The Next KVD

Living in Minnesota, we get a HUGE junebug crusade every May/June. I custom paint my Jitterbugs into the plastic worm color Junebug. This kills bass in the early morning hours. Once it gets pitch black however I switch to a straight black.

#1. GYCB 5" senko in Watermelon/ Red flk. #2. Generic 4" Tubebait in Watermelon/ Red flk. #3. 7 1/2" Culprit worm in Black

When I fish a fluke or simular knockoff, I usually fish it in only early morning or in schooling fish situations. I work it really fast, sometimes so fast that the fluke jumps out of the water. This imitates a fleeing baitfish and schooling fish jump all over it. However the water can't be rough, it has to be somewhat calm for this to work. As for hooks I use a 4/0 or 5/0 Gamakatsu EWG. the only color i use is pearl. Try dropshotting it also sometime.

Tpayneful, what is the water clarity when u usually throw the grn. pumpkin jig. If its anything but clear use the black/blue. In my experience the grn. pumpkin and watermelon jig colors only work in clear to lightly stained water clarity color.

kms399, I use to own the same curado w/ the 3.8:1 gear ratio. Personally I didn't like it at all. It was waaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy to slooooooooooooow for me. I'm sticking w/ the 5.1:1 Citica.

Either something is wrong with the wiring or u may need a new pump. Either way I would take it to ur local marine dealer to get fixed before trying anything. I'd much rather pay $100 for them to fix than me trying to and breaking something even more expensive myself. Alot less hassle too.

Dropshot, texas, wacky, carolina rig will all put fish in the boat w/ a trick worm.

It depends on water depth. Alot of people I know use 6.2:1 reels for Lipless cranks and shallow crankbaits and use 5.3:1 for mid to deep divers. I use a Shimano Citica w/ a 5.1:1 reel for cranking except for lipless cranks in which I use a Shimano Curado w/ a 6.2:1 gear ratio. The 5.1:1 makes cranking deep divers less of a chore and is easier on ur arm and wrist.

I use Matt Lures swimbaits and Storm Wildeye Live series. Living in Minnesota, my favorite color is perch and bluegill becasue those are our main forage fish. Yes, color does matter because most of the time ur throwing swimbaits in clear water and u need to be as realistic as possible. Also, use the proper length of swimbait. If u live down south u can get away with 5-6" lures. California = bigger the better! In the north where I live= 3-5" lures. Hope this helps

I make my own jigs from Do-It molds. I also use Northlands Jungle Jigs alot!!!! I use only 3 colors: Black/Blue, Green Pumpkin, and White. I use matching trailers with them.

Matts Ultimate. Also a Watermelon red tubebait is great also.

Typically I get 4 in each size and color that I know I will use. However, I really stock up on baits that really catch fish in case the company ever happens to get rid of the product. an example is the old Storm Wiggle Warts. when they started making them the "new way" I tried them and they sucked! Thats when I went and hunted down the old baits on ebay and tackle stores. Now I know when I find a great product I stock up as much as I can.

If u can afford them use yamamoto. The action is just soooooooooo much better than other brands because of the softer plastic and salt content.

Pitching/Flipping: a generic craw chunk Swimming: 5" Yamamoto Skirted Double Tail Grub Draggin/hopping: 5" Yamamoto Skirted Double Tail Grub

When using a Carolina Rig I always use beads. After the sinker I thread on a glass bead followed by a plastic bead. The plastic bead protects the knot and the sinker and glass bead make the noise. I don't ever use a carolina rig any other way.

Cajun, the speed is from my gps. Yes, Jeff the Yamaha is a carbed 2 stroke. It doesn't matter if it is hotter or humid out, whenever I have a passenger with me it has a horrible holeshot and low topend. My plugs look great. Unfortunately carbed 2 strokes do suck alot of gas and my Yamaha ain't an exception. It maybe gets 4mpg. I'm thinking of replacing my current Yamaha with a 4 stroke 90hp yamaha or a 90hp Mercury Optimax. thanx for everyones help.

I own a Nitro 640LX with a 90hp Yamaha. I'm currently using a 3 blade prop w/ a dia. of 13" and a 19" pitch. The boat runs great with this combo except when I carry a passenger with me. It takes forever to get the boat on plane and when it finally gets there my wot speed is 37mph at 6000 rpms compared to a wot speed of 46mph at 6000 rpms when I'm alone. Will switching to a 4 blade prop help me get a better holeshot and a decent top end speed when I have a friend fishing with me? Also does anyone know if I'll need to go to a different dia. and pitch? Does anyone have any other suggestions? Thanx

I keep mine in at all times except when covering. Also my back seat does get taken down because it has a folding back and i've seen a few those get ripped out by the wind when trailering. Otherwise my butt seat is always in.

Personally I never use backing not even for braid. I just tie my main line straight to the spool and fill er up! Thats my take on it.

try using braid instead. braid floats better than anything else and ur baits get better action than with mono. Just make sure ur not using a stiff rod, anything in med. to med.light is perfect for topwaters and braid.

I still have an ugly stick for panfish when bass season is closed in Minnesota. If u want a decent rod at an affordable price St. Croix Triumph series are great! depending on the size and action they run from $40 to $70.

I bought a used 2002 Nitro 640LX with an 2003 90hp Yamaha 2 stroke. I wish the front deck was bigger but the 7 foot rod locker holds all of my 15 rods. the 6 foot locker is used for tackle. because I fish tournaments on big lakes i wish i waited and bought a 18-19 footer w/ a 175-200hp. Its fine for fishing but my preference is for a bigger boat. the stratos is underpowered even at the max rating. most 17 footers are rated for 125 to 135 horsepower. thats just my 2 cents worth.

GO ahead and win some tournaments! The only thing that u won't like probably is if you have to make a long run to ur fishing spots. That would be bad especially if u had to cross rough water. Also, if ur spot is deceptible to the wind u wont like it if the wind blows. I'm currently fishing tournaments out of a Nitro 640LX with a 90hp Yamaha. Its fine but i still wish i had a 19ft with a 200hp. The bigger the boat the faster u get to ur spots and the more time u get to fish! Personally my boat is probably the bare min. in my mind for fishing tournaments.

Lowrance LMS480C w/ GPS. I have one on a RAM mount on the driver consel and on the bow next to a Vexilar FL 18

Stick with the braid. I use 50lb PowerPro and never broke a fish off. When flipping and pitching u want the zero strecth braid offers. Besides the areas where u most likely are pitchin' and flippin' braided line looks like the cover the jig or plastic is in such as weeds and wood. NEVER USE FLUOROCARBON!