Megastink

I am tying my own jigs now, and have recently had some luck with a purple-brown/blue/white jig in cold spring water. What are some of your favorite sping, summer, and fall craw color patterns for tying jigs? Any pictures? Craw next to a jig? I think this would be a great thread for people to larn about matching the hatch, as a how-to. Thanks! -Mega

Honestly, I wouldn't buy a glass rod for big deep cranks. Powell make a 7'5" MH Glass/Composite cranking rod in the Endurance series. IT has a good flexible tip and solid backdone the lower half of the rod. Its also extremely lightweight. I mean, EXTREMELY LIGHT (for a 7'5" rod). Its my choice for deep cranking. Keep in mind, the hooks on a big deep diver, typically #2, tend to be a tad thicker than #6 or #4. And, if you want something to rip through grass, then rip a bass out of that grass, you are going to want to UPGRADE YOUR HOOKS! I suggest Gammy #2 SS Magic Eye hooks. All my crank wear them. That treble has a thicker wire and very sticky. With the added thickness from the wire, I can get away with using a rod with moderate flex, rather than a noodle rod, and I have much more control over the fish. Plus, those extra 5" contribute to an additional 10-15 yards of casting distance. Thats 10 more yards in the STRIKE ZONE! Good luck! -Mega

Lews Speed Spool for $100! You can also find the Lews Tournament MG for around $100 online too...

I like something Chrome for clear water, and Red for stained water. The bass on the Potomac were KILLING Red lipless cranks this weekend!

Well, out of the 77 people that read this at the time of this writing, no one could give a report. So, I will give my own. It was a tough bite for the guys in myclub this weekend. We had a little front move in during day one. The bite was tough to begin with, but that didnt help. The bass are in prespawn and the water temp is 56 in the morning and around 60 in the afternoon. Slow rolling a spinnerbait around the ends of marinas produced some nice bass during low and incoming tides. Once the tide was in, throw a jig to the isolated pillars. They were there. The second day was completely different. We had some engine trouble, so we couldnt go far. We idled around until we found a large grass flat near Indian Head. a 1/2 oz Lipless crankbait, violently ripped through the weeds, produced bass all day. In fact, it produced 35 of them. Not all keepers, but most of them were. So go find a grass flat, tie on a lipless crank, BURN it through the weeds, and enjoy your day!

Paddle Tail Swimbaits. There are at least 5 other lures I'd throw before a Paddle Tail, but I know they can work. Ya know, soft bodied swimbaits in general... one tiny bass once, thats it!

Chew on this for a minute: I was throwing ALL Revo Premiers for the last two years. A few weeks ago, I bit the bullet, broke my loyalty, and bought 2 Lews Tournament MG's. I got one in 7.1 and one in 5.4:1. They are AWESOME! They both come with a deep spool, so I can put well ovr 100 yards of 20# fluoro on them. Secondly, they cast very far, and (what I like most) is that they fit in your hand much easier than a Premier. All the "likes" aside, I really dont like the extra long handles on them. For me, its a little uncomfortable. However, I DID buy a Lews Tournament yesterday. I got it home, spooled it up, and hit the water. With 40# braid, I am launching 1/4 oz jigs over 40 yards. 40 YARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My premiers cant do that!!!! Now the best part. If you run a Google search, you can find the Lews Tournament for abroud $124 (and cheaper on ebay)! TW will price match and throw in free shipping. I know what reel I'm buying next time... ....... anyone interesed in a few Premiers?..............

I have a small club tourney on the Potomac River this weekend. Any reports on how the bass fishing is? Are they Pre/Spawn/Post? We are launching out of Mattingly (Slavins) in Mattawan Creek. Not looking for your secret honey hole, just what I can expect to see the bass doing, water clarity, temp, etc... I'll figure out the rest. Thanks!

Powell Diesel 7'2" MH wearing a Lews Tourament MG. That combo costs $200 at full price. As for line, Suffix Performance Braid 65lb. Good luck!

+1 for Powell! I've called them a dozen times and only once did I not speak to the owner. Lightweight, strong, sensitive, and affordable. Factor in great customer service and I just can't justify dropping $200 on a Croix or Dobbyns (both good rods, though). My Powells cost me $140. For the money vs quality vs service you cant Beat that!!!

The young bluegills i see are typically light brown with brownish-golden stripes (very light contrast). They have yellow breats and watermelon/green pumpkin backs. Their I can always see their tails flickering as they swim, so maybe dip the end of your crank, by the rear treble, in either white or chartruse. Just my two cents. Thanks!

Powell!!!! out Powell. IF you want a 7' MH or H rod for swimbaits, then your money could not be spent on a better rod, especially for $140. I suggest a Max series, either model 704 or 705. They come with a lifetime warranty. If you dont care about a warranty, you could get the 7'2" Diesel Series (a GREAT rod for the price) and pay $70! All Powell rods are lightweight, strong very sensitive, and most importantly, AFFORDABLE. Check them out: powellco . com (no spaces)

I am just getting into tying jigs/spinnerbaits, and I wanted to ask about bluegill patterns. They seem to vary with each manufacturer, from blues, greens, browns, purples, oranges, and I dont know why, but CHARTRUSE! I dont get it, I have NEVER CAUGHT OR SEEN A CHARTRUSE BLUEGILL!!!! None the less, what colors do you tie into your skirts to match young bluegill? PLEASE POST PICS!!!! Thanks!

I have a 19' Nitro, about 3500lbs loaded. I have been looking for a truck to pull it, but I have found a few Ford Explorers, AWD, 4.6L V8, tow packages, with around 80-90k miles for under $8,000 (KBB is around $9,000). Anyone tow a bigger boat with one of these? How does it handle? Please let me know. Thanks!

I dont care about embarressment. This is a clear example of how I don't know everything there is to know, which is why I come to this site. Since my lilttle epiphany, I have come to the conclusion that Lews does, in fact, make a great product, and I will continue to buy their reels. Frankly, I think this is a great lesson to all. Who knows, maybe a few guys will read this and it will benefit them in the future. Anyway, thanks all! Good luck out there. -Mega

Yea, yea. Hey, if I knew everything, I wouldnt have to post here. Thanks for all the tips.

HOLY CRAP, THAT IT!!!!!!!!!!! I just realized that the line is in fact spinning! Wow, dont I feel like dummy! Learn something new everyday!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks all!

I think I'm gonna try their Tournament Series. Its $150, and has a better drag system. A better deal, perhaps.

I'm a Revo Premier guy, but I want to expand my arsenal without having to drop $250 every time i wanted a new reel. So, I shopped around. I bought two Lews Tournament MG, one in 5.4 and one in 7.1. I recieved them on Thursday. The 5.4 I spooled with 40# Sufix braid for swim jigs, and the 7.1 with 20# Seaguar fluoro. I caught two bass... TWO... on my 5.4 Tournament MG and the drag just gave out . Just like that. I have no idea how it happened, it just died. Now I'm nervous. I have this 7.1:1, which caught me four bass today flipping some wood, and has performed very well. I will say this, these reels cast incredibly far and are very smooth. But their drag systems are far from good. I have owned no less that 12 Revos in all models, and none of them have ever failed my in any way. I'm not giving up on Lews YET. I called TW (where I bought them) and I'm sending it back. The Tournament MG has a 10# Rulon drag system, while the Tournament Series (only $20 more) has a Carbon Composite drag system. I may try the Tournament, or, I might switch to the Revo-SX or STX. I can admit when I'm wrong. I wrote the above because I was not aware that it was my LINE, not my REEL, that was the problem. I have never seen this happen ever before. Read down to post #11. This was a great lesson that I am glad I have learned. This may save you from future frustration. Thanks to all who replied! And yes, Lew's does make a great reel or the money. I'll be picking up a few more. Tight Lines. -Mega

True. I just bought 2 Lews Tournament MG's for $106 each! I saw the Tournament on the same site for $123... certain other sites will price match AND ship for free...

You forgot the new Lews Tournament MG. That, in my opinion, may be the winner hands down. The Revo S would give it a good run, but it only comes 6.4:1. The TMG comes in 5.4, 6.4, and 7.1:1!

Well, a new prototype just didnt win this year. I say this: Watch the Bobby Lane videos (part 1 and 2) here on BassResource homepage. While he's talking, hes flipping his Fatty Craw from Havoc. Look at all the bites hes getting! That was my "gotta get some of those" moment. But yes, I feel the same way about the winning bait as the rest of you. But I have a prediction: look for Chris Lane to come out with his own designed flipping bait in the nearish future... being a Florida boy, I'm guessing a sort of punch craw, or thereabouts...

Any buzzbaits????????

You know they make a 7.1:1 LH Revo SX, right???? Not sure in the BPS reel trade in is still happening, but Abu is offering $30 off Premier, STX or SX reel purchased until next month. I think that that is your best bet. Hell, you could buy TWO OF THEM after rebate! Hope that helps! PS- if they dont hae it in stock, they should be able to order it and have it shipped to the store for FREE. Cheers!

Anyone have any experience with these reels? I dont care about the price or this reel vs a Revo or Curado. How does it PERFORM? I am particularly interested in the Laser MG. Thanks!