J Francho

Chigger Craws on a football head are a total waste of time, LOL. ;D

Same as my answer to the Finesse worm question:

I prefer a jighead that has a straight or almost straight tie point. I have had great success with Gammy Wacky Jigs, but the little cut out for the line tie sometimes catches weeds. The Zappu jigs work great, but are pricey. I've also used Bagley shaky heads for this, and they work well, but have that little baitholder cone on the shank. Basically, any jig with a gap wide enough to accommodate the worm will work. Speaking of worms: Berkley Hand Pour, Finesse, and Chaky, Zoom Finesse and Trick worms, Roboworm Straight Tail, and basically anything that fits works. Cast, let it sink to depth, and gently shake the tip. Depth, current and lure buoyancy will determine weight of the jig. I generally use 1/8 oz., but occasionally use 1/4 for deeper. A really light head will allow you to let the bait rest on thick, submerged vegetation and then shake away. Its much more interactive than wacky rigged Senkos. There is very good article in a recent In~Fisherman that details everything about this.

There's no shame in getting to 1st base with a good bass

Sometimes the Sammy outfishes the Spook. Sometimes the opposite is true. Sometimes there is no doggie bite. It isn't really a confidence thing for me. The variety in TW box gives me more confidence than any single bait. A buddy of mine said the same thing as you, until in three night trips in a row, I caught several fish to his skunk. Funny thing is, he went out and bought a couple of Sammys, and I whipped him again on Spooks and spinnerbaits. That's how it goes.

I start fast, and slow down if fish aren't biting. Sometimes you have to let it sit seemingly forever, then just a slight twitch. Other times, water is spraying everywhere. A lot of times, if it takes an aggressive chug to get them to bite, I'll try a a prop bait, like a Dying Flutter or Devils Horse, since they're less work.

Trim one "leg" shorter than the other to get a Bronze Eye to walk. I use a Heavy/Fast flipping stick for frogs. I don't have a dedicated frog rod, and this is usually spooled with 65# Power Pro which seems to work well in pads. I've used some 7'2" H/X-fast so called "frog rods" and they seem to be just right for this, as well as being a nice rod for grass jigs. Really, anything 6'6" MH or better should be fine. I have a couple of Avid (med/mod and med/fast) rods, and I wouldn't say that they would work just fine for this. They might work, but even with braid, pads will give you trouble.

Water clarity, bottom color, weed color, light penetration, depth, diet, and water color all influence color.

I worry more about the punctured eye becoming infected, and potentially killing the fish. Hard to know, since I've caught many "crooked eye" bass that are apparently healthy.

You don't need a thermometer to find the thermocline. Just turn up the sensitivity on your graph. It will appear as band between the surface and bottom.

I probably have 30 different hooks in my term. boxes. Many are Owners, some are Gammys, and there are also a few oddballs, like Matzuo Sickles and Lindy weedles octopus. Some are EWG,. other round bend, even others are mosquitos and octopuses. Almost none are red, LOL. Getting the picture? No one hook is the best. Tell us the application, and we can offer our experience and opinions on what is best. For instance, if you are fishing 7" Berkley Power Worms on a classic t-rig, I like Owner Cutting Point Round Bend Offset hooks in 3/0. There at least five other EXCELLENT hook choices out there that would work just as well.

No one TW catches all the TW biters. The Spittin' Image is a MUST HAVE in your TW dog selections, along with the usual Spooks, Sammys, Bananas, etc.

Topwater + rock quarries = hellafun. Seriously, if you think that those minnows are the primary forage, then something similar should work. that would include topwater, flukes, slashbaits, and even spinnerbaits. it might also be a good spot to try the infamous inline spinner. Here's a little 2# rock quarry smallie I caught on a Sammy 115.

And then there guys that use "agitation" baits to turn on inactive fish.

Heavier line may change the action, but certainly doesn't stop them from catching fish. I have X-Raps, as well as several other brands of similar, suspending slashbaits and at times, they all produce. The fact that the bills on the X-Rap sometimes (read as eventually) break doesn't keep me from buying and using them. This doesn't happen with some other higher price point baits. I generally use 10-12# P-Line CXX for these baits. Lighter line will help them get a bit deeper.

DS, wacky, flick-shake, skaky head, ball head jigs, c-rig, t-rig, twister rig..... Whenever the fish respond positively to smaller baits, and big baits aren't working.

If you're going to fish mats and pads at night with frogs, I recommend a Scumfrog Bigfoot. The bait can be fished over the top of veg like a regular frog, and it can motored through clear water patches with its buzzing paddle feet. Snagproof is coming out with a similar bait soon as well, I've seen it in person and it looks great.

I think that LC squeezes you for an extra $2 or $3 per lure, but that doesn't stop me from buying Pointers and Sammys. They complement, rather than outfish, my collection of similar baits. I like to have a selection of Spooks, Bananna Boats, Super Spooks, Sammys, Jimmys, etc. Most of the time it doesn't matter to the fish, sometimes it does. Some walk better in chop, other better on glass, and yet others over weeds. Same goes for Rogues, Thundersticks, Long As, Pointers, and X-Raps. Speaking of overpriced, I feel that Rapalas are overpriced by the same amount. Since that $2 is a much greater premium on a less expensive bait, I actually resent them more. X-Raps are far too flimsy for the price they are getting. But they do catch fish, so I keep buying them - and trying to return the ones with the broken lips, LOL. I would recommend getting a Pointer 78 and a Sammy 115 to start out. Get a color you like to throw.

Anyone serious about fishing for bass should read Buck's books. Period.

Thanks for that link.

Yes, and they are on significant pieces of structure. I'm mainly fishing in Wayne County - haven't been out in the lake by Braddock's. I also find fish near bait balls, but its difficult to follow them in my rig. I'm targeting fish that are eating crayfish or gobies on the bottom. There are troughs created by wave action in depth intervals, like 14-18 feet and then again at 20-25 feet, and so on, with a gradual flat in between. I've found fish by switch the sonar to narrow angle beam (200mHz) and looking for small isolated weed beds or rockpiles. Once I move over them, I mark a waypoint, and then determine the best angle to drift through, creating a another waypoint for the start of the drift. I'm fishing from a big kayak, so a drift sock is required equipment. I would think the same is true for a larger boat as well. All that said, last Saturday, I ran drifts (this time in a friends boat) for a few hours, but came up with nothing. Feast or famine! That day, the wind was out of the south though, and I've had trouble catching in those conditions. If its a fairly calm day, I'll anchor up and drop shot or use jigging spoons vertically, but in general drifting tubes is the most relaxing for me. Good luck - I hope that helps.

OK, I have four of the monster Scotty holders now, but I picked up a smaller universal unit. That is probably what you are using. The smaller ones work much better for me. I was just wondering if you were using another brand that I missed. Sweet rig, btw

In~Fisherman recently (in the past year) reported a study conducted on hook mortality in trout. Not sure what issue.

That is what wellnuts are for. click the link I provided.

Use well nuts or what Eddie describes.