fishwizzard

I did some searching but never really found a topic that addressed this. I am starting to fish medium sized swimbaits, mostly Hudd 68 Specials or Gills. I am going to use 25lb mono and am wondering if I should be using loop knots or if I can add a ring and tie a "normal" knot. I also have a few smaller hard swimbaits/glide baits and wonder the same thing about them. I do use a Rapala knot at times for small swim baits on jigheads, but I have little confidence in it with thicker line. Thanks

I have started messing around with the 4" Hula Sticks t-rigged with like a 1/16 to 1/8oz weight. For hooks I have been using either 2/0 EWG or Offset worm hooks. I have been fishing it on a spinning rod and pitching it to holes in very close cover or bouncing it off of pilings to fall right next to them. I have gotten a few bites swimming it back, but most hits has been on the fall. I plan on using it more in the winter for creek fishing, everything seems to hold in the pools around logjams and I am losing too many Ned and Wacky rigs fishing these spots. The plastics do slide around off the hook a lot once they get soft, I am going to fuss around with some diy keeper ideas at some point.

I have had a little more time with this lure and am impressed with it enough to buy a few more. I still can't get it to pop very well at all, but it has been working great for me as a shallow crank. When I first got it I thought it was too similar to a J-7 Rapala, but after using one for a while I am liking it more and more. Even ripping it back, it stays very shallow and has a very tight wiggle. I have had a few great days on them and will be picking up a few more once the colors I like come back in stock.

I did find some good lures/plastics that I would not have bought otherwise, but for every one of those there are like two packs of 8" long neon orange Storm plastic pike swimbaits sitting in a box under my bench

Huh, I though the ones around here came from the now named "Walking Fish Pond" in Crofton, MD. It is like maybe 50-60y from the Litte Pax river and floods into it when it rains for a few days.

I have fished them a little and gotten a bunch of hits on it, but I think the 3/0 Twistlock flipping hook I was using is too small, I have only made a single hookset so far. I got some larger ones but have yet to fish them. The action is really nice both on the drop and swimming it and it seems pretty durable. They are pretty heavy too, around 1/2oz iirc, so I keep meaning to try one t-rigged weightless once I get the hook size sorted out.

Yep, a ton of the stuff I got rid of during my great tackle cleanout was just the most absurd stuff from Overstock that I bought because it was a dollar. If you never use something, it isnt a "deal" no matter how cheap it is.

I work in the trade show industry and am already scheming on how to get myself down there. I have never done a show where I have had the slightest interests in the industry it's for, but man, getting paid to wander the floor at ICAST would be a real treat.

The tip issue is a bummer, but hopefully it will not affect how it fishes.

The Hanover one is not great. However, in Cockysville MD there is a great bass-centered store called Anglers Express, its small but has a very well curated selection. It's also right down the road from a decent bank fishing reservoir. There is also Susquehanna Tackle in Columbia PA, it is larger than AE and has more jdm/high end stuff. If it is still open, the Cabelas in Hamburg PA is decent is and is also right by a great wading spot on the Schuylkill.

Awesome, thanks for the info!

A 2.5" Rage Swimmer will be nice to have. The tiny Fat Impacts are great for small streams but get distroyed so quickly.

Post it to imgur and give us a link. Also really interested in hearing your thoughts on it once you get some hours in. I have a Trapara and while I like it for spinners and micro cranks, it is too soft for plastics.

I glue them to keep from having to reset the plastic on every cast once they get nice and soft.

Actually my friend suggested bikes, but he has 2-part rods and I wanted to bring my 6'8" bfs rod along. Is the parking by Lock 31? I have to say, the river looks good there as well. Potoma Wayside Park on the VA side looks promising as well. I assume if our feet are wet we are good with MD licenses?

Yes they do. The plastic bags will trap moisture in, but will keep the unused ones nice and dry. It would be a simple matter to throw a little silica packet or even a corner of a rag into some of the bags and use them as a "dump pouch" when I want to switch colors. They have them on amazon, I will pick one up along with a fly box to see what I like better. If neither work out, I will have an excuse to buy a fly rod I guess.

My issue is that even with the wire keepers on the Z-man heads, I have to use a drop of glue to keep the plastic tight to the head, especially when using the softer zlinkers. I have only had one real rust related hook breakage, sadly most of my neds end up snagged on rocks or low branches long before I have to worry too much about rust, but I would like storage a that is a bit more forgiving then a closed plastic box.

Yea, but while they are fine in a plano box for short term storage, they do, after 4-6 months, warp the thinner lids enough to cause issues with it closing. The plastics, especially a half-zlinker, also absorb a ton of water, so I am constantly fighting rusty hooks. If no one pipes in with a serious objection I will pick one up and give it a go. Might need to hunt up a fly fishing forum to see if I can find a box that will fit them well, for now I am going to look for ones labeled for bass or saltwater flys.

In my never ending quest to find the best way to carry pre-made Ned Rigs with me I have hit upon the idea of using a medium to large fly box with foam inserts, something like this: Has anyone ever tried this? I have a tackle sling with a fly pad and I have had elaztech lures hung on it for a day with no reaction, but am wondering about longer term storage.

A buddy and I want to rock happening at Harpers Ferry a few weekends from now, but we will not be able to make it up there until around 10-1030 in the morning. Only parking spots I know of only hold a few cars each, anyone willing to give me a suggestion on where else we could stash our cars for the day? We don't mind a bit of a walk, a mile or so wouldn't be out of the question.

The idea of using a thin plastic to make a jig weedless is really getting the gears to turn. This thread is gonna cost me some money.

I have yet to hook myself badly, but I had a nice little close call the other week. It was my first outing with a heavy rod, went to set the hook and launched the toad back at me. It went through my pants and gave me the the tiniest little poke.

Thanks for the info. I would love to see a pic if it's no trouble. I trust this guy, but I travel for work all the time and am allways hunting around small tackle shops for deals or weird stuff.

Oh my. Well, he caught me, going to have to buy a few.

Oh yea, I was not looking at fancy swivels at all, they are a lot pricier then I thought. Thanks guys?