SPEEDBEAD.

Color is the least of your consideration with these, especially with the floater. Pick a color you are confident in and fish it. It's a great bait at a great price point.

I think this statement carries a TON of weight, even past the confines of a single day. (Sorry to be nitpicking Bill, but niche ) Catt has dedicated a great portion of his fishing to learning how to fish jigs effectively. It's his comfort zone or niche. He's found success with it so naturally, for him, the best option is likely to be a jig. I fish jigs. I really like fishing jigs. I have not had the success with big fish caught on jigs that Catt and many other guys have. I've dedicated the better part of the last 8 years or so to fishing swimbaits. It has become my niche, my comfort zone. I feel confident with a swimbait in my hand and I believe that lends itself to fishing intently in high percentage areas for big fish. In my personal fishing, bigger baits have equated to bigger bass. The way I fish a lot of swimbaits, a jig is just not a viable tool for the job. Fish your comfort zone. YOURS, not someone else's. A jig, swimbait, spinnerbait, drop shot....none are a magic bullet that work 100% of the time and they surely all require time and patience to master. In the right hands, I do believe bigger baits equal bigger fish. I also believe that in the right hands, MANY different baits can equal bigger fish.

Personally, I hope fewer and fewer guys throw swimbaits.

I'd get a 9" and be done with it. The 7" is too thin IMO. The mini is OK but the lack of a second hook is a big drawback to me.

Yeah, I don't know why that other one got posted. Lol, not paying attention again. Surprise, surprise.

Pretty sure I'd be OK as a technical criminal in that situation. Call me crazy...

I mistakenly posted the video in this thread. my mistake fellas. This is the correct one. http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/142129-this-is-the-video-i-meant-to-post/

Sorry about that. This video is the one with the bent out 4X Gammy hook and the big hookset. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sg9-B9d0Yv8

Don't. That's a 4x gammy hook at the end of the video and that's about as hard of a hookset you'll see. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AlBszfj5olk Thanks for watching.

250mm of Deps Flash Carp goodness.

There we go! Great idea.

Fanny packs make me question the judgment of any person...

Okuma Guide Select Big Bait 7'6" H. Find it on sale and it's even better. That's a good entry rod that performs very well. You can obviously spend quite a bit more from there...

800.300.4916 If you know what you want, just call them.

I'm researching making my own 100lb fluoro leaders and affixing them directly to some soft baits. I'm not a fan of all the heavy hardware on pre-tied leaders.

Got out the other night and stuck another musky on the big bait. Rolled a few other fish and got bit off by a BIG one on the Huddleston. Good times!

I stopped hanging out with people who drink 40's about 20 years ago.

Amazon Prime is definitely worth it, especially for this deal. Thanks for the heads up AJay

Learn to fish a Carolina rig behind the boat or drag a bottom bouncing swimbait behind you as you pass the spot.

And just a little teaser of a color coming down the pipeline.... This is one of the new Savage Line Thru baits with both a top and bottom hook harness. I can tell you without a doubt, you're going to love the ability to choose your hook placement.

This is the Floater Line Thru in a Light Trout Pattern

SAVAGE GEAR LINE THRU 8” TROUT Being a swimbait guy, I’ve adopted the big bait theory into my fishing. Trout shaped baits are a staple of many anglers within the swimbait community as they present an easy, slow moving meal for hungry predator fish. Admittedly, I’ve never been a fan of trout style baits. They have just never produced for me. I’ve spent many hours throwing the Huddleston Deluxe and other realistic trout baits with little to show for it unfortunately. I saw the Savage Gear trout earlier this year when I traveled south to meet up with some like-minded, swimbait-afflicted folks. The lake we were on is a notoriously difficult lake but also one that had the potential to produce largemouth bass into the teens. A few of the guys in attendance had the floating line-thru. Being as though it was a relatively new and unproven-to-us bait, it took a back seat to more popular baits for the first couple days. The bite was VERY tough and each day fewer fish would reveal themselves to our offerings. On the third day, someone in the group decided to try the Savage from the back of the boat. It consistently pulled fish out into the open where the “proven” baits had revealed nothing. Once I returned home, I was determined to try the Savage Gear for myself. At the end of April, I purchased a floating line thru trout from Tackle Warehouse to try in my home waters. The first time out after receiving the bait, I tied it on a Low Down Custom Production Heavy rod, 20lb P-Line CXX and a 301 Shimano Cardiff reel. I tossed it alongside the boat to show my partner what it looked like in the water. He’s had about the same luck with trout baits as I had so to say he was less than enthused would be an understatement. I tossed the bait toward a small point and cranked the handle exactly one turn…..WHAM! The bait got blasted on the first cast! The rest of the day, the Savage Gear continued to pull fish out of their hiding spots including one in the 6lb range. My view of the bait changed completely that day. In the last two months of throwing the bait, it has instilled a real sense of confidence with trout shaped baits that I did not possess before. The Nuts and Bolts The Savage Gear Line Thru Trout was born from the mind of Mads Grosell. Its base is a 3-D scan of an actual trout, which brings a level of realism necessary to succeed in today’s competitive swimbait market. It is a segmented soft bait with a reinforcing mesh in the joints and a hard internal harness in the forward section. The bait also has a built in hook slot so that the accompanying treble hook rests snugly in the bait. It is currently available at major online retailers in five different colors and three different sink rates at a MSRP of $17.99. Overall, the bait is 8 inches long and, depending on sink rate, weighs between 3oz and 3 2/3oz. Pros and Cons As with any bait, there are strong points and areas that may need to be addressed or improved upon. I’m happy to conclude that there are many things this bait does well and only a few things to nit-pick. The first thing that jumps out at you is the very affordable price when compared to the realism of the bait and the cost of other soft plastic trout baits of this size. The plastic used in the bait feels supple in your hand and that helps it produce a very distinct kick on the retrieve that, in my limited experience, really seems to appeal to a fish’s predatory instincts. I have run the bait into cover, cast it into rocks, had pickerel attack it and smacked the side of the boat on a missed hook set. The bait still swims as well as the day I took it out of the package. The thought process on a line thru bait is that when a fish eats the bait, the hook will separate from the bait and be more difficult for the fish to throw the hook. When this sequence occurs as intended, it is a very sound theory. I only believe a full review is complete with constructive criticism included. Currently, the bait is only offered in a top hook configuration. This is an advantage on a sinking bait so that the treble does not foul hook aquatic vegetation or hang up on structure. I felt the top hook hindered hook ups on the floater as the majority of fish are coming from under the bait to eat. I happen to know that going forward, the Savage Gear trout will be offered with both top and bottom hook capabilities. I mentioned previously that the line thru system, when it works as intended, is a very proven way of keeping fish from leveraging the bait and throwing the hook. My bait needed some work in this area and it was only after losing two good fish that a viable solution was found. In discussion with some friends, one suggested pinching the barb down on the hook going into the slot. I also took the bait and worked the hook in and out of the slot for about 15 minutes straight, loosening up the material and widening the opening. The hook now releases easily from the bait when a fish eats yet remains in the bait on the cast and retrieve. If you spend any time around people who throw swimbaits, you’ll eventually hear the “bigger is better” argument. Currently, this bait is only offered in one size. The 8” bait is a happy medium between numbers of fish and getting a big bite. The desire for different sized baits is more of a “want” than a “need” but Savage Gear has listened and intends to introduce both a smaller 6” bait and a larger 12” bait in the future. Overall Impressions Savage Gear has created a realistic, reasonably priced fish catching machine with their 8” Line Thru Trout. It is durable and yet still soft enough to produce the desired action in the water. It looks appealing to the fisherman and, more importantly, the fish they pursue. With the introduction of future baits, there should be an offering in their line-up to cover most situations.

It's cool man. This is just something that hits home for me. I've got a sperm donor that I haven't seen in 25 something years (I'm 34). The man that stepped in and raised me has been "Dad" for as long as I can remember. I have no interest in ever seeing him again.

I 100% disagree with the first part. He's his father. The man that stepped up, adopted and raised him is Dad. I 100% agree with the second though. To the OP, I'd only follow through with it if it's for YOUR peace of mind. You don't owe him anything at this point. If it helps you with some sort of closure, then go for it.

It SUCKS! I had it a couple times in college. Thankfully it hasn't found its way back to me since. Take the antibiotics and feel better soon.