Master Bait'r

bronzeye popper furbit poppin pad crasher lunker frog livetarget Frogs are probably my favorite thing to fish. Nothing creates those topwater breaches quite like 'em!

Only if it's handmade by someone in this country and even then only very few. I'd put the cutoff at right around $50 in any case. I don't like to spend a lot of money on bait though, so it has to be something very special like the Bettencourt dying bluegill and it can't just be pretty- it has to do something special like the action in the aforementioned dying blue crank. I actually just talked to Nate today, and spent I think $20 on a new weedless version of his rodent he's going to start making- you can't buy it anywhere but he says "sure I'll make that for you!" without hesitation. Size, color, hooks, you name it and it's yours... You don't get that kind of service, availability and customization at Dick's for $9.95, that's all I can say. Sure I could have gotten two $10 koppers rats, but it's plastic- Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it just feels good to support quality craftsmen in any case IMO, there's a reason it's a dying art! Honestly though, if you deal direct with a tacklemaker, the extra money spent is usually well worth it both in terms of the quality of product and the feel good aspect of spending money on something somebody actually really cared about making.

Impossible question is impossible

There are so many frogs out there but I have noticed something- nobody makes a popper with lifelike legs, just walking-type frogs. Does it impede the pop/chug action, result in upside down landings or just flat out cost too much without a return? I love popper frogs like nothing else and I've always wondered why this is as I love the look of the real legs. I feel like the skirts are minimally obstructive to the action and legs may hinder it somewhat, but probably not much as it's all up front as long as it floats nice. Was considering adding some lifelike legs to an existing bronzeye popper but would like to hear what people have to say before I alter an already awesome bait. Thanks in advance!

Wouldn't want groggy bait! Also your friend is probably a closet alcoholic haha.. SURE you're spraying it on the lures, that explains both the empty bottles and the smell to the cops/wife! This man may be onto something

For not having thumbs or even hands, they are darn good on a lathe I must say!

Well I would ideally pour the gas out (into a container to hold it obviously) and flip it upside down/use a coat hanger etc to try and fish it out. I don't think my OCD would let me leave something like that, wondering if today was the day the cardboard pulp was going to necessitate a filter change on the water, etc. With my luck, that would totally keep me from turning in a winning fish at a tourney, etc. (obviously if it's a fixed tank this is impossible though)

Man, that is really cool!

Wow yeah that'll do! Jeez... To think that some people can spend that on fishing gear is mind blowing... But I would never discourage them from doing so if they can afford it, because those things are GORGEOUS!

Not outrageously priced enough haha. Heck, Steezes are more expensive- and who could live with that?!?? I would WAY rather have one of those racing conditions 256s than a steeze though, I must say.

Fuel filter should pick that up no problem. Just change your inline filter in a week or two and I'd pick up an extra just in case the new one clogs sometime.

Wow. That is a work of art... And it would have to be to cost $879.39 at current exchange rates. Can you imagine breaking one? I think they'd hear me scream all the way in Japan hahaha Wow though- if I was loaded I would probably have a whole set of those, they really are the most gorgeous rods I've ever seen. Since you're good at this JDM thing, show me some amazing reels that would be a proper crown atop those reel seats. A Steeze EX would look nice, but there has to be much, much crazier out there.

That's cool, I wonder why. Weather/baitfish cycles or something? Who knows. I just know I've never EVER seen pickerel this often and in this size so I wanted to ask. I fish from a kayak primarily, so I can totally identify with the troubles of handling a big toothy fish from that. Thank God for nets! I WISH there were northern pike in that lake though I must say

Lots of t-rigged plastics mostly. Sluggos, Roboworms, Bento minnows etc. They've even nailed a few different frogs now that the pads are thinned out a bit.

I have been absolutely killing it in the pickerel department this year. The bass have been good but for some reason this has been a banger year for the picks in particular. The weed cover is just thick with them and they are a blast to catch. I've seen the biggest pickerel of my life this summer hands down. Figured I'd share some of these pics I've taken recently since I just really got into this subforum and want to spread the love That last one I laid on my leg to give it scale. It was an impressive fish both in fight and in presence to say the least and looked more like a pike than the pickerels I'm used to seeing from years past. So how are everyone else's pickerel looking- Bigger than usual or am I just lucky?

I just use my ski gear. Makes that 100mph stuff look like it's just about free but there's no denying the merits of 3 layer Gore Tex Proshell, synthetic down and wool or poly base layers in proper conjunction in any cold weather activity.

Double palomar for life.

I'd say the 7'3" M *** has a nice overall package (great handle, awesome XF blank) and would be a great deal more sensitive than the mojo bass, I really did not like the feel of the mojo tbh, felt super tip heavy and relatively damp imo. I'm trying to put a Patriarch spin on my 13 *** right now as a matter of fact, I feel like it would be a perfect super lightweight combo.

Well the signs like that, yes that I'm actually quite good with even from my kayak which I fish from primarily but I have pretty much come to the conclusion that I simply never gave the hard jerks enough of my effort and was staying in my comfort zone with soft baits since I always seem to catch fish on them and I suppose I just got focused on that. It can be hard for me personally to just throw trebles around when I feel like I can toss a t-rigged plastic bait right into cover and not snag as I fish a lot of heavy cover lakes as well. Seriously, thanks for not ripping on me though. I never really had anybody teach me anything of substance about fishing so I've been building myself up so to speak and unlearning bad habits/overcoming mental blocks has been every bit as big a challenge as learning about something new in a lot of cases. I am trying but I get frustrated when I don't know and can't figure it out. I got to feeling like I was just wasting money after very little success with them but back to the 'ol drawing board for me. I've got some reading and some practicing to do, as the cold weather is upon us again and what better time to do so, right?

Apparently I've been selling the hard jerkbaits short due to my ineffectiveness with them and never really spent enough time trying to find them like I do cranks, etc. It's probably a waste to worry about which has the most styles anyways. My problem was that I've never seemed to have much luck with them- probably because I'm not using a fishfinder either tbh but whatever- at least now I know I was wrong so I can correct something that has probably been holding me back and try to diversify my tackle a bit more.

Darn... I KNEW it was me. The gear monkey was right... Again.

Yes I am aware that there are many types, but I still think soft plastics take the edge in variety, no? I'm fully aware that this could be a result of my relative inexperience so I certainly will shop around more for sure, thanks. Do you have similar success with both types though?

Well it's a LOT of factors that play into sensitivity. First you've got the blank, which , yes- a more expensive rod will likely have a higher modulus material- which translates to a more sensitive feel. Also things that play into the blank's sensitivity, strength and overall backbone are things like taper consistency, wall thickness and of course the resins- all of which the more you spend the more you should in theory get back unless you're specifying a slower action for certain types of baits. (but you should still feel more, respectively) Another thing that's often overlooked is the guides. The Tourney Pros are nice rods but I think they give up a little feel over say, recoil guides- which love them or hate them have just about the most communicative feel of any I've tried. Sure, they can be loud with braid but noise = vibrations = feel. Also the handle is huge. if you've got a huge pillowy handle on your rod you aren't going to feel much. Light minimalist handles that allow direct contact with the shaft of the blank and your hand will allow the most undiluted feedback, but may also affect comfort. I guess it all really depends on you as a consumer. The higher degree of expectation will usually result in a higher spending limit to accommodate it. If you want good sensitivity on a budget, there's rods for that. If you want the most mind blowingly sensitive rod out there, prepare to spend for that.

I only say rant because I am at a loss for explanation. Is it me?? As you may be able to tell from my tongue-in-cheek name it's my favorite type of fishing. I looooooooooooooooooove light finesse baits and specifically that jerky playful retrieve and action on lighter tackle- the fight is just so much fun when you actually have to work the fish IMHO. I am just having a mental block with throwing and believing in hard plastic jerkbaits and would like to pick your brains if I may. I have had relatively massive success over the years with soft plastics jerkbaited such as the Slug-gos, senkos and even straight tail roboworms t-rigged and retrieved with that jerky motion... But on the hard jerkbaits I've had extremely limited success and can never seem to get my money's worth out of them. Every time I throw them it seems nothing (or very little) is fooled and I give up for soft plastics which are almost always subsequently hammered on by fish immediately. What gives? For me, soft plastic seems to always outfish hardbaits of the same retrieve no matter how pretty they are. Does anybody else share this observation with me or am I just doing it wrong?? Pretty interested to see how others gauge the effectiveness of both baits in their eyes. Also, yes I do realize that hard jerkbaits are pretty narrow in design while soft jerking stuff can be a pretty wide range, I'm just looking for a little outside perspective into my ramblings.

This is pretty much my mantra. I have one REALLY NICE spinning setup and one "ok for now" baitcast setup. The spinner sees all my plastics and finesse/smaller tackle and my baitcaster sees all the frogs, cranks, big swimbaits etc. I prefer the feel or spinning but recognize the need for a setup with significantly more beef for bigger baits and deep actions.