I just received this lure today in crappie pattern. It was more than I'd ever spent on any lure, but I treated myself for my birthday. I bought it because my buddy, who crappie fishes, said twice lately he has had a big bass attack a crappie he was reeling in. I have it tied on my rog rod with 50# braid and a 20# mono leader. It's a 2 oz. lure. I think this is probably sufficient, though not ideal, but at some point I'll want to throw the frog. Give me some suggestions for a $100-150 rod for this technique. Also, any other advice on the soft swimbait would be helpful. Thanks.

How can you, in all good conscious, make a post about a lure like that without including a PICTURE of it??  Come on, man! 

46 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

I just received this lure today in crappie pattern. It was more than I'd ever spent on any lure, but I treated myself for my birthday. I bought it because my buddy, who crappie fishes, said twice lately he has had a big bass attack a crappie he was reeling in. I have it tied on my rog rod with 50# braid and a 20# mono leader. It's a 2 oz. lure. I think this is probably sufficient, though not ideal, but at some point I'll want to throw the frog. Give me some suggestions for a $100-150 rod for this technique. Also, any other advice on the soft swimbait would be helpful. Thanks.

It depends on if you're going to stick with 2oz. and under swim baits or if 2oz. is a starting point and you want the flexibility to throw up to 6oz. lures someday. If you're happy at 2oz. I would recommend the Dobyns Fury 795SB 7'9" MH/F which is good for swim baits 1 - 5oz. with a sweet spot at right around 3oz. If you want the flexibility to throw heavier baits in the future I'd go with the Dobyns Fury 806HSB 8' H/F which is good for swim baits 2 - 8oz. with a sweet spot of around 5-6oz. Both of these rods are under $150...around $130 - $140 I believe.

1 hour ago, Big Rick said:

How can you, in all good conscious, make a post about a lure like that without including a PICTURE of it??  Come on, man! 

LOL. All righty.

9 hours ago, the reel ess said:

I just received this lure today in crappie pattern. It was more than I'd ever spent on any lure, but I treated myself for my birthday. I bought it because my buddy, who crappie fishes, said twice lately he has had a big bass attack a crappie he was reeling in. I have it tied on my rog rod with 50# braid and a 20# mono leader. It's a 2 oz. lure. I think this is probably sufficient, though not ideal, but at some point I'll want to throw the frog. Give me some suggestions for a $100-150 rod for this technique. Also, any other advice on the soft swimbait would be helpful. Thanks.

 

I might be in the minority, but I really like using a frog/flipping rod for baits this size and single hook.  My personal favorite is on sale at ALF, but still out of range.  ExprideA 7'6XH w/ 50lb braid to 20lb maxima UG or straight braid.  I'm a fan of the Fury 795 swimbait rod for glides/trebles but not particularly for these type swimmers.  Irod Genesis III 775, 754, or Dobyns sierra 766 might be a action/price point match to the expride. Maybe spend some time with it on your frog rod before making the plunge. 

 

Long casts, sensitive enough rod to feel the tail thump, bulldog any hooked bass, and persistence is my general advice.  I also believe crappie are on the big bass menu, and think you're on a worthwhile tangent.  Good luck!

 

scott

12 hours ago, softwateronly said:

 

I might be in the minority, but I really like using a frog/flipping rod for baits this size and single hook.  My personal favorite is on sale at ALF, but still out of range.  ExprideA 7'6XH w/ 50lb braid to 20lb maxima UG or straight braid.  I'm a fan of the Fury 795 swimbait rod for glides/trebles but not particularly for these type swimmers.  Irod Genesis III 775, 754, or Dobyns sierra 766 might be a action/price point match to the expride. Maybe spend some time with it on your frog rod before making the plunge. 

 

Long casts, sensitive enough rod to feel the tail thump, bulldog any hooked bass, and persistence is my general advice.  I also believe crappie are on the big bass menu, and think you're on a worthwhile tangent.  Good luck!

 

scott

Thanks for the advice. Looks like I need another frog rod. 

22 hours ago, the reel ess said:

Give me some suggestions for a $100-150 rod for this technique.

Do you fish from a Yak primarily?

 

P.S. These work and come in a 8 pack now.

 

1 hour ago, PhishLI said:

Do you fish from a Yak primarily?

 

P.S. These work and come in a 8 pack now.

 

Thanks and yes, I do.

5 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

yes, I do.

So it's a good idea to stick with rods with a conventional handle length unless you're sure the typical 21"-24" handle length found on many swimbait rods works for you on a yak. Personally, I ended up having wrist pain in butt end hand while using them and had to look for options with a shorter length handle. Other people I know have had a similar issue. Others haven't.

Matt Lures Ultimate Bluegill set the standard as the original soft plastic bluegill.

I fished this lure using IROD IRG754F frog rod because it may weigh 2 oz it fishes lighter.

Unless you want to get into heavier swimbaits like Hudd 68 or 8” you don’t need swim bait dedicated rod.

Tom

 

Ditto on the Irod frog rod for tossing the Mattlures gill.

I bought 6 Matt lures u2 Hammer tail gills and 4 of them swim to one side. Maybe I should have got the full size version.

11 hours ago, Born 2 fish said:

I bought 6 Matt lures u2 Hammer tail gills and 4 of them swim to one side. Maybe I should have got the full size version.

After buying mine I watched a YouTube video of a big bass destroying the bait. That would suck. With shipping and tax it cost over $35. I haven't used mine yet.

11 hours ago, Born 2 fish said:

I bought 6 Matt lures u2 Hammer tail gills and 4 of them swim to one side. Maybe I should have got the full size version.

 

Try fishing them with a snap instead of direct tie. If that doesn't work try dipping them in boiling water to straighten them.

30 minutes ago, Dwight Hottle said:

 

Try fishing them with a snap instead of direct tie. If that doesn't work try dipping them in boiling water to straighten them.

Thanks I’ll try that.

14 hours ago, Born 2 fish said:

I bought 6 Matt lures u2 Hammer tail gills and 4 of them swim to one side. Maybe I should have got the full size version.

Contact him. He's typically very responsive when there's an issue.

Let us know how It does OP. They look great but the reviews on TW aren’t the best so I’ve held off for now. 

9 minutes ago, Cbump said:

Let us know how It does OP. They look great but the reviews on TW aren’t the best so I’ve held off for now. 

I'm hoping they're improved. I'd only spend $35 for a one fish bait if I knew it was a PB.

15 hours ago, Born 2 fish said:

I bought 6 Matt lures u2 Hammer tail gills and 4 of them swim to one side. Maybe I should have got the full size version.

If 2 of the 6 swim good and 4 don’t contact Matt Lures for exchange. Do not boil the swimbaits if you want Matt to replace them.

Tom

33 minutes ago, WRB said:

If 2 of the 6 swim good and 4 don’t contact Matt Lures for exchange. Do not boil the swimbaits if you want Matt to replace them.

Tom

I’ll try the snap first I’m the idiot for buying so many before trying it out. 

Owner Hyper Weld size 2 is a light weight strong snap.

A heavier snap will cause the lure to run on it’s side.

Matt soft Gill runs slowly like most swimbaits, too fast a retrieve causes flat swimbaits to plane on 1 side.

Tom

On 7/26/2022 at 10:16 AM, the reel ess said:

Thanks for the advice. Looks like I need another frog rod. 

You can NEVER have enough frog rods