ChrisD46

I believe the open pour technology Strike King uses is similar to what Zoom (and now Yum) are using . We as fishermen should benefit from such advances to give bass enough new soft plastics color combos to keep them interested !

Bluebasser86 : Thanks once more ... *I also see Zoom started out with the Z3 Swamp Crawler to introduce their new tri color process - thus there were a few reviews on the TW . If the same holds true for the new Z3 Trick Worm it could be interesting.

While the new Z3 Trick Worm is more expensive / less worms in the bag , the Bold Bluegill and possibly the Magic color may be worth adding to my traditional Trick Worm mix when traditional won't do (especially for Spots) .

No one has them yet in my area ... Curious if anyone has tried the new Zoom Z3 Trick Worms ? These are the new tri color process that looks like a hand pour . While the colors are nice I'm more wondering if they are soft , have good action and are neutral or at least have a tail float up in the water ? Thinking about trying them on either a Neko rig or a shaky head rig ... Thanks in advance for replies from anyone who has used them !

Reading your replies makes me feel better about myself - I got such a lecture by the wife that I was beginning to think I had a problem ... There is no problem here !

Mixel : It amazes me the ocean Yakers who have just caught fish (with blood in the mix) who then dangle their feet in the water ! Central CA. are Great White Shark waters - you are a braver man than me !!

As another poster mentioned - Crestliner deserves a mention as it appears to be a nice boat . A couple of friends mentioned Triton and G3 but not sure if they are in the same league as Xpress , Crestliner ? I've tried to like the Ranger but I don't like the shape plus I believe other manufacturers can offer similar quality at a better price . Any comments ?

On my short list : - New Old Town Predator PDL 14' - Wilderness Systems Radar 135 14' Both have what appear to be awesome pedal powered systems ! *Given the choice (other than price / amputee) why would you NOT want to have a pedal propulsion system so you can keep your hands free for fishing ? To me it is clunky to have to figure out what you have to do with your paddle while casting or fighting a fish - not to mention repositioning the Yak if need be once a fish is hooked .

"How a boat handles rough water out weighs anything else." Lake George , Lake Taho and of course the Big O down in South Florida can produce some big waves and chop when a storm blows in - looks like both the Xpress and Tracker handle better than most and offer a fairly dry ride . Glad to hear Xpress bass boats are stable fishers and resistant to tipping side to side .

As far as ride - I would want stable & dry . Fishability is important - the more stable the tin with less tipping side to side is preferred . Regarding "years of headaches" what exactly were you referring to ?

Regarding buoyant worms : Obviously the Z-Man and Strike King ElaZtec worms are buoyant - what about Zoom Trick & Finesse Worms (or your favorite buoyant worm) ?

At this time 18 ft. length is what I am consideing as a good deal of the time I will fish out of it alone . I may consider one size up if it was a great deal tough and it wasn't too much of a issue to manage by myself . Hopefully the 18 ft. length does not have items in the way of your legs and the deck is long enough .

The Xpress X series while not having the open space of the Hydrolift series looks to have the better platform for bass fishing for me - how does the X series ride ?

I appreciate the replies to date - while I will look at the other tins - I have heard that the Xpress (especially with with hyper lift) was in a class by iteself . I see Triton , Crestliner , etc. as more in line with Tracker price / quality ... While the Xpress may be slightly more expensive than other tins I'm in the : "buy once - cry once" camp . It is going to be a retirement gift to myself so I'll enjoy the research !

With the above said - what are your favorite spinner bait / swim jig rods that won't break the bank ?

These two aluminum bass boats are on my short list bass boats to buy - pro's and con's of each , your experiences ? My main needs / wants are : Long lasting / quality construction , dry ride , well thought layout , good hull design (good ride , gets up on plane easily) , etc. ... Your thoughts ?

So , depending on wind and water temp - most users are going to be keeping 1/16th oz. to 3/16th oz. shaky heads (12 ft. or less water depth) in their tackle box . Next I need a shaky head that is designed more for highland reservoirs with gravel , assorted rock and rip rap and sparse vegetation versus lakes with grass / weeds as predominant cover . Shaky head designs which assist in getting the worm up and come through rock well (or at least better) would be ideal ! ... I'll start investigating reviews for some of the suggestions mentioned so far for reviews in highland reservoirs - any other recommendations are appreciated as I'm sure there are always new shaky heads designs being introduced as the tactic evolves !

Sam : Good reply - I would have predicted most shaky head users would be in the 1/8th oz. or 3/32nd oz. weight camp in 12 ft. of water or less ? With 8 lb. braid and I'm guessing a 6 lb. to 8 lb. FC leader a 1/16th oz. shaky head weight would give you a adequate fall rate as well as a lively action when working on the bottom ? My set up confidence would be in the 10 lb. ~ 15 lb. braid + 8 lb. FC leader ...

As he title suggests - what is your favorite shaky head and weight for shallow bass (i.e. less than 12 ft. deep) ?

Do-It Molds has a new Ned Rig mushroom style jig mold which TANDER shows above - buy from those that use this mold along with a good quality hook (i.e. Gamma , Owner , Mustad , etc.)

After looking at the "new & improved" Pflueger President Spinning reel - I'm going to say it's no longer king at the $59 price point , in fact it's a bit disappointing : The new design feels cheapened - in order to get the same quality as before you have to step up to the $79 President XT . At the $59 price point I believe either the Lew's Mach 1 or the Quantum Throttle are a better bang for the buck . While the $79 President XT resembles the President that developed a cult following - the $79 price point also brings in stiffer competition in the form of the Daiwa Exceler and the Shimano Sahara as both are highly regarded . * Be smart and compare - this is not your Daddy's or even your older brother's Pflueger President spinning reel any longer ! ... Your thoughts and experiences ?

I read enough about how good a color Bubblegum is - I would have to work on my confidence in order to throw such a color ! As for the color black (as well as green pumpkin) - I reason that it is so opaque with no light passing through it that bass bite on the shape alone ?

I was in a tackle store yesterday and saw a few new colors from Zoom I had never seen : Arkansas Shad - Looks like tan albino with silver sparkle . Pro Blue Red Pearl - Depending on the light , this color can look like three different colors. Watermelon Pro Blue - Another new color that appears to change colors depending on the light .

OP here - I should have noted I'm fishing for large mouth and spotted bass in clear to slightly stained reservoirs.

Looking to move beyond the basic : White Pearl & Watermelon Super Fluke colors ... Anyone had luck with : Electric Shad , Blue Gill Flash or Houdini , etc. colors in a super fluke ? These are a few newer colors which I thought might show promise - thanks in advance for your experiences .