IgotWood

Way to get out there! Don't get discouraged. Each time you go out, you should try to learn something, try different baits, retrieves, different times of day. Even learning what NOT to do is beneficial to making your time on the water more efficient and successful.You say you didn't catch fish, but you still enjoyed it...that's all that matters!

I have the 90mm, in "Loon". I fished it on braid, 15lb power pro slick. The 130 is pretty big.

This jig has a screw lock. I believe it is supposed to be texposed. I read some of the reviews for this bait, and they were pretty good. I just feel like I'm gonna waste my time and get frustrated with this jig. Perhaps I'll try a standard swim jig. Thanks for your reply!

Yes, they are I thought of doing that. It works great for rigging on a jig head, but I think with this application the hook point will be exposed and I will snag every weed in the lake.

I am a big of Keitech bait, especially the Swing Impact. I saw the Keitech swim jig, and it advertises that it is designed specifically for the 4.8 Impact bait. I was super stoked to give it a try, but when I rigged it, it seems as though the hook is WAY too small for the bait. Anybody here have any experience whit these?

I have to be honest, and please pardon my ignorance...I refused to buy a whopper plopper because of its silly name. That, and the surface bite on my local lake is (was) 100% non-existent. So, hearing all the hype, I broke down and bought one. I took it out yesterday and it quickly became apparent why so many people are raving about them. I'm telling you, I've thrown EVERY surface lure out there, and the fish ignored every one of them. They sure do like the WP though! I had a blast watching the reactions to this bait. I only landed 3 or 4 fish on it, but I had many lookers who came up to take a swipe at it, but many of them seemed hesitant to commit. However, I immediately followed-up on the bashful ones with a wacky senko, which must have really ticked them off, because every one of them crushed the worm as soon as it hit the water. Lots of fun! Over the past two days, I've caught 2-6lb'ers, 3-4lb'ers, and dozens of 2-3lb'ers.

I believe I use the Owner twistloc in 4/0, 1/8oz. Awesome baits! Literally just cast and retrieve. Change your retrieve speed until you get bites. Every now and then, add a pause or a twitch. They are a little pricey. Don't be afraid to try the Basspro brand. They work just as well, except they are not scented.

I feel the same way. I don't like reels that feel like they will break in my hands. I looked at the Pro Lite a few weeks ago, and then I held the Pro G in my hands. I went with the Pro G. Fantastic reel so far. It was my first bait caster. I will probably continue to buy them for the next two rods I plan on buying soon.

Thank you folks!

Try the fluke without any weight. Twitch it along the surface, or just under the surface and see if that generates a bite. From my experience striped bass fishing, when the fish are extremely picky, sometimes I'd throw something huge...something way bigger than what they're chasing. Sometimes you just need your bait to stick out like a sore thumb. Try something really big in a silly color.

Please pardon the wetness behind my ears. What is the difference between an EWG and a standard offset worm hook? Aesthetically, I see the difference. But what do you use them for? How do you determine which style hook for your baits?

For me, rod and reel are always the two most important pieces of fishing equipment in my stash. I'll spend any amount of money to buy a rod or reel that will fit my perfectly with the type of fishing I am doing. Let me re-phrase that...I USED TO spend any amount of money...then I got married and had kids. But jokes aside, I like high end gear because of its reliability, durability, and its capability in terms of technique or tackle. I am new to freshwater fishing, and don't have the money to outfit myself completely with high end gear. I am currently fishing a $60 Daiwa on the rod I use the most. I lost the fish of a lifetime a few weeks ago with that reel. It's the last time I'll buy cheap gear. That fish gave me PTSD. I plan on outiftting with Stradic's. I personally do not have the need for a Stella for freshwater fishing. When I lived in New England I spent 4-6 nights a week in the saltwater surf, I used Van Staal, and ZeeBaas reels, which retailed for $800-1000 (before I had a family to feed). They were designed to be 100% waterproof, and to hold up against salt. This was important to me because we would swim out to the structure we wanted to fish. They were absurdly expensive reels, but that style of fishing was my passion, and these reel's reliability were of utmost importance to me.

I use braid for everything. Normally I'll tie and a flouro leader to my braid via an Alberto knot, or uni-uni. A little helpful tip...each time you cast, be sure to pull your line tight onto the roller or spool when using braid to avoid knots. Braid can be such a pain in the butt when dealing with knots, and expensive too.

I actually order some Keitechs yesterday to put on a chatter.

I don't pay much attention to any of that. On my freshwater reels, I fill the spool with mono, and top it off with 50-75yds of braid. If I hook a fish that takes 75yds of braid off my reel....solid chance I'll never land that fish anyway As for my saltwater gear...I usually fill the spool with mono, and top it off with 150-200yds of braid, which too is rather overkill in almost all situations.

It's just a curly tail with no body. They work! Google search otter lures...his site come right up. I use either the tiny or short tail on the back of chatters (I'd have to look but I'm not home for a few days). They may seem a bit pricy, but you will fish the same tail for the entire season, unless you lose your while lure.

Which size do you like?

I tip my chatters with Otter Tails. They are a curly tail strip made by a charter capt in Connecticut for saltwater fishing. The small size tail works well for me on 1/4oz chatters. They are scented, and indestructible. They come in different colors, which is nice because you can put two different colored tails on your bait for some added contrast.

I fish the Z Man frogs too, and I do not have this problem. I rig them on a Gamakatsu Superline Offest EWG in a 4/0 or 5/0. The hook is big, but it fits. The wide gap, and heavy gauge help the bait right itself once it hits the water. I should also add that it does very well in the weeds and the slimy snot.

I ran out of patience trying to worm areas full of snot. However, I fish a texas rigged frog in the snot, and I can normally make several casts without cleaning the garbage off. I'm usually fishing a Z Man hard leg popping frog rigged on a 4/0 or 5/0 Owner beast, tied to my braid. I pick of a little bit of snot on the hook, and some on the hook eye, but not enough to deter me.

I have a hardware box made by Rigid that looks exactly like this. It works great! Bought it at Home Depot for about 20 bucks.

Losing big fish seems to be the trend for us lately

The nail knot has been used for years in fly fishing, to attach a leader to the fly line. It's interesting to hear that there are other applications for it. I would think the knot would slip on mono/fluoro, or braid. I suppose if it's working for you, keep using it! I have trouble tying a uni-uni knot. I've replaced it with the Alberto knot. Perhaps this may be another alternative for you. It is very quick and simple to tie. It's small, and glides through the guides very smoothly.

I know, I know....don't fix what's not broken.... I was just trying to fulfill my curiosity. Many folks say they fish better on floro than braid. I'll admit, I think the bait sinks a tad more freely, or naturally. With the braid, on a very calm day, sometimes it appears to create a hinge-like affect where the leader is connected, causing the bait to fall toward your line, rather than straight down. And that is what I was most curious about. Does that perfectly straight fall make a difference? I am fishing in a lake FULL of cypress in 4-8', so I wanted to see if the floro would keep my bait right up against the three trunks. I suppose it did, but I don't think the braid really has quite that much of a negative affect on it. Again, for better of for worse, I just wanted to see for myself the pros and cons. I am very surprised at the rigging some of you posted. I guess it doesn't matter if it's working thought. Quick question for those using floro.....do you feel the bites? Or can you only see them?

So, I've been bass fishing since this spring. I typically fish wacky senkos almost exclusively, because it seems to be the only thing I can get bit on on this particular body of water. I have been fishing 10lb braid, with an 8lb flouro leader, and have been doing just fine. I can feel even the slightest bumps, and if I can't feel them, I can easily see them in the braid. I see/hear most guys use straight flourocarbon for this application because it sinks, unlike braid. Out of curiosity, I rigged a top-shot of about 30yds of floro on my reel today, and gave it a try. I didn't like it much. Yes,the line sinks better, but I never felt a single bite. I could only detect a bite if it were an aggressive bite where the fish takes off with it, and I could see the line running away. With that said, do you think that braid makes that big of a difference in the action of the bait? Should I use lighter floro? How many of you use braid? Pros and cons please!