ElGuapo928

Though the new Bagley’s aren’t quite the same, TW has a bunch of colors on sale right now for 5 bucks.

I generally use a slightly lighter leader, mostly just to reduce the diameter as much as humanly possible, without sacrificing ability. Dude last weekend caught what may be Arizona state record on 10lb braid with 7lb leader…..16 lb 7 oz.

Something tells me that IF this thing takes off, it will be right there with the Helicopter Lure in the bargain bin……at Goodwill.

Congrats!!

To be honest, the fish around here have gotten so pressured that I find myself digging into the “archives” more and more just to throw something that they haven’t been hammered with this week.

Ugly Stik is a bit soggy in the tip for my tastes, but should work fine.

The scoundrels are quite a bit tougher than the trick worm, and have a far more subtle action. To me the Creme is quite a bit more buoyant as well.

Very well put!! I’ve developed my little rituals to “reboot” and refocus on those days that nothing goes right. Sometimes I just have to set my rods down, close my eyes for a couple minutes, grab a drink and restart. I’ve even gone so far as to tie off and take a 15-20 minute nap on the back deck.

You definitely have a point! To be fair though, mine spends at minimum 100 days a year on the water, and being “elderly” by boat standards raises costs a little bit.

I personally don’t like a hook that big, as it affects the action. That said, measure one up - if it fits lengthwise, give it a go.

I only throw the 3.8, and I use a 3/0 Gamakatsu skip gap on it so a 4/0 should be plenty for the 4.8.

That’s the greatest thing about wood baits - I’ve got a couple that I’ve had to mark because they have that difference in action. There’s a Shad Rap 8 that is really dense like that and has an even tighter wiggle than most, a Fat Rap that rolls side to side more than it wiggles, and a B1 square bill that dives violently to the left if you twitch the rod tip.

I just recently replaced the world’s most expensive light bulb on my trailer. What started as a marker light that irritated me ended up as a complete rewire, all new lights and reflectors, and since I was doing all that I may as well replace that ratty old jack……now the old safety chains look awful, may as well do that. Let’s just wet sand and buff the whole trailer and fenders…..now the step pads look terrible, let’s replace those with EVA instead of that crappy old carpet. May as well do new hubs and bearings…..everything is shiny so let’s do new transom tie downs and winch strap. Winch is ugly, better order a new one. Since I did all that and I’m wiring anyway, let’s put some bling lights on the trailer….. Few hundred bucks and a couple weekends later it looks pretty good, and that stupid marker light works🤣

Toward the end of summer, when the fish are just hammered and burned out, it is very wise to have some silent cranks on hand. My “stealth cranks” box has KVD 1.5’s, Sunny B’s, Fat Raps, Shad Raps, wood Big O’s, old Bagley Fat Cats and a couple of (sacred) DB3 Dredges.

Every boat is going to be different, and the size/manufacturer of your motor will affect it as well. I do all maintenance and repairs myself, so this is a rough estimate on planned/basic parts cost only. Also, my Ranger is old and my 2stroke is terrible on fuel. Gas/Oil: $1800/yr ($20 gas/1 pint oil every trip) Insurance: $1200/yr Registration: Boat is $35/yr - permanent tags on trailer Water Pump Impeller: $60/yr Basic maintenance (plugs, grease, etc) about $400/yr Polish/wax/gel coat maintenance supplies: $300/yr

There used to be a guy in the LA area that poured bootleg salt craws in some wild colors. His stuff was in virtually every gas station/tackle shop worm bar. I’ve still got a few squirreled away just in case I ever run into someone that wants to make a mold.

I like throwing them on a splitshot rig with a light wire hook, but a light Texas rig is always a winner as well. I carry “Live” and the Purple with white spots. Load them up with the scent of your choice (I personally use “Bass Feast” Smelly Jelly), and watch for your line to suddenly start moving.

In Central Az: April - Early June: Bigger fish, good numbers. Mid June - Late July: Excellent Numbers. Pretty easy to pattern. August - September: Little tougher bite, but still pretty predictable. October - November: Lights out, lots of reaction bites and shallow fish. December - March: Cold, sluggish. Most go deep.

The only lily pads that I am aware of in this entire state are in the “water feature” in front of my dentist’s office.

They are a really good rod for the price. Definitely a little soggy in the tip, but that balances out nicely with braided line (I’ve got a Berkley Cherrywood that has had braid on it for the last 20 years and the guides are fine), or fluorocarbon.

Ribbon tail is longer and thinner, with a more subtle action, curly tail has a more pronounced movement. Think willow leaf vs Colorado spinner blades.

I’d kill to have the old Gene Larew stuff back as well - the OG Salt Craw (Yum version is not the same), the Bubble Lizard (Dominated in the 80’s), the Saw Tail worm……

While I have had the occasional day like that (and the exact opposite days as well), I think there are always certain spots that will provide a quality sack. The game is just figuring out where at a given time.

For smallmouth, my most productive in-line spinners have been the Mepps with the minnow (Comet I think) and the “Combo Killer” with the single hook and grub.

Same here. I don’t have the Talons, but a couple sets of brush grippers and a good old mushroom anchor can keep me more or less locked onto my spots. These are also the best days to hole up in some of the more protected coves and start probing the walls and offshore structure - I’ve found some of my best honey holes while waiting for the main lake to settle down.