Montanaro

Man...soft jerkbait on top of the water is exactly like a fleeing shad. No reason to slow down. Really grabs fish attention. But I have watched boaters using zoom flukes and they can at times act like a topwater. Gambler and GYCB make soft jerkbaits that will stay just under the surface but ocassionally kiss the top which I like.

I only follow up topwaters. I cant count the number of bass ive caught tossing a soft jerkbait or tube at a spot a bass just hit my topwater. A lot of times bass will just ram a topwater with nose to stun it resulting in a "missed" fish. Reality is they are just waiting for it to flutter under the water to them.

I have 4 in the top 7! One at 34... 1330 points from Lefebre, lee bros, MDjr, and williamson

I have 7'6" cronos. Takes a little getting use to but i love it

Ive heard the ags is a big advancement in guide systems. Super lightweight and sensitive. Only time on water will tell if they are worth it

I honestly dont use them. I use to a lot but have found that chatterbaits and swimbaits are just as good. There are situations i can see using swimjig but they dont arise often for me

Gambler ez have hook slots. I never have to skin hook them and I run them through spatterdock fields! Sometimes they get snagged but not at a higher rate than skin hooking them! Just depends on design of the soft plastic lure

For example last saturday....i started with chatterbaits and cranks. Fishing high percentage targets yielded no bites or followers. I switched to soft jerkbaits and finesse paddletails and got follows and bites from small fish but couldn't hook up. Then i switched to jigs and neko rigs and caught half a dozen or so including a couple 2 pounders. See the progression?

Santone Keel shaped head gives it a nice little wobble among many other features at a great price.

Frogs will jump INTO water for safety if that is any indicator. I figure they eat frogs on the ocassion they can catch them tho. Most activity I see under lily pads is big bluegills or small bass chasing fry or leaping for dragon/damsel flies.

1000th post in this topic! The only accomplishment I have in fantasy fishing...

So what youre telling us is don't buy a ford?

Positive mental attitude Just because it is hot and muggy doesnt mean the bass are deep. Bass are deep because their forage is there... Perhaps try downsizing your presentations and try to be stealthier in your new boat.

Sorry i never replied again. Some things I looked at was stability and storage....two things that are very difficult to improve on if you dont have it! Comfort was a huge player too! Customizability isnt a big deal as most kayaks have that covered. I went with the lure 11.5 for the adjustable super comfortable seat, built in wheel, multiple pockets and tie downs, and the cushioned standing platform. I fish out of it all day up to 16 hours sometimes. Standing helps a lot especially as sitting for long periods hurts my jacked up hip...but even then the seat minimizes discomfort. I suggest you put as much money into a product that you feel comfortable spending and also make a realistic list of must haves. Ive done some thinking on pedal drives and while they can be nice there are times where they would have been a hindrance to me where a paddle allows you far more mobility/agility. The pedal drives were created mainly for saltwater fishing. Paddling while fighting surf AND a 100 pound fish would be highly intense.

Love it almost as much as pitching jigs. Tubes are an excellent topwater/swimbait follow up.

Poor boys + owner tube hooks Simply outstanding.

The keel on my feelfree lure is still leaking despite 2 hdpe patch jobs. After a few trips it gets week again. Im assuming that loading and unloading from my truck bed is partially to blame. Any suggestions?

I tied a poor knot in a rush yesterday and broke off at the leader on a nice fish. Think I didnt put it back through way it came in.

Dont rule out feelfree. I love my lure 11.5. Will add more later. Busy atm.

7 up and down I suppose smaller diameter lines need more to increase surface area

I dont trim guard...but I do spread it out! Better hookups and protects hook better. I trim skirt up to the hook bend. I prefer smaller profile jigs as I feel like most crawdads bass in my area eat are smaller.

Had a smallish snapper hit my jig once under a cheese mat. Flipped in and saw movement and boom! Fought like a bass pinned against a mat. Thought I had a double digit bass! A couple good yanks and he let go.

You can find fuego ct for less than $80. Fuego passes leader knots much easier than twing which is the twings major flaw.

Not watching but following. Hope i can finish strong and win another hat......

A lik tip I learned about shade....sometimes the shady side isnt always good fishing. Fishing the sunny side in the rare places that have shade concentrates fish more.