roadwarrior

Long casts will place the jerkbait in the strike zone for the longest period of time. Reeling quickly for a few yards will get the lure to depth and if it is properly suspending, it stays there! The distance of the movement varies from a few inches to several feet, but you can control that with a twitch or the sweep of your rod. I generally start with long sweeps and an extended pause when fishing a Pointer. With an X-Rap, quick twitches and a shorter pause is usually the approach I take. When the right cadence is found, that is the ONLY cadence you should use that day, but finding the magic requires some experimentation. I will fish with the same retrieve for several casts before trying something different, but if I'm fishing with someone else and they get a strike, I immediately switch to their style. I don't think it is important to move the lure left or right or alternate the direction. Moving forward creates action and that is what seems to appeal to the fish or at least gets its attention. Remember the strike can occur on movement or when the bait appears motionless.

6" Shakin' Zipper Worms http://www.roboworm.com/zsframe.htm When things are slow, these worms have produced lots of small fish. I have fished them T-rigged and on a split shot rig. Although they consistantly produce bites, I have never caught a big bass on these worms. For tournament fishermen this is probably a "must have" bait. Roboworms are truely amazing at enticing a bite from inactive bass.

Okay. First of all, a jerkbait is NOT fished like a crankbait. The proper retrieve is some comination of jerk, jerk, pause. Sometimes it's a series of short jerks and pause, sometimes a long jerk and pause. Finding the right cadence is not something easily described because it varies from day to day. What is critical is that the pause be complete. Rapala refers to the X-Rap as a "slash bait" which implies, at least to me, faster, more erratic action. I tend to fish them fast. By contrast, a Lucky Craft Pointer is a "true" jerkbait and I tend to use a longer motion (more of a pull than a jerk) and an extended pause. The majority of the time, the strike is on the movement of the X-Rap and during the pause on the Pointer. You simply have to experiment with a number of different retrieves, but once you find one that works, stick with it the rest of the outing. Unfortunately, the next time you are out, the best cadence will probably be something different. Check out "Fishing Articles" at the top of the page. We have a number of write-ups that will help. Here is one to start with: http://bassresource.com/fishing/Jerkbait_fishing.html Good luck!

I have "storage" boxes for each category, but I maintin a "working" Plano box with Senkos, Fat Ika, tubes, Kut-Tail and Roboworms plus hooks and a variety of weights. So, for fishing soft plastics I'm pretty well set with just one box. This is my main traveling box for bank fishing. Trailers are kept with jigs; frogs and flukes are another box; grubs and Hula Grubs another box, etc., etc. Hard baits are also sorted individually by category, then broken down for my "tacklebox" in Planos that I expect to actually use!

Woo-hoo! Glad you're back. 8-)

I'm kinda hoping he breaks into the "wrong" house. http://unattributed.net/html/whiskey.html 8-)

;D ;D ;D ;D SWEEP ;D ;D ;D ;D http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,302060,00.html ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D 8-)

Very interesting, I have never seen this information anywhere. Thanks!

Yep, but if you feel like you need more weight for the jig head, it won't hurt a thing.

GYCB Kreature, skirt forward.

Cavitron... ;D 8-)

No. The Fat Ika's "magic" is in the subtle action which is, for the most psrt, negated with weight. In moving water, the lure looks like a floating turd. It is much better suited for still water. Rig the Fat Ika skirt forward and fish it like a Senko. When you move the bait forward the tentacles are pushed backwards agaist the body. When the lure is allowed to fall, the tentacles flutter upwards giving the bait a "live" look. I fish the Fat Ika on spinning tackle, #6 Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft and Gamakatsu or XPoint 4/0 EWG Offset Worm Hooks, weightless and weedless.

;D ;D ;D OUTSTANDING! ;D ;D ;D 8-)

You done good! 8-)

Welcome aboard! It was. 8-)

Jerkbaits for a lot of guys just DON'T WORK! Generally, that's because they are being fished as a crankbait. The "secret" is to fish them like a topwater. It's that simple and that complicated. Jigs are certainly challenging for many, including myself. I have really focused on this lure/ technique for two years and have only recently begun to feel comfortable. But here is the biggest surprise: I'm not fishing my bread & butter anymore. I don't recall how long it's been since I fished a Senko or Fat Ika, but it's been a couple of months, or maybe a little longer.

Man, nice bass! ;D I'll go with the concensus, 6 something... 8-)

#1 Fat Ika #2 Single tail grub or Hula Grub #3 Silver Buddy or Cordell Gay Blade

It is a split shot rig. The weight varies, but the minimum weight that reaches the bottom is the general rule. Fast current on a river requires more weight than casting on the lake. The main difference in this method vs float & fly is that you fish the split shot rig very near the bottom, occasionally ticking the bottom structure.

Well, the "Rainbow Warrior" made it two in a row! I guess he just "got lucky."

Mizzou was ranked 11th going into Saturday's game with OU (5th). Now 16 (BCS ranking), tied with KU at 15 on the AP poll.

The Lamiglas SR705R is THE BOMB. The list price is $230, but you might find it cheaper is you shop around. I bought mine for about $160. This is a glass rod designed by Skeet Reese. http://www.lamiglas.com/prod_indiv.php?id=38

Denver rocks! http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Oct15/0,4670,BBNNLCS,00.html My wife and daughter went to the game last night. The weather was terrible, but the fans were all there. Broncos, Rockies, Avalanche or Nuggets...Denver fans support their teams. Of course, it doesn't hurt to win! 8-)

You will be very happy with the St. Croix Avid. These are well made rods and a great value at their pricing point. I recently picked up another on sale for $109 at Sportsman's Warehouse. I now have three Avids, I guess you can tell that I like them just fine.

My guess was 65 lbs to win, the actual four day winning total was 60lb - 10 oz.