DitchPanda

This is my biggest problem at my job. My bosses treat me well and compensate me well because of the fact that I'm willing to go above and beyond...that's what it takes to do the job right in my opinion. However a lot of other people are only there for the check and don't give a crap about the plant..they do the bare minimum to get by. That mindset to me makes no sense and frankly is disgusting..if I'm spending that much time doing anything I'm gonna commit and try to be the best at it. Otherwise what's the point. Just how I'm wired. The reality is a lot of people aren't made that way and it's unfair for me to hold them to the standard I hold myself too. I'm slowly learning this but it took 37 years of living to get to this realization. The saving grace at my job is I am treated well by management and have some freedoms earned thru my work ethic and building that trust between myself and my shift supervisor. Gotta take the good with the bad I guess.

Id try a chatterbait custom from Tackle Warehouse or a fogy from siebert outdoors. Both stay down well for me and are made with much better components...the custom is $7 and the fogy is around $5 with a wire tied skirt and a custom colored blade...it's a steal at that price.

zman jackhammer comes in a golden shiner...dirty jigs has a nice golden shiner color in several of the swim jig offerings...also a lot of companies offer lipless in gold black back which looks to be a good option

I agree with this...I grew up in Texas and read articles growing up all the time about 10 to 12lb largemouth or bigger coming out of Fork, Rayburn and Toledo year after year. I moved to Northeast Iowa almost 20 years ago and the state record is 10lbs 12oz..nothing by Texas standards. My PB is 8lbs12oz which isn't big compared to many guys on here...but it's the biggest I've seen or heard of in my neck of the woods. Deer on the other hand..I've got buddies that hunt whitetail that pass on deer each year that most guys in other parts of the country would never pass up. Some would be deer of a lifetime but we grow em big here.

Looks like I'm gonna have to try some. I have a couple of the plastic killr b your talking about that I havent thrown a lot but they seem like quality baits. Run true.

Reel slower! Just kidding...I've has This experience with original chatterbaits...but two and one stays down one doesnt. One thing I've done is rig the trailer vertical..helps alot. What brand and model you using?

As far as these I've been looking at the Bagley B1 and also considering the small size Rapala Brat. Anybody have experience with the brat?

I think the Rapala thing comes down to two factors 1) it's the first hard bait a lot of us throw up here so there is some loyalty and nostalgia tied to it.2)for the money they are about as consistent as it gets. While many of us would pay two or three times as much that's not a reality for lots of people..rapala is budget balsa with a proven track record.

Thanks for the info I had no idea. Either way if there is Rapala bloodline id think the baits should be at the very least decent. Alot of the issues I read about with the Bagleys was the bills pulling out...I remember when the rapala DT series had that reputation which I've heard has been fixed. So I'm hoping the Bagley issue has been resolved the same way. Another thing with bad reviews on balsa baits is I wonder how much is caused by user error like people beating the crud out of the baits like you would a plastic bait and then blaming the bait when it fails.

Well if Rapala owns bagleys then I'd be down to at least try them...I feel like rapala makes good balsa baits. As far as what they did to the wiggle wart I understand that they didn't perform well when they retooled them but have since made changes and they are fish catchers again. That said I will look into the black labels..thats Cliff Paces company correct?

This may ruffle some feathers:The first few years I used a chatterbait I fished them without trailers and caught fish no problem. Now I use a trailer every time...does it look good to me? Yes. Do I catch more fish? No. I'm probably doing it cuz everybody says I have too...peer pressure...drinking the Kool-Aid whatever you call it.I would definitely try it without. Spinner bait is one where I've almost never thrown a trailer as well..and it's a confidence bait for me. In my mind a Spinner bait and bladed jig have plenty of drawing power from the blades. Swim jig is the only moving style jig bait when I think the trailer is a must since its the trailer that does the work.

Christie craw...rage menace...ultravibe speed craw

Anybody have experience with the newer ones? I heard the old ones are great then they stopped making them and just started back up a few years ago. All I've heard is complaints about quality issues. Have they rectified those issues? How are these?

I enjoy fishing with nice stuff...makes the experience more comfortable and enjoyable. My gear is far from top end but it's good mid ground quality stuff. Of my 6 biggest bass ever I've caught 5 of them have been in the last 5 years...none of them were because of my gear in my opinion but rather my growing skill as an angler. That said my PB was almost 20 years ago in a cheap $40 combo. I agree that top end gear isn't necessary..but then again no hobby is necessary. I mean I don't think anybody on here is bass fishing strictly to feed families...if that was the case live bait would be a better choice. In fact other fish species would probably be better choices. We do it cuz we love the challenge...properly functioning gear makes it easier. If it looks as good in hand as it functions that's a bonus.

Agreed...I was excited but after building it up for a year now it's gonna be hard to live up to it

I agree with A lot of the above. Learning how to make a jig come thru cover is one of the most important details to jig fishing. When I first started I lost more jigs than I do now and now I'm throwing them into some gnarly crap. I've learned to use gentle slow pressure to feel what the jig is really doing to try and walk it thru the cover. My mistake when starting out is probably the same as most new jig fisherman...when I felt it hang up I tried to muscle it out,sank the hook in every time...game over. There is a learning curve but look at it like this...let's say you flip a lay down get hung pull back hard and boom snagged for good jig is gone. Next time you flip a lay down and feel the same thing try using gentle pressure while using the rod at a different angle to try and snake the jig through the limbs. If you lose it what the heck...it was already lost so your not out anything more than if you tried to yank it out. Also I to usually start with a moving bait like a spinner bait or swim jig and use my flipping bait be it jig or Trig as my cleanup bait. This is also very important. My local lake has bluegill and tons of green sunfish...they bite jig trailers a lot but they feel much different than a bass. I do the same thing of applying pressure to distinguish hat it is that has my bait...if I can tell it's a fish and it pulls back I crack em cuz that's usually a bass. Panfish usually drop a bait quickly when pulled back on..plus they just don't feel right once you learn the difference. Story time though:last summer I was throwing a 5inch senko around. Got a nice thump line started swimming off so I cracked her. Immediately it felt good but not bassy. Ended up being an almost 10inch gill...choked the whole senko down. That time I couldn't tell the difference..and was glad I couldnt!

I've tried jigs without weedguards before and personally never noticed a huge benefit in hooking more fish. But I will also say I'm not convinced you have to have one at all times either. A lot of times the shape of head and how you work the jig through wood using slow steady pressure to walk it through will keep you out of trouble. But let's face it I don't care how good you are...I don't care how good your jigs are...if your throwing where you should be your gonna lose some. Period.

Have you tried a weightless senko rigged weedless? If there are bass around they will bite this. Also if you have the money you should consider getting a spinning setup. Things like a Ned rig and a shaky head can really get you out of a jam. Doesn't need to be expensive either..can get into a decent budget combo around $100 here in the states..May be a little pricier in Canada.

This is a big turning point for lots of jig fisherman I think...was for me for sure. You ain't there to protect that bait it's not your buddy and you don't owe it anything! I started really putting a jig in places I never would have dreamed a few years ago. These are my results: marginally more snags and lost lures...a lot more fish. My girlfriend gives me crap and says you sure do lose lots of lures...then she asks do your buddies lose as many as you? I say well probably not but ask them if they catch as many fish or the size of fish I do. Gotta pay to play in this lure to bass face game my friend.

I have a 7ft lightning rod medium mod fast and I find the power rating to be close. Not as wimpy as I thought. I originally bought it on a whim and have been very happy with it thus far. Been throwing squarebills and even small chatterbaits on it with success.

This! I'm not an old man by any means but even I started with slow as crap round garcias...caught a lot of bass. Maybe even more than I do now. That ratio is great for slow rolling spinnerbaits and bladed jigs...also the mid to deep cranks. What else can it do? Whatever you need it too.

Is it August or February? This thread is 4 to 6 months early! If I had to choose one is go copolymer...izorline xxx. I have 1 rod with braid and basically everything else is copoly. I do have a few with mono but could easily switch over.

That's in interesting movie...me and the girlfriend just rewatched it a few months ago

Never woulda guessed yours is a swim jig!

I've never used one but my local lake has lots of shad and now thru fall the bass are transitioning to feeding on them. I built one today and threw a white speed craw on the back...Will try it next time I go out.