ChrisD46

Thanks for the replies - I'm thinking a ribbon tail worm will be in play until the water temps drop below say 65 degrees - then a straight tail trick worm with a bit less action may on a drag on a shaky head .

For those that continue to throw soft plastic worms right on through Fall (and Winter for that matter) what style , size , colors ,rigging , etc. do you find works the best for Fall bass in your area ?

You can try a liquid (i.e. Kick'n Bass) or a spray (i.e. BANG) scent applied inside the soft plastics bag . Message the soft plastics real good afterwards and let the bag sit 24 hours before using on your next fishing trip - it will at least eliminate the chemical production smell (i.e. Zoom) of what ever soft plastics you use.

*P-Line FloroClear is known to break fairly easy - curious if going from say #12 lb. normally used to #15 lb. would perform any better with less breakage ?

Thanks for posting Glenn - a lesser known / fished technique for sure but deadly on more open , bare bottom lakes with rocky structure ! My wobble head set up is a Abu Garcia 7' H/F Veritas bait cast rod , 6:3:1 bait cast reel , #15 lb. ~ #17 lb. FC line with a Biffle Head (7/16th oz. mainly) and Biffle Bug (4.25" Green Pumpkin) on the business end . I like to think of the wobble head as "bottom cranking" where I just reel nice and steady looking for rocks on bare bottom reservoirs to deflect off of . *I want that wobble head deflection to happen quick off of structure with no delay - hence why my H/F Veritas rod is only used for wobble head fishing along with low stretch FC line . When I get a strike , I just reel set on the bass while moderately fast sweeping from the side . I tried a MH / F rod and experienced enough of a delay when the wobble head encountered structure that it lessened the reaction bites (key for this technique) that I received . Also important to reiterate that a wobble head MUST maintain bottom contact 95% of the time to be effective - it's a great way to cover bare bottom water with rocky , hard structure and is faster at eliminating poor bass holding water versus using a football jig for the same thing . Lastly , it's fun to experiment with soft plastics on a wobble head : Creature Baits , Craws , Swim Baits , Flukes and even worms / stick worms will all produce ... Here's hoping we see a video soon from you Glenn on a Washington lake that lends itself to this effective wobble head technique !

*Small mouth and Spotted Bass get pretty excited over pink and chartreuse colors , so why not make an all pink or all chartreuse spinner bait (including blade color) ?! ... New for me this year is a local company that makes an all white (including blades) double willow leaf spinner bait which gets a lot of bites in the Fall when bass are chasing shad and find traditional spinner baits put off too much flash (clearer water) .

Yes , you are correct ...

*Watched a recent Timmy Horton top water episode where he loaded a bait cast reel 50% full with #10 lb. BPS Braid for a top water spook show . Timmy stated he added only 25 ~ 30 yards more line on the reel than a max cast claiming less chance for over run and less friction through the level wind ... Long casts for surface busting bass was not a problem nor was the strength of the #10 lb. braid fighting top water bass - but I can't believe Timmy had no line digging issues ? Anybody gone down as low as #10 braid for top water applications on a bait cast reel ?

*Interesting ... In a similar fashion - spotted bass are attracted to chartreuse , so I may experiment with spray painting a blade this color with a matching skirt .

Black / Black , Gold / Black , Gold / White and then Silver blade color with any skirt color seem to be the most popular ... While it may not produce an equal outcome - I had recent success with a willow leaf spinner bait painted white with a white skirt . I'll try painting one of my silver blade buzz baits white / white skirt for clear water to tone down the flash .

Throwing into the wind would cause the sides to catch air ... More to do with my challenge to keep casts lower than perhaps the lure itself .

*Blade Colors ?

*Your bass fishing NOT entered in a NASCAR event - (Gerald Swindle on high speed bait cast reels) ... All kidding aside , for flipping / pitching in a tournament where you want to quickly retrieve a lure back quickly after leaving the strike zone it can be a valuable reel speed to have ... Time is money !

Although discussed in the past , with more water time under your belt what is your experience and preference with : Silver , Red , Gold , Copper , Black , Purple , White and Chartreuse color buzz bait blade colors ? My take is as follows : Black Blade / Black Skirt : Night and any time of day or water clarity usage Silver Blade / White Skirt : Day time use in slightly stained water ; shad runs ; Fall (where shad are present) White Blade / White Skirt : Same as above - except clear water conditions Gold Blade / Black Skirt / White Skirt Chartreuse / White Skirt : Day time over cast and / or stained water conditions Copper Blade : Substitute for Gold Blade above Chartreuse Blade : Substitute for Gold or Copper Blades Red Blade : Bobby U's "secret flared gills" Color Blade : Use on Black / White skirt buzz baits Purple Blade : Black Skirt : Substitute for Black Blade above

*If you like Flukes - check out Google for the sister method : Strike King "Rage Rig" and the VMC "Drop Dead" Senko / Stick Worm tactics .

VMC #0 / #00 size crank bait snaps used on all top water baits - these aren't your grandfathers snaps : The smallest #00 is rated for #30 lbs. while the #0 size is rated for #50 lbs. Both sizes are very small and do not inhibit the action at all on walk-the-dog lures. *After I saw a video by Seth Feider I was a believe as no Bass Pro is going to use junk equipment - especially where line meets a lure !

*Casting the KVD 2.5 Wake Bait is akin to trying to cast a potato chip ! It takes a little practice if their is any sort of a breeze at all . I use it as there are less options in this style of wake bait I like , so I work around the disadvantage of the KVD 2.5 wake (casting with any breeze present) . Another similar one to try is the Berkley Wake Bull 70 in Bone or Ghost will have you covered - much easier to cast than the KVD 2.5 (both models have their merit though) .

Braid main line (#30 lb. ~ #40 lb.) + mono leader of at least .40mm / .016" diameter (#17 lb. Sufix Siege) to VMC snap. This mono will be stiff enough to prevent front trebles getting tangled . If you don't want to use a mono leader with braid , try two rubber bobber stops end to end on the braid where you tie to the walking bait. Lastly , you can try "painting" the last 4" ~ 5" of braid main line with super glue to stiffen up the braid main line where it connects to a Spook .

I see Bass Master Pro Angler Of The Year (Seth Feider) started using these #0 / #00 size crank bait snaps for his top water lures : https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/VMC_Crankbait_Snaps/descpage-VMCCS.html?from=gshop ... The smaller #0 / #00 sizes weigh nothing and will not affect the performance of any top water lure . Looks like a viable choice over the old school loop knot as it would work the top water bait the same with the added ability to change top water lures quickly . *Do you prefer a loop knot for top water walking baits (mono) , OR would you prefer using small snaps like the VMC style shown in the link ?

*With Zoom Super Flukes / Flukes I hold the the bait vertical in semi boiling water for 15 seconds then lay them down flat to dry straight before putting them back into the bag . Yes , a bit of a pain but other brands of soft plastic Flukes are hard to find locally .

Good replies with sound reasoning ... Both lines have merit .

*Curious about Super Spook main line choice : Braid Main Line OR Straight Mono ?

* Saint Croix and specifically the new revised Bass X in that $100 range may work well (if light enough). With the larger walk the dog Super Spooks over 1/2 oz. I now have decide if I will dedicate myself to braid with this technique OR go with Big Game #15 mono ? Braid could work with a M/F rod while mono needs to bump up to MH/F rod .

Wrong thread ...

Looks like I am heading in the direction of either a 6'6" M / F , MH / F or MH / Moderate Fast for bigger spooks and walking baits from 1/2 oz. to 1 oz. If I use braid I can go with a more forgiving rod - if I use mono line then a fast action rod will be better . Finding a light , 6'6" casting rod with the correct shorter butt handle is the first priority for walking baits then I'll see what kind of actions are available .