iceintheveins

In early spring I use jointed raps or regular floating raps twitched on top. Once the water is in the high 50s, I will start catching a few on skitterpops.

1. Risto Rap 2. Shad Rap 3. Bomber Flat A 4. Lipless Crank 5. Jointed Shad Rap

The DOW does a much better job of managing warmwater fisheries on the east slope. As for the lack of management on the west slope, the DOW has the final say about any removals or stocking restrictions. They must consent to ALL actions to feds take or the feds can do nothing. So they are every bit as guilty as the feds because they give them permission and then they actively participate.

Thanks guys. I use power pro braid and it really performs well for jerkbaits and crankbaits. I don't use it for much else.

There is little to no management for warmwater gamefish in the western part of the state due to the presence of endangered fish in some Western Colorado rivers. In many cases removal efforts are underway. They have failed to increase numbers of native fish however. The CDOW does not do a good job of listening to their employers (we the people). People on the West Slope hate the DOW for this and would like to see a total purge of the current makeup and philosophies of the DOW. They are some of the most corrupt and dishonest government bureaucrats you could ever think of, who care only about their agenda and will alter data to support it.

Smelly Jelly

X raps, LC pointers, and husky jerks.

Banjo minnows work, but other soft jerks like flukes and sluggos cast further, hook fish better, and have a better action. Go with the latter ones.

I love braid for jerkbaits, you just get a better action. I have always used braid with spinning reels, and generally I used 15 pound power pro (which is 4 pound diameter) so I could get extra depth on my jerkbaits. I just found it tiring to twitch and throw jerkbaits all day on spinning gear, was hard on my wrists. So then I probably should forget using the 15 pound braid then with a casting reel?

Is it possible to use braid with baitcasters and not have much trouble? I have heard the line binds up on the spool and that backlashes are hard to avoid with braid. Any tips for using braid with casters? Do I put on some mono backing like I do on spinning reels?

Thanks guys. Guess I will stick to my cranking rods for jerkbaits.

Do you find you get a better action on jerkbaits like x raps and lucky crafts with a stiffer rod than a normal crankbait stick? What action or rod would you use?

I live in Grand Junction, a city of about 130,000 in western colorado, near the Utah border. There are some pretty good bass fisheries in Colorado. A nice bass is 5 - 6 pounds, but there are a few bigger than that in some lakes. We have a longer growing season and warmer water than most northern states. If you want world class bass fishing, Colorado isn't the place though. We do have one world class smallmouth fishery, and that is the Yampa River. Four - five pounders are common there. If we had better management and a fisheries agency that didn't hate nonnative fish, our bass fishing would be pretty good. Utah is nearby to where I am, and it has better bass fishing, especially in Powell.

I like deep cranks anytime the fish are deep. Lipless cranks fished on light line (if your in open water) and allowed to sink are also good when fish are deeper. My favorite deep cranks are the excalibur fat free series, rapala fat rap, and bomber fat A's. The Luhr jensen baby hotlips is my favorite extra deep variety.

Anyone here use the lucky craft lipless?

My favorite lipless crank is bass pro shops XPS rattle shad. Cordell superspots are number two, and Rat L Traps are my third. I think rapala's rattlin' rap doesn't have that good of an action.

It just really depends on the situation. A good basser needs to carry and be proficient with both. Overall a spinnerbait is more versatile, but when the bite is on a crank will almost always outproduce a spinnerbait. I prefer a spinnerbait when fishing areas with a lot of cover, but banging a crank into wood and rock cover is a lethal technique. I deeper water, I do prefer a spinnerbait over a crank usually.

1st rod - soft jerkbait or soft stick of some type 2nd rod - shallow - medium diving crank, or a spinnerbait 3rd rod - popper or buzzbait

Just like anywhere, I like a color that mimics the forage of the lake. If it's a stained lake though, I like fire tigers and other bright, psychedelic hues.

My favorite frogs are spro, scumfrog popper and bigfoot frog, and the original snag proof frog. Do the stanley ribbit frogs float?

Gitzits, with yum tubes being a close 2nd.

I can attest that Cavitrons hold up well, because they are my favorite pike lure of all time. I've caught more pike on a cavitron than many lures combined, and pike up in the 40" range. Pike destroy baits, but I've only had a couple baits I had to retire due to so many pike caught them.

Yamamoto senko, hands down. Nothing has been more consistant for me.

Dworshak is great smallie fishing. I would use hula grubs and tubes fished fairly deep over any rocky structure. As for 40 fish with all of them over 4 pounds, that might be possible only on Lake Erie or MAYBE Lake St. Clair. I've had days on Colorado's Yampa River where I caught 40 or more smallies that were 2 - 4.5 pounds though, and the Yampa is one of the west's best.

Sharp twitches, even just moving the rod or reeling slowly.