Avalonjohn44

I usually vary the speed of my retrieve and yo-yo the bait up and down the column. I usually end up burning them, I'm impatient.

I got skunked today too. Had one on, but he shook off a dozen feet from shore... It was the only bite I had all day too. I had much the same conditions as you and also threw everything I had at them. I started with jigs, moved to jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, a soft plastic jerkbait, a lizard, chatterbaits, rattletraps, jig again... Finally got bit on a darn square bill. The best advice I can give you is to try it all again tomorrow and don't get discouraged, enjoy the time outside. Eventually you'll figure out a cold pattern, or it will warm up and you can use a more traditional pattern.

I have a few packs, and I like them so far. I especially like their flipping hooks. Can't wait for it to warm up so I can try the others that I bought out. Thanks for the heads up on the deal.

I think that bed fishing benefits the species in the long run, from a Darwinian perspective. We are probably catching the dumber bass, those less fit to compete, preventing them from passing their genes on and thus giving the stronger/smarter ones an edge in breeding. We get stronger and slightly smarter bass, over the course of decades it might even make it harder for us to catch bass. Who is to say we are not evolutions mechanism for weeding out the weaker/stupider bass?

Pink works. Period. If you refuse to throw it for fear of what the other fisherman might say, then you're letting peer pressure make you a less effective fisherman. And possibly not secure in your masculinity... Some will say its only benefits are for sight fishing. Others will say that it triggers some sort of predation response because it resembles an albino minnow. I do know that on some days pink sluggos and trick worms will catch bass like nothing else. The Ribbit frogs that work best for me have a pinkish opalescent belly. My buddy has an old pink Lucky Craft rattle bait that looks 'silly' as heck, but produces as well. And my daughter is partial to pink lures. Bandit makes a few patterns in pinks and purples that she uses, and they work too (when not stuck in her clothing, a tree or my skin...). Possibly my favorite color for soft plastics, Berkley Powerbait in tequila sunrise. It's half pink, half black, and it works at just about every lake I've fished.

I have two baits I need recreated. One is a trick worm style that was available in the 80s, I don't know the name... The other is a Charm Assassin by Bass Assassin...

I have a couple of soft plastic standby baits that have been discontinue and I can't find them on eBay or any of the usual tackle sites... I need to send the away to have them duplicated, I have found a few sites online that will replicate what I send, even add scents to them. I'm leaning towards Jak's Custom Baits, but have no experience with them (http://www.jakscustombaits.com/custom.htm) Can anyone recommend a good manufacturer, or does anyone have experience with Jak's? I'm down to my last two bags and they won't last me very long...

I bought a few lots of lures from Ebay, mostly Rapala and Yo-Zuri stuff, but had a cool looking jerkbait with it that took me a while to identify. I'm pretty sure it is a Trout Magnet Crankbait/Jerkbait. It suspends (at least in my sink), but I haven't tried it out yet(just got 11 inches of snow today...grrr.). Has anyone used these(and for bass)? Any reviews? https://www.troutmagnet.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=42&products_id=186&zenid=4b21e92f34fddaa511ee36be6d05620d

Something I like about the Horny Toad vs other frogs is the motion you get when you let it sink. I like to buzz it up to a lily pad and let it sink, it slides/glides through the water and looks much like a real frog. I get a lot of hits letting it glide to the bottom. Other frogs that I have tried do not have this action built in like the Zoom Toad does. Great Bait.

Most people will tell you pre-spawn to spawn is the best time for red. I haven't noticed if that is the case, my 'normal' colors seem to work just as well as people claim red does... Where I have had great success with red is when night fishing. I don't know why, but one night my buddy and I started tossing red traps at night and they work. If I am night fishing I will throw a red rattletrap first thing, they produce.

Baby Brush Hog - Blackberry Sweet Beaver 4.20 - Roadkill Zoom Trick Worm - Watermelon Seed Zoom Magnum Trick Worm - Green Pumpkin Gander Mt Trick Stick - Watermelon Pearl Laminate (very close to baby bass) Sluggo - Alewife Culprit 7.5" Ribbontail - Red Shad Culprit 7.5" Ribbontail - Junebug Zoom Old Monster - Blackberry Stanley Ribbit - Baby Bass This is what is in my tacklebag pretty much all year long. If I had to make a substitution due to colder weather, it would be to trade the Ribbit out for a Berkley Powerbait 7.5" worm in Tequila Sunrise.

In the immortal words of Sherman T Potter: Horse Hockey. Quantum Metaphysics = a hippie hijack of science. Clunn designs a good bait though.

Here is a link, I had the same question as you, though did not include the Skeet Reese version: http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/98823-lucky-craft-rto-15/

I hope so. I have some RTO 1.5s that look very similar. I haven't had a chance to fish them yet, but will hopefully be testing them out this week. I have high hopes. If they perform I'll be stocking up on them. I wish they would make the Blue back/Chartreuse pattern with the red dot lateral line that Clunn's bait had, but I can reproduce that with a sharpie if I need to...

Haven't seen them, but I love the Magnum trick worms. Just found the magnum finesse worms this year too, grabbed some. The Bait Monkey is wearing me out this winter...

Original Big O's (hand carved by Fred Young, not the Cotton Cordell plastic or recent wooden reproductions) are worth some big money. Shortly after that Bagley made some great ones as well, they are also pricey. I am lucky enough to have grabbed a bunch of bagley squarebills but never got my hands on a Big O... Rick Clunn's 1.5 (Lucky Craft version) might be better than all of them in my opinion.

Got a good deal on some at Gander, $2.25 a pack, so bought a bunch. I figure they'd go great on the a shaky head, maybe just t-rigged with a tiny weight... Anyone have any reviews or ideas on these? I don't recall them being talked about too much around here...

When I first bought these, I got the pre-rigged ones from Walmart. They were basically just rigged on a large jighead. They worked so well that way, that's how I usually fish them now. Sometimes I put them on a swarmin' hornet head, sometimes weightless.

Dude, you have crossed the line from venial sins to mortal sins. There aren't enough Hail Marys.... j/k

The Academy H20 Xpress is similar in shape, but not as good as the 1.5. I had one split open, and cracked the lip on another. The action is not as sharp and pronounced as the Lucky Craft 1.5. Using the same rod, line and reel I can't feel the Academy bait as well. However, I do think it is better than the Lucky Strike version of Clunn's bait though. I have some of the LC RTOs but haven't gotten to fish them yet, they look very similar to the LC1.5 and my hopes are high... My favorite replacement so far is the KVD 1.5, although the colors are not that great.

Not all that many on eBay. I've been looking for some blue bream 1.5s for a while now. Good luck...

Here is what I use in my travel bag/panic bag: Green pumpkin Baby Brush Hogs Junebug Zoom Finesse and Trick Worm Green pumpkin Finesses and Trick Worms Culprit 7.5 Ribbontail Worms - Red Shad, Tequila Sunrise, Green Pumpkin Senko/Knock Off - Baby Bass, Green Pumpkin, Pumpkin Seed Zoom Fluke - Baby bass, Alewife

I keep trying a jig, but can't catch a thing on them. I will never buy a Mann's lure again, every one I had breaks. Plus the dust up they caused over the A-Rig completely turned me off to the company.

I might have to drive down there and test that out!

Good kit. I would add a couple of inline spinners, they catch fish anywhere. Note: I especially like the Disney bag! (Not kidding with you either, I am going this fall and hope to fish Bay Lake).