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The Flash minnow is designed to run less than a foot, they have several models, actually more than several on their international site, but the Max Rap from Rapala was designed to be similar to the flash minnow.. It is a killer lure, I had one for a bit but lost it, and I had a slow floater, maybe it suspends in the cold, but they are designed to be fished over grass in placed most guys throw a fluke...All Flash minnows are great lures as far as I know.. I just have not been able to find a floater and I am not sure if the one I had just floated slowly instead but I loved it instead of using a Long A or Rapala...The Max Rap suspends in salt water but will float in some temps in fresh water, only dives about 8" on 20lb test, and is deadly over grass...I like the slim profile and the flash minnow has colors that are hard to replicate....Suspenders over grass that only dive a 1' are out there, but I don't like them since I can't see them at all times....I use a suspending Flatt Shad by Sebile if I need a suspending bait to work in a foot of water since it casts further than a floater, and if you just pull of the split ring it will float slowly and dive only a few inches...it gets bit when not moving most times, I like to either slow roll the minnow lures a few feet then pause for a long count, shake, and if that doesn't work the twitch twitch pause often is best...In the summer I have had days you wouldn't get bites if you paused it, key was to keep the Jerkbait moving just under the surface and barley let it splash....You don't need to see it on those days as they kill it, but if windy with waves, and casting far, just color the top with some red nail polish so you can see when a fish swirls and misses so you can follow up with a soft bait. You get alot of swipes on floating jerkbaits that give away the location, its amazing how a lure with 3 treble hooks can have a lower hook up percentage than a frog at times...Usually a color change from chrome to gold can help, but also a size....but usually they are just not committing, they will almost always hit a worm tossed at em and big fish often barely make a ripple on the surface, don't think little swirls are panfish etc....Big Fish are curious at times and will just push it with their nose....If you can fish a hard bait over grass it is always worth a try when every other boat is throwing a fluke, worm or frog...Most guys also throw round wake baits and fish them to fast imo alot of times, but you have a great lure even if it sinks...That lure has wicked action when you twitch it or swim it..... You can still find Top Gun's from Bagley on Ebay for under $5 since they made that lure up to the point of the prism image series and I have been using the Top Gun and the Bang o lure for over grass forever..I just with they casted further but if you made them a suspender that helps with casting distance, I prefer a floater, but that is just me...I will load up suspend dots to get it just right however....I thought I wast the only one with a tray of Top Guns...

I have been using the timber Tiger for a long time and it comes through wood and trees nicely, and it has a nice action when you hit something and dead stick it....It floats up nicely and the sides of the crank help with it running true at higher speeds, and also with deflections...I picked up a bunch at a yard sale and a few of them had dressed trebles on the rear with a double hook, and I am not sure which one's they are since they are so beat up but I have a few that run about 5-6' on 15lb test Big Game and the color is mostly gone except for some white and green on a few, and I do the best with the one's with the dressed rear hook, and also when I add a chart line to each side with a spike it marker since the shape is vey similar to a bluegill. The Timber Tiger is almost a hybrid of the Speed Shad by Luhr Jensen, those wings give it a unique action, I am not afraid to lose them and I chuck em in nasty spots and they come out really good. You can still buy them on TW and anyone who uses them usually appreciates how well they work...They can be tuned easily if you like a bait that hunts more to one side etc...Good Buy... I have always felt that on smaller lakes and ponds it is better to throw lures fish are not seeing as often, and the Timber Tiger along with the Big O rarely get used anymore compared to Strike king and all the square bill look a likes surely pressure fish....The colors of the Timber Tiger are unique as well...You can also put big hooks on the bait and it still has a nice action...

I think a fluke is like a senko...Can't really fish it wrong for the most part...Usually slow works well but sometimes when they are busting bait or super active they want it as fast as you can work it, sometimes if they are suspended in clear water they want it falling fast... The Yum Houdini Shad is a great fluke since it has a paddle tail that you can make forked and adjust...It's actually a popular flipping bait since it get's though weeds well, and has good vibrations....But I like to start slow and make it look like easy injured prey, if nothing, then skip it, few fast twitches and let it sink slowly and often it will get bit...The Strike King Caffiene shad is also a favorite since it casts a mile and has a nice glide as well....

I need to use a scrounger more...I tried it a few times and never had any action so I quickly changed...I think I was working it too fast or just didn't have the right weight or bait... I am going to actually try it with a sluggo as mentioned above or a fluke..I used it last time in a small size with a small sassy shad and it looked good but I quickly gave up after my buddy caught a few....I never really gave much thought about fishing it like a chatterbait, I was thinking Shaky head lift and drop for some reason... Too many lures, Ned, Neko, Flick shake, mendotta, jika rigs, swing jigs, rage rigs...I like the idea of fishing it similar to a chatterbait, weedless with the guard, wobbles, goint to try it with a horizontal approach..Seems like it works well for people and I never see anyone using it...

You can actually get everything for free and make money if you bring your phone with you and get a deal on clearance lures at any store...Often you can approach a manager if they are stuck with a certain item that is popular on Ebay, and if you walk into a fishing store on the right day, you may just find that they have a rack full of Mepps spinners and panther martins in say a sports authority like here in Florida, so nobody buys them, so I will just buy all of them for crazy discounts.. Just keep it simple..Buy a few colors, few sizes and this way you can list all items at one time, and I know it seems like work but I recently found a bunch of savage lures for $3 and grabbed a cart full, they ended up being slightly less, only grabbed 3 types, 3 colors, had em listed before I left the store but now I made a few bucks and also have half dozen savage lures I would neve buy since they retail for $10 plus in most cases...Line is another good one...Sports authority will do 75% off of Suffix braid at times etc...Stuff like that, if spro frogs are buy 2 get one free and on sale, I don't mind selling 6 to get 2 free....Just a thought, less stress than starting a legit business....and also just buy house brand lures from Academy....They work as good as any for me....

You can use a weighted screw lock hook, some work better than other's, but I like to fish them weightless or if anything add a nail as someone mentioned, or a swivel for added weight...Sometimes a light bullet weight pegged or un pegged can help, fishing a Fluke can be a blast once you figure out the right speed and depth...Usually it's a pretty easy bait to fish and you can mess around with how you insert the hook point from bottom or top to get a different action...But usually I throw them weightless and if the water is clear watching how Bass grab a fluke is sometimes a blast....Good luck, all the BR videos are good, I still watch them to remember tricks and I like how he get's right to the point and not trying to sell a ton of accessories etc...Just good videos on how to "Choose the right hook" which is a good one... If the flukes are spinning or flipping either they are not rigged straight, or sometimes the baits may have a bend in them or something that is causing them to roll...Usually they should work fine tied direct, but I do sometimes add a swivel to the main line so the fluke sinks a bit faster or to add a fluoro leader etc...Swivels can't hurt with line twist issues either.

we find deals in Florida for the Owner St-41's most of the year, they retail for I think $7 a box, but they only sell for $3.50 and usually the sizes are #1.#2, 1/0,2/0....If you wanted some of those Owner's I can pick you up a few boxes and send them to you as I plan on stopping by to grab some stuff anyhow tomorrow morning.... Owner hooks are expensive as mentioned above, I think Mitachi is kind of like saying "Pure Fishing" but the Japanese Version so they are the same company I think, or subsidiary, similar to how VMC makes Rapala and Trigger X, Suffix etc.. There is a few sites that are actually cheaper on bulk trebles than most wholesale sites or distributors, especially for Daichi death traps and mustads etc...I would look at Hagensfish.com guys buy from them and resell on ebay all the time from what I can tell...They also sell Mizmo soft baits really cheap as well as all kinds of terminal tackle...Much cheaper than any Barlows etc... Let me know if you can use the 41's, I know that is a low price but we get lucky and get overstocks or something of good items, lately alot of lures that used to be expensive seem to be dropping in price I guess because sales are not as strong? Competition for hard baits is insane these days...

look for hooks under the brand Mitachi.....Save a few bucks, rep for Owner told me they are identical hooks, I Know a few companies Like Tiemco and I think Evergreen use them on their lures..We have a store that sells the Mitachi Hooks and they do seem to be identical but I am sure a google search for wholesale or bulk Mitachi Hooks would maybe help you out. I don't think you can buy the st-36's in bulk but I love those hooks. I just can't afford $3.99 for a little box of like 7 treble hooks except for my favorite topwaters since they are 2x strong and sharp....

The Slider Jig heads have that glide which the Mushroom head does not offer and I kind of like that action sometimes. I use the Slider heads for the "Ned Rig" and they work fine, have not noticed much difference compared to the mushroom style, I tend to find that 1/16 is usually best if not windy and the key is often making sure the hook is not too heavy or big which kills the action. I have been experimenting with making a weedless TRD rig to fish in areas I would throw a jig or texas rig and I have been able to float a 3" Zinker when salt is gone on a 1/16 boxer jig. (I just cut 2 pieces and never even) with a finesse style worm hook #1 or #2, and then just crimp a 1/32 or 1/16 oz bull shot right on the nose so it is the same as a pegged weight. It stands perfectly, if you want a ball head just texas rig with light wire hook, and crimp a round split shot and it stands it straight up once the salt is gone... I have been having so much fun experimenting with this rig and it actually works really well on a weedless worm hook if you keep the "Principles and concepts" in play. I saw a video of a midwest angler who was doing a tutorial for Z-man and he was using 10lb copolymer line tied to braid, so that is not a light finesse rig imo..This is bass fishing...10lb copoly can land fish in most situations if you have a place to steer them or go grab em...#10 is usually more like #15 so I guess my point is this super light weight finesse style whether Ned or Brewer, can be altered to fish any style. Its the Elaztach that does something different and I have watched fish in the ponds by my place react to a zinker vs. a regular worm and it is usually different. The material on the ZMAN baits after worn in get's spongy and it looks like it is breathing, I get bit if I just let it soak and barely move it...I have not used the Hula stick..I just take a Razor and cut the end of a Zinker into a tube...Works good on a big senko as well for added action...I stole the idea from somebody else.....

Good idea...I just wonder if the big ones will get in the way of a hookset but good idea....I would love to hear the results...I am sure you can make it work with some adjustments....Good question.

Find the hard bottom....and you are in business....Using a toad or swimbait over the pads should cause them to at least show themselves...Nice pic as well.

I sometimes use a small 4" Ring worm if I want more tail action but it is hard to beat the Z-man baits....They make so many good options and the TRD or half a Zinker/Zero is a good choice as are the tubes, Trout Trick, or zman finesse worms and they have 2 good craws..Punch & Turbo I think....Once the salt comes off any Z-man bait they work really good and start to have that "breathing action"...I would stick with Z-man baits but any plastic with rings will also be bouyant and give you a nice slow fall while standing upright.. I know the Midwest guys use the Larew ho daddy which is a small ringed brush hog...I saw a video on you tube of a guy using the ZMAN batswing trailer alone and it looked good in the tank...ZMAN baits are good, so are the Strike King Zero baits..Both are the same....I soak the baits with salt in Gulp overnight to get it out, it saves time if using a Zinker... I also still use the slider worms and slider grubs and have been experimenting with many baits, but when it counts I go with a Zinkerz....Once that salt is gone they float really well. Plus they get better as the day goes along.

subtle....zoom critter craw....Works great...low action, 2 sizes...black and blue claw, watermelon chart claws...Love that bait as a trailer in the cold or pressured areas or even rigged on a c-rig etc... I would also look at a simple twin tail grub...Pork is also good, just have not used it in a long time. Culprit makes some good twin tail grubs that I have been hearing about that make good trailers...I want to try a few of their new baits....

I wish I had a philosophy......I just make sure I have all my terminal tackle organized, and my Jig box which contains my chatterbaits and spinnerbaits....I use a small tackle bag just for my plastics and that is the hard part for me...I love plastics.

All the floating traps I have (2) float and I have not caught a fish on them yet...Really have not tried them much but they also make a suspending model as well...I decided to try the floaters after having success on the Sebile Suspending flatt shad but for some reason the floater just feels wierd to fish...Very light obviously... I plan on trying it more this year over emerging weeds. I have not tried mine in the cold, purchased them from TW, and they float like a Floating Rapala would float on the pause and the few times I tried them last year I used them like a wake bait and would pause them and they would float to the surface. They only run maybe a foot or 2, if you go to fast they turn to the side but I figure they are a good way to fish the weeds easier, they are no doubt hard to cast on heavy gear, if they are floaters they will feel very light compared to the standards....

one of my favorite soft baits....Love to buzz a solid black one on top of mats since it is thick and stays on the shank easy, and soft for good hook sets, and the ridges kick up some nice water when fished like a toad...I also like to let them sink into pockets and usually use a hook that has weight toward the front... I fish them for punching or pitching on almost every trip since I can swim them out, they get through nasty cover easy since it is a simple bait, and you can punch it and then hop it or slowly swim...I rig em sideways to swim like a grub in open water and flat when punching...Usually I can get away with 1/2-3/4 pegged with the Devils spear in the larger size... You really can't fish it wrong, it is a paddle tail grub with a ribbed tail and nice thick body...Great swim jig trailers as well....or rage rigged. Often times in the colder weather when the Bass are suspended or hanging in heavy cover they won't hit a bait that has a ton of action, which is why I think baits like the Menace, Devils Spear, or a tube work so well, you give the action to the bait and control it and the fall rate between 1/2 and 3/4 vs. 1/4 can all matter so just experiment and after a while you will get the feel for when they want a faster fall vs. slower fall and it is not always as easy as cold vs warm unfortunately...Sometimes it is the opposite which is why terminal tackle is more important imo when fishing soft baits than anything else..I consider many punching baits hook holders....Like the BB Cricket and Devils spear at times, you can split the tail as well.....

They work great....So do the Havoc Devils Spear Rigged sideways..I love the Devils spear for swimming sideways and flat...Topwater, punching....Great bait, the Rage Menace is a great bait that is unique with the flange and it is a nice change up as a swim jig trailer rigged anyway... I usually rig the Menace flat since I like to fish it solo and on a weighted hook slowly crawled on the bottom...I rarely rig it sideways unless as a trailer..Not sure why, or if it really matters..For some reason I never fish it near the surface now that I think about it, probably kicks up some water nicely....

I like them in light cover, and often I find that if I concentrate on working them slowly and softly (The design makes me want to chug it and make it pop) but I have had days where I couldn't get bit, and then I would slowly and softly walk it (It walks really well) and it starts getting demolished... I like the fact that it is durable and not too soft, and I like the Spittin wa simply for a few colors that I just like, but I also like the Booyah Pad crusher which also works really well...Can't say one is better than the other but it is a quality frog for the money...They make some colors that I really like which are unique..

I have a ton of both the Speed shad and the Kalins sizmic shad... The kalin's are thicker and usually harder...The Tails do come off easy from short strikers, but the 4.8" Kalin's is much bigger than the 4.8" speed shad since the speed shad is pretty much a straight taper compared to the Sizmic shad which is like the Fat Impact with a big wobble and taper...I would consider the Kalin's to have a bit less action since the Speed shad is a bit softer, but the Kalin's has a wide wobble compared to the speed shad... I find that the Kalin's are good for swimming on the surface or when you want more of a commotion, the tail is larger etc...The biggest difference with the Keitechs are the squid scent and softness. I think the Keitechs are better than the Kalin's for sure if you fish them more than just a chuck and wind (If that is what you prefer, especially around heavy cover, then save the money) but nothing is better than the Keitech imo if you want to pause them and get the most natural movement. I will say that I have some batches of speed shad that are super soft and do move on a jighead just like a keitech....But the consistency from both vary depending on the date they were poured..Both come from same House, different molds however....Hope that helps...The Keitechs are from a different OEM....

I know exactly what you are saying..The Roboworms have the smell of "oil"?? compared to most plastics, I have a few other soft baits from Japanese companies that are buoyant that smell the same way. Roboworm adds salt but once the salt is gone they are very buoyant, and I have never had fish not strike them because of the smell. With that said, I like to apply Scent to most of my plastics that I intend to use for the day, So I usually soak some in a tub of gulp, and some just get Megastrike....I usually make a tub and fill it half with gulp liquid, then put some megastrike in the tub so it is more like a paste, but Megastrike stays on your baits and lures a long time...I like using the Gulp to soak baits that I want to float like ZMAN plastics to get the salt out....I do the same with Roboworms but I have only used the basic finesse worms, not the other styles.. I hope that helps but I know the smell you are talking about. I have also smelled it from custom hand pours that I wanted to float without salt.....Maybe someone who pours worms would know what the deal is..PVC mixed with Silicone maybe? Never was into pouring, but I am sure some people are experts at what is in each bait.....

when in doubt....green pumpkin will work...

There are many articles on this but keep in mind...A copolymer is a blend of nylon (we all call it mono) and fluroine (we all call it fluorocarbon) so technically a line like Yo-zuri Hybrid, P-line Cxx (Seem to be the most popular) are a blend of both types of line to give you the added abrasion resitance of fluoro, stretch of fluoro, and the easy handling properties of nylon plus now by having a fluoro coating it is UV protected etc..You could write a book.... Bottom line...I like Hybrid but if you visit the yo-zuri page you notice that #6 has the breaking strength of 12.8lb test standard IGFA (I believe ANDE is the only company that makes 2lb test in .002 diamater which is standard I believe,not sure..I do know that 10lb hybrid breaks at 16lbs roughly, has more memory than say #10 Trilene XL or XT, or regular Stren for example, but is also much thicker than standard 10lb test... Line companies all have different diameters for lines, so what P line says is 10lb test, may actually be the diameter of 15lb test, so for yo-zuri, 10lb test is actually very strong line and the 12lb is .01 thicker and only gives you a tiny fraction like 16.8 vs. 16.6 so check out the sites and pay attention to the diamater more than the lb test. I would suggest using regular Nylon Mono in whatever brand you like, and stick with name brands, never skimp on line, stay with the big boys like Berkley,Stren, and all the other companies. You generally get what you pay for..Hybrid is great if you don't mind the memory, I would get the ultra soft for a spinning rod, but I also like to use braid main line almost all the time on spinning or nylon mono then fluoro leader.... I hope that helps, I know I skipped a bunch of stuff, but I used to just give people 10lb test berkley BIg Game when I worked at a tackle shop on a new spinning reel since it is cheap and reliable...However, 20lb braid is only 4lb diamater and you can cast it a mile...hard to not like braid but lines are improving so fast these days it is remarkable...

Thanks for the replies..I was referring to the Spin shot hooks that VMC and Gamakastsu make that have the swivel connected to the hook. I just found that I get less line twist using those hooks, but I notice many people just use a palomar knot through a small drop shot hook and are good. I have no problem tying a leader to braid, but I should have made that more clear in the post. I generally prefer the spin shot hooks since I get less line twist in the wind, and I also move the bait way too much at times out of a bad habit which I am working on fixing. I currently just tie my drop shot to a swivel hook (VMC) with 15lb braid, and usually use 8lb test fluoro, but I think I may try some straight 8lb test fluoro again on a spinning reel and just go the one knot back through for stealth as I feel I may be getting less strikes with the swivel on the hook, it is like using a snap to me which I don't prefer. I know the lines have gotten much better in the last few years, I can't believe how much better Fluorocarbon line has become in just 2 years. I used to be 100% against it at all times, now I like using it for leader and on casting reels. I still don't trust the Palamor on Fluorocarbon but I used to use a down shot hook direct to mono before I found out about the spin shot hooks and I just need to stop moving the bait or increase the weight I guess at times...

The Field mouse is legit, I am just not sure if it is better than the Snagproof mouse since I have never tried that one. I picked a few up on sale last year and figured they would give the fish in some of the pressured places I fish a new profile. I did some research and found out that the tail apparently comes off easy, and that it takes on some water, so I fixed that by adding some silione loctite seal to the hole where the hook enters, just not too much as you want it to compress, but usually it is not an issue. If you walk them fast they have a nice roll and will take on some water but with a little glue you can fix any frog/mouse...(Sometimes a slow sinking hollow mouse or frog is actually effective especially if you have a fish stun it or miss it. Viva makes a small mouse/Frog that is designed to slowly sink and it actually works well but I have never used it.... I have caught fish on them, and also glue the tail to the body and that helps, but even when you lose it it works fine, if not better since it can't get in the way of the hooks during the set. You can always just glue a floating worm to the back if you want it to be perfect looking. I find the LT Frog to be perfect out of the package and one could argue it is the best from pound for pound depending on preference. The mouse needs some modifying to get better hook sets. YOU HAVE TO BEND THE HOOKS UP, IF YOU DON'T THEN SOMETIMES WHEN YOU SWING, YOU WILL COME UP EMPTY SINCE THE HOOKS BURY INTO THE BACK OF THE MOUSE. The frog often will seperate from the hook, not sure if that is designed but I like it, but the mouse needs those hooks adjusted if you want to land more than you miss. I learned this the hard way, and had one of the largest Bass I have ever seen blow up on a topwater when I was throwing it mid day in open water just messing around. I gave the fish enough time to where my line was moving since I was nervous and set the hook solid and when the mouse came back both hooks were stuffed into the body.... It may make it more prone to catching weeds, but I actually don't use it in heavy cover, I use it in open water and love casting it onto the shore and walking it into the water...It has awesome action and is fun to fish, I actually prefer it without the tail, but instead I add a few strands of white skirt, any extra stuff in the back of a hollow body frog or mouse etc. just gets in the way imo..Don't worry about lost body parts...A wounded mouse missing a tail is just as likely for a bass to see then one with a tail if that makes sense...It is a good bait after modifying.... Just my opinion, but I have noticed on blogs that other people have had the exact same issue of hooks going into the body....Hope that helps..I wish I had my hooks up higher and still get upset just thinking about it...My friend thought a big alligator jumped into the water...I hate when he tells the story, it makes the fish seem really d**n big and it was...But I missed it, and it was Live Target's fault, that is my story....Good Luck

If you want a lure that is identical in shape and action to the Cordell Pencil Popper since it is unique, and is smaller in size I would say the closest I have seen is the Hurricane Zig Zag Plug...They make smaller models in the 3" range with the exact same shape, and I don't know how they sell them so cheap. They come with a pivot treble hook on the front which is a Mustad, and it is harder for fish to throw since it rotates 360 degrees. They also have a dressed rear trailer hook, long cast bearings, and if the package didn't say Hurricance, you could easily slip it into a a different brand's package and it would sell for over 10 bucks. The Cordell Pencil has an action that is hard to replicate from smaller lures imo.... At 7" it is thin, and will get bit by bass of all sizes, but it does cut down on the amount of strikes. Kind of like fishing a big Swimbait. The only other brands I have seen with a lure with the same shape are Ima, Evergreen, and I think Paycheck....The weighting of the Cordell gives it that action which is hard to replicate but the Hurricane does it well, probably the same OEM....