Mid-MO

1/2 ounce black and blue jig. Jigs can be fished anywhere (open water structure, points, heavy cover, rock, etc), any season, at any speed, at any depth (including swimming it). If you are just going to use one thing - this would allow as much versaitility as anything. Anybody remember the Bassmaster article a few years back on the guy who only threw a Devil's Horse - year around? It was a pretty interesting read.

Exactly the type of stuff I was looking for! Thanks. I threw a 3/8 ounce last summer but didnt' know how much heavier people were going. Hadn't though about dropping it in a tree but seems like a great idea (last weeks Day on The Lake on ESPN had Tommy Biffle fishing a jig saying people never leave the lure in the cover long enough). This would allow you to leave the lure in the same spot and get some action for about as long as you want. I've also decided to try it during the spawn - but will probably have to drop down to a pretty small weight I'd guess.

I've read/heard that a lot of pros are no using the drop shot in a lot of situations where they used to use a Carolina rig (horizontal presentation, not vertical). I messed aroud with this a little bit last year but was curious to see what others are doing with it. How big of a weight, how far up the line to tie the hook, drag or hop retrieve, etc?

I throw mainly Strike King. I really like the colors, the head shape, and the hook. Biggest knock on them is durability - eyes and paint don't always last and the rattle almost always breaks off (which annoys me to no end). I starting using some Omega jigs last year. Haven't got to use them much but so far so good. Head shape is a lot different than Strike King and their rattles appear to be more durable. They are pretty popular in my area. I'll also use some Eakins jigs at times (especially the heavy cover jigs) and started making my own last winter - which went pretty well this past year.

I use Paca Craws most of the time. They have great action and plenty of color choices - they just tear to easily. Occasionaly will use Zoom - especially the ultra vibe trailer for swimming a jig. I've got some Strike King trailers - don't use them much. I bought some of the Rage tails this winter - haven't tried them yet. I'm hoping for similar movement to a Paca Craw but with better durability. The color choices aren't great though. I also have some twin tail Chompers trailers. Use them with football jigs. Good colors, durability, and scent.

I try to stick with just a couple of brands - Norman (Little N Series), Strike King (Series 3 & 5), and Storm (Wiggle Warts only). For jerkbaits - I like Lucky Craft but can't bring myself to pay that much for a the crankbaits (which I lose a lot of).

Most arent' going to run real deep. You have to buy one with the bigger bill to get much depth (I've never bought a deep runner). I guess you can also weight one to let it sink slowly. They are also better in clearer water - meaning you will probably be able to see them at times. Since you are in clearer water - fish may come from a ways off to get it. The pause in the retrieve is often dependent on the water temp. A fish in cold water isn't going to get to your bait in a hurry most of the time.

Went ahead and bought the Falcon box and it worked better than I anticipated. It's not perfect, but much better than any other option I've found. Intersting to note, the guy at Bass Pro told me Plano had bought Falcon out on the boxes and would be making the same thing at a slightly lower price. Anybody else heard this?

I've got the Falcon boxes for jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, and crankbaits. I've looked at the terminal box but it doesn't really fit what I have (I've got wide gap hooks and standard offset straight shank hooks for example). I'm wanting something that provides some versatility/flexibility.

I'm in the middle of reorganizing my tackle. The one thing giving me trouble is how to better organize my hooks and sinkers. Nothing comes in similar packaging, the standard Plano utility type boxes don't always work well. I ordered some smaller plastic boxes off of Netcraft - which was ok - but the don't fit the molded rows in the utility boxes real well. I'm sure someone out there has a good idea (and hopefully pictures). Anybody help me out?

I've always heard, read, seen to throw tight wobbling cranks in the early spring. Having said that, pretty much the only crank I throw in the early spring is a crawdad patterned wiggle wart (which have about the widest wobble you can get). That is always in the rocky, ozark lakes though. It is pretty much a standard bait for most anglers on Lake of the Ozarks.

I've been using Seagur and the only problem with it is the memory is a little much for me. I just bought Berkley's new fluorocarbon hoping to eliminate the memory problem. Everything I've heard, everywhere, seems to think this stuff is the best yet. BPS I've never tried - but if KVD uses it (picky as he is about his tackle) - it must be pretty good stuff too.

Thanks. That is another general characteristic that should alway be considered is the thickness of the bait with regards to the gap. Is there any advantage by going with a straight shank hook as opposed to an offset shank? I know a disadvantage with a straight shank is that the bait doesn't stay in place as easily - but does it increase the hook %?

Can anybody help me out and tell me the difference (if any) between an offset round bend hook and an O'Shaughnessy hook? Does anyone prefer this type of hook (with the straighter shank and round bend) over the Extra Wide Gap? I had always fished the EWG's but had some problems with them this past summer (though it also had to do with wire size and line as well). I'd never put a lot of thought into my hook selection prior to that. I know the lighter the line, the smaller the diameter of the hook generally. Anyother general characteristics to consider.

I'm kind of thinking along the same lines - looking at some cheaper soft plastic swim baits to try. I mainly fish Lake of the Ozarks and Pomme de Terre here in Missouri. I haven't heard much on swimbaits on either lake. But I'm always willing to try something new. I've looked at: Bass Pro's XPS - one 4 1/2" body for $4.99 with 5 natural color options and pre-rigged trebble hook. Luck-E-Strike Bass Magic - six 4 1/2" bodies for $7.99 - different shape from Bass Pro's, 7 color choices, but without hooks. Storm Kickin' Minnow - one 6" body for $2.39 with two pre-rigged trebble hooks and a lip, 6 color options aren't quite as good. Storm WildEye Swim Shad - four 5" or 6" for $3.69 and come rigged with a single hook and 8 color choices. I've tried to read as many reviews online as I can find and most people seem to like them all (though BPS's version tears to easily for some). Anybody tried any of these?

I agree that a good percentage of strikes on a crankbait come from reaction. But I've also seen enough fish follow my crank to the boat that I know that isn't always true. To me, scent could do two things. One, it might help them find the bait a little faster/easier. Two, it might tempt that fish that is just following the bait to go ahead and eat. I guess you could also guess that the scent could help cause a "reaction" strike because of the familar scent. The scent definately won't have any effect once they try to eat the bait - the 6 hooks eliminate the chance of any second thoughts - or should. I don't see that adding scent could hurt in many instances. I'm just curious to see if there is a product that can be worth the hassle and stay on the lure.

Some of these scents are water based and are designed to stick for 20+ casts. Here is a couple - Carolina Lunker Sauce: http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_74407_999034015_100000000_100010000_100-10-11 Mustad Activate Gel: http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_98796_999034015_100000000_100010000_100-10-11

Just curious to see how many use some kind of gel scent on a crankbait and if so what kind? I've never used scents on anything other than jigs - but was flipping through the BPS catalog and they have a lot of scents out for this purpose. Any opinions?

How tough are they? I love the Paca chuncks - great color selection, great action, great results. The only negative is that they tear so easily. I'm lucky if I can catch two fish on one without losing a claw. Is the Strike King version going to last longer? Thanks

Personally, I prefer Norman Middle N's and Deep Little N's. I also use a Wiggle Wart almost year round (on Lake of the Ozarks). Those are my two top choices. Norman crankbaits almost always look better in the water - the glitter really makes a difference. Strike King produces a decent crankbait as well - plus they are about as cheap as any. I've tried Bandit and had problems with them cracking on rock. I've also tried Rapala & Bomber but never liked them much either. I throw Lucky Craft Pointers but can't bring myself to buy the crankbaits ($15 a piece) the way I lose crankbaits. I've never been a fan of Bass Pro's line of lures but I'm intrigued by the new Pro Series they have out this year. Look like a knock off of Lucky Craft and about 1/2 the price. Lots of good colors too. I'll probably try these out too. http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_74320_100005001_100000000_100005000_100-5-1

Haven't been on here in a while - just curious if Berkley's new fluorocarbon is as good as I've been hearing. It is supposed to have very low memory for a fluorocarbon line. Anybody tried it yet? http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_96676_100010001_100000000_100010000_100-10-1

My dad fishes a lot of rivers in Southern Missouri and Northern Arkansas for smallmouth (clear water). He uses a spinning reel with 6-8 # test on it usually. What would be the best kind of line for him? I don't ever use anything but baitcasters with 8-20 # test on lakes so I'm out of my element here. I'd like to find something with low memory (a must for spinning reels I'd guess), low visibility (fishing in clear water), and abrasion resistant (constantly in rocks). Fluorocarbon would give me everything but the low memory. I'm guessing it is going to need to be a copolymer. Any suggestions? Thanks

It sounds like you've got them figured out on LOZ. I'm always impressed when someone can elimanate water and find a pattern like you did. I've never fished that part of the lake but I'm planning to this fall or next spring.

Thanks!

I was fishing last weekend mainly either on main lake points at the mouths of coves or a secondary point just inside of the cove. I was on the water by 6 am two days and fished in the morning. I was then back on the water about 5 or so that night and fished till dark. The water was pretty dirty (for Lake of the Ozarks) and I caught all of my fish shallow on jigs, crankbaits, and a carolina rig. I threw a spook and buzzbait quite a bit as well - but never caught anything on them. Usually there was quite a bit of activity on the water's surface behind me (and this happens a lot). No big splashes, just some smaller pops now and then and some baitfish breaking the surface. I also usually see a lot of gar feeding pretty heavily in these situations. I went out over these schools and threw a spook once for a while - but that was just for curiousity's sake. All of this brings me to some questions: 1) Does anyone regularly catch bass in the same spots as the gar are feeding (I caught a couple of smaller fish this past weekend). 2) When bass are feeding on a school of shad in open water - what is that going to look/sound like? Will they be jumping and making a commotion or will it be more subtle? 3) When do you decide to move out and fish around those schools of baitfish in open water? Any other thoughts - looking for anything related to shad?