Mobasser

When I started, I used to think flash was the best in dark or muddy water. I struck out too many times trying flashy baits. I realized it was vibration that drew more strikes. I used to keep a couple of Blakemore CC spinnerbaits on hand for night fishing, and these worked best in dark water also. One large Colorado blade, usually black or a dark colored skirt, with a #11 pork frog trailer. The best retrieve was as slow as I could reel, and still feel the big blade thumping along.

I read about this bomb yesterday. Deliberate bombing here. Very bad situation! On the news, they said if this would have happened any other day, many people could have been hurt or killed. Stay safe

I received a coffee grinder and a big bag of coffee beans. Two warm shirts, and a gift card from Academy. All is good.

Merry Christmas Tom, and to all here on BR. Let's plan on making 2021 a better year.

Merry Christmas to all here on BR. Hoping everyone has a good holiday!???

For me, I would choose to fish with any of our site moderators here. They've all been helpful. Also, I'll choose Larry Nixon or Tommy Martin,two of my heroes.

I must be behind the times here, because this is the first I've heard of the " free rig". If it's an unpegged t rig, I've been fishing one already for at 40 yrs.

I like Catts answer the best here. I fish some ponds for as long as I can in winter. Just like early spring, 2 or 3 days of warming night temps will produce the best fishing. Sunlight can help warm things up in the daytime, but you need those warming nights too. I've had the best luck toward the end of a sunny day. A slow moving jig combo has worked the best for me.

Overall, a light T rig worm caught most of my fish. Mostly Zoom, Culprit, and some old Mr. Twister Phenoms I found last year. Spinnerbait scored in the Spring, but the spinnerbait bite didn't last long when it started getting hot. I caught three fish on a jig/ trailer combo this fall, then, didn't have a lot of time to go after that. Not my best season by any means. Looking forward to next year already.

Craw, in my opinion the best fishing site on the web hands down! Great bunch of folks, and willing to share some great info. I like this site a lot myself.

I also have a jar of #60 fly strips. These are around 1 3/4 in lentgh. From what I've read, this one was a favourite trailer of Billy Westmoreland, for use on his Hoss Fly aspirin head jig. I've never used them, but might give them a shot at some point, maybe on a Kalins bucktail jig.

With the recent post by A-Jay about pork baits coming back, this got me reminiscing about pork baits in general. I had always seen pork baits in tackle shops, but never gave them much thought untill 1980, when I read about Bo Dowden winning the Classic on an Arkie jig with a #11 pork frog trailer. I bought some pork frogs and Arkie jigs, and began to fish them. It wasn't easy. It took me quite some time before I hooked my first bass on this bait. They became a mainstay at that point, and I remember being dissapointed when they stopped making them. I've realized that there's a a big group of younger anglers who have never had a chance to fish pork rind baits. The one we used most often was the #11 pork frog, as a trailer on jigs, spinnerbaits, and a Johnson spoon. Another good one was the U3 split tail eel, also a great trailer on the same baits. A couple of things we did years ago: If your fishing a smaller jig, say, a Bitsy Bug, use a sharp knife and cut the fat away on the pork frog. This makes a thinner trailer, and will expose the white underside of the uncolored pork frog. Something else that may help: when you open a new jar of pork baits, swab the inside of the jar with a light coat of Vaseline or similiar petroleum jelly. This makes the lids easy to get off and on as need be. And, always store them in the original jar, with the solution they come in. Pork rind baits may never replace plastic for many anglers, but they can have a unique place in your tackle. I've always thought that the soft, meaty texture of pork rind baits can cause a bass to hold on for those few extra seconds, so you can set the hook. Pork rind baits are also a big part of our bass fishing history. They've been around for a long, long time. I'm glad they're back, and, I hope the younger guys will give them a shot, so they too can experience fishing with one of the best of the old school baits. They work. Bass love em.

I'll be thawing out some crappie fillets to fry up tomorrow night for dinner. I like mine with a shot or two of Zatarains Cajun hot sauce. Hard to beat!

Hook the pork frog and let it trail behind your jig. Hook it about 1/8 to 1/4 through the fat part of the frog. Fish it on your jig with a slow lift fall, or drag retrieve. They also make good trailers on a spinnerbait or weedless spoon. Good luck with them.

You might check out Academy Sports. The Magellen line might fit what you need.

I like crappie, bass, bream, and channel catfish. Also most saltwater fish I've tried. Walleye are good too.

A couple of years ago, I bought an old tackle box at a yard sale, with a few things inside it. There were 3 jars of UJ pork baits. One #11 glitter frog in blk/blue, one jumbo pork frog , grn/wht, and one jar of #60fly strips. The jumbo frogs look to be bad, the other two are good. I havnt fished with pork for years, but may order a jar or two. #11 pork frog in black was what we used the most. A favourite rig years ago for night fishing was a 3/8 or 1/2 oz single blade spinnerbait with the #11 frog trailer. We liked black, or dark colors the best, with a large Colorado blade. Pork baits work. Glad to see them back.

Chatterbait. Everyone and their dogs catch all kinds of fish on them, but they just don't work for me.

I know I've changed through the years. Years ago, I tried to force feed the fish, and fished too fast much of the time. Now, if I'm over a good spot, I can slow down and fish my baits through the cover very slowly if I need to. This has helped me land many more fish over the years, and made me a better jig/worm fisherman too.

I've always liked lures of all kinds, and have always been fascinated by "why" some work better than others. I have a modest collection of older ones. My first spinnerbait, a Bomber Bushwacker, a scarred up Bass Oreno, that my brother gave me, and my first deep diver, like A-Jay and scaleface, an Arbogast Mud Bug. These were three that I had luck on when I started. I have a few more also. Good post WRB.

I like the Rage Tail Menace grub. T rig or shakeyhead

I've seen guys try to look closely at what I'm using. Maybe they're trying to copy me, after I've hooked a fish? I don't really care. They may tie on the same bait, but I doubt they can copy my exact retrieve, depth , or speed. If they do, it's all good. They can catch some too.

Mine is pretty obvious. I'm from Missouri- Mobasser.

I think a good reel, sized for the rod and line, can improve the rod. Better reels are lighter, smoother, and just perform better.

Catt, when I first tried the jig and pig years ago, I couldn't catch anything on them. I probably cast 1000 times before I finally connected with a bass. My first one gave a pretty solid thump when he hit it. Over the years, I've had them strike jigs in all sorts of ways, but mostly light strikes. It is very similar to t rig fishing, and, the strikes can vary from day to day. It's the type of bait that does require some learning and skill. Novice jig fisherman will have some frustration catching fish with them, but, just like most things in fishing, practice makes perfect. You've got to apply yourself to it, and stick with it to learn to get good with a jig for sure.