ElGuapo928

Looking through my disaster area of a spinnerbait box, I found a couple others to add to the list of tough spinnerbaits. Strike King Potbelly: Cheap, effective and absolute warriors. I’ve got a couple that look like victims of tragic farming accidents, but the wire is still straight and solid. McCoy VTwin: Have several that have been drug through brush and rocks to the point that I rolled the hook point over, but no harm to the wire. Skirts aren’t as durable as some makes, but still a solid platform.

Dobyns are a solid choice, Persuader spinnerbaits take more than their fair share of use and abuse as well.

Great video! One of my best summer evening techniques is getting a dropshot with a short 6”-10” leader, and a reaper or small minnow bait then letting the breeze drag me across shallow flats. I’ve put 5 in the box in under 30 minutes more than once dropshotting in 4-6 feet of water.

I’ve got a couple left - Always thought they were the best shallow water rattle bait ever made. Little slower fall rate than the RatLTrap, little tighter action than the Spot (and way more consistent in manufacture).

I like throwing an Evergreen with either a Chatterspike or Zako as a trailer. I’ve had pretty good results with the Slobberknocker as well.

Glad everything got fixed and back up!!

Early spring/prespawn I usually do the best between about 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM, then it tapers off some till around 2:00 PM.

Bagley DB3’s are my “secret” weapon.

Doodling is an old school western finesse technique for deeper suspended fish….basically a Texas rig with a glass bead between the sinker and hook, with a 4” worm worked vertically. Shake the rod tip for 2-3 seconds, then pause for 20-30 seconds.

Out here deep fish are a way of life. Dropshots and doodling are my preferred baits, with the Little George at the ready all Summer. Always have fin clips and a fizzing needle handy. I’ve found that clips and a little time in the cool livewell with a dose of Rejuvenade will get them back “right” without the invasive needle.

I don’t like Uni-knots on fluorocarbon - seems to burn the line worse than anything else. I’ve gone pretty much exclusively to San Diego jam knots, and keep a bottle of Reel Snot on the deck to lubricate my knots. I haven’t had a failure on the cast for several years now.

Thanks!! It’s a labor of keeping my 80’s dreams alive!!

Good point on the pleasure boats getting bigger. The wake boats now are bigger than a cabin cruiser of 20-30 years ago (yet they rarely ever venture more than a couple hundred yards from the ramp), and the typical 18’ bowrider has all but disappeared around here.

Any plastics - I’ve tried and tried, but never any real positive results.

Definitely go down on the weight - I don’t go to a 1/4 oz until I’m over 30’ deep. For skinny water (6’ or less), my preferred dropshot sinker is a #4 splitshot, with a 4”-6” dropper.

I’ve had more success with bluegill or PB&J than anything else in the river. To be honest, I think my lifetime numbers anywhere on green pumpkin are in the low single digits.

I throw about 50/50 - rattles when they’re actively chasing, balsa when they’re not.

My first thought is a beaver or craw on a free rig. We’ve been tinkering with a Gilly on the free rig and it’s been a winner in the brush as well.

That’s really awesome. I need to do something actually coherent like that. Thanks for the inspiration!

I throw both on a Medium/Fast with 15lb mono, except for the smaller 1/4 and 3/16 oz, they go on a Medium/Moderate Fast with 12lb fluoro.

If you’re backseating with me, we’re going to get you unsnagged - just tell me when you’re hung up. I’ve had a couple guys that broke off without saying a word, and then blamed me for it after the fact.

When everything else fails for me, I start dragging a 4” straight tail worm on a dropshot.

That’s about my experience with it as well -brittle as glass, and kinked if you looked at it wrong. Come to think of it, I haven’t had all that good of an experience with any PLine product.

Glad to hear you got going! When you get to that project, I’m more than happy to help any way I can.

I have the Josh Bertrand worm rod, and it’s a pretty solid rod at $100, but wouldn’t go above that.