fin

Found this a while back. Assuming it's saltwater based on the hooks.

You can make it as complicated as you want. Willow blades look more like shad, Colorado blades make more noise. That's the basics of it. I guess that's clear water? A willow blade might be better. Colorado blades are better for low visibility. I wouldn't stress over it. You can't really go wrong. War Eagle is real popular here on this forum, but I've never even tried one and I've caught a lot on spinnerbaits. I've even caught a lot with those $1 spinnerbaits from Walmart. One of my favorites is the Strike King KVD Finesse Spinnerbait. You should buy what appeals to you. Your confidence in it is one of the most important things.

I never lay them on the ground. It's not going to kill them, but it can't be good for them. I do use my rod for a ruler though. The logo on mine is 24" from the base.

I'm not trying to impress anyone with my pics, in fact I rarely share them at all. I try to get an accurate picture of the size because I don't have scales and the picture serves as part of my record keeping. Even when I finally break down and get some scales, the pictures will still be an important part of my records.

I wonder how many cellphones sit at the bottom of lakes. It's just wrong that cellphones don't come with a place to attach a wrist strap or lanyard. If you want to rig something up, google: "How I Made a Mobile Phone Neck Strap Lanyard Case for $6". It would also be nice if the shutter was voice-activated. I guess maybe they are on better phones, but I've got an el-cheapo. As far as taking the picture, I've found that fish always look more like their real size when the camera is level with the center of the fish, and the fish looks smallest when the camera is level with the head of the fish. I usually take two pictures - one selfie, and one shot of the fish itself.

I interview almost every fish I catch, unless there's people around.

If this thread was about which name was cooler, it would be a harder decision.

So the Berkley is really the most expensive per piece, but I don't think a lot of us look at it like that when we're trying something new. It's not until we're hooked that we start thinking about the price per piece. Also, that price is on sale. They're a buck a piece at BPS.

Bigger is not always better when it comes to jerkbaits, IMO.

VMC EWGs have a "hook eye that is sealed shut with smooth epoxy resin to prevent your line from slipping through or getting damaged."

Eagle Claw's EWG hooks have been redesigned this year. Most noticeably, the neck has changed. Old on the left, new on the right. I don't know if they manufacture these themselves, or maybe they've farmed it out to somebody different. I don't think there's any way to tell the difference without looking at the hook. I don't think the package or item number has changed. Personally, I prefer the old and had to dig to the back of the rack to find some of the old ones. I have a couple packs of the new I'm going to return.

This is the lure OP is asking about: I've never used one, or even seen one that I recall, but I can't imagine it would walk as good as a puppy.

I know some folks on here cut them in half down the middle. Those Kalins Crappie Scrubs mentioned in that Ali Express thread look kinda like a frog. Look like they'd be light.

I don't know, really. I guess it depends on the trailer. Not many of them actually float do they? Very slow sinking, but not really floating.

I'm weird too. I Never use trailers on spinnerbaits or buzzbaits. I rarely use buzzbaits. I do use trailers on chatterbaits. If you use a trailer on a buzzbait, you're going to have keep the retrieve faster to keep it up, and if you try to do a pause, it's going to sink quicker. I prefer a large skirt for a slower sink when pausing. Too large of a skirt on too small of a buzzbait and you're going to have to maintain a fast retrieve to keep it spinning. With a spinnerbait, I think there's enough going on there already to attract a fish. I agree sometimes they're going after the blades, because I've hooked some in the chin, but I think they're going after the skirt sometimes too. A trailer is just too much unnecessary added weight for me. As with most things, I don't think there's a wrong or right answer, just preference. I'm sure trailers sometimes help encourage a fish to bite.

Put the 30 back on there and tape 10 quarters to it. See how you like the feel of that, because that's the difference between the 30 and the 35 - about 2 ounces. I've got that exact setup - 30 President on 7' Cherrywood, only difference is mine is a two-piece. It's nice and light, I don't know why you would want to add weight to it. I've heard people say a balanced rod reduces stress on their elbow or whatever joints. Okay, I get that, but I don't think adding weight is good for your joints. I can't imagine what other benefit is derived from a balanced rod.

I deal with a lot of braid twist because of a certain lure I use. The line will get so twisted you can see it. When it gets like that, trying to push the twist out with your fingers is not going to work. What @jimmyjoe suggested is going to be the best solution for getting rid of the twist, but it can take a while to spool it off and back on. Another way is to let your line hang from a high place, like a bridge or balcony, without letting it touch the ground. You want to have something on the end of the line with some weight to it, an ounce or so, and you want to be able to look at it from a distance and be able to tell if it's spinning, and which direction it's spinning. The twist is worst closer to the lure, so sometimes you only have to untwist the first 10 yards or so. You can also do the same thing at home by letting your line hang from the ceiling, only untwisting 8' at a time. I'm not going to take the time to type out the complicated instructions for that. Very time consuming, but you can go off and do other stuff while you're waiting for it to unwind.

That's me. I can't just sit there waiting. I also like to move around. There are many 10-15# grass carp where I fish. They aren't hard to catch and they put up an excellent fight. Problem is the only way to catch them is to let your bait sit for a long time. On the rare occasion I do fish for carp, I'm throwing artificial for bass with other rods and wander away from the carp rods. It's great fun to fight a carp, but the waiting is like punishment to me. It's like saying sitting in jail is 'relaxing'. I've been casting plastic lizards onto some beds lately, and even that bores me after a while, even though I've been catching a few.

I prefer the death of a thousand cuts.

Top picture is Frankenstein with the tubular insulation added. Bottom picture (sorry for focus) shows buoyancy compared to original. These hooks may be overkill, but why not? As @WRB pointed out, it would roll really bad if it worked at all. I think that's why there's no smaller size than the 75. lol. Tandem Torpedoes! I've never had much luck with feathered hooks for some reason. I like the way they look, but I just don't get hits on them. It probably adds a little buoyancy to the tail hook too. Yep, that's pretty much what I've got. I took one of them and painted it with the same green nail polish as the torpedo and put an olive/green skirt on it. Threw it a little this morning and got one slap on it. The topwater bite isn't really happening here yet.

I love tinkering, and I've tried lots of off-the-wall stuff. I don't care what anybody but the fish thinks about it. Today I tried taking a piece of 1/4" tubular insulation and sliced it lengthwise like a sub sandwich and then wrapped it around the base of the tail hook, securing it with a uni knot. It's a gray color and it doesn't look terribly different than the lure color. It worked so well I'm going to go back up a size on the tail hook. With the lure now sitting perfectly horizontal, the blade turns immediately with the slightest twitch and it churns out more water at low speeds. Maybe I'll post a pic of it later. I don't think I have any Baby Torpedoes. I had forgotten there was a larger size until you mentioned it. Good idea though.

All those pretty pictures are nothing compared to the collection of decades of knowledge gathered here. I did see something different there though - a "Ploppin' P" by PH Custom. It uses a single metal blade. Looks interesting, but I couldn't find a video of it in action.

Academy makes one, I've got a few of them and I was actually throwing one this morning. Good lure, I've caught a bunch with it. I tried taking off the front propeller just to see what happened, and it rolled. I guess the front spin counteracts the back spin.

I've got a couple that are about 3" long. I kind of forgot about them, never used them much. I need to dust them off. I've been playing around with one, trying to modify it. I put a smaller hook on the tail trying to get the blade up closer to the surface, but having tried turning it around backwards. I'll definitely give it a try. I nail polished this one in greenish gold, without eyes or any pattern, so if it spins a little it doesn't matter visually. Yes? ? After my recent experience with a Lunkerhunt frog losing its leg on the first strike. That's the way I always felt about buzzbaits - you just retrieve them in and there's no skill involved, but that's not really true. The tiny prop bait does require more skill and style. I've done a lot of different stuff with the tiny torpedo, but never tried to walk it. Looks like it's a little cheaper than the Megabass. Do they hold up? Yeah, this was a stupid title for this thread. I should have titled it, "Is there a smaller whopper plopper style bait?" I guess maybe if you tried to make a smaller whopper plopper it would roll.