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I have never used a jig much at all. But they sure do catch bass! I found another bass with a real crawfish in its mouth after catching it. Obviously, bass love crawfish! What about flipping/pitching just a soft plastic craw with no jig? Do you think a jig is 'necessary?' What does the jig do other than it's a bigger body shape? Personally, I find it too bulky and heavy but I am accustomed to fishing weightless flukes and senkos and t-rig worms with 1/16oz to 3/16oz bullet weights, so, not a lot of bulk, nor weight. What do you guys think? These modern craw plastics look so real, why not just use that and a weighted hook? Or bullet weight. (It has to be weedless around here, lots of cover.) However, lakes are pretty shallow here. The vast majority of fishing here is 8ft deep or less. I do understand that if you are punching through thick cover, more weight can be needed. I guess if you are trying to mimic a bluegill, a jig kind of rounds out the shape.

Do you know how I can tell what size treble hooks are on the bait? Does the hook get larger the lower the number? Which is counter-intuitive. How can you determine what size to use other than just wing it and experiment? Is there any method to this?

Update on the jointed, bluegill color H2O Express swimbait... yesterday was a very strange afternoon in that I got skunked. Zero fish to the boat and had several strikes (t-rig, weightless senko and the swimbait) that I am mystified as to why I didn't land a one of them. Like, six good bites. As for this swimbait, I threw it quite a bit to get a feel for it. I quickly got a strike but it got off without me even seeing what it was. Later, this was a surprise because this was cast to open water off a point and I am surprised a big fish was out there but I got a strike that was an obvious big 'un and that fired me up! But the fish got off without me seeing it and a few seconds later, same cast, I assume it was not the same fish because that big one I had on definitely felt me bigtime because the fight was on. I assume it was a second giant. And this one, I saw this fish because it came to the surface (it was only 3-5 ft deep) and you know what happened; it threw the bait. Dang it! I figure this bass was six to eight pounds. I do not think these treble hooks are big enough. I noticed it soon as I unpackaged it but I was thinking maybe the manufacturer knows what they're doing but I think they're too small. Now, I have to figure out a treble hook to install. I hope whatever I install does not mess up the action. Mind you, this is my first jointed swimbait but the action looks very cool!

Have you found any bait/lure to be a bargain relative to others? I have always thought Zoom had good prices; I use a lot of flukes and they're priced well and go on sale often. Today, I bought a jointed swim bait, bluegill color, H2O (something) brand at Academy and the appearance of the bait is outstanding (sure looks like a bluegill to me!) but yet to be seen as for action; I will try it today. But it was 'only' $5 and I thought that was a bargain. Is the H2O (something) brand Academy's own? Of course, I suppose what matters is what catches bass, lol, and price could be good even if it seems expensive! One that comes to mind there is Yamamoto Senko. I'm still looking for one that catches as well and is cheaper! What have you found?

Anyone use the Denny Brauer flipping reel for flipping and pitching? I would like to get better at this, do you think this reel helps? Or what type of reel is best? I have a number of baitcast reels. I got spinning, too, but it seems most use baitcast. I saw a Mike Iaconelli video where he was using a spinning rig for kind of a finesse flipping technique. I like the idea of spinning since I would flip with my right hand. I do have two baitcast reels, though, that are left hand retrieve. I am just not quite as coordinated with left hand retrieve baitcast. I see many pros who just switch hands using baitcast while flipping just like they do casting. Flip with their right, then switch hands and reel with their right. Any input is helpful on what to use but does anyone think the Denny Brauer flipping reel is good? It is made by Ardent. It's unique in that the line guide does not move. Of course, when you settle on a reel, then you have to choose a rod, lol! Denny Brauer flipping reel

I find Suffix 832 incredibly easy to cast. It just lays so soft and limp. I am using some six years old! Works great on baitcasting and spinning reels. As for mono, if you want to try that, Berkley Big Game is good. I have high vis green, can see it good. Whatever you get, I like high vis as I fish soft plastics a lot and like to see my line.

Does anyone have any experience with this? Two things. 1. A big fear with owning a bassboat around here is hitting a log or stump that you can't see. We have lakes here with lots of timber. Anyone know if this can be covered by insurance? I read my policy best I could, lol, and it seemed to indicate that the lower unit is covered for catastrophic loss. But not the top end? I will have to read the dang thing carefully, word for word but, still, when you're done, you're still not sure what you got! 2. Major engine failure for whatever reason. I just had this happen to a 20 year old Merc 150. I fear it is toast. Do you think that you can get insurance to cover these two things? Top end and bottom end! For whatever reason! I suppose the motor on a bassboat is about half the cost of the rig! I bought a Progressive policy. EDIT: I now have a 2020 motor.

Do you like neoprene better than the mesh? Does it just do better preventing hooks catching? I am needing more rod socks. (EDIT: I see someone kinda answered it above.)

I have two friends that I've fished with a lot over the years, Jeff and Ray. One day, those two got together for the first time to go fishing and they did it on a cypress tree lake. So, you are maneuvering among a forest of cypress trees in the lake, casting to the base of the trees. In those days, it was common to sit in the seats on each deck, the front guy operating the motor with his foot. The day was pretty typical until Ray, operating the troll motor from the bow, said he was suddenly startled by the sound of the big motor cranking and revving up wildly. He stood up and looked back to see what was going on and through the fog of the smoke from the motor, found Jeff standing at the console with one hand on the wheel and the other holding his rod n reel. Ray shouted, "What the heck are you doing!" Jeff said, "Well, now that I've fished with you this first hour, every time I cast to my target tree off either side, by time I'm ready to reel it in and throw again, I'm facing backwards. Thank goodness for swivel chairs. I figure these are some super fast bass in this lake and I doubt that troll motor can go fast enough. I want to catch 'em, so, I got the big 'un cranked up. Sit down, let's fish." Yep, it's a bit frustrating fishing with Ray in a cypress tree lake.

... get one of these. It's probably not expensive.

And here is Denny Brauer's take on quiet entry flipping...

I was reminiscing about a the old Cordell Redfin bait that was a fave bait of mine when I was young, it caught fish! That led to a video how-to by Cotton Cordell. Which led to an article about his death. He lived a long life and caught a bazillion fish and certainly made a successful lure company. The Big-O sure was a game-changing bait. Kudos to Fred Young. https://fishingtackleretailer.com/cotton-cordell-dead/

Who do you think deserves the highest marks? Quality, innovation, staying the course, pricing, superior product results, etc. You're welcome to mention companies that aren't as broad-based as the big ones. Let us know why you like the company or their product(s). Would also be interesting to find out if any of you were impressed by a company and they got swallowed up or went broke or whatever but are no longer with us! Just something (hopefully interesting) to yak about on an internet forum.

So, the male bass, usually much smaller than the females, guard the bass fry once they hatch. And the fish we catch are mostly the males? So, on lakes where there is a slot limit, why is it ok that the small bass, say, 15 inches or less, are what one is allowed to harvest? The males protect the fry for awhile when they swim around getting ready to disperse individually. I have weighed several 15 inch bass recently and they were 2 lb fish. Nice chunks. Just curious about this conservation practice for the health of the fishery. I saw several big balls of fry yesterday, big clouds of them. I guess they were bass fry. I might've caught their daddy, so, how does conservation view this practice? We kept six out of 20 yesterday. This particular lake I fish wants you to keep bass 15 inch and under.

Does anyone have a strong opinion in favor of a certain crawfish imitation bait for fishing cover? Has to be weedless. So, probably a texas rig or fished with a weedless jig. I saw a bait the other day, don't recall which it was and it sure had a fantastic action imitating a mad crawfish, how they raise their claws when in danger. So, when the bait hits bottom or some object, the claws float upwards. There would be other favorable attributes... whatever makes it a favorite for fishing weedless! A good falling action would also be good. My buddy fished with me today, used a Strike King craw and did great. I think it was Rage Tail. It was def Strike King. Interesting thing today... he caught a bass on this craw bait and in the bass's mouth was a real crawfish. It looked dead to me. Or stunned. Whatever, it was a real crawfish, so, that shows you they are eating them in this lake right now! Moments later, I caught a bass and guess what it popped out... a dead Super Fluke, lol! No kidding, the fish had a fluke in its mouth! Or belly, and chucked it up. These fish are obviously in feeding mode these days. We caught 20 and had 14 over 15 inches including several about 4 lbs. Weighed with a scale to confirm! EDIT: If you reply, please say why you like the bait over others.

Wow, LM bass grow that large up there? Did they stock Florida strain?

That would be seriously cool if it happened, lol!

Fair enough. But please explain how you get a cast in working a reed line as I described? What's the technique? Do you alternate casts as I described as a possible solution or how?

I don't have any way to confirm this but my buddy who turned me on to the Pro Qualifier years ago, touting it as a bargain reel when they go on sale, says that the Pro Qualifier II model or whatever you call it, has not turned out to be as high a quality. He says it's lighter but not as good. Basspro used to have the Pro Qualifier on sale for $50 each annually. (I recall that they limited you to two/day purchase.) They do the spring sale every year but about every other year, the reel's sale price would be lower, the $50 price, instead of, like, $80 sale price. I think the normal price was $100. That's when I bought mine, at the $50 price. One year, they also had a sale, I think price was for $100, and you got the Pro Qualifier reel AND a Johnny Morris rod. The rod was white. I bought that $100 combo and use it all the time and it works flawlessly. So, I have multiple (original version) Pro Qualifiers!

You are right, that could be a workable method. But for me, that's too crowded. Plus, I have a bad back, and I have to sit some on the buttseat I have.

Surprised I couldn't find anything on this with google and youtube searches. Maybe it's not the right search terms. Or maybe it doesn't exist! The problem is... I fish a lake where, at this time of year anyway, the casting target is a line of cattails that grow along the shore. I fish alone alot and it's not a problem, obviously, if I'm alone but would like to take a friend now and then. Fishing alone, I position my boat pretty close to the line of cattails, from one to six feet. I then make casts straight ahead, usually, as the cattails grow in pretty straight lines. But you find some clumps of them here and there such that you do make some casts that are not straight in front of the boat. But 95% of all casts are straight ahead. I just cast, work the bait through the new water, and fast retrieve back while advancing the boat forward a bit with the troll motor. Repeat. So, you're always moving, off and on, and your casts' target zone are always in water you have not cast to yet. On average, the ideal cast is, say, less than a foot away from the cattails and you work it back on that line. The bass stay real close to those cattails. Actually, many of them are inside the line and move out and grab your bait. So, if you have two people, this is a problem, lol. If you position the boat farther out, you can both cast to the line of reeds. But your target zone is tiny. Because you are casting perpendicular to the line of reeds. If you do as I do alone, your target zone is far, far longer. One thing you could do is allow each person to man the troll motor for, say, 30 minute stretches or something. But, still, it's certainly not a good situation, because the guy in the back, he really can't cast forward. And casting backwards, you're working water that the boat has just traveled through plus it has been worked by the guy on front deck, lol. Hmmm... you could manufacture a way for the guy in the back to make casts. When it's his turn to cast, you could, at the very end of when you throttle the troll motor, you could push the bow at little bit toward the open water, which would allow the guy at the back to make a cast parallel to the reeds. There would be some dead time as each angler waits until it's his turn to cast. Your boat would actually be kind like weaving in and out along that line paralleling the cattails. Anyone have a better solution? I have fished a lot of cypress tree studded lakes that we have in this area. Believe me, this is not a problem! Every tree looks like it should hold a bass and you're like, fishing through a forest, lol. Targets left and right all over the place.

Thanks for posting. Why do you never go lighter? Why do you use braid? I like braid for bass fishing and thought I would try a small one for spinning smaller baits. I have small braid on a spinning rig, I think it is 6lb. test. Need to fish it some to see if I like it cuz I broke my rod right after I bought it, like, 2 years ago and haven't used it since. I also have now bought some neo orange color 2.3 lb. Varivas Master Limited super ester line and some 3 lb. Varivas Super Trout Advance Twitch Master VLS nylon to try. Probably because one guy on the internet said it is great. Cuz I sure don't know, lol. I think those who use that small stuff do it mainly so they can cast small baits. Worries me, though, we have lots of stumps/logs/limbs. Maybe I can fish it in cleaner water.

I do fly fish. Started out as a teenager fishing for bluegill and tie on a big popper sometimes for bass. Few years ago, bought a decent trout rig, have yet to fish for trout, lol. Need to travel to Arkansas for that. Bought a couple of fly rods at an estate last year. So, I'm ready for this year! Have you found that you catch plenty fish on fly rod?

Now, that is an old bait! Beetle Spin is, too but I think I saw Rooster Tail far sooner, like, when I was just a kid. Might be oldest bait I remember. Other than Toledo Bend lake's heyday, I have had two of the biggest catches (30+ bass) of my life on a beetle spin, both on small local lakes. Both were black with the yellow stripes; might be called catalpa color.

What baits, what technique do you use? Do you find you catch more?