SPEEDBEAD.

Glad to hear that the dog was jig free. Many more years of enjoyment for you hopefully. In response to your last thought, sometimes maybe a break is needed. Sometimes you have to also realize that when asking for opinions or thoughts on an anonymous board, you're going to get some ones that may not be exactly what you were looking for. Take the good with the bad, use the information that you can and disregard the rest. It's just the internet. BONJOUR!

LOL, I gotta get on it myself first! Still havent heard from him so as of now I'm still dreaming.

Dont be scared of the 9", it fishes like a much smaller bait. IMO, the 7" is too small. It behaves so much differently than the bigger slammer. I'd actually consider it a finesse swimbait.

LOL, I'm lazy. and....I can't buy a bite recently.

Just read through the thread. Very good catches guys. On the measuring issue, I've never heard of measuring the shortest point of the tail. That makes no sense to me. I don't know where that mis-information came from with that being the "correct" way to do it. Here is Florida's example. http://myfwc.com/fishing/freshwater/fishing-tips/measure/ I'm still looking for other states but I know PA fish wardens measure bass this way as well. It's always been "closed mouth, pinched tail, tip to tip" for a measurement.

9", single joint.

It's completely private in a gated community. Only boats registered to homeowners allowed on the lake. I have a relative that lives there, no boat though. Family reunion in the area this weekend so I'm going to see if he will walk me around the lake for a little bit. Shore pounding is better than nothing!

No one? Really?

Throw a dark trout. I've caught fish from Rhode Island down to Alabama on it. Unless you are cranking it down, they only really see the bottom and A LITTLE of the sides.

Yeah, they have to be the bigger hooks to clear all that plastic. Most times when you rig a MF, the bend of the hook will be right in line with the belly. The bait is split but you still want as much gap in there as possible. While it "should" slide up the line, that's not always the case. When you rig it, before skin hooking the bait, take your pliers and bend the hook point left or right some. Just enough that when you skin hook it the point is still covered by the plastic on the top ridge of the bait.

How I fish it, yes. As I said, lube it with Megastrike and that will help keep weeds from sticking. It's really no different than fishing a pegged T-rig worm. Same principle, different profile.

Good bait that is pretty versatile. I'd recommend getting on the 316 website and watching how he bends the hook out toward the side of the bait before rigging it. Helps a ton on the hookup percentage.

316 mission fish, lube it with megastrike. The weight is built into the nose of the bait, it will punch through. You don't even have to learn, you already know how to do it. Just because it's a swimbait doesn't necessarily mean it has to be swimming all the time. Fish it just like a jig. It's a different profile. What's the worst that can happen? You learn something new and catch a few more fish...

You have confidence fishing a jig in the locations where big bass are found. I have that same confidence fishing a swimbait in those locations. Two common denominators there....confidence and location. I dont care what the bait is, if you don't think it will catch big fish or there are no big fish there, you ain't catching squat.

Your points do typically come off interpreted as "if it aint a jig 'n' craw or worm it doesnt catch big fish" and as I said, I expect you to have that view as that is what you've fished for the last however many decades. In my example (using your examples of size), all things are equal. Distance away from the bass, swimming speed of the bait, etc. The only difference is the size of the baitfish. Using your stated "highest reward, least energy expended," then each and every time the bass is going to eat the bigger bait. We both know there are no absolutes in fishing and bass have a mind of their own, no matter what we "think" we know about them. Bottom line, IMO, present WHATEVER bait you happen to be throwing correctly and at the right time and you stand a better than average chance of hooking a big fish.

Also Catt, using your shad analogy from above.... If I place that 8" bait at the same distance as the 4" bait, then by your thinking the 8" bait will most certainly be the one that gets bit since it would be the most reward for the same amount of energy expended. Your words. So yeah, size of the bait would matter given that all other variables are the same.

At that specific time, no, perhaps not. At other times, you'd be foolish to think that. If they are feeding on bluegills, wouldn't the appropriate size and profile bait more readily get eaten? If there was just a trout stocking (foreign to you on TB), does it make more sense to fish a crappie jig or something resembling a trout? See, you fish jigs and worms. That's what you know and I'll say, you're good at it. If you dedicated all that time to a swimbait, who knows what you would have caught at different times. Maybe it would have been better, maybe worse, but you would have a better understanding of swimbaits and how to apply them.

Bend it up and store it in the garbage disposal then when the wife goes to work, pull it out and go fishing.

Different baits for different times. "The amazing jig" ring a bell?

LOL, Fish Chris? Going by your numbers there and using him as an example, why doesn't he throw the Hudd Bug exclusively then?

There are days where a swimbait will smoke a jig and vice versa. That's not a theory, jack. That's a fact. Your statement also involves a point of diminishing returns. Honestly, if you were fishing an 18" swimbait I wouldnt expect that you would catch anything under 6# so in that case you are correct. I wouldn't expect to catch many at all but if I did, they would have some size to them. Baits up to around 8" or so, you can reasonably expect to catch fish of all sizes with the majority falling in the "above average" class. Baits above that size range and you are targeting one thing: the biggest fish in your waters.

Kinda defeats the purpose and design of the senko, no? I guess it would work but I'd say there are better options for a straight retrieve.

Fished this lake a few years ago from shore during the white bass round up. I always wanted to get out there and see what I could do with swimbaits on that lake. Anyone live there and have a boat that wouldnt mind me tagging along sometime? Thank you in advance.

That doesn't address the strength issue though. I have a 16ft Tracker Jon boat. Extra decking, three batteries, two trolling motors. The lack of strength mentioned here is concerning to me now. Decisions, decisions....

Line thrus slide up the line as well but they are a moving bait and prone to short strikes on occasion. To me, the Mission has a better hook up ratio as I fish it like a jig. The hudd also has a jig hook but also an internal harness, so the bait stays near the fish's mouth when hooked. Just make sure to bend the hook point out on the Mission Fish. Dramatically improves the hook up ratio.