Luke Barnes

Especially for topwater lures, it seems people say get black and get bone. Whats the difference from using a gloss white or a chrome? I noticed this is especially true with walking baits and plopper style baits. I have a sexy shad Berkley choppo and the bottom 2/3 is gloss white. I'm wanting to get another smaller choppo and am looking at bone, Chrome with black back, and sexy shad again. I get being topwater odds are the fish sees the bottom and maybe some of the side. So whats the deal with Bone?

I'm in the same boat. I just won a $100 Amazon gift card and I'm trying to decide what to spend it on. I think I'm good on combos, for now....... But i am considering buying lures that I want to try but are either a bit pricey or I just wouldbt but them otherwise. So far I have a pack of Berkley Waterbugs, 1 in Gulp Minnows for Panfish, and a 90mm Berkley Choppo in bone. That leaves me $82 left. Only other thing I can think I want but wouldn't buy is a Baby Bullshad. Maybe a Thundercricket. Its hard to choose! Ive got one of these in spinning 6'6 M. Its stiff for a medium but ive used it for everything before I got baitcasters, then it went to a finesse rod until I got a dedicated ned/finesse setup. Now I have a bobber and circle hook on it haha. But it does the job. Caught many fish of different species on it.

Only thing I could see is that it wont come through grass as good and will probably pick up some of the cabbage on its way through. Other than that and crimping the line some, seems fine to me.

That can be debated for hours on here. Some say has to be zman Finesse TRD or the Zinkerz cut in half on a half moon jig head. Its all nomenclature blah blah. To me its a small stick bait or similar on a light rounded bottom jig head with a 90 degree line the. I use Zman and Xzone stuff, primarily zman. This is the 1/64oz Panfish Magnet I use. Threw a Power Egg on for some smell and taste.

All I know is i tend to run heavier line than is needed because I dont want to lose a single fish. I use the weight that casts the best for the specific setup I'm casting it on. 1/2 oz chatterbaits cast really good on my 7' MH, but to me, are too much for my 6'6 M. On tje other hand the lighter chatterbaits I dont cast as well with the 7' MH, which is what I use for them, so that's why I use that weight. Pretty much every other lure, I dont pay much attention to weight. Jigs are on my H, cranks on the M. That's about all the things I do weight depending.

Ive also caught some 2 lb bass on a 1/64 oz jig head but with a Panfish Magnet split tail worm. Tiny little thing. Its exciting and taught me a ton on working drag and playing the fish and not just leaning back and cranking it in and relying on heavier line and rods.

Ok I am exclusively pitching. Plus after watching this and another video just now I realized i was doing it wrong in the first place! The more you know!!

I use slip bobbers on my UL and it allows you to be able to change the depth of the lure very quickly. Also it allows the bobber to sit on top of the lure on the cast. If you want to fish 3 feet below thw bobber, on a standard one you would have bobber and 3 feet of line to your lure to cast out. With a slip bobber you dont have to cast all that line out, just what you regularly use. For me I usually have about a foot of line out on the cast.

I always thought the ideal flipping rod was a heavy? Im still practicing pitching every time I fish to get better at it. I like what you said about spool vs. Brakes. That makes sense. Next time I get out I'll try loosening my spool for pitching. I guess I don't truly know the difference between the two. I think I'm pitching and not flipping then.

Ive got two on two off, external set to two and spool side to side play is gone. Casts a jig a mile, casts a lighter frog good, and flips for crap! So I'm going to try looser for flipping.

Ahh. Well I use both colors haha

That's it. Im bringing my fly rod next outing!

Just quoting because that's what I'm thinking too. Like exactly!

Oh god! I can see that company getting a lawsuit from angry parents whose kid googled it!!! Care to fill us in on the context? I have good luck with that color in the Ticklerz!

But quite hilarious!

It makes sense alot. I need to ride thw thumb a bit more for sure. I just have my other two baitcasters set so perfect for me I forget this one isnt perfect for every lure yet. Something I read about the entire SLX line of reels is that they dont like a loose spool. My others, the spool is loose and has side to side play. The SLX insta-lashes if I have it that loose. So between the spool tension, centrifugal brakes (my first with them and not magnetic) and the brass collar brake, its taking some getting used to, especially on a heavy power rod.

Some companies just stick to the basics, some name them crazy names that i think are funny. What are some color names you all like? Ive never used either color but for me it's Reaction Innovations: Tramp Stamp Zman: Goby Bryant I literally chuckled as I typed those!

I thought I was going to be original. Nope. Sounds like I'm using them because they work! Pad crashers!! Popping and walking. Black for muddy water and low light, leopard for anything else for me. One thing though, the Booyah Toad Runner has the worst hookup ratio out of any lure ive ever used. Put a pad crasher back on and nail em every time.

Berkley Power Swimmer in 3.8. It's durable (8 fish day on same one) has good action, and stinks like holy hell.

Ive been reading another thread about a regular SLX adjustment, but I have an XT with 2 less pins and the SVS braking. Currently I have 2 pins on and dual set to about 2. Throws a jig AMAZING, a half ounce frog good-ish and pitches and flips meh.... I backlash alot when pitching. I'm running 60lb Sunline FXS??? flipping and frogging, as they advertise it, braided line. On a 7'2 H/F SLX rod. I want more distance on the lighter frogs and pitching. As well as not lash on a pitch. This is my first H rod so I'm learning it doesn't load up anything like my MH rods, so still working on casting lighter lures. But does anyone have any advice on break/spool settings? Also spool is set pretty tight. Tighter than I run my Lews and Abu reels. Barely any, if any at all, side to side play.

Now that ive had more time in with my SLX XT, I see what people mean. I'm still playing with settings on the brakes and I have the spool where it has no side to side play. On a big jig with a beefy trailer it zings it out there nice. But lighter frogs its a balancing act between being loose enough to cast far and major backlashing. I currently have 2 brakes on and side dial on about 2 -2 1/2. Alot I think has to do with the rod too. Its a 7'2 H so it doesnt really load up alot to help whip the frogs like it does the jigs.

My big problem is finding them. I fish mainly ponds and I have no idea if carp have been put into them. Ive never seen one. I have 2 rivers close by and various lakes a bit of a drive away that ive bass fished at. There is a drinking water supply reservoir very close that I know has carp in it, ive seen the carcasses on the shore. The only problem is its a concrete, 1.5 billion gallon bowl. No structure, no features, just vast open water. So besides chumming the ever loving snot out of an area, I have no clue how to locate them.

Ive hunted big blues and flatties, but carp is something ive never caught. I want to catch one of everything and they are so different. So unless I get lucky and catch one my odds are low unless I target them.

I'm a die-hard believer in the Panfish Magnet stuff by Leland Lures. The kit comes with 1/64 oz jig heads and the split tail worms in a variety of colors. Ive caught bluegill and all species of sunfish, bass, crappie, and a small cat. Ive caught a 2lb bass on it on my UL with 2lb line so it was a fun fight!

I'll bump this because im in the same boat. Carp get huge and I want to fight a heavyweight! Ive got all sorts of setups and not sure which of mine is best suited. My big problem is I dont know where to go to target them.