papajoe222

Adding an action style trailer can change the flow of water behind the blades thereby impeding their ability to spin freely. The easiest solution is to bend the bait's arm up. The trailer is then lower and farther back from the blades. My favorite trailer in the spring is a Kalin's Lunker grub. The addition of the trailer allows me to retrieve a willow bladed spinnerbait at the same speed as an Indiana bladed one without a trailer. As the season progresses, I downsize to a smaller grub eventually eliminating their use in the summer. I have two brands of baits that share duties; Stanley VibraWedge and the Megastrike StrikeBack.

I use snaps, but I remove the split ring on baits prior to connecting with the snap. My eyesight is poor and although they are small, it's easier for me to tie one on than to tie directly to the lure.

I have a pair of Costa 380G green polorized lense and use them for both driving and fishing. Pricey, but worth it IMO

I actually have a couple. The first is the Ned rig. The second is dangling my finger over the side of the dock and lipping a bass when it tries to bite my finger. I don't plan on trying either.

Best answer to the OP's question. 12lb-14lb Big Game.

As I said in another thread; You can tell it's been a long winter.

Using soft plastics in very cold waters can be intimidating, mainly because of preconceived expectations. That goes for any presentation under tough conditions. I, for the life of me, can not catch early season LM on jerk baits. I still have a rod dedicated to just that, but after an hour or so with nothing to show, I switch to something I have confidence in and will continue throwing that for three or four hours. Case in point, the fish I caught the other day. I was three hours into fishing before I got my first bite (blade bait), no hook-up. Fifteen minutes later I switch to a confidence presentation and was rewarded after thirty minutes. It took two hours more to catch the other two. Next time you're catching on that spoon, switch to a soft plastic. That's one way to prove to yourself that they are productive after ice-out.

I prefer a line tie parallel to the hook shank (180) for fishing grassy vegetation. Although both styles will catch the grass, they seem to catch less than a perpendicular (90) line tie. I do agree with Tom about the shape of the jig head being more important and I base that on the type or lack of cover.

So how many of you still use a C-Rig as a search tool just after ice-out? I picked up my first bass (plural) today C-rigging a Havoc Grass Pig Jr. The bait is one I've never tried on the business end before, but the rig itself has been an early spring staple of mine for years.

I have a box marked 'Skunk Repelent' but I rarely reach into it. In-line spinners, hair jigs and small soft plastics like tubes comprise most of what's in there.

The only skirts I trim are on the jigs I use for really tough conditions. Then, I'll trim them even with the hook bend and add a trailer like a Rage Tail Chunk. https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/strike-king-rage-tail-chunk-soft-bait-lures Trimming the skirt allows the trailer to move freely. If I'm fishing a lot of timber, I may stiffen up the weed guard by shortening it a little, but on most of the Arkie style jigs I use, the guard is stiff enough. Just remember, a bulky trailer will affect the jig's fall rate and one like a RageTail will slow it even more. Trust me when I say; Fall rate is paramount to jig fishing.

I've hooked into a number of finds, two of which had fish attached to them. One was a Colorado bladded spinnerbait with a channel cat attached. The other was a 1.4oz Mepps impaled in the back of a 15lb. carp. I still have the Mepps, but have failed to get another carp using it.

You can tell by many of the recent posts that it's been a looooooooong winter Hopefully, March will WISK it away.

I have no idea, just wanted to say welcome to BR.

Give a craw tube like BigBite baits a try. They're bulky, but skip easily. I use an internal weight. A great alternative to beaver style plastics.

I fish hair jigs in shallower water, under 15ft., so I rarely go over 1/4oz. ball head, no weed guard. Although I do tie a few black with either a few strands of white, or red hair, the majority of mine are white, or light brown with a white head. I can add stripes with a Sharpie to imitate a perch, or fish them as is to imitate a minnow. I start out with compact 2in.-3in. jigs in cold water and work up to 4in.-5in. in the summer.

Not knowing the type of cover, if any, I'd say a 1/4oz jig with a compact trailer, a tube (you can always rig it stupid style for timber an such) and a fluke style soft plastic jerk bait.

The greater the angle of vision to the water, the better. From a canoe or yak, even the best pair of polarized sun glasses won't give you much advantage looking into the water unless you're looking down over the side. The reflection off the water, however, increases as does the need for quality eyewear to protect your eyes. A mirrored lens is your best option. The color of that lens is a personal preference.

JIG is most highly regarded. Spook is my favorite.

Having a multitude of options, as far as tackle is concerned, puts things in your favor when it comes to catching a few extra fish, or possibly none at all. Let the conditions determine what you use and keep it simple. For instance, fishing submerged vegetation. how do you want to approach it. You have a number of options with the gear you mention. Pick one you have confidence in, if you get on fish, switch to something else that you're not sure about. That, IMO is a good way to eliminate, or add a bait/presentation to those you have confidence in.

Most pond bass don't roam in the way most define roaming. They do position themselves differently under different conditions as well as become more, or less, active under different conditions. Overcast skies, by themselves, are a poor indicator of weather conditions which have more of an affect on bass behavior than light penetration. They can appear pre or post warm or cold fronts. The one thing that's certain is a reduction in light penetration and if that were the only factor, their presence would indicate an increase in activity. Active fish will normally not bury themselves in, or hold extra tight to cover, but inactive fish will. If you're not getting bit fan casting, first make sure you're covering different depths and changing up your retrieves. Then start targeting specific cover, above, below, and outside the target. Lastly, if no luck, get right in the thick of things. One last tip, slow down as you progress through the steps mentioned. The benefit of fishing a pond vs. a lake is the fact that the fish have no place else to go, so they must adapt to the conditions. You, as an angler, must also adapt.

Not to turn you away from a Crankin Stick, but you'll also be throwing big, single hook baits and while the MH has enough power for either application, you'll want a moderate/fast or fast action for hook sets across the board.

A bait that will allow you to fish both the matted and submerged weeds is a Zoom Ultravibe Speed Worm on a weighted hook like a 3/32oz Owner TwistLOCK Lightweight. You can buzz it slow or fast across the tops, or allow it to sink into the openings. It's light enough that it won't bog down into the weeds and because of the profile, pops easily back to the surface. I prefer a dark color like blackberry in the thick stuff because it contrasts nicely. You can opt for a G-Tail if there are a few inches of open water above the weed tops. Either way, a good dousing of an oil based scent will help keep the weeds from sticking to your presentation. No knowing the type of weed you're dealing with, it's difficult to recommend any particular punching set-up, but punching is likely the best presentation for most conditions.

I prefer fluoro because it allows the bait to maintain a nose down attitude on the pause. I feel that is a plus in colder water temps. When I"m using a floater, mono is my choice. I really don't know if it makes a difference, but it's what I have confidence in.

Send it to me for testing. seriously, check this out: