Swimbaitstud
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Easy. Fish swimbaits. And fish at night. I started bass fishing at 14 years old. Caught a 7lb 6oz fish at 18 and a 7-1 when I was 20. In my late 20s I went 100% swimbaits and started night fishing a ton. Within a couple years a caught two 7-0s, followed by a few more 7s in my early 30s, including a new PB after 14 years with a 7-9. Then another 7-9 the next year. Now I haven’t caught a 7 for about 6 years but the pressure has increased drastically. IMO, your best chance is within a month of ice out. If there’s open water, they’ll eat on top at night. I’ve caught night fishing on wakes in 36 degree water. During the day, big glides and hudds.
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That’s weird. I almost never have an issue with my costas and always have my hood up. Idk what model you wear but I used the tuna alleys and permit and they both have vent holes that seem to actually work well.
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Been loving the spro hunter 65
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I think it went like Thursday. I haven’t had the energy to night fish lately but I know it’s on fire at night right now. My buddy fished a tourney this weekend and had second place with 26lbs for 5 fish. They’re chewin!
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Got on the board this evening. Spent the day spooling all my setups, tinkering on a transom saver, and putting my new LiTime lithiums and charger in the boat, among other odds and ends. Finally got to go shore bang around 6:30. Two whacks on a jig. Hooked and landed both which went a respectable 4-4 and 4-13. Only fished an hour but better days are ahead. Hope to have the boat out next weekend. Just need to feel healthy and remove and grease a bearing
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I don’t have the word swimbait in my name for nothing 😂 Let me tell you this, I have baits worth $400 and baits worth $10. There is a time and place for all. If you’re looking for inexpensive glide baits here’s some great baits. I will say this, don’t skimp on a rod. If you don’t have the gear to do this correctly, it will be miserable and uncomfortable. If it is, you won’t like it and you won’t stick with it. If you ever want rod/reel recommendations, just message me. River2sea Swaver…comes in several sizes and great colors. I like rainbow, powder and lite trout. Also like the 200 size best. Can be found for $40 and under. I’ve caught many 5 and 6lbers on it Savage gear glide swimmer 210. This is a very underrated bait! Around $30 Spro Chad shad is a great option. Not too heavy around 2.5oz. It’s a 7” bait and gets bit well. Easy to fish. You can find em used in good shape for $40-$50 Bullshad bucca trick shad. Comes in 6” and 8”. I didn’t love them but they get bit. I think they’re $30-$40 The 6th sense draw does well for people but I think they’re up around $60-$70 and they’re a bigger bait for a newbie. Another is the G-ratt sneaky Pete. That’s 8” and pretty light. Only about $25 If you get your heart set on something and want a deal or can’t find it let me know. I do a LOT of swimbait dealings. I’m honestly much more into wakes and cranks than glides, but here’s some little confidence boosters…
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Bought a brand new one last fall and did this. I oiled all bearing and it still whined bad. I sent it back for a replacement. Hopefully the new one doesn’t. Seems to be very common on the 80
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Shorter and softer for most topwater. Shorter helps you work a walking bait. Something 6’6” to 7’. Softer helps not put out small trebles and lets them suck it down better. A crankbait model is good for this. I use a Dobyns champ 685cb and 610-4 Kaden. For frogging, a 5 or 6 power rod. Length is kinda preference. I like a 7’3 to 7’6”. Longer gets better hookups and helps you get the fish up out of the slop and pad stems. Longer casts too. Dobyns 736 and 746 for me unless it’s light cover and lighter frogs it’s the champ 735 and Kaden 745. People are all over about what they prefer for bladed jig. I like a heavy crankbait rod. Flexes enough to let em suck it in a bit but solid enough to get a good hookset. For this I strictly use a champ 746cb
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Yup we did too. But next week looks beautiful. Hopefully I feel well enough to go hang a few from shore. The jerkbaits are ready!
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Also hoping to go shore bang a while soon. Been going thru some health issues for 2.5 months but maybe can make some casts this weekend and try to get the new lithiums in the boat. Bite will be on fire by middle of next week
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They’re just starting to go out over the last couple days the south and along the coast. My area will be another 5-8 days. Some will still be a good two weeks
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Love the above Hudd story! And it’s all so true. People are only limited by their minds when it comes to big baits. A big bass doesn’t have a limit in that aspect. For me, it’s deep cranking. I struggle enough with fishing deep period. You can usually find me in 6’ or less. I prefer 3’ or less. When I started bass fishing I learned the jig, T-rig, senko stuff fast but could never get em cranking. Tried off and on for years. And then last year once I got back into conventional tackle after my 10+ year hiatus with swimbaits, I decided I’m going to force it until I could do it. And I did! Cranking 12-18’ really became one of my favorite ways to catch em in a few lakes and consistently caught 3-4lbers through the summer months. It was a good backup to the shallow bite and it’s always nice to get them multiple ways when you’re a tourney angler. This year I’ll have great dedicated cranking rods too. I can also say the frog bite clicked for me. Same story as above. But last year after really getting a dedicated frog rod and putting in the time I ended up slaying them on it all summer even caught my first ever 5+ on one. I’ve since upgraded to the goat frog rod, a Dobyns 736 and can’t wait to crack em on it.
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Unrealistically, SoCal where my buddies are catching 10-12lbers weekly right now. More realistically, NorCal or Washington for nicer weather and still giants. MOST realistically, I’m never leaving central Maine. I was born here and will die here. I don’t like crowds, people, or sitting in traffic. I like catching 30 fish a day. I like going to the lake and seeing another 2-3 boats. I like 3 of the 4 seasons
