ChrisD46

For A-Jay and others with scrounger experience : Out of the box the sroungers I purchaced (Medium & Long Bill Luck-E-Strike) had the bills slightly off center, so I carefully bent the clear plastic bills back to 12 o'clock perfectly in line with the hook . *Upon examination I noticed the "u shape" cup is not uniform in that one side protrudes slightly forward towards the jig head versus the other side of the bill cup which is slightly recessed back . Will this slightly non-uniform cup affect the action / retrieve of the crounger - even if the bill itself is lined up perfect at 12 o'clock ? I was thinking to try and heat up the bill by dipping it in hot water for 20 seconds and then see if I can work the one side the bill with my fingers to create a more uniform cup then see if it will cool in place . Then again for all I know - perhaps the bill cup is not supposed to be perfectly uniform ? ... Thank you in advance for replies scrounger experts !!

Thanks for the reply - after much reading to try and answer my own question I am going to focus on just two scrounger sizes : The 1/4 oz. in medium and long bill length and maybe the 3/8th oz. long bill if windy , trouble keeping 1/4th oz. down or it washes out . The medium bill 1/4th oz. will be used like a lipless crank bait with a Zoom Fluke 4" and the long bill 1/4th oz. will be used very slow on the bottom with the same Zoom Fluke . I might try a Berkley 4" Power Minnow as it is very close to a Zoom Fluke in size . *My reading has indicated that the weight of the scrounger chosen and the shape / length of the soft plastic trailer need to be matched carefully along with retrieve speed or else the action suffers greatly (Smalljaw 67 indicated exactly the same thing as well) . Nothing against the LFLMS but A-Mart is such a freak in the way he studies the scrounger jig / trailer relationship , I believe it wise to start with what he recommends and that is the Zoom 'The Fluke" in Pearl White or Albino at 3/16th to 1/4th oz. scrounger size. Lastly , I'm targeting spotted bass in a reservoir that favor shad and in the Fall the shad tend to be smaller thus an over all smaller profile would appear the smart move (i.e. match the hatch) .

I'm new to scrounger fishing for bass - it looks like the long bill length version is most popular followed by the medium length bill version . I understand the long bill version is best for a slow , bottom retrieve while the medium length bill version could work at various water column depths . I plan to throw the scrounger shallow (most bass I target are in 12 ft. or less water depth) and believe the 1/4oz. or possibly a 3/8th oz. will work best with THE one bait I want to throw it on : Zoom "The Fluke" 4 inch minnow . * Please comment on the above proposed weights , as well as , any advise tactics between the long length bill and medium length bill versions using the Zoom Fluke . Thanks in advance !

Either would be good - Big Game would be the better value.

Thanks for the replies - The Owners look good as do the 5/0 Berkley Fusion 19 weighted EWG (ditto for the Gammy version) .

As the title states - what is your favorite weighted hook brand , size and weight you use with RI Skinny Dipper (5" ) ? I'm guessing a 4/0 or 5/0 WG with around a 3/32nd or 1/8th oz. keel weight to keep it from rolling ... The Skinny Dipper is a little chunkey in the midle , so perhaps a weighted Beast Hook or Trokar weighted same in a 4/0 or 5/0 and 1/8th oz. is a good place to start ... Your thoughts and experiences ?

Search Jason Christie + Pad Crasher for more info - the above posts are true ...

The 7" version looks to be fatter than a Trick Worm - plus you are also in NW TX (potential for big LMB) , so I would go with the 1/0 size . You could also use the 1/0 hook with 5" Senko + a nail weight with good results . The #1 hook size I would use with a Trick Worm , Bottom Hopper , Robo Worm in a 5.5" ~ 6.5" size .

Use only with KVD line conditioner , put on your reel correctly with no twist and do not overfill your reel and it will be fine ...

Wild Card answer !! ... I bet a swamp crawler would be a great option for a wacky worm !!

*The 7'3" MH Veritas rod has got to be the best all - around rod ... That would be the first new Veritas I would buy !

Raul doesn't just throw a standard Zoom French Fry - his are marinated in 100% Puro Blanco to cater to the local bass

I see the newer 2.0 Veritas rods are now in stock at TW ... *It's a little confusing - I wish Garcia had called the new improved series the "2.5" or "2.0 Ver 2" instead of keeping it the 2.0 ... None the less , I just bought a close out former 2.0 7' H Extra Fast just for dragging a swinging jig head and it is a great rod - I'm sure the new 2.0 will be that much better !

Thanks for the replies - it would appear the ends of a Trick worm will flutter more than the shorter Finesse worm ...

For wacky rigging - what is your preference between a Zoom Trick worm or the Finesse worm ? Do you find one gives you better action than the other for wacky rigging ?

Thanks for the replies - I'll put redbug in the junebug category then for stained ~ murky water conditions .

As the title states - when do you find the "red bug" color to work best when fishing soft plastic worms , creature baits , paddle tail baits etc. ? Is there a sky / water condition / time of year when you find the red bug color works best ? ... Thanks in advance - not sure what the color is supposed to represent (i.e. red with green flakes) ?

Much is written on the subject - for starters google : Jeff Kriet , Aaron Martins , Brett Hite + shakey head set up . My preference is : 7' M XF spining rod , 2500 series spinning rod with a smooth drag , 10 lb. yellow braid + Sunline Sniper #7 lb. FC line , join the two lines with the Alberto knot . Most any straight tail worm will work - favorites include : Zoom Trick Worm / Finesse Worm , Berkley Bottom Hopper (6.25" & 4.75") , Fat Robo Worm StraightTail 6" ,Strike King KVD Perfect plastic Finesse worm , Worm Colors : Green Pumpkin , Watermelon Red and June Bug / Red Bug will over most any water condition , Shakey Heads : Start out with Strike King Tour Grade Shakey Heads (Round or Football shape) in Green Pumpkin in 1/8th oz. (85% of the time) and 3/16th oz.(15% of the time) weight . *This is enough to get you started - plenty of reading material on this site for shakeyheads as well as google recomendations I presented above ...

^^This^^ ... For WP90 I use a 7' MH spinning rod and a 4000 series spinning reel with a 100 yrds of 20 lb. PP braid (mono backing) ... I can cast like 65 yards across open flats with this rig ... *Be mindful of good spinning reel line management techniques after each cast or that 65 yrd cast just turned into a 75+ yard cast which you will NOT be geting back !!

Are you getting enough hook in the bass's mouth with that EWG set up ? ... For perpendiculr rigging - what if you drilled a small hole in the PVC tubing at 3 o'clock (hook going in ) and 10 ~ 11 o'clock (coming out) ?

+1 ... Megabass Cavitron

There are small , medium and large springs like this you could use (depending on thickness of worm) .

Keep Zman elaZtech baits in the original package , keep in the shade and in worse case - if you are fishing in very hot climates put the TRD bags in an ice chest ... Problem solved !! **Stay with Zman TRD's or Zinkerz cut in half for the Ned rig and learn to store them properly .

*What are the ribbed swimbait trailers you are using ?

You are running the #5's on both front and back ? ... I like this idea for the 1- as a wake bait (i.e. not sure what a #6 up front and a #4 in the back does to the 1- action ?)