Brad_Coovert

My fishing partner and I experimented with red hooks. We were on a crankbait bite at Morse one day. We each fished the same bait, mine with a red hook on front and his with a red hook on back. We caught about the same number of fish, but the majority were hooked on the red hook, be it front or back. We switched baits, and the same held true. No, not scientific, but hey, it was enough for me. Besides, I change most of my hooks anyway, so it does not hurt to add red ones to the front IMO. Brad

Leverage hooks have been around for a long time. They have their own line of spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and jigs. Check them out at www.bassbait.com. Pradco is licensing the hook design for the Boogee baits. The benefit is not in the hookup, but in keeping the fish on after getting hooked. The flexible wire makes it harder for the bass to use the baits weight as "leverage" to help throw the bait and get off. The Boogee baits are good baits IMO. Brad

They smell great when you stick a few inside your buddies tent or in a pillow case. Brad

The DT4 is a killer bait. It is has been the best DT for me out of the series. Yes, the lips can break. Sometimes very easily. Brad

Moisture and heat are the enemy of plastics. I'm sure you plastics are fine. I have several bulk bags of baits that are several years old and still fine. Brad

Green Pumpkin, Watermelon and Black will catch fish anywhere, anytime. But who can truly limit themselves to just three colors? Brad

Powerbaits are good baits, but no better than anything else. I've seen it proven that scent/taste on or in baits does not matter as much as we would like to believe. Still, it is a confidence thing and I still prefer to use something that has some salt or scent added, even if the fish don't care. Old habits are hard to break. Brad

Anything in Green Pumpkin. Brad

My go to color is a shad color. White skirt with a few greay strands on the top and a grey stripe on the head. Very close to a Manns Gray Ghost, LC Chartreuse Shad or Norman Lavender Shad crankbait color, which is my go to crank color. Brad

Straight shank hooks go through cover better and will get snagged less than offset bend hooks. So, for most flipping, I use a straight shank hook designed or flipping, such as a Reaction Innovation BMF or Mustad Flipping Hook. If the bait is too wide for a straight shank hook, I will use an EWG. Brad

Lucky Craft, Spro Aruku Shad, Cordell Brad

Great idea. That would be great to try. Brad

There is very little in a pros boat that is not in our boats. We have access to all the same baits, rods, reels, line, electronics and even the boats for that matter. The difference is they are better at using the stuff than we are. IMO the ONLY major difference between the pros on various circuits and the rest of us is time spent fishing. If I could spend the time on the water every year that these guys did, I would be much better at casting, lure presentation, boat control and boat positioning. I would be much more in tune with what bass would be doing based on weather and water conditions. These guys do this so much and for so long it is second nature to them. IMO, that is their edge. Brad

Yep, been there. How about this one...your whole club zeros in a club tournament. We had out classic at Patoka one year and no one caught a legal fish. Brad

I fish both types of baits. Soft plastic frogs like the Horny Toad have a buzzing action from the feet and can be stopped and let to sink down into the cover. Floating frogs only float and can be fished very slowly over cover and are more weedless. IMO, you should have both. My favorites are the Bronzeye Jr. and the Cane Toad. Brad

The Sammy is an excellent topwater walking bait. I like the 100 size and add a feather treble on the back. They have several lipless baits that I will not be without. The LV200 is a 5/8 oz. bait that has a brass plate instead of rattles. It makes a distinct sound unlike any other bait. The LV300N is the same ize, but has no rattles and is basically a silent bait. The LV0 is a lipless bait designed to run in very shallow water. These three baits have gotten me some extra fish when other lipless baits would not get it done. I really like the BDS series of crankbaits. They do not have a rattle and are very bouyant. They are a plastic equivalent to a fat balsa bait. They work well in shallow wood. For jerkbaits, it is hard to beat the Pointer series. I really like the 78 and 100 sizes. For deeper fishing, the Staysee baits are good as well. The Flat CB series is also a good series for me, especially in the fall. As for colors, my favorites in all baits are Ghost Minnow, MS American Shad and Chartreuse Shad. Brad

I watched Tom Mann Jr. fish the double fluke rig, only he rigged each bait on a ball jighead and fished them more quickly and deeper. He was killing the spots on it at Lanier. Good type of rig. Brad

The EWG hooks will work, but it helps to use some glue or other pegging method to keep them from sliding down the hook. The Mustad Impact Ultralock hooks work great as well. They have a plastic barb that you puch into the nose of the frog. Use some superglue on that barb and the bait stays put quite well. The ZOOM Horny Toad hooks work well also. The new skipping hook from Gamakatsu might work as well, but I am waiting on some to arrive and have yet to see the true size and gap of these. Brad

Dan, you fishing in that private Bill Dance pond? Nice fish! Brad

I'll say. Almost impossible to keep them in stock. They are a great bait. I'm looking forward to seeing all the ways people come up with for fishing them. Brad

Here is where you need your swimming pool, if you have one or if a buddy has one. Omori built a special swimming pool just for testing baits. It is only a few feet wide, long enough for a long cast and about 10' deep. He fishes all his baits in it to see how they react to rod movements, line size/type changes, certain retrieves, etc. Then, he has a good idea of what his bait is doing when he is fishing out on the lake. I use the small retention pond across the street the same way. Not nearly as good as a pool, but it helps to be able to try new baits and new line/rod/bait combos to see how they act. Having a few bass in there helps too. Brad

eBay is a great place to shop. I've been a member, buyer and seller there since 1998. Just check the feedback and make sure you know about all shipping charges, etc before you buy. Do not be shy about using the "ask a seller a question" feature. Brad

Raul let the bait monkey out of his cage. The rest is history. Brad

Man, when the Fat Ika cat gets out of the bag......Whew! Brad

You forsee A new lure in your future??? Like you'd only get one. ;D ;D ;D Brad