ChrisD46

*I've tried them all I believe and the best ones (unless you make your own) come from site sponsor Siebert Outdoors : Products | Siebert Outdoors LLC . The Morel mushroom style jig heads uses a quality Owner hook and powder coated heads in a variety of sizes and colors . I use 1/16th oz. heads the most in Green Pumpkin or Black color in the regular size Morel as my "purest" Ned Rig no - feel retrieve . Next I have a 3/32nd oz. and 1/8th oz. sizes in the Morel XL (Green Pumpkin and Black) which I use for slightly larger Ned Rig set ups like the Robo Ned Worm , Big TRD or the Zoom Ned Stick Worm . These set ups with the heavier weights I use to drag , hop and bounce on the bottom . I hope this helps !

While not a true kayak in the traditional sense of the word - I remain intrigued in this 14 ft. "fishing platform" after hearing Jimmy Houston rave about his experience filming a show using one . https://store.jacksonadventures.com/blue-sky-boatworks-360-angler-2021/ . *Do you or know anybody who has one ? They are certainly expensive (up there with a Hobie Pro Angler 14) ... As a "seasoned" bass angler with after market metal parts in one leg - the 360 Angler is more appealing as I would be sitting up higher and stand comfortably versus trying to squat down getting in and out of a regular kayak - mostly sitting down at water level (not very appealing to me) . A sturdy flat bottom jon boat would be an option (if they exist) but after watching Jimmy Houston move around so easily (very stable !!) and getting into some shallow , tight places with the 360 Angler I remain interested in it's possibilities .

*Back in the mid 1970's I had a 14' v-bottom jon boat used for bass fishing in Florida : Great for riding into waves but too unstable for standing in ! I would hope that a more modern 14" flat bottom jon boat would be stable enough to stand up in for casting without having prior experience as a circus tight rope walker ? (lol !)

*So are you recommending a good quality 12V trolling motor as a better return on investment than 24V ? ... *I have no experience with either .

*The FR733C. with Mono or C-Poly line would work well for treble hook lures . However , for a Chatterbait + Trailer you would do best with #30 lb. ~ #40lb. braid mainline to get a decent hook set as with say #17 lb. FC line the FR733c. may be too limber for the application for a good hook set.

*A soft , controlled "lob" with an educated thumb works best with Super Flukes + Bait Cast Reel . I feel your pain and usually just resort to a spinning set up with #10 lb. ~ #15 lb. Braid + #8 lb. FC leader with a good Gamakasu , Owner , Trokar sharp 3/0 ~ 4/0 EWG hook . Good luck - banging your head against the dock pillars (due to birds nests) causes brain damage - don't be like me !

*Very good information ^^ ... You want that "swing head jig" maintaining contact with the bottom at all times with hard deflections off of chunk rock and boulders (7/16th oz. good size head weight to start) . To achieve that hard instant deflection that draws the best reaction strikes (what you want - like a crankbait) you want a 7 ft. + MH+/H F action rod (on the tip stiff side) , low stretch FC line of #15 lb. ~ #20 lb. to aid in that hard , instant deflection (6:3:1 reel speed is fine) . *A cheaper , lower end rod (i.e. All Star C-Rig rod) is actually the better choice than a higher end more tip sensitive / parabolic rod for the Bufflehead set up (I use a close out Veritas 7' H / F broom stick nobody wanted) just for the Biffle Head technique. So , a stiff rod , low stretch sinking FC line with hard instant deflections of the Biffle Head off of rocks (i.e. no rod slowly loading up junk here) is your best bet .

OP Here : Many good replies here - water clarity , water temp , sky conditions , wind / no wind , etc. all can play a role in the blade style choice , number of blades , blade color , head color , skirt color and retrieve speed . Lakes I fish (clear highland reservoirs) in are populated with Threadfin Shad , Craws and occasional Blue Gill in the backs of creeks . White / Chartreuse , White and Transparent Shad colors should see the most action based on Threadfin Shad population (I don't own a Blue Gill Pattern spinnerbait relying on a Green Pumpkin Paddle Tail Swim Bait instead) ... *With all the various combinations of spinnerbaits possible just for a Shad lake could require a pretty big box ! That said , perhaps best to try and limit to just a few choices and combinations that work Pre-Spawn then adjust for conditions in Spring , Summer , Fall , etc. Of an interesting note which got my attention was a recent Spinnerbait video made by Ott Defoe where in cloudy sky , heavily (i.e. muddy) stained water he was not getting bit on a tandem white spinnerbait - he switched over to a double willow white spinnerbait (not a double Colorado like I thought he should) and no trailer then immediately Ott started getting bit ! I would have NEVER considered throwing a double willow spinnerbait in those conditions but I saw clearly in the video it be a huge difference maker (go figure ?) I'm starting to think that I might pare down my spinnerbait line up to a Single Colorado blade then go straight to a Double Willow and if I need more thump on the Double Willow - then add a correct size Paddle Tail Swim Bait Trailer . Lastly , part of the fun is solving the puzzle with spinnerbait combinations ! ... Conversely my friends threaten to steal all my spinnerbaits and just replace with a single white 3/8th oz. Chatterbait + correct size Paddle Tail in a sandwich baggie (lol !!)

For water say under 6 ft. which style spinnerbait do you use most often : Tandem (small Colorado / large Willow) or Double Willow ? ... Some feel a tandem blade spinnerbait will stay in the strike zone a bit longer while others nowadays tend to go with a Double Willow for most all of their spinnerbait usage . Which spinnerbait blade style do you prefer and why for shallow water under 6 ft. ?

FC main line + FC leader ... It's mostly gravel , rocks and boulders where I fish , so unless I want to run a 15 ft. leader with braid it is going to be a no - go for me on a C- Rig .

+1 ... The St. Croix MoJo Bass rod I handled in a MH was on the stiffer side of a MH and not what I was looking for - happy I went with the Dobyns 734c. (Sierra) as my first decent bass casting rod .

*Great Choices !

Just watch your retrieve speed and maintain bottom contact . In colder water things are not moving extremely fast (you just have to play with the retrieve speed a bit and find out what the bass want) .

*I believe this is your best bet - I get mine from Michaels or Hobby Lobby ... Unless you are tying larger jigs , #20 gauge is too large and on the other end #26 gauge is too thin and prone to cutting into your jig skirts. Therefore , I prefer #24 gauge copper 1st and #22 gauge 2nd. Also be sure to buy good quality copper wire or else the wire will rust and cause a mess . *Conversely , if your jigs are thrown in rough areas where each has a short life span - then it doesn't matter what kind of wire you use .

*The sun must be different where you live which is the only reason WM Red Flake doesn't work around vegetation in your home waters (lol !)

*This is accurate I believe - the exception is Watermelon Red Flake in or around grass as something about the red flake contrast against grass is appealing to bass . If I fished in ultra clear Western lakes for example where you can see 25 feet down then Watermelon Black Flake would be in play . Otherwise , Green Pumpkin Blake Flake just looks so natural and mimics a variety of things a bass will eat .

GP with black , blue , red , purple , green or gold flake is what I use ... I started throwing the newer GP Flash as well which is an in - between color good when bass favor more of a bait fish bite than craw bite .

*Could you just imagine the expression on Rick Clunn's face if interviewed about the finer points of fantasy fishing ?!?

Abu / Garcia just came out with their "Winch" series casting rods in dark silver color for $149 (not to be confused with the Winch model in the Veritas series) . The MH / Mod Fast may be good for chatter baits and cranks .

Thanks - the B10 S series is a nice looking hook ... I have noticed when you go up from a #1 to a 1/0 size Hook the diameter of most hooks also grows which is a consideration when using a spinning set up with #10 lb. ~ #15 lb. braid and #8 lb. FC leader .

I thought I would try my hand at wacky rigging a 5" stick Worm (i.e. Senko) : If using a O-Ring I believe a VMC #2 Neko Hook is what a good many Pros are using . If hooking straight through the 5" stick worm - I have not decided , maybe bumping up to a #1 or 1/0 VMC Neko hook is the ticket ? ... I also noticwe there are quite a few wacky rigging specialty hooks out now *What hook and hook size do you prefer for wacky rigging a 5" stick worm (i.e. Senko) ?

Thanks for the replies - pre-painted blades is the way to go from these replies (i.e. good quality from Lure Net , etc.) ... I won't be able to do as good as pre-painted blades which have been powder coated .

Lately I have been experimenting with spray painting spinnerbait blades (mostly white color) . I tried to find a nice chartreuse spray paint at the big box stores but had no luck (some were close - but not ideal) ... I apply a couple of light coats (Krylon White Color) then I apply a light coat of a clear protective spray I bought at Michaels craft store . I also bought various small size glitter that I will lightly apply to the spinnerbait blades while the clear coat is still wet . I also apply just the clear coat to the silver / gold blades and then while the clear coat is still wet I'll also lightly "dust" with small size glitter as well ... *Who else is doing the same / similar and let me know if you have found a decent off - the - shelf Chartreuse color spraay paint suitaable for spinnerbait blades .

You don't see Stanley or Terminator spinnerbaits too often in stores - those in the know will find their sources for them and know their reputation ... I now like spinnerbaits with 3D eyes and jig head features as I think if nothing else - it makes a difference in my confidence (same goes for swim jigs) ... I find War Eagle spinnerbait hooks "small & odd" ; do not like the featureless heads or gold wire frames much either (I do like the War Eagle buzz baits though - go figure ?) ... With the exception of the rubber band skirt tie (much prefer wire tie skirts - so I modify all ) - I believe the Jason Christie Covert series the best currently - Booyah has a top notch distribution network so they are perhaps the best , easiest to find high quality spinnerbait going currently - you can not blow a Covert spinnerbait out either no matter how fast the retrieve (I tried to today and couldn't blow it out) .

*Great comments with great choices to explore ! Other baits come and go but my love affair with spinnerbaits never ends . But when it comes to choosing between a 3/8th oz. and 1/2 oz. spinnerbait weight - I either become totally paralyzed or chase my tail like a dog (lol !) Therefore spinnerbaits are my "Noah's Ark" purchase and I buy two of the same style & color in 3/8thth oz. and 1/2 oz.