HawkeyeSmallie

I'm curious how much time you dedicated to the larger swimbaits. I've bought several nice ones this year and I managed to only catch one fish on them. Ironically it was the cheapest of them all. I think the "secret" is to keep throwing them even if you aren't getting bit. I'll throw them and most likely abandon them too soon and try something else. I've probably only thrown big swimbaits a total of 1 hour. That just ain't gonna cut it I have a feeling. IDK. Thoughts?

I’m going to buy a Hog Farmer mini. 3 dummies on top and 3 hooks on the bottom. Saw a video on it and they recommended cutting the middle hook to make it legal. Now just figuring out which baits to buy. Oh, lastly the weights of the jig heads. I see 1/8 mentioned a lot but that’s normally having 3 rigged. Since I can only have 2, I’m thinking about going with 1/4. IDK

Well, I've decided I'm going to buy an A Rig. Now I just need to figure out which one. Bladed? Non-bladed? I can only use two hooks here in Iowa. Some of these seem to have like 2 or 3 dummies and then 3 for hooks. Do I cut off the extra hook arm? Or would that not balance very well? Seems like having too many dummy baits is setting myself up for a higher fail rate. And trust me, my fail rate is already pretty high. Thoughts? THANKS!

Might explain the "temporarily closed" sign. Hopefully this happens. The more competition in the market the better.

FYI- It's a bunk story. The man who claimed this lied about the weight. If you see the picture it might not even be 4 pounds.

I've got the old school Mojo Bass frog rod and it doesn't cast well either. Zero tip to it. Feels like I'm using a pool stick. Accuracy? Never heard of it. It will get replaced one of these years.

Holy moly, I think I just filled MY waders just reading this. I would have been freaking out myself.

I'm going to buy one for the first time myself. I also fish from a kayak and was wondering how hauling one around will work. All of my rods are held vertical, so yes, I can see a possible MESS. Now get out there and throw it. I figure a snagged/lost one is no different than one stored in your basement never used. Best of luck and share the video when you catch a hog(s)!

Thank you SIR, you just saved my wife some money. I do want to buy some 5" Magdrafts though. Some of those colors look awesome.

Every thrown an A-rig? Seems like you could smack them with it.

About got killed by a very large water snake. Screamed like a little girl. Don't ask.

@txchaser I wonder how those would work in a lake where bluegills are the primary forage? They look pretty good. Hope they are DURABLE. You guys will have to let us know how they work.

I’ve got some Damiki’s myself, had decent luck with them last fall. Every jig with a spoon? I have not but I believe those are also a good cold water bait. Thought about picking some up.

Thank you sir.

NUMBER ONE rule in my house, when it comes to fishing. Ceiling fan is OFF before any rod gets touched. No I'm not kidding. I learned from my dad. He lost the tip from his favorite rod to a ceiling fan and I never forgot it. My preferred method of breaking rods? Backing over all of my gear in a 1985 two toned blue Mercury Lynx station wagon back in high school. Broke poles, tackle box, etc. Sad day for me.

While I have you. When do you think the best times to go are? Currently, the earliest I can fish in the year is May. The first four months of the year I pretty much live in my office. I only go home to sleep. Thanks again!

Sounds similar to sex and fishing. I'll stick with those.

Back in the day I used to love to Pike fish. I think my first big Pike came on my very first spinning combo I got in middle school for my birthday. It came from K-Mart. Caught some big Pike in Quetico Park on a spinning combo I bought from a pawn shop back in high school. Boy have times changed. Now I feel like I "need" super expensive gear. IDK, it is kinda fun though. LOL

Long story short (I'll try at least). Aaron Martens used to be my favorite pro to watch, especially when he was catching Smallmouth on Lake St Clair. After watching him catch fish on a drop shot, I went to my local Scheels and at that time, bought the most expensive rod I had ever purchased. A St Croix Legend Elite, specifically for drop shotting. Well, kids started getting more busy and I ended up spending most summers helping my son on the golf course. After quitting my own golf game, I got back into fishing. The buzz word I kept hearing about was the Ned Rig. After some Google searching, I once again went to my local Scheels and bought some TRD's. I figured my St Croix would be the perfect rod to throw these small baits, and boy did they catch fish. The rod became my go-to Ned Rig rod. Fast forward to last week. I figured it was time to actually try a drop shot. I thought with the cold water I might slow it down a bit. Had to Google how to properly tie the hook which ended up just being a "special" Palomar knot. Threw on maybe a 10 year old Roboworm in Aaron's Magic. Went to my small local lake and after 15 seconds, on my first cast, FISH ON (pic below). I'm not kidding you, it gave me the biggest smile on my face. It wasn't huge, but I caught it the way my favorite pro used to. The Roboworm was the icing on the cake. I held that bass up, and literally said out loud, "This one's for you Aaron." Hell of a guy and fisherman.

Dude you need to move to Iowa. We might not have big bass, but we got big bucks!!!

I use the 10,000 Fish Yoto worm which is pretty much the same. I like to throw it on the back of Jack Hammers.

I know TWO things. One, I WILL buy a boat one of these days. Two, I WILL NOT drive fast in it. I'm just too old to do stupid things nowadays. I did A LOT of stupid stuff in my late teens early twenties but now I have a wife and kids. Life is way too precious.

There was another fishing tourney boat accident just a few days ago in TN. A 26 year old lost his life. SOMETHING has to change. Obit: James Edward Bailey-age 26 of Maynardville went to be with the Lord, Saturday morning, November 1, 2025, doing what he loved, in a tragic boating accident. He had the biggest heart and the smartest mind. He loved God, fishing, hunting, and trucks. James never knew a stranger and was a loving husband, son, brother, uncle and friend. He was a member of Leatherwood Baptist Church.