Avalonjohn44

Thanks Bait Monkey!! $40 later...

;D I love those. Nobody else I know uses them. I have never seen a better baby bass pattern ever. 8-) Other brands I love: Cranks: Bandit Footloose, 100, 200, and 300. Bagley Kill'r Bs, B2s, Fat Cats, Bang-Os Cultiva/Owner - Rippin Minnow, Tango Dancer, Goggle Eyes Rapala - DTs, X-Raps and Countdowns Soft Plastics: Zoom - Finesse and Trick Worms Wave Worms - Tikis, Bamboo Sticks, Snakes Lunker City - Sluggo, Helgies, Salad Spoon, Water Widow Charlies Worm - High Floater, Ribbon Tail Bass Assassin - Charm Assassin, Original Bass Assassin Jerk Others: Terminator Spinnerbaits Booyah Buzzbaits Mepps Fury Spinners #3 or 4 in Red Johnson Spoons - Nickle Finish all sizes. I have alot of other junk crammed in there, but these are the baits that I use most often and produce the best for me.

Bandit 100 and 200. Bandit Footloose if cover is shallow.

First Aid Kit Sunblock A jacket An emergency change of clothes (I read more and more about hypothermia after people fall in the water) A small radio to listen to local weather reports. I know on the delta weather can sneak up on you. Replacement batteries for whatever devices you are using (like flashlights, radio, etc). A small tool kit and ratchet set Spare allergy medicine if you have allergies. A whistle. Flares.

Until this past week, I have not had great success with the Fat Ika/Palm Tree lure yet, despite the raves it gets here. Skirt up, or skirt down, I wasn't catching much of anything with the Ika. I went out fishing 4 times with only Ikas, and I finally had some success, but on different ways than are mentioned here. I'd like to pass on the two 'new' ways I fish these guys that has finally begun catching them for me. 1 - Rigged skirt down, I cast it and walk the dog with it. It will walk just under the surface, or you can go slow and walk it a couple of feet down. I fished it other ways, but this is the way I first began catching fish on the Ika. I think it looks more like a darting shad/minnow presented this way. 2 - I tried rigging it skirt down and skirt up, and really tried it for a while, but only caught a few dinks. I was getting frustrated, so I finally wacky rigged it and BAM. The fishing really started heating up. Those are the only two ways I fish it now, either walking it, or wacky rigging it & now I really like the Ika.

Here are a couple of goldfish from River2Sea lures, awesome baits. My buddy got the top one at a fishing show and slays them on the rivers in southern VA.

Megabass - Gryphon and Cyclone Bandit - All of them, Footloose 100, 200, 300 Bagley - Kill'r B and Killer BII Cultiva/Owner - Goggle Eyes

I was looking at the Beast in the store the other day, and while it resembles a beaver bait, I wonder if it can be fished a different way. I want to try to weigh down one side so that when it sinks if sinks sideways. When you look at it sideways its profile looks just like a sunfish. I bet if you could get it rigged just so, it would do pretty well.

Here is a link to thier hellgramite. It is perfect: http://www.caseplastics.com/Products/Hellgrammite.htm

Anyone use these? A local tackle store just had thier going out of business sale, and I grabbed up all of their case plastics because they looked nice, and because they were in the $1 bin. I got several packs of soft plastics - lizards, grubs, some great looking hellgramites that might be the best I've ever seen, and four bags of senko knock offs... I do not know the regular price of case plastics baits, but these things are the exact same consistancy as the Senkos. Their website touts them as having the exact same fall rate. They are worth grabbing and comparing if you live and die by senkos. Might save you some money. http://www.caseplastics.com/Products/BigStik.htm

The Tiki Stick is fashioned after the senko, but it comes in better colors, and is tougher than the senko, it'll last for more fish. You are not paying what is becoming a ridiculous price of senkos either, you can get Tikis for under $3. The action of the Tiki Stick is more preferable to me most occasions, it sinks a little slower, and is more supple. It is infused with salt and anise/molopo, but not so much salt that it makes the worm unusable. In the situations I fish, it out-performs the Senko almost every time my brother has gotten it into his head that nothing in the world will ever be as good as fishing-messiah-Gary's senko, but I routinely out-fish him on Tikis in fact, he has not caught more fish than me in the last 2 years since I found Tiki Sticks. Occasionally I will get a better bite on the Senko, but not often. I am not saying this is the same everywhere, but on the 8-12 fishing holes I hit (ponds/lakes/rivers), the Tiki works better for me for more than just one reason But Wave worms are not just the Tiki Stick. They have a whole bunch of styles, Tiki Stick is just one of them. I also use Wave Worm Lizards and their Jerk Bait with a long tail. Their lizards are very nice, they are ribbed, and have the salt/anise like the rest of Wave worms products. I just bought some Bamboo Sticks from Wave and can't wait to buy them.

Lightninrod - That first 6 Lb bass pic... There is a pink thing hanging off the side of the bass... Is that a parasite or are his guts hangins out? Just wondering. If it is a parasite, do you ever pull them off?

Lunker City Salad Spoon. Crawl it ontop of the grass, algae, scum, or on the edges of those things, and bass will blow it up.

I think it's definitely worth a try. Kind of like using a shad lure in a pond with no shad in it. It'll still catch a bass.

Sounds like you did just fine. Keep on doing what you're already doing.

To paraphrase a line from Field of Dreams: If you sink it...they will come.

Spinnerbaits - Terminator Buzzbaits - Booyah In Line Spinners - Mepps Cranks - Megabass Lipless - Strike King Diamond Shad Reels - Pflueger Rods - Currently Calico/Hurricane (but soon it'll be St Croix...) Line - Shakespere Cajun Red Worms - Wave Worms and Bass Assassin Swimbaits - Lake Fork Magic Shad Walk the dog baits - Cultiva (Owner) Frogs - Whoever makes the Sizmic Toad Hooks - Owner Jigs - Strike King

This one is kind of a believe it or not... My buddy and I went fishing last year and we were pitching at a long line of reeds. Well we threw beavers, and jigs, and some other bulky stuff, and were getting nothing. I was getting frustrated and pitched a big spinnerbait in making some noise. As soon as it hit the water a bass crushed it. Ever since my friend and I have been pitching spinnerbaits.

I buy a single pack of a name brand. If I really like it then I will try to find it in bulk (name brand bulk though, not knock-offs)and buy it, if not, I go back to the place and buy all of the singles I can.

I have about eight different fishing holes that I hit regularly. Senkos work great at most of them. At two of them, both spring fed ponds, I cannot buy a bite with a Senko. I've tried 4", 5' and 6" in various colors and presentations at both places, but nothing. When I go to those two ponds, I don't even bring the senkos there anymore.

Thanks for that link Matt. I can't wait till I have a whole mess of these baits to really go wild with.

I think these are discontinued.

Cool. Another bait to buy. Now that you have said it, I realized that I have seen (in creeks not ponds or lakes though) crawfish scoot and flutter along the surface. Whether it was by accident or because they were being chased by something I dunno.

This is one of those baits that I have in my "Panic" box. It nearly always produces for me.

I was skeptical, but bought one from Walmart. I went fishing last night, and now wish I had bought ten. I am completely sold on these baits. The action is amazing. The fish absolutely killed this lure. I missed the first two fish on it, (my fault for not paying attention), but I nailed the third - a nice 2 pounder. Problem is, he ripped the bait up so badly I couldn't use it anymore. I know from the hits I was getting before the bait was trashed that I would have caught a dozen more fish if I had more of them. I bought the pre-rigged version and fished it as-is. I see on Ebay that youcna get these unrigged. Do you guys fish these with a simple lead head hook, or do you rig them another way?