Big Swimbait

There will always be naysayers to new technology. I'm almost 70 and I think it is amazing. I don't fish enough nowadays to justify the investment but if this was available when I fished 6-10 times a month, it would be on my boat. Ben Milliken from Texas is a YouTuber with a huge following that has also had amazing success with FFS. All the critics said "Let's see you do it in a tournament." Well, this year he went all in to qualify for the Classic and is fishing all of the Opens. His first tournament he got a 5th against some BIG names who are trying to qualify again. People need to understand that this is just another tool and does not guarantee anything. I've got many friends who have it and can't catch a cold. But if you put in the TOW like these guys have, you can be successful as well. I admit that these guys with their long hair and skateboarder looks don't appeal to many. It probably will affect future sponsorship opportunities but Milliken has been smart enough to take an ownership stake in his relationships like 6th Sense. Check out Mercer's podcast with him. It's just a new breed of angler.

That's a prop from the marina. TX record is still intact. Just as the current Texas record, I do believe live bait will catch the next one but on purpose this time - not Crappie fishing! I can just imagine FFS and a HD drop shot with a 7 or 8 inch gizzard shad or a big bluegill.

Thank you for the kind words. I am pretty sure there are bigger in this tank. The 17+ that was caught last year was released after spawning back in to Ivie by TP&W. That fish is probably 18 and you know it's not the only one. The key to Ivie's future will be rain. It cycles badly in drought conditions which have been historical. I think you will see more and more lakes produce these unicorns as the locals master FFS. It has always been the great unknown where these fish go when they move offshore. Josh and others now have proved that they are constantly roaming in deep water.

Finally have a report. I did not get released by my knee doc until last week. I fell after having knee replacement surgery and caused all kinds of mayhem! Fished Ivie for 3 days. I caught fish every day but no giants relatively speaking. I had a 20+lb best 5 every day but no DD's (not even close) but I am not complaining. This is an amazing lake! There was a 13+ caught while I was there and somebody at the marina said there was another one but they did not want to donate it to the SAL program and just released it. I believe that is 14 fish over 13 that have been donated this year from Ivie alone. As I said earlier I do not have FFS so I fished with the electronics I have and did OK. All of my fish were in traditional pre-spawn staging areas. I did not catch any of the "roamers" Josh talks about. Every fish I caught was on a swimbait, the Keitech 7.8 on a 1/2 oz Dirty Jigs Matt Allen jig head. When I ran out of those I used Jeff Piil's custom swimbaits for the last day and a half. You can find him on Facebook if interested. As an observation, I do not know how this lake keeps producing these giants. The fishing pressure now is unbelievable - it was hard to find a spot without 8-10 boats in viewing distance. I think the best chance to catch a fish of a lifetime is in the dead of winter in this area (Jan-Feb) when most of the anglers stay indoors.

SCORE!

I ordered a sample pack of these hooks when they first hit the market. They work as advertised - so well they are a PITA to get out. #1 was the one I used for the drop shot. I am replacing my other hooks as I run out. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Spearpoint_Performance_Hooks_Gp_Finesse_Hooks_6pk/descpage-SWGP.html

I guess the the biggest surprise to me was that there doesn't seem to be a lot of rebranding from one factory.

Spro was his winner

They come in 4 different colors.... I have no idea of the size of the 5700 but it will hold 4 or 5 3700's (depending on brand latches & hinges) plus a couple of 3600's flat on top of those.

You can crawl this one from Savage Gear. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Savage_Gear_8_Pulse_Tail_Trout_RTF_Swimbaits/descpage-SG8T.html

Amazon - $32.00 It holds more than I want to carry. Been very durable for over 4 years now. https://www.amazon.com/SOG-Ninja-Tactical-Pack-24-2-Liter/dp/B00OX3T18C/ref=sr_1_2?crid=69O0STRNRN43&keywords=camo%2Bbackpack&qid=1678320152&sprefix=camo%2Bback%2Bpack%2Caps%2C138&sr=8-2&th=1

https://thehookuptackle.com/products/sakamata-shad-heavy-weight?_pos=2&_psq=Saka&_ss=e&_v=1.0

Not at all!

Most certainly agree!

Unfortunate news - Avery good friend and an excellent rod builder got his blank before me. He was on Lake Fork this weekend, admittedly got hung up and broke it in half trying to get it loose. High sticking was not the issue - just some repeated upward snaps to try to get the bait loose. As has been said on this thread, they are very light and very sensitive - but they are also very brittle. Now he has to try and salvage the AT CF grips and the AT CCT reel seat.

I love the D Bomb on a Free Rig. The glide just works for that technique. My thoughts are bass have seen GP and Black/Blue creature baits until they just ignore it. I know they will still work but once I started using Desert Storm and especially El Diablo my bites went way up.

Josh just posted a pic of him and Jimmy Houston in the boat saying "daylight to dusk". Just imagine the stories...

I agree with reversing the braid but even after that, I use Spike-it markers in black and blend blue and chartreuse to make green. Makes my own camo line. Plus now you have some scent as well.

Thank you, Sir. I do not have FFS but I have learned enough from Josh and Milliken to know that these big fish are roaming chasing bait. I can find the bait with my electronics and will have to hope that one is around them and likes me!

That's a lot of awesome right there!

Going in a couple of weeks if this new knee will let me!

Brady caught the 17+ last year. I truly think we will see an 18+ by the end of February. This lake is just amazing right now.

He has been a highly paid crappie guide for many years…

Valid points that I can not disagree with. But to play Devil's advocate, the great unknown has for years been how to find and catch the offshore fish. Those fish were not being caught with any regularity. I truly believe that's why they are giants - they have never been targeted before. So I do not think FFS will affect the fish that 95% of us normally fish for. Now if the technology gets to the point that a Hackney can scan shallow cover to flip and pitch to, that would be a game changer.

What could be really exciting is that last year, his big fish came in January after the late fall, early winter feed bag these fish fatten up on. In January and especially February there could be some really big ones caught. His guide buddies had a 17 and a couple of 16's. I bet someone surpasses those.