ChrisD46

OEM style where eyes have either fallen out or no eyes to begin with . I just need a starting point for typical eye size ...

I'm looking for the correct size stick on fish eyes for 3/8th oz. swim jigs ? Favorite brand and location to buy would be helpful too ! ... Thanks in advance ...

The 4" Dinger is a good option either T-Rigged or wacky rigged with a 1/16th oz. wacky jig head for spoted bass ... A lot of times they do better than the larger 5" Dinger when the spots want a smaller profile that particular day .

What is your ideal swim jig trailer length ? First , my preferred swim jigs are in the 1/4 oz. ~ 3/8th oz. range . In my experience when I try a grub , craw or swim bait trailer less than 3.5 inches , the trailer action suffers unless I trim the skirt back to just past the bend of the swim jig hook . Even then I find more often than not the action of most grubs , craws and swim baits less than 3.5 inches to be so-so . At 3.5 inches there are good craw trailers such as the Zoom Ultravibe , Zoom X-Craw Jr. and Yum Christie Craw that have good action in 3.5 inch length . Grubs in my opinion such as the Kalin , Big Bite , Yamamoto , Strike King Menace Grub , etc. all perform well however all are 4.0 inches in length (that extra 1/2 inch ~ 1 inch from other grub suppliers is a difference maker !) . Lastly , I find swim baits used as trailers need to be at least 3.75 ~ 4.0 inches in length min. to perform properly - less than that length and the action simply suffers too much without that roll and wobble that you expect from a swim bait used as a trailer . I tried the Baby Grass Pig , Cain Thumper Jr. , Missile Baits Shockwave Jr. and Reaction Innovations Little Dipper and they all suffer from the same thing in that you only get movement at the end of the tail (essentially the paddle only) . The Keitech Fat Swing Impact (3.8 inches) and the Strike King Rage Swimmer at 3.75 inches are the two best at this length with the right girth as well to make excellent swim jig swimbait trailers as they have the best action at their length . As you go over 4 inches in these style swim baits (Keitech Fat Impact , Strike King Rage Swimmer) the rolling / wobble action only becomes greater . The added length however can sometimes be a hindrance when matching the hatch requires a shorter swim bait trailer (although you can always cut the head down) . . *So there is my take on ideal swim jig trailers and why I choose the various swim jig trailers that I do - Your thoughts and experiences ?

Recently bought the new version Berkeley Spooling Station - great concept , terrible implementation (The older version no longer sold was better) ... Who makes a good quality line spooling station for bait cast and spinning reels that actually works ?

I believe YUM makes very good colors - 3 of my favorites in a YUM Dinger are : WM Red (clear water / clear day), Bream (stained water / overcast) and GP Purple (clear water - stained water / clear day) .

Fill 50% of your reel with #6lb. ~ #8lb. mono tight - then finish filling with braid tight ... **Only 4 or 5 wraps of mono for backing and then filling 99% with braid is your main issue !

Wire ties = no rotting rubber bands , use wire tie jig skirts with confidence !

Thanks for the replies -

Looking for a 7' MH Fast 2 piece bait cast rod( under $100) I can use for travel . Two piece spinning rods are very easy to find - not so for 2 piece bait cast rods ! Cabela's has a Tourney series and a Pro Guide series in 2 piece bait cast option but I know nothing about their quality . Thanks in advance for your experiences & suggestions ...

Well Tom - if anybody in California was using a 4.5" FAT Roboworm you would have known about it by now ! I'll use the 6" and experiment if I need to go any shorter .

Anyone use / try a Robo Worm FAT 4.5" on a shaky head ? Curious how they would compare to the FAT 6" when the bite is tough OR is the 6" a better choice all around ... Your thoughts / experiences ?

Academy Sports had a free shipping day - I think I paid for the electric bill at the Zoom bait factory for this month How many Ultra Vibe Speed Craws , Trick Worms , Finesse Worms , etc. do I need ? Well apparently not enough - and not one bag is going back for a refund either !

All the usual suspects are good : Strike King , Booyah , Pepper , Dirty Jigs , etc. However the newer "Grid Iron" series from Siebert Outdoors is my current favorite : Brown / Orange , Green Pumpkin / Watermeln Red , Black / Blue and Bream / Bluegill cover the range for me .

Here is a good shaky head set up for a beginner that won't break the bank : Shimano Sellus M action spinning rod (for shaky head / jig head) President 3000 spinning reel Sunline Sniper #7lb. FC line (use mono backing first) KVD Line Conditioner Select 1/8 oz. shaky head from one of the previous posters suggestions Zoom Trick Worm with 1/14th ~ 1/2 " cut off the head in Green Pumpkin and Red Bug colors will work practically any where *Option B : Power Pro #15lb. yellow braid main line connected via alberto knot to 6' of the #7lb. Sunline FC for a leader . **Google Jeff Kriet , Brett Hite , Ike , Gerald Swindle , Aaron Martins + shaky head ... Have fun reading !

Bass Pro "The Egg" (large size) reeled on top for a slow wobble will produce as will the old school Bomber B14 minnow type wake bait - just reel slow on top with #12 lb. Big Game or #14lb. Stren with a 7' MH rod with rod held between 10 and 11 o'clock.

I go down to #5 lb. PP on an UL outfit I target panfish with ... I forgot to tell the bass I was targeting panfish ! Loosen drag , ease into a hookset (as light braid can have issus with breaking when snapping the line tight) .

I have a cool silver glow color Tiny Torpedo ... I like to bend the blades forward a little so I can work it in one spot longer or work it like a walking bait with erratic short jerks . Like others have said - they just put it away and moved on to other new "it" baits currently more popular .

Spring / Spawn = Lizards for bass on beds through post spawn ... Folks like to drag 'em on a C-Rig , T-Rig casting to spots (i.e. beds) or perhaps the best nest robbing look is a lizard on a shaky head . For lizard lovers in the Spring / spawn , what lizard plus set up will you be throwing for bass ?

I understand the premise of the article but you have to be experienced to operate in that fashion (except for brute force flipping ) .

OP here - for spinner baits and swim jigs up to 1/2 oz. I typically usea 6'10" M Fast baitcast rod .

Baitcast + Braid set up : Wind #8 lb. mono on as backing on tight to fill 50% of the reel then fill the rest with no lighter than #30 lb. braid and wind that on tight as well up to about 1/16th " from the spool lip . Check reel often for loops or line wound back on loose - pull out the "offending" length as required and then reel back on tight . Did I mention to wind braid on a baitcast reel tight ?

If possible try to use oval split rings as the round split rings have a bad habit of catching your line on the converstion point of the split ring which can lead to damaged line ... The oval split rings avoid that issue (try TW ) .

Good replies to date : I have Big Game #15 lb. , Stren #14 lb. , Yo Zuri Hybred #12 lb. and CXX #12 lb. & #17 lb. available locally - I believe (based on replies) these would be in the ball prk to try on top of cheap backing I have on couple of bait caster reels . *I mention the possible benefit to slight stretch for spinner baits (mono / copoly) based on comments from Jimmy Houston to: "Let bass have the spinnerbait for just a split second delay before setting the hook and you will catch more fish" ...

I tried braid main line for spinner baits and swim jigs - but lose fish due to early hook sets . The slight stretch that mono , copoly or perhaps FC line have (as compared to braid) may help me get better hook sets due to the delay / stretch with these reaction style baits ... What is your favorite line and # pound test you use for spinner baits and swim jigs on a bait caster?