Big Rick

I second this vote. Best walking bait I use, and I've got some form of all of them. It's just something about that little spit action the Shower Blows has that makes the difference. And a novice an make it walk like a pro.

On Cloud makes an amazing waterproof shoe and boot. They are a bit costly, but you definitely get what you pay for. I'm on my second pair of boots and love them. All day comfort and support, light as a feather, feet stay dry and yet don't get clammy as they will still breathe. There is often an ad on the right side of this page for them. If you're in your boat and water flows over the top of your shoe you've got much bigger problems than wet feet. I hate wet feet and use waterproof shoes when it's rainy out to keep my feet dry.

Care to expound on the WHY? I too am always looking to improve on my fluke style fishing approach and like YUM products, though I've never used these.

My mantra is to always keep multiples of my best baits. Reasons are as follows: Why spend thousands on boat, gear, truck, gas, and then have my day cut short when the one bait I'm having success with is lost? If I have confidence in a bait and have had success with it in past outings I will endeavor to keep several in stock. Few things are as disappointing as trying to force feed the fish on an inferior bait choice knowing full well what they were really biting just before I lost my last one. I have 5 sons. They fish with me from time to time. Nuff Said....

This is the key to catching the biggest bass on the tree. Too many anglers are afraid of losing their bait and won't get it in there where the fish live. In summer, I skip frogs and paddle tail swim baits under the limbs. You gotta get in there where they live. Big bass don't normally chase a bait very far. Put it in their living room and hang on!

It seems you've answered your own question. Power Pole as in a SINGLE Power Pole. Boat just rotated around the single unit. Need 2 units to actually hold the boat in place.

Just make sure your significant other is well aware that you're using it!! Otherwise, she will most definitely get the idea that you're doing a lot more than night fishing!!

Bribe a moderator!?! You speaking from experience? Do tell!!

I try to NEVER miss an opportunity to get a different perspective. Even if the other guy is fishing the same bait. He may have a unique retrieve, presentation, or other idiosyncrasy that I don't use. You can never know too much. This guy may have been the local big girl expert. JMHO

And while we're at it: LOOSE is the opposite of TIGHT LOSE is the opposite of FOUND If you LOOSE something it doesn't mean you have LOST it. It means you have made it less restrictive. My bad.....

But, can you rig it on a hook and catch a bass? And I bet yours is scented......

Wow, nearly $2 for a soft plastic!

The biggest reason I fish is to solve the puzzle. Nature always has a way of making things interesting with changing wind, cloud cover, rising or falling temps, weather in general. I love the challenge of figuring out what it takes to best the bass. In the process of doing that all the other things that have clouded my mind start to dissolve into nothingness. I tune the world out and it's me and the fish playing chess. I tell my lovely bride of 29 years that when I'm on my casting deck I can feel the stress of everyday life running out my feet onto the deck. Fishing is my escape because I love the challenge bass provide every single time I go out. And it never gets old.

I do. Especially, if it's around 7 ft. Vibrating jigs produce a lot of drag and vibration, hence the whole reason for fishing them, and can often cause a misunderstanding of their function and design. I'm guessing your current rod is a bit overloaded with a 1/2 oz chatter bait with a trailer.

Oh, my head!! 6 pages in and I'm toast!

What rod and reel are you currently using? What size chatter bait and trailer? All of these are subjective to on another. A super heavy bait with a high speed reel will often feel overloaded. If you factor in a rod that's too light and short into that mix you've got a mess.

How in the world can you put up this cool post about a WW2 era bait and not POST A PIC???

There are quite a few opinions and videos concerning this question. What works best for me and allows the greatest distance with the most control is setting the spool tension to where whatever bait I am fishing will drop and hit the ground with full spool stop when I release the spool. My brakes are set on 8-9 depending on wind and distance. Again, some will totally debunk my method and state you need to have the spool just tight enough there is no side to side play and brakes set light. That was a recipe for disaster for me. I don't try to skip further than 50 ft. When I do it causes problems. Please understand I am no pro. But, I can accomplish the goal of presenting my bait where most anglers don't even attempt and therefore get my bait in front of fish other anglers never see.

I've not measured the length, so I can't really answer you there. I also use 30 lb as I haven't needed anything larger. Running 50 lb will definitely eat into the distance, for sure. I also have a dedicated setup for frog fishing the slop and mats that has a full depth spool, but I'm confident that filling the spool on my SP with 30 lb would allow me enough distance to bomb a cast if the opportunity presented itself while I was skipping docks and low lying tree limbs. Sorry I couldn't be more help with your specific request. I did, however, just get another SP today to give me another setup for skipping docks. I love this reel for its designed application.

That's it. I put a small dab of super glue on the hook eye when I slide the head of the toad up on it. barring any toothy critters I usually get upward of 20 bass per bait.

I throw it everywhere when there's a topwater bite. I don't get to fish heavy weed mats so I can't give an accurate opinion on those.

You'll enjoy them. They float, last a long time, and can be put in nearly any cover. They skip like a flat rock, too. Don't forget to separate the legs as the come hooked together. A steady retrieve will produce a nice gurgle. But, since they float, you can pause your retrieve and give it a couple of jerks. Jerks and twitches make it act similar to a Heddon Tiny Torpedo.

You'd think they'd run a sale this month.....

I feel your pain. I have to endure several of those per month. My avatar for Teams states: I survived another meeting that should've been an email.

I got to experience an epic bite this morning. I was skipping docks with the Z-Man GOAT Toad. I fish it on a Mustad EWG Grip Pin 5/0 hook. My rod was a Jacked Hammer Frog Rod and my reel was the Lew's Pitch and Skip loaded with 30 lb Power Pro. This morning started out a bit slow as the fish were scattered out. I caught several decent fish early but nothing to write home about. As the sun got higher and the shade lines got better defined action began to heat up. Here's what happened from 9:36 to 9:48 this morning. First fish: I skipped under a dock and got a boil on the frog. She missed it. I went right back in there and she inhaled it! After a short fight I lipped her and weighed her. 6 lbs 2 oz. I was pumped as you can imagine. I took the pic at 9:36. I sat in the boat a few minutes to process what had just happened. A toad bite is an amazing experience. A 6 lb toad bite is a totally different level of experience in my book. Second fish: After releasing the first fish I turned the boat and fired under dock 2. Frog was so far back I couldn't see it. I heard what sounded like a 5 gallon bucket being emptied in the lake under the dock. I swung for the fence and the fight was on! This one didn't want to come out of the shade at all! In the end I won the battle, lipped her and weighed her. 5 lbs 4 oz. Needless to say at this point I am in a state of disbelief! This pic was taken at 9:45. Third fish: By this time I am feeling pretty good about life and am convinced I am Gerald Swindol with my amazing skipping skills, LOL! I skip my toad under dock 3 and old girl just slurped it under. I never heard anything, just felt the weight of the fish. I stuck her hard and started reeling as fast as I could since I wasn't confident in my hook set. I scooped her up and weighed her. 5 lbs 11 oz. I took this pic at 9:48. I am completely incoherent at this point. I'm so fired up I could've walked on water! I managed to boat a 6-2, 5-4, and a 5-11 in 12 minutes. I caught several more in the 3-4 lb range as the morning wore on. An absolutely amazing day that I thought I'd share with fellow addicts that might just need the rush of vicariously living my fishing trip this morning.