Mattlures

Lubing the baits helps this problem alot. I have also done this but usualy its when I was too lazy to put the lube on. I know it can still hapen but it does help

The Diawa Heartland is a poor choice to use as an example. The rod works fine for my sized baits but anything larger and its way to soft.

Craig, yes 1 day limit of 5 fish. They also dumped two big fish first thing in the morning that were around 10lbs each. Unabasser dont beleive every thing you read. Mike took Monte out to San V for his interview. The whole time they were out there Monte kept trying to get dirt on the other trophy hunters. He kept asking him questions about all the other guys. Mike ended the interview early and brought Monte back to the dock. Obviously Monte was not happy about this so he painted Mike unfavorably in his book. Monte also greatly exaggerated the fueds between all the guys. The day after Mac caught the 25.1 Mike Long and John kerr and Mac, Jed, and Mike W were all on the dock talking and Mike and John congratulated them. There were no hard feelings. I enjoyed reading Sowbelly and I think it is a great read but like I said Monte took it out on Mike L. He also mentioned how Mike gets to fish on clossed days. While this is true, it is only at one lake and he has to bring a member of the press or local celebrity. He would bring the Padre players out. Also every single one of his lake records were caught durring regular open days. Catt yes it is my opinion but I am not alone in this.

RW I dont think its "all" about the money. By nature we are all competetive. Some will deny this but deep down we all are to some extent. You get glory by catching huge fish but you also get it (maybe even more) by beating your fellow angler. It also seems that tournament fishing and trophy hunting are starting to become similar. They are scheduling more tournaments durring the spawn and they are scheduling more big events out west. The use of swimbaits in tournaments is quickly becoming common place. This is the perfect oportunity for a guy like John to make a verry good living catching bass. I think the big orginazations realize that bigger bags are better for buisiness. It makes for much better TV which bring in money from sponsers and the big fish sell more merchandise. Think about it your watching a tournament on tv and see Aaron Martins catch an 9lb limit dropshotting Robo's. and next week you see Aaron catch a 40lb limit using a swimbait. Which bait do you want to buy? I dont see John fishing for small tournament fish unless he has to. Either way I am sure its pretty exciting to win a tournament.

No brownie metal just admit you were wrong without making excusses. Are you big enough Mr Fly what you dont realize is that swimbaits have already won tons of money and tournaments. A lot of guys dont like telling what they won with. A large percentage of them out west are won with them and some of the big name pros are just learning when and were to use them. THEY ARE A TOURNAMENT BAIT!!!! When I do go to shows I meet a lot of the big name pros and every one of them has and uses swimbaits but almost none are sponsered by the real swimbait companies, thats why they dont get mentioned as much as they should. Its OK I have been wrong before to

Matt when I look at your bait I see a dangerously week link. If you were to stick a big fish on that bait I beleive your split ring would fail you. I have had split rings pull before on big fish and it sucks! I highly suggest getting some large screw eyes instead. I beleive you can get them at Stamina. BTW my first baits looked about as good as yours.

By no means am I trying to discourage you but I realy think you need to learn how to make the baits before you get a loan. I had been pouring for probably 10 years before I started my buisiness. The good news is that the baits you want to sell are very easy to make. The bad news is It will be dificult to break into a market that is grossly flooded. There are tackle making sites on the web that have tutorials that will speed up the learning curve. Just google tackle making.

Catt I love throwing them at night. I usualy start with a waking bait like an osprey type bait or a wood bait like an MSslammer. The rubber baits also work well but at night I generaly start with bigger baits on the top of the water and go smaller and deeper until I find them. Surface swimbaits are also a nice change up or follow up to buzz bait at night

Steve Kennedy was throwing a full sized Huddleston trout in hitch color. That bait is 8 inches long and its a big bait. I am not sure who was throwing what but most of those guys had lots of diferent baits so I am not sure about specific baits. Some had mt stuff, some had swimbabes and others had 3:16 and Hudds

There are a few good companies out there producing quality baits that arent too expensive. It just depends on your definition of too expensive. If I didnt make my own baits I wouldnt buy anything under $10. That seems to be where the the cheapest decent baits are at. I also wouldnt be spending hundreds on a bait either. Well maybe but I would realy have to KNOW it was going to catch me giants. I would stick to baits in the $10-$40 range ang pick brands that are from or originated out west. Huddleston, Rago, Mattlures, 3:16, etc. These guys are my competition but I do respect their work. BTW gtalbert, what is that fish in your Avitar? It looks cool but the pic is to small. Salmon?

I few months back I was in a heated debate over weather swimbaits could win a Major tournament. Some guys said they were an all or nothing bait and werent consistant. WELLLLLL the last 2 elite tournament were both WON using swimbaits. Not only were the winners using them but prety much everybody who made the final cut were also using them. They werent throwing those cheap walmart baits either. Nope the majority were using high end west coast style baits. I wonder were the doubters are now? MR FLY? ;D This post is light hearted dont get all hurt

Mike and John have their own section in a forrum on another site. It is similar to how Doug Hannon has his section here. The site is San Diego based. Also this pair wins the southern CA Won Division every year. They do not own a certain Lake, They own So Cal. Mike has 6 bass lake records and a couple more for I believe trout and Crappie. He Also had 2 other bass lake records but they have recently been broken so he only has 6 current ones. He has 2 bass over 20lbs and around 50 over 15lbs BTW he is humble and would never say or think he is the best, thats just my opinion.

2 days before this tournament Mike went to lake he has only fished a couple times and caught the lake record. His Partner John Kerr Won his first Pro Tournament he ever fished. The US open(which is in another state)and beat all the big names for $100,000.00 so I guess they can still fish out of their comfort zone! Also I believe John will fish the FLW in 2008 while Mike has no intention of "turning pro" He said he job pays realy well and he gets plenty of time off to fish pluss he has to send his kids to collage. Mike Long is the single greatest bass angler that has ever fished.

Man you guys are realy tearing them up out there. When I first made my gills it was easy to catch big fish. People would give up on fish and I would go behind them and catch them. Now everybody out here has them and its not as easy anymore. I sure would like to fish "virgin" waters like that. Thanks Doghouse and Randall for sharinng. Matt

Randall You rule! Thanks for posting.

people dont give fish enough credit. I dont believe for one second that a bass thinks its eating a crawfish when it bites a jig. However since a jig is similar in size and action the bass thinks it is food. If you doubt me get an aquarium with some bass in it and feed them crawfish. Throw your jig in the tank and see what happens. I have done this before and they eat all the crawfish before they even look at a jig. Throw the jig in first and they will bite it. The only way a bass might actualy think a jig is a crayfish is if it was a fast reaction bite. All this means is, even if there are no crawfish a bass will still eat a jig. For those that think a jig is a crawfish, whats a spinnerbait? That must be a crawfish that has a shad by the tail

Raul you sir have obviously owned your own business! Funny thing is I actualy started selling my baits because I couldnt afford to by a bass boat. Well now I have a boat but I hardly ever have time to use it.

Raul is correct. The type of bait, not always the brand is paramount to giving you an answer. The term swimbait is used on so many diferent types of baits that your question is equivilant to, What is the best way to use a soft plastic bait? There are so many types that without knowing the bait a detailed answer is not possible. Most swimbaits(especialy the real ones) were designed by guys who use them and fish for big fish. Each bait was designed around a specific need. For instance if I was out on the lake and seen bass eating bluegill only when they jumped out of the water I would figure out a way to make a jumping bluegill bait. The technique for using this bait would be completly diferent than using a heavily weighted soft trout imitator. Personaly I need more detales in order to answer your question.

I have 2 almost full time employees and 4 part time emplyees not counting myself.

vurtualy every step takes longer with the gills. from start to finish there are 8 major steps in making the gills, and apoxamatley 20 individual steps The bass has 6 major steps and aprox 10 individual steps. The gills are just more time consuming. The actual componets only cost a little more for the gills. Its all Labor. They are a pain to make! The bass are much easier.

Matt your a stud. I wish I had smallies down here. Thanks for posting!

Bizz you learn fast! You should enter some touny's and take the worm throwers money

I get asked all the time from musky guys about how well the baits will hold up and do they work for muskies. My answers are yes of course they work and they work well from the reports I get but..... I do not recomend buying them for muskies. They wont last. A muskie will tear them up. I assume a pike will do the same damage. I dont know of a way to catch bass and keep the pike and muskies away. I dont have them where I live.

Labor. Plain and simple it takes 3 times as long to make a gill.

Today the held a WON bass tournament on Lower Otay lake. This is the biggest tour out west. Mike Long and his partner John Kerr came in with 38lbs and change. The second place team had 23lbs and change. Mike and John beat them by 15lbs!!! It is almost pointless to fish against them. You are fishing for second place.