Dangerfield

Enjoying this wild weather with the family on the dock. In between swimming with my kiddo and crush a couple of beers. I got one the wacky ned rig, one last fish tonight before I go back to work ?? we get on em.

It's a hot one today, only managed to get a decent one and a sunfish ??? hopefully tonight the bite picks back up.

That would look awesome on my Dobyns Fury

Just like the other guys, I've got an 8.1 on my froggin rod and it's a workhorse.

Edit to my post above: Turns out both my smaller rats are both 30s, not a 25, which must be tiny. I have a bbz-1 shad 25 and it's barely 2 inches long - fun fact, I've caught rainbows on that too (citrus shad). Back to the 30s, these are more squarebills than wakes, they do wake. For what ever reason, my MD colour sinks more then the new chrome one but it's also 2 years older and has seen many esox. I use my cranking rod for the 30s, and if it's got a jerk/crank tied on, I'll use cast them on a 703sf. The 40 is great one my 735c, 5.5 gear ratio is the perfect wake.

Just added a rat 30 this weekend in chrome. Thanks @Bluebasser86 25 really struggles to wake, 30 is a bit better and only the 40 is a true wake. Oh, I added another species to the list:

The 40 feels right at home on either of my jig rods, 735c and lew's custom lite magnum jig. The 8.1 reel makes it impossible to wake unless I'm moving like molasses.

Thanks for the feedback James! This will help cull the bait monkey's desire for every colour/pattern. I've had varied success with dark jig patterns, I think I'll use it more as a confidence bait in the future. We do tend to fish up shallow 15' or less.

I started exploring some local shops online cause most shops are locked up due to you know who. I feel a lot more confident using black/blue after last season, and the monkey told me to treat myself. I like dirty jigs, they have an amazing colour selection, beautiful paint jobs, and many jighead options to fit your desire. I like the touch of gr. pumpkin added to the skirt, but I gotta say after getting a 3-pack of Dobyns fb jigs with a mix of live rubber, the most insane keeper AND wire tied, I don't know if I can go back to Dirty Jigs. 3/8oz Dirty Jigs TL Pitchin' Jig in Blackend Blue (x2) 1/2oz Dirty Jigs TL Pitchin' Jig in Blackend Blue Baby D Bombs - Sprayed Grass for my finesse casting jigs 4/0 River2Sea New Jack Flippin' Hook for Freedom Chatterbaits

Hi James, The lake in my back yard, Lake Simcoe, is gin clear in most areas I frequent from zebra mussels and in these conditions I typically run mono/fluoro leaders and use more realistic patterns and colours. The old match the hatch When I'm up north fishing parts of Georgian Bay (Lake Huron), the water is semi-clear (yellowish) by the shores based on depth but overall is black stained from the iron in the rocks. We do have success on white/bone as a general colour, So my question to you is how do you prepare for stained water conditions? (top 5 lures, patterns/colours, specific techniques that excel etc) Thanks in advance, love the videos on YT and old SK promotional ones too. Jon

That looks like a quality bait - it's like an extra jointed version of the Shellcracker. Is that tail made of soft plastic? or rubber?

Same here Roldy, really looking forward to when this all ends.

Xzone was sold to an American company a couple of years ago. Same with Freedom Tackle, the owner's brother owns Set The Hook plastics which I see in ma n pa shops alot but I've never tried them out due to personal preferences.

I tried to buy some on their site and it wouldn't take my order because it was shipping to Canada. I messaged them on Instagram and said what's up. 2 weeks later I finally got an invoice (through PP) and 4 days later I had my baits. I was hella persistent - I think they're overwhelmed or are very lackadaisy. Good luck!

@jbsoonerfan your buddy sounds an awful lot like my buddies

It'll be fine, but you should track down a 50 size for that rig.

Time will tell but the Bubble walker 80 looks identical to the Popmax for half the price. Really happy I picked one up.

wow - I typically run a wire leader for my bigger, more $$ baits, and never considered it being a staple in my arsenal. I know catching isn't an issue from your pics on pics on pics of football brownies, but do you find the AFW leader material to embed the action? I was thinking of running like 30lb Sufix Siege or Elite as a leader material but enter the AFW and now I'm thinking 30lb mono might not be enough.

Do you use 20lb for all applications or do you scale up for bigger baits (1.5oz+)?

@A-JayWhat's the leader material you're using?

I've been hooked since someone posted this video in the Bait Monkey thread. First time out with the Morning Dawn 25, caught 7 Northerns and 2 smallies - It's more of a crank than a wake. You gotta go painfully slow with the 25 to get it to wake constantly. I wish I went with the 30 or bigger I heard they wake better. Nothing like the brownies in this video but I've had to place another TW order all thanks to them. I gotta have that 40 in grey. I'd get more but I've got a 2 shellcrackers that fit a similar profile/presentation.

#1 Goal - Break my PBs set last year for SMB (6lb) and LMB (5.6lb) #2 Goal - Get my daughter on the boat for 1-2 hour trip #3 Goal - Catch a Musky (really hard in my areas with pike soo prevalent) Everyday Goal - Have fun even if the bite isn't on!

total understatement haha Simcoe produces some big smallmouth - we won't be out there till late-June

where is this in GBay? Near the Sound or closer to Collingwood/Wasaga? We got some good rain down here in Barrie - and my brother in law and I were checking out some belly boat / wader spots close to home that are opening up nicely.