primetime

Those jigs in the picture are awesome and the swing design that they are made with helps your landing percentage, and I find that I lose too many fish on the original ZMAN Chatterbaits. The extra bend in the blade that you see in the picture creates a much different bait compared to standard bladed jigs.... I love throwing Chatterbaits to cover water and they are much more weedless than a spinnerbait and have pretty much replaced the spinnerbait for me most of the time, and I find I lose to many fish on the original ZMan versions, and also if I use a trailer that is too bulky or creates too much action fish will often miss it but they also give their location away so I always have a plastic follow up bait since many fish will swirl or miss a chatterbait if fishing them fast like I enjoy doing. Custom jigs hold up better as well imo, but to be fair I have not used the newer models however from D&M etc. which I am sure are better but I like the free swinging versions shown above for many reasons.

I like the post above about how much time we actually spend throwing colors out of your comfort zone? I will hear people tell me about a certain color that I never use like pink swirls, and I have tried them but if I know fish are in the area I can't help but go back to my confidence colors which to me are blacks, browns, and greens....Toss in a few whites, translucents, and smokes and purples and I am good....hand me some gaudy bright colors or UV and I am only confident if fishing salwater but lately I am trying my best to really throw some UV and brighter tones as well as some oddball colors since I know a Classic was once won on a tomato gold flake Gator tail worm, and I never throw Red worms with gold flake..... Color matters when it matters, and I carry way too many, but I still try to stick to past experience or the "general rules" when picking color. UV has me interested as the UV flukes fished aggressive have generated some viscious strikes this year, but I still forget to try them consistently.

I am not sure if they are still making the Devil Spear, I have not seen them on the shelves lately but I have a bunch as they are good for punching heavy mats since they are easy to keep on the hook without them slipping, are compact and easily slip through cover, and give off a nice thump with that tail. I agree like said above, I kind of put them in the grub category and use them as trailers on chatterbaits etc... but they work good like the Rage menace if rigged sideways on a jighead or weighted hook. They cast a mile and are extremely versatile and they handle heavy guage hooks really well when fishing heavy braid and it is thick yet soft plastic tough to beat for the money as are all Havoc baits. They push a big wake if fished flat under the surface and are good to throw weightless as they cast well on casting gear and waking them is a good way to fish them as well, fish tend to choke them when the strike as they are nice and short.

I noticed it was half off any item of equal price and they usually do that in the Dick's here in Florida every Other month or two it seems like, at least with Zoom, Strike King,Mirrorlure, DOA, and usually when they do a large one like this they end up putting out a ton of stuff for clearance when the sale ends. I know at the Dick's I stopped at to grab some hooks as the KVD Mustad stuff has been on clearance lately, they had cases of new tackle and were moving all the Hardbaits from the past year and putting in the clearance area, so I am figuring that the first 50% should happen soon for all the hardbaits and plastics as they had Rage plastics half off already, and one week every so often they do a BOGO on the already marked down clearance stuff. I found scroungers for like .67 a few months ago, and Strike king and Booyah Spinnerbaits for $1.50 ea...Always pays to check this time of year as new arrivals mean they will be moving lures and for some reason good stuff doesn't sell in certain areas.

Hey Joe, It looks like you have been the one buying all the Gambler Baits from the Local Dick's Sporting goods, I was in there the other night and they didn't have much left as I wanted to try some of the burner worms they have, but all they had were some ribbon tails. If you are walking a lake or pond, you can cut way back if it is easier by simply mixing colors into 1 or 2 bags and as long as you do not mix any chartreuse or Red shad, super oily baits they should not bleed. Also make sure any Elaztach baits like the ZMAN and Strike King Elaztach baits are kept in original packaging as they will stick to trays and melt other plastics. You have a good mix, I can tell you like throwing worms, which is good as it is rare to find a day when a soft bait or worm will not work, I like to use a back pack as well and I carry mostly terminal tackle and lures in the back pack along with the heavy stuff like pliers and water etc...I keep 2-3 bags of plastics in my pockets, and a little box of light jig heads and 1" grubs and crappie baits in case I am not sure if a pond is any good. A small 1-2" grub on a light jighead, or even a beetle spin is a good way to find out if you are wasting time, especially in some of the Ponds in this area. They look good, you see nests and wakes all over, but many times they are Tilapia, but that is why I would suggest some Tilapia colored plastics or jigs if you do not already have. Really anything with Smoke and blue or white and blue is a tilapia hue, I am sure you have seen them, they spawn all year long in some ponds and XCALIBUR makes a Tilapia colored Lipless crankbait I believe it is the XR25 which is a great search bait and DIck's has them for $3 right now. I would also invest in a few of the J-9 size Rapala Floating Minnows for spinning gear and I find all I need are the silver and black, gold and black, and maybe a firetiger pattern, but they will work great in any shallow pond....Good luck, your collection is growing and you can never have enough soft baits, jigs, or topwater lures, and crankbaits.....

The Color Lineup for GYB Senko's is simply amazing, I find it very hard to pick colors when ordering worms from their site since they make some colors that are not made by anyone else. In a perfect world I would have a pack in every size in about 4 dozen colors, but overall I would say I throw the Natural Shad and Smokes in clear water and I also love the Smokes with blue and other metallic flakes, but I also do well with the Watermelon/Pearl laminate and the Purple With Emerald Flake... A 4" Senko is the perfect size if you are looking for strikes & even though I prefer to use larger sizes most of the time, I always have a spinning rod with a 4" wacky rigged senko, or 3" on a drop shot because they catch fish even if Panfish also love the smaller senko's.

I like any craw that smells like coffee, and also like the colors and action of the Culprit Incredicraw, Zoom Ultravibe, Zman Floating craws, and one of my favorites for swimming on a weighted hook is the Yum Mighty bug which is not a popular bait but has always been a favorite of mine as it works well no matter how I throw it....In cold water I like the Zoom Critter craws and bass pro Flippin craws which are flat bottomed and look like the original salt craws by Gene Larew, but the small critter craws and guido bugs are good little finesse craws. Hard to beat the Rage line of baits for creatures and craws in my opinion just because of the size options, colors, and Coffee just smells good instead of Garlic or Anise etc.

I have read so many studies and opinions on color and what fish see, but like anything else, there are so many variables. Red may be the first color to vanish in the spectrum in perfectly clear water under standard lighting, but in green water or brown water in cloudy conditions then Red would not be the first color to turn into the "Grayscale" of colors. I don't know what Bass See and when they see it, but I can say with 100% certainty that on a few days in my Fishing Life, Color has made a huge difference and I was able to determine that color was what was making the difference since we were both using same lb test and line, and same brand of worms, hooks etc. One time the color that made the difference was black with red flake as opposed to standard black which has always been a favorite of mine, but on this particular sunny day in the summer, they wanted the Red Flake and the water was 2-3' visibility and 5-6' deep. Why? I have no idea and only reason I threw a black and red flake was because I was out of black and it was a lake that Red Shad (another producer for me in stained water since I first started fishing) and I would say that Red shad is a color that flat out works on some days but for all I know any laminate with a black top and flash would work. Think about this..Many studies are done by Berkley Labs, or funded by a tackle company so if Tightlines Plastics as an example decides to hire a lab to test UV color and Bass reactions, and then publish the results in a magazine, I would bet my life that whatever colors the company wanted Bass to see they would not only see but attack. Red line and leader is invisible, fluorocarbon is invisible, Pink is invisible if you fish saltwater, and camo line is invisible with 3 colors in strips in colored water....Never believe what marketing tells you on a package, we are all suckers for the next new thing and I am a beliviever that if you believe UV color works great, then it will since you will have confidence. I have had days where I lost confidence due to weather conditions not being what I expected when I arrived at the lake and after telling a friend how awesome the lake is, I would do awful to start the day, yet my buddy would be slaying them since he was only thinking positive thoughts and he did not have any pre conceived notions on wind, temperature, or boat traffic....Mindset and confidence are key, I used to love buzz baits as a kid and would throw them all the time on every lake and would always get a few on the buzzbait if not a bunch. In the last 10 years, I have caught maybe 1 dink on a buzzbait while I have seen other's catch quality fish on them, so I know they still work, but I put one on and for some reason I just don't believe, and I put in down after 3-4 casts every time and now they collect dust. I just started to use pinks since I have been surprised at how many people buy pinks over purples, gp, and black.

I put Red hooks on some cranks that I have in the same color just to try as sometimes I think it helps, but I have no idea if it truly does or not. I know some say that the red treble in front or red split ring gives off the look of gill plates, but I only put them on a few lures and have never been comfortable with Red Hooks for soft baits, not sure why just never used them. If it gives you confidence to have a red treble on your lure than it is worth doing because you probably will do better, but I think a sharp treble is most important, but I still play around with red and also adding dressed trebles etc...

I have been wondering about this lure myself...I love the Sebile Snagless Flatt Shadd and I liked the idea as I have messed around with a frog hook to try to create the same design but have not had success....I am curious to find out the hook up percentage and if it truly comes through weeds like the Sebile can. I usually just cut off the two points on trebles with lipless cranks to avoid tangles in weeds and weeds themselves....I am interested since you mentioned they stand up without falling over, that has sparked some interest now....Would love to hear any results as well...Good question on a cool looking lure that should sell well as I plan on getting 1 on my next order.

The best way to catch limits is to fish in the areas where the fish are holding, so finding fish is half the battle and that is done through both research, trial and error, but typically takes time on the water since every lake has it's own patterns that are unique but researching the lake and a map are essential as well as finding out the main forage. Once you find them, catching them is never a guarantee, but if their was a magic bullet, I would love to know. You can get shut out even on the lakes you know best, you never know until you get on the water, but reading articles and talking to locals will help you become more efficient overall, but Fishing is not as easy as it looks on TV.

Just be careful fishing expensive swimbaits from the shore, especially if casting toward shorelines with brush etc. I know lure knockers and retrievers are typically designed for boats, but a knocker often helps, but usually if you get snagged on bottom it is game over with treble hooks. If you are looking to fish a wake bait like a spro wake or any segmented swimbait, even a fast sink is good for waking if you want to go faster and also have it drop in the water column if fishing cold water using a stop and go retrieve, you can use a chatter bait or even a swim jig as a wake bait and then have it flutter down, or use some soft swmbaits as mentioned. If you have open water then cast away but I know I am guilty of trying to cast toward "Fishy" spots and nothing can ruin a day faster than losing a brand new high dollar lure on a cast that was risky.... I like to throw baits that cover water in larger ponds regardless if fishing from shore or a boat/kayak, figure out if fish are active in any spot of lake, and if I find some big females than I will chance it with an exensive swimbait, but you can buy good soft swimbaits or wakes that are only a few bucks that work well. If the baitfish are small, you may want to throw a small wake or swimbait, I like small baits when it is early spring to find fish, 3/8 rattle traps, 1/8 swim jigs, 4" grubs on a jighead, smaller jerkbait etc....I love throwing Chatterbaits especially early in the year when weeds are sparse, they pull big fish and cover water as well, and can be fished subsurface and also hopped on bottom or slow rolled near bottom and if you lose it no big deal....

Tanic water color with limited visibility-Motor Oil red, Watermelon Red, GP Candy, GP with gold flake...junebug and Red shad seem to always work for me in stained water, maybe pearl if it is a lake with shad, and I like a chart or blue firetail at times as well. Contrast often helps, I like a laminate in any of the above colors for stained water, morning glory is a good one if you want to see the bait, but Junebug with Red flake is a great color since it covers all areas of the spectrum If you are looking for confidence and feel sight is the most important key. I have had days where UV colors kill em and days when fish will not go near em, same with brights like bubblegum and metholianate, when they work they work, when they don't they don't and have no clue why. Black and Blue with some scent like Megastrike on it should do the job in any stained water and some guys dip the tail in chartreuse, but I like a black worm with a blue tail in spring.

I use barbless trebles and crush down barbs on a lot of treble hook lures since it really makes no difference in landing percentage if you keep tension on the fish the entire time but I only think to do it if fishing topwater treble hooks lures since they are easier to remove from a fish without hurting it and killing it. Also, Barbless trebles on lipless cranks allow you to shake off grass easier and bait pops off quicker, also for wake baits if it fouls, the barb will hold any weeds that are stuck, barbless allows for easier hook sets without having to set as hard, plus you can get weeds off by ripping the bait instead of having to waste the cast....I never crush barbs on worm or jig hooks, but lures like a bomber long A with 3 treble hooks is overkill, I replace with thin wire sharp barbless hooks since they penetrate better and when I set and the lure flies back at me I can get it out easier...I have only hooked myself a few times in 30 years of fishing and 2x were when I was very young, actually maybe 5 times, I have had a few in my hand from blocking hooksets that missed, if barbless they come right out, With Barbs It is rough, especially more than one. Nothing like a Firetiger Floating Rapala Flat Rap hit your cheek, I fished when a guy had it in his face with all trebles and he fished the entire trip without complaining before going to the ER. This was a long time ago but he was a trooper because if it goes past the barb it hurts to get them out.

all the ones I have tried have exceeded expectations and I use their Pistol Minnow and double prop topwaters in that red ear sunfish color they have and bluegill pattern, barfish, bone and a few others, lipless cranks, little wake, all really good. The are not Lucky Craft like some say online or the same OEM but they are a heck of a deal for $2-$5 online and in stores I know they have deals from what I am told. We are getting a few in Orlando soon and I can't wait. I grabbed a 25 pack of their worm hooks online and they are every bit as good as the Gamakatsu,VMC, Owner Hooks I use. I can't tell them apart from which is what they are sharp and strong. The Pistol topwater is good, I like the saltwater version better, hooks and rear dressing and a dollar less and colors are good. The small lipless are awesome for small baits in grass. It seems all the house brand lures are good, Cabela's has some good one's now, bass pro has a few as well, but Academy has best color selection and sizes . Great deals. stock up.

People use treble guards? Fish take the paint of all the lures anyway, I jam as much into a box as I can and I could care less about scratching. I hate tangles, but I have rubber bands on some, but usually I only clean them end of year or few times, but I only use 5% of what I carry anyhow, keep them aside and the rest is just in case..... My best lures don't have paint left except for the times I use my sharpie on the water, I use my sharpie on new lures, need some chartreuse on my new silver and blue rattle trap, boom, need black at night after losing my Sammy? I decided to take the yellow one that is probably rare and a collector item since I have never thrown it and it is when first came out, but now it is all black from my sharpie...Works great, well, half black, yellow, and white undercoating now.

6 ounces will work good if the fish are super Active and the water is crystal clear and they want a Rocket fast Drop speed, but in all seriousness, 3/8 is good starting point this time of year and I never go over 1.5 and that is for a mat you can almost walk on...I find a 1/2-3/4 handles most water and if water is clear heavier may be needed, but depth matters as well, I never do well if shallow and super heavy. The new swing Jigs and Jig Rigs make punching easy, lose less fish and if weeds are thin a 1/4 jighead is all you need and Tungsten is great but lead is still plenty good, most strikes happen on the fall anyhow, so you just lose feeling, don't wast a lot of time, in and out, 2-3 lifts of the bait and into a new area......also, if you get bit, look at why that fish was there, weed type etc, and sometimes shaking on the bottom will work as well especially pre spawn and spawn. If lake gets pressure and everyone pitches and flips baits in the same area, go with a heavy drop shot and keep bait up off bottom a foot or so, power shotting works I am still getting used to it but it is good once you find fish or know they are there. I use a Jig on bottom for weight at times and put small bait up 18" and figure out what they want, still working on this 2 hook deal and not comfortable yet as I never know what is what and how hard to set and it tangles a lot since I forget and do a lot of moving the bait. 3/8-3/4 is what is most common for thin weeds, 1 ounce is heavy and need the right rod for that as well. It is also work and not always fishing.

Plus nothing looks better when loading up for a than a box full of Sebile hardbaits and some Ima, Lucky, Jackall, Imakatsu and a few randoms even if I am scared to cast them and lose them. I would never say a lure is better than another, just different and depends who is using it and how...Rapala is quality, Bomber is quality, Smithwick, Spro, Strike King, Jackall, Megabass, Lucky...all have different actions and what I may perceive as overpriced may seem underpriced to the guy killing big bass on it because maybe I didn't give it a fair shot, or was not casting close enough to cover which is an issue when I throw expensive cranks over $10, hate losing them, but if you are not banging and grinding your $20 squarebill, you probably will be good with the xcal's.

I think some expensive lures for me have been great, some were a let down, I still have a place for all lures, but I am happy and have noticed thatAmericdan Companies that were stale for years, house brands etc have stepped up quality and for $5 you get more today than 5 years ago in many cases.. I see owner hooks on average priced lures, good paint, and some new designs as well, I notice we have gained better colors and detail from the Japanese so I like that I can get better lures since Pradco was getting crushed by companies like Spro, Strike King, Jackall, and I am not talking Lucky and up but rebel and norman have some cool stuff out this year and each year bass pro makes a better lure etc.

when lil fry are around, bass busting shallows for an ambush through a school of juvenile baitfish or panfish, the reaper could be one of the best clear water drop shot technique around. Some guys split the tail and it makes em kick like a split tail beaver, but I go sideways, the 3" is like a finesse Rage menace...Never did well with them on a darter head as I expected in cold but if fish are near, they are great drop shot baits and key for me is not shaking just turning handle every 30 seconds, the bait waves natural on it's own...I pull them out in the clear phosphate pits when fish are spooked in sunlight and shallow clear water, let a drop shot soak and it will deliver, as will alot of small baits, but leeches are a fav of mine since bass eat them more than lizards, frogs and if walleye love em I figured I would start using leech soft baits and I have been surprised, lets say on a gold course go leech...

my guess is they swim similar to the other 45 versions out on the market now since Keitech opened the door. I would say they are good as a guess since color and weight is a GYB positive, never fished a GYB bait and thought it was terrible but I never pay more than $3 a bag from overstock or local clearance sales since people never pay 8 bucks for senkos anymore unless you need color 789 for a tournament or something.

Bomber Long 15 A for spring summer and fall, sebile flatt shad 77 suspending for fishing hydrilla in summer or for long pauses and suspension with a lipless crank in winter or for pitching, plus converting the suspender to weedless model allows you to suspend your trap in Hydrilla you normally would hesitate throwing a worm. They were inexpensive for awhile but are almost $15 each again but I keep buying them anytime I find a deal in case Patrick Sebile decides to let Pure Fishing design more stuff like the action series, glad I stocked up on Ghost walkers, Slim Sticks, Stick Shadd, Bonga Minnows, Cranksters, Slender Eel, Magic swimmers, A cast minnow, Koolie wide lip floater...I forgot a few, oh yea the spoon for shallow water and lipless 1 ounce cranks with willow blade that is worth $20 easy. Owner hooks, glitter filled lures look as if scales are falling off, and the Splasher is best popper, chugger, spitter..love me some sebile and nobody except saltwater guys use em, good with me.

they use barbarians on higher end..balsa lures require light line so if you put a 2x strong hook on a balsa minnow you kill the action, if you try throwing a floating minnow on 15 lb test you will bend hooks or if using heavy braid, I never have problems on bigger x rap walks with heavy braid as they are 3x strong vmc, with ewg on back, same with skitter walks as they go up in size, that is why I love Bomber, Rebel, and Cordell, I can fish em on heavy line in jungles when a rapala f-13 needs 8-12lb test tops for best action or even distance.....

They get really good reviews and they look as good or better than most as I like the round profile, spro style circuit lip, I never see them on sale but I am sure they will work great, find the right speed, and wakes can be a blast..Good find, good luck. This is why Expensive Japanese Lures were and are good for the industry. When did storm ever have colors like that, packaging, and I noticed Rebel, Bill Lewis, and all lures seem to be much better than they were a few years ago...$5 gets you in the game with top quality lures with good colors and hooks and good selections. 2.99 bags of Yum...good stuff coming this year, Bagleys is back with new stuff older molds again I hear.

I figured I would post a warning as I see people paying good money to a good amount of seller's in the states & in Canada and almost all sellers are fairly new, have every color rapala in every model, new out of box, custom painted, but now they are boxing vintage lures like the warts the last few months, Bassmaster edition stuff, Whopper Stopper, Bagley, you name it but it is super rampant and nobody finds 3000 lures, 1500 happen to be new boxed pre rapala warts and Bagley's, Rapala etc, and then who would have 1500 Rapala and Daiwa lures all without boxes but new? Please email and ask good questions if you know your lures and let's help people from losing money on Fake lures done intentional...Start with Megabait or Papala, or mispelled yo-zuri, also blue fox spinners mid depth are fake 90% of time. I love buying vintage Rebel, Cordell, Bagley's, and colors for random lures but line was bad enough, now lures are crazy and I couldnt sell 6 crystal minnows for $20 even if I purchased a 1000 from Maurice, good people get ripped off and I figure I will expose them and if you purchased from someone not legit, don't feel bad, some are good at it, and Ebay will get your money back and then it will stop....Plus it kills legit sellers and companies who inovate stuff and trust outsourcing so they can compete. Sorry for ramble.