Big Swimbait

Very true. If you watch the SK history video with footage of their production line, those baits go from painting to packaging.

Rage Menace for me. Rig it flat for a craw profile or vertical on a swim jig.

The Lake Fork Live Magic Shad has been on my bladed jigs with & without skirts. Great combo.

It is a good bait that is surprisingly marked down on a lot of sites. I get 90% of my bites on the fall.

Lew's Speed Spool LFS - under $90.00 on the auction site.

The "Original" Trick Worm will float better - it has no salt added. For this time of year in the heat, I like to throw the Xcite Baits Maximus on a big shakey head.

Can't wait for that Morning Dawn Trick Worm.

Truth! You can find Costas on Steepandcheap.com at quite a discount, but the S11's are an exceptional value.

Another option that is working on Fork right now is a Magnum Fluke or M-Pack Shad in Bluegill Flash colors. You have to have some patience because you fish it weightless & count it down to your depth. These are big baits & the strikes can be vicious as this bait falls through the school.

The Strike King Rage Shad. You rig it weedless so you can throw it anywhere. When you're not worried about losing it, you can experiment with different retrieves, cadences etc. You can then apply that to other topwater baits. Good luck!!

You're welcome A-Jay. I have actually started to stagger the black, leaving a few inches of green, then start dyeing again. Gives it a little camo look. And I can't take credit for this. I go to the Classic & FLW Cup every year & picked this up from FLW Pro Michael Neal in Hot Springs.

Thread your braid thru a 1/2 oz steel (cheap) sinker. Hold one end of the line & drop the sinker in a bottle of colored scent. I use Spike It Garlic Black for this. Pull the line thru the sinker until you have dyed however much line you want. You are now stealth & scented.

Small tweezers also with the pick.

20 lb braid is the diameter of 6 lb test. I've thrown this with a med spinning rod/reel for Senkos for quite a while now. I've seen 2 videos recently by Elite pros on skipping docks with Senkos. Both used and recommended braid alone on spinning gear.

Next time out I'm going to try the Chicken Rig with a 1/16 oz nail weight rigged wacky style.

These are my favorite... http://www.upgradefishing.com/2015-02-24-20-28-05/rod-covers

50% off on 580G's on 2 styles. Good seller - I have bought multiple pairs. http://www.steepandcheap.com/costa-hamlin-polarized-sunglasses-costa-580-glass-lens?skid=CDM002U-WHIMIRA-ONESIZ&ti=UExQIFJ1bGUgQmFzZWQ6U3VuZ2xhc3NlcyBPbiBTYWxlOjE6MjQ6 http://www.steepandcheap.com/costa-zane-polarized-sunglasses-costa-580p-lens?skid=CDM0148-CRYBROB-ONESIZ&ti=UExQIFJ1bGUgQmFzZWQ6U3VuZ2xhc3NlcyBPbiBTYWxlOjE6MTI6

Big +1 on Seibert. If Mike doesn't have what you need (doubtful), check out Anglers Pro Tackle Dirt Cheap Tungsten.

+1 on the Rage Craw for a trailer. Great bait but kinda expensive. If you need a budget solution, go back to WM & get a pack of twin tail grubs that match the jig.

Thanks Dave!

The Texas LMB record of 18.18 was caught in Lake Fork by a Crappie fisherman....

Slow sink if you use a weightless swimbait hook. Of course you could adjust that with the hook weight. I throw this bait where I probably shouldn't, so it's weedless for me. But I see no reason why a top hook swimbait jig head wouldn't work.

The only Hudd bait I have caught fish on is the 68 Special. It is a fantastic swimbait. But as said above, it is not very durable. Mend-it is a must. That being said, I have just about switched all of my soft bait purchases to Smash-Tech. Just awesome baits & great prices. The Shiner is becoming my favorite. http://smashtechbaits.com/products/shiner

I use the top hook medium sink rate the most. Golden Shiner is a good color but I catch more fish on the Carp color.

I also was impressed with the Winn Grips when I visited their booth at the FLW Cup in Hot Springs. They referred me to the Russ Lane video on YouTube to see how easy it was to retro-fit. I didn't want to take the chance on an expensive rod, so I gambled the $20.00 for the grips on a Lightning Rod I had laying around. Took about 30 minutes. Now it is by far the most comfortable rod to use I own. My All Star WR1's & 2's will be next.