Fish the Mitt

I'll have to try it. Can't be any worse than the El cheapo grubs I generally use. If anything, I'll probably have more color selection!

This guy knows what's up. Love throwing curly tail grubs on. They slay the bass in the creeks and rivers I fush up here.

Well I certainly appreciate the responses. Regardless of whether one views them as a beginner lure or not, I'm glad we can agree on one thing - they catch fish. In the end, as an angler, that's the real goal anyways. If we can use this lure to help teach and infatuate new anglers, and we can catch fish ourselves, it's definitely a lure you'll see in my box. Cheers..and like always, tight lines gents! (Or should I say in-line)

That's just crazy talk!

I'm a self-proclaimed beginner so comments regarding such wouldn't phase me. What I don't understand is why they are viewed as a beginner lure? I mean, yes, I can see that they're a little easier to use but nothing we throw in the water is automatic. Unless theres a bobber tied on, control of the lure is still needed. Retrieve speed, water column depth, etc.. are all things an angler still has to take into account. No different than fishing a spinnerbait. In the end, if it produces, I can't see myself directly or indirectly labeling someone for using it. Interesting topic none-the-less I suppose.

That actually makes a lot of sense! Oh... well, now I'm off to delete this thread!

Very effective. My top 5 have been caught on the BlueFox Vibrax series or a Mepps #5 Red/White Aglia. Just thought it odd that I rarely hear of Mepps on here and I've never heard anyone mention BlueFox (albeit I've only been a member for less than a month). Started thinking I was the only one in the world bass fishing with spinners! lol

So at my local bait shop, they have all of the inline spinners (Mepps, BlueFox, etc..) under the trout section. I've never paid much attention to the section labeling. If it catches bass, I wouldn't care if if it was in the Dolphin section. However, I started gearing up for some trout fishing plans I have and it appears a lot of the inline spinners are geared toward trout. Couple that with the fact that very rarely have I seen Mepps mentioned at all on this site. Again, I'm going to continue using them as they produce numbers and quality (my PB was on an orange BlueFox Vibrax) but is it in fact a trout-oriented lure? Or just a true multi-specie? Curious

I'd usually recommend steel leaders to ensure a pike doesn't swim away with a $15 crankbait. However, clear water makes it hard to justify a steel leader. Out of curiosity @WestMichiganBass, which gravel pit? Don't worry, I'm a few hours North of you. Not gonna steal your spot

I would say that they're still in prespawn phase. Like stated above, once you hit that 55-60 window consistently, then I would start thinking spawn. Also, like Mr. Netfish and Chill says, definitely hit those lilly pads.

Since you won't provide the lake name, how about the city it's in? Heck, even a state would suffice.

Everyone has a different opinion about spawning temps. For me, 55 degrees has always been the magic number I've looked for to "start". This is when I personally begin to start thinking "spawn". Once water temp reaches this magic number, I start looking at other aspects. Long days, moon cycle, signs of bedding females, etc.. 55-60 I feel is a general agreed upon range for bass to transition into the spawn phase. Once you hit this range, start looking for signs of spawning fish. A lot of anglers sight fish for bedded females but lily pads might prevent you from doing that. Is this is big lake? Small lake? I'd like to look it up to get a better idea. Plus, I can't sleep!

What lake? Water temp will likely be your biggest indicator of transition from pre-spawn to spawn. Once it hits a certain threshold, looking for certain signs (ie: bedding females) would help definitively tell. Keep in mind that males will be on beds longer than females as they "build" the bed before the female arrives and stay to protect the fry once the female leaves.

How'd you do? Cancelled?

I bought a 1981 DuraCraft SS w/ 1977 Chrysler 55HP & Johnson TM for $1500. The guy I bought it from re-did everything (as that is what he does as a side hobby). It's an old boat, no doubt, but it works flawlessly. Things were done right and an inspection of what was done verified this.

Bingo! Take from my experience. I bought a 16ft bass boat to Tourney fish.... only to be told certain lakes on the circuit I wanted to join required 18ft boats. So, I had to change which tournament series I entered (a much smaller one).

Oh god, veggie omelette [insert puke emoji]!!! [Infantry - USMC] I actually loved the Boneless Rib Imitation. The chicken breast was good also because the seasoning provided was surprisingly good. Never jumped on the chili mac bandwagon like the other Marines.

Length: 22" Weight: 5.5 (old school spring scale - could be off) Season: Tail end of spawn would be my guess When: May 25, 2014 Where: Clare, MI (creek run off from Bailey Lake) Lure: Orange BlueFox Vibrax inline spinner w/ White Squirrel Tail. Threw it up on the road culvert and inched it back until it dropped into the creek. BAM! Fight on!

Can I vote twice?! Living up North, I have some waters with heavy pike/muskie population (one specific dam in particular). If i'm there, I'll use a steel leader w/ snap swivel on all my lures as I don't like being bit off or buying new lures! If not, I usually just tie to the split ring or direct.

I suggest starting slow. No use spending big money until you're 100% certain passion is there for the sport. I started with a MH/Med Action GX2 w/ Lews SS spinning reel. It is versatile and can fish almost anything you want to do with minor adjustments. As you advance, you will realize that certain setups are better for certain types of fishing (different rods/reels/etc). But, don't worry about that right now. Start with the basics. So, some quick input from me. Largemouth fishing... Right off the bat, I will tell you that LMB are generally found more in the weeds/cover than their cousin (the smallmouth - who likes open water more). So ensuring your setup can handle heavy weeds/cover if needed, is probably a good start. I would start with a Medium or Medium Heavy rod (depending on where you live and what size LMB you have). As for the reel, go to the store and try some out. Find one that's comfortable. As for gear ratio, I don't know. Your retrieve preference is probably not established yet so I would suggest starting with a middle of the road ratio. Not super fast, and not super slow. From there, the more you learn and the more you practice, you will develop a sense of whats working good with that setup and whats not. From there you will dive into other setups thoughout time that have a more focused purpose. Just remember, no one starts out by buying 10 different setups. We all start with the basics and a basic setup and as we learn, we grow... as does our equipment P.S. I also suggest filling out your profile and sticking around. This site is a great resource!

By up there, he means above the 45th parallel Unless you're taking us fishing..then you can come down!!

My thought as well. Limited visibility = up the noise/vibration/water displacement factor!

Haha, that'd be my luck too. Try something new - mess it up!

Definitely vague. Without knowing much, the first few things I would ask is: 1. Location (give me the exact location if you want and we can use maps) 2. Water temp 3. Define creek... I ask for clarification on creek because I mostly fish creeks. However, I'm up in Michigan where the water is still too cold. Far too cold for fish to be up in small creeks yet. They're still in the deeper water up here so if I were to go to a prime creek spot, I'd be skunked. But that's not because I used the wrong lure or the spot was bad spot. Just bad timing. There are so many variables to fishing, you have to kind of look at everything. Also, it could have just been an off day.

New to punching. Good info here. Thanks guys (and OP)!!!