ajschn06

Oh I've caught plenty of fish on cranks reeling fast- I just tend to go into overdrive and have trouble slowing down when I want to...

Man- TWO Minnesota guys with PB's over 7 pounds. Impressive. I gotta get to work..... never really weighed them but my biggest was pushing 19"..... and I've been with people who have caught a 20.5 and 22" but no such luck. If I ever hit 20" I'm getting a replica made....

Would you recommend the lower gear ratio even if I won't be using any deep divers?

Hey all- I've typically used a 7' MH Fast setup for most of my work in the past. Wanting a dedicated cranking setup, and trying to get a couple more setups in my boat. My rod storage is limited- and the actual rod cubby is about an inch or two short of holding 7' rods. I've been looking at some of the Lew's Cranking Rods, specificially the David Fritts 6'8" MH crank and the speed stick custom 6'9" crank rod. They sound short though, anyone have experience with these rods? I don't really deep crank- I pretty much stick to 1.5's, 2.5's, and DT-6. I'm also trying to decide between a 5.4 and 6.3 ratio reel. I've always used the standard 6.3, but I like to reel fast and that doesn't work well with cranks so I am thinking of going down....

Another one for the lightning rod- great for the price. I picked up a Daiwa Aird-X for like $50 and it's pretty darn nice as well.....

I've upgraded a number of these items over the last year or two: New rod and Reed: I got 3, they are all very nice. The most expensive combo was $200 the cheapest was a shade over $100 New fishing cap: $20 that seems normal Shirt: $25 Chatterbait: $9 Depth Finder: $300 Trolling motor (used): $400 Line (150 yards- Braided)- $14

Just curious, what is "crazy expensive" for a crank? I pay about $18/bait but that includes upgraded hooks as well- I'm also only carrying 10-12 at a time and replacing as necessary.

Ha- I agree. I think it's mostly a confidence thing for me- if THESE aren't working, then no crankbaits will...… I also don't lose many lures, so I don't mind the investments.

Does anyone else use custom painted crank baits? I know someone who puts together some of the best patterns I've ever seen, I haven't used a stock crankbait in over a decade and don't even carry them. I'm curious for those who also use them, but also use some stock ones as well- do you see a difference? Also- who are you getting your customs from?

Hate the traditional hollow body frogs..... can't get them to walk right, always squeezing water out of them...blah... Love the soft body frogs with legs that create disturbance and I can just reel (Noisy flapper, horny toad, etc)…. much easier for me...

I think of a spinnerbait and a swim jig as similar lures- but it’s usually a coin flip over which one Id pick. Is one a better option in certain seasons or conditions? Is there one you consider a better all around bait?

Proud member of Team Daiwa here.... I did it by buying all of their stuff..... ?‍♂️

What do you use for like a 5” paddle tail Swimbait? I don’t want to go more than 1/4 oz and I haven’t found many good options with large enough hooks. What should I be using- At least 4/0 or 5/0?

Good to hear- I have some Sixth Sense jigs on the way. I had been using Nutechs- I bought a stash a couple of years ago and they held up well and caught a lot of fish- but lacked pizzaz and patterns. I grabbed a couple of V&M Pacemakers and was a little disappointed. They looked good but the one skirt strands were coming off and whatnot after like 20 minutes of fishing and no fish. I caught fish after fish on the ***'s and never lost a single strand I feel like!

Sunfish pattern swim jig

I'm going to have to look into this..... quick question- it appears that each color is sold as "10 skirt tabs per pack" for about $2.50. What does that mean exactly? How many skirt tabs go into each skirt? Haha I wondered how long that would take...

For those of you who have some experience in paddle tail swimbaits, are you having more success with jigheads or keel-weighted hooks? What's your preference and why? Extra points for your favorite model!

Big swim jig fan but I like a thick durable skirt and have noticed a lot of them to be lacking in that area. What are your favorite skirts?

I have a Tatula with a split-grip.... not the cork version though...

How long until this stuff gets released or we get pricing info? Very interested in the Tatula Swimbait rod...