tcbass

I use this style hook. With this set up and just retrieving steadily without any jerks back to the boat I get a lot of strikes and miss very few fish. I think the catch to strike ration on this bait is like 95%. It's really great. Basically if they bite it, you're getting the fish back to the boat. That's not a testament to the fisherman but the bait.

With what trailer?

This will be a hard one. What fishing bait style do you think accounts for the most bass on average? Topwater, frog, crankbait, spinnerbait, buzzbait, senko style, jerkbait, texas rig, swim jig, jig & pig, swimbaits, etc.....

Thanks! I'll have to try a pack. Anyone else have any experience good or bad with these lures?

Firstly, as I've posted before, I think the Ragetail Toad is one of the greatest topwater bass lures of all time. It has outfished almost every other lure for largemouth bass that I've ever used. I've noticed when I've read a lot of reviews and comments on the Ragetail Toad that people say things like, "One of my only complaints is that it sinks, so you have to start cranking right away to get it up on plane." Well, I learned something when I was first using it, which is also the same time I was learning to use a baitcasting reel. I threw a long cast under a dock that was in about a foot deep of water and immediately got a big backlash. So I let the Ragetail sink as I undid the birdsnest. After about 30 seconds of dealing with that I started reeling the line in assuming it was just going to be a burn back to the boat and cast again type situation. Well, as I reeled up the slack I realized there was a bass on the lure the entire time. He had eaten it on the sink or when it was sitting on the bottom. This was an epiphany for me! I think it's a lot like swim jigs, guys used to only cast it and let it sink and if they didn't get a bite on the initial drop they'd burn it back to the boat and recast. Now people are letting it sink and slowly fishing it back to the boat and catching fish both ways. After that I started letting it sink and about 1/8th of the time you will have a fish on it. Like the pro's say, "Let the fish tell you what they like that day." When I first start using the Ragetail Toad for that day I'll let it sink and sit for about 5 seconds about 20 times and if fish aren't eating it on the sink or at the bottom then I'll just cast regular and reel it back in the rest of the day. If fish are eating it on the sink or at the bottom then I will let it sink a lot the rest of the day and will most likely get more fish that way. And when it's sitting on the bottom, I'm not moving it or twitching it, just letting it sit and then I just start reeling it in quickly to get it on plane and fish it back to the boat normally. I just let how the fish are initially taking it dictate how I fish the bait the rest of the day. So, let that Ragetail Toad sink and sit on the bottom a few times, you might be surprised what you were missing out on.

Why do you T-rig it and not just use a hook like this? This is what I use with the Ragetail Toad and it works great. Very snag-proof.

I wish I caught more lures on jigs. I'm just not very successful at it.

When it comes to shooting and hunting is that old adage is that it's better to have a better scope than the rifle. The reason for that is that most any rifle from a known manufacture will shoot accurately enough for hunting but a scope needs not only perform well but must also be durable. So that means it's more important to have a high quality scope than a high quality rifle. Is the same true for rod and reels? Is one more important than the other?

I was just thinking that I think the Ragetail Toad is one of the greatest topwater bass lures of all time, however, they are not very durable and lose their legs after about 5 bass, sometimes even the first bass. Sometimes I go through 1/2 a pack or a pack a trip which sure pleases Ragetail but frustrates me as I'm not rich. So I was thinking, why doesn't someone make the same type of lure with a more durable body? Obviously Ragetail won't because they love having schleps like me buy 2 packs everytime I'm at a store. Then I remember watching a fishing show and they were using baits made out of ElastZtech which was supposed to have all the positives of regular plastic baits but 10X's more durable. Then I saw that Z Man baits who uses ElastZTech has their own frog out and it's not too expensive. Only 3.99 for a 3 pack. However, they are not sold at Gander or Cabelas that I've found so I'd have to order them and pay shipping and handling everytime which raises the cost. So, are Z Man's Hard Leg Frogs as productive at catching bass as the Ragetail Toad and are they really 10X more durable? Because if they they are I'll definitely order some.

I hate catching slimy, smelly pike. lol. And they ruin your lures. They do taste like any other fish though.

I had that problem with a brand new Bomber. Threw the first cast and the bill broke off. I was like, I don't understand?

Interesting. I have a St. Croix Mojo Bass frog rod that is heavy, fast that I never use because it's too heavy. I have slop and pads here in MN but medium has worked great for me for the last 4 years and I've caught bass up to almost 5lbs. I'll have to give the Cabelas rod a chance. The grips are awesome for sure.

These rods won Outdoor Life's 2013 rod of the year. For the record I've followed Outdoor Life's recommendation a few times on gear and have never been disappointed. In 2012 they said the Abu Garcia Revo SX was the best reel and won the OL best reel award, I bought one and couldn't be happier. Normally $100 each I picked up a few for $69 when they were on sale 2 weeks ago. Two casting and 2 spinning. One of them is their frog rod which is heavy fast. I sort of wish I'd picked up a topwater medium fast, instead. Was wondering if anyone has any experience with the Cabelas Tournament ZX rods and what they think of them, especially if you have any experience with the their frog rod.

So what so you think is better the Ci4+ or the FJ?

Do you have any FJ's? Do you know how it compares to those?

I have a torque wrench and the instructions say to relieve the pressure when not in use.

So you would get an FH over a Ci4? Did you mean FJ?

Dude, I think we still have like 3-4 weeks here before bass opener in MN.

Why is that?

What don't you like about Minn Kotas?

How so you do that in the slop?

I got the same one. Am debating if it's too heavy for slop fishing here. I normally has a medium or medium heavy and haven't had a problem yet. Was considering exchanging it for a MH.

Do you let the swim jig go to the bottom or keep it on top?

So, I've narrowed it down to two Shimano's for my two Cabelas Tournament ZX 7' foot, medium rods. This will be for bass fishing and perhaps some walleye fishing. I am looking at the Ci4+FA or Shimano Stradic FJ in 2500 size. I've heard that they are both just as smooth and that the only difference is the weight of the Ci4. I have played with both of them at the store and the Stradic seemed to have no back-play while the Ci4 seemed to have a little bit, the Stradic seemed to lock-up 100% while the Ci4 didn't. The Ci4 did seem lighter but I'm not sure if that's worth the extra money, especially when the Stradic seems to have better lock up. Am I missing any other differences in the reels? I was also thinking about perhaps getting one of each. Which reels should I get, a Shimano Ci4+FA or Stradic FJ?

Cool. So where do you shoot the WD40 into?