lb braid. Just like frog fishing, you need to stall your hook sets and let the fish take it before you set the hook. Reel down the slack and when you feel the weight of the fish, hammer it

I appreciate the suggestion. I have actually used an *** Black before and it seemed awfully "fast" for what it was rated. It was the 7'1 Medium/Fast. I'll have to see if I can get my hands on a short one and see how they taper.

Hey everyone. I want to thank you in advance for reading and contributing to this thread. I am either really over-thinking this or I am just too picky... or maybe both! I am looking for a relatively short rod to use in the kayak tossing squarebills in river situations. Flowing water or not, I am not wanting a 7+ foot rod to be slinging around. I have a few of those and they present their own issues. The casting distance is great, sure, but I am looking for a rod that I can make pinpoint casts in river floats that I may not get the opportunity to saturate with 8-10 casts. I can always anchor, but you get the point. I was looking for a baitcasting rod that could ideally cast most of my (very basic) treble lures. Namely, square bills, poppers, small spooks, floating minnows/jerkbaits, etc. I was hoping for 6'10 at the MAX, and was starting to think that MH would be the way to go. I have a few reels that I could swap around, but it looks like the ideal candidate would be one of my new Chronarch 50e's. I don't have a reel with a ratio lower than 6.4 (I hear that the lower ratio's are more ideal) but I have no desire to buy any more reels, as I already have this fine little reel lying around. Capacity may be a little spotty, but I think that I could get enough Yo-Zuri Hybrid or, more than likely, Suffix Elite on it to make it usable. I mainly toss square bills that are the same size as KVD 1.5's, though I am honestly not sure what they weigh. Norman fat boys (awesome colors, check them out if you haven't) and H20 express cranks also get tossed by me a lot. I'll be tossing at a lot of timber, but keep in mind that the river flow bass around here rarely exceed three pounds. With a MH rod, I am not really worried about having to force a bass out of too much crap, so I feel the mono should be fine. I have not really messed with fluoro before and really have no desire to. Anyway, to the point. I am looking for as light a rod as I can manage (keep in mind I am paddling, turning/positioning the yak with the paddle, and dropping the anchor (or shallow water pole anchor) quite a bit. I have enough things wearing my arms out, which is another reason that one of the 50's get the nod over my old Citica D series. I have never owned a Veritas rod but I did see that they make a 6'6 MH/Mod/Fast, but I am not sure how well that would work. I can't say that I am huge on the white rod trend, but it would at least match. I keep reading that most people invest less in their cranking rods than most others, and I really don't want to drop $150+ if I don't have to. I also saw the new Mojo Target Cranker that seems to be a 6'10 Medium. I have mostly Croix rods but can't seem to get my hands on one of these new rods to test it out. Keep in mind that I work at BPS, so any rods carried by them I can apply a discount to. While we are at it, does anyone else have any line/lb test recommendations for the 50e? The braid/leader idea sounds nice in theory, but tying leaders sitting in the kayak is honestly a pain. Thanks so much for the time and for your replies!

Just wanted to stop in and say that you are one cool guy for offering that. What a gentleman. We need more people like this for the sport! Take him up on it!

My fish are far past post spawn in south Louisiana, so... Early morning: Hollow body frogs, flukes, ribbits, spinnerbaits, paddle-tail swim baits, and frogs. Did I mention frogs!?!?! When the bite slows down I try to force reaction bites. If that doesnt work... Weightless senkos or flick shakes.

You are right up my alley... I actually set these systems up for a living. The LSS2 system will have three Ethernet outputs that can support up to, well, three units. I have seen many setups that dedicated two systems to the dash area and another up front. Mounting the 5 in the place of the 7 may require a new insert for your dash, if your boat's console has pre-made inserts. That's some money right there. I would have to see it to be sure. If I just had a free HDS-5 Gen 2 sitting around, I would place it in the dash and use it for GPS function. The 7 would be RAM swing-arm mounted just off to the side for imaging. The other 7 would be up front. You would tie both transducers (the sonar and side/down imaging) into the LSS2 and then run Ethernet cables to each. Keep in mind that you will have to update all three units to the most current software for them to properly sync. But heck, with the new structure overlay feature, you can do a lot of structure scanning ON the GPS screen. However, I would still use the 5 in-dash with structure overlay turned ON, a full SI/DI/Sonar/Combo/Whatever on the 7, and keep a 7 up front. All waypoints will sync, as will options and settings. It's a very handy piece of kit. Keep on the lookout for more rebates coming from Lowrance. You just missed a decent rebate program for the LSS2 around Classic time, but you may see another before summer ends. That is just a GUESS, not a *cough cough hint hint nudge nudge.* If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. I'll answer anything that I can.

I'm jealous! Congrats!

If it catches fish for you, getting our permission to fish it that way won't make it work any better or worse for you. I never cut off my swim jig or chatterbait before fishing it like a jig. If that works, I may perhaps cut it off and replace it with a head style that is better suited for the task, as everyone else said. That is assuming, of course, that I have something in that pattern/color handy. If not, swim jig on the bottom it is!

I happen to own both a bass boat and a kayak and I can say that there are many scenarios in which I prefer the kayak. If anything, it's just a sporting way to enjoy the outdoors. I use mine for small bodies of water as well as backwaters that aren't accessible to my bass boat. Let's not even start with the marsh! I do not own a Hobie, though. However, I will gladly accept one to test and in return, write an outstanding article!

The screw holes wouldn't be a bad idea but I would goop the entire square. Press it down and quickly wipe away any excess before it dries. Just make darn sure you like it where it is! Lol

It has been done many times on the bigger Malibu kayaks such as the X-13 and explorer. You'll have to pull the screws and reverse it. You should also seal it completely when you invert it.

That is a bass that any fisherman would be proud of. I hate to be the guy that asks but... Is that the dead one?