mikey5string

the megastrike shake2 head will make anything stand up. All you need is something with a floating tail. I tend to use them with craw/creature baits like the Pit Boss or Rage Craws. Before I found out about the megastrike I was using the owner ball head and Zoom trick worms. I like motor oil and caught plenty of fish on them.

try Doug Hannon's Fishing Snake. Seriously. I have tried them and they float , have nice action and catch fish. I dont like the rubber they are made from and I would rather use a frog b ut if you are looking for a truly floating "worm", you might like them. I dont really think of topwater as a finesse technique. If the bass are hitting topwater, they are hitting topwater. That is active behavior, finesse tactics work on inactive or spooky bass. Both of which would be unlikely to hit topwater anything. I havent been in a situation where I had to use small baits to get bit. There may be times where they are feeding on insects in which case you might look into bass flies. Or maybe a small frog?

if youre teaching how to fish for bass, I would start using texas rigs. This will teach him about rigging, hooks, weights, different soft plastic options and imparting "action" on the bait.

Sometimes I will stick a finishing nail in the body of the fluke to give it a faster fall. if i wanted to fish them deeper I would use a carolina rig or drop shot.

Why would you use an 1/8oz buzzbait? Seems like if the bite is tough and you want a more subtle presentation, a buzzbait would be one of the last choices. I use Terminator and Strike King buzzbaits although I really dont have a favorite brand, as long as they buzz they work for me. I like having a white one and a black one. Single blade,. never used a "clacker"

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/dropshot_fish.html

if you are absolutely stuck fishing from shore I would try these techniques. 1. Dont give up on the frog. The frog bite doesnt die when the topwater bite does. When people talk about the topwater bite dying or slowing, they are referring to the bass actively chasing shad or other baitfish on the surface. Generally the bass will go on "frenzies" and go after schooling baitfish at the surface. This activity slows down when the bait disperses or goes deeper. Frogs are always on or close to the surface, closer to the shore and in cover like weeds or mats. I separate "topwater" like spooks, buzzbaits and poppers from frogs. The former are more "open water" baits and the frog is great in heavy cover. I have had some of my best frog fishing mid day when the bass tuck in tight to cover in the shade and wait for an easy meal like a frog. 2. get some tungsten bullet weights. 3/4oz is pretty heave and will punch mats. Their smaller profile will help get them through heavy mats. I would peg a 3/4oz weight and throw something like a havoc pit boss in the weeds. 3. You dont have to throw senkos.. Try swimming a 5.5" hollow body swimbait along the inside weed edge. Try a heavy shakey head like the megastrike shake2 or chompers in 1/2oz with a craw liek a rage craw hopped along the inside weed edge. 4. Weightless t-rigged flukes on top of the grass. a drop shot with a heavier pencil weight and a texas rigged worm hook instead of a standard dropshot hook. This can get your bait throught the mat but keep it off the bottom for bass that may be lurking right under the weeds.

If you watch a small baitfish, they do suddenly change direction, "hover" in place and dart short distances. I think this behavior is more common than swimming in a line for an extended period. The erratic action also seems to make the bass key in on the fluke as a single fish isolated from the school. IMO there are better options for a swimming retrieve like a paddle tail swimbait or something with action when moved like a curl tail grub. You can fish flukes any way you want but imo, they are designed to work best as a weightless jerkbait. The smaller ones are great drop shot baits. The super fluke is the best jerkbait. Try wacky rigging one, they are great "dying" fish imitation. Also, the smaller sluggos are another awesome option for weightless jerk baits

I think a weighted hook would kill the action of the fluke. IMO, It would not allow it to dart erratically from side to side. Keel weighted hooks work best for baits that have "built in action: like a curl tail worm or swimbait. Keel weighted hooks an are awesome alternative to a t-rig. They allow baits to fall horizonatlly rather than nose first. Something with action like a rage craw or ribbon tail worm are deadly.

I use a 3/8oz tungsten weight pegged, bluegill pattern skirt with a "swimming" trailer on a 4/0 EWG worm hook. I like the lake fork hyper worm in black/blue, the havoc pit boss in lime/pink, blue rage craws, or grubs. I can flip/pitch this in grass, hop it on the bottom or swim it depending on what the fish want. I really love this setup because of its versatility. I can change skirt color and trailer without retying so going from a brown craw to a bluegill to a shad is quick and easy. Also can fish it on the bottom, in grass, or swim it mid-depth. Can also remove the weight peg to make a standard t-rig, or slide it up the line to make a carolina rig. remove the skirt and fish a worm or a fluke.... Lots of possibilities. Thats more than you asked but I thought Id mention it because it makes it easier to change the color/action without tying on different baits.

Weightless for sure. Texas rigged and twitched, jerked and deadsticked. You want them to dart in random directions. You'll see the action when you first throw them. You can experiment but I've found that the jerk- pause retrieve is best. If you want to fish them deeper you can slide a finish nail in the body of for even deeper presentations, a Carolina rig. It is important hat the fluke can move freely for best effect. I think there are better baits for a jig or Texas rig but you can't beat a fluke for a weightless jerk bait. Get the pearl color. It's the best all around color IMO.

I dont think they would hit a smaller frog any more than a standard sized one but you may get better hook up ratios. Another thing to consider is getting a different frog. I have had considerably better hook ups with the Jackall Iobee frog. The body shape and softness makes a difference. Also, the soft plastic frogs are usually a bit smaller and you might find hook ups easier. Remember to let the fish take it until you can feel the weight on the line. It is very tempting to whack them as soon as they blow up but you will pull the bait from the fishes mouth often like this.

megastrike shake2 shakey head in 1/2oz for everything but heavy grass. In that case I use a pegged texas rig with a tungsten weight and a punch skirt.

yeah, 5-6 is more like it now that i look again with your size in mind.

I will usually use jigs on the bottom when the sun is bright, in the afternoon & over cover on the bottom like trees, brush or rocks. Usually in the morning you can catch bass actively feeding on baitfish. here I would use a spinnerbait or swim jig, cranks, topwater or jerkbaits. After this bite has died down I look for fish tight to cover like in weeds. This is when I would use a football jig, texas rig, or something like that. I find that big bass are more likely to be loners, holding tight to cover in deeper water. That doesnt mean 60', just the deeper part of a lake. Also, the cover part cant be overstated. Always be looking for something that breaks up the bottom contour. A football jig is a "big bass" lure to me. They dont want to expend too much energy chasing down a meal like the smaller bass would.

7? How tall/old are you in the pic?

Trigger x hammer worm. Producto tournament worm. Dying to try the rage tail anaconda. Very impressed with their craws/lobster.

Maybe it just wanted to make friends.

I guess I view the question "spinnerbait vs jig" as vague because there are at least 5 jig types. Each type is designed for different conditions. So asking which conditions to use a spinnerbait vs a jig can lead to several different answers depending on which jig type you're talking about and what conditions. Not to mention spinnerbaits.... I wasn't trying to be dismissive when I recommended reading the articles. I think they are loaded with good information and could help narrow the question to something less vague like "spinnerbait vs swim jig for post spawn"

Low water affects the water level which has an effect on the bass.

It depends. I recommend reading the multiple articles on jigs and spinnerbaits as well as seasonal patterns, color selection and weather. Then ask specific questions that you can't answer yourself after reading the articles. The question "jig or spinnerbait?" is too vague.

...I have no problem with people keeping legal fish. Over population leads to stunted fish. It is important to harvest. I might be a little annoyed when I see a stringer of 3 or 4lb bass. Cant you keep the smaller ones?

IMO the catching is the ultimate reward in sport fishing, not a couple fillets.

Reel fast and keep the rod loaded.

flukes, more recently the double fluke rig. lipless cranks spinnerbaits jigs, pegged t-rigs, shakey heads (1/2oz mega strike) I always start in the morning with a spook.