ChrisD46

Winter soft plastic colors (shaky head) : Black & Blue flake , Junebug get the nod for cold water bottom fishing . A dark green pumpkin (like ZMan makes) is a close 3rd.

6:4:1 ... As Gerald Swindle says : "We're bass fishing - this ain't NASCAR" !

*I always thought Tubes were a Northern deal for Small Mouth - you don't here much about them down South . It doesn't mean they won't work and for sure the Largemouth and Spotted bass here have not seen much in the way of Tubes before .

The Z-Man Elaztec 4" finesse worm (and SK 3X finesse 4" worm licensed from Z-Man) could possibly work - but the head is small , so a small nail weight is the norm here .

*Both the Dobyns 733c & 734c are keepers for the techniques , lure weights , etc. stated by Dobyns . That said - any rod you feel is slightly too soft for the intended lures / technique there is an easy solution : use Braid Main Line !! ... Just by switching reels out with Mono / Copoly , FC and Braid mainlines , you can make a rod respond three different ways to what you are trying to fish .

*Yes , basically a down sized Neko Rig using a finesse TRD set up (lol) . Due to being slightly larger / longer than a TRD , I would target using a SK Ned Ocho or Robo Worm Ned Worm as they are not quite as buoyant to begin with as the ZMan Elaztec soft plastics. I also would consider the Ned Neko rig to be a close cousin to the "Tiny Child Rig" .

How about combining two very hot soft plastic techniques : The Ned Rig + The Neko Rig = "The Ned Niko" ! Basically a ZMan TRD , Strike King Ned Ocho , Robo Worm Ned Worm , Missile Baits Ned Bomb , etc. the add a small O-Ring a little less than halfway up , insert a small nail weight (1/16th oz. ~ 3/32nd oz. ) in the nose of the soft plastic and then finally add a Gamakatsu #1 size Split Shot / Drop Shot Hook under the O-ring as you would a Neko Rig catching a small amount of soft plastic under the hook for retention . To work the "Ned Neko" just drag and occasionally hop a as you would a Neko rig - except drop down to a finesse ML-F spinning set up (finesse Braid + FC leader or straight FC) ... The beauty of fishing a Ned Rig this way is you do not get hung up quite as much as you would using a standard exposed hook Ned Rig Jig Head - yet the hook ups are just fine . Lastly , you will need to downsize the O-ring (depending on which Ned type stick worm you are using) - if it helps, I am finding the VMC Cross Over Rings in sizes #5mm & #6mm are about right in size (again , depending on your Ned stick worm diameter) ... Good luck !

Siebert now sells skirts ?

*Many good suggestions in this thread - but not one shout out for NetBait finesse and trick worms ... Both NetBait offerings are outstanding with tails that are slightly more buoyant than the Zoom offerings . I like the color selection from NetBait and these worms are infused with pork fat and anise which I am convinced makes bass hold on longer to NetBait worms .

*Time to consider Tom's modern split shot rig : Owner 1/0 #5133 hook , #5 lb. Ultra Green line , 1/16th oz. tungsten bullet weight held in place with two rubber slip bobbers , ML/F spinning rod , 2500 series spinning reel ... A 4.5" Robo worm has got to work on this set up - or else your bass have taken up the Keto diet !

*I came across a Bassmaster interview I have been searching for regarding buzz bait skirts versus no skirts and here is what the Elite Pro's say : In colder water (for your region) say under 60 ~ 65 degrees F. most fish buzz baits with a skirt and a trailer hook . This stands to reason as bass don't want as much action and tend to be short strikers more . In warmer water (again , for your region) say over 60 ~ 65 degrees F. it's time to remove the skirt off of the buzz bait and go to a soft plastic trailer of your choice (i..e. a craw , grub , fluke , swim bait , etc.) rigged without a trailer hook . *When in doubt , try leaving the skirt on and use a straight tail fluke trailer with little to no action with a trailer hook ...Hope this helps .

Thanks for the replies - more brands of flat sided cranks than I was aware of !

What is your favorite flat sided crank bait for cold water cranking - plus list a few colors you like to have on hand for Winter ?

*Seaguar InizX FC : # 8 lb. .009" diameter / .23 mm , #10 lb. .010" diameter / .26 mm ... Thanks to confirm the max FC diameter Tom for user friendliness on typical spinning reels .

*Great explanation as to the theory behind moving up to larger baits in Winter time .

*Looking to experiment with FC main line (no braid) for drop shot and shaky head , so based on comments I will try #8 lb. InvizX (.23mm diameter) as max line size on a 2500 / 3000 series spinning reel . Looks like this is still a minority set up now as Pro's have left FC main line on spinning reels by the droves in favor of Braid + FC leader set up .

Thanks for the replies , that .010 ~ .011 Mono / FC line diameter on a 2500 / 3000 spinning reel seems like a good rule of thumb .

In Fall and early Winter bait size tends to be smaller thus your smaller swim baits , worms , etc. are more of your go to size baits. As Winter progresses towards the Pre-Spawn , lure size increases probably for two reasons : 1) Smaller size prey have been eaten or died off and 2) Pre-Spawn signals bass to put the feed bag on thus they are more aggressive , hungry and are more willing to eat larger lures as they seek to gain weight for the Spawn . *Is this why lure size tends to increase towards the Pre-Spawn vs. early Winter or are their other factors involved ? Thanks in advance to share your experience on lure size selection over the colder months heading into Pre-Spawn .

What is the max size / diameter Mono or FC main line you will spool up a 2500 / 3000 size spinning reel with before manageability problems occur ?

All good replies - no weeds much where I fish . Plain dirt / clay bottoms to those that include rip rap and chunk rock .

As the title states - I'm not fishing a drop shot vertically for bass . I am wanting to cast out and fishing the drop shot horizontally shallow in less than 10 ft. of water slowly dragging , hopping and twitching the drop shot back . On my short list for a dedicated horizontal drop shot set up is #10 lb. braid main line + #6 lb. FC leader to either a VMC # 1 Spin Shot Hook or a Gamakatsu #1 spin shot / drop shot hook . Plan B is the same , except straight InvizX #6 lb. FC main line . I like the idea of the VMC Spin Shot hook - however for horizontal casting a drop shot some say the old stand by Gamakatsu spin shot / drop shot hook (that doesn't rotate) offers a better presentation while the VMC rotating spin shot hook has a better presentation for a vertical dropshot presentation . *For horizontal drop shotting - what is your preferred drop shot line and hook set up ?

*As Michael Neal suggested - I am going to try a Junebug color Ribbon tail worm (Zoom 6" U-Tail Junebug Red) on a shaky head with a slow drag and small hops .

*Yes , the large Egg weighs 3/4 oz.

Sleeper Wake Bait : BPS - "The Egg" (only the larger size) .

*To date , no one has addressed your question on skirts OR no skirts for Buzz Baits : From what I have researched - there is a short late Winter / Spring window (depending on where you live) around the pre-spawn / spawn where Pros will opt for a Buzzbait with a skirt . All other times through post - spawn through Fall - the Pro consensus is no skirt replaced with a soft plastic fluke , swim bait , grub , creature bait or craw . Another consideration is a "Hybrid" approach : Leave the skirt on the Buzzbait , however cut the skirt back to 1/4th" beyond the bend in the hook - then thread on your soft plastic trailer of choice . This can give you the best of both worlds with a Buzzbait that casts better in the wind and with a slight rod pump can flair the skirt for additional action . Lastly , playing around with the trimmed back skirt color and the soft plastic color can create a matching color OR add a contrasting color to your Buzzbait (although a Buzzbait is still mostly a reaction strike).