RRocket

I can answer this. But I don't use a swivel. Just a very high quality and ridiculously small (but strong) snap. Ryugi R-Snapv size 0. This tiny thing is rated for 41lbs! It weighs .035 grams (1/1000th oz). A nice bonus is even if you don't close it properly, it's still "closed". That's image 2. Have had ZERO failures. And have friends who use larger ones for real sized crankbaits also with no failures. It's a quality piece.

Oh you don't need to sell me on it...the Free Rig is my primary. While it's good in all depths, the greater separation in even slightly deeper water really allows some baits to come into the own with an incredible presentation. Yea...such a great technique.

But in 1 foot of water you're not really going to try much separation between bait and weight IMO.

So sorry to hear. 😣 But thanks for the PSA! Much appreciated.

I'll offer up a premium recommendation. Lifetime warranty. Convertible. Breathable. Lightweight. UPF 50+. Award winning. Outdoor Research Ferrosi Convertible Pants.

I'd say if you're serious about blue gill-like trailers, you really should consider some of the new bluegill profiles. Fortunately, I've already been down this road (but for a different reason) so I can offer you my insights. First up is the OSP Dolive SS Gill. The color is a rather nice "Vitamin Gill". This is a unique bait in that it's very keeled, so it tends to glide very well. Texas rigged, you can even control the glide path...tight spiral or "S" pattern.The little legs beat rapidly! Next, the new Raid Japan Hira Tailor. This is the best bluegill profile bait I've used yet..by far. And fortunately for you, it was made to be a trailer. It is extremely popular in that application. The bait itself is very supple and collapses onto itself easily. You can grab it in hand and squish it into a ball. So despite the wide profile, it easily collapses. A huge bonus for these types of bait. Because of the segmented body, the tail movement undulates and is extremely lifelike looking. The design and colors are exceptional. These look and feel quality. The colors are about the best you'll see. I chose 2 that I thought best mimicked bluegill. First, Dark Cinnamon Shad. These colors are just so hard to photograph and describe, as depending on angle and light, they change. Because of the segmentation, there are times where you can see the top and bottom color at the same time depending on how the bait is bent. So it kinda blurs into another color. But this is kinda green/blue pumpkin with purple/white bottom. I mean..it just pops and looks really good. But I think the next color is even better. It's called Minagill. I'll let the photos speak for themselves. And last but not least, is something often overlooked. Packaging. These come 6 to a bag. But are clamshell in packs of 2. Genius. I think this is probably the best bluegill profile bait on the market. There are videos of either bait filmed underwater on jigs. If you can't find them, let me know and I'll dig them up. Hope this was helpful.

What an ignorant comment. You don't wear gear with an UPF rating because you're a "pansie". You do it to mitigate the ability of the sun to go through the pores in clothes and damage the skin. Skin cancer isn't pretty. How do I know? My dad is dying from it. Wore an original Tilley (not UPF rated). Skin cancer on his head. I wish I was joking. I'm not. If anyone wants a gut punch of reality, I'll post details/pictures. I've been keeping a photo journal. It ain't pretty. So please, people. Mitigate the sun damage by wearing UPF rated clothes, wear sunscreen, be smart.

It's meant to be used with a Zappu Zero Inchi hook or similar weighted wacky hook (called Shot Wacky technique) But the Zero Inchi allows for a particularly interesting presentation due to where the weight is.

My comment remains the same! 😃

Talk about unethical...

Personally? If you aren't running afoul of any laws or regulations, it's fine. Most hunting and fishing regulations have ethics built into some of the rules. But if it's one of your personal ethic things? Well only you can decide that! In effect, "You do you."

Odd. Hasn't been my experience at all. And I consider the Bellows Stick to be fragile. Sorry it didn't work out for you. 😥 I guess you could try a screw spring worm lock or silicone worm tube next?

Definitely!

This isn't silly at all. The kayak guys here do the same (and many examples on Youtube! ) And I have done similar...for pike specifically. Topwater is especially good for this because the row-pause-row cadence is precisely how you fish most topwater. The loudest, most disruptive topwaters seem to work best. Jitterbugs, Ploppers, Jackall Pompadour, Raid Dodge , rat lures, etc There really is no wrong answer here. The Booyah Toadrunner works very well if you find your steering/wind/current puts the bait into the weeds; it's a weedless frog/Plopper hybrid. It works very well indeed! Next, soft plastics Texas rigged. Again, no wrong answer here. The Z-man stuff floats and you can use a weighted hook to get it a bit sub-surface. This takes trial and error, however. I'll defer making any shallow subsurface hard bait recommendations here as I'm not expert enough in this area, though I have used a Rebel Crickhopper to great effect. I can't stress enough though...no wrong answers here! Throw whatever you have that you *think* might work. As you know, fish crashing out of the pads are rarely picky...pike especially!

I think before buying them it's important to consider how YOU fish and what techniques YOU use. You quite astutely point out it's unlikely to catch magnitudes more fish in how you currently use your flukes. However, I fish the Free Rig and the weightless drop portion of the presentation is important and here the Dolive Stick is superior. And as pointed out earlier it's also superior weightless wacky rigged compared to your typical fluke. But all of this is meaningless if those aren't styles you regularly fish. And FWIW, I end up with the baits I use without regard to cost. I test them first in a pool or deep tank, then test it extensively in the field. That is to say, I don't end up with the baits I use by accident. I certainly do wish the cheapest baits worked as well for my specific uses! I recently switched over from Keitechs, too. Something I thought would never happen...

There are ways I fish this that your typical fluke doesn't do well...or do at all. For example, I also use this as my wacky worm. Wacky hook in the middle and on the weightless drop, it shimmies like a Senko (better IMO). Your typical fluke doesn't do that well...and some not at all. I also prefer this over a fluke as my chatterbait trailer. Again, I find this superior. There are some important subtleties that aren't apparent until you fish these. I'm a minimalist too so having baits that can fill several different roles very well is worth it to me. It means I don't need to carry as many baits, keeps my pack lighter, less inventory, etc But by all means...you do you and continue to enjoy your flukes.

This is exactly what the Dolive Stick does. And it does it Texas or Wacky rigged. So I use it either as a "worm" or a swim bait. An exceptional, multiuse plastic bait IMO.

I have similar conditions. My favorite swim baits are the OSP DoLive Shad (paddletail) and the OSP DoLive Stick. Watch some underwater videos to see why these are so great!

I used to use Keitechs. But exclusively use OSP Dolive Shad now. Excellent swimbait. Also, here's a little post I wrote on the hooks.

Keep us posted!!

This is my favorite hook.

Oh, and please note...you snap the pointy tip off after its inserted into the worm...just above the hook hole. My photos show the point still intact.

Please let us know how you like them if you try.

I've used small and medium. Small puts the hook hole near center. The medium puts the hook hole in the top 1/3rd of the worm. I prefer medium. Photo 1) Cross section with a small. Photo 2) Worm diameter and the size recommended on the package. Photo 3) Cross section with medium

I heat up a paperclip end to red hot and use it to make a pilot hole in the worm for the weight. But these days I use the Geecrack Neko Hack for any delicate worms. If it works in a Bellows Stick, it will work on anything!