I have a trip planned next week to hit some productive strip pits in central Missouri. Main forage is hybrid sunfish, bluegill, and crawdads. These strip pits are LOADED with Spots and LM. A guy can catch 100+ spots/LM in the 12-15" range on the surface down 5 feet. Depth averages 15-30 feet, all the way down to 80 feet. Although I don't mind catching numbers with an occassional 4-5 lb'er, I want to hawg hunt with bigger baits.

I've been reading threads and doing research and just got some Top-Shelf, Optimum Line Thru, and Osprey soft swimbaits in blugill and sunfish patterns. Assuming the bigger bass are deeper, my strategy is to throw something big enough to get past the 1.5-3 lb'ers and work the swimbait slow.

My question is with 6" 2oz Osprey. How would you count these down to a desired depth? Do you add a stinger treble?...and any other advice would be appreciated?

I've never thrown something this big, so it's going to be an experience. I don't want to invenst $$ on a rod/reel for a technique that I'll only use 2 or 3X/year. I'll try throwing it on 7'MH Carrot Stix or 7'6 MH BPS Crankin' Stick with 12 or 15# Flourocarbon. I'm sure I'll be worn out at the end of the day.

My question is with 6" 2oz Osprey. How would you count these down to a desired depth? Do you add a stinger treble?...and any other advice would be appreciated?

A 6" swimbait is not big enough to keep a hungry 1.5 pounder away from it, let alone a 3 pounder, lol. I've caught too many 2 pounders on 6" baits, and invariably the bait required a healthy dose of mend-it after each such encounter. But a 6 incher is certainly a good start for numbers and size.

With baits that have an unknown ROF, I found that 1 foot per second is a good rule of thumb. Of course, experimenting in a swimming pool or an aquarium will be more scientific. Considering that it already will have a belly treble, I think it's unnecessary to add another hook. Apart from the fact that it might (probably will) mess up the action, if you are planning to fish it near the bottom, the trebles would snag up a bunch of trash.

Take a tube of MegaStrike and keep the whole bait lubed up good. This will make it easier to set the hook and make the lure last a lot longer.