brian_d

by far my favorite is a jitterbug. ive been tempted to try the bps version though.

becareful, over time alot of soft plastics will eat into the plastic tackle boxes. best bet would be to get a worm binder.

i would definately try using a big colorado blade on a spinner bait, or probably a 3/4 ounce ratl trap. if i noticed fish hitting a school of shad, a senko would be on the line in a heart beat.

i do it by passing the hook up through a gill plate, pay special attention and be careful with the lls.

just like a tube, you can also rig it backwards as already mentioned

i bought one to try, i liked it. it vibs a little more than the standard willow leaf and man can it bulge the surface when you keep it up top.

as soon as the slop appears i fish it.

from my knowledge they are very versatile.

are they floating or suspending baits, what brand size color etc. fishing it slow this time of year will be key, especially depending on your water temp.

I prefer non floating plastics, because the real lizards and craws (I used to catch) were always on the bottom. So it always made sense to me that if they live on the bottom, the fish were used to seeing them and eating them on the bottom. I can see using floating plastic over weed beds but I still don't - for the same reason. although i agree with you that most forage is on the bottom. having fished lots of sandy, gravel, clay flats sometimes with sparse vegetation. i love having a tube floating 12 inches off the bottom, a foam earplug jammed up the tube works wonders.

simply put, anything t rigged.

without a doubt they moved back into deeper water.

i would definately keep it. if you can find a piece of plastic or something to glue in place. if not just use it.

the advice youve gotten is good. smaller bodies are affected by weather at a compounded rate. near my house have a small 1 acre or so pond. it has a couple 3-4 pound females but mostly dinks and bigger crappie. ill use smaller search baits on my ultra light and have fun catching 1 pound bass and crappie all day. let it get rainy or cool off for one day though and it throws them of for a few days.

it almost resembles a tube, but that its not hollow and has the same body as a senko just fat

i have caught a snapping turtle before, that thing was huge.

i dont even bother with snaps, after a little effort you can learn to tie quickly and efficiently. to me, like was already said. its one less piece of the puzzle to fail.

since the old flying lure fad, i have done lures backwards using nails inserted into them. im sure with a tube you could jam a texas style weight into the tube and run a wide gap hook backwards.

specifically the chatterbait brand or a different one? and what actually breaks?

a smaller tungsten bullet may help.

you may know of the brand slugo, thats your basic fluke. think of it as a soft plastic jerkbait. i have a high speed ratio baitcaster on a medium 6 foot rod that i use for most of my jerk style fishing.

the pond i fish the most i have to do casting from shore. so i only use 10-12 mono so i can get as long a cast as possibel. 6'6" mh baitcaster and i can get a good 30+yards out.

jigs and saladspoon/frog type soft plastics come to my mind. cattails can be very strong, definately would want some good heavy braid.

i use a gamy wide gap #5 hook

a carolina rig would work just to drag the bottom and have a flute or tube floating above it.