ajschn06

Interesting- I was trying to find some sort of combo that I can rig a 1/4 oz jighead inside the hollow body. I think @roadwarrior had previously mentioned the J-Will swimbait head as a possible option for that. I'm just wanting to make sure going from a 4.3" keitech to a 4.5" hollow body isn't going to be a big change in weight. I'm throwing the keitech on a MH rated for 1/4-1 oz and the 4.3 with the 1/4 head feels like a pretty big heavy lure on there. I've never got my hands on a hollow body but I feel like it might be a heavier plastic used for some reason...

Are these hollow body. I'm most curious about weight differences- any idea how much of a difference there is unrigged in the weight between one of these, a keitech, or a typical hollow body of that length?

I’ve used up to 4.3 and was looking at the true Bass 4.5” swimbait. I’m not sure I’d want to go any bigger than that- any bites on them will probably end up having teeth. Don’t really have a reason to go away from the keitechs, just really like fishing with that type of bait so wanted to fiddle around with some different options.

I’m usually pretty safe with a jig, but I don’t even bother with spinnerbaits or crankbaits anymore.... whenever something bit on those and it ended up being a Bass I was suprised.

I use the Trokar swimbait hook, I’ve gotten better hookups than a standard 5/0 worm hook. The worm hook worked good with the rage toad, but I used the Keitech Noisy Flapper a lot this year and found it was thicker than a rage toad so the standard hook didn’t work great for hooking up or staying hooked.

So I've been toying with the idea of adding some of the hollow body swimbaits to my arsenal- I had pretty good success with the Keitechs in various sizes this year, and the hollow body's look a lot better. I wouldn't get too crazy, probably looking around 4.5-5" max, but are equivalent sizes in the hollow body substantially heavier than the paddle tail or are they actually lighter because they are hollow? I just want to make sure I have the right equipment to use them before I order- I used a 4.3 keitech on a 1/4 oz head successfully but would be looking at something similar for the hollow body. Asking because I started to get into swimbaits a little bit last winter and some of the soft ones ran up into the 1-1.5 oz range without any hooks or weight.

Oh man... I’ve got a lot.... senko drop shot ned rig carolina rig spoon of any kind Whopper Plopper Tube Im sure I’m missing some... the caveat would be that I’ve probably spent less than a half hour total fishing anything on that list

ZMan has the "power finesse" ned head that comes with a 3/0 hook and the Mag Shroomz head that comes in a 6/0

I've wanted to try the speed craw, but I can't find anything it gives me that a rage craw doesn't. Have you used both? What advantages do you get from the speed craw?

The no info thing is one that is annoying to me...

I can't remember who said it, but I was watching a BassU thing on chatterbaits and they basically said as much- if it has a split ring, it goes right in the trash. Now, I'm sure there's a bit of hyperbole there, and I'm sure in many situations one with a split ring works just fine. However, my time on the water is limited and I'm not taking any chances...

Menace and Rage craw- The menace is a perfect trailer for the bladed jig and the rage craw, for me, is as perfect a jig trailer as you can get. I prefer it to the bug because of its overall thinner profile...Simple claws that get great action when using a jig traditionally, and they act just like a double twister tail if you want to swim it. Top it off with a GIANT selection of colors.... Sometimes I feel like I should branch out and try other companies products as trailers, but with a Menace, Bug, and Craw handy I'm not sure why one would need too....

All good man- and the exact opinion I was looking for when I started the thread. I’ve watch wheelers YouTube videos a lot and love how engaging he is and willing to share info with fans. It suprised me to read about this and see so many people say “Oh yep, that’s Wheeler. Always trying to skirt the rules awful for the sport yadda yadda” but that’s on Facebook which is trash. I was interested to hear the opinion of the knowledgeable folks here, many of whom have done some hardcoretourney fishing..

Well said

I agree- I don’t have a side here I just think it’s interesting discussion..

I don’t know the ins and outs of the tournament world, but yes, a lot of the complaints seem to revolve around that- preferential treatment for bigger names in these scenarios

I think that’s a big part of the issue- if another angler not named Jacob Wheeler had asked to fish that spot- is the answer the same? If someone makes a complaint and it’s not Jacob wheeler fishing that spot- does the investigation have the same outcome?

She was pretty clear that she wasn't accusing him of "cheating" but it was more a complaint of certain pro's getting preferential treatment, maintaining the integrity of the sport and not trying to skirt the rules- or in JW's case- not the first time this sort of questionable thing has come up...

Who is Randy Flowers? That was it. I saw Zach Birge commented on it so I felt like it might hold some water though...

I think that was the jist of the complaint. He had cleared an off-limit area with tourney directors and fished it. Nobody could point to a specific incident where he cheated, but was often in the gray area. There was a mention of a photo that showed up at a classic or something a while back where he was seen reviewing a map with a local.

Anyone catch the hubbub regarding Wheeler over the last couple days and the cheating accusation? Overall it seems pretty nondescript but as someone who I held in high regard it's disappointing to see the number of people who aren't surprised his name came up in this type of incident...

I'm always trying to match the trailer to the jig- and in your situation- for me it will depend on the jig. If I'm going for black and blue and I feel like there's already a solid amount of blue on the jig, I'll go for the flake or swirl (talking strike king here as those two patterns are a more muted black and blue). If I have a jig that doesn't have a lot of blue accent in it, I'll go for the 'blue bug' trailer color since it has more of the bright blue. I'll occassionally throw the blue bug on if it's brighter out as well but thats just a personal preference...

Menace is a jig trailer so sounds like a freebie to me! I'd take: 1. Jig 2. Bladed Jig 3. Swimbait 4. Frog 5. Squarebill In all honesty I could get away with the top 3, and for the most part I do.

I get it- don’t want anyone taking your spots. For a guide, I’d understand that. But I can’t have my cell phone powered on? Gimme a break...

That guide doesn't sound like someone I'd want to spend any amount of time with... I would agree with this- I also see most guides advertise that they provide all the gear. Going out on someone elses boat, with their poles, and the bait they told you to fish does not seem like fun to me regardless of the end result. A big part of the excitement for me is putting my arsenal together and deciding how I want to deploy it on a given day...