ChrisD46

A 1/16th oz. & 1/8th oz. cover me for various stick worm scenarios (depending on make . salt content , depth and wind) . Currently using VMC Wackey Jig Heads along with the Berkley Fusion Wacky Jig Heads - admittedly , there are other good ones I haven't discovered yet .

Good choice - I use a Zoom plain original 4” Fluke . Some Spinnerbait experts believe a bass will either smash or suck in a Spinnerbait . If a bass smashes a Spinnerbait it doesn’t matter if you have a trailer or not . If a bass chooses instead to suck in a Spinnerbait - then having a soft plastic trailer attached helps a bass suck in a Spinnerbait better versus having just a skirt attached . So why not use a soft plastic trailer to cover both bass Spinnerbait bite scenarios ? For me , using a Fluke on a spinnerbait is a profile and confidence thing .

Darn , you got me wanting to break out a split shot rig seeing those worms !

Very good reply !

Early , late , or cloudy days can be good for a spinner bait . In the South slow rolling a big black or purple single Colorado blade 3/4oz. Spinnerbait was great on hot summer nights deep.

I inherited a number of Yum Dingers (4" & 5") from a friend and found both sizes to be rather poor as a wacky rigged stick worm due to their lighter weight and low salt content (i.e. no action achieved falling through the water column) . *By going to a weighted wacky jig head (Berkley Fusion weedless wacky jig head or a VMC weedless wacky jig head) - both in 1/16th oz. ` 1/8th oz. will add action on the fall , as well as , popping the Yum Dinger off of the bottom (like a startled craw) using weighted wacky jig heads will aid in getting some much needed added movement to the Yum Dinger ends. You can also make your own weighted wacky jig head using your favorite wacky rig hook , a 1/16th oz. 1/8th oz. bullet weight pegged close to the hook eye with a rubber bobber stop . A VMC #1 size weedless Neko hook with a pegged 1/16th oz. to 1/8th oz. bullet weight is very good and cost-effective way to add weight to a wacky rig. *The Yum Dinger is a great stick worm and comes in some great colors - but if you plan to wacky rig the Yum Dinger, I believe it does much better with a little weight added .

Daiwa Fuego CT can be found for around $100 on sale - a reliable , full featured reel.

Good colors - also Electric Shad and Silver Flash are great all-around colors ... Throw in a French Pearl color and you are set for brown or green bass.

In general , I like the 2.8" for cold water months , the 3.3" for spring with water temps warming and the 3.8" for hottest water temp months. If I had to pick just one - the 3.3" tends to be my favorite all-around size Keitech Fat.

In terms of soft stick worm and finesse worm longevity for the do-it-yourself crowd - the heat shrink tubing and flexible silicon tubing approaches offer the longest lasting , best bang for the buck . I like that the heat shrink tubing allows just the right fit depending on how much heat is applied . Conversely some report the edges of the heat shrink tubing may cut into the soft plastic along the edges limiting the life span / catch total of the soft plastics used. The clear silicon tubing (similar to VMC Cross Over Ring material) may be the best IF you can find the right sizes and source for your soft stick worms / finesse worms . A Nasal Speculum ($8.00) is required but after that all that is required is finding a source that sells either the heat shrink tubing or silicon tubing in minimum bulk 10' lengths so you can cut to size as your applications require - otherwise your costs go way up.

30 lb. for small / medium top water 40 lb. for larger spooks

Quick Scum Frog Hack : Apply light pressure with your fingers around the rear weight / frog plastic with your fingers so just enough to get a drop of super glue on both sides of the weight then release your fingers to get contact between the weight and frog plastic . Wait a couple of minutes before fishing the frog and you will not have the weight fall out any longer . I have smaller lakes and ponds near me with vegetation and currently only have the original Scum Launch Frog size , so the Trophy and Launch XS sizes may be better for smaller bodies of water with over all - or does it matter ?

Any fans of the Scum Frog Trophy Series or Launch XS series ?

Thank you to point that difference out !

Good way to turn a 6:3:1 reel into a 7:2:1 reel !

Co-Poly is a great line option in place of mono as most non - FC “mono” lines are now co-poly any way .

The Yum Christie Craw is a good football or swim jig trailer . Used by itself, I would try it on a shaky head and work it off the bottom with short hops then drag slowly a few feet and repeat or stroke it off the bottom then reel to create a gentle gliding action back down . While 1/8th oz. may work I would lean towards the 3/16th oz. weight to give those legs more action . *If you want to go weightless - there are better choices such as a Zoom Finesse Worm or Trick Worm .

The Vicious Moss Green Braid certainly is priced right ! If it doesn't fade , handles well and is strong - then it might be worth a try ...

The right Flik Shake weighted jig head is important - TW should have a selection in that useful approx. 1/16th oz. range .

*Gary himself suggests the DC736C (Champion 7'3" XH/F) for frog fishing vegetation . Any signature frog rod users from the big names ? My current frog rod is a Dobyns Siera 735C which is fine for open water frog'n but probably just okay to use in heavier vegetation . This is one area where I am beginning to believe having a dedicated frog rod for vegetation may be best along with going with a two-frog rod set up to include open water frog'n .

I’ve learned the hard way that a frog fisherman for bass need more than one frog rod : A heavy action rod for vegetation and a MH action for open water (sometimes a MH rod can work for sparse vegetation) . Also I usually associate frogg’n for bass with fast action rods (always with braid) but lately I see moderate action rods being used in videos with frogs which I find interesting - maybe if helps with the hook set delay … The above said , what are your current specific frog rods for vegetation as well as open water applications ?

Zoom Super Fluke always worked best with a 4/0 EWG hook , try the new Gamakatsu Hybrid EWG hook as it has more hook gap resulting in better hook ups than most EWG hooks .

Watermelon Red is especially good around grass in clear water .

The Zoom Ultravibe Craw has a tighter vibration than many other craws - better for cooler water temps but will also work well in warmer months . In warmer water temps I tend to favor craws with a wider wobble / vibration .

Most spinning rods used are in the ML to M - fast , extra fast camp ... Anyone use a MH F , XF spinning rod - if so , what technique ?