IgotWood

For most of the lakes and rivers in our area, I'd say you're better off with a 12' or less. The extra speed (1 mph...maybe) is not worth it to me. I would definitely want a longer boat for saltwater fishing, where I'm fighting tides, wind, maybe big seas than what I'd typically see on a small lake. I'd go with the shorter boat for sure.

Some day we will be able to admit that there isn't always a rhyme or reason why something happens. I hardly think a senko resembles food to a fish. I suppose in some cases, maybe...but very seldom. The reality is something about the bait that causes a fish to react to it. Think of a cat. Drag a string across your house and the cat will chase after it. Throw a ball in the yard and your dog will chase after it. They don't just grab it and immediately let go of it. They play with it, bite it, etc. Take that string and get the cat to notice it, and then stop moving it...the cat will probably stalk it or pounce on it. I firmly believe that many of the bass baits that we marvel over have this same effect on the fish. I personally don't need to know why a fish bites a senko. I just know that I need to carry three different colors on me depending on light and water conditions, and I will very likely catch a fish.

It looks like a decent sized bait. I might go with a 4/0 or 5/0 flipping hook. To me, it's a little bit too big for a jig, at least in the winter. All in all, I think a 4/0 flipping of EWG would suit this bait well. That bloody pumpkin color looks dynamite for my local lake between now and April.

True, but ripping it off the bottom pretty quick generates the swimming action. I see myself using this as a search bait in the weeds, maybe bouncing off timber....but I really see a use for it during early spring and fall ripping it out of the grass like a lipless crank. The lake I mostly fish is loaded with grass, and crankbaits of any kind are pretty much a no-go except late in the winter when the grass is gone. I also see even more use for this bait on the flats fishing for reds.

Anybody fish with these? I acquired a few of them recently and was able to give them a swim yesterday. Man, it's a cool bait! It's about 3', and 9/16oz. It sink fast with a very aggressive spiral. The swimming action is very similar to a lipless crank. It did very well ripping it out of grass (and we all know how deadly that technique can be). I think this bait will earn a spot in my rotation for sure, but not in the winter. I think you've got to work the bait a little too fast. I can't wait to give this bait some serious time this Spring. This bait may even do better on the flats fishing for reds. The only con, so far, is the weedguard is rather stiff. I don't think it is too stiff, but we'll see. Happy New Year, and dress warm!

I don't like insulated gear. I normally dress in layers as the weather requires. And I am very picky about the materials I layer with.

Orvis Barbour wool half finger gloves! I've tried all those $100 fishing gloves and hated every one of them. The orvis gloves are about 30 bucks! I carry two pairs and swap them out halfway through the day. Wool is still quite warm when it gets wet. When these get wet, I take the off and slap them across my leg a couple times to shake the water out and put them back on.

I spent some time this spring/summer with the good old texas rig. The heavy hitter for me was a pegged 1/2-3/4oz with a Power Team Lures Conviction Craw. I did well pitching it in openings in weed beds, and along timber. Certainly not a new technique, but new to me!

I really like my Lews Custom Speed Stick in 6'10" medium power, moderate/fast action. They rate it as a soft plastics rod, but I use it for almost everything. It's the perfect balance between moderate and fast, and the length is perfect for me, especially fishing out of a kayak. This rod handles 3/16-1/2oz very well. very sensitive....can feel a fish fart next to my jig with this rod.

What he said! I mainly fish a range of depth that a 3/8 oz jig covers well. Bring one size, and maybe two colors. Keep things simple!! I am pretty new to jigs as well. It can be a very fun way to fish. For me, the hardest part of fishing a jig is being patient and letting the jig soak. I am a very fast fisherman. It's so hard for me to let the jig sit for more than a second or two. So that's my two cents. Keep it as simple as possible at first. Gain some confidence in the jig and trailers you chose. One of the coolest feeling I've experienced during my two year bass fishing tenure, is standing in my kayak flipping a jig into the gnarliest brush on the lake, feeling the bump, and laying into a hookset. Don't give up though. Sometimes they just don't want the jig.

Do you change techniques, baits, etc while fishing the skinny water during low temps?

You're the man, Tom! You always give solid information! I didn't even think of a spoon. Probably because i don't have any...

Well I don't know for sure what I was marking, but I am confident that they were crappie. The other marks could have been anything, I suppose. They were close to the bottom and gave me the usual arch shaped readings. Maybe they weren't bass, who knows... Yes, I have side imaging. Yeah, I wanted to do that but that wind forecast the other day wasn't looking good. Good to hear you got out for them. I hear the jrb has been off and on, but with fish to 20lbs. I'm aiming for that this weekend. Inbox me if you'd be interested in meeting up.

I took a beating yesterday. I fished my regular lake, but the opposite end from where I normally fish. Water temp was consistent throughout the lake at 53 degrees. The wind was gusty, and at times, almost hardly a breeze. Anyhow, I fished the deeper end of the lake right next to the dam. The banks are steep as they drop off quickly to depths of 10-12', with very close access to a pretty large flat. I didn't have any trouble locating the fish. They were holding in 11-12', and spread out. They were not schooled up at all, and none of the marks were close together. The bottom here is flat and muddy, and the bait was hardly present. The only thing that was consistent was that I would always mark a fish right next to a stack of crappie. I kept marking crappie stacks in the typical fashion stacked on top of one another from the bottom right up to about 2' below the surface. When I marked these stacks, I would mark a bass close by and just off the bottom. I threw everything I had, well, everything that wind wind allowed me. Deep cranks, jerkbaits, tried a drop shot, tried yo-yoing and dragging a blade bait and a lipless crank...I even dragged an umbrella, and never had a bite. I hate fishing to these kind of fish. I never have any luck. I a habitual bank beater, but this time of year i try to fish other areas and use different techniques because the bank bite stops. Some day I'll learn how to get the deep fish to bite.

Thank you!! Ketchup worked just fine for now. Kinda just needed to clean them up in a pinch. I wasn't planning to fish today, and I haven't been out in months so my gear has been neglected for a while.

Have a couple spinnerbaits with tarnished and pitted blades on them. The Colorado blades on them are pitted a bit but still have some shine to them. The willow leaf blades are very dull and tarnished. Fish them? Of thrown them out?

Stripers on my brain too, but it's gonna blow pretty good tomorrow. I fish out of a kayak. Gonna stay on the lake so I don't have to worry about swimming home.

I plan on fishing a local lake tomorrow. This lake is split in half by a road, and connected underground. I normally fish the smaller side and do very well in the summer. However, I plan to try the other side tomorrow. This lake is about 12'-14' at its deepest, lots of downed trees on the banks, and the bottom is completely covered in thick hydrilla and pond weed, so fishing on the bottom is impossible. I have very little confidence in fall/winter fishing, and even less confidence in fishing anywhere but on the banks. Tomorrow, I plan to paddle around and and read my sonar. If I can find a depth where activity is consistent, I plan to fish the several points at that depth and see what I can do. I haven't bass fished since August, and I'm not super familiar with this side of the lake. I plan to drag an umbrella around while searching, and throw some swimbaits, and jerkbaits on the along these points. It's gonna be breezy, so perhaps, I'll chuck a spinnerbait too. I have very little expectation for tomorrow, but It will be fun to try something different. I'm mainly a spring/summer guy. I like to fish the obvious structure near the banks with jigs and plastics. Wish me luck, and I am open to any advice you may have.

I'm interested in this too. My lake has a max depth of 10-12', and the bottom is covered in thick grass year round. I mainly only fish the banks and a couple of flats. If the bite isn't happening, which is typical from now until April, I have absolutely no idea what to do. I'll fish some drops and steep banks with cranks, jerk baits, etc., but I rarely ever get bit. There are also many downed trees which extend quite a ways off the bank and hit the 8'-10' depths. I've tried everything on this lake with no luck. Already wishing the winter away. C'mon April!!!

Yeah man! I fished in Japan a bit for the couple years I was out there. Mostly for squid and flounder. Lots of fun. Fished in Dubai a couple times during port visits. And now I am fishing all over Virginia while serving here.

I have never had a problem with the Dredge Series. I really like that hook. I get solid hooksets all the time, and the hook stays sticky sharp for a long time. What I really like about it is that it is not a bulky, heavy-wire hook, which helps with hooksets. I don't fish any other jigs except Siebert's.

I love the Owner Deep Throat hook! I've actually started tying some hair jigs and a lot of my large trout streamers on them. Great hook!!!

Took my 4yo daughter on my kayak with me the other day. We were on the water by 6am. She was whining to go home by 630, and we were back at the ramp by 7. There were fish everywhere, but I had a very limited selection of gear with me, and couldn't really conjure a bite. We moved to another spot not too far away. We caught a couple of pickerel. She couldn't have cared any less. LOL! By this time she was done with fishing, and was sitting on her cushion watching Paw Patrol on my phone. Made one quick stop just before the ramp. I threw the whopper plopper near some timber and a big old bass came bolting out from under the tree and smoked my plopper. Definitely a big fish, way over 20" and very likely 8+lbs. I was using a light rod, and had the drag adjusted pretty light so that my daughter could use it. Anyway, I tried to hand the rod to her, yelling that it was a big fish. She had ZERO interest in fighting the fish. The fish pulled me into some thick pond weed and dug herself in and pulled the hook. BIG fish. It was fun to take her out with me. I knew she wouldn't last for even an hour. She did show some interest in the other wildlife. We saw a beaver, some snakes, turtles, and we watched an osprey doing work on the bluegill flats. I'll bring her again anytime she is willing to go. Some day she may grow into it and I'll have a new fishing buddy.

I've wondered the same thing. I have a few dozen of them, and the difference is the head design, hook, and strand count in the skirt. If I remember correctly, the Dredge series, which is what I mostly use, has heavier strand count, which adds bulk to the jig, and slows it fall rate. It also uses that odd shaped Owner hook, which I absolutely love. All of Siebert jigs are described the same, but thy all are top notch in quality, and performance. I won't buy any other jigs.

I was very fortunate for my circumstances. One of my parents closest friends owned a tackle shop. When I got a little bit older and wanted to start buying my own gear, I began working weekends at the shop. I think I was making about $200 a weekend. It was glorious. I still lived with Mom and Dad, had no bills, no responsibility. But what I did have was $200 a week to burn on fishing gear Today, I have a real job, a wife, two kids, house, cars, etc... And I don't have $200 a week to burn on fishing stuff....