snake95

I guess mythology/fantasy beats being the angler that lives near the Illinois store where the sale was within reach, and yet so far away because it was cleaned out of anything good by the store's own employees.

Clackin Raps were a cool looking, easy casting bait. I haven't had much luck with them, but didn't try too hard either. Seemed to me like they were a popular bait. However, our local DSG appears to have about 50% of the stock in clackin' baits they started off with a year ago after a massive clearance sale (basically, buy 10 for $2.50 each), and bass fishing is popular around here. Also saw them being cleared out at Cabelas for a song last summer (can't say that about many lures!), mostly red baits left as usual. Will they rise to cult status like Xcalibur XR50 lipless baits and Risto Raps, fade into obscurity like the Crankin Rap, or be forgotten like just another gimmick lure? Wondering why Rapala didn't just decrease production and put them into the "special/other" category like excellent but somewhat less popular lures like the Fat Rap and Flat Rap? Interested to hear what other Rapala fans think about this.

Looks like the buy 5/get 5 era for winter 2018 has come to an end at DSG; saw a sign up today that said buy 4 get 1. I seem to recall years when they'd progressively decrease the prices or sweeten the deal over the month of January, but maybe I'm just remembering that wrong. Was an interesting sale period: saw one guy loading up like a maniac; he told me he was loading up to sell on facebook (said he had to stock up to "make a living"... interesting...). Then went into another store where there were two or three of everything (never five) and the clerk in charge strolled over and proudly announced to me he'd cleaned house for himself the week before but graciously left a few "deals" for the customers... Anyway, looks like its officially buy 4 get 1, but the stores may want the gear gone, so if you ask the right associate or manager the right way, they'll still make it buy 5 get 5.

@Preytorien; thanks, after reading your comments, I stocked up on a few different colors of Storm Spinbaits in green gill, ghost gill, and black silver shad to try out. Their green gill could also pass for a subtle perch color, and though perch are not a significant forage in our area of GA, I think the very subtle, natural-looking dark green color of this pattern will be good.

Searched the forum and couldn't find any reports on using these. Interested in any reviews based on experience from BR members. Especially interested in comparison with the somewhat more expensive Duo Realis spy baits.

Yes. To elaborate, all of the above work in stained water for me. I don't think a specific pattern is guaranteed to work, but more often than not deadsticking followed by a slow drag will work for me. Of course, the key is you have to put it close to where the fish are, which is the hard part.

@Dirtyeggroll all of the DSG's have had clearance tackle; buy 5 get 5 this month. They typically reset and clear out in January. The selection varies somewhat from store to store, but the same stuff, in general, is apt to be on sale.

Yes, in store. I've edited the first note. DSG's often clear out different items from store to store, however, the pricing is typically the same (or is supposed to be). For example, there was a time when some stores were blowing out Kietechs, others senkos, others none of the above. However, these particular rods seem to be among the types being cleared out. It makes sense considering there is now a new Veritas 3.0 and they no longer show the TSE house rods on the DSG site. Note that they may use stickers or just put the reduced price on the label. That practice also varies from store to store. The prices at checkout probably won't.

If you are looking for a deal on inexpensive rods (and the previous generation products), you might find one at Dick's. The seem to be selling off: - blue Field and Stream Tech Spec Elite rods of all types and sizes ($25) - Abu Veritas 2.0 rods ($35) - Shimano Sellus (maybe $25?) This is an in-store deal, and it is subject to the store having these rods available. From what I understand, these particular rods are being cleared out of the stores where they remain. If you luck out, and they have the rods in store, you might want to buy two and use a $10 off of $50+ from doing an online store rating, bringing your cost down below the rod price listed. With this scenario, you can walk out with two older F+S Tech Spec Elite rods for about $20-17* each. If the order doesn't go up to $50, by a piece of tackle you need, or donate $1-2 to the DSG charity and you'll get the deal. *(If by some wild chance you happen to have a store return, do it first before you check out because sometimes they provide a coupon for 15% off in-store purchases for the next 3 hours). Might also want to combine a deal with the buy 5/get 5 lures deal that is still on (days are probably numbered on that deal and stocks may be picked over).

Stained water?

In my experience they can be surprisingly effective for largemouth in stained water, at least when fished slowly. 1-2 ft sounds extremely stained, so I'm not certain about that. I fish near a storm water outfall into an impoundment with a soft bottom. After a heavy rain, the water turns to chocolate milk at the outfall, and the outfall really churns up the water. I started fishing this area with firetiger and chartreuse rattle baits and rattling cranks, and did really well. One day I flipped a 3.8-inch or 4.8-inch Kietech fat impact in a very natural baitfish color with a 3/8 oz head right into the churning water. The bait only rolled along the bottom for a moment before it was engulfed by one of the better bass we've caught in there. Now, I find that approach, either with a swinging head or a regular swimbait head - drop, deadstick, and let slow roll produces time and again. Not 100% sure how they can detect the natural colored swimbait in churning chocolate milkshake, but they do. I guess it just goes to show you that bass are highly tuned to finding their prey even in adverse conditions. In this case, I think the key is putting the bait right where the fish are, as opposed to giving them something they can detect more easily when cruising around in stained water, like the rattlebaits.

Guys, I think you'll find these Veritas 2.0 rods at considerable discount this spring. They had a couple at a DSG near me for $35 also. There is a new 3.0 out and makes sense they are clearing out the 2.0's.

@Bluebasser86 I appreciate the info. Hadn't used that color, but I picked up a few 5's and 7's in natural bluegill this winter, thinking of using them in fairly clear water; imagine I will fish them over hard-bottom points in reservoirs here in the southeast.

Rapala crankin rap if you can find it. Sizes 03 and 05 in firetiger have been great producers for me in southern stained waters. Can't for the life of me understand why Rapala discontinued it. Was the lure that got me into bass fishing.

Should have been obvious but I foolishly started putting the nail sealant over top. Am in process of scraping off.

Thanks, excellent info as always, @smalljaw67 Very interested to hear you are using the little 05's and your experience with color. I have not fished many crawdad colored baits and intend to throw them more in 2018.

Luke, I'd suggest you go to the source - just call Plano. I suspect they will at least tell you who distributes their products in Canada, and probably where to get the version you are looking for. I'm aware of this and this is truly unfortunate. Nobody holds a tackle clearance sale like DSG (except maybe Walmart in the US).

Fair enough. I have been using every other type except the original and now that I'm doing more and more fishing from a boat, that motivated my questions focused on the original shad rap (as indicated in the title). In fact, I started with the shallow shad rap for fishing shallow, weedy ponds and ticking just over the top of cover. They jointed diver has caught me trout in fast moving water. I've even added the suspending to my collection. So, this brings me back to asking about the original.

@HookRz since you are in northern natural lakes, what sizes and general types of colors do you prefer?

+1 this is my experience exactly. You'll see lot of guys who love the FG, and some who don't care for it, or haven't bothered to try it (I'm in the latter group). Seems to me the consensus is the FG somewhat outperforms the Alberto in many knot tests, but haven't had a problem with the Alberto.

I'm always posting questions for experienced guys to answer, so thought should I'd actually contribute something... This last summer through winter I've been having a lot of success on the Berkley Powerbait Atomic Tubes for small bass in ponds. They are tiny (1/16 or 1/32) and cast kind of poorly, even on 6 lb mono (maybe should go to 4 lb or even less). I've thought of adding a spit shot or maybe a float to improve castability. These have been incredibly effective for catching small bass in virtually all conditions. I tried them on a whim: they often get nailed on the fall, or twitched very gently near bottom. They also will get nailed just twitched on the retrieve back. Every color seems to work equally well. I'm fishing stained water. I'm not talking about tournament fishing here, or even targeting big bass. Half of my fishing is taking kids to have a good time and learn to fish, and they've been a great substitute for live bait. Definitely something I would put in the cart for relatively inexperienced anglers looking to get their first bass or build confidence under tough conditions.

I know original shad raps are a classic and effective bait. I also know you can do a search and spend hours learning about them on the site. However, the shad rap has been on my mind as we head towards early prespawn. What are your favorite applications for these guys? Here have been mine, so far. Sizes: 05's and 06's. Original silver and shad. Setup: Spinning with 6-8 lb mono; using a medium moderate 7 ft rod. Conditions: Relatively clear water, steep rocky banks and hard bottom points. Not for: weedy conditions, very shallow ponds or bays, too small and quiet for turbid to muddy conditions. I guess this is kind of a finesse cranking approach. A few "bonus" questions: Anyone else using 05's or tiny 04's and/or some of the more muted natural patterns for clear water/finesse? (Might be tough to hook a large bass on such small trebles?) Any success on the Rapala "retreating craw" patterns that came out in 2016 for DT-series and shad raps? (Not to get into a deep discussion on color, just found it interesting Rapala would decide there was a demand for these interesting patterns).

Good store, great selection and surprisingly reasonable prices by Ontario standards!

For us, the big box outdoors stores are just destinations for entertainment (fish tanks, browsing). Even for more specialized items (e.g. mojo weights), the big guys often have a surprisingly sparse selection, and you are better off just reading up and buying online. My first big shopping trip after deciding I was going to take up fishing more seriously in 2014 to one of the big outdoors retailers. My total was well north of $150 and I left feeling a bit worried that fishing might not be for me because of the very high cost. In the years in between, I've learned to shop the sales at other non-specialized big stores for vastly lower prices, and to order online based on the input of others on this site to carefully evaluate which purchases are likely to be worthwhile.

The paint on a Mann's 1 minus has deteriorated to the point it rubs off on adjacent lures. I know that might sound far-fetched, but it's like the paint lost it's strength and became soft and putty-like. I assume this occurred due to a reaction with a plastic bait in the same box. Any advice on a simple paint-over to prevent further deterioration? Thinking I'll cover with hard as nails.