MIbassyaker

Using an owner twist-lock hook seems to have solved the nose-sliding problem for me for flukes. I have not, however, found a solution to the "not enough colors" problem that is capable of avoiding the Exasperated Spouse side effect.

And am I the only one here wondering if we are witnessing some performance art?

Not likely to be the most popular choice around here, but I gotta go with Field and Stream's take on this exact question, from 9 years ago: Curly Tail Grub on a jighead: http://www.fieldandstream.com/photos/gallery/fishing/bass/2006/04/50-greatest-lures-all-time/ It was the first artificial lure I ever had regular success with, and while I don't use them much any more, it's not because they ever stopped producing. They still will catch almost anything, almost all the time.

Helpful info, folks, thanks. I have not been carrying a kit with me but I should.

That's exactly what I do. I do regret leaving something at home occasionally, but I have come to the realization that I don't actually need all that many different lures no matter where I go, and I wouldn't use them all even if I brought them. Two or three essentials, a few alternates or wildcards, and a couple new things to try out. Plus terminal tackle. That will fill two 3600s. I then swap things in and out at home, as needed, depending on where I'm likely to be and what time of year it is.

Outstanding post. Cuts right to the heart of it.

Lol -- meanwhile, here we all are on the forum splitting hairs every day over exact lengths, weights, colors, brands, actions, scents, etc. needed to get a few more bites...

Each year I try to pick a couple lures, rigs or presentations I haven't used much or haven't been very successful with, and spend a lot of time working on them. This summer it was buzzbaits and drop shot. I finally broke through with buzzbaits, but I had a lot of trouble getting the hang of drop shot and gave up on it. I basically get to fish between may and September, and then work puts me out of commission until the next may. My 2015 fishing season is pretty much over now, so it makes sense to look ahead -- Next year, I'll give drop shot another look, and probably focus on getting more proficient with jigs and hard jerkbaits.

That's an awesome selection -- looks like you're ready for just about anything.

I like them on a 2/0 Owner ultrahead finesse ball-head, 1/16 or 1/8 oz. Just sorta hop them around slowly.

Small ponds tend to have small forage. Small forage calls for small baits. Crappie lures, for instance, will often catch bass in small ponds. Consider: -4" straight-tail worms weightless or on a shakey head -ned rig -2"-3" curly tail grubs on a jighead -crappie jigs; roadrunners -3" and 4" stick worms on a wacky rig -any other 2"-4" plastic lure on a weightless texas rig -small topwaters: Rebel pop-r, Heddon tiny torpedo -small shallow crankbaits: Rapala original floaters, Rebel Craw or Crickhopper, Bomber model 2A, KVD 1.5 squarebill -small spinnerbaits, like booyah pond magic or a beetle-spin

Never done it myself, but have witnessed it a number of times. Actually, folks around here post pretty frequently about it happening, with pics.

I am at this very moment resisting the urge to buy another cheap combo simply because I can. I think it's just habit. Nothing in my arsenal is technically the best quality I can afford, so the obvious next step is to make one or more major upgrades. But I could have gone right to the next tier or higher for my last couple rod purchases, if only I had taken the time to do enough research to make an informed decision on what to get.

2-3 feet maybe? I don't use a swivel (I hate hate hate extra hardware) but flukes twirl around a lot, so a swivel can cut down on line twist.

I've got some but haven't used them. They look like they'd be great to drag around on a swinging jighead.

Habit and compatibility with a wide variety of other plastics if I swap it out for something else. I'm sure a round bend would do just fine.

I use 3/0 EWGs or 3/0 owner twist-locks. A Zoom super fluke jerked and twitched over submerged weeds is one of my very favorite early summer baits. Lots of good colors and they all work, but I'm partial to green pumpkin magic.

I'm in that boat too (as it were). I've only got 3 or 4 with me at a time, so Every combo is going to have more than one duty.

That's what the likes are for, no? I'm always partial to the, "I bought Fancy Lures X,Y, and Z and can't catch any fish, so what's wrong?" posts. It's always helpful to remember, the "black" basses have been getting caught by humans for thousands of years, long before bass fishing became a major industry and lure companies entered the scene. There may not be another fish on the planet willing to strike a wider variety of baits and presentations, including virtually every artificial lure design ever conceived. You could not dream up a more perfect fish species to build a multi-billion dollar industry around. When a thorough skunking forces you to confront the fact that they don't strike absolutely every lure, all the time, everywhere you throw it -- and you are puzzled by this -- it typically means it's time to invest more effort into understanding your quarry and its environs, rather than simply sinking more money into your tackle box.

You might have fewer problems with stretchier line, like going all mono or fluoro. Also, for trailer hooks you want to look for hooks specifically made to be trailers; they have a much wider eye to slip over the barb of the main hook, and they'll come with rubber tubing, either already covering the eye or in a separate piece.

Without a net, you're just going to lose some, and that's the reality. I think this problem generally has less to do with lack of trailer hooks and weak hooksets (though fixing those couldn't hurt), and more to do with not keeping a tight line. This happens a lot in the kayak trying to bring the fish in, given the limited space you have to manage both rod and fish, and a range of motion that essentially amounts to creative use of your armspan.

Here's one I've been using. I think it's an eagle claw 1/0: I like to let the hook swing freely below the rubber piece. The other option is to slide the rubber sleeve over the eye of the trailer, then put the lure hook through the sleeve and the eye together. That holds the trailer hook more rigidly in place behind the main hook.

Looks like you beat my own crankbait snagging record from earlier this summer, a 3 inch brook silverside.

Lol, that's exactly what it looks like up here during a steelhead run.

Up until this year I had never caught a fish on a buzzbait despite having several and using them off and on for years. I bought some cavitrons on the strength of recommendations on this board, resolved to be a little more persistent than usual and, boom, like magic, they produce. They've been far and away my most productive topwater this year.