Snakehead Whisperer

Depends on what you're going for. The simplest thing to start with wood be basswood of some sort. Stay away from balsa and other really soft woods if you're just starting out, as it's not dense enough to use normal screw eyes for the hook hangers. Pine will also work. Just make certain that you cut the slot for the bill and drill out any holes for ballast/rattles/hook hangers/line ties before you shape the bait while the wood is still in one piece. This will make it much easier to keep everything centered and symmetrical. Check out tackle underground. It's a tackle making forum with more information than can be found anywhere else on the web. Post photos once you have some baits made.

Not sure if you'll read this post before you go fishing, but here it goes... I fish the free flowing Potomac pretty regularly from DC to Dam 4. Better fish will be in the main channel/heavier current during mid-day and could be anywhere at dusk/dawn. This is a gross generalization, but it's what I've found to be the most consistent pattern. Last time I fished up that way the fish were all caught either in eddies downstream of islands, or suspended around 6-8' in deeper stretches (usually 10-12 fow.) Smallie baits that have proven successful this year: -Dark jigs fished slow on the bottom (#1 color is all black with black/chartreuse 3" grub trailer.) -White or chartreuse buzzbait fished across riffles earlier and later in the day. -Any whitish colored popper bait earlier and later in the day. -Natural colored tubes (browns, greens, etc.) -Watermelon colored 3" senkos rigged on either a ball head jig or slider head are always productive on the Potomac. Houdini is another color that performs well. -Broken back suspending Rapalas (usually when fish are hitting these, color seems pretty irrelevant.) Craw or blue/red seem to be a sure bet. -Shakey head rigged with a craw imitating soft plastic (either dark like blue fleck, or natural.) -Float and fly (slip bobber with 1/16-1/8oz. jighead and natural grub was working well for suspended fish.) -Also caught a few on orange jig heads with 4" blue ringworms while fishing for walleye. Hope you tear it up tomorrow. I'll be chasing snakeyfish close to home, downstream of you.

Hollow body frogs are not supposed to be sealed, otherwise it would not collapse when a fish bites it. There was a thread on this recently, you should read it (especially JFrancho's post on page 1.) http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/119736-sealing-up-hollow-body-frogs/ Basically it comes with the territory. Just squeeze the water out. Making sure that the hook is aligned properly and that the body is straight will minimize this. I usually fish Spro and Koppers Live Target frogs when I fish a hollow body, and have never had any real issues with them filling with water unless they were mangled somehow.

Do a combination of the suggestions above... dropshot a gulp minnow.

I think you're probably talking about wlure. They're the only chinese company I can think of that makes crankbait blanks.

Nice vid! The Playsport is a great camera for the money.

Windows phone would be nice... if it ran Linux. So would the iPhone. Try Dolphin web browser. It will render the page more like a full browser, and gives you many options unavailable on Safari/Droid stock browser. BR loads fine on my mobile, but then again I view the full site as I use a lot of the features that are unavailable on the mobile version. Why don't you build the app? I'm assuming that if there are some developers here who will code the app free of charge, nobody here will tell them not to (please contact the site administrators beforehand if you really plan on doing this.) This thread is kind of beating a dead horse though, as this has been discussed several times before.

Are you hooking your lures to a hook keeper on your rod? If so, how tight are you cinching it down? If the break is always several feet up the line then maybe it's getting weak at the bend where it goes through the rod tip guide and back down. When using fluorocarbon it's important to check the line for abrasions, as it is more brittle than mono. Simply untangling a backlash can leave you with weak spots in your line. If in doubt, cut it and re-tie (and of course, dispose of the line responsibly .) I recommend the San Diego jam knot for fluoro, though there are many knots that work well. A palomar knot is less than ideal, but should still perform decently. I agree that you should check the guides with a cotton swab, and while you're at it check the line guide on the level wind mechanism on your reel with the swab too.

I really love it when people call them a "strike indicator" as if it makes them less embarrassing to use. To the OP. Bobbers are not a very common technique for bass fishing. There are however times when they are very useful, for instance when fish are suspended somewhere in the water column and you need to place a bait directly above them. Electronics are crucial to finding these fish, and a normal clip-on bobber will usually not suffice for this method of fishing. I highly suggest that you search the term "slip bobber" if interested in this. Slip bobbers are the only type that I use and typically I only break them out when river smallmouth fishing or fishing for walleye, and even in those circumstances it's rare that I will use them. "Float and fly" is another technique that is useful for bass fishing. There is definitely a right time for bobber fishing, however. Start by reading the articles on this site and familiarize yourself with the likely habitat you will find bass lurking in. You don't have your location listed in your profile, but I will assume that you're in the northern hemisphere like I am... with that said, it is summer here. During summer most lakes tend to stratify which means that there will be very little if any oxygen at the bottom of the lake. Look up the term "thermocline." It is highly doubtful that you will find fish at the bottom during the summer unless you are fishing a river. I hope you land a nice bass soon. No matter what anybody has told you, there will usually be some bass close in to shore no matter what the season. You might want to start by casting to shaded areas near cover (logs, rocks, etc.) Don't underestimate how tightly these bass may hold to this cover though. You may have to cast directly into the snaggy areas to catch these fish. Also, look up different ways to rig baits and be sure to look up weedless rigging such as the "Texas rig."

Those are some excellent catches. Nice find.

They work great, but you have to touch every area of your hands with them (no lather.) I don't use them for fish (just wash with soap,) but I do use them if I chop garlic or something like that.

Exactly what I was thinking. The 1-Minus is somewhere between a crankbait and a topwater bait. Usually when I'm fishing one (or any wakebait for that matter) the goal is to get from 3-6" beneath the surface , if not right on the surface. I fish them on the tidal river at high tide if the grass is submerged. Killer baits when used at the right time. @aquaholic The bait that you have that does dive is most likely the lemon of the 3.

Might want to downsize your offerings. Most 5+lb. smallies that I've caught were on 3" or smaller baits. That's not to say that they won't hit the larger baits, but you'll probably catch more fish with a smaller offering.

Through wire is pretty much the only option with balsa, as screw eyes will tear out easily. For bass baits I like to use either #10 AFW Tooth Proof stainless leader wire, or just regular piano wire. I usually sand them with 220 grit and prime in Zinserr 123 primer. The 123 primer is available in aerosol, which makes it pretty simple. Check out Tackle Underground, if you haven't already.

Nice!

Do you have an air compressor? With that budget you're going to have to find something used. Be sure to get a gravity fed airbrush for painting baits. It's hard to go wrong with Iwata or Paasche, though finding one at that price will not be easy.

Nice

Oldie but goodie. Good looking lure. I haven't fished one in forever; going to have to bring 'em out next time. The popper bite is red hot here on the tidal Potomac. Probably wouldn't worry too much about the rear hook and the skirt... not until you try it and see what it does, at least.

Congratulations. Nice fish.

So true. I do this too. If I say the word multiple times in a single conversation, I'll usually pronounce it both ways Some people seem confused by this.

Really what I am trying to say is that it's what I know to be true (mileage may vary for you or others.) If your experience leads you to a different perspective, then so be it. I'm just happy that you're enjoying the environment and the sport as I do. There are several instances when bass feed on a particular forage base and will not eat much else. Crawfish for instance. Sure during this time a live craw will most likely outfish a jig-n-pig or soft plastic in the same color; but the jig-n-pig in similar coloration to a natural craw will likely outfish a live shiner or a crawler in the same waters if presented well. In the waters I fish it is not legal to use a live crawfish as bait, so even if I wanted to use live bait I still must simulate it with artificials to get that crawfish strike. I simply do not believe that live bait will outshine artificial if the person fishing just uses any old live bait. If one is calculating and knowledgeable of what the bass are eating then throws a live specimen of it in the bass' face, then sure it will catch more fish. But to assume that a bass will eat any old minnow or worm on any given day is just not true. How many times have you seen bass swimming within a few inches of baby bluegills or other minnows completely ignoring their presence? I've seen it more times than I can begin to remember.

On 6lb. line I can usually get a shad-rap to run about that depth. Just a thought that you could use a shallower diving crank with lighter line to achieve similar results in a smaller profile. Like a Rebel Crappie Crank-R or a shad-rap. I don't think the 6xd is too large for a 2lb. smallie though.

Looks like a blast man. Nice fish. I also feel sorry for those who have never fished a warm water outflow in cold water conditions. Some of the best fishing there is IMHO.

In the winter I often long for milder weather, but there is just something incredible about catching fish in sub-freezing temperatures that can't be explained. If one is dedicated, fishing can be a year round pastime regardless of the weather.

This isn't necessarily true. If the bass are feeding on bluegills, then you might possibly fair better using a bluegill patterned lure than you would throwing out a live shiner, crawler, etc. Bluegills are considered game fish in my neck of the woods, and using them for bait is not lawful. Same would apply if the bass are feeding on crappie, certain species of darter or killifish, crawfish and many other protected species of preferred forage. There is also a moratorium on harvesting most species of shad along the entire east coast, but bass feed heavily on them. All of these prey can be imitated with lures.