War Eagle 44

Thanks for the replies fellas! roadwarrior, thanks for telling exactly how you have the bait itself rigged. I'm looking for ideas that are a little "uncommon" or different because the A-rig is super popular here so I was looking for anything I could do to make mine stand out a little.

I just picked up 6 packs of Sick Fish today, hoping to try them out tomorrow. They seem pretty soft to me but I'm sure nothing like the Trash Fish. I hope they turn out to be pretty good little baits because for the price they'd be a great deal.

I've been using an Owner Beast 8/0 with an Owner Hyperwire split ring through the hook eye. I buy the unweighted version so I can put a heavier weight on them, I'm liking the depth I get with a 3/8 Bass Pro crimp on weight.

I'm sure this has been asked before but what are you guys using for all the different umbrella rigs? I picked up a new Cumara A umbrella rig rod today to fish with a Curado E 301. I plan to spool 25# CXX and see how that goes before trying braid. I've read a lot of posts where guys said to use braid for umbrella rigs but I think I'm going to like copoly best for this technique. I'm also planning to use this combo for swimbaits and big swim jigs. I'll probably also use it to fish the new 10XD baits. So what gear are all you guys using for Alabama Rigs? Should I just skip the copoly and go straight to braid? Post pics if you got'em.

Great responses guys, keep it up.

Sam, hahaha, I guess they did get the memo about those square bills!

I've only fished with the "Fats" but they are really good baits. They have great action on a weighted swimbait hook (I used an Owner Beast) or as a swim jig trailer. That's the two ways I've fished them so far. I've purchased all three sizes but I've only fished the biggest and smallest so far. I got the middle size to use on my Alabama rig and I haven't thrown it yet this year. I used the small size on a 1/4 oz finesse swim jig in a pond, as usual they worked great. I only came across these late last fall so my experience is limited but they did seem to get more bites than say a Berkley Hollow Belly. I think they have the best action when fished by themselves on a weighted hook. Like I said I was using an Owner Beast 8/0 1/4oz with a split ring through the eye of the hook. To me this lets the bait have more of a "wobble" as well as the tail action.

I've played around with one in the tackle store but I've not fished with one. I LOVE my Citica E's so if these weren't $400 I'd surely pick one up. Yes they would look fantastic on a new Cumara A.

Thanks! Yeah square bills are pretty fun little baits when the fish want them. They work for most of the year around here, I just stop throwing them sometimes in favor of something else I "think" will work better. Usually doesn't. I'm going to try to get back out Thursday, theres a big cold front coming through tonight and Wednesday so it might be tough sledding. I'll keep you guys posted if they're still chewing.

I have both a Calcutta TE DC and a Calais DC (both 201's) and I love to fish with them. I use the Calcutta the most, I usually have it on a 845 CB Loomis or a 7'7" M Cumara reaction rod. I primarily throw cranks, square bills to 6XD's, scrounger heads, traps, Sammy's, under spins, and the occasional spinnerbait. I'll spool it with anywhere from 10-15 # CXX. The Calais I use for jigs, t-rigs, buzzbaits, weightless flukes, Senko's, Cane Toads basically an all around type reel. I usually have it on a 7' mh worm & jig type rod. Mostly fish 15# CXX on this reel. I love to fish with mine and I'm sure most of you do as well so I was just curious what you guys were throwing with yours. Thank fellas.

I was able to get out on the lake for a couple of hours this afternoon. The water has a stain to it right now that isn't normally there due to all the rain the area has received in the last month. I keep a small log of my trips so that I can look back to see what the weather, water, and fishing was like in previous years. As I was looking back today I noticed that it was almost the exact same conditions on this day last year as it was this afternoon. So armed with that knowledge I proceeded to tie on the same lures as last year. The bait that I got the most bites on last year was a KVD 1.5 in chartreuse black back color and it proved to be the only bait I had any bites on today. I had five total bites in the 2 hours I was out but only managed to catch two. I'm always amazed how hard a fish can hit a lure with a set of treble hooks and not get a single one. As i said the water was stained and 52 degrees today but that didn't stop these nasty spots from pigging out on shad. I sat on one single point for a solid hour and got all 5 of my bites there. There was shad all over it and on both sides, it is a gradual slope from the bank all the way out to 20 plus feet. The shad seemed to stay out over 10 to 15 feet and hold anywhere from 5 to 12 foot. I got my first bite almost instantly on the 1.5 so I didn't bother to try any other lures, just being lazy. So over the course of that last hour before dark I got 5 bites on the square bill, which looking back on it if I had started at that spot in the first place I may have been able to double my catch. Oh well that's fishing and besides I should just be happy with the two fish I was able to catch. Nothing big, just a nice fat Coosa River spot.

I pond fish almost weekly, one of my best producing baits (winter, spring, summer, or fall) is a Zoom magnum lizard in green pumpkin with the tail dyed chartreuse weightless. I just rig it up on a 4/0 to 5/0 hook cast it out and watch my line until I'm sure it's on the bottom, then every 15 to 20 seconds I'll point my rod straight at the lure and turn my reel handle one full turn then let it settle back to the bottom. All I'm trying to do is make it look like it's crawling across the bottom and not a lift and fall retrieve. Doesn't work all the time, as nothing in fishing every does, but it will get bites on most days.

LDad2, thank you for that. I should probably give your idea some thought and look into better ways to handle the fish I catch. I never want to injure them or stress them anymore than I have to, I like to watch them swim away just like I did with the fish in the pic.

Yet another vote for the baby brush hog. I don't think there is a bad time to use them, I catch fish on them year round. The SK Space Monkeys are pretty good along with the Smokin Rooster.

I've been fishing for 12 years so I know how to properly set my drag and spool my reels. I wish I were close to you so I could show you that this particular reel is horrible with braid. It doesn't matter how you spool it on it still gets wind knots. Some people might think the propulsion lip is just a gimmick but it's not, it works. I'm also not saying that all reels have to have this feature in order to handle braid well, but the reel I'm referring to isn't one of them. I already admitted that it was more than likely my fault for the breakage. I know you've probably been fishing many more years than me and know more about it than I do, I just wanted to say I didn't start fishing last week, I know a little. It seems like you are just dismissing any info that I've given on the grounds that I must be a moron and don't know what I'm talking about. No disrespect meant to you at all, like I said I'm sure you know more about fishing than me, I just wanted to make the point that I'm not a beginner and I do know a little about what I'm doing.

I got a fever... and the only prescription is more cow bell! That was a great episode.

Like I said it was more than likely my fault because the line had gone through a bunch of wind knots prior to breaking. The spinning reel I was using at the time didn't handle braid well at all. I've since switched to a spinning reel with the propulsion lip design and I've not had another wind knot. I also had the drag pretty tight because there's some ok size bass in this pond and I've had trouble getting good hooksets on them in the past. I caught this one on a spinning reel as you can see with 20# PP and a 15# P-Line fluoro leader on a NetBait T-Mac.

Yes I came to my Shimano reels only conclusion after trying 4 major brands, but I might be more of a brand loyalist now because when looking for a new reel I only look at Shimano. I look at it as I've found what works best for me so no need to try anything else. I'm perfectly aware that's really close minded of me but hey what can I say. As far as rods go I fish Powells mostly with some Shimano and GLoomis sprinkled in. I also have one Falcon that I really like.

Even though they're fairly popular you never hear about a pro who just won the latest tourny on one, the Zoom Baby Brush Hog. They've been on the market for a long time but they just keep catching bass.

I fall on the exact opposite end of this discussion. I started out buying reels from many different brands, Shimano, Garcia, Quantum, & Daiwa. I'm now a 100% Shimano guy as far as reels are concerned. Not knocking any of the other brands, they all make some really good tackle, it just simply came down to enjoyment while fishing for me. I just enjoy using Shimano reels more than any other brand I've tried, granted I haven't tried any of the newer reels from Daiwa, Quantum, Garcia, or Lews so who knows maybe I'd like one of them more now. I won't find out any time soon though because I'm still 110% satisfied with my Shimano gear. I guess I fall into "if it ant broke don't fix it" category. I'm also not really purchasing many newer Shimano's either due to being happy with what I already have. The newest model Chronarch I have is the B, I only have two E model Curados (51 & 301), and my Stella is the FD version. The majority of my fishing I do with Citica E's and my Chronarch B even though I have more high end gear, I rarely use it. I'm not trying to say my way is the "right" way and you're wrong I'm simply saying I get more enjoyment out of having all the same brand reels. I didn't settle on Shimano because they're "Shimano" I picked them due to real world fishing experiences and what works best for me. It could have easily been Daiwa, I had plenty of their higher end gear to test. I used to own a Pixy, TDZ, Alphas, Steez, Fuego, & Zillion. All really really good reels, I just prefered Shimano. In the end as long as you're enjoying yourself participating in this great sport of bass fishing then it really doesn't matter what gear you're using. Simply fish what makes you the happiest and enjoy it.

I'm currently using 20# Power Pro on one of my spinning reels and just spooled another with 20# Super 8 Slick to try out, I've heard the S8S is great on spinning tackle. 90% of the time I run a #15 P-Line fluoro leader on my spinning rods. I've no been able to tell my bite percentage has gone down moving up from a 10# fluoro leader plus it gives me extra strength for fishing under and around docks and boat houses. I was using 30# Power Pro because I actually broke 20# on a hookset on one of my medium spinning rods. I'm sure it was my fault though because that particular line had been through many wind knots before it broke. I had it tied directly to the hook when it happened, using a Zoom lizard weightless. I also had the drag pretty tight. I'm going back to 20# because it casts noticeably better than 30# and I've never once had a problem out of 20# when using a leader.

I've noticed that I do this to, I'll just stop fishing a lure thats been working for no particular reason other than I just move on to something new that I think is better. The two I can think of right now are Senko's (which I've just stopped fishing altogether for some reason??) and PJ's Lil Brush jigs. I do fish one of the jigs every now and then, maybe 4 times a year or something like that. I'm not sure why we as fishermen do this??

I have more high dollar reels than I do rods, I feel the point of diminishing returns is reached faster with rods. Having said that, the reels and rods I use the most are Citica E's and Powell Max series. Here the rods cost more than the reels, but the majority of the time my reel costs more than my rod. Case in point, one of my favorite crankbait combos is a GLoomis CBR 845 with a Calcutta TE DC mounted on it. Here the reel is double the price of the rod. The combo I have that has the biggest disparity between reel and rod is my "pond" combo (I call it that because it's the combo I always throw in the bed of my pickup and go pond hopping) which is a Chronarch B 101 mounted on a Shimano Carbomax rod. Both I bought brand new, the reel at full MSRP of $269.99 and the rod on clearance at $19.99. Even at full MSRP these rods were only $79.99 for the most expensive one but I still like fishing with the combo. I run 40# Power Pro on it so sensitivity is never a problem. Braid, to me, is a great way to make a cheaper rod better. Here's a pic of the combo, I use it ALL the time. I've had a lot of fun with it and if I break the rod one day, no big loss.

I just bought my first set of Boca Orange Seals about a month ago. I, like many others here, only purchased them because one of the factory bearings rusted. I removed the orange seals and cleaned them the same way I do my stock bearings. I left the seals off, added one drop of Shimano oil to each and dropped them in. To tell the truth I can't really tell that much difference over the cleaned stock Shimano bearings. As was mentioned earlier Shimano reels don't have ABEC 7's from the factory, Bantam1 said most are ABEC 3 class with the Calais DC having greaseless ABEC 5's. I've found that the shielded SS bearings that come in most of their reels are very good bearings if properly cleaned. Some take more time and effort to get completely clean than others but I've not come across one yet that won't spin like crazy if worked on long enough. I know most guys don't want to do these things but I just love everything about the "hobby" so I like to spend my time playing and tinkering with my gear. I heard so many stories about just how much improvement the Orange Seal's made in their reels so I guess it's possible I was expecting to much from the start. I'm not trying to bad mouth Boca in ANY way, the bearings I have from them are perfect and spin freely. I just don't think I would upgrade just to be doing it, Shimano stock bearings perform very very well when cleaned so I'm assuming so will Garcia's.

I use an Owner Twistlock XXX #5132 in the 5/0 size and I replace the medium CPS that comes on the hook with Owners largest CPS. Holds firm and I've never had a problem missing fish using these hooks.