BROWN BASS TOOLS ~ Questions & Answers

[J Francho]

By mid summer, Lake O. smallies are puking up small white bass, small perch, and crayfish.  On Erie it's all craws.

[Turkey sandwich]

Has anyone brought up the idea of a Bass Resource North fishing trip recently? 

[A-Jay]

8 minutes ago, Turkey sandwich said:

Has anyone brought up the idea of a Bass Resource North fishing trip recently? 

Yes - We're all coming to your house.

See you in a bit . . . 

A-Jay

[slonezp]

Lake Menderchuck would be a stellar option for said trip. Unfortunately the Googler can't seem to locate the ramp coordinates 

[12poundbass]

9 minutes ago, slonezp said:

Lake Menderchuck would be a stellar option for said trip. Unfortunately the Googler can't seem to locate the ramp coordinates 

All you have to do is ask me. It’s right next to lake Nunya. 

[A-Jay]

                                            Vibrating Jigs for Smallies

 

Been a while since I’ve made an addition to this thread, figured I’d take care of that.  Going to cover the why, where, when & how regarding presenting vibrating jigs for smallies.  While this information centers around how I present these baits in northern Michigan for brown bass, there’s a decent chance much of it can be applied effectively in other areas where smallmouth bass inhabit. Might even come in handy for a few green bass as well.

 

OK, First I’ll cover the why.  Why do I fish a vibrating jig for smallies?  The short answer is because they eat it.   

  Beyond that, there are several baits & presentations that I can & do fish at similar times and in similar scenarios that do take brown bass.  However the more I fish a vibrating jig for smallmouth, the more and bigger fish I’ve been catching.    Perhaps it’s because a vibrating jig is ‘the new kid on the block’, and there’s a bit of the novelty factor involved.  Either way, at this point, I’m convinced that after a couple of season throwing it, I may have only scratched the surface of the vibrating jigs full potential.

 

The Where ~ I am most often presenting these baits low & slow.

Not that the baits are less effective in the middle or upper portion of the water column, just that for me, I seem to have my best success this way; in 3 to say 12 ft. of mostly clear or slightly colored water.  I ‘m usually reaching for something else to fish a little higher or a little deeper.   And that might simply be personal preference more than anything else.

 To also help answer the where, I’ll say that I use vibrating jigs sort of like a shallow to medium running crank bait – except in places with bottom vegetation.  In these areas, a crank bait usually bogs down, but these baits come through nicely.  While a lipless / rattle bait often works well in these same grassy areas, the advantage I’ve realized with the vibrating jig, is that I can fish it super slow and the bait still has sufficient ‘action’ or attracting qualities, to get bites.

 

This leads me nicely into The When.  When chasing big brown bass, early & late season are the prime times.  Fish are generally shallow(er), which makes them a whole more accessible, and they are looking to eat, which I really like.  These are usually times when the water is cooler.  So being able to crawl a bait along the bottom, in & around vegetation, have it fish effectively and get bites, makes a vibrating jig a decent option.  Clearly there are a number of baits that offer many of the same benefits.  Swim jigs & swim baits come to mind, just to name a couple.  But there is something about these baits that seems to get bites when some of the other presentations I’ve tried in the same areas, have not.  Makes me keep reaching for the rig that’s got one tied on, more and more.

 

And here’s where I go over The How.  The how in this case is the actual baits themselves and the gear I fish them on.  Clearly most

ALL of this comes down to personal preference.  

First the baits.

I have and fish 4 Model / types, if you will.  Each is a little different but could still be utilized interchangeably. 

 

To start, I fish the 3/8 oz. and the ½ oz. almost exclusively.  Reserving the few 3/4 oz. baits for casting into a heavy wind.  

As for colors, regardless of brand or type, I’m throwing pretty much ‘natural’ types of deals.  I make my own skirts, so there’s a lot of green pumpkins, and perch & crawfish type shades happening; with a smattering of white & chartreuse because I think there’s a rule that says I have to.   I replace them as needed.

   There are several (million) trailers that work, I use 3 only and there really isn’t any rhyme or reason to what I hang on the back as these all catch fish for me.  The Strike King Rage Bug and Blade Minnow are good.  As is the Yamamota Zako.  I’ve fished paddle tail swimbait style trailers quite a bit in the past and have all but abandoned their use here.  Where a swimbait makes an excellent trailer on swim jigs and spinnerbaits – It just does not produce for me like the baits mentioned above.  Even when I turn the tail up, which may folks swear by.

 

The Strike King Rage Blade – one of the first baits of this type I fished. Seems to excel in the coldest of water. Works best on a slow retrieve as it has decent bit of rise to it otherwise. Hangs up in wood.

 

The Z-Man Chatterbait Freedom ~ Is effective for me in any situation I want to present a vibrating jig and possesses two distinct features that I find very beneficial. First, the ability/option to attach most any hook of my choice.  This includes but is not limited to a stout EWG.  So the second feature is that EWG makes an already semi-weed less rig, even more so.  I will mention that the hook up ratio for me with Tex-posed trailers is a bit lower than rigs that are not.  (open hooks)   

 

The O.S.P. Bladed Jig.  This is a Japanese bait I took a flyer on a few years back.  Got it off E-Bay.  This bait has a bit smaller profile that includes a smaller hook, guessing maybe 2/0.  The most notable aspect of this one is that it has a small and ‘transparent’ plastic blade.  When the bladed jigs first hit the market, they all came with a shiny metallic blade.  Something I was not digging in many of the super clear water applications here.  Works fine for a speeding spinnerbaits, but not so much for the slower moving bladed jig.  This bait comes with a thin twin tail trailer – that’s pretty decent.  It’s also the only bait I know of that is offered in a 5/8 oz.  Sort of unique.  This one excels in the shallowest of scenarios for me.

 

Finally there’s the Z-Man Evergreen Jackhammer.  Some love it – some hate it.  I’ll keep my comments on this one brief.  If I could only have one, this is it.  Since getting a few, it’s the one I reach for most as it has accounted for ‘several’ trophy sized brown bass.  IMO, it does it all and it does it well.

 

As a final ‘bait’ footnote, I acquired a couple of Strike King Thunder Crickets and while they have yet to produce, they are well made, run true and seem to have quite a bit of potential.  And although I have no firsthand knowledge of the process, I have to believe Mark Zona had a hand in naming it.

 

And lastly, the gear.  Again, and I have to say it, these baits a so versatile and yet unique, they can be fished on just about any thing you’d like to throw it on. Is one type “Better” than another?  Who Knows?  I use what I like and what I have confidence it – that goes for all my fishing and I’d encourage that mind set to anyone & everyone who is willing to listen.  What one angler uses and even has success with, may not be right for another.  So use what you like.  Here's what I like – Rod, Reel & line.

 

   I totally prefer moderate action rods for single hook moving baits. (And many treble hook baits for that matter). 

And well before I settled on the one mentioned below, I was like many anglers in that I was totally unsure what to use or what I would prefer. So after ‘reading’ and watching too many videos, I just went ahead and purchased and then fished a graphite (St Croix), 100 % Glass (Lamiglas) & a Composite stick (Quantum). Needed to be able to compare them- side by side.  Only way I could expect to answer the question.

 In the end, they all worked OK, but I settled on the composite.

Just has the right combination of castability, sensitivity, hook setting and fish fighting ability.  So, I sold the graphite stick and ‘retired’ the glass ones. More on that in a bit.

 

  I use the same rod (and Reel) for spinnerbaits & vibrating jigs as well as squarebills, shallow & medium diving crankbaits.

A 7’4” MH Composite Quantum KVD Crankbait rod. 

 

   I use & prefer a ‘slower’ reel.  Helps keep me from fishing the bait to ‘fast’.  Something I continue to struggle with and always need to pay attention to; especially after I get a few.  I use a Shimano Calcutta 200D round reel.  Has a 5.7:1 ratio.  I love these reels.  A pleasure to chunk & wind all day.

 

 As for line, I prefer Fluorocarbon; specifically, Seaguar InvisX or Tatsu in 15lb.  Done. 

  

Getting back to the glass sticks; I have a couple of yellow Lamiglas Skeet Reese glass rods.  Over this winter, I extended the handles on them both and plan on giving them another go as vibrating jig rods.  We’ll see how it goes.  They are definitely a bit hefty and sort of an acquired taste. 

 

 

 

And so there it is – if you have brown bass to fish for, and you thought vibrating jigs were only for green bass, I’d encourage you to give them a shot.

 Be careful though, you might get your arm broke.

That’s my story and I’m stick ‘in to it.

A-Jay

 

[A-Jay]

@12poundbass ~ 

I’m really glad you did this little write up! I fished the vibrating jig towards the end of last season and a little this year. I can see myself really enjoying throwing this and spinnerbaits. After reading this I think I need to slow my retrieve WAY down. 

 

Question: should I be feeling the blade vibrating all the time while reeling it in? 

 

A-Jay ~ 

Thanks ~ 

 Try reeling the bait along boat side so you can see it.

 Make sure the boat is mostly stopped.  Watch what the bait does at what speed.  You might learn that at least with the Jackhammer, the bait can be retrieved fairly slowly, yet the blade & trailer are still doing their thing.  You don't HAVE to be able to feel it, just need to know, believe & have confidence in what the bait is doing.

Also, remember this is a vibrating JIG - so anyone who knows jig fishing is totally comfortable with Not being able to FEEL any vibration from the jig and yet, it still get's bites - and big ones at that. Bass will eat this as it sits motionless just like a plain jig.

 **** Big thing to remember when smallmouth fishing - even in cold or cooler water - smallies Like to Chase . . . so in cold or cooler water, a vibrating jig that crawls along the bottom for a short distance and then stops very briefly, and then crawls along the bottom and then stops briefly and does that continuously, is very appealing.  They will often follow/ track it a long way - finally eating it. 

And here's the secret . . . every 4 or 5 moves - speed the reel handle quickly one turn only.  Makes the bait jump and look like it's getting away. Very often - if there's a brown fatty following it - she'll often choke it on the pause or the next movement.  This works for swingheads, swimbaits, spinnerbaits, A-Rigs - almost any horizontal moving bait for smallies.  Not a guarantee, but pretty close. 

So there's that. 

[Carol Knowles]

This thread is so helpful!! Thanks 

[Jeff Browning]

On 5/20/2019 at 10:39 PM, Turkey sandwich said:

Has anyone brought up the idea of a Bass Resource North fishing trip recently? 

Work schedule permitting, I'd be open to a North trip.  I enjoy meeting new people, especially if we share a common interest.

[A-Jay]

                    SWINGHEADS FOR SMALLMOUTH

 

   For the past two seasons at least, and it may be closer to three, a swinghead has been one of, if not my most productive bottom contact presentation for brown bass.  I've mentioned it quite a few times both in threads and in some of the videos I’ve posted,  however I’ve really ever gone into much detail regarding the what, when, where and how, I have the most success with it.   While the majority this centers on using a swinghead for smallmouth bass, as that’s what I target most, I’ve caught many largemouth (as well as Walleye & Pike) with this presentation and do believe that quite a bit of this information will translate well in many green bass dominated fisheries.

 

  The What ~ for the purposes of this document, the ‘swinghead’ can be any one of the lead or tungsten, usually football shaped heads (but not always), with a loosely attached hook. Many models of this bait include the hook permanently attached, while others offer the ability to change or utilize the hook of your choice; I prefer and use this style exclusively.  Routinely this is an EWG worm hook but doesn’t need to be; more on that later in The How.   This type of rig allows the attached trailer to move quite freely during the retrieve while at the same time, can be rigged fairly weedless.  

 

The When – Seasonally, I have yet to have a single month during open water season here, where I could not get bit throwing a swinghead. 

 If & when the fish are relating to or feeding at or near the bottom, this is a viable option, regardless of water temps.  The trailer I chose and the ‘speed’ at which I present the bait, usually must match the water temps, but I’ll cover that coming up in ‘The How’.  

             

       The Where ~ Places that have excelled for me as killer Swinghead spots all have at least one thing in common – Fairly clean bottom; meaning NO or almost No Weed.  The ‘traditional’ swinghead is NOT going to fish effectively in or through places that have anything more than the sparsest of vegetation on them.  Hard bottom zones of rock or wood can be prime.  However, a sand bottom may be my favorite. 

 

  Perhaps a decent way to access effective swinghead waters is to understand that this bait fishes much like a lipped medium or deep running crankbait.  So while these baits have that in common, there are a few major differences and these may be contributing factors to the swinghead’s effectiveness.   Although both are, for the most, horizontal moving presentations, the swinghead does not need to be ‘cranked’ to get & stay deep.  A swinghead does have its own ‘action’ and will deflect off bottom cover, but it’s not the same hard, vibration, rattling deal many crankbaits possess.  And lastly, you can cover A TON of water with a swinghead  - effectively.  Unlike a crankbait, where a decent chunk of the cast is spent either getting down to or coming up from the bottom (where the fish are), the swinghead, when allowed to sink on a slack line – can be in the juice for a very high percentage of your cast.

  In cooler water situations, spring & fall, places where I may fish a blade bait or bounce a rattle bait along the bottom, can also be swinghead waters.    Either way, Drop-offs, Points, Humps, Saddle Areas, Mid-depth & Deep Water Flats – just about anything clean enough to fish it through, can be good. 

 

The How ~ I am going to break this one down into four sub-sections.

These will include, the swinghead’s themselves (the ones I use & why), the tackle I like to fish swing heads (rod, reel, line & hooks), the retrieve(s) and finally the Trailers.

 

  Swingheads ~

Perhaps don’t quote me on this, but I think the first version of a swinghead was the Gene Larew Biffle head.  Tommy Biffle may be the first one I knew of fishing it professionally and his Biffle Bug was making it happen.  Still available & popular today, it was the first one I purchased and fished probably 4 years ago now.

 My first several swinghead adventures were not very successful.  I was trying to present the bait in places that had too much bottom cover.  I did this because ‘nothing’ and ‘open water bottom zones’ weren’t where I was usually getting bit with soft plastics.  My thinking & approach were wrong & pretty far off point.  I kept at it and once I started thinking about the bait like a crankbait, the light went on.

 As mentioned previously, I prefer the baits that allow me to change out the hook.  Before coming to this conclusion, I fished several different fixed hook swinghead types / brands – including but not limited to, the Biffle Head, as well as offerings by Dirty Jigs, Eco Pro & Strike King.  These can & will mostly all get bites but once the hook is no longer serviceable, the bait’s toast.  Wasn’t cost effective for me.

 What I also learned here was that Tungsten, although more $$, clearly cast better, fished deeper and totally transmits what I'm fishing over & through better than the lead heads. However in some, mostly shallower applications, lead was better (and I’ll get to that in a bit).

  So after quite a bit of trial & error, I determined that for my swinghead fishing, there are two qualities that the bait needed to possess.  It needed a very stout ‘hook hanger’ – however the hook was attached, it needed to be able to endure repeated hook changes as well as the rigors of fighting big brown bass on stout gear.  Several early models I tried failed here – while I was changing a hook and also snapping while fight a fish – both highly undesirable.  The other important characteristic revolved around the ‘shape’ of the head itself.  I wanted & needed two separate and specific styles; a tungsten football shape for the deeper presentations where I wanted to grind & bounce off the bottom; and a more pointed or streamline version head for light eel grass areas.  These places for me are generally shallower so this is where the lead material shines.

 

 The two baits that address and satisfy my desires/needs are the RPE Tackle Tungsten Swinging Football Jig (No Hook) (Pictured Top & Bottom Bait) and the Freedom Tackle Stealth Swim Jig. (Pictured Middle Bait)

 The RPE rig is obviously Tungsten, come without a hook, can be purchased in bulk, and possesses a unique and very secure hook hanging system. I use the ½ & ¾ oz only here and do add an Owner Oval Split ring to the front line tie.  Big Fan.

 

The Freedom Tackle product is offered & sold as a complete bait.  And while I do retain the hook & quality skirt that comes with the bait to use in different applications, for my swinghead fishing applications, I am just using the head.  And what a killer head it is !   Available in different weights, the ½ & ¾ oz are lead and the ¼ oz offering is plastic – all have a very stout hook hanger.  Haven’t had one fail yet. This head design fishes much different than the football head.  It’s much more of a swimming, almost gliding action across & along the bottom; rather than bouncing & digging into it like the tungsten head will do.  Superior for shallower & light weed areas.  HUGE Fan of this one !

 

 

The Tackle ~

Went round & round on this one – and I totally get that we each have ‘the way we like to do it.’  Here’s mine – regardless of the conditions, depth, water temp, you name it – I like a 7’ 1” MHF graphite stick, 17 lb. Fluorocarbon line & a 7.3:1 reel.  So all my swingheading is done with a St Croix LTB MHF, 17lb Seaguar InvisX or 20 lb. Tatsu, and a Quantum PT Tour KVD high speed reel.

 

 

      The hook choice, and this can be a tricky deal.  I prefer to and have my best success, staying well off the bass.  This requires fairly long casts. The longer the cast the more challenging it is to drive home the hookset.       

  Smallies have a tendency to really clamp down on these baits and then swim at the boat. That adds to the hook setting challenge. High speed reel helps, as does having the patience to keep reeling after I feel the strike (bait often goes ‘weight-less’) until the rod loads up before setting the hook – that’s a hard one for me.  But set too early, and she’ll often not make it into the Frabil.  So back to the hook – needs to be fine enough to penetrate on that long distance strike yet stout enough not to bend out on the strike or during the fight.  I tried compensating for all this by using braided line – but I didn’t like it.  While my hook setting ability clearly went way up, as did the sensitivity, seemed the bass could feel me as much as I could feel them.  Missed a lot of fish – might have been all in my head but either way, I dumped the braid and went back to fluorocarbon. My very first swinghead deals were made with mono – it worked but on the longer casts, the stretch was just a little much.

 To rig a bait Tex-Pose, I use one of two hooks and I use them interchangeably.  The standard Gamakatsu EWG and an Owner Wide Gap Plus EWG.  As always, I match the hook to the bait but I’m using a 3/0, 4/0 & for bigger baits a 5/0 the vast majority of the time.  With the Owner, I can crank on even the bigger bass but the wire is quite a bit thinner on that Gamakatsu, so after the hookset I need to be mindful of that.

  For a top hook type presentation (rare but I do it) all the same characteristic need to apply.  And this is a solid option when using bulky trailers like paddle tail swimbaits.  I use a 3/0 or 4/0 Owner Jungle Flipping Hook made with ZoWire.  It’s thin & stout, has a decent keeper and is just about perfect for this. (Pictured on the Top Bait) 

 

 

The Retrieve(s) ~ This is another one of those aspects of bass fishing where there just may be no wrong answer.  Like jerkbait fishing, any number of ‘retrieves’ can produce bass.  And on any given day one may work better than another and then the next time – it changes again. 

For me – I prefer to try and trigger that ‘chase’ deal.  So I like to keep the bait moving but will impart brief pauses randomly throughout the retrieve.  The speed and the length of a pause can be & usually is dictated by the season, water temps, water clarity, type of bait possibly present and lastly the mood of the fish.  However, I absolutely refuse to say ‘Let the fish tell you what they want’.  Nope not gonna do it.   I fish this bait with the reel -  Think crankbait.

 

The Trailers ~

 The options of effective trailers for a swinghead are probably endless.  Most anything you want to hang on it will work.  Could get overwhelming.

I have caught several respectable bass on worms (both curly tail & straight), Craws, Hollow & Solid paddle tail swimbaits and an assortment of creature type baits.  But my number one brown bass producer has been the Strike King Rage Bug. And second place isn’t even close.  At this point I rarely throw anything else.  If they are going to eat, they’ll eat that.  I’m that confident in it.  One bait that I just start ‘experimenting’ with is the Rage Tail Eeliminator.  I’ve had several bags for years and have not done much with them.  Early indications are, we just may have a Rage Bug contender – more to follow on that.

 

    

In conclusion – I’ll add my version of Why.  Why is this Swinghead deal so effective on brown bass?   One of the more common adages in bass fishing is – “show them something different”.  And while I’m not 100 percent certain that showing a big wary smallmouth, something it’s never seen before is the magical secret to Trophy Town, in this case, there may be something to it.   I believe that smallies enjoy or perhaps even need, to chase their prey; they are just wired that way.  And while I do take many quality fish each season with stationary presentations, like drop shots for example, given a choice, I believe I can almost always get a few with something moving.  Doesn’t always pan out, but nothing works all the time.  

So a swinghead fill’s its own little niche.  It’s a moving bait that I can present at almost any depth, utilizing various retrieves (including long pauses), I’m able to use a wide variety of hook types / styles to fit almost any situation and the trailer options are endless.  Maybe that’s why.

  So if you have some water that seems to fit the swinghead bill, and you haven’t yet given this a try, I’d encourage you to do so – immediately if not sooner.

 That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

A-Jay

 

[Jeff Browning]

Though I have several iterations of swing heads in my tackle box, I've only rarely used them.  I guess since SMB seem to be the most prevalent species here to fish and, since I'm learning about bass fishing, I never though of them as a bait for SMB (but it makes sense that they'd eat them).  Thanks for the great write up!  I've learned a lot by reading and rereading this thread.  I'm actually catching fish more consistently in the jack pots and weekend tournaments I get to fish.  Thanks for sharing your experiences/knowledge.

 

BTW I'm loving the Lund!  It's a family fun beast.  Kids came down from Alaska and it pulled a tube around the lake with no problem.

[A-Jay]

6 hours ago, Jeff Browning said:

Though I have several iterations of swing heads in my tackle box, I've only rarely used them.  I guess since SMB seem to be the most prevalent species here to fish and, since I'm learning about bass fishing, I never though of them as a bait for SMB (but it makes sense that they'd eat them).  Thanks for the great write up!  I've learned a lot by reading and rereading this thread.  I'm actually catching fish more consistently in the jack pots and weekend tournaments I get to fish.  Thanks for sharing your experiences/knowledge.

 

BTW I'm loving the Lund!  It's a family fun beast.  Kids came down from Alaska and it pulled a tube around the lake with no problem.

Thanks @Jeff Browning

That's really great to hear all the way around.

A-Jay

[12poundbass]

Great write up sir! I’ve had a few swing heads in my possession for a couple years now but have never used them. I’ve seen you use it a few times now and since this whole SMB excursion with you began in January I’ve had this presentation on my mind. You mentioned it a few times during our conversations but never really went into detail until now and the timing couldn’t have been better. You and I have been talking about Sneaky Lake a fair amount lately and this presentation I believe sets up perfectly for Sneaky Lake! I’m planning a trip over there this weekend and this is one lure I had planned to tie on. I wasn’t too sure about it since I’ve never thrown it then last night I look and bam you have a right up on the swing head! I’m looking forward to using it this weekend and putting your teachings to work! Thanks again! 

[A-Jay]

1 hour ago, 12poundbass said:

Great write up sir! I’ve had a few swing heads in my possession for a couple years now but have never used them. I’ve seen you use it a few times now and since this whole SMB excursion with you began in January I’ve had this presentation on my mind. You mentioned it a few times during our conversations but never really went into detail until now and the timing couldn’t have been better. You and I have been talking about Sneaky Lake a fair amount lately and this presentation I believe sets up perfectly for Sneaky Lake! I’m planning a trip over there this weekend and this is one lure I had planned to tie on. I wasn’t too sure about it since I’ve never thrown it then last night I look and bam you have a right up on the swing head! I’m looking forward to using it this weekend and putting your teachings to work! Thanks again! 

Thank You and Good Luck my friend ~

And when 'retrieving' your swinghead, perhaps give the follow retrieve cadence a try:

Once your bait gets to the bottom - go one slow turn of the reel handle followed immediately by one fast turn of the reel handle - then pause for a one count (you're waiting for the bait to get back to the bottom) and repeat.  Go 5-7 times like that and then pause for a 2 or 3 count and then start the deal all over again.   Remember that depending on your reel's IPT - your bait is most liking traveling at least 3-5 feet in those two turns of the handle - so don't think you're fishing 'slow' because you're not.  You're fishing effectively. 

 Bites can come anywhere along there but 'on the pause' (however brief) is a fan favorite. 

And be very careful - you just might get your arm broke . . . . 

btw - Megastrike is your friend.

A-Jay

[TnRiver46]

Excellent information! Those of us that watch your videos know they like to swim that bait back to the boat really fast because you are always cranking the ole winch handle for all she's got after you set the hook! I thoroughly enjoy watching the swinghead hooksets! 

[NHBull]

@A-Jay

Thanks for going the extra mile.  I would like to have this pinned for future reading.....That said, you always cost me $$$$ ?

[J Francho]

9 minutes ago, NHBull said:

I would like to have this pinned for future reading

It's been pinned for a while now.

[A-Jay]

59 minutes ago, NHBull said:

@A-Jay

Thanks for going the extra mile.  I would like to have this pinned for future reading.....That said, you always cost me $$$$ ?

You're Welcome ~ 

But the important thing is that you do seem to be catching quite a few very respectable bass . . .

What's the price on that  . . . ?

Thanks Again for your support - I really do appreciate it.

A-Jay

[12poundbass]

32 minutes ago, NHBull said:

@A-Jay

Thanks for going the extra mile.  I would like to have this pinned for future reading.....That said, you always cost me $$$$ ?

You’ve been killing it this year in the brown bass department! Something has been clicking.

 

If the wife asks about all the lures, money spent, and time on the water just tell her you’re finding a food source for you and your family in the event of civil unrest, apocalypse, Great Depression, civil war, or anything along those lines. ?

[NHBull]

35 minutes ago, J Francho said:

It's been pinned for a while now.

I stand corrected...

[A-Jay]

Looks like Mr Zona's finally catching on . . . .

 

https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/big-smallmouth-zona.html?fbclid=IwAR1Rgd2rj-oNO45AWoHNkssJu4wbxo_Jw51WRW3QF2H7WZ38zdn3Y90LppM

A-Jay

[12poundbass]

I stopped at a mom and pop shop yesterday because they had a close out on their soft plastics. Looking for some good deals I came across some lures and thought of you @A-Jay. It was the Savage goby tube. Have you seen these before or tried them? They looked pretty cool, not sure if they’d produce more than the standard tube. Thought I’d throw that out there. 

[MickD]

The Savage tube certainly looks like it will work very well.

[A-Jay]

I have tried them.  Nothing.  Seems too big when compared to the real deal.

A-Jay 

[12poundbass]

1 hour ago, A-Jay said:

I have tried them.  Nothing.  Seems too big when compared to the real deal.

A-Jay 

They are quite large