Big Swimbait

I would have to throw a Bluegill swimbait like Mattlures or Savage Gear. I'm betting that Bluegill and craws are the primary food source.

Alan - it's just a matter of personal preference. All of the baits mentioned catch fish. You can rig them all to fish shallow or deep, grass or wood, weedless or open hook. The Keitechs and Swim Senkos are great baits at the cost of durability ($). You can use Mend-It or some kind of gel super glue to use them for a couple of more fish. Some of the baits don't work well at slow speeds - others do. And don't forget swimming a 4 in curly tail grub - I've had my rear kicked too many times by that bait when the bite was tough.

I'm really liking the new Rage Swimmer. I can reel it a lot slower & it still has great action.

Plus 1 on the Shock. I like to throw my swim jigs on braid & they are perfect for that.

Great rods for the money. The Carolina Lizard Dragger has been in my boat for many years.

Rage Bug in Blue Craw & Delta Red until I used the D-Bomb in Diablo. A game changer for me!

I use Hi-Seas Grand Slam Select co-poly in 8 lb test with no issues.

7" Blue Fleck Power Worm. If the T-rig isn't on I'll slow roll it on a swinging jig head.

I really like the Academy Ethos Composite Cranking rod. It is an exceptional rod for less than $75.00 & many times less than that when on sale.

One thing I have found on the Jr is that there is no doubt about the bite - they smash it when you get bit.

I use 3/0 on the Menace & 4/0 on the Bug using the Moaner weighted Stroker hooks (Rage Rig). I seem to get more bites on the 1/8 oz but sometimes they want a faster fall & I'll go to the 1/4 oz.

You can make 5 for about $15.00 from lurepartsonline.com. That's with the magnum blade & Starflash skirts

The smallest to actually eat the bait was probably just shy of 2 lbs. I have caught several smaller fish that just swiped it & foul hooked themselves. One consistent thing that was a bit unusual is that all of the "smaller" fish hit the Carp pattern.

Hi Seas Grand Slam Select. Limp, great abrasion resistance, high knot strength & very inexpensive.

I'm a big fan of the Hula Grub, but if the bite is tough I downsize to the Cabin Creek. My best results have been with the GP body with the GP/Orange skirt.

1/16 has been my top producer. Although I did have some friends rig some 10" SK Bull Worms with 6D nails on a deep water hump on Lake Fork. They had their best day of the year.

I use Loctite Super Glue Gel. Stays where you put it.

In no particular order: MS Slammer Hudd 68 Weedless Matt's Hardgill Smash-Tech Convict (actually my #1) Bull Shad

Not sure of other areas, but in the DFW area, any item on clearance (ending in $0.98) is an additional 25% off at checkout. Just picked up an Ethos 6'6" MH for $27.00 after the discount. They had Falcon, the yellow Reese rods plus some Cherrywoods also discounted. Saw some spinning reels & some baits in the deal also.

Rage Tail Menace in Blue Craw or the Havoc Subwoofer in GP.

Kicker Fish Baits is now out of business. Buy what you can, where you can.

Not long. Dip them the night before & seal back up in the bag. No bottle to carry. You can also use a Q-Tip to to do Chartreuse stripes & bellies on Flukes & swimbaits.

+2 on the Fogy!

Run your braid thru a slip sinker, grab the tag end & drop the sinker in a bottle of Spike It Garlic Black dye. Pull as much line thru the sinker that you think you need to color. Now you have stealth & scent that doesn't smell like a Sharpie.

+2 on the Rebarb's.