ChrisD46

My current favorite drop shot hooks : Owner Mosquito Lite #1 , #2 for nose hooking and Owner Cover Shot Worm Hook 1/0 , 2/0 for T-Rig drop shot . I prefer to nose hook like Aaron Martens had demonstrated (not free swinging) . *Lastly , you think you know most approaches to drop shot fishing ? ... Wait until you see KVD fish fast with a horizontal drop shot technique for a reaction bite (lol !)

Spin Shot hooks help prevent line twist on a drop shot - especially when reeling back into you for another cast. You can prevent line twist (to a degree) by reeling your drop shot back in more slowly. Also, with the short Spin Shot hook try bending the hook point out / up about 1 or 2 degrees more which should help you stick bass on the drop shot better.

If bass are not getting the 4" or 5" Senko good , I go up one size in the EWG style hook .

I use a Dobyns Sierra 735 for frogs and 50 lb. braid . The entire Sierra series rods are slightly slower - however if using braid it's a great combination for casting and providing just an extra split second on my jack rabbit hook sets .

*What , no seat belt for this rod ??

Thanks for the replies - I'll research which line sizes I want for spinning / bait cast set ups and give it a try . I usually do not drop below #30 lb. braid on a bait cast set up for fear of line digging and do not go below #15 lb. on spinning as too thin a diameter can develop wind knots . I'd be willing to try #10 lb. X9 for a Ned Rig set up for extra casting distance with 1/16th oz. jig head + TRD .

I historically have used Power Pro Braid in the following line sizes : 10 lb. for Ned Rig (Spinning) 15 lb. for Shakey Head ; Small Swim Baits (Spinning) 30 lb. for Top Water (Bait Cast) 50 lb. for Frogs (Bait Cast) *I notice the X9 braid line diameters for a given pound test rating are very thin (as compared to Power Pro - which historically was the thinnest braid). Not sure to buy the same line sizes as I used for Power Pro or go up a line size or two with the Berkley X9 braid ?

Bill Dance was a huge believer in blue colored soft plastic worms - did bass suddenly stop biting blue colored worms ?

The above are somewhat close in color - any specific reason(s) why you elect to use one over the other ?

Another top water color theory : Silver sides / Blue top (for sunny days and blue skies) , Silver sides / Black top (for cloudy / over cast skies) ... Bone color is proven (maybe used ?) as well as all Black for low light . Currently I'm liking the YoZuri top waters with their special reflective strips inside the lure - multiple color options based on light conditions with YoZuri top waters.

It seems that CS Coatings Pro-Tec Powder Paints are pretty much the standard go-to powder paint jig makers use - what other powder paint brands are worth a look and where are the best places to buy them ?

I have both rods (Sierra model) : Per Gary Dobyns - use the 703 for soft plastics where the hook is buried into the soft plastic (i.e. T-Rigged Drop Shot / Shakey Head) and the 702 for open hook soft plastics (i.e. nose hooked soft plastics for drop shot / Ned Rig 1/16th oz. jig head ). I'm happy I have both - if possible, wait for a Labor Day sale and buy both the 702 & 703 Fury rods !

I like this tear drop clip from VMC in sizes #00 for poppers and up to size #2 for spooks : https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/VMC_Crankbait_Snaps/descpage-VMCCS.html . They are cost effective to buy a range of sizes and then you are set . Makes changing top water lures faster as well . *Whether you use a clip or a split ring - just go with the smallest size which fits the top water lure so you do not impede the action with a clip / split ring that is too heavy .

One topic to consider is: "How long are the frog legs" ? When I take any new frog out of the package I like to fold the legs back over the frog and trim where the leg strands meet the tip of the mouth (usually an inch or 1.5" of the legs trimmed off) . This may help with the frog "walking the dog" technique as less drag with shorter frog legs while still maintaining enough length to give great action to the Frog.

The majority of my jig heads I use now for powder coating are for Ned Rig and Shakey Head applications , so 1/16th oz. ~ 3/8th oz. is 90% of jig head size range . No problem to use powder paint straight from the jar (making sure to keep it fluffed) . *When I retire soon , I will definitely build a deluxe DIY fluid bed set up for powder painting jigs (along with my new Do-It molds for Mid-West Finesse jig heads and Shaky Heads) ... I have to show my wife I have no plans of parting ways from the Bait Monkey and his close relative : The Tackle Making Bait Monkey" !!

I appreciate the replies - it appears that a fluid bed is very nice but not a deal breaker if just doing a few jig heads from time to time .

If say you are only powder coating up to a dozen or so jig heads at a sitting - do you need a fluid bed set up for powder coating jig heads ?

Glenn + Shin delivers again !... Great tips offered !

Looks like I would be fine with the sizes and colors replied above for an arky jig ... A football jig can also be stroked , and swam too which I had forgot about in favor of other applications (i.e. chatterbait) .

It must have been fairly recent (last month or so) as I had just bought some missing colors (thankfully) ... Hot Pepper Frog (5") and my favorite Green Pumkin Blue flake in 5" are now gone . Yum Dinger will be my value stick worm now and has the green pumpkin variations I like . I'm also a fan of the SK Ocho , the newer Zoom Stick worm and of course the OG Senko . *I plan to be in BPS early this week and will ask in person what the deal is with the reduction of Stik-O colors offered ?

As a "do everything" style jig - what are your favorite sizes for the Arky jig ? In most cases it looks like you would be fine with 3/8th oz. and 1/2 oz. in your typical craw and bluegill colors?

I believe there is a place for the 110mm size pencil popper, there is a hole in my top water where I go from a small popper straight up to a frog or a larger 125mm+ size pencil popper .

For Pencil Poppers you formally only had the larger 125 and 135 sizes to use - who has had success using the newer , smaller 110 size Pencil Poppers now being offered from Yo-Zuri and other pencil popper makers?

*I would like to see the keeper a little closer to the front of the hook - this aides in not only rigging soft plastics with the open hook but also especially better for T-Rigging to hold the soft plastic better (closer to the jig head) . To prevent snagging I am using Ned Jig heads to lend themselves to T-Rigging so I can bury the hook point in the soft plastic (the Berkley Half Head Jig in 1/16th oz. and 1/8th oz. is ideal for rigging a Ned Rig open hook OR T-Rigged with hook buried in the soft plastic) .

Snake Heads are prehistoric invasive creatures - they rank right up there with Zebra Mussels with me !