Brad_Coovert

My favorite hook for these type of baits is the Mustad Ultra Lock Impact hook. A little superglue on that plastic barb and a bait goes a long way and seldom slides off the barb. Brad

Pitchin' Kraws work great on Crigs. Brad

The silver/black one is a Rebel bait. Depending on the length, it is either an F61, F62 or F63 series in color 01. 1970's vintage. I have a case of these, mint and unused, in color 05. They are old enough that the packaging has no barcode, no sku and they still accepted cash for payment on the Rebel order form packaged with each bait. Also, at the time these baits were in production, they sold direct from Rebel for $1.75 - $2 depending on model. Funny thing, they have no name for this bait on the box, order form or in any literature with the baits. Only the model # and color #. Brad

I here ya. Long ago in a time I will not mention, I could not find a quality LH baitcaster. Now there are lots of them as the reel manufacturers finally got smart. Brad

If I had to pick one, I would take the Marty 1.2 over the RC 2.5. I prefer smaller cranks. Still, if I was to choose a shallow bait like these, I'd take the BDS2. The CB001 does not have as much wobble as the GDS SSR, but it will dive a little deeper and can be worked on the surface or down to about 1 1/2'. The GDS SSR is more of a true bulging style bait and will stay more closer to the surface and has a wider wobble. Brad

I really like the Pointer 78 and 100 jerkbaits. They have caught a lot of fish for me when other jerkbaits would not get a sniff. The BDS1 and BDS2 are great shallow crankbaits. The LV0, LV300N and LV200 are great lipless crankbaits. The LV0 can be fished in super shallow water at slow or fast speeds. The LV300N has no rattles and the LV200 has a large brass knocker and a unique sound. They all come in handy now and then. The LV500 is a great lipless bait also. It's a 3/4 oz. bait in a 1/2 oz. size. The LVR Mini is a good mini lipless bait. The Flat CB series is a good series of crankbaits. These are some of my favorite baits in the fall. The CB001 is also a good wake style bait as is the new GDS SSR. As for colors, I like the Ghost Minnow, Chartreuse Shad and MS American Shad. Brad

A "spider jig" to me is a hula style grub on some type of jighead. I really like GYCB 5" DT Hulas on either a stand-up type jighead with a wire guard or on a football head. The only places I really fish them are rock/gravel/sand areas in clear water, crawling them along the bottom immitating a crawfish, and these jigheads work great for that. I usually use the standup styles in 1/8 - 3/8 oz. in shallower water and the bigger football heads 1/2 - 1 oz. in deeper water. You can crawl them slow or you can fish them fast. The heavy heads make it really easy to fish them fast and still stay along the bottom. Brad

River2Sea makes a good bait and they are not too expensive compared to similar baits from Jackall and others. The VWake Minnow and VWake 60 Crank are good baits. I have used both with good success. Brad

4 1/2" Live Magic Shad works great with a 4/0 Mustad Ultra Lock Impact hook, weighted or unweighted versions. These are the hooks I use with these baits 90% of the time. Brad

I've been wanting to get a three bank charger to replace my two bank and I'm finally getting around to it. Anyone have a three bank charger? I'm trying to see what models are good to take a look at. Thanks. Brad

Wiimote, you just gave me a great idea for a tournament this weekend. Thanks. Brad

I do best with these type of baits fishing them two ways: With a steady retrieve. Change speeds and add a slight pause now and then to see what the fish may want. Lift and drop, with the bait deadsticked on the bottom. I have had a lot of fish just pick up the bait off the bottom. Good Luck! Brad

I have used the 4 1/2" size quite a bit rigged weightless. I've had the bait run on its side, upside down and right side up and caught fish regardless. IMO, this random action is a plus as injured baitfish seldom swim the same way twice. A weighted hook will allow the bait to be fished faster and/or deeper and is a good rigging method as well. Brad

I've been using a few samples I got this year and have done pretty good with them. Brad

One of my wholesalers, Farris Brothers, had their warehouse burn down. Millions of $$$ in tackle up in smoke. The bummer is I just placed a huge order the day before the fire and is was sitting in the warehouse. :'( :'( :'( Brad

Gambler will make things right on your invoice. I have dealt with them on many occasions and they are great people. Brad

There are a lot of quality jigs out there. I personally like the Booyah, Mopp Jig and Jig X. My favorite trailer right now is the NetBait Paca Chunk. Those claws really swim. Brad

I've got a lot of jigheads and I like them all, but the Picasso Shakedown head is becoming one of my favorites. The small, titanium spring is easy to thread the worm on and it stays out of the way on the hookset. I like the round jighead style best as it works in most cover situations. As for worms, their are so many good worms out there. I like the new Gambler Giggy Sticks and I'm still playing with the Big Stick. I also do well with ZOOM Finesse and Trick worms as well as worms from NetBait. Brad

You can say that about many tackle companies. About all some of them do is distribute their products. The baits are made in one place, the packaging in another and the assembly by yet another company. Why do all the work when you can have someone else do it, to your specs and for less money? As long as the products and customer service are good, then that is what matters. Brad

Speaking of another site, they are opening a new brick and mortar store in Ohio very soon. Brad

Also, how are you rigging these? I use the 4 1/2" size 90% of the time and I use the 4/0 Mustad Impact Ultra Lock hook and get several fish on one bait. Most of my fish almost swallow this bait. So far, I have only had two baits get ripped apart this season. Brad

I carry all three sizes in the webstore and eBay store. 6 pack of the 3 1/2" and 4 packs oft he 4 1/2" are $4.89 3 pack of the 5 1/2" is $5.29. Also, BassResource.com members get 10% off those prices. So, if you have hard time finding the 6, 4 or 3 packs, let me know. Brad

I've caught a lot of fish on the Mickey Jr. over shallow grassbeds. Brad

In very skinny water, a Lucky Craft LV-0 For small baits, a Lucky Craft LVR Mini, Aruku Shad Jr. or a 1/4 oz. Spot For larger baits, LC LVRD7, 1/2 oz. Spot, Aruku Shad and LV500 A couple of specialty baits, Lucky Craft LV200 with large brass knocker and the LV300N - No rattle at all. Brad

First advice I will give if you have the actual Rat-L-Trap: change the cheap, dull, "no fish is gonna stay hooked on these" hooks that most of the baits come with. You are correct that fall is a great time for traps. I have several lakes that have grass flats and the shad school up on them in the fall and the bass follow. Retrieves can vary from buring the bait just under the surface to ripping it out of the grass. Just try different retrieves and let the fish tell you what they want. Brad