wickyman

That's right, I did see those at wal-mart, and giggled a little. I knew better than to let the bait monkey talk me into something like that! I would rather spend my money on tiki sticks, and panther martin swim baits before wasting my hard earned money on that junk!

I just bought some panther martin that they called saltwater baits, and it shows all of these saltwater fish names on the package, but going to their website revealed that they also catch many other fish, including large and small mouth bass. I think a package of 4-6 of these baits cost me a whole 3.50 plus tax at wal-mart, so I figured I could give them a try! *Bait monkey sits on my shoulder rubbing his hands together, with an evil grin and foam running from his mouth* Should I be worried?!

Okay. Here is my personal opinion. If you want to get a rod, and reel combo, for 75 or less, hit your local wal-mart. Get yourself a 7ft. Shakespeare rod, I have and IM7 intrepid, though I doubt you will find those, unless you are lucky! You want a medium heavy action, and they don't usually run nearly as high as the super high end poles! Next you can get a cheap rhino baitcasting reel for like 20-30 bucks... It will work for now, and then you can upgrade it later. Or just spend 100 bucks total, and get a nice abu garcia! I think out the door, my abu was like 75 bucks and change! Not a bad price at all! I have a 5600cl rocket. Great reel for the money! Fishing on the cheep is very hard, I too am a broke fisherman! I don't have a lot of money, and the money I do get, goes to fishing! I was just lucky enough to be handed a free pole, and the respect, to know how to fish it right... Most people will tell you to wait until that next paycheck, and it will be more worth it! To each their own! I think my whole combo would have cost about 125 and change if I would have paid for it all... I was lucky! Also, check yard sales for gear, sometimes that is a good way to find nearly new poles, or reels on the cheap!

Right now I have some cheap line that I bought last summer, in 17lb... Never buy cheap line! I have heard that braids work wonderful! Spiderwire works well for me on almost all my other gear!

That is a great story avid! That's too bad when that happens... I hate losing a lure that works fantastic, and no less, with a devil fish, such as a pickerel! I have lost a lot of lures in the 12 years that I have fished, but it seems, every single time I find the "right" lure, it becomes entangled in what I like to call the "underwater reaper"... I love the baby torp in frog, but it has been fairly unsuccessful for me... Try, try again! What do you do to yours to make it work better? PM me if you have pictures. I would like to see what you do!

You mean swimbaits? A soft crank bait would have a bill on it, so that it could slightly dive, medium, or fully dive... A swim bait has a paddle tail, and it swims like a fish...

Seems that doug hannon has some serious seeing ability, or he is just full of bologna! lol It changes to a clearer color due to refractiveness...

In my personal opinions, and those of scientific knowledge, red diffuses infradically in the water. Basically, in Lahmen's terms, it becomes invisible to the eye. I have a line that in the light transitions from a clear, to a gold, and in the water is completely invisible. It's the transitions line by Berkley, and it works wonderful! It turns a vibrant gold color, that is very easy to see! The only gripe I have with it, is that the lighter test, 4LB is junk... It frayed after my first time using it... Rather sad, since the line is about 15 bucks a spool! I am not sure about the heavier lines, as I normally just use a spider wire mono filament line.

Yeah... I think that the lucky craft lures look slick, and I agree that they move relatively well in the water, but for what they cost, you could invest it in gear. That's my personal pref...

To clear it all up, I agree with matt. I myself have never landed a fish in a net, or boat, in the DD range, but I have had one on... Bad line caused me to lose it, and I was upset, none the less, I live in Cali, and could catch another, on the above said. I am not an elitest, but it seems that some other current, or past forum posters have gave us in California, a bad reputation... Not every single fish out here is huge, and many aren't bigger than 2-8lbs... Sometimes, if you hit the right spot, you will find a double digit, but that is more rare than catching a trout on Clear Lake! I have seen some 30-50 DD fish, but chances are, I won't ever catch them again! Different methods, different areas, etc... Just because you don't think there are larger fish in other areas that have been planted with the Florida hybrids, doesn't mean that they don't exist in your area! Many places are producing fish that most people won't catch, but I am sure they are out there... Keep trying, eventually someone has to find them!

1.) Tiki Stick, baby bass 5" wacky Rigged 2.) Tiki Stick, baby bass 5" Texas Rigged 3.) Tiki Stick, baby bass 5" Carolina Rigged 4.) Tiki Stick, baby bass 5" drop shot Rigged 5.) Tiki Stick, any other color, any of the previously stated! It's all I like to use, since I lost some of my other favorites.

Just because you don't think they will get big, trust me, there are probably some whoppers out there! In fact, and I don't have a link anymore, I seen a nice large mouth in the 10ish lbs range... It was a beauty! And I am absolutely sure that there are much bigger in there... You just have to know how to find them! Confidence helps a lot when looking for larger fish, and when you use it to your advantage, you never know what you might catch!

Very interesting... I must say that I haven't seen anything that life like, but what it is missing, is legs... Not as realistic as they thought...

Gamakatsu EGWs are fantastic in a 3/0 offset. They aren't huge, but they aren't small. I feel that they are the perfect size for the worms! You just have to make sure that you use the right kind of hook with the size of worm that you have chosen. anything 5-7" requires a hook that will be big enough to allow most of the worm to be engulfed into the fish, and cause a set. I typically want to run a smaller hook, but I lost way too many fish. I have been hearing that the 3/0, 4/0 hooks work best in this ratio. Make sure also, that you have penetrated the worm, all the way through, so that when you go to set the hook, it actually takes! So many times I have had a worm rigged wrong, and ended up losing the fish because I didn't penetrate the worm! Remember that, and all will be well!

I was looking around for something similar, but I wanted something softer. I found something that is made from a cloth like material, and looks much like a quiver for arrows. I was thinking of making something like that, would that be easier?

lol Yeah. I figure, if I save now, maybe later on, I can buy something, like a new pole, or another box, or something... Maybe even one day, a boat! Man, that would be nice... A skeeter, ranger, or nitro bass boat, 250hp motor! *grunts* I will probably just buy an older boat though... Back on topic. There are so many other plastics that I would like to get, but for some reason our bass section is really, really empty, and it's absolutely hard to find anything I want... I was looking for motor oil culprit worms, watermelon/red culprits... Neither of them. I went ahead with tiki sticks, as they seem to be a really nice, soft bait, and for the price (2.16 a pack here in Lake County, Ca.) it seemed like a viable answer. I have the bug, and it's only growing! I think that blaster monkey bit me! GRRR!

Went to wal-mart to get more hooks, worms, and sinkers, and ended up getting a couple packs of everything... I bought 2 packs of EWG gamakatsu 3/0 hooks, 1/8th oz bullet sinkers, tiki sticks in baby bass, and gray shad salt laminated. I also picked up some panther martin swim baits! Hopefully they work, but if they don't, it was 6 or something for 3.57... Not a big loss. I also grabbed some swivels to keep them all straight! I think I did good, considering I have a list a mile long! Too bad our Wally world sucks as far as worm selection, or I would have gotten everything! I still need so many different worms, at least 2 more colors, and the 4/0 gammy hooks I wanted, and culprit worms... I am getting there! Luckily I got paid this week! I find it very easy to go in thinking I am going to spend like 20-25 bucks, and end up spending, on that border, with change to spare! If I were a little more wealthy, I would just toss things into the basket, but when I am only making apples and eggs, it gets hard on my wallet! I am going to save the rest of the 25 for the next check, and so forth, until I have what I need! I guess that is all I can do! It is also very nice finding baits that I have had within my grasp this whole time, but in a box in another house! Shoot! I forgot to get trebels with that list... CRAP!

The best advice that can be given! Nice write up avid, way to go on the innovation! And a nice way to get yourself what you wanted! Just keep at it! "All you have to do, is keep on keepin' on..." Joe Dirt.

They take the live baits because there are other organisms already in the water that will eat, or dismantle the dead things, and return it back into the food chain. A bass is a larger creature that will feed off of things that move, only because of a "freshness" or "taste" desired by their taste buds, or other sensory glands. Nothing that any other simple creature wouldn't do. You wouldn't eat a rubber hamburger because it tasted real, would you? I know I wouldn't!

Alls I can say, is look out for alligators! They don't call it alligator lake for nothing! lol I know a guy who fishes down there, it's a great lake, and he catches some really nice bass! He says that the alligators will pretty much leave you alone, unless they are hungry and want your fish on the way in... lol Have fun though, it's a very nice lake!

When you pour them, do you want to fill it up over the inlet hole, and trim them all down, or do you just try to fill it up as close to possible on the mold?

Very nice. I want to get my plaster molds started, and do some of this... That would be killer. I am assuming you used a senko style mold?

If you can catch a bass off of it, that's cool. Otherwise you might want to add some other colors to it...

I agree. I also use just a 1/0, 2/0 hook usually, and lately just an eagle claw... Only because I have had them forever, and rather than leave them sit, I will use them! I have caught some pretty nice fish off them. Personal preference is the only factor in buying hooks! I do plan on getting 2/0, 3/0, and/or 4/0 gamakatsu EWG hooks...

The weight will move... That's just the way gravity works. Since it is going to move, put a bead in between the bullet weight, and the top of the hook, when the weight hits the bead, it causes "clacking" which will cause strikes, due to curiosity!