mikey5string

All day. The frog has been my number one produce this summer by far. Bass LOVE frogs. Theyre a nice sized, easy meal loaded with protein. They live in the same places bass hunt; aquatic vegetation close to shore. They swim on top and cant see an ambush from below. I think a bass would go for a frog over chasing a shad or getting a mouthful of claws and shell any day. I always have a rod with a frog tied on and I throw it at anything green close to shore. I will get hits as soon as it hits the water. If not, I will twitch it once and get hit. I rarely use them in open water or away from shore but have caught fish walking them in open water. Frogs are a classic, proven bass bait, big bass too. I catch bigger bass more consistently with a frog than any other bait. Jackall Iobee frog is a great one, it is expensive though. The boo yah pad crasher is a great lower priced alternative. The pastic is softer than other brands and allows for better hook up ratios.

With the lack of rain in recent months I have noticed water levels dropping and large areas of weeds/pads dying. I was wondering what causes the weeds to die? I would think more exposure to sunlight would cause the weeds to grow in more and further out into the lake where the depth prevented them from rooting. If plants need water and sunlight to thrive, seems like as long as there was water there more sun would only help. Obviously this isnt the case. A local lake has lost about 70% of its hydrilla. The remaining patches are brown and look unhealthy. This isnt too big a deal since the lake is deep and there was a LOT of hydrilla to begin with but another smaller local lake has lost a lot of pads and the remaining ones are browning and dying off. This was a super hot spot for topwater every night but recently I am lucky to get 4 fish and nothing above 2lbs. Seems like the O2 level in the lake is dropping and killing the plants. Why?

If you have a discontinued plastic you really love save one and make a plaster of Paris mold. It's simple and you will always have the option to make as many as you need.

Common misconception to insist a worm can't be a worm because tackle warehouse says so. Let's call it a stick worm and move on ; )

The brush hog is a classic, proven bait. No need to go buy another version. Fish it on a jig, tex rigged, Carolina rigged, weightless... Any way youd fish a soft plastic. IMO they excel on hopped along the bottom or pitched into cover. The baby brush hog works great on a shakey head or drop shot. To the bass, they look like prey.

...and I misread the topic. I think a Zoom trick worm would work for all three but I could never only have one worm!

It sure looks like a worm to me.

if they take the bait and you miss the hook set, move on. If they just take a whack at it or short it, throw the frog back but work it slowly. Let it sit for a few seconds in between "hops" I fish frogs in heavy cover so a follow up senko is out of the question. If the fish just thinks it missed the frog it will go for it again.

I always get perch on crankbaits. A lot of the time they are foul hooked. I think they come up to investigate and get a little too close. I have caught 6" bass on a 10" worm. Doesnt seem to work the other way around for me. I cant seem to get anything over a pound on a 4" drop shot worm.

I use braid on all my casting reels. Flouro leader if needed.

try a drop shot. Use a 4" bait. The small zoom flukes and 4" roboworms work well. I can always catch a fish with a drop shot. Havent managed to get anything big but it always produces.

flukes are great all around plastics. I mostly use them as jerk baits, t-rigged with no weight. Cast, let them fall a bit, jerk/twitch, let them fall some more and repeat. Over the top of submerged weeds is a good spot to use this technique. I use the white exclusively. The regular (not super) flukes work great as DS baits too.

I wouldnt use mono because of the stretch but I use 30lb braid with zero issues. I havent met a weed that could not be tamed with 30lb braid. When you hook set, pop the rod UP quickly, not to the side. The hooks are on top of the frog and this will give better hook sets. Wait until the frog is underwater for now but eventually you will know when the fish has really got it vs just whacked it.

4" aaron's magic roboworm. Out performs any other DS bait I have tried. For shakey head, the Zoom trick worm. I use motor oil.

Wow, I would definitely agree that is a manufacturing defect. I have only straightened ANY hook by getting it caught on a log and pulling it with heavy braid. The bass arent huge up here (4lbs is a nice fish) but I have caught them all day on light wire worm hooks with no problem. Write the company. If you have any hooks left send them with your letter. I am sure you would get some replacements.

You can nose hook the bait weedless. Just run the hook point through the center of the nose and stop right before it comes out. When you get a bite just lift and reel. While I dont fish drop shot unless I am not catching anything, I can always get a few (usually dinks) and it is one of the easiest hook sets I know of.

Depends on if I had the $$ to shell out for a nice finesse casting reel. IMO the reel is the more important of the two when considering casting a lightweight bait on lighter line. I wouldnt buy it unless I was planning on buying it and came across it. $200 isnt a great deal, little cheaper than retail but not enough to make me buy it without a second thought.

1/4 and 3/8oz are good all purpose weights. Use the 1/4 on shallower water and the 3/8 on anything deeper. Tungsten is smaller than lead at equal weights so you can get small baits with heavier jig heads but like Junkyard mentioned, the LMB will readily take baits 75% of its size and I have caught bass on a 10" worm that were 8" long. The weight of the sinker doesnt dictate the size of the bait, the size of the hook is more important. To get your tackle box started I would have 1/4 or 3/16oz shakey heads. I use 3/16oz bc I like the owner ball head type with the EWG worm hook and that is the only size I can find.

this is a good thread for thise of use interested in starting. I LOVE soft plastics. I often find myself just admiring them, organizing them, gluing parts from one onto another to make freakish looking creature baits. I cant help myself when I go to a tackle store. I always leave with a couple bags. I go to school for graphic design and have always been into art/design. This could satisfy two of my favorite pass times! I am interested in creating my own unique baits. Those aluminum molds look like they are cut from aluminum block. I suppose a CNC machine could scan a model and cut the mold from aluminum. What is the first step in creating a unique bait? Could I make a sculpture from modeling clay and go from there?

You bent the hook straight on 20 Owner hooks on one pound fish? How hard are you settin the hook!?

It isnt a senko, its basically a tailed worm called Tomahawk by Missile baits. I like the twin tails on it. I fish it carolina rigged so i am controlling a lot of the movement. Suppose I could find a cheaper version but I hadnt see anything like it.

If youre asking because you want to know if the bass will take a craw bait.... Bass will eat a crawfish without hesitation even if it has never seen one before, even if there are no crawfish in a 100 mile vicinity. It is an instinctual response to "prey" not to a specific creature. Whens the last time you saw a purple sparkle 10" curly tail worm in its natural habitat? ; )

Anyone able to duplicate a bait if I sent them one? I have a bait I really like but it is super soft and I get about 1.5 fish on each one. I want the same bait in a more durable plastic. Something like the Berkley Power Worm material. I use it for carolina rigging so I dont need salt or scent which are what I think makes it tear so easily. Just want a bunch of them in Green Pumpkin.

shoot. just placed an order for some terminal stuff the other day. Is there any "DIY" method for securing skirts on the line? I'll pick some up next order but I am fishing Saturday and would like to try this presentation. Thanks

I am going to Rehoboth Beach DE next week with the wife and inlaws and I was hoping to sneak some fishing in. Looks like saltwater would be my best bet but I would love to find some LM or SMB. Any spots in the area? If not freshwater I would like to get some stripers...anything really. Preferably somewhere I dont have to climb/wade and that I dont need a 10' surfcaster to get the bait out. I was thinking of getting a charter but my FIL and BIL dont fish so it might be a bit cost prohibitive. They are renting a house right near the beach on that main drag there. Speaking of drag....I didnt know this place was drag queen central! I have gone the past few years and always see a few walking around the boardwalk area. Love the look on my ultra conservative marine father in law's face! Thanks