ChrisD46

*Here's a quote from : "The Chatterbait Whisperer" himself (Brett Hite) regarding his entire chatterbait set up and the reasons why he uses it (your mileage may vary - I am in the 7'3" MH/F graphite rod camp myself for chatterbaits) ... "I rod use a 7’3″ medium-heavy EverGreen Bret Hite casting rod,” he said. “A fiberglass or composite rod is the number one key.” He believes one of the biggest misconceptions about the Chatterbait is that anglers see it as a jig and so they don’t use the correct rod. “To avoid losing fish with this technique, I think of it as a heavier crankbait or spinnerbait and use a fiberglass rod. Fish will hit the Chatterbait aggressively, so I want the rod to load up and absorb some of that hit. A lot of times the fish will hit right at the boat, and if you have a really stiff rod, when that happens, you will get slack in your line and lose the fish. This is why you want a glass rod. The rod and the line is the key to being successful at landing fish.” Hite suggests a mid-speed reel, in the 6.5 to 6.2:1 range. His reel is a Shimano Chronarch casting reel. “You want a medium range, so that you can slow roll or go pretty quick when you need to,” he stated. “I always use 20 lb FC Sniper fluorocarbon. I never use braid or mono. Fluoro is less visible in clear water situations and I like the little bit of stretch that it has. I don’t ever break off any fish and I’ve caught tons and tons of giant bass, so I feel it is best.”

*Advantage of the Foggy with the "bubble blade" option ? ... Not sure if it just a slight visual difference from the Foggy without blade holes or if the sound and action is different between the Foggy with or without blade holes ?

Bass Pro : "The Egg" (larger size) , Strike King KVD 2.5 and Mann's Minus 1 all produce ... For easy top water throw & wind - I rotate with the Choppo or Whopper Plopper .

Two - piece rods 7' or under (unfortunately) ... I like longer one piece rods but they are a determinate in the car .

*Reminds me of a saltwater inshore set up ! ... Still , I get what you are saying .

*Check out the new Yo-Zuri Super Braid : Great price and various reviews have all been very positive !

*Way to go Captain !! ... Glad I could start a thread to help you get motivated to throw a lipless crank bait !! Your success shows it doesn't have to be late Fall or Winter either to get bit on a lipless crank bait (lol !)

*Good comments - you are either guiding or commercial fishing in Mexico , so it sounds like so you should know knots well ... I fish spinning set ups for Bass with braid mainline from #8 lb. to #15 lb. + FC , Co-Poly or Mono leaders of between #6 lb. to #10 lb. My bait Cast set ups use braid mainline from #30 to #50 lb. + FC , Co Poly or Mono leaders from #12 lb. to #20 lb. so you tell me : Does any braid + leader set up I describe above appear to be better if I incorporated the FC Knot versus tying braid + leader with the Alberto Knot (or even the Double Uni Knot) ?

^^This^^ ! The same set up would also double as a good shaky head rig - you could also use a FC leader or Co-Poly leader in #8 lb. to #10 lb. line sizes .

While the FG Knot appears to be best for joining braid mainline to leaders - you need to have 3 to 4 hands to tie the darn thing ! ... *Anyone have a particular way of tying the FG knot (i.e. easy learning video) that makes tying the FG knot easier with two hands ? ... Thanks in advance !

*Who uses the Rotated Eye , In - Line Treble Hooks with your crank bait or other hard body lures ? ... Do you notice a difference in hook up ratio OR just hard body lures that are not as damaged by "hook rash" ? I believe VMC and maybe Berkley Fusion 19's offer the rotated eye , in-line treble hooks (not sure if Owner , Mustad or Gammy make similar ?)

Thanks for the replies - I only have experience with the Owner Stinger treble hooks - but if there is no real discernable difference in hookup ratios between the round bend treble and inward facing "meaner" looking trebles (like on the Mustad KV's then I will take a look . I have had good luck on the Owner Stinger treble hooks though . *Bass are eating tiny 1" to 2" shad born this year in my reservoir now , so I picked up the -05 size 5/16th oz. Rapala Rippin Rap to match the hatch with . The front treble is a VMC #8 size and the back treble is a #10 size (lol !) I am considering upsizing the hook sizes on this -05 Rapala Rippin Rap if it becomes a problem but who knows - may catch a PB with it !

Looking for good treble hooks to replace stock hooks on a variety of lipless crank baits : Rapala Ripin Raps , SK Red Eye Shads , Rat-L-Traps etc. *Many say round bend treble hooks are preferred while still others like the inward facing barbs of the Mustad KVD Triple Grips ... What are your experiences and preferences ?

*I believe this is a newer offering from Berkley - do you throw the 60mm , 70mm or 80mm size and any particular B erkley colors you favor in the Bullet Pop ?

*I could be wrong - but the Dobyns Fury 705 CB appears to be a best value as a cranking rod at it's price point as so many people recommend it ! ... Seems like it also would do double duty as a chatter bait rod as well where many say a more parabolic rod like the Fury 705CB is preferred .

*Make sure your line is up to the task as well ... I use Seaguar AbrazX #15 lb. with football jigs - it's not only sensitive but it also has low stretch and is abrasion resistant . Sunline FC Sniper in either #14 lb. or #16 lb. would be great as well . If you want to go all - out then try the top of the FC lines with Seaguar Tatsu in either #12 lb. or #15 lb. size !

Anyone use the Storm Arashi Cover Pop in the Fall ? Unlike other poppers - this one walks easily and stays in the strike zone a long time which would seem to be ideal near ambush points ... Comes in some nice shad and blue gill colors too . For open water I would probably stay more with a walking bait that covers more water - your thoughts ?

*Also I believe where you insert the EWG hook can make a difference in a Super Fluke (low or high in the nose) when you retrieve making it dart up or down more .

Perhaps more of a confidence thing -I use Megastrike on my Ned Rig baits and for soft plastics I spray the bag with a shot or two of BANG pray attractant Garlic scent .

*Good to know !

+1 above ... You have to move all the way up to a Champion series I believe to view another cranking specific Dobyns rod ( there are none in the Sierra series) .

A 4" stick worm with a VMC Drop Dead 3/0 EWG in 1/16th oz. or 3/32nd oz. version on light braid + FC leader ... Cast out and then dead stick for 30 seconds or so - then repeat. This rig has a nice horizontal sink rate and looks like an easy injured shad meal .

*A Zoom Magnum Finesse Worm on a shaky head ? ... Those Kansas bass like to go chubby !

+1 ... Forgot about the deadly Swamp Crawlers on a shaky head ! Wildcard Shaky Head Worm Entry : Davis Baits Original Shaky Worm in 6" in Bold Bluegill , Spot Punisher , Prism Shad or Aaron's Magic colors .

*Good suggestion here ... I will reach for the Owner under spin EWG hook in 3/0 size for using with 3.8" Keitechs first - however a Swarming Hornet in 3/16th oz. ~ 1/4 oz. would also serve you well .