fishwizzard

Very nice!

I am more of a finesse guy so a lot of this is going over my head, is this the snell knot you guys are talking about? I have done a little backyard testing of it and while it seems to hold well, it looks like it could loosen up very easily.

I fish the ned a lot and use 1/16oz jig head, either Gopher, Z-man, or VMC half moon. The latter have a longer hook that I like when there are crappie or large sunfish around as it will catch them as well. In less open areas, I have been using an Owner Ultrahead, also in 1/16oz with a #1 hook. It works very well for TRDs and half zinkers, and is perfect for the z-man finesse shads, it's like they were designed to work together. I sometimes "power Ned" and use a full Hula Stick on a Eiron Breaker stand up head in 1/8oz. It works well, but I wish they offered it in 1/16oz but with the same sized hook.

The 3.8 Fats are my confidence bait and what I fish maybe 50% of the time, either weightless t-rigged or on a 1/16th oz Rugby head. I am going to give the SK version a try, mainly to see if they are more durable, which is my only complaint with the Keitechs. My dream lure would have a super tough head but a soft body and somehow is able to survive the retail chain without a clamshell packaging, which I hate for a myriad of reasons. Somehow the regular Impacts can survive being packed in a normal bag with a small insert tray, I don't know why that wouldn't work with the Fats.

I have been experimenting with something similar, but using 6lb Hybrid. I have not had a fish break off yet, but I have lost a ton of lures trying to free them from snags, which is odd because my normal set up is 10lb braid/8lb floro, which should be weaker then the 6lb Hybrid. Do you use a loop knot or a "normal' one to attach the lure? I have tried to use a short 15lb floro leader to try and get the ned to sink faster, but I cannot reliably get tiny loop knots to hold in it.

I use an improved clinch/Trilene knot with braided line and in my informal pull tests (line tied to hook, hook around metal pipe, live end of line wrapped around a stick) the hook either fails or the line breaks at the knot, I have never hand a knot slip or fail. I am currently messing with Snell knots in braid and am having similar results. This season I am trying hybrid line on my reels with a second spool. I am having decent luck with it but am not convinced I prefer it to braid + leader.

I have some 2" Swing Impacts but have never fished them. I have a pack each of silver and gold flash and I think they will be ideal white perch lures. I should remember to take them to the pond some time and see how they do.

I just picked up a Fenwick rod myself and am also super impressed with it. I am glad yours worked out for you.

Not big lures in themselves, but big for those tiny tiny fish!

I have some 50lb PowerPro on a surfcasting rig and that stuff is so stiff that I can't imagine using it on a bass rod. I assume the higher end braids are more supple at the higher ratings?

I was hoping for a picture of a single melted bait honestly, a whole bag would be tragic though. I have avoided JJ's as I am clumsy and don't want a chartreuse hand, but I am curious as hell about the reaction.

I believe someone posted here a few months ago that JJ's almost immediately dissolves z-man baits.

I agree with, I still have little idea what I am doing and I can consistently catch on this, specifically the 3.8" Fat Impact. It is heavy enough to throw weightless, but small enough to catch numbers. A Ned Rig done weedless on an Owner Ultrahead would be my next choice.

Nicely done! I hit a bowie pond yesterday as well and all I caught were two ticks.

The fish are already wet dude, they don't care about rain, get out there!

I have two milk crates full of tackle that changes through the year and at least two rods in my car all the time.

3.8" Fat Impact on a 3/0 long shank. Sometimes I stick a nail weight across the head to get it down faster. This is my confidence bait and has passed the Ned rig as my most catching lure. I like it because I can cast it a mile, it comes through cover, I can skip it pretty well, and the bass seem to love it. I also use it on a 1/16oz 2/0 Rugby head, but only then in current.

Yea, I like them that way. I am on the verge of ordering another rod from the same guy, but a 6' M-MH for flukes and larger weightless plastics. I hike a lot as well and a short rod OAL is helpful there as well.

It is in the car currently but I know it is within .25" - .5" of a L St Croix rod I also one, which has the lower grip in this picture:

I try not to fish bedding bass (but have moments of weakness) simply because I spend so much time politely explaining to dog-walkers about bedding fish and asking them to refrain form letting their dogs trample through them for a few weeks out of the year. Most people have no idea about fish reproduction and are happy to help out. The few that don't seem to care about the fish seem to care when I show them a treble hook and talk about their poor dog's feet. The three people who told me to get bent got the rangers called on them for not leashing their dogs.

I am so glad that I am not the only one who gets a kick out of hand-lining for small fish. I hike a lot and when there isn't always a pole with me, there is always a few small circle hooks and some line in an old altoids tin. Nothing more satisfying then catching a tiny fish with a tick you just pulled off your arm.

That is the same one I have, but I have only fished Ned rigs and 1/8oz inline spinners on it. It does both of those very well though. I have never tried out anything on the higher end.

I have a Citrix travel rod that I like quite a good bit, it is a 4 part rod but still seems to have good sensitivity and is comfortable to cast all day. I also have two Okuma spinning reels I bought when I first got into fishing that have.....not had nice lives. But they both keep on trucking along and honestly I like them enough that when I buy reels that I know will not see a ton of use (surf casting, cat fishing) I don't even look at any other brands. Also, I live by the Chesapeake Bay and when I see charter boats docked up, most of the time they have a rack full of rods with Okuma reels. I suspect they hit the Inexpensive/Rugged/Smooth Casting balance very well.

I just had a custom rod made with a shorter then average handle to use in my yak, the difference is night and day in how much better it handles. When ever I use it for a bit and switch rods I always foul on my pfd a few times before I remember to adjust my casting motion.

Thanks for the kind words guys. I have had a good feeling about chatterbaits ever sense using the micro ones a bit in rivers but this is my first fish on a proper one. However, I credit most of the catch to casting to the right spot, that guy's comment about the creek channel got me thinking. When I got home I fired up google maps and looked at the lake, it was pretty clear where the stream ran before they dammed it. I am going to start spending way more time researching the waters I fish and less time obsession over lures. Well, after this one more TW order.... In any case, obviously I now have to go back there today after work and fish that channel at bit. It is low 50s and raining but that is just a minor inconvenience.