fin

The more time you put in at the right time is key there. Fishing more at the wrong times is not necessarily going to produce a fish. You have to be ready to put everything aside when conditions are right, and then putting in ridiculous hours will eventually pay off. Fishing too much at the wrong time is actually a bad thing for your skills, mentally.

So is the problem the loop knot or the cheap hooks? Do you guys think a loop knot is a bad idea on a tube?

That's still like 4-5 times as much as I'm paying, and I don't like the bend on the VMC's. I used to buy them, but at some point they switched over to all heavy gauge wire, I don't know if it's just my store. I like thinner wire. You mean like the VMC? I'm not sure I follow. You mean like create a ring out of thicker mono to serve as a hook eye?

I don't even know what brand that particular hook was, it was in a bag with other 4/0 hooks. I admit I use cheap stuff, Eagle Claw mostly. I have a problem paying like a dollar per hook. The problem is I can't afford it ?

The Vise Grips do work, if you squeeze it from bottom of the eye to top, not side to side - the metal just springs back. Maybe that is the solution. I mean, there is still a teeny tiny gap, I don’t know. I’ll never be able to know how big the gap was in the hook I lost.

That's 10# mono, .011", and apparently even that wouldn't quite fit through the gap, since it's slightly cut. I've never tried putting the vise grips on an eye. I'll try it, but I doubt it would close the eye any.

On the end of this line there was a 4/0 EWG hook, and on that hook was a Berkley Havoc tube, and on that tube was a 5# largemouth, but they’re all gone now. The line isn’t broken, it slipped through the gap in the eye of the hook. You can see the line is slightly cut/frayed at the point where it slipped out. I knew this was a remote possibility, but I thought the odds of it happening were extremely small, since the line would have to be pulled in the opposite direction of the direction of the fish pull. I think I have even argued that point with someone on these forums a long time ago. Well, the odds may be debatable, but there’s no disputing the fact that I lost a really nice fish. I’ll probably never use a non-slip knot (Kreh loop knot), Rapala knot, or anything like that with a hook again, unless the hook has something like VMC’s “resin-closed eye”. I thought that type of knot might give the tube a little more natural look. Even using a more traditional knot, now I’m wondering if it might slip out. This has given me a paranoia. I don’t want to buy special hooks, or dip all my hooks in super glue or epoxy. I don’t want to add a snap. Maybe a split ring? That might cut the line. What’s the best (cheapest/easiest) way out? Has anyone had a non-loop style knot slip out of the eye before?

What is the brand name of that one, second column from right, third from bottom/top? I never can remember that. I had it confused with River2Sea for a long time, so now that's stuck in my brain. Anyway, I've got that same model, but in black where that one is blue. The hologram inside is nice, it looks great swimming, and I must have thrown it a million times, but I can't catch a fish with it, even when throwing it in a school of feeding bass.

You can’t really go wrong with a lipless. My preferences are different than most, but I’ve caught fish on almost every lipless I’ve fished. I don’t like the way RES swim and get sideways - they are my least favorite, but they have some great colors and I’ve caught lots with them. I’m not crazy about the profile of the Bill Lewis, Cordell, etc., but I’ve caught plenty of fish on them too. I prefer lipless that have more buoyancy, but I also like blade baits, so I can’t say one is better than the other. I don’t see anybody mention the H2O, which is probably my favorite. Booyah makes a nice one too. Even the Walmart Chinese cheapos are okay by me, just cheap hardware and ugly colors. I’m not wealthy enough to spend the big bucks on a lure than sinks like a rock, but if I was, I’d probably try every brand I could get my hands on.

True. I was just curious what was available. I hadn't even considered all the saltwater stuff. This turned out to be more interesting than I expected. Personally, a 4" lipless is probably what I'm looking for. Yeah, those are pretty ugly. They might work in a feeding school though. I have this belief that the larger a lure is, the more realistic it needs to appear. I don't have any evidence to back it up, just a feeling. I hadn't considered how the action on a larger one would be different, but that makes sense.

I don't think they make it anymore. I went to the Pradco site and clicked on the Cordell logo, which takes me to Lurenet, and all it shows is the 3" 1/2 oz and 2.5" 1/4 oz. Maybe I'm just not looking in the right place. Who owns Pradco? ?

I mean size, not necessarily weight. Bill Lewis 1 oz is 4" X (?), but is only available in chrome. A Booyah 3/4 oz is 3" X 1.125". Academy 5/8 oz is only slightly smaller at 3" X 1". Anything big available with color selection?

I had an idea - hang the lures using fishing line inside and old aquarium, like the lures are fish swimming in the aquarium. ?

Snake oil? Seriously though, I've dragged silicone and rubber skirts out of the lake that had been at the bottom for years, and after washing, they're fine to reuse. I've found some that are so old they become dry and brittle and break though, so I suppose it might be possible to somehow prevent their breakdown by keeping them lubricated, but I think that's extreme and not something the average fisherman should be concerned about, unless they are leaving their skirts outside in the sun and extreme temperature ranges.

Bearfoot is about right. Size 12. In the summertime I only wear shoes when I have to, so I would drive to the lake barefoot and put on my shoes when I got there. On the days when I remembered to bring them ? I was raised pretty much barefoot. It’s weird to me that some people are so shocked when they see me barefoot, like I’m naked and crazy.

I've done the equivalent as a bank fisherman - I left my shoes at home and had to drive back home because I was barefoot.

I've found lots of shoes, but never one like that. ? What is that lipless? I've never seen one like that.

It was tangled up in some brush at water level, upside down and almost covered by a branch. It was hard to see, but the color caught my eye. I put hooks on it a little while ago and put it in water, and it’s definitely a floater. It seems like it has no weight at all in it. It doesn’t even have rattles. I don’t think Academy even sells them anymore. Floating and suspending lipless crankbaits are available, but not very common to see on store shelves. They work a little different, and someone not used to using them might be disappointed if they bought one unknowingly. They take a little getting used to. They all tie on at the top. I love the Academy lipless too, I have a bunch and have lost a bunch myself.

This one has been lost so long the chartreuse color has faded away on one side. I’m totally okay with that. This is an Academy H2O lure, and it’s either a floater or suspending. I’ve never seen one of either in the stores. I’m very happy to have it. Lucky find too, because it was sitting right where people stand to cast all the time, and it's obviously been there a very long time.

I'm pretty sure it's metal, but I could be wrong.

I fish a spot where schools of bass sometimes feed on shad, and I swear it seems like they start feeding exactly when I turn around to change baits. It's happened so many times to me that I don't think it's coincidence, so I always assume they can see me. I try to not make any quick movements or move around too much. I sometimes feel like a blue heron creeping around.

I saw your post and looked at the picture of the spinnerbait and read the comments, which got me thinking about throwing a spinnerbait when I went out later. I decided to just grab a spinnerbait at random off my rack without looking. Guess what I grabbed? What a weird coincidence. I decided not to throw it after all. A guy that I didn’t even know from another fishing forum gave me lots of tackle, a few rods and reels and other stuff a few years back. This spinnerbait was among that stuff. A lot of the spinnerbaits he gave me were nice, I think several were titanium. The wire finish looks more like blue steel than chrome, and the wire is more flexible. Mine looks a little different than yours. The white split-tail trailer on mine has the word Mann’s on it, so I assume it came on it.

I got so fed up with Academy's website I called in an order. They didn't mind, they even gave me a discount for my trouble.

X-Rap is the largest jerk bait I have with only two trebles, at 4.75", and Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnows just slightly shorter.