MarkH024

Koppers makes great stuff. Baitball just doesn't interest me enough to want to buy it. I don't see it out performing anything in it's same class just based of the appearance. I'm sure the baitball cranks and jerks run true and great seeing that the squarebills and everything else they make work awesome. I'll stick to the gill and craw stuff as it suites my waters much better. No, just a few $50 swimbaits instead.

Second year. Last year they were introduced.

"By golly its Dwight and Shaw. Big ol' Pigs!" (in my best Shaw voice) Shaw cracks me up. My personal favorites are KVD, Ehler, Palaniuk, and Hackney (because he is crazy).

3/8all day everyday. With a better hook and still under $5 for a quality swim jig I'm in. I fish braid all the time so it's a perfect fit.

There are a lot of possibilities for Dwight's Disciples... just give me the word.

The resale of the Ranger down the road will be much better than the Tracker. fwiw. Sounds like your heart is with Ranger, go with it.

Are you counting just any blow up on the frog as part of the percentage? Or only strikes that actually taken in by the fish where the frog disappears under water? I mean if you refer to the percentages of all strikes on a Hollowbody frog then yes for sure the numbers would be well under 50%. I will get fish to slam the frog but don't actually eat it. They will smack it with their face or body to stun the prey (frog) and usually come back to eat it. This is not uncommon. Those kinds of blow ups I'll let the frog sit there and just twitch it barely and more times than not they come back to eat it. I would find it really hard to believe those numbers for Ish/Rojas if they actually set the hook on a fish and lost 60-75% of their hook ups. My numbers were referencing actual strikes where my frog disappears (in the mouth) hooked up and landed in the boat. I was not including strikes that were missed by the fish. Sorry if there was confusion.

I mean no insult, but that is 1.5 fish to every 5. That is terrible hook up ratio if that is the actual numbers and well quite frankly your best frog guys are not doing something right. If someone is losing that many bass on frogs that actually take them in then there is something definitely wrong in the equation. Bad hooks, equipment not suited, or poor technique. If you're fishing with the right gear and a good frog you should be closer to the 50% mark. I've watched a number of guys in my boat fish frogs and some people just don't get it. Some work too fast. Some are too slow. More times than not, it's not having the right tools to do the job. Rod/line/quality frogs etc.. I understand that you get bored with it or it doesn't appeal to you but I have the same feeling towards fishing senkos or bullet t-rig plastics. I hate it. Even the bites on them don't excite me the same way. So, different strokes for different folks. I totally see where you're coming from. I truly think that if you were in the boat with someone who is well rounded with a frog, it might change your view. I would give that same scenario to myself with someone who is magical with senkos or t-rigs. I'm not, so therefor I hardly throw them even when I know they catch fish.

I love frog fishing. I have 100% confidence in throwing frogs and it's probably one of my strongest techniques if not the strongest. The blow ups out of the thick vegetation just never gets old to me. It could be a 2lber or a 6lber and it's all the same excitement. There is no way I can accurately say an exact hook up percentage but I would say it's over 80%. That's 4 of 5 bass on a frog I land that actually take the bait in their mouth. I'm not counting the smacks when they don't bite it. I have gotten to the point that I can tell whether a bass or a pike just swatted at my lure just by the sound difference it makes. My home lake is heavily vegetated and I frog fish from May- end of October every year. I can't see it ever getting old to me.

It's been a while since I've gone in a plane anywhere, but should we be concerned with flying chickens @ 30,000 feet?

Good catch. Didn't even notice that.

Bass aren't looking at your line, especially on a large profile of an A-rig swimming by them. I would never chance a large bait like that with just traditional fluoro tied on. More than likely you will lose it at some point. If anything, use your braid and tie on a heavy duty fluoro leader built for musky/pike. In the grand scheme of things, #65 braid isn't really all that thick.

You feel that the visibility of #65 braid (~.016 dia) scared fish but not the 3 to 5 steel arms holding fake bait or blades? I would venture to say you're being overly cautious. That said, minimum fluoro would probably be 20#. It would depend on your overall weight of the rig and what is all on it.

Any major difference in PS and Simple Green pure concentrate? They're both biodegradable formulas. SG is $2-3 more around these parts but much more available than PS.

Did you get that on fleabay? I saw a listing of 3 baby wakes last week and one was an Ayu for a steal of a price. I have my baby wake in Perch. Really looking forward to chunkin' it this coming season.

All of which require 0 sensitivity, so I think you're safe to go with a Savvy if you wanted to stay with in Dobyns. For those same techniques I use a Croix Mojo MH/F and its ~$100 new. When the online guys have their sales you can get them brand new for ~$75. You have a ton of choices, my advice is go with the brand you like best. I have no experience with Duckett or Powell.

You've made no indication of what you're using it for. That might help some people steer you toward the rod line best fit for your intentions.

I think that would depend on the boat or watercraft you're using. Provide those details and we have some members here with a ton of knowledge on this stuff.

Yea navigating that site isn't the easiest. I wondered the same thing, and I think it's 2000 yen...which is around $20 I believe.

My biggest musky and most follows have come through using Mepps Musky Killers or Double Cowgirls. Second to that would be a Suick or Bulldawg.

Check your rod guides with a nylon sock or a cotton ball. If you get any hang up, that's probably your issue and something is putting a knick in the line. The slightest kink in fluoro on that overrun can create a weak spot as well. High friction/heat will create a weak spot but if it's not breaking at the knot, then your knots are probably fine and like you I tie a San Diego Jam with any fluoro I use. Use KVD LL to make that fluoro nice and supple, that should alleviate a lot of the overrun problems. You could be creating weak spots when spooling up as well. I'm not sure what your method is but it's not to be overlooked either. When you're not using the rod and your line is strung up on it for storage, put a rod sock or sleeve to protect it as well. Any hook or sharp edge that grazes your line could be putting a slight knick into it.

He must have had a good batch of his lucky cookies from the wife. Awesome action, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I was hoping Ehler would have gone neck and neck with him. Oh well.KVD is a fishing machine!

Pretty slick man. Id love to have one of those. When I was a teenager we had a Honda Odysse which was similar to that but much simpler. We had a ton of fun with that. Enjoy!

You can find Cores on Ebay for well under msrp. I know from experience.

So far so good on my end. Mobile working as it should. Thanks