fin

I'd like to open a lipless crankbait and remove weight/rattles. Would a heat-gun loosen the glue enough to pry it open?

It depends on the time of year. In warm water, when the lure breaks the surface, it's more likely to be hit in the first few seconds than in cold weather, where it's more likely to be hit somewhere along the retrieve. I'm fishing from the bank. I rarely get a hit as the lure is actually falling, and on the rare occasion when I do, many times it will be a catfish. Most of my hits are: As soon as it hits the water. After it hits the bottom and sits, when I start to retrieve. Somewhere along the way back. At the last possible minute. Right before getting to the bank. Sometimes after the lure is out of the water. Not in that order. I keep records, but not that much detail, unless it's an unusual catch. If I had to guess, I'd say the second on the list is the most common overall.

Whenever I try to tell people this, they call me crazy. If it's not a challenge, it's not fun. Except for the first 10 or 20.

I believe it, but it would end up costing me about $17 after shipping. A lot for me. I'm going to keep my eye out at some of the local places, or wait for a sale, or make one, which would probably end up costing me more but it would be fun.

So not a lot of options, apparently. Just the Ima, and maybe Cotton Cordell and Sebile (if they can be found). I saw an article about making them out of wood and it's tempting me. On the plus side, I could make something totally custom, on the negative side, balancing it would probably be a nightmare.

CPOØ2Ø1DM Ø= zero I don't know if it will still work - I entered it but didn't complete the order, so maybe it's still valid.

A word of warning: Their website is a mess. I put a bunch of stuff in my cart, and then when I went to look in the cart, it wouldn't let me in. I tried two different browsers. I called customer service and they offered me a 20% discount code if I ordered online, so I tried installing a different browser, which solved that problem, but lots of items were out of stock online to begin with, and then after I spent a bunch of time filling the cart with enough stuff to get free shipping, enter my address and credit card info and solve the 20th CAPTCHA of the day to review my order, it says, "some of your items have gone out of stock, please review your cart". I look in my cart and half of the 12 items are out of stock. I deleted the order and my account. Never again will I order online from them.

Flukes are pretty versatile, but I wouldn't say they catch fish in every situation. You can fish a fluke topwater, on the bottom or in the middle. There aren't many other baits you can do that with.

I just throw several colors in an old worm bag. The only problems I've ever had is with red colors bleeding. I put them in separate bag.

I’ve always been curious about them, but never tried one. I don’t understand how they work. To get below the surface, most lures use a lip, or they sink by weight, but they just keep on sinking. I understand suspending cranks, but I don’t understand how a lure can get below the surface and stay at a certain depth without a lip. I want one anyway. Who makes a good one?

Let’s say a guy is a workaholic his whole life, never taking time out to enjoy life, and then he finally retires with a boatload of savings. Maybe he has health issues that will severely limit the number of years he has left to fish, and fishing is one of the few things that makes him happy. Is it right to call him insane if he spends more money on fishing equipment than you do? I’m frugal myself, but I try to keep in mind that I don’t always know what is going on in other people’s lives, and I try to refrain from judging them, especially out loud and to their face. I hate to see personal attacks here. Most people here are really nice and civil. It may be under-appreciated. I used to hang out on another fishing board that was really good, but it got really bad with the personal attacks and now there’s only a small number of people that still go there. I’m not one of them.

It's the little stuff that really gets you over time. Nobody thinks twice about paying a couple bucks for something, but you pay it a million times.

I think it's 22 strands per tab, 2-3 tabs per standard skirt. I got that from one of the videos on their "Learning Center" tab - Videos from the Pros. There's also a "Builds" tab that shows a bunch of examples. I wish there was a store around me that stocked all this. I'd probably go hogwild buying stuff. The only store around here that carries it is expensive and has a very limited selection. I'm real hesitant to buy the stuff online though, because it's hard to tell from the pictures.

It’s an interesting question, because there’s nothing on the packaging or website about toxicity, and federal law (FHSA) requires it: If you’ve ever used the stuff, common sense tells you it must be hazardous. Maybe the company has some kind of exemption because they’re small or something. I’ve used it, and I’ve still got a bottle of it, but I keep it out in the shop because it’s nasty stuff that will stink up your whole house. I don't think I'll ever buy another bottle of it.

25% off all Zoom products and H2O hard baits this week at Academy.

I've used them off and on for a couple years. I use them when I'm changing out hard baits frequently, which isn't very often. I don't think there's any danger in them failing before your line would break, but you have to make sure you have it on all the way - it's possible to think you have it fastened when you don't. It's sort of like having a split ring only halfway on. I don't think there's any negative effect on action. The small (1/2") size (which I use) can be difficult for old, wet, cold fingers, etc. They can also be tricky with baits that have a recessed eye in the lip. The large (1") size are too bulky and too visible in my opinion, but they are easier for old fingers.

I agree there is probably a better way, but consider spinnerbaits, and how a bass manages to get themselves hooked on that. They can be so finicky, yet so stupid.

Nobody uses a switchblade? I thought they were illegal, I just learned they're legal in a lot of places.

You mean weightless texas rig?

Never heard of a Jitterstick. Is that a prop on the tail? Doesn't seem like that would turn very well while jittering.

I used to fish with a Zebco 404 on a 5'6" Speed Stick with the pistol grip (c. 1977), and I remember being able to cast extremely accurate. Maybe I'm just remembering it that way, but it seems like that setup was more accurate than a spinning reel, and definitely more accurate than a baitcaster. The distance was no where near as good, but when fishing creeks from banks with overhanging limbs and brush, trying to cast right behind stumps and rocks, I could hit the target almost every time. Maybe it was the simplicity of the reel and the short length of the rod. I caught a lot of bass with that setup and I also caught an ugly stick with a Shimano Caenan on it, and that ended my spincast days. I'll occasionally fish for carp, and I'm not above using an old spincast for that, but the line curl problem was a real headache.

I fish from the banks, so I keep it light, small and to a minimum. In my pocket are nail clippers and tiny 3" needlenose I found at a craft store, I think. In the backpack are hemostats, folding knife, scissors and lighter. I hardly ever use the knife, it's there for emergencies really. Guthooks are extremely rare too, thankfully, so I don't use the hemostats much either. Those tiny needlenose were a great find, I wish I could remember where I got them now.

I guess maybe that speaks pretty highly of your lure retrieval device? I've never been able to hold onto one that long.

? Similar thing happened to me at one of the Academy sales. There were guys rummaging through all the stuff like a bunch of women at a shoe sale. I was grabbing stuff I didn't really want. It's like when you find bass feeding on a school of shad - they go into a frenzy and bite stuff they normally wouldn't bite without hesitation.

Like most things, it's not a simple answer. You get what you pay for, but you also pay a premium for some names. You're also paying for R&D, marketing, sponsorships, etc. too, so you can't always see that in the product. I've always been curious how some companies can can keep such a tight control on prices regardless of the retailer, like Shimano, their stuff is basically the same price everywhere until it goes to clearance.