21farms

i found a bunch of 25-year old kalin's lunker grubs in the garage earlier this year and have absolutely been knocking 'em dead with them this year. in fact, i almost ran out and ordered some "fresh" ones and was amazed that the color, texture, and feel were identical between the old and the new ones. i also found a bunch of even older mann's augertail worms in black grape in an old tackle box and they still have that anise scent on them.

i have the 6'9" ML one and, amazingly, it is probably my most-used rod (and, i have a LOT of nice rods). it handles dartheads, light jigs, grubs, wacky senkos, tubes better than even my g.loomis 783C. the castability (for distance and accuracy) is flat-out amazing. sensitivity is good (but not great like with my g.loomis and shimano crucials). backbone for hooksetting is more than adequate. for the price, you cannot go wrong. i myself am thinking of picking up two of the spinning versions to add to my arsenal.

these are citica D's but they're the same size as the curado D's. hope this helps.

by far, the stupidest thing i've ever done is grind up french roast coffee beans and put a bunch of plastics into the bag to let them "marinate". i did this after reading the thread on the coffee tubes. ugh...whatta mess...the worms/senkos/grubs turned almost black but, as soon as it hit the water, it all came off. worse, it didn't help my catch ratio at all > my wife thinks it's humorous that i borrow her nail polish to paint my jig heads and to give some of my cranks that "bleeding bait" appearance. she recently bought me my own bottles of red and black nail polish ;D otherwise, i will fish my plastics until they're torn to shreds and won't stay on the hook a second longer.

brent, i find your openness refreshing. i too had wondered why * weren't that much less than fat ikas and had actually just bought a bunch of fat ikas since the cost difference wasn't so great. but, when those are gone (and they go fast...only 2-3 fish per bait before they're torn to shreds or thrown during the fight), i will order the * from you because yours is the kind of business i want to support. now, is there a way i can talk you into offering a variety pack of * (e.g., one pack of 10 with one of each color)? i'd buy ten of those! ;D seriously, that'd be nice introduction to the colors you have since some of them are kind of different than what you normally see.

before buying one, i'd recommend reading the user reviews at cabelas and BPS...some are shockingly inaccurate as was my experience with a few. i now have a berkley TEC digital scale and i've tested it extensively and it amazingly accurate and consistent so i highly recommend it. if i didn't already have a lip gripper, i'd have gone with a boga.

I believe it is a Mann's mosquito hawk. the mosquito hawks have a forked tail...at least the current ones do. squeeze the head...if it has a hardnose, then it is a older style mann's mosquito hawk

i think a 4/0 hook is just about right. i rig mine both skirt up and skirt down. when rigged skirt down weightless, it sinks horizontally very, very slowly. i prefer skirt up...that makes it sink much faster and triggers a lot of bites on the fall. also, when rigged skirt up, when you cast toward tulles and such, it continues in the same direction of your cast underwater...this really gets 'em.

yes, as basser89 says, the gamy wide gap finesse hooks are designed to grab the fish right at the lip...don't do a hard hookset or you won't get 'em.

i don't use them anymore. they're not sharp out of the package like gamakatsus are so you MUST take time to sharpen them up good. i also think the little stand-out part gets in the way during the hookset...i used to have problems with big fish coming unbuttoned withe standouts...never a problem with the gamakatsu dropshot hooks.

even using thick braid and retrieving with the rod tip high, i have to work it really fast to keep the ragetail shad on top of the water...is it that way for you guys too? i wish they came up with a formulation or design where it floated at rest so it could be worked slower.

my catch ratio with gulp minnows is no different than with roboworms...sometimes worse. so, no, i'm not a fan...especially considering the expense and hassle of gulp. my guess is 4lbs for the bass.

i believe the default position is 2 on/4 off...at least that's how my revo S came. so, if you haven't messed with it, that's still how it should be set up and that's what i'd recommend as well...i don't really think it should be necessary to monkey around inside the reel. the only other adjustment is the cast control knob. adjust it so that when you disengge the spool, your lurely falls to the floor but the spool does not continue to overrun once the lure has stopped.

you guys are funny. if i wanted to rig it off-balance, that's easy. however, when a senko is rigged weightless with the hook perfectly in position, it does this amazing slow double shimmy that drives the bass absolutely wild...sometimes, i have to move the hook and rehook several times until i get it just right. all i was asking for was a simple little mark on the bait to make it fast and easy...i don't see how anyone cannot see this as a good thing, even if they decide not to use it. : brent, i do have an o-ring wacky tool but i don't see how that solves anything...you still need to know where the midpoint is.

i fish wacky-rigged stickbaits (i.e., senkos and the like) a lot. i noticed that the old trick of bending the senko until both end touch to find the middle of the lure to insert the hook into doesn't always work...i still often miss the exact middle and so the lure falls a little sideways on the drop. my question is then, why don't the luremakers mold in a tiny dot into the exact midpoint of the lure to make wacky rigging super fast, easy and accurate?

anyone else notice that it seems every crankbait maker out there is scrambling to get out their own version of strike king's "sexy shad" color? other companies call theirs "sx shad", "xxx shad", etc. ;D even strike king has made every single crankbait in their lineup available in this color pattern. anyway, what do y'all think of this color? is the hype true? or is it just a fad?

rayre, can you comment on the fat ikas vs. the * in terms of size, shape, texture, durability and fish-catching ability? i've been looking at the * too but am waiting for 50-packs and some additional colors. thanks.

MNgeorge, great info...thanks. exactly what i wanted to find out. however, now i'm beginning to wonder how much of it is the color. for example, i have several new packs of kalin's 5" lunker grubs in various colors...they all range in firmness from firm (bluegill color) to extremely soft (clear salt & pepper color).

hmmm, i was just reading the kinami palm tree article at tackle tour and they say the fat ika and the palm tree are NOT the same baits! it said the palm tree is slightly fatter.

i see on the GYCB website that some of their plastics in their saltwater collection use "a more durable plastic formulation for increased toughness for saltwater fishing" but it doesn't say that specifically about the saltwater fat ikas. my question then is: other than colors, is there a difference between the saltwater fat ikas and the regular fat ikas? after one or two fish on a regular fat ika, the darn thing is totally destroyed. by the way, has anyone else noticed that the kinami palm trees are actually more expensive than the fat ikas?

after you twist it (counter-clockwise, btw), you then have to wiggle it as you're pulling up on it. fwiw, the daiwas work the same way.

posted by micro: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1212777734/20#20

there is also an offer to save $10 off a $50 order at www.basspro.com/save10. i just placed an order for $54 worth of merchandise and the $10 never showed up so i called an agent and she told me it won't show up during the order but that it will be deducted so i went ahead and placed the order. anyway, three hours later, i received an email order update. as has been the case lately, several items from their clearance section were no longer available (even though their website still shows them as in stock), knocking my order below the $50 threshold. so i live chat with a rep so i can add a few items to my order to bring it back up over $50 again. as it turns out, the order is already too far along to make any changes to it so i don't get the $10 off. even moreso, if you use a gift card (like i did), your order doesn't qualify! > i complained that this isn't fair since you cannot see whether you get the discount or not during the ordering process which would have given me the option of either changing or cancelling my order. the agent goes on to tell me that IF I HAD DONE IT RIGHT, THE DISCOUNT WOULD HAVE SHOWN UP ON MY LAST CHECKOUT PAGE. she also told me that none of their clearance items are inventoried in real time and are subject to prior sale. morals of my story: 1) be careful ordering anything from their clearance section...assume what you're ordering is NOT in stock 2) if you don't see an expected discount while you're checking out, don't submit it 3) if you use a gift card, you don't get any discounts and, for me, 4) never order from BPS again...i've had it > this is the third time i've had an unexpected issue pop up with my order in 2008 alone. enough is enough

i think the skitterwalk is the easiest topwater lure to walk-the-dog with...you don't even really have to twitch the rod tip with slack line to get that enticing side-to-side Z action...even a stop-and-go retrieve will do it. that being said, i think it almost walks the dog TOO easily. when i try to impart a little more splashing, the skitterwalk doesn't like it. i think the skitterwalk is great, especially if you're just starting out...however, the surface commotion is somewhat subtle...if fish want more splash and noise, a spook or a sammy does better there.

thanks for the info. but, from what you're saying, the only difference between expensive grade cork and cheaper cork is cosmetic? better cork doesn't last longer or feel better then? thanks.