GAMEOVER

Yo-Zuri is more of a hybrid line then just a mono line I think. The best mono to me is a question to you all. What is the limpest while being the strongest mono line with the least amount of memory? As far as braid to start off baitcasting, even though im a braid diehard I dont recommend it for when your starting picking out over runs with braid is nearly impossible.

Sure I been saying this is the last day for a few weeks now, ill stop when they stop biting or its just too cold out there and im too lazy to bundle up.

I use braid almost all of the time expecially with cranks. You can get great action with it because its so limp. Braid goes against whats written in stone regarding line/crankbaits as people usually want a line that stretches atleast a little bit. If you set your drag low though while using braid you can increase your hookup ratio and get solid hook sets instantly all while having close to the same benefits you get from a more stretchy line. You will also rarely if ever lose a crankbait because of the stronger braided line. This isnt for everyone though it took me sometime to get the hang of doing it effectively. Around sharp rocks just inspect the line every so often and retie as neccessary.

Rapala DT Yo-Zuri Rattle N' Vibe

Great info guys, thanks for explaining the DRUM series further as Yo-Zuri leave very little info about them on their site from what ive seen. All I knew about the DRUM was it had some sort of tungsten plate. The Spros seem to sell like hot cakes at my sort-of local Bass Pro Shop. I wanted a solid performer that isnt overbaught in my area. Id love to see a head to head lure matchup between Spros Aruku Shad 75 (I think thats the name?) and Yo-Zuris RNV but I dont think thats possible for accurate results as each lures made for something different even if the overall concept is the same.

Yeah, they dont cover the whole scene though all the time and it dont keep you up to date on whats going on with the lure companies etc.

Welcome home nate!

I was wondering if anyone knows of a website or two that deals with the newest lures coming out in the fishing industry and that will keep you in the know about new stuff thats coming out. Could be rods, reels, lures, plastics, line, etc, etc. Are their any sites like that for fishing?

I have some #4 VMCs and some #6s laying around brand new. Ill try that when I go out today Senko.

Thats what I was just about to ask, does anyone know what brand hooks they have on these? I didnt see any info on their site when briefly reading it last night.

Yeah lots of people like the Spro to whats your favorite color scheme of them all Senko(Rattle N' Vibe)? Clear water? Dark water? Yes you got to try them bud, I know a few people who absolutely hate liped crankbaits but love the lipless ones. I can see the bait monkey lurking over your shoulder now. As Raul stated before, "Its not the wand, its the Magician". I firmly believe in that, maybe he was just a little more expierenced then you with those type of baits or he was using a good pattern while you werent. Those Ratt-L-Traps are or is one of the first lipless crankbaits to hit the market I think. I have one in 1/4 oz (I think) that has caught me only two fish after using it for a whole day in my backyard, but then again thats a small pond. They deffinatly work. The thing im learning about similar baits is they all will work its just that the (not necessarly) better ones make your job easyer. Keep at it buddy, practice makes perfect. Has anyone thrown their "HARDCORE DRUM" lipless cb as well as thrown the Rattle N' Vibe? Im wondering if their DRUM series is worth the five extra bucks if anyone who fished with them both could fill us in.

The problem on this lake is finding the fish. With the aerators running as they've been all season the fish are all over the place. Basically, the aerators concentrate the baitfish into about 20 distinct spots on the lower half of the lake. The bass need only cruise to the aerators if they're hungry. When the fish aren't feeding, I'm finding them suspended throughout the water column. They're not holding on structure but just sitting out in the lake often with 100 yds of an aerator. I've attempted fishing for these fish w/o success. When the aerators don't run it forces the fish to move to more typical structure in order to seek food. Well thats got to be a pretty tough lake to fish on, take a lake like that and you could probably take most lakes. I actually remember seeing a pro (forgot his name) on ESPN2 fish a lake that sounds exactly like that. He'd fish top water along shore and then when the generators turned on he headed toward the water that was getting disturbed. His theory for doing it was that fish would come up off the bottem and be feeding heavyly. There was a another type a fish in the lake eating everything at the top while the Bass sat right under them eating all the leftovers. I believe he caught his on a fluke, he didnt catch very many fish that day which bring me back to the starting comment of this post, good luck man.

Hey im sure they have some great hard lures, they just dont work for me though. If you can get some of the hard lures they make to work for you way to go, I give you props as I cant catch diddly which is maybe my fault as an angler using them in the wrong situation.

Thanks guys, I picked some of the dots up today. The strips seemed just a little too heavy for me and made more for maybe longer baits(guess). The only longer baits I have are either topwater or jerkbaits that already suspend in the proper zone. Thanks again for the help guys.

After really digging into lipless crankbaits this fall I am very impressed with Yo-Zuri's Rattle N' Vibe cb. I like it so much that I find myself using it over Lucky Crafts LVR series. I planned on purchasing each and every LVR color scheme available as the funds allowed for it but I am seriously thinking about just keeping the LVRs I have now and buying all the Rattle N' Vibe schemes because they work so well. Their loud, have great balance, cost half that of similar baits, and most importantly catch fish!

Your most likely setting the hook too late.. start with the closest treble and work your way deeper.

Mostly the perch but got others.

Could the cold weather be slowing the feeding down pretty drastically as it does in most waters? If a fish is hungry or you tick it off enough to get a reaction strike itll take the bait.

Whoever mentioned all that tackle they have, 7 bags etc and some that have never been wet I wouldnt spend another penny unless its on a high quality swimbaits or LuckyCraft and above quality lures. Stuff that I put in my retired box I will donate to younger kids in my area. If you have a decent size book shelf, or can make one, or get one for a decent price, you could put all your stuff in StowAways or the Falcon boxes (prefer the StowAways) and line them up like books while putting a piece of scotch tape on the hinge side marking what it is just as a book would. This would be the most space effecient way that I can think of right at this second. If you live in the garage like kent you could add a door and a pad lock:D if needed. I have no choice but to make stuff fit as my familly and I live in an apartment for now so space is hard to come by. I use the StowAways and stack them up in a corner of my closet while the empty tacklebag that I take with me stays clean and under the bed. The lures that I collect and wont use (atleast for now) all are organized in a box that I keep elsewhere. Hopefully we get a house soon with a basement that I can take over and sort of make a display type setup that I can enjoy and hand pick my special/high dollar lures from as needed. If that 250 dollar lure is going to catch me a 12 lb'r and gets destroyed in the process it was worth every penny to me.

Well you need to get your confidence back, tie them on, then cast em out in and/or around Bass holding areas. Then you can fish them just about anyway you can imagine. I will cast them out let them sit for about 10 seconds then start with a stop and go steady retrive, you can add tiny jerks here and there as well. They do work so dont give up on em.

If I remember correctly those are deeper running spinnerbaits, I recommend just fishing them like you would any other spinnerbait but trying to locate some sort of Bass holding cover and work them around it. Good Luck. BTW, dont give up on spinnerbaits.. with me when I learned crankbaits, spinners, etc etc I had to tie them on and never take them off until I started catching fish. Sooner or later you will get the hang of it and build the most important thing, confidence.

I really cant and could never stand their (Storms) hard lures, but I have been fishing with a few of their swimbaits and they just flat out produce. They have been the only thing catching fish for me the last couple days. If your looking for a decent swimbait that dont cost too much give Storms Wildeye series a shot or some of their other swimbaits, you (like me) might just end up suprised at how well they perform.

1) I have two questions. I have never used Suspendots and was thinking about buying some tomorrow when I goto BPS. I was thinking about using them on my Rap DTs. Do they peel off easyly when you want to remove them and do they ever mark the lures finish when peeled off? 2) I saw something on ESPN2 today. Some guy had a "silly puddy" looking weight that he'd break chunks off and use on his hooks or line. Does anyone know the name of this stuff and where it can be purchased?

That goes for all crankbaits in regards to weather as a rule of thumb.

I never sharpen hooks but just buy new ones when needed. Sharpening them removes the rust retardant coating and will just leave you with a rusted ugly looking lure. For my Rapala crankbaits I replaced all the stock VMC hooks to VMC Sure Sets. On some Lucky Craft/MegaBass lures I will stay with VMC hooks but up the size on certain baits for better hook ups because VMC hooks can have some size/hookup issues at times but are perfectly balanced allowing the lure to perform/manuver to its full ability. For other cranks I have I slap on VMC Barbarians, these hooks are extremely nice and perform similar to a Sure Set hook as far as weeds go. The outer placed barbs allow most weeds to freely get threw them as the barb on the Barbarians wont hold them back. Im a firm believer in VMC hooks. After every trip ill run each lure I used under tap water and hand dry it really quick before I store it. Before the year starts (early spring) and/or after it ends (winter) I will look at every single lure I own and make adjustments to them if needed to make sure they run and perform at the maximum. This involves changing out O rings if needed, replacing hooks, straighting out the metal eye lids on lures, and trying to prolong its life in any way I can before I must replace it.