Black Hawk Basser

Yes, I've put a twist lock EWG on a Mepps spinner, and I run small swimbaits or action-claw type craws. It works, but I don't generally catch large fish with it.

This is exactly the scenario that I experience most of the time in the somewhat small pond that I regularly fish. It really pays off to throw my jig or T-Rig into the grass on the bank and drag it into the water. This method produces devastating strikes for me much more often than a big plop into the water. To the original poster: Stick with the jig and you will eventually see that they are almost always a viable option, especially when they aren't sniffing your faster moving baits. You will also eventually see that a slow hop, drag or shake along the bottom will be the highest percentage retrieve with a jig. The only instance in which I don't at least try a jig is when vegetation makes a Texas rig the better option.

Awesome lure! I just crushed a bunch of bass on a homemade swim jig last night. Heckuva feeling when it's your own creation.

I only have a 130. I bought it just for fun, hoping to either get a muskie's attention, or big bass. I have only thrown it for maybe two hours in two years. I should give it more opportunities, as I've gotten a couple muskie blow-ups, and I have caught a few bass from two to four pounds. I guess the only reason why I don't throw it more often is that I don't really have a suitable rod to throw a 1.5 ounce bait.

Yellow perch and bluegill top my list. Walleye would be next. I think crappie meat is overrated. I've killed a couple smallmouths with gut hooking and they are pretty awesome. I like largemouth bass, too, but they have to be 15"+ here to keep them. At that size and bigger, they aren't quite as tasty as the younger ones.

Apparently everything lined up perfectly for a swim jig bite, because I had quite the evening. 69° water, sun setting, ripping through emergent grass tops. No monsters but a whole lot of respectable fish. Also got a few on a U Vibe Worm, as shown above.

Love the Ribbit! I scored a nice one last night on a similar tactic - Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Worm buzzed over emergent grass.

From BPS, mostly stuff for river smallmouth duty. Still more TRD's on the way in a separate shipment.

I'd say a jig, but there's really no good reason to NOT fish a jig in most situations in most places, I think. I'll say that a spinnerbait is the hardest thing for me to put down, even when I know slowing down with something else will probably work much better.

The Swimming Worm has been featured/mentioned in In-Fisherman many times over the years. I have never tried the technique. I'm pretty lazy when it comes to pre-rigging anything.

When I was twelve, my folks and I went to the Springfield/Branson area and they took me to the BPS headquarters. They used to have a mug o' baits deal, a plastic travel mug full of plastic baits. There were some 6" purple worms that looked like a octopus tentacle with a curly tail. I think that my first worm bass was with that funky purple worm.

Look up 'kleptoparasitism'

It's a cash-back shopping service where you get a certain percentage back depending on the store. Cabela's and BPS were 10% cash back, I'm not sure if it still is. It's always at least 7% back on Cabela's orders. The cash back is paid quarterly I think.

I've seen a friend catch a few big fish on Hula Poppers. Generally I think a pop, pop, long pause works well with them. They gurgle more than spit. Sammy fish.

I made a Bass Pro order today. Some pretty good prices on Z Man, Yum, Zoom, lots more. With the sale, 10% off with Active Junky, and 1.5% back on my credit card, I did pretty well.

Yep, and I'm the guy out there on the ice chasing bluegills and crappies just as hard as bass in the spring and summer, not out there to do anything besides that. I am also the guy that ends up with a flipover shack full of people's junk. The worst thing about the ice litter is, sometimes the surface of the ice will thaw and refreeze, locking in much of the trash.

Ever palmered rabbit strips on a shank? It uses a lot of one strip, but it works out pretty well.

I just caught a few bass the other day on a jig with a swimming chunk. I wasn't exactly swimming the bait, though.

1. Classic option 2. I think you'll like these. Rig them on a 4/0 or maybe 5/0 EWG hook. Can be a belly weighted one but I don't use those for buzz toads. 3. Another classic option, although I'd fish these for walleye or stream smallmouths 4. Another oldie but goody, these should catch any species aside from small panfish.

I used to do this, until I witnessed my bait pole go darting into the abyss of a gravel pit in a split second from a fish taking off with it. There went a $120 combo.

I haven't figured out anything except harvesting the hooks and split rings.

What I do to catch a lot of bass on bait is to throw a simple sliding sinker rig with cutbait, having the intention to catch catfish. I inevitably catch some of the biggest bass of the year!

The light turned on for me three years ago. I don't remember exactly when it clicked, but now whenever I grab my jig rod, I can't believe it took me so long to give jigs more work.

Buzz toad, like a Yum Tip Toad or Keitech Noisy Flapper. I also love Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Worms in this situation.