ChrisD46

Safe to say Oyster & Bone colors are in the same color family - water clarity and sky conditions then dictate the final color decision between the two .

I saw some Sexy Dawg walking baits in the new(er) Oyster color that drew my attention . I see the Oyster color as a subdued or muted Bone color which may work a little better in clearer , upland reservoirs in the sun than the brighter Bone color ... Anyone tried the Oyster color in the Sexy Dawg yet ?

*Hildebrandt spinnerbait blades are the very best spinnerbait blades in my opinion (I don't use their spinnerbaits - just the blades I order separately) - just the right thickness , shape / curve and finish to thump , vibrate or flash to the greatest extent - Colorado , Indiana and Willow Hildebrandt blades are all top notch . Lastly , all spinner bait blade manufacturers offer slightly different size blades so you need to check to match up with your existing spinnerbait blades for the best match . Hildebrandt blades can run slightly larger than a lot of stock blades (approx. 1/2 size larger in my opinion) .

Green Glimmer is a fine color - *close alternates which work well : Mouse & Spot Remover .

The key to successfully using Co-Poly , FC or Mono on a spinning reel (3000 size or smaller) without line twist : Do not go over .010" / 25mm line diameter (don't pay attention to lb. weight as line diameter varies between all manufacturers) . Also spool a spinning reel with the line coming from the bottom of the line spool (I use a pencil through a small box and apply line tension while holding a rag as I spool the line on a spinning reel) . Always close the bail by hand manually after a cast and pull out the last few inches of loose line to avoid line loops before winding. Follow these brief suggestions and you should not have any trouble with co-poly on a spinning reel .

I'm finally tempted to try the semi - famous Heddon One Knocker walking bait ... I'd like to know your thoughts on this top water lure , favorite colors - and when you choose the One Knocker versus the Super Spook or Zara Spook ?

I have a Dobyns Sierra 702s ML rod for drop shot / Ned Rig teamed with a Daiwa 2500 #10 lb. braid + FC leader . I have jack rabbit fast hook sets , so the slightly slower Sierra rod actions are helpful for me .

Thanks ... I'll be trying the Owner ST-36 round bend and Gamakatsu Magic Eye round bends - mostly in #2 & #4 treble sizes . *Now I cn adress my top water lures that came with came with lower quality bronze treble hooks (Spooks , Sexy Dawg's , etc. )

Correction : For top water lures (especially larger ones) it appears here the round bend treble hooks get the nod to catch bass that slap at a top water . The inward angle hook points of the Mustad triple grip (or similar treble hooks) are better to keep bass better pinned on a crank bait once they have eaten the lure.

After further research - it appears the Owner Stinger ST-35/36 series and the Mustad KVD Elite Triple Grip treble hooks are very popular with hard bait bass fishermen.

More than a few of my top water walking baits (i.e. older Heddon One Knocker) have poor quality stock bronze treble hooks . What brand / series treble hooks do you prefer for your top water walking baits - especially if bass are slapping at your lures ?

*The Sierra 683 may possibly be able to handle walking baits (i.e. spooks) ?

Looking to see if there is a TW promo code printed anywhere on the sticker !

Old school Bomber Long A reeled slowly on top - ditto with OG Rapala balsa wood minnow .

For topwater it is a two rod set up for me . For smaller poppers I have a 6' MF bait cast rod and for larger walking baits up to 130 size pencil poppers I am undecided at this point in time . Lighter is better and under 7' to prevent rod tip slap when working a bait are wants . That 6'10" rod length range in a MF or MH Mod action appear popular .

*Another : "Tom's Rule" that has served me well with any FC , Mono or Co-Poly line on a spinning reel is do not exceed .010" line diameter as different line manufacturers have different line diameters in the same line size number . Seaguar InvizX #6 lb. ~ #8 lb. or Sunline Sniper #6 lb. ~ #8lb. (both with mono backing on the spinning reel first) will serve you well.

Tell me about the new top water rod you bought OR are going to buy soon for your top water bass fishing .

There is merit to using a #7 ~ #12 size barrel swivel up about 18" up from the Super Fluke - I like a gold color swivel on cloudy days and a silver color swivel on sunny days . There are those with a lot more experience at using this technique than myself who believe the Super Fluke looks like it is chasing smaller forage (i.e. the barrel swivel) and thus the bass get ignited by the competition for forage themselves and go after the Super Fluke (or so the belief goes) ... Yes , all this is going on while the barrel swivel ensures your line is tangle free .

I appreciate the replies including new braid lines I did not know about - It stands to reason that if your leader is long enough a high viz colored braid will not deter bass from biting .

For those who use a spinning set up with braid main line + leader with finesse (2.8" ~ 4") swimbaits , what size braid and color are you using for open , clear water ? I currently have Power Pro #15 lb. (.007 diameter) Hi - Viz Yellow + FC leader but will consider a #10 lb. braid + FC leader and moving to a green colored braid (if it makes any difference to the bass) . Seaguar Smack Down and Power Pro are on the thinner side for a given braid strength (#10 lb. is awfully thin !) whereas Sufix 832 #8 lb. is about the same diameter as Power Pro #15 lb. Lastly , do you think braid color matters with a small finesse swimbait (it's not much of a line watching technique) .

A lot of new , good suggestions I had not thought of - thanks !

A Spotted Bass reservoir which is predominantly a Threadfin Shad fishery presents some top water challenges this time of year early and late in the day : The Shad are very small - about 1 to 1.5 inches in size . Although I have not done so before - I'm inclined to try a Berkley Choppo 75 in Bone early and late for top water to match the hatch until later in Sept. when the bigger Gizzard shad will allow me to move up to the larger Choppo 105 to match the hatch better at that time . Anyone have experience with the Choppo 75 when bass are either pressured or when trying to match smaller shad ?

First choice would be a Rage Swimmer (Pearl) in the smallest 2.8" length on a small 1/8th oz. ball head . Next might be a small 2.25" lipless crank bait is a shad color . Lastly , maybe a small top water - like a Lucky Craft Gunfish 95 in a bone color ?

I saw my life flash before my eyes : Here I was at 103 years old plugged into life support system when the doctor tells my family : "It's time to pull the plug and send him on to his next awaited journey - he lived a long , happy life" ... After the family solemnly files out of the room - the bait monkey appears from behind a door , plugs the life support system plug back in - then jumps up and down on my chest to revive me ... As I open my eyes the bait monkey is repeating over and over and over again : "15% off at TW ... 15% off at TW , 15% off at TW - hurry there is still time to get your order in" !!

I like 3/0 and 4/0 3/32nd oz. VMC Drop Dead Hooks with Yum Dingers - gives them a little added weight on the fall ... I just cast out and let the 5" and 6" Yum Dingers fall to the bottom , lift and reel a few feet and let it fall back to the bottom and sit for 20 seconds ... Reel back in and repeat .