wdp

Yeah, similar but some subtle differences. I fish the KVD wake also & it’s a good bait. But The Egg (bigger size) has a deeper, louder rattle & makes a little more commotion. I really like using The Egg on super windy, overcast days due to its loudness. Plus it casts like a bullet, even into the wind. But on Sunday, my buddy was throwing a KVD wake while I was throwing The Egg. My buddy only got a couple bites while I was killing em. And it was only lightly breezy, but for some reason they wanted the Egg. 🤷‍♂️

Kevin, I think your tackle addiction may surpass even mine. 😂 It’s a good thing we aren’t neighbors or there would be a lotta back & forth enabling going on. 🤣

With the older version, they had 2 sizes: 2” at 1/2 oz and 2.5” at 3/4 oz. I have some of both in my stockpile hidden somewhere. The smaller one fishes more like a Baby 1-, very erratic with good hunting action. The bigger one is louder but still fishes great. Caught a bunch of fish on the big one this past Sunday. With the new version in the new packaging, I’ve only seen the bigger sized. And the color schemes look different. Weird thing is I can’t find them online. Only saw them in that Mobile, AL store.

One of my fav Wakebaits. Just caught 7-8 fish on one Sunday. I found some like you in the new packaging at the Bass Pro in Mobile, AL back in March. Grabbed 3 of em. I got a reserve of about 15 of them in both sizes in the old stockpile…… buried somewhere in all my excess tackle in the garage. 😂

That’s awesome! Keep up the good deeds @whitwolf

I’ve gotten the Massachusetts toll road scam text 3 times now. I’ve never been to Massachusetts, let alone driven a vehicle there. Nice try scammers. 🤣😂

I addition to the KVD wakebait, I’ve also had good luck with these from Academy. https://www.academy.com/p/h20x-wake-bait?sku=shad-11&gmc_feed=t&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=SEM-Shopping&utm_content=Shopping&utm_campaign=Brand|Shopping&ogmap=SEM|PLB|GOOG|SHOP|m||IM|Brand-Shopping||21316941248&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21316941248&gbraid=0AAAAADv-p97BpAhumFeqgbZdyPSdziXTg&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqMS60KPTjQMVfSvUAR3rGR7lEAQYAiABEgLqlvD_BwE Luckily, I still have a few BPS Eggs lying around. Something about that loud, full sized one really triggers strikes on overcast, windy days.

These are great worms I just discovered last year. I’ve been using them on 1/10 or 1/8 oz bulletz jig heads by Zman. They are easy to rig and it’s a great lil shakey head setup. https://www.academy.com/p/z-man-finesse-bulletz-jigheads-3-pack?sku=green-1-15-oz&gmc_feed=t&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=SEM-Shopping&utm_campaign=Non-Brand|PerformanceMax|Outdoor|eCom&utm_content=Shopping&ogmap=SEM|PLN|GOOG|SHOP|m|FW||Non-Brand-PerformanceMax-Outdoor-eCom||22342914210&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22342917978&gbraid=0AAAAADv-p96RMtM8txc-COdHHPkcsLxm8&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI277XtoK4jQMVs0b_AR3XvjXlEAQYBSABEgL12vD_BwE

I use hot water to fix bent tails often. Works like a charm. Doesn’t even have to be boiling hot, just pretty hot.

Agreed. I’m fishing thick islands of lily pads & grass. I want a stout hook that’s not gonna bend or straighten, so I use the Gamakatsu superline hooks.

@Smirak Sounds like you have 4 great kids. When my wife & I started empty nesting over 5 yrs ago, it felt strange & sad & wierd & melancholy…… for a while. Fast forward to now & when they come home for the holidays, after about 3 days we’re ready for them to go back home & get outta our house. 😂 We’re like “do yall not know how to clean up after yourselves? Yall leave messes like this in your home? Go on back home & mess up your own house!” 🤣😂 Something about them coming back home makes em revert back to their childhood habits expecting mom & dad to clean up after them. 🤨 Still love em!

🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹 Thank you. My Dad was a great guy and awesome father to me & my sister. Besides having a very successful military career, serving in both the Navy & Air Force, he did a lot of great works volunteering, serving & helping people after he retired from the military.

@Swamp Girl did you write this? I’m thinking it’s you. https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/pond-fishing-memories.html If so, what a beautifully written & sweet story! Thanks so much for sharing. I really enjoyed reading it. And it brings back many sweet memories of my Dad & our fishing trips together over the years. I had my bittersweet fishing farewell with my Dad about 7-8 yrs ago when I realized his dementia was getting too advanced for us to fish anymore. That was a sad day for me. Even more sorrowful, the dementia & old age finally got him a few weeks ago. 😥 But I still have so many fond memories of our fishing days together. Our honey hole was an old gravel pit that a buddy of his gave us permission to fish. We called it Bo’s place. No bigguns, but numerous days where we caught 40-50 bass. 😃 Thanks again for sharing this story.

I use 5/0 superline hooks most of the time, even for the regular sized worms. The extra weight of the thicker hook helps with casting them without a bullet weight. Sometimes I upsize to a 6/0 monster hook for the magnum size. I should’ve also mentioned, the regular sized uv speed worm is excellent on a shakey head.

I use straight braid for all my top waters, anywhere from 10 lb to 30 lb. The trick is to pair the correct rod & action with the correct lb test for a particular technique. &nbsp I used poppers exclusively with either 10 or 15 lb braid on a spinning outfit. Can chunk a 1/2 oz popper a country mile & works well for dog walking a popper too if you practice at it. Just need a rod with a good flexible tip.

Love both the regular & magnum sized Zoom uv speed worms. Very versatile baits. Don’t sleep on using these weightless buzzed on surface as a topwater. It’s like a more subtle version of a horny toad & with that slimmer profile, sometimes it’s the ticket.

If I wasn’t already married I’d ask for your hand just for the fishing privileges. 😂 Looks like another great day on the water. You really know how to catch em.

Yep, thought so. My sis in law & bro in law have lived in Austin for going on 20 yrs. Visited an Academy there a couple of times. Doubt it was the original. I still miss the good old days though when the stores had more fishing gear & fishing stuff. Miss their killer sales too that they used to have 3-4 times a year. One 4th of July I bought Power Pro braid that was 1/2 off. They never have sales like that anymore. ☹️

That’s cool stuff right there! Didn’t Academy start in Texas? I visited one for the first time around 2005 in Jackson, MS. Drove 2.5 hrs to check out Christmas sales at the Bass Pro to only be disappointed that no good sales were going on. Buddy & I decided to hit the Academy he had heard about & we were like kids in a candy store. The fishing section was about 3 times the size it is now, with like 8-9 aisles of nothing but fishing stuff! (This was before the business model was focused so much on team sports & workout apparel). We loaded up on stuff. Brands of baits we had never heard of, tons of hard baits, soft plastics, rods & reels, kayaks, small boats, you name it. It’s a shame the fishing & hunting sections have dwindled down to what they are now. I still shop there a lot because their prices are usually better than most stores. But back then, their stores were the bomb. But, back on topic about fav rods. I don’t have one. I got rods of about 10 diff brands. I’m pretty tough on my rods & break a few every 3-4 yrs. So I normally buy rods on sale in the $50-$100 range. Right now my fav rod is a $50 Daiwa AIRDX Rod. Great for throwing frogs, flukes, senkos, t rigs, jigs. And yes I got it at Academy. https://www.academy.com/p/daiwa-aird-x-braiding-x-casting-rod?sku=7-brown-medium-fast

Academy had been around since the 80s? Wow, I’d never heard of em til around 2005.

These float but not elaztech type material. I’ve never Carolina rigged them, but they work great as a shakey head worm. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/GrandeBass_Airtail_Wiggler_Worms_65_10pk/descpage-GRANAI.html?from=basres&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADkexy7Oe-17RPNuY7BlCoA_z9QXU&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIs-W8r-DwjAMVOataBR2UTiiSEAQYAiABEgLtj_D_BwE

As soon as it warms enough for them to start moving shallow for the spawn, I’m throwing a wakebait. And I’ll keep one tied on until it gets too cold, which for me is relatively late in the South, ie late November to early December. My wakebait season is usually late March to late November.

Update: So I’ve been using this camo Beyond Braid in 15 lb for little less than yr. Impressions so far are mixed. It’s ok but nothing spectacular. The camo color holds up well & it casts decently. I’ve also caught a couple decent bass in 4-6 lb range with it, no issues. My biggest complaint is that I tend to get quite a few wind knots while using it. Part of that could be I’m using it on a small 1000 size spinning reel with 6 & 1/2 ft rod. This is my small combo I like for throwing poppers and other smaller topwaters. The braid might perform better on a slightly larger spinning reel. Bottom line, not sure I’d buy it again. I’ll probably stick to my tried & true 4 carrier Power Pro I’ve been using for 20 yrs. I will say the camo color is cool though.

You beat me to it. 200 E7 all the way. Workhorse of a reel. Wish they were still in production.

🤣😂🤣 LOVE IT!!!!! I’m getting old too. My wife, adult children & friends constantly call me “crotchety”. 🤣 It’s all good. There’s a certain amount of freedom that comes with getting older & not caring what other people think. Also, I’ve seen your pics. I think you do catch more bass than the pros. Talk all the trash you want. 😉