snake95

Interesting that Zoom contrasts with some of the others as having "only" salt-impregnated plastics and not fancy scents like Yum, Netbait, Big Bite Baits, and others. (Netbait and BBB smell great - maybe they should do an aftershave?). Anyway, Zoom catches lots of fish without scent built-in. Does this mean guys tend to put scents on Zoom baits, or just fish them as-is? These GA-made baits work fine for me without scent.

Well, how about a Zoom Z-drop drop shot worm, wacky rigged on a 1/16 oz Z-man ned rig head? On really hot (high 90's) Georgia August afternoon when I was a little delirious from the heat and not getting bit on the drop shot, I mixed up what finesse stuff I had at hand that started with a "Z" - wacky style. Caught two bass on it in super clear shallow water. Using the morning dawn color Z-drop.

In clear water, very low light, I usually fish a craw with big flapping claws on surface. T-rigged on a fairly beefy EWG, or with a jighead but you have to reel faster. My favorites are the Yum Mighty bug if you can find it, or the Zoom Ultravibe Speed Craw. In the last week I've caught several bass this way just after sundown. Sometimes they've wanted it reeled fast, other times it helps to pause and they hit it as it flutters down.

It's buy two for 6 each at DSG if you have one nearby, this week, and probably on and off through the rest of the year if past experience is a guide to their Livetarget pricing. FWIW I agree with all of the above, it is a gimmick and buy one if you like the look of it to satisfy yourself and not the bass. AND they make quality lures that work, so if you get one, you'll probably be satisfied. Just don't expect it to outproduce because it looks like it has cool little fish in it.

Yeah to paraphrase QUAKEnSHAKE what Abu did there is kind of a bummer.

Thanks. I followed your lead and dove in and ordered two as well. I know in a year I'll want some of their latest (Gen4's) but the prices are fantastic and I've been happy with my REVO STX3.

Thank you. Good point, I started out with a request for advice on jigs in ponds in the same post. I made some half-hearted casts with a couple of jigs last year, but no serious tries and I didn't catch anything. I was too busy enjoying experimenting with plastics. @A-Jay I will take your recommendation and add jig and craws into the mix for 2017. Thanks Fishin' Fool, I'll do that too. I tried both tubes and drop shoting last year, and had some success on both, but didn't use them a lot. I liked Glenn's video on tubes, and caught bass on T-rigged tubes hopping and swimming them fairly fast through a rocky area on a warm summer evening. I have accumulated some tube heads and will try that too. I drop-shotted a couple of times with a Zoom Z-drop but yet to land anything. I have some rocky points on a lake nearby where there are spots and eager to try drop shotting there. Thanks for the tips, guys.

A little over a year ago, I put up a post to ask how to get started fishing soft plastics, specifically fishing in ponds. This is all about how it went, and what worked for this rookie. (Per @Paul Roberts comment “let us know how things pan out.”). I'm now catching a lot of fish and learning a lot more about bass behavior and habitat thanks to everyone's input. As others have stated, the experience of fishing plastics has been a great way to learn about bass, and ultimately become a better angler. This post is also a request for general input on “where to go next in the second year." Maybe this post will help out another rookie, although this is by no means intended to supersede the excellent advice for anglers starting out already on the forum, e.g: I had been fishing for bass for a year using hard baits (crankbaits, poppers, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, etc), with the odd T-rigged trick worm here and there. Many on the forum will find this hard to imagine, but I had never actually seen anyone else catch bass on soft plastics except on videos, and had nobody to teach me in person. Some revelations (widely known to most on the forums, but news to this rookie): Basically anything soft plastic that wiggles, kicks, flutters, shimmies, or shakes in the water will get bit, when presented the right way at the right time. Not surprisingly, some are generally better than others. Most soft plastics are great for pond fishing, because they can be rigged semi-weedless or completely weedless, and that’s a huge benefit when you can’t just motor over to unhook a snag. Don’t worry excessively about what action to impart to a lure – that will come with experience. I was really hung up on this at first. Sure, most plastics don't exactly have built-in action like a Rapala minnow. Just think about the terms you see in articles on the forum, it's only by practicing will you learn to intuitively impart the right action: hop, drag, swim, jerk, twitch, deadstick, and above all, let it fall! When anglers say they get bit “on the fall” they mean it. Yep, you can chuck a lure in and just let it do it’s thing as it falls through the water column and a bass will often swim over and nail it. You don’t necessarily have to be tossing at a specific piece of cover for this to work; so go ahead and fling a bait into open water when you’re experimenting and then do nothing but get ready to set the hook. Don’t worry about spooking fish too much, when they are active. If you see a splash near shore or anywhere else, cast as close as you can, splash down, and 8/10 you’re plastic will get slammed. Its worthwhile to try and get better (more subtle) with entries, but a splashdown, even a big one, will often provoke strikes, not prevent them. Regarding “fundamental” rigs, I have learned a lot with 3 basic methods of putting plastics on a hook, with a few types of hooks and jigheads: Texas-rigging (tex-posing really, as covered in a video from Glenn). I’ve learned that for bass you use bigger hooks than you might think first starting out. (As @Catt suggested: "Weightless Texas Rigged anything ") Jighead rigging, the simplest way possible: putting the plastic on the hook shank so the point sticks up. Comes through weeds fairly well. Nose-hooking or wacky rigging (while some night say there's more to it, just put the hook through the nose or midpoint: couldn’t be simpler than that) Above all, I’ve found there is just no substitute for experimentation and building experience. Rig it like you see in the videos, and cast to likely targets, or fishing along the bank as recommended in the how to get started threads (or sometimes, it's also OK to cast aimlessly at open water). As you will notice, I like to raid the Yum boxes at my local Wally World, and that’s lead to me ordering direct from the source via Lurenet. I've used plenty of other baits, too. Here’s what’s worked for me: Paddletail swimbaits. The easiest lure to transition to because I could rig on a jighead or T-rig, and just cast and wind and vary the retrieve, just like a good old crankbait or spinnerbait. Just great advice from @Paul Roberts and @Ads7633 - they were right about paddletails and flukes being a super place to start coming from hard baits. They said: "Since you are comfortable with cast-n-retrieve, how about a paddle-tail swimbait? Good in open or light cover." And, "Try a fluke. You don't have to fish it as slow as some other plastics so it may be a good transition from hard baits to plastics. It is also one of the most effective." I learned a lot about fishing soft plastics in general using paddletail swimbaits by experiment and by accident. More than once when I stopped a retrieve and deadsticked the bait, it got nailed on the fall, and just as often, a bait was picked up on or near the bottom with the fish just mouthing it and apparently not swimming far. Lures also got nailed on surface when reeled in fast to go home. I now will toss a paddletail on a jighead and just let it flutter down, and carefully reel in the slack getting ready to set the hook after the fall. My favorite by a long shot is the Keitech Fat Impact, but Zoom and Yum paddletails have also produced. Ned rig. For a rookie, hard to believe fish even hit this, just looks like a stick (of jello). I followed Glenn’s video to a “T” and this is responsible for all of my multi-bass days. I've mostly used Z-man TRD's, but I've also used Yum Craw Papis in the tiny size. Not sure if that is a legit Ned rig, but it's worked. There is plenty out there to read and learn about, but for me the basics have been to just cast out on light gear, and maybe it hop a few times. Ned rigs have been a go-to for older kids that can follow directions well. My 8 yr/old boy is great with a Ned Rig. Grubs on a jighead. To many this will seem backwards, but I got into grubs experimenting putting them on Ned Rig heads. I’ve found this to be a great way to cover water quicker with a light bait. I fish with kids a lot, and they like them and they often get panfish on smaller grubs. Senko/stickbaits. I respect the recommendations of a lot of experienced guys to start here and learn from fishing them. But for me they weren’t my natural go-to. I use them a lot more these days though. I know so many guys love wacky-rigging, but personally I prefer T-rigging weightless, in part because I don’t get pond junk on the point. If I see swirls from bluegills schooling tightly, I toss one in. I’ve caught fish on several brands, but Yum Dingers are my favorite and I really like the blue and olive green “bream” color. After this initial year of fishing plastics, I don't think anyone should get too hung up on color, but that's a color that I like, and the bass in my nearby ponds seem to feel the same most of the time. Craws and creatures. Mainly fish them T-rigged with a weight or weightless. Weightless I will drag on surface to churn the water like a frog, and let flutter down periodically. Yum Mighty Bug, Craw Papi, Mighty Craw, Wooly Hawgtail, Netbait paca craw, the list goes on. Worms. Also T-rigged. I know worms are where it started, but apart from stickbaits I probably fish them the least. I know I should probably spend more time with these fundamental lures. I use Zoom Trickworms the most. I should probably spend some time just working worms more in the coming year. Flukes. T-rigged and weightless nose-hooked. I used flukes a lot in the heat of the summer and fall, especially cast near where bass were chasing schools of baitfish close to surface. Lots of colors work of course, but pink is by far my best producer in our stained southern ponds. Thanks to everyone who weighed in on my post over a year ago, and hope this is of interest. Go ahead and suggest where to go next in year two!

Thanks @ClackerBuzz @j bab et al. Thought I was done with DSG for a while after stocking up on hooks this week for the buy 4 get two sale. When your post sunk in I went to one of our DSG's and got my own stock of 16, including ripple shads to try for the first time. Couldn't just spend $40 at Dicks though, need to get over the $50 mark to use the get $10 off of $50+ coupon, so I made up the balance with 2 x $15 Whopper Plopper 130's and took the $10 off. In other words, once you account for the rebate, that's $20 net for two WP 130's plus 16 bags of Powerbaits. Not bad...

@Steveo-1969 thanks, I was way off and put up an unclear post. I hope someone reads my re-attempt and can provide some input and experience. I am looking for input and recommendations on weighted EWG swimbait hooks, because I'm experimenting with different versions and re-stocking. I'm starting off with more modestly-priced hooks. 1) Has anyone tried the new Berkley Fusion 19 weighted swimbait hook? Do you like them; why or why not? 2) If you've used the VMC weighted swimbait hooks, what has been your experience with those? Any concerns or opinions about their unusual weight configuration? 3) Finally, I'm interested in any and all swimbait hook recommendations.

Down here in GA ponds in the last week: paca craw and pink flukes and Keitech Swing Impact Fats on a weighted swimbait hook, plus a couple of aggressive but small guys up shallow on weightless dingers (males on beds maybe?). Basically any plastic with moderate action; the common thread for success for us has been fish it slow.

Recently I've been trying weighted swimbait hooks for a variety of applications, and have rigged up both Paca Craws and Keitech Fat Impacts on them. I've been using some Gamakatsu and VMC weighted hooks. Both have worked well. I came across the Berkley Fusion 19 swimbait hooks at DSG. They look decent and are competitively priced compared to the Gamakatsu's, Trokars, and others. To me, the VMC's seem sharp and very stout, and the price is reasonable. I had no problem hooking fish with them. The downside is that I feel like the unconventional wedge-shaped weight picks up debris easier than the weight on the Gamakatsu, but maybe that's my imagination. Interested in any opinions and experience with these two weighted swimbait hooks.

DSG has all Keitech at buy one get one 50% off, AKA 25% off each when you buy 2 of the same size. This puts them under the best prices I am aware of: $5/pack for 3.8's and $6/pack for the 4.3 and 4.8 versions. This gets really worthwhile when you use one of the $10 off of $50 coupons from doing a review at dicks.com/feedback after a purchase, or using the $20 off of $100 - the deal that they have online today and tomorrow. I'm a bit of a nerd so I did a quick spreadsheet and that means if you do a combo of 4,6, or 8 packs of 4.3-4.8 plus 6,4, or 2 packs of 3.8 (to total 10 packs) then you are getting them all for about 60% of the regular DSG price. Good chance to stock up for the coming season.

I think the "in small town Minnesota" part he mentioned is the key. The same has applied to '"in urban center of a big City" for me. I think the key is the best deals, and not picked over, are in out of the way places that don't get a lot of traffic.

Sorry for the misinformation. I stand corrected. Yes they have been marked down in north GA recently in some stores as noted by WDP.

First, obviously WRB and smalljaw are guys that know what they are talking about (and better than I do!) so I'd take their advice to the bank. But to add to the mix... I fish with kids a lot, and my kids fish Ned rigs frequently, so I've had some experience with this. My 8 year old boy is particularly effective with them, but he's old enough and experienced enough with fishing, to be reasonably patient so long as we are catching fish. Gut hooking is a legitimate concern, but the 8-year-old is mature enough to understand and learn from some coaching, and it has taught him to watch the line carefully, and then reel to set the hook. It might not work so well for a younger kid. In my experience it helps that Ned rigs are so effective and simple, and can cast well on light gear. In the ponds we fish the most, they work well on the fall, and the short hops that kids naturally impart as they bring it in will trigger strikes. Just last week my son was nailing one fish after the next with a Ned rig. To switch things up, I will take a mushroom head and put a 2" or 3" curl-tail grub on and have the kids experiment with various retrieves. They can try hopping, stop and go, and straight retrieves. I find my kids enjoy that kind of experimentation and learn quite a lot too. Obviously, cheap ball heads would work fine for this too. On the downside, mushroom heads aren't super cheap, and they are prone to snagging. Keep in mind you can fish a TRD or similar lure on a small EWG with a split shot, and that has worked fine for me and my kids. But if you were fishing from shore into clear water a few feet deep, I have found that Ned rigs are a fine choice. Good luck and have fun.

@pocafx One of the most reliably available lures at Walmart stores all across the US and Canada. If you can't find Bomber square A's, 4A's and other Bombers at a Walmart, it is a store that probably doesn't carry fishing gear, and that is a rare Walmart indeed. When in doubt, check online or the Walmart app. before going. You can always order online and pick up to be sure. Stores that carry Pradco hardbait boxes often have Bombers and sometimes craw-colored Bombers in there.

I guess it depends on what end of the "muddy" spectrum you are on. I've had success with bubblegum-colored flukes in fairly heavily stained water, particularly worked right at surface to generate splashes in an area where bass are forcing baitfish to surface. Really muddy water? I wouldn't be so confident.

Good point WRB - sorry about that. I had in mind worm hook, offset shank - not straight shank, per below. But I also picked up some 1/0 straight shank hooks to try too, as luck would have it. I'm fairly new to using plastics - only one year in a serious way. I typically use a 3/0 to 5/0 offset shank worm hook, or various EWG's with craws and creatures. I have several packs of these in 1/0 and thinking about using them for small worms but interested to hear how others use them. Thanks guys. http://www.gamakatsu.com/fishing-hooks.php?pid=1163 @Crestliner2008 I got some mojo rig weights last year and will put this to the test in the next week! Thanks for the tip.

I recently came across a stash of 1/0 Gamma straight shank worm hooks - pretty tiny, but I know guys like some pretty small drop shot hooks, too. What do you use them for, for bass? U-tails and small Creme worms to fish for small pond bass? Anything else?

I recently came across a stash of 1/0 Gamma straight shank worm hooks - pretty tiny, but I know guys like some pretty small drop shot hooks, too. What do you use them for, for bass? U-tails and small Creme worms to fish for small pond bass? Anything else?

Well, when you see them pull up and unpack KVD and Jason Christie crankin rods and a couple of pink spooks, let them know you've got a buddy in GA that's been waiting to get reunited with "his" stuff, bargain hard with them and make them an offer they can't refuse. I'm ready to drive up to Ohio to get those pink spooks back!

For those who may not have realized, this is a nationwide clearance sale (actually, two, since Canada is having its own sale, as shown in posts from @Mumbly and @lmbfisherman). There is almost always some kind of store-specific clearance and/or old clearance stock left in the system and "rotting away" on the floor at any given WW. However, the current thread was started and the fire is being fed by an ongoing, nationwide effort to refresh WW's fishing inventory, and in many cases significantly reset individual stores. At least, that's my take after a little cross-country field research. I also grabbed $3 green senko packs at some store way out in the midwest. I believe that there is effectively a "list" of potential products on sale across the country. Which specific items are on sale in a given store will depending on many factors, the store's inventory vs planned inventory, foot traffic, etc. The items dropped progressively in price over the past two months. That means you might have missed the boat in a heavy traffic store when some item, say a Yumbrella rig, went from $13.xx to $9.00 and all were snapped up. It also means that some great deals remain out there, but your success may vary widely. Some stores that really specialize in fishing will have a larger selection and potential chance to have stuff left (e.g. Bandit 100 and 200 cranks for $1 each, but good luck finding a WW store that carries Bandit cranks). I used to know of one such rare store, but I can say with certainty none are left due to the clearance. Plenty of stores, of course, will have next to nothing on sale. An interesting thing is that some stores have already put tackle that was on deep clearance back on the floor, neatly arranged on pegs, at full price! As for where you'll find the clearance stuff? Might be a clearance aisle, but in many cases, will be in or adjacent to the fishing section. Depends on the store. Rods, I suspect, are not going through an identical clearance process to the tackle, because the selection of rods on sale seems to be limited. At this point, it is late in the sale. Recently I got an email that said "last chance for clearance!" I wonder where the failed (i.e. not sold) clearance goes? I don't yet have an answer for that one. I have, on more than one occasion, stood at the checkout with say, a KVD crankin rod that has wallowed at the back for at least a year, or a pink saltwater spook in Iowa, or ice fishing line in south Florida (that one blew my mind), only to be told the product is not in the system and the product needs to be whisked away to "collections" as if it is hazardous material, presumably to go to the island of lost and forgotten tackle. Good luck!

@georgeyew I believe that clackin raps are intended to serve as a "loss leader" for DSG this year, along with certain yo-zuri baits and the ever-present Livetargets. All are priced at $10 each and I think the price will drop to $5 each fairly regularly. Recently they were offering both the clackin series and livetargets at buy two for $5 each.

Same experience out here in Georgia. They put a new load out on Tuesday after having slim pickin's on Sunday. I also scored some of the swimbait hooks. Never seen those before. BTW I know they grow 'em big in CA and the objective is to overtake GA for the new world record, but 9/0's??? Sounds optimistic!