AlabamaSpothunter

Heck yeah, your memory is on the money.....they were excalber signature series baits with what was back then very sticky sharp, and finesse gauged hooks. The vast majority of mine are in the threadfin pattern. They were basically JDM baits of the time IIrc. I still have other baits in that lineup that were dynamite, my favorite being the Spittin Image. Then the Swimmin Image. Haha, when I got a lure stuck in a much lower hanging tree earlier this year, I used an extendable tree saw. That was a dicey situation now that I remember back on it......it's quite easy to do something stupid when they are in trees I see now, why couldn't you SMEs write a guide for us ?

Very interesting, and a topic I've tried to research in recent months. I found a thread from years ago on Crappie as Bass prey but didn't glean a ton of info. I just discovered my homelake has a population of full sized Golden Shiners, to go along with copious threadfins, small and big gizzards, super abundant Crappie, and perhaps equally abundant Blue Gill. Visible Crawfish are also easy to spot on the shorelines and in traps. Assume all that bait is present, what do you think the big Bass prefer from the lot? I imagine there isn't a real answer, but there can be an opinion certainly. I almost started this thread a number of times. I'd love to narrow down the bait type like some of you guys did during the heyday with 12" Rainbow Glides and such.....you knew that was the preferred meal for the WR class fish. That said, in the back of my mind while hunting my White Whale....I think of you and all those monsters caught on a Crawfish imitator. My fishing mentor swore the Jig N Pig was the definitive big Bass bait. Then I learn about your incredible catches and the bait you used. I wonder if big Bass are smart enough to understand the mortality risk of eating a big Crappie or Bluegill vs. a narrower Trout, Shiner, or big Gizzard, as I've heard stories of big Bass dead floating with big Bluegills stuck in their throats.

I got two, I had no idea they didn't make them. They really are a great bait. I change the hooks on them as I've lost a really nice fish when it broke a stock treble.

I was so embarrassed yesterday and mad at myself I didn't post an update on the lure. Got the lure and learned a very valuable lesson.....A Fat Free Fingerling is not worth dying over or breaking expensive equipment. That said, these are my favorite cheap cranks, and have caught several fish over 5lbs on them. Color sucks though. I was like you described....totally maxed out on height standing on the top of the bench, when the whole dang tree limb with the lure came slamming down, and instantly I was thrown off balance. I have no idea how I didn't go swimming in 50 degree water. I had enough time to brace my mind for the feeling of the cold water. When it was all over, I look down and the lure with 20-30yds of braid is laying nicely besides the boat. I still think it was a noble pursuit when I discovered bird poo all over the lure. This thing was in a terrible place for wildlife with all that braid. Adventures in lure hunting ?

Out of emotions, but heck ya buddy! Last Bass is quite interesting.....as I always say you live in a very unique place for Bass. It's just a soup of Black Bass DNA. What is that "worm", looks like it would make a fantastic trailer on some things.

Nice, I'll give it a go......if I get a pig on it I'll send you one like it ?

Thanks for the tip! Not very confident with Spinnerbaits, but I'll give them a try during this warming period. All it takes is catching some good fish for you to get confidence with a bait, I always remind myself of this. I've been throwing so many new things this year for the first time. Metal baits has been the only bust so far.

The smaller Chatterbaits like the MiniMax, Micro, and the Flashback Minis are some of the best baits you seldom here people talk about. Go to a tackle store and somebody is buying them all up ?

Absolutely, been reading a bunch on these warm up periods we have in the South and what the fish do. I'm going to start shallow after learning from the last one we had two weeks ago. One successful pro down here breaks the top water out. The thought of Top water is like thinking of a warm beach and Margaritas ?

16-18'. Looking to drop 1500-3k on the boat, then 500-1000 for the restoration of carpet and seals on compartments, etc. A buddy and very wealthy neighbor bought one of these boats that is built off an old Bass Boat mold. Then he creates a flat top for them. The absolute greatest small lake boat I've ever seen. Dude wanted $20k+ for them......yeah I'm just getting a 2010 Bass Boat for that price lol. Welcome to Flat Top Boats (flatopboats.com)

There is a new boat being searched for very hard at the moment, it will account for both of us, plus a bunch of rods ? Looking at just buying an older Bass boat without a motor, or removing it, and then having the inside restored by a guy in N. AL. Add a nice front TM, and thinking of getting one of the Newport Vessel electric outboards, the 3hp model for the transom. As much time as I spend on the water, it's worth investing in something.

This is why people talk about Southern cooking all over the world ?

Haha, that's true for sure about quality fish. Two members in the "latest Catch pic" thread recently caught pigs off Jerkbaits. One was over 7.5 and the other was 8.6 IIrc. @Aaron-H @thediscochef

An underspin with a 2.8 Keitech or similar swimbait is a huge winter time bait. A Beetle Spin would work I'd imagine. An Underspin would be better in that role though. Yo Yoing a Chatterbait Flashback Mini 1/8 with a 3" Armor Shad will produce spectacular results year-round, very similar concept to that post of yours, and your OP premise.

Jerkbait fishing is only second to Topwater in terms of fun imho. You are constantly active, constantly connected with your cadence and movement of the rod, you're moving lots of water.....I just lock in way easier on a Jerkbait. Keeps you busy, thinking, and a bit less cold. Ultimately the thing that makes Jerkbaits so addicting is that when they work, they work so spectacularly! You can pile up a fish count faster than perhaps any bait when they are working. The majority of my memorable "numbers" days have been on a Jerkbait, and the best Bass fishing day of life was on a Jerkbait bite.

I can't really take more than 6 rods in my current setup. 14ft Jon Boat I'd take 20 if I could, I loathe retying while actually fishing. I hate messing with tackle while actually fishing. I try to think ahead as much as possible to have the baits and rods I think will be needed. I still drag so much unneeded tackle and few rods and reels that never get used. More times than not I'm catching fish on only one or two baits, rarely am I catching fish on every rod I brought.

Awesome, good call on getting 4 different types. One of them is bound to work. I wouldn't bother with the WM since you got a MB 110. If you like Jerkbaiting then you can get another high dollar one down the line, and you got the best in the 110 as is.

Lost a nice fish yesterday, most likely a Spot from a straightened hook. These baits are magic on fish, but one must take into account the hooks for sure. Thanks for the knowledge.

That Crush Flat at the top left drives bigger fish nuts. Has a fantastic tight wobble, bounces off cover nicely, and has fantastic hooks. You bought lots of good baits. I have the Trace too.

I'd love to know how far apart those 5 fish were, that's amazing!

"Welcome to the MegaBass world" This is something you're going to start hearing in your sleep ?

Borat thanks you ? I won't have a career in comedy like you if this fishing thing doesn't work out lol.

LOL, just checked the shipping email on the Kastking.....stuff is coming from China. Yeah this is garbage and won't be going on any serious use reel. I feel ripped off even for a $1?

Caught 12-15 fish, most in the 1-2lb range. All healthy fish, many with Shad still in their mouths. Very hard fighting fish, noticeable so.....so much I was mistaking LGMs for Spots. They both were pulling super hard. I thought winter made fish fight sluggish. Water temp is low 50s. Caught half a dozen or so on the MegaBass 110Jr +1 and lost a really nice fish who straightened out the hook and got off....first time that's happened to me. Also had what I suspect was a huge fish break the line almost instantly upon hookset, I felt the weight of it, and nano seconds later the dreaded "pop" sound. That one was on 8lb spinning gear. Upon inspection of the video, turns out the fish hit the bait very close to the boat, and there just wasn't enough line/stretch to account for either a bad knot which I'm normally OCD about, or it blew from shock being Flouro. Both were big fish, but I never saw them. I'm running a crank through there tom. with better hooks.....burn and stop might just be the ticket for the toads beneath these sized fish. The other half dozen + fish came off the Flashback Mini with 3" Armor Shad. Accidentally discovered a new retrieve that killed it. Literally fishing a mini Chatterbait like a jerkbait, and they couldn't stand it. Easily the greatest finesse Bass lure I've ever found, the retrieves are endless, and there is just something about the light wire hook and penny sized blade. Thing darts so randomly and realistically I doubt they could have even designed it to do this. It's caught me hundreds of Bass, and 50-75 big Crappie. If you got small 2-4" threadfin/gizzards, try it! They're like $3, and a pack of Armor Shad is $5....that combo will slay fish or your money back lol. Trying to make the videos a bit more informative rather than just a scrap book for me. I find it ironic I didn't have it recording for an epic blowup of about a dozen Bass while I'm fighting one, but somehow it captured the two heartbreaks ?

This is most likely what they are doing, but perhaps even more similar they are using a time old fishing marketing technique that's highly successful. Put your products initially into angler's hands at whatever price point/free samples, the point is that some will end up catching great fish and will no doubt attribute the success in part to the line. Bingo, new Kastking customer for life. You continue to buy what catches fish. Granted, if it's terrible line/product.......they should have just dumped it in the trash, but I suspect the company wants to create a marketshare for themselves in an otherwise very hard marketplace to crack with as good and relatively cheap as Fluorocarbon has become.