annexation

If you want extra casting distance without adding a weight, try the Yamamoto D-Shad - they're more dense and have similar action. Not as durable, though.

I'll feel the line when I'm deadsticking with braided line, or when the wind makes line watching tough. It's helped me detect some bites that I may have missed otherwise.

I was finally able to convince a bass to eat a jig this summer doing it this way, and was able to replicate that success enough to, at last, gain some confidence in jig fishing. Plus, it's just a sexy looking setup. I don't blame the fish for clobbering them.

Is it alive? Does it fit in my mouth? These are the question a bass asks before inhaling the pink monstrosity at the end of your line.

Those unused lures make great birthday gifts in a pinch - just buy a 3600 and load it up. Love ya, dad! Kind of frustrating to get outfished by your own neglected stuff, though.

Sounds like a neat creation! I love doing this kind of stuff too. I recently got a mold for pouring Fat Ikas (no skirt) and realized they make a nice generic body for attaching other parts to. I'll cut off tails and flaps from some of my spent baits and attach them to newly poured Ikas. My favorite so far has been the Pit Boss Ika. Fat Pit Boss? Whatever you want to call it, it works.

It's a toss up between Tennessee Shad and Smokin' Shad. I prefer D-Shads, though - Olive Shad and Smoke Shad there.

I try to keep an open mind about lures - every year something different works best, and I'm always eager to learn how to work new stuff. That said, if I could catch them on a Super Spook Jr. all the time, I'd never fish anything else.

The Fat Ika, to me, is the ultimate bank fishing bait. You can cast it farther than just about any other plastic, even without weight, which can be important when stuck on dry land. You can get two different size profiles out of it, too, depending on which end you run the hook through. Reverse is more compact, which can be the difference on those days when it's bright and clear and the fish are spooky. The Spook (Super Jr. size for me) scratches that topwater itch, and if they're hitting one, I'll just fish that exclusively the whole time. I'm not sure what the third is, to be honest, but it's probably some kind of plastic. I love them all so much.

I didn't understand what all the rage about flukes was until I tried them in the right size: The Super Fluke.

I like them on my super spook jrs. Without a split ring, the knot would eventually travel towards to the upper part of the line tie, which would hurt the walking action for me. Of course, I've never used a loop knot, like many suggest. But aside from helping the walking action, I can't imagine they offer any other benefit. In fact, one might argue they can be a detriment, since you're adding another piece of breakable hardware.

If you have Amazon prime, you can get the Super Spook Jr. as an add-on item for 5.99 in over 30 colors. They have them broken up into different, nonsensical categories, but they're all there. Some of the colors are listed individually, also.

Every super spook jr. I've ever picked up has never come out of the box with a split ring on the line tie, just the hooks. If yours doesn't have a split ring on the nose, then I recommend adding one as it helps the spook swing. Of course, I've never used a full bodied super spook, just the Jr. The bigger ones might walk easier and may not need a split ring.

Yeah, I think this is a problem for everyone who fishes soft plastic, appendage-y baits from time to time. It's bothered me enough to invest in a few aluminum molds so I can melt down and recycle ripped up baits into new ones. It's not necessarily cost-effective compared to, say, just buying more bags. But it's fun for me to reincarnate old baits - and they catch fish.

I like the ika better; the hydra works, it just doesn't cast as far. The casting distance you get off a weightless ika is part of why I love this type of bait so much. Keitech's salty core tubes will cast even farther, but they're pricier.

They're a lot of fun when the fish are in the mood to hit them. Use a little swimbait hook - the ones with the screw lock and a small weight embedded on the shaft - and you'll stay snag free and the bait will run true. You could up the size of the bait, too - they make a fat version that casts a mile. I have my best luck just swimming them back slow. I love how the tail kicks just right no matter what the speed of your retrieve.

I'm a rigging junky and have more plastics than I know what to do with. There are some hard baits that I never leave home without, but plastics are my true love.

Big fan of the pit boss here. T-rigged with a small bullet weight gets strikes everywhere I go. Someone suggested tearing the front of them when they get beat up and using them as jig trailers, which I intend to try.

I picked up a bag of Pit Bosses on a whim (hard not to at that price) and tried fishing them last night with pretty good success from the bank, texas rigged with a small bullet weight. What's your preferred method?

Happens to me all the time on one of our lakes out here, where Ikas outperform all other plastics. They're aggressive little buggers, aren't they?

I like using a black / blue finesse jig in my local smallie rivers, which tend to have lots of rocks and faster current. Something with a round head, trailered with a plastic that has limbs. Funny you should pose this question today - I just caught these three this morning on that exact jig (5/16 oz) with the back half of a GrandeBass mutant for a trailer:

Whatever I have on hand - 3 or 4, I think. Shouldn't matter too much or negatively affect action unless you use something gigantic. I use the circular ones, but the oval ones might give you a different swing.

I've heard of folks filing out a notch near the bottom of the line tie so the knot stays down in the recess, which helps zaras to walk easier. Honestly, though, adding a split ring seems to do the trick just fine for me. You're going to love the super spook jrs. - they cast way farther than the puppy, walk a ton easier, and draw just as many strikes, even from little fish that have no business chasing down something that size.

Just keep any elaztech stuff out, and you should be able to mix and match anything else within the same box no prob. Z-Man elaztech plastics will turn into a puddle of goo if mixed with other brands.

I have an expansive Super Spook Jr. collection, a few of which are the saltwater type. They have really cool color options in saltwater and, in my opinion, are just as effective as their regular cousins. The only noticeable difference to me, aside from selection, are the hooks... they're a dull, galvanized silver and they don't rust. I always replace the stock hooks on those anyway, but it's a nice touch. I love the simplicity of the spook's design - it's one of my favorite ways to fish.