Kenny Yi

instead of imitating a bottom-feeding prey, it imitates a crawfish in a defensive position. the claws will flap with each pop (like a fleeing crawfish, it will fold in it's appendages together), since the weight is in the tail.

does anyone use a Neko craw? if so, what craw bait do you use? that's next on my list of improving my fishing

the setup: MF spinning rod 20 pound braid/10 foot 10# FC leader zoom trick worm plastic o-rings VMC Neko hook size 1 VMC Neko weight 1/16 or 3/32 this is the only rig that has caught multiple 3+ pounders for me every week this May/June (a time that has kicked my behind). I've spent this spring desperately trying to use more finesse presentations, but I disliked many because they were too slow for me. the Neko rig can be fished fast or slow, skipped under docks and laydowns, use different weights, has weedless options, great hookup ratio, a great rig indeed. I'm just so happy to have found a finesse presentation that fits me!

are you missing the fish or is the fish missing the bait? some tips: get softer body frogs, bend the hooks out a little with pliers wait till the fish eats the bait, then set. don't swing on the blowup. if he misses, leave the frog there, he might grab it again

those straight shank hooks probably have some plastic keeper on them. I don't usually Texas rig my trick worms (prefer to Neko rig), but I would imagine a 3/0 or 4/0 round bend hook would work. I think @Glenn had a "trick" for keeping stickbaits on the shank; the worm is Texas rigged where it slides over the eye of the hook, then use a thick mono to go in the plastic-eye-plastic, then trim the ends.

welcome fellow virginian!!

welcome fellow virginian!

your thumb is the answer

If the reel costed money (but I wasn't worried about the price), another Curado (all kinds; MGL, DC, K, etc). If the reel was free, the most expensive reel in the market, so that i can sell it for more Curados.

Swim Jig fished fast above grass, love shaking it over that grass and seeing the big green flash as the jig disappears then setting the hook.

i'm so glad this forum helped me discover Yo-Zuri Hybrid, my local Dick's Sporting Goods has full stock of nearly every line strength, good thing know one else knows...

nothing better than feeling buh-buh-bump then shwacking the hookset.

don't even try to go bass fishing in bluebird skies, the fish are on vacation since the weather is so nice. on a more serious note, it's not WHAT I throw but WHERE/WHEN I throw it. if you can hit a fish on the head with a spinnerbait, it will bite.

any other hook will work. if I'm feeling extra dangerous and tacticool, I'll use my OTF knife

find a rod tip repair kit, make sure to find the right sized rod tip for the blank I think I use the Eagle Claw version (comes with multiple sizes and a melt glue) edit: just realized you still have the rod tip :P. any melting glue will work.

The setup (based off of the nose-hooked fluke rig from TacticalBassin): Shimano SLX DC 150HG MMF casting rod 12 pound Yo-Zuri Hybrid 1/0 Gamakatsu Finesse WG Weedless Zoom Super Fluke Screw lock keeper 1/16th oz VMC Neko Weight I'm thinking this is a good skipping option for the fluke, any other suggestions?

are you in a racing contest? lol, just kidding, sounds like a good purchase for you, just not my own preference (7 speeds).

There are also late spawners, I've seen spawning fish in June. The "spawning period" is only for reference, there is no hard set clock-in-clock-out time for them. Those fish are probably just really late. Also, the spawn happens during different months for different parts of the country. Southern USA can start in early March, while Northern USA can start in late May.

zoom finesse worm

I don't think the "line twist" they're referring to is the coils from a line's memory. I think of it more as this; imagine you have a piece of playdoh and you roll it into a... well, roll. If you twist the playdoh from both ends, the playdoh will eventually get really thin in the center and break apart. Some techniques with rod cause the bait to spiral and jerk and spin and snap, which can cause the line to twist like the example. So, a barrel swivel is used so that the bait can freely spin without the mainline, thus mitigating line twist. Line memory is a part of fishing with fluorocarbon or monofilament. There are some fixes, like line conditioner, using braid, or using a larger reel, but I don't think it has any effects on line strength. Someone please correct me on that if it does...

I use braid backing, leaving maybe 70-80 yards for any fluoro/mono. Braid lasts longer, helps cast a little farther since it's lighter, and is much more cost effective. With this method, and your 260 yard spool example, I could get three respools worth of fluorocarbon out of one spool. Once i get the right amount of braid on a reel, it never leaves. If i have a decent amount left on the spool, but still too little for a reel, then that line is dedicated to leader material.

There are many YouTube videos to help with the deconstruction and lubing process. Some advice: Always lay your parts in an order on your table as you take it off the reel. This helps with the reassembly process, since you just put the parts back in the opposite order. Be sure to pay attention to the orientation of certain parts and don't lose any.

4/0 Gamakatsu Screw Lock Superline

i don't feel bad, per se. i might give a piece of advice, maybe what has been working for me, but i feel that if you're going out fishing (or doing any sporting event, for that matter), you should be prepared to see the guy next to you have a better day. Yes, I want to catch fish.