Craw

I'm feeling you LBH! Some say these feelings of doom we have are created in our own minds and can become a self fulfilling prophecy if we don't get control of them. Others say different. I'll admit I don't know either way. I think I know just how you feel though. Maybe we all do.

Here's some conflicting information that's been bugging me about fishing winters in my neck of the woods... Winter fishing use LARGE lures because 1-Most baitfish that survive winter are adults, hence larger. 2-Bass feed infrequently in very cold water so when they do feed, they want a good(large) meal. Winter fishing use SMALL lures because 1-Bass can be tempted more often by a small offering that looks like an easy meal. 2-Bass' digestion is slowed remarkably in extreme cold and large prey cannot be digested quick enough to keep from spoiling in the bass' body. Are you seeing the conflict? I could give more examples for both sides of the argument but you see what I mean. Right? This is just a small example of conflicting information relating to bass fishing, but it's the one that's bugging me most right now. Usually my lure size is based on water clarity or the general size of preferred forage. Sometimes I choose by the size fish I'm after but mostly I decide on water clarity. Other than in winter I think I'm o.k. with lure size or profile but this cold water fishing with large or small baits is confusing. I mean, other than fishing water with a pretty heavy stain I have to say that smaller profile baits are what I have had the majority of my success with. Am I missing out? I'd really like to hear the skinny on this matter from you guys who know the same kind of winter water temps as we do here in Va., say 45F down to freezing. Believe me, I know all to well that bass will hit nearly anything with no rhyme or reason to their choices and they keep us guessing but I'd feel much better if I had a general guideline to start with in cold water, and less conflict. Can this even be resolved? Thanks

Thanks for the replies. I'm pleasantly surprised by the high praise for this model Rapala, and from some very respectable members also. It's like Marty said, I just never hear of anyone talking about it and never read one single thing about it, so I assumed it was probably not all that good. Now I can't wait to fish one! I've got all kinds of ideas on where I might try this bait. One more question before I run out and buy a couple...Which size tempts the cold winter bass the best? Largemouth and Smallmouth in particular. I think it's probably between the CD07(2-3/4") or the CD09 (3-1/2") for mid to late winter. I'm kinda looking to see if a comparison between these two models is similar to a comparison between the pointer 78 and the pointer 100, if you're familiar with those two. That 3" pointer will usually spank that 4" one but the 4" catches a better quality of fish on average and on some days it's the only one they will hit. I figure warmer water would call for the CD11 (4-3/8") but I'm just guessing, as I'm sure many other factors determine the size of lure we should use. Heck, I may be way off on my guessing period! Help me out guys, please. I'm fired up over some of the membership using this bait as a primary winter tool. I see lots of possibilities for a countdown crankbait/jerkbait in each season! Why have I never considered these possibilities before? I need all the help I can get to catch as many bass as I can through the winter. Thanks Guys.

I used to use a similar approach for live baiting on a 3 way swivel rig to fish the tailraces of one of my local dams. Light line on the sinker end saved lots of rigs, not to mention bait. I was using a drop shot just yesterday and it got me to pondering this very subject. I like fourbizzle's idea as well and I believe I'll look into that further.

I'd also go with a Pointer. The 78DD is a killer!

I believe this is the only Rapala I've never used. Do you guys use this bait? Is it a good jerkbait or more for a crankbait type of retrieve. Is this thing a "must have" like the Shad Rap or Original Floater? Tight wobble? Line diameter sensitive? Please tell me what you know...THANKS.

The big 3 for me is Denny Brauer Kevin VanDam Rick Clunn I wish I had every piece of footage ever shot of these guys fishing. True masters of the sport.

Almost everyone has a local WalMart nearby. The stores in my area carry 3 excellent jigs... 1-Eakins Finesse in 5/16oz. This is one awesome little jig, one of the best IMO. My local WalMart carries 4 different colors, black/blue, brown, greenpumpkin and black/brown. 3 jigs to a pack. 2-Strike King Pro Model in 3/8 and 1/2oz. These jigs come in a variety of colors, black/blue being my favorite, and they also feature a rattle. 3-Strike King Premier Pro Model in 3/8 and 1/2oz. These jigs are just a revamped version of the original Pro Model. As far as color, I like black/blue, brown and greenpumpkin for all of my jig fishing. For trailers I prefer the Uncle Josh #11 bait frog which my WalMart also sells. I use a black bait frog with a black/blue jig or brown bait frog with a brown jig. When I fish a greenpumpkin jig I go with a plastic trailer and try and match the jig color as close as I can. For this I use Zoom. Zoom's Salty Chunk or Zoom's Super Chunk Jr. are excellent plastic trailers. In the scent department I've always used Bang Garlic in the aerosol can. It smells good enough to eat and it stays on the bait a long time, even makes the jig slippery so it slides over timber well. If you want to stick as many fish as possible, then keep a small file handy to hone the hook point from time to time. 2 or 3 gentle strokes with the file are plenty, anymore than that can heat the hook to the point of brittleness. IMHO the best guy with a jig is pro angler Denny Brauer. I've read his books and watched his videos and would recommend them to anyone looking for basic jig instruction. I'll leave you a link in case you're interested. http://www.amazon.com/Denny-Brauers-Jig-Fishing-Secrets/dp/1879206226/sr=8-1/qid=1166161688/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-0146499-6007263?ie=UTF8&s=books Hey, good luck with your jig fishing and let us all know how it's going. There are lots of little tricks that will help once you cut your teeth on the basics.

These baits do work, no doubt about that. I've done quite a bit of experimenting with them to see what conditions these baits truly excel under. It seems to me that I have the best action with them in low visibility situations... High winds-when a good chop breaks up the light penetration they seem to work really well and they cast like a bullet. Stained/muddy water-a slow steady retrieve puts out massive vibration Darkness-again, a slow steady retrieve draws fish to it High water-when the river's up and we are normally working shoreline current breaks with spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and jigs, we now add chatterbaits to that list Deep water-a yo-yo retrieve or slow roll down the contours of a steep bank and into the depths I've caught fish in both lakes and rivers with these baits but they have been far from magical for me. I treat them as just another tool.

In-fisherman is always a great read. A must have! I still enjoy reading Bassmaster but you get to read it for free so you have that covered. FLW's magazine can be devoured in about 10min. while it's still on the rack so I wouldn't get a subscription. GY's Inside Line has some of it's articles featured online. Browse a few of the articles and see what you think. http://***/insideline/index.html I enjoy Bassin as well. Any of the magazines will have a little something to offer but I feel that In-fisherman is far and away the best.

WELCOME!!! It's great to have you and I look forward to reading your posts.

I own several ST CROIX Premier rods and I like the MF for shallow to mid-depth cranking. I have a 7'MF and a 6'6"MF, both are great for crankbaits. Great rods IMHO.

I prefer pork. Uncle Josh #11 to be exact. I do carry some plastic but everything resembles the #11 bait frog because that's the profile I've caught the most on. IMO pork's best feature is that the fish hold onto it longer and that's a huge factor with jig fishing. The only gripe I have with pork is the limited variety of colors.

Down to 4' I use the Lucky Craft RC series. They make a beautiful bait and several different sizes in each color. I've personally used the 1.5, 2.5 and 3.5 models and they are an excellent alternative for a spinnerbait in and around wood. It's truly amazing how well these cranks come through cover. A 4WD crankbait if ever there was one!

7' ST CROIX Premier MF Team Daiwa Advantage 17lb Trilene XT(green)

The G-Splash 80 and the "regular" Sammy 100 are both excellent choices. You can't go wrong with either of these.

Thank you! Coolest stuff I've ever seen.

I appreciate all the advise guys. I've been researching the titanium leaders and ran across these...http://www.malinco.com/fishing/boa.html I like the idea of being able to tie knots with the wire. I also like the small diameters that are available. It's definitely something worth looking into. I have a feeling that any wire is going to hamper the effectiveness of my prized Lucky Craft jerkbaits but I can see me using leaders in some of my river spinnerbait fishing.

I still use mono, Berkley and Stren. I'm used to how these brands perform for different techniques and I feel that's the most important thing. I truly believe that other lines have advantages that make them better suited for certain applications but it's all in what you get used to.

Pig-n-jig is a staple in cold water. I've been fishing jerkbaits like crazy this year but I still rely heavily on the jig.

That's awesome, one thing I've always enjoyed about fishing with a grub is that you never know what you might catch.

I basically choose by weight and blade configuration. The other things you mentioned are important also but I tend to buy the makes and models which have produced for me for years. Stanley, Terminator, Strike King, etc...These models are designed the way I like so I choose by weight and blade combination for the conditions I'll likely be up against. Example-3/8oz tandem willow is my bread and butter spinnerbait in the spring. I'll use single spins also but the tandem is the workhorse. I swap blades and skirts so often that I don't care what the bait looks like when I buy it, as long as it's a tandem, in the desired weight I'm after.

Welcome to the site. In regards to your post, I'll say that maybe you are expecting to much out of these baits. I've got several pointers and the ones I use the most are all chipped. The finish on these baits are extraordinary but they are going to show wear and tear. To me it's no big deal. I think they work just as well if not better once you "break them in" so see what you think. I'm speaking in terms of wear and tear, paint chipping or mild discoloration. If however, a bait was to crack, a lip would break or hooks were to pull out, I think you would absolutely have a legitimate complaint. I can't help but feel like Lucky Craft did right by you when replacing the lure. Hope I haven't offended you.

I agree. I have no problem with the "catching" part, it's the break off I want to be better prepared to avoid.

I lost my best Lucky Craft Pointer 78DD to a small musky(about 25"). I'm still sick over losing that bait. My question is this...I fish a river that is full of these gators and I'm wondering if I can run a leader of heavy test fluorocarbon or anything else that will up my odds of not breaking off. Problem is, I don't want to sacrifice any action in my lure. I'm targeting smallies and largemouth primarily and usually encounter a few muskies every year. I've caught several over the years up to 30lbs but if a musky gets the bait really good in it's mouth and the line rubs against those sharp little teeth then it's all over but the crying. Some of the local musky boys have told me that they have been using fluorocarbon leaders when cranking or jerking for these monsters, and they use wire leaders for bucktails(inline spinners). Some of the older bass fisherman told me to quit throwing Lucky Craft baits when I fish the river...yeah right! Do you guys know of anything I can do to continue enjoying my success with bass and still be better prepared when those musky hit? I've lost countless spinnerbaits to these @#$%^&s and I certainly don't want to donate any more LCs to them!