ChrisD46

Back before there was a Gunfish - there was the Vixen ...Now it's back in production with some nice colors ! How many threw the old Vixen ? ...I'm not suggesting to retire your Gunfish lures - but I will highly suggest you make room for the Vixen to cash in on the top water bite once water temps get above 60.

Jig trailer , small flipping bait , carolina rig , maybe shakey head ...I looked at them at a store and decided to pass . To me , the small pit boss was a 'tweener bait ...I just felt I had other baits for the above tactics which I had more confidence in .

Locally about all you see at the big stores are the Strike King tungsten weights which are quite expensive - I appreciate the replies on color as well as new more cost effective sources for tungsten weights .

For those who flip thick mats with heavy tungsten weights (3/4oz. +) do you find color makes a difference ? I ask because most heavy tungsten weights mostly either come in Green Pumpkin or Black - but at the 3/4oz. size (and larger) you only get one tungsten weight per package at $7.00+ which starts to get a bit pricey ! ... Do you find a benefit or advantage for having more than one color heavy tungsten weight for flipping - if not , what color heavy tungsten weight would you settle on ?

Fluoro in 6lb ~ 8lb in clear water for drop shot , 8lb ~ 10lb for clear water crank bait and jerk bait , 20lb ~ 25lb for flippin & pitching also in clear water.

I appreciate the replies !! Glad to see there are those of you who enjoy fluorocarbon in that 15lb to 25lb range for flippin / pitching . Yes , I only have sporadic weed lines , grass , occasional brush and chunk rock to contend with in the reservoir lakes I fish .

Looking for updated information on what non - braid line you are OR will use this season for flippin / pitching applications for moderate to medium cover using beaver , craw soft plastics or brush / arky jig & trailer combo in clear to stained water ? ... I'm currently trying to decide between P-Line CXX X-tra Strong in 15lb ~ 20lb or Seaguar Invizx in 20lb ~ 25lb as a non - braid flippin / pitching go to line ... Your thoughts ?

Thanks for the replies - I normally have less braking applied than more braking as a norm -will watch glenn's video and experiment from there !

How do you set up your baitcast reel's brake settings for flipping & pitching ? Local tackle store advice : " All six centrifical brakes ON then adjust spool tension so soft plastic / weight combo or jig & trailer will slowly fall to the ground " . Your thoughts and experiences on the subject ?

Back to the OP - Soft Plastics I plan to flip this year : * Havoc Craw Fatty * Havoc Pit Boss * Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Worm * Big Bite 'Yo Mamma

I know the theory well of : " Buy once - cry once " ...The Veritas 7'11" is on my short list because reviewers rate as a good buy and it balances well ... Still trying to research if or why more flippers settle on the 7'6" or 7'7" length more so versus the longer length ?

To try and narrow choices down further - what is your preferance between a heavy action 7'6" flipping rod and a 7'11" flipping rod ? ... Any advantage for going longer OR is 7'11" too limited ?

I appreciate all of the replies - I actually believe going a little longer than 7'6" may be advantageous for flipping mats ... I just happen to have bought a BPS PQ 7:1 reel on sale for $79 recently - now for the right flipping rod !

I will modify to say : * I assume 7'6" is a comman flipping stick length - perhaps some favor longer models up to 7'10" or so ... * I assume 1.5oz. tungsten weight is fairly common for heavy mat - however 2ozs. may be required in some situations .

Based on your experience and research - what would you consider to be the best value (under $150) 7'6" heavy action flipping rod to use for punching beaver style of craw baits through generally heavy mat using up to 1.5oz tungsten weight and 65lb. braid for bass ? ...Feel free to mention your favorite heavy flipping reel and gear ratio as well ...Thanks in advance !!

BigScruz33 nailed it : Seibert jigs are all you need in either the Meta or Dredge series ...Reasons ? * Quality of components * Quality of workmanship * Outstanding color choices * Durability * Mike Seibert himself - fantastic owner who cares about his customers .

Geez - the only way I can get new fishing equipment past my wife is through the Russian Mafia via a remote safe house for pick up on my way to work !!

I see Timmy Horton uses the Duckett White Ice series baitcast rods with of course Lew's reels ...Not sure of the rod quality but Timmy seems to like them well enough !

WRB : Thanks for chiming in - Always good to hear from our Spotted Bass fishing brothers from California ! OK back on topic - what you say makes sense , glad I didn't butcher up a perfectly good Seibert Meta Jig by being stupid . Jigs can be every bit as interesting to discuss and disect as Flies are to a Fly Fisherman ... Bulldogs 2014 !!

I wrote to Siebert Outdoors with questions on the Meta Jig series with Living Rubber and Mike Seibert contacted me immediately and answered my questions ...When I look at the options Mike offers I was made to feel like I'm not buying a : "cookie cutter" jig like other folks make - outstanding options offered by Siebert ! I have used North Star Swim Jigs before with good success and felt their quality was good , so I will plan to evaluate the Hippy Living Rubber / Hair mop jigs they offer ... Hopefully North Star is accepting on - line orders in spite of their store closing until March 1st. Thanks also for advising me about that "third option" I was looking into ...I don't need quality issues starting out with this type of jig . I will clarify my area of Georgia is 85% Spotted Bass therefore I look at the living rubber jig skirt and trailer size / length as separate entities yet they need to work together - I get it . What works on Clarks Hill for Largemouth will only work on : " Spotzilla" in my location ! I plan to play with the trailer size / length on the Meta jig first and hopeful I don't need to trim any skirt length to make a Meta Jr. Lastly - let's get specific about weight choice of a winter time living rubber mop jig : At Lanier , Allatoona and other highland reservoirs in Georgia there are not a lot of calm days - there always seems to be a breeze of 10MPH + therefore the lightest jig I'm comfortable throwing on a baitcaster is 3/8th oz . Yet , I read a number of winter time mop jig references to using a 1/4 oz. mop jig for that nice, slow fall . For me to use a 1/4 oz. jig I most likely would have to switch to a spinning outfit and often risk losing contact with the bottom . * Unless I'm totally off base , I am hopeful a 3/8th oz. jig with the right trailer on it (Zoom Super Chunk , flat craw , beaver type trailer) AND the right line / size would slow the fall enough to be acceptable during winter in up to 15 ~ 20 feet of water - yet still give me the weight I need to maintain contact with the bottom which you need to have . I will add I use 12lb ~ 15lb. Fluorocarbon (for sensitivity) which may be a secondary factor in jig fall rate ... Thanks in advance for your replies / experiences on mop jig weight and line tips for winter !

I have real specific questions for those familiar with fishing mop jigs with living rubber skirts during the winter time : * I live in North West Georgia so most lakes lean towards Spotted Bass versus Large Mouth Bass . * For Winter I believe a slower fall is more in order , so I'm debating between 1/4 oz. and 3/8 oz. for up to 15 ~ 20 feet water depth . * Color selesction : Here in North Georgia - Green Pumpkin is king and a safe bet would be to add : Black & Blue and PB&J to round out the offering. * As for Trailers , I understand Winter = slow , little action in the trailer department so : Zoom Super Junk , RI Sweet Beaver , etc. fit the bill. Based on above needs , I have narrowed down my choices to either the Buckeye Lures standard size Mop Jig OR the Mini - Mop Jig. While the Large Mouth Bass are present , the area is more dominated by Spotted Bass (Allatoona , Lanier , West Point) so the Mini - Mop jig may be better ? A "wild card" consideration would be the compact Bass Patrol Living Rubber Football Jigs ( not quite as nice as Buckeye jigs - but better value) . So , based on above location , similar circumstances , etc. - what are your recomendations ? ...What's worked for you in Winter time - specifically when a living rubber mop jig gets the jig call for chilly days and slow moving , cold water bass ?

Thanks for the welcome A-Jay and thank you all for the replies ! Long time lurker here and wondered why I had not joined earlier . At this time I am going to experiment with a few monos in the 12lb. to 15lb. range - mainly Berkley Big Game , Stren , Sufix Elite and perhaps Sunline Super natuaral in 14lb. to 17lb. range . I have heard good things of Maxima but have not seen it local in my area (if my wife sees another box show up from BPS , another site , TW , etc. she threatens to file for divorce !) The braid option is something I will investigate further once I do a bit more research with mono lines ...

I am interested to know which brand mono AND line size you use for the two top water tactics below : 1 . Chuggers & Poppers : There are those with more experience than me who suggest week end anglers do not use heavy enough monofilament line for this category . A heavier 15lb. to 20lb. mono line will float higher thus better for chuggers and poppers ...Your thoughts and experiences ? 2 . Walk-The-Dog Baits : For Spooks , Sammys , etc. it appears many may use a slightly lighter pound test mono (10lb. to 14lb.) for walk-the-dog type baits as they want the line to have the right characteristics when snapping their wrist to work the bait (especially important for throwing the rod tip BACK at the bait to get it to kick off to one side) . So it appears mono line size and choice is possibly more critical in the category of walk-the-dog type baits ...Your thoughts and experiences ? I mostly fish clear water reservoir lakes so line visibility comes into play (why I primarily skipped the possibility of braid - not sure it would be a good choice even in stained water for above top water techniques) . Lastly - I would also be curious if memory is a chief concern when working above type top water baits with a bait caster (i.e. is low memory mono line an advantage here or if it doesn't matter ) ?