CyBasser

It really depends on what you need the leader for. At the reservoirs I regularly fish line visibility is not a factor. I tie all lures direct to braid, except when I'm fishing soft plastics. If I want to fish soft plastics I will tie a 15" leader of 20lb mono (I might use 20lb fluoro only in the very rare occasions that I encounter really clear water). My main reason for attaching the leader is that is far easier with mono or fluoro to change quickly bullet weights (or peg / unpeg them as required) as braid tends to break apart at the very end and occasionally can be a hussle to thread it through the tiny holes of the bullets, and I use about 15" which allows me to change the lure several times before it becomes too short (I change the leader when it gets smaller than 6" or so)... Other than this reason, I usually tie the lures direct to braid and have had no problems with it...

You should definitely not have any problems with senkos (or other similar stickbaits) with b/c reels. Some reels may have slightly less casting distance with the 4" models, but the 5", 6", and 7" are a breeze to cast - even in heavy wind. I have had no problems at all with Shimano Scorpion, TD Advantage Super Tuned, or Revo STX....

Has anyone here used extensively those beautiful little snakes designed by Doug Hannon (our Bass Professor)??? They certainly look really attractive, but I would appreciate any feedback you all guys may have.... Thanks....

W O W ! ! ! No words can come out! Way to go Fish Chris!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! To Vyron: Check out the second photo: Does that remind you of something???

Indeed, an excellent description of all the mechanics in words. If you manage to find some pictures showing the movements as well then you should be on track in no time. And, importantly, pay SERIOUS ATTENTION to the second hint at the end of the article. Concentrate on what you want to hit, not on what you want to avoid. It is sort of like skiing bumps: you concentrate on the line you want to follow, not on the multitude of bumps you will not go through. I did not realize it at the time, but as soon as I read the article and this hint it came through to me. After I learned well the mechanics of flipping on my roof, the first few times I tried the technique on water my success ratio was pretty low. It did improve suddenly though. Looking back, I remember seeing huge tangled masses of brush into which I wanted to flip and during the pendulum I remember worrying a lot that my lure would end up in the branches and not in the openings. Guess what: most of the time I hit the branches. Suddenly this worry was gone. Now I realize that in the beginning I was concentrating to much on the obstacles, but as soon as I started concentrating on the targets my success rate improved. Again, I guess it's really a practice thing....

It's just a matter of practice, practice, and more practice! As Trev LakeBraddock said, it really requires you to train your thumb (to avoid the nests) and your release time. Pitching is the easier of the two, but flipping is (for me at least) far more accurate and noiseless way to throw a lure (even heavy ones like 3/4oz jigs) into tiny openings with hardly a splash. I did my practice on dry land. I stood on an elevated platform (about 3ft high) and used first a rectangular box 1x1ft as a target 12ft away. As my success rate increased (it did take a lot of practice) I increased the distance of the target and at the same time I reduced the area of the target. Now I am pretty succesful with a 4" diameter area from even 20ft away. Ten days ago, in a particular outing which turned out to be far harder than I expected, I pulled out 4 bass in 15 minutes from a little hole among the branches of a sunken tree. Without flipping I would have failed miserably! So, yes, it is fully worth the effort!

Hi Daniel, Thanks for your comment! And, hmmm, nope, I am not talking about LC...

Yes, you can use swimbaits such as mattlures on spinning gear. I personally prefer casting gear, I find it far more easy on my hands and I prefer the extra power and the more direct feel I get from the lures. I do have a friend though who is still only a spiining gear guy and uses them without real problems. What you should pay attention though is the ability of the rod to cast them - you don't want the rod breaking in mid-cast. I would not use a spinning rod that would be rated for less than 2oz casting weight. And also pay attention to the line. I fish swimbaits on 50lb braid, if I get snagged in a bush or tree branch I usually end up pulling out the entire snag (and then have to resharpen the hook and re-tie the lure, but at least I don't lose the lure - at least most of the time!). Don't go with light braid, it will eventually fail you. Good luck!

Thanks Cajun! I fully understand the loyalty issue. I do tend to be loyal to certain brands in respect of particular bits and pieces of my tackle, and actually being loyal significantly increases the confidence factor. Yet, on the other hand, I am always willing to try something new, sometimes a small detail might make the difference. It has happenned to me with lipless crankbaits - I tried several different models from several manufacturers through the years, with no bias to any single one of them. Two models (both from the same company) have been producing so well for me though (compared to all the other ones I tried) that more or less I am now "loyal" to the company and the particular models. Yes, I do try other new lipless models I might run into, but there is now the inevitable "comparison" thing, and for more than a year I have remained loyal to these particular brand and models.... I guess this is all part of the great attraction of bass fishing....

Thanks Brent!

Hmmmmmmmm, I have been watching this thread quietly and is so interesting to see all the different opinions regarding the pros/cons of GYCB vs the "others" (I would rather not use the word "knock-off").... Well, here is another point of view (which actually has been stated before in this thread) but from the angle of someone who has not as readily access to all the goodies described above because of living about 4000 miles away from the majority of the people in this forum.... I happen to live on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, which is privileged with some nice (sometimes fantastic) largemouth bass fishing. The downside of the coin is that the lure selection in regards of soft plastics available off-the-shelf here in stores is very limited. As a result, the terms "cheaper" and "value for money" get a different meaning. The only two brands of soft plastics available in stores here are Berkley and GYCB - and even then not the whole lines of lures (for example, we don't have the beast or the kreature) or the whole range of colors. Yet, thanks to the internet, we can order practically everything from the US - but as a result, what might be cheaper in the US ends up being more expensive here (shipping, customs, etc). Regarding stickbaits, I have used and still use the following: GYCB senko, Yum Dinger, ***. My first batch of Tiki stickworms is also on its way. For me GYCB is by far the cheapest. So yes, I tend to use them more than the other brands. Do they work nice? You bet they do! Where did I catch my second best largemouth? On an ***. Do the Yum Dinger work? I ran out of my first batch of dingers before I even realized it thanks to mr largemouth. Do I have confidence in them? Yes, I do have lots of confidence in all three brands. I usually have all three with me on each outing. What do I use? Whichever I decide at that particular moment, though (surprise!) I tend to use senkos more because they are readily available to me and they end up being cheaper for me even with their high rate of destruction! Do I notice any other differences? Surely, they all sink in very slightly different rates, but then a change of the type or size of hook can still make them exactly similar in that respect! So, I think it's really irrelevant to argue that one brand is absolutely better than the others. It is up to the individual angler to decide what is best for him/her. And I believe it is up to the angler to make the stickworm (of whichever brand) to appeal to the bass. I fully understand that certain anglers (whether pro or pleasure ones) do stick to a particular brand because of sponsorship or personal confidence. But, as far as I am concerned, they all work the same - and hey - let's not give the bass themselves more credit in respect of preference than they really deserve. Even in highly pressured waters I really doubt that the bass which see in front of them the tantalizing sink of a stickbait think "Oh, this is senko, the other is dinger, senko is better I'll get that" or v.v. This may be true with some lure types to some extend, but there is no way it happens with the stickbaits! It all boils down to personal preferences, confidence, and individual economics. So let's all enjoy the stick lures which we prefer and let the manufacturers (don't take this personal Brent, you have made an excellent stickbait!) figure out how to "beat" the competition and make even better lures for us end-users! Tight lines!

Hmmm, That TW order I am preparing to submit keeps getting bigger and bigger! I should submit it pretty soon or I will need a mortgage!

Nice job Daniel!!! Swimbaits and topwaters is a great way to go :!

During the daytime (including up to about 15 minutes before sunrise or after sunset) it seems that all jitterbug colors work, though the most succesful for me has been the solid yellow. During nighttime hours though the solid black has worked best for me by far, especially regarding the size of the bass. Of course it might be a confidence thing, for I tend to throw the black more than the other colors...

Hi everybody, Is there any "fool proof" bait for channel catfish of a decent size? My regular baits are fresh liver, fresh squid, or fresh sardines. I regularly get catfish in the 10-15" range, but I need to catch a few bigger ones. (I really mean the word "need"!!!). Any suggestions would be welcome. Thanks. P.S. The targeted reservoir is quite small (right now around 90 acres in area) with large numbers of channel catfish up to 20lb, although the vast majority is in the 0.5lb to 2lb range. It also accepts quite a bit of fishing pressure. P.S.2 (To Vyron: No, it's not the official request you are aware :)

Power Pro 50lb braid tied direct to the jig. B/c gear. Never had any problems with it.

Hmmm, this sounds interesting! I did have my share of hooking problems with Fat Ika, only the other way around! The fat ika has by far the biggest problem of deep hookings than any other lure I have ever used. Although it has been quite succesful for me, I tend to avoid using them. For some reason, bass tend to inhale them immediately and the hook ends up well deep in the throat, resulting in excessively bleeding fish with low chances of survival. I guess it might be a regional thing. I will see if I can get the big ikas and try those out, maybe the problem will not be as bad....

I am pretty sure he will be soon on his way : Especially since he now knows that both of us have befriended a particular 5+Kg bass (she always comes to check us out at a particular position in a certain reservoir - one of the most magnificent sights I have ever seen!)...

GREAT JOB DANIEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Daniel, give them a shot with the largest topwater lures you can get. The type of topwater doesn't really matter - it could be popper, spook, muskie jitterbugs, whatever. If the area has large bass, and judging from your photos you know where to find the large ones, press them on. You might get fewer bites, but the results are worth it!!!

WOW! EPIC says it all! Well done 4Bizzle! Cheers!!!!

...And in case you haven't realized the size of this beauty of a catsnake, check its size in comparison with me in the photo below. I guess, since I really like these beautiful creatures, I will get some and scatter them all around my secret honey holes so that no-one can go there ;D ;D

Hmmm, Last evening on departing from fishing I had this HUGE experience of a close encounter of the "scary" kind.....

You can use frogs anytime and anywhere where frogs are active, though they do fool bass even when no frogs are present. Being essentially a weedless lure, they are ideal when you fish over emergent grass, matted vegetation, heavy brush, etc. They are supposed to be floating, but quite a few models do get some water in their hollow bodies through the hook hole, in which case you must drain the water or they will sink when you cast them. Experiment with various retrieves (stop-and-go, jerking, leaving it still, walk-the-dog) until you find what bass prefer. Use them with a heavy rod (at the very least a medium heavy) and strong line, I personally use 50lb braid with them. Expect a 30% hook-up ratio at the best... and enjoy the explosive strikes!

Great nightime fish! Absolutely! I wish it was legal over here, with the current regulations we are only allowed about 30 minutes of complete darkness... Hmmm, that got me intitially by surprise. But then we do catch fish in darkness on such silent lures such as weighless senkos, so maybe the bass don't really need an extra noise to home in on their food during darkness....