IgotWood

I used pork for several saltwater applications since I was a kid. The oil isn't a bad thing. But as mentioned, cherish what you have and take care of it. It's harder and harder to find. On a side note...there is a fantastic pork alternative out there that I have been using for the past few years, in both fresh and salt. Check out Otter Tails. They come is all shapes and sizes. Great on jigs, chatters, spinner baits. And they are indestructible. Not even a pickerel can tear one apart.

Power Team Conviction Craw, or Rage Bug

I do best with 5's, but when I can't get a bite or they're biting funny, like nipping it but not really taking it, I'll switch to a 4. Sometimes the 4" is the winner!

I love the Rage Bug! I like to peg it on a flipping hook. I've also had a couple of good days with it as a trailer on a jig. I trimmed the skirt so that both the tail and side appendages have action. It looks a little funny, but it works! Chameleon, PBJ, and black/blue fleck are my colors.

Always. For me, either 3.8” Keithech, or a Rage Menace when I was a smaller profile with a bit less action.

The real lesson that I learned is to try different rigging when the bite is slow. On this particular lake, I know I am putting my bait in front of fish all the time. But sometimes, they just don’t want to bite. Now I’ll have confidence in changing the presentation in this situation.

Myself and two buddies to the kayaks out on a local lake. I fished for a couple hour before they got there and had only one bite. When they showed up we paddled to the area we wanted to fish and they both started catching immediately. We all were fishing the same size and color senko. After they whacked about a dozen fish, one of them says, “are you wacky rigged or Texas?” I was rigging wacky and they were rigging Texas. My stubborn old self refused to change. I wanted to prove that that small difference in presentation didn’t matter. So after a few more fish in their hands, I went ahead and changed my hook. First cast...wham! Next cast, another one! At Thisbe point is just about dark out and we had to leave. Wound up with 4 cookie cutter 2lb’ers, and broke off a big fish.

I'm sorry, man. I tried to post a pic the other day but I was having trouble resizing it. And now I am prepping to move this weekend and all my stuff is packed in a box. I should be able to dig my stuff out by monday.

All very good information, and I appreciate it! with all that said, what is your favorite lipless crank for yo-yo'ing? As I said, my lake is shallow and full of grass. I'm interested in finding something that falls a bit slower...if there is even anything outt here like that...

I don't fish cranks very much. Late winter and early spring are about the only times I use them. So I'm wondering, whats the deal with the different sounds that they make? I see some are silent, one knocker/two knocker. Then there are also baits that have some super secret patented sound making device. I fish SK Red Eyes because my local basspro has them in just about every color, so I just go with them. I mainly fish clear water 3-5' viz, and with most of the lake being 2'-6' deep with lots of grass. What conditions constitute the use of different style lipless cranks?

I fish a muddy spot once in a while. It's a narrow creek, no more than 5' deep, with normal viz less than a foot. Yes, some noisy cranks, and chatterbaits work, but jigs work too. In fact, the only bait I can conjure a bite on is a jig. A light jig (1/4oz) with a slow fall. Black with a black Rage Menace trailer. Like I said the creek is narrow...maybe 40' across at its widest parts. And there are docks and stumps everywhere. It's easy to know where the fish are. If I can land the jig very close to the structure, I can be pretty confident that your bait is being noticed. I always get bit on the first fall. I usually move the bait only once or twice after the initial fall and then reel up and try again. I'll typically make 3-5 pitches at a target before moving on.

Yup, looks like a 1 is the smallest available. I thought they came smaller. My mistake. If you do need smaller hooks, check out some fly tying jig hooks. Gamakatsu, Partridge, and Fire Hole all make very good jig hooks.

I've lost more fish than I care to count with many of these weedless hooks. For a whole year I fished the Gamakatsu that Darren shared with us. I did ok with it. One thing I learned (very painfully) was to set the weed guard on the hook point and NOT beyond the barb, like in the photo!!! My lake is so grassy and full of green snot that I've given up on wacky rigging and went to texas rigging. The action is just the same on the fall, which is when 95% of the strikes occur. I like a light wire offset worm hook.

I purchase without weight. I actually add tungsten beads and/or tungsten cones to add weight. Google "belly scratcher minnow" and watch the tutorial. This technique allows the jig to fall level, rather than head first. I prefer this when fishing under a float. However, there are plenty of guys out there who would be happy to pour jigs for you with these hooks if that's what you prefer. I'll post a pic shortly.

My favorite jig hook is the Owner Deep Throat. It's a relatively light wire, but very strong, and the point is super super sharp! I use them to tie small jigs too. A size 2 may suit your needs for those 1/8-1/16oz jig. These hooks can take a pretty good beating getting snagged while keeping their hook point!

Thank you all for the input! I I understand most of what was said. My other question though, was whether living rubber is necessary and these conditions? I mean, there is no visibility. By letting that jig soak, is the living rubber actually doing anything to be noticed? The only thing I notice it did for me was bulk up my bait. And my very respectful contribution to the fall rate and material debate; I highly agree that skirt material will slow the fall rate of a jig. Rubber is buoyant. Not only the buoyancy, but the drag it creates in the water slows it down as well. Of coarse a trailer will do this too, but maybe not to the same effect, in my opinion. All things considered, between skirt material, bulkiness, and trailer type, many adjustments can be made to pinpoint the fall rate you are looking for!

Fished some really cold and murky water yesterday. Water temp was 44-46, max depth of 4' with less than 1' visibility. The fish were really glued to the structure (brush, stumps, etc), as expected. I was able to conjure up a few bites on a black 1/4 jig. But then I lost the jig and didn't have a backup. The closest I could get was 3/8 and 1/2oz black jigs, but these ones have living rubber on them. Eventhough the fall rate was probably the same as the 1/4 jig with standard silicone skirt, I feel like the bulk of the living rubber was making too big of a profile and turning off the fish. How do you guys feel about living rubber in lo-vis conditions?

StormR makes the best rain/cold weather on the market, IMO. A little bit pricey, but you get what you pay for! The StrykR bibs are currently on sale from $299 marked down to $199. I have a couple of their jackets and they are quite old now, and I've beat the crap out of them. Still in great shape.

I'll admit that I didn't always wear one either. I invested the money is a PFD comfortable enough to wear all the time. Totally worth it if you read all the articles about kayakers drowning every year. Accidents NEVER happen when it's convenient!

I swear by my Smith's. They glasses are some of the best in the business. And they have stylish frames to match every head/face size. I prefer the glass lenses because they seem slightly more scratch resistant.

For what it's worth, my buddy cartopped a PA14 for a few years. It looked pretty silly. He had a good system for it though, and never had any safety issues.

The seat really is nice. I can sit on that thing all day without any discomfort! And the hull itself seems almost bulletproof. Everything on the Hobie's are solid, well built, and well designed.....except that early model 180 drive. LOL! Are they overpriced? I don't know. They were the only one's out there with a pedal drive for a very long time, and their boats were always very well built. You get what you pay for, I guess. Now that every company has a pedal system, it will be interesting to see what happens with the prices in the coming years.

I haven't seen any of the fixes yet. Whenever mine broke, I brought it to the shop and let them deal with it. The more warranty claims the dealers submit, the faster the manufacturer takes action to correct the problem (I hoped). Seems like I wasn't the only one with this problem seeing as they have already dropped a version 2.0.

I regularly see the BPS Ascends on the local for sale sites in my area. I own one. It's not as nice as my Hobie, but it definitely serves its purpose. I bought it a year old for $400 with a few accessories. I can do gymnastics on this thing without worrying about tipping. It paddles just as fast as most other kayaks, but it tracks like crap. Not a big deal to me though because I never have to paddle long distance in it. I bought it specifically for stand-up fishing against trees on my local lake.

Both are great boats. I'll be completely honest with you though...I have slight buyer's remorse with my Hobie that I bought last year. I bought the Outback. I love the boat, but I don't care much for the design of the 180 drive. It works great, but the shifting device has broken on me a few times. It's really not that big of a deal, but for the expense I feel like every bit of the boat and drive should be 100% problem-free within the first year, at least!