primetime

I have the Reaction Strike Version but they are making the Viscous model on TW, same lure, Reaction Strike used to make lures for alot of companies, They no longer say OEM on their website but I know they were making all the Cabelas Swimbaits, Several Frogs, you will recognize lures if you go on the site. Kind of like Strike Pro. They have had I think 4000 Models sold? You can see that they make a wide variety of lures from Japanese Brands to house brands, then they sell everything cheaper under the Strike Pro label with cheaper hooks, different colors, but they still make many lures that are no longer made. They still have the Yo-zuri Arms series on their site. I would ship the Reaction Strikes new out of package for $2.50 each, shipping only about $2, I can toss in some bulk soft baits to fill up space that will all be stuff you use or will recognize right away. Ill check on colors and get back to you. I may have an XRK silver and black actually.... reaction stike LV lipless which is disco'd now. http://www.ebay.com/itm/REACTION-STRIKE-XV-65-LIPLESS-CRANKBAIT-2-5-6-5-CM-select-colors-/192170655753 New Viscious https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/catpage-HBLIPLESS.html?from=basres Same exact lure. I actually think the 2 companies are under same umbrella but not 100% sure, either way it appears identical. A japanese Company I think Zenith also has the same one or one of the odd ones you see sometimes. the 1 oz is the size of the 75 xcalibur.

Check out the Stanley Website. The wedge head has an EWG, I think it is priced well also. Barlows sells a bullet weight you can attach a ring,skirt, hook called infinity weight in bullet shape & light, cheap compared to the Mustad Fast Tac version. I prefer simply sliding on a weight, then either adding a skirt or not, some days skirts will help, some days you will notice they don't want it, hard to understand why. BPS has the lead punch weights with the hub for $2 for 3. I would go Tungsten if using more than 1/2 oz, but those Jig rigs look sweet with heavy weights. I need to make some. Losing tungsten punch weights really hurts, buying weights is not a fun lure to buy.

Ya, I type quick and sometimes just let it rip... I hear you with Pradco limiting the colors and sizes, I actually picked up a bunch from a local shop about a year ago when people were panicking and I was able to sell XR25, XR50's from $10-$50. Rayburn red would sell instantly at $25, same with a few other colors, I should have stocked more for myself but I saved a few of the one knockers for myself. I have not used the new Booyah versions but I am sure the lure changed, Lures under the Rebel label have changed over the years like the pop'r, Was once a Zell Pop, then they changed the mold a few times as well which is why guys on Ebay put dates and Country for poppers and some go for much more than $5 Not that it matters but Pradco has always owned Excalibur lures, they put out the Hi Tek Version about 10? years ago when they were phasing out the Bill Dance series like the Ghost Minnow etc as Xcalibur was quality early on, then they became a bargain brand that were really cheap until they created Hi-Tek. Pradco has about 20 brands under them, if you visit that site every so often around Holidays they will have really low clearance prices on good lures etc. I actually think my local Dicks still has some xrk100 in crawdad colors on clearance rack, probably not the 1 knockers but down here the 100 never really sold, but Ebay still has plenty and liquidators will still get them in sporadically when tackle shops go out of business. I plan on stopping by a few liquidators today, If I see any Shad colored XRk's that arrived, I will grab some. One good thing about Florida is all the deals on older tackle at flea markets and wholesale to the public deals. I would seriously consider buying a Reaction Strike which has 3 sizes, I think the Viscious is a Reaction strike, but I actually have a good amount of them in larger size, close to the 100 and they flat out work. If interested I would send you a few at cost as I opened way too many and will never use the 2 dozen or so I have. If you are up North you will love the 2 line tie option for jigging or swimming shallow or deep regardless of size. The sound is unlike any rattle bait I have held, but if you like quiet, it flat out works. Sorry for the ramble again. If Yo-zuri has a one knocker in the vibe line, it would be identical to the Xcalibur for the most part. Very similar lure, Not sure about sound options. They appear to be made in same place.

I would say it is best to be a specialist in both shallow and deep water, and have more than just a jig and texas rig fished shallow, or a frog. I am working on getting better when I go offshore, I just want to be as comfortable with a crankbait as I am a Texas rig, and so far I have a long way to go. I never appreciated how good a guy like KVD really is when it comes to fishing crankbaits and feeling deflections etc. I just thought he had special electronics......and his own brushpiles. Guess I was wrong.

kvd frogs are under rated as well. I love that candy color they make. Not sure why these frogs are not more popular, sometimes a rattle helps and I hook up well on them, plus body is softer than a spro but firmer than LT or booyah. Lots of good frogs but SK, Booyah,LT, Snagproof, Spro, Scum Frog, Evergreen single hook and field mouse are ones I use most. Plenty of good frogs, lots of bad ones as well, price is not usually the factor in finding a good frog from my experience. I used to like the old Bully Wa frogs but the new ones sound like you are throwing a brick in the water....Terminator Frogs are actually pretty good for a terminator. Legs dont get in the way often, plus bigger profile and easier to hook up then the really big spro frog for me. Glad Strike King gets some mention for frogs. I read bad reviews on them and wonder if I fish the same ones.

I picked up a pair of Red Eye Shad Tungsten 2 taps after Bluebasser once posted a picture of one that was all torn up from fish. For me, lures that have lost all the paint from fishing forces me to go out and try them. I love the Red Eye Shad and it is one of my go to's for lipless cranks, I know it has a great shimmy but all I know is that the RESHAD, Bill Lewis, Cordell Spots, Xcaliber, all catch fish but I will say with confidence that you will not regret buying a few 2 Taps because you can get extra fish with them in same water you finish throwing a regular lipless. There is a great article online a magazine once did which broke down the main differences in sound/Frequency, glide vs. Fall, and they tested all the main brands, and the XCalibur one Knockers are awesome, I have not noticed much or any difference from Booyah since Pradco made Excalibur & Booyah, so it wasn't like them taking over Bandit. 2 tap is a winner, Bill Lewis one knocker, Rapala Clackin rap (I never use it but I know people who love it-Loud single steel ball, has a completely different action than most traps.) Here is a curve ball lipless that you will like if you can find them...Reaction Strike LV series which is also sold under Viscious and few other companies now. RS is an OEM, they come with cheap hooks, but the LV series has 2 line ties, scaled finish, and sounds like it has sand in it. I put Triple Grips on them and they are a killer lure. Last 2 lipless baits to consider for different sounds-Strike Pro Euro Vibe one Knocker which is also sold by a few high end companies and some days they love that longer thinner shape. Again, change out the factory trebles on Strike Pro lures, but they have an impressive portfolio of designs they do for other companies as well, The OEM versions have cheap hooks but sell much cheaper. Sebile Flat Shad Suspending 77mm.....Silent but vibrates, it is a great lure to pitch in tight areas or holes in grass, same shape of a juvenile bluegill, Owner trebles, One of my "Secret weapons". Sometimes killing it during pre spawn, spawn in front of fish will drive them nuts. You can also upsize the split ring or hook and it glides super slowly to the bottom...You can find them for about $10 online and the liquid filled scales falling off seems gimmicky, but the Flatt shad is legit. Patrick Sebile designs alot of great lures, sometimes he gets carried away like River2sea, but now that Pure Fishing owns them, try and find the originals. Hope that helps. If Cotton Cordell has a one knocker, I would buy one, they are awesome for fishing in shallow grass. Most people don't fish them since they only cost $3.00 & were popular in the 80's, but if its not broke, why fix it. Ebay has the Euro Vibe. its a one knocker like Xcalibur, and only $5. It is clearly much nicer than most $5 lures for obvious reasons. https://www.protacklesolutions.com/products/strike-pro-euro-vibe

Since I have pretty much done an Informercial for Western Filament and Tuf Line, I figured I would do it right.... Since they are the only company working with NASA and are putting their Braid on Mars, why would you fish anything else? Engineers at NASA are not putting Power Pro on any space craft, they are using TUF LINE. Good enough for Space fishing, good enough for simple fishing on earth. Plus, They put their products in most of the USA military equipment. Tuf Line stops bullets & holds airplanes together. I don't think Kast King Line is down with NASA or the American Military? 15x stronger than Steel. Flat out truth.(with a nice rounded texture for handling wind while casting). Talk about versatility. Made in America.....Kind of rare in the fishing industry with the exception of 90% of soft baits(also made in America) like Keitech USA etc. http://tuf-line.com/about-us/ I am not affiliated with Tuf Line. However, I would not be opposed to it. I would be willing to blast every board online for some free line, plus I am a true believer.....Moon landing was real, so is Tuf Line. Sign me up.

Dicks has the J Braid by Daiwa and all the Tuf line on clearance right now. 40% off, buy 5 spools get 1 free. I think I paid $8 for 275 of the new 4force Tuf line 4 strand and so far it fishes awesome, the Domin8 is about $11 after discount but is a smooth 8 strand 125 yards which has been awesome for pitching and flipping. I remember using the first Tuf Line which was white, thick, and marketed for Muskie, and that line was super reliable. I would imagine the Tuf Line pictured above is probably the XT which is the one I have fished the most and trust 100%. (10/3 is same, and excess inventory at liquidators is usually orange or bright green, so that is a great price for 500 yards. I guess because Tuf Line does not advertise all over the place people just go ahead and purchase Power Pro even though both are spectra weaves and the new force for spinning and Casting in all tests handles awesome and is much better than Power Pro Imo. Rounder, just as good with abrasions, much quieter, and its breaking strength with a Palomar knot, and regular is 2nd highest of all the braids if I remember correctly. Power Pro finished not so great, but Tuf-Line also manufactures braid for other companies as well. Not sure who, but they are an OEM from what I have been told. Local shops in Florida all carry Tuf Line & Fins along with Power Pro, only line I never liked from Tuf Line was the Duracast coated line for spinning reels, although it was strong. Braids now vs. 5-10 years ago have all improved, Power Pro seems to be the standard since Pure Fishing can afford to bombard the market and catalogs etc. Thanks for the post, I have never seen that spool of Tuf Line which is a great deal for 500 yards. Must be something they package for one company.

I purchased some of the new GZ 6.5" and a few bags of the big 8" GZ Swimbaits, and although I was hesitant to go up to such a large bait, I am starting to see why "Bigger is sometimes Better". I can remember buying the 5" Big EZ years ago and thinking they were kind of big, alot of plastic, but I quickly learned that around grass, it is hard to beat this model paddle tail once you get them rigged on the right hook, weight, jig head etc...I prefer the Weighted EWG Beast Hooks for the Big EZ, and a few different jig heads depending on weight, but I am not sure about the most efficient size hook for these bigger baits. I am currently using large EWG superline style hooks and using pinch weights on the shank since I tend to catch more fish with weighted hooks and exposed jig heads, than I do using a pegged bullet weight (I rarely do as well with a pegged bullet weight on paddle tails when I need them to sink, or to kill it after a missed strike). For swimming over grass, I will use the punch skirt with a weight that creates plenty of sound and allows long casts since its really a wake/buzz bait at that point. My issue is finding the right sized hook for both the 6.5" & 8". I have been using some saltwater Jigheads for open hook which ok, but not sure if anyone has found a good weedless EWG & weight size for fishing grass. I have messed around with nose hooking them for fishing slowly, and have had some success but they do not always run naturally that way. Hoping someone has been throwing these and can tell me if i need to go super big, since I can't find anything bigger than 6/0 locally. Thanks in advance....When you first see the really big 8" version that comes 1 per bag, it is kind of like seeing a 16" worm for the first time, but in both ponds and lakes, they seem to pull fish in from longer distances. 3lb bass eat 8" shiners with ease, not sure why I was shying away from really big soft swimbaits, I think I was hesistant after my big segmented swimbait/Glide bait binge a few years ago which never became a producer for me... I prefer the slower horizontal fall on paddle tails most of the time, these are much bigger than the Culprit Incrediswim & 6" Bass Trix which are the only other 2 I really fish anymore. With Labor day sales, I was hoping to maybe find a cheaper way to rig these than Owner Beast Locks if possible, or Trokars...VMC any good? That weight looks funny how its placed for some reason.

The shake and speed of the bounce usually tells me if Bowphin, Pickeral, Panfish, Catfish etc...You can never be 100% sure, but usually if it does not feel like a Bass, not doing what bass do, it is usually something else or foul hooked. Its the same in Saltwater, you can tell a bluefish from a Striped bass right away just by the speed and amount of bounce, head shake, drag pull. Bass have a thump and weight/speed that just feels "right" Plus just the way they strike, swim toward cover or come to surface etc.... although sometimes a Striper or Snook, snagged Tilapia etc. in freshwater can get you confused. Big Turtles have gotten me super excited for about 10-20 seconds, the fast swimming soft shell turtles that strike topwaters, swim jigs etc...Also gators at night, although I usually realize quickly that if it is a bass, odds are I am not breaking the world record by 30lbs. The initial topwater stike of a 4-6' gator at night will get the blood pumping, plus you want to believe you have a giant, but the extra weight eventually ruins the moment, and you lose your lure.

Never a bad idea to sell any equipment you want to upgrade or change, especially if you do it at the right time of year when you can get deals. If you like your reels, rods, and lures, you will catch more fish and have more fun. If you feel a certain reel will give you an edge, then it most likely will. Minimizing tackle and selling what you don't use in a years time has really helped me out. Less is so much better when on the water, but hard to accomplish. Colors, size....hard to condense.

you can win a bid daily for the better 360 version and it will cost under $100 depending on gear ratio. That 360 is a really nice reel, the 300 has been on clearance at Dicks & more for under $70. the white and black 360 duckett casting reels retail for over $200 and they look and feel great, awesome reviews, the 300 I think has graphite side plates and for the price, it feels cheap to me. I held both versions and the 300 just seemed "decent", you can find steals this time of year. For $70 you can find a Revo S right now gen 3, Shimano Caenan, Pro Max and tons of other reels for similar prices. Orra SX was discontinued and is a fantastic reel, Lews Laser is another good reel I would personally recommend over the Ducket, same with Okuma Cerros or Calera. Heck, you can grab a Tatula for $85-$90 or Fuego for $75, and Daiwa casting reels are worth every penny. The 360, I would pay $100-$130 and be very happy, I say spend the extra dollars for long term happiness.

Cabelas House brand Rods are actually really good and even the less expensive IM 6 Graphite rods for $30 are rated well and are light and nice to fish. I believe the $40 Bass guide rod? actually tested higher than many rods in the upper price range from a reputable site who reviews gear every year. Cabelas has that Whoopin Stick which is a great rod for all around saltwater and freshwater, but if you look at most rods around $50, I say go with the Cabelas Lifetime warranty (They honor it on all rods) and spend I think 40-50 for the IM7 Guide series. They also have Pflueger spinnning reels that they always sell super inexpensive. The President is one of the most popular spinning reels in general and has been for years, and the Purist and Summitt are almost identical in specs if not better in some cases and Cabelas sells them really cheap. Other great all purpose reels and rods that can get you set for 120 and be used anywhere, anytime with exception being offshore fishing would be the Berkley Lighting Rods, Cabela's, BPS rods are good, combos are always an option like a Lews combo, I know the SSG spinning reel is rated really well and is not expensive at all. Okuma Ceymar can be had for $50 and is a sweet looking reel, great for salt or fresh, light, and is rated really well. any shimano spinning reel in the $40 plus range will work just fine, so will the Pflueger Trion for $30. rod and reel costs say $110, you get something really nice, for line, go with Mono to get started, or just grab some 10-20lb braid. You can find several sites that rate gear and are not biased toward certain brands etc. Obviously all reviews are biased in some way, but I never trust anything on sites like Bassmaster etc. Also beware of any reviews that starts pushing all kinds of brands you have never heard of. The Chinese blitz of equipment is coming hard, Kast King is legit, so is Piscifun from what I know. Kast King Mela for $30 is a reel that lots of guys fish when I stop by a pier, and I picked one up, It fishes way better than a $30 reel and put the name Ardent on it and you could get $100 for it. Hope that helps. I recently picked up a bunch of rods and reels as extras for friends, and like some of the Cabelas, kast king, and I spool the 4000 spinning reels with 15lb trilene big game.

TUF Line is not only priced really good, but is a HoneyWell Spectra weave made in America by Western Filament. Power Pro green box is for sure like wire & rough, that is a tight 4 strand spectra weave. If you go with any of the 8 strands like Power Pro plus you get a much softer, different animal all together. Power Pro Plus is great on casting reels, but pound for pound I go with Tuf Line. XP is a 6 strand weave, soft, spectra, and 300 yards is only about $20. The newer Tuf Line called "domino" I believe, is also really good line, especially for the price. I just grabbed a bunch of packs on clearance in the green 4 strand 275yd boxes which is actually easy to cast, round, and much smoother than PP. The red box which is 8 strand is really nice, and for the price I would say it is hard to find a "Better" Braid. Suffix 832 is the only 8 strand that I am not a fan of, kind of stiff, but lots of people love it. Tuf Line Xp has a 25lb with 7lb diameter, 20 with 6, and 30 is 8dia? but good on casting reels. Color comes off every braid I have used, that is what sharpies are for. Dyneema is a trademark for a Japanese Company, SPectra with Honeywell, if a box does not have one of those 2 symbols on it, I wonder what is actually in the line. PE coatings and fibers on many top brands are not actually Spectra or Dyneema so I can't see spending the money. I don't consider Fireline a braid, it is more a "Coated braid" or Superline, kind of like original spider wire. I hate that stuff on casting reels, but for spinning it is alright but check out TUF LINE for sure. Fins braid is really popular on the Saltwater scene, really good in wind, plus they also have a nice pretty pink color. I tried Gliss and it reminded me of Nanofil meaning it would snap on casts for no apparent reason. Maybe I had bad batches of both, but Gliss is not for casting reels at least not for me. The one benefit of Power Pro being rough, is it cuts through weeds easy, but then again, I think it is way too loud when pitching cover. I would rather go thicker with PP Plus slick which is much less noisy when it rubs weeds, in wind, I feel like loud braid in cover can be a detriment at times. I was anti Kast King Braid when it first came out, figured it was just another China braid with random PE fibers, but they now design their own braid, have a 9 strand weave, and they sell a ton of it so people are buying it and I have not read negative reviews in last few years.

Green water I usually go with Green Pumpkin or GP with some red flake, junebug or black and blue, or watermelon blue flake... Red shad almost always catches fish for me when the water has any color. I do have a theory that in green water I like to use a green/brown color so it looks natural, and then go with some flake for contrast if a plain Green pumpkin worm is not working, although GP seems to always work, so does watermelon red.

The one thing I love about Zoom and frogs are the Horny Toad Hooks. Great price, red and nickel, also good on big swimbaits....I am sure the new toads will catch fish, so many good toads on the market...Horny Toad, Ribbit, Manns, Larew 3 legged, Gambler toads...I am fully stocked but I am sure I will grab a pack if I see them, Buying frogs is just fun.

backlashes when you put new line on a reel which start to get worse as you try to quickly fix them so you can get back in the water. A bad Skip is a problem that often plagues me. Deep diving crankbaits are my latest lure I am trying to learn, much more difficult than I expected. Deep water bass are not easy to catch. At least for me most of the time. Missing big Blowups on a Frog, especially when you get the frog back to the boat and both hooks are jammed in the frog. This happens to me too often especially with the LT field mouse, then you bend the hooks upright, and then you start getting snagged in lily pads....Frog fishing is a love hate relationship for me. I read about guys hooking 80% of strikes, and I just can't seem to do better than 50/50 most days unless they are choking it. For some reason, the follow up senko does not usually work for me, I usually have to go back and let time pass, Hollow bodies can drive you nuts some days.

Manns minus series, almost any "Wake Bait" will bulge the surface and if burned will only dive up to a 1' in most cases. BPS Egg, Bandit Footloose, Storm Subwart is a favorite of mine.... Most crankbait companyies have a wake bait for the most part, Rebel has a small one which is cheap called the Tiny R which I like to use in Ponds over weeds. The Mann's series is probably the most popular as they have a bunch of sizes. Strike king also has a good one that only dives a 1'. I am hoping to get my new Bomber Long A wake bait I just ordered. Sometimes simply slowing down with a shallow running crank is just as good. Good Luck. Actually Strike King had a really good wakebait which was swimbait size with a joint in the middle, sold for about $15 and is still a lure I always keep with me. Fish of all sizes seem to like it when a wake bait is working.

I believe a guy was selling them on Ebay a few years ago under the name Kanin Relic, but there are many swimbaits that are identical if you visit ali express or Ebay. Cabela's had an identical swimbait and another smaller company who has a wholesale page on Alibaba sells those same one's. Many on the market at that time were coming from the same OEM which has about 300 models you can choose from with really good prices if you buy a 200 minimum. They were huge sellers on Ebay a few years back and may be today, although you can buy 5 for $20 or so overseas with any amount of joints, color etc. I feel like they are not as popular as they were a few years ago when people couldnt get enough of the segmented swimbaits. Academy had a bunch like that as well, they still may, really inexpensive as well for the quality. Academy lures are almost all much better than their price point, Cabela's as well in many cases. The one pic is almost identical to one of the cabela's models which they sold up until last year for $7 or so. Reviews were always good if I remember, Reaction Strike & Strike Pro used to have a bunch as well. The name of the company who sells a bunch of swimbaits very similar if not identical is called Raw Outdoors. I believe he still has a website and sells them in the USA. www.rawoutdoorsinc.com/baby-carp-2-slow-sinking-bluegill-swimbait-3/ I am sure they catch fish. Good luck.

Hard to say a bad thing about the Booyah Pad crushers. Every version is priced right, have plenty of colors, plus they have the smaller size which is a fantastic small frog as well. I love buying frogs, I like fishing the biggest Live Target 65, but the Booyah standard frog size is pretty much perfect imo. Sometimes you get more value than the price would indicate. I like the pad crushers more than many frogs that cost much more money. The smaller size is kind of a gem, the other small frogs on the market are usually more expensive or just do not allow you to hook up as much. I have a couple of really old pad crushers and I changed out the skirts and they are still going strong. if they tear, super glue does the trick.

3/16 & 5/16.

I need a new 4000 spinning reel and have the urge to buy a daiwa this time around. I notice the Procyon is around the $100 mark, The Feugo which looks awesome is roughly $65, but I can't help but notice the Exceller is only $40-50 and if I remember correctly, these were once much more expensive right? Also, anyone use the Revros? I held one when Gander Mountain was closing out all their stuff, but the only combo they had left was an ultralight. The Revros felt really nice, is the Exceller a good choice for $50 or is it worth going up to the Fuego or even the Procyon. The Ballistic is hovering in the $120 range so I am doing my best not to go there. Any Daiwa Spinning reel feedback appreciated.

I guess this is the new Frog Trend now? The Whopper Plopper really made a big impression on alot of people. Didn't Bass Pro have a Kermit frog that was essentially this same design a few years ago but they discontinued it? I wonder why the Bass pro frog never gained traction. Kind of same concept if I remember.

This is the area that I am working on. I am trying to get a good "Feeling" for deflecting off the bottom and I have noticed that a crank that dives 10' on 12lb test seems to be easier to work in water slightly less shallow. I was using the 6xd in water way to shallow, and I now understand exactly what you mean. I originally thought I was doing the right thing, but that is a great point. Good post. Thanks.

Last comment on Kastking.....When they were first starting out, one of the things they did was send free reels to many of the guides and outdoor writers on Long Island and NY. Since they do not pay for Advertising as Bluebasser mentioned, people just think they are cheap. If you go on youtube, watch the videos where guys break them down looking to "Find the cheap parts" and then listen to what they discover. If that Picture above was Silver and said Pflueger President, I bet nobody would hesitate to pay $80 and call the President a steal. (I like Pflueger reels). How much is pure Fishing marking that reel up since it is a huge corporation who has a ton of overhead? If it had a *** on the handle knobs, it would fetch 4x the price, only difference is *** has an office in Florida, KastKing in NY. Plus different designs, price point, and all are made overseas to the specs they pick. KastKing has expensive reels now as well, but for entry level, hard to beat them, although reasonable people can disagree and suggest an Abu,Shimano, Daiwa, Pflueger, Okuma and nobody is wrong.