Revo_Carrot Stix

bigfishtim that is NOT a good place to get lost. did your buddies hear dueling banjos???

Last year I bought some Kelly J's (MS Black, MS American Shad) and I've had decent luck. However, I've had better luck with Rapala's Skitter Prop (Shad) and (believe it or not) the good 'ole Devil Horse in numbers and size. I love Lucky Craft products, but in this case, the value isn't there for me.

I use Cavitron buzzbaits - only based on the reviews I've read in BR forum. A couple weeks ago, I had a big order with TW and threw in 2 Cavitrons and had decent success. Usually, if I'm going to try something different or new, it's off the shelf at my local BPS or Cabela's and it's usually an impulse purchase. Megastrike products are hard if not impossible to find on store shelves. I do like my Cavitron (Black/Black) enough to start buying different colors. But again, it won't be until I reach my $50 no shipping level at TW. I've been to your site numerous times, but for me - it's especially hard to feel, smell, and buy soft plastics without getting my hands on it first, know what I mean? Megastrike scent intrigues me...but I'm leary thanks to the barely-used jars and sprays from Smelly Jelly and Gulp. I do think it's very cool that you are soliciting feedback from BR members. That goes a long way in my book to possibly try some other products.

Knock, Knock Who's there? Baitmonkey. This is sick (cool). TW is taking preorders...

KansasBassin I would lean toward afternoon if you're looking to get the most time on the water. By the time you get set up in the morning with trolling motors, batteries, and getting to the water it may take an hour or so before you wet a line. I would try to plan to be on the water shortly after 12 pm and you should be able to fish until sunset. I was surprised with the afternoon bite when we were there last time. If I were you, I would start fishing with whatever you have the most confidence in. I don't fish crankbaits that often, so it was a pleasure to catch them on crankbaits. Here's what I will bring, the next time I go: 1. 8-10', 12-15' divers in natural and crawdad colors (Strike King series 5 & 6, Bomber Fat Free Shads 1/2+ oz - the bigger lipped-crankbaits got through the weeds and timber easier - smaller crankbaits did not seem to get through the weeds very well). Main forage are crawdads and sunfish. I did notice some small schools of bass fingerlings too. 2. In the waters we hit, the shorelines were not typical and had steep drop-offs at the water's edge. I'm sure you could use soft plastics, but I caught a lot of shorts right off the bank. I could cast deep divers right at the bank and retrieve them with no problem. A lot of times, the bass would hit as soon as the crankbait hit the water. 3. I would probably try some big 10" worms (with a slow fall) to work down the weed columns after the crankbait bite slows down in an area. The main thing, these bass are not too finicky. Clear water and natural colors are the ticket. Have fun and let us know!!

Argh.... My "day job" has me in New Jersey 9/21-10/1, so that may be pushing it for me! I will try to catch you guys next time for sure. I'll have to try to tie into some of those NJ smallies while I'm out there. Keeps us posted Mike! :-/

BR members The results are in. 6 guys, 153 bass in about 8 hrs of fishing. I'll start off by saying all 6 of us will be back. We did 1/2 day Tuesday afternoon, spent the night, and 1/2 Wednesday morning. Tuesday afternoon was brutally hot. Mid 90's, calm and humid. We fished from about 3-8pm. I picked a few off the shoreline near laydowns and standing timber using square-billed crankbaits, but predominately fished open water over humps in weeds--ripping Wiggle Warts (10'), SK Series 5 (12') & 6 (15') through the weeds. I tried lipless cranks - but those were hanging up on the timber down deep. Although there were no giants on the first day, I was very pleased with the action. I did catch a double (14.5 & 16) on SK Series 6 which was a first for me. I was shocked with how their 1.5-2lb bass fought like 4lber's! For the first day, I was at 25 bass with a couple ginormous Sunfish (the biggest I have ever seen or caught). Wednesday morning 30 minutes after we got out there a big thunderstorm blew in with lightning and heavy rain. By the time the storm blew over, we had about 2 hrs to fish and the temperature was skyrocketing with an East wind. I pulled in 12 bass, predominately dinks. The bites were tough and scattered. I was throwing deep running crankbaits I saw a lot of lookers but few takers as compared to the day before. For me, I caught 36 bass on deep diving crankbaits and 1 on Cavitron buzzbait. But considering the time of year and the conditions we faced, I'm very pleased with the result. No I didn't walk away with an 8lb'er, but I had a blast. Deep diving crankbaits are dead last on my list for the waters I usually fish, so this was a great new experience for me and a great confidence booster. Comparing notes with the guys on the trip, here's what they considered effective: Buzzbaits (hitting throughout the day) Jig & Pig (shoreline drop offs) Sinking Worms (deep weeds) Lipless Cranks (deep weeds) Fat Ika's (shoreline laydowns, timber) We would like to get back there in October when the bass strap on the feed bags!! I'll let the other guys chime in with their take.

http://www.trophycountry.com/Fishing.html#FishingPage

Good post Skeet. We'd probably be surprised how much luck we'd have with an arsenal of just a spinnerbait, jitterbug, big-o, and bag of old school plastic worms, heck throw in a zebco combo. All for under $50. How cool would a tournament like that be? i bet the weigh in bags would not be any different...

Cabela's had these for $74.99 last week. Went back up to $89.99 after a couple days. Great price regardless.

how the heck did you even get it on a shakey head? Stike King Tour Grade Shakey Head is your best bet. http://www.***.com/Strike_King_Tour_Grade_Shakey_Head/descpage-SKTSH.html These heads are made specifically for 3X plastics.

Cedar is tough. the spawn was completely out of whack this year.

Frog Glad you joined the party! Cya @ Trophy Country or tomorrow at work...

AA Yes, that still happens which to me illustrates that they last a long time. You have to replace the Zeros or ZToo's when they start to float. Whereas any other brand will tear or you'll lose landing a single fish. These products last for multiple fish. There have been times where I'll use the same worm on multiple outings and just retie. After a couple days, they loose their effectiveness by fading and floating.

I have hit Cedar a dozen times this year and it has been such a disappointment this summer compared to last year. I consistently caught (and released) keepers almost every outing from the bank last year. The water weeds (willows) just don't seem to hold 'em anymore. Last year, I caught 55 bass there. This year I'm at 12. :-[

x2 13 seems like a magic number. I can tell a significant difference in the fight between a <12 and 13". Anything under 13" can be hydroplaned back to the boat or shore. 13" will fight somewhat.

chromedog You're right - you can't mix it with other soft plastics. I think Megastrike is petro-based which may not work well either, but I'm not sure. I'm sure BR members will chime in on this.

the most durable soft plastic period! I caught 35 bass on 1 bag (qty 5) Zeros. ZToos last just as long. It's all I use when it comes to "stick worms" and "flukes".

X2 Confidence...zilch. How many do I have? 2. Maybe I should start pitching it in the weeds to get a reaction strike????

I bought a couple bags this past March and I've just purchased 6 more bags from *** this week (Blue Fleck, Junebug, Grn Pkn, and Tilapia). This has become my go-to finesse/shakey presentation. I was pretty loyal to the SK 3X 6" finesse worms, but feel as though the bass haven't seen this type of worm around my neck of the woods. Out of 2 bags, I've only had 2 tails lost from some over agressive sunfish. I rig these on 1/8 oz shakey head VMC or Bagley's. I usually get 3-5 bass per worm. And when the bass take it, it's usually all in their mouth! I haven't tried Kriet's shaky head yet, but I did get a couple bags of his 10" worm that I hope to try out in the next week or so. Good luck.

I just need to vent some frustration... Work and family usually allow a 2-hr fishing window for me a couple times a week--which usually results in beating the banks on local ponds or lakes. Needless to say when the temp reaches 95 in the early evenings, I'll start practicing with different techniques because the bites become few and far between. Over the last 2 years (including last night's outing), the biggest fish I've caught on crankbaits (shallow) have been catfish. Last year, I caught a 20" channel on Strike King 4S (not to mention some ginormous crappies) and last night 18" channel on Lucky Craft Rick Clunn 2.5. These were different bodies of water and I've caught good bass 15-20" range numerous times before on soft plastics, buzz/spinnerbaits, etc. I know it's tough in the heat of the summer, especially in smaller bodies of water but come on? 10-12" dinks and catfish? Is this the norm for cranking and should be expected?

The clearest of my waters around here is stained. I'm not a big fan of braid-flouro leaders with jigs just because (in my mind) it's another potential point of failure. I seldom fish a jig beyond flippin' or pitchin' into cover. I fish a lot of rocky shallow waters and soft plastics tend to not hang up as much.

I predominately fish from the bank as well and have learned (adapted) to flip a jig from the shore. I have a lot of lakes nearby and most of the shoreline is water willow or weeds, extending from 2 to 10 ft out in the water. In the dead of summer when the bite is slow, I quietly walk the banks flippin' into pockets, irregular breaks along weedline, and in the shadows opposite the sun. I used to call it practice, but now it's become hand-to-hand combat at close range. Like others have metioned, TR soft plastics will get you numbers and a slower fall. Jigs have landed me some pretty big sows in 1 ft. of water. I have been surprised how shallow (and right under my nose) these bass get in the dead of summer.

You bet RW! We are hoping it turns out to be a great experience to warrant a semi-annual trip. High expectations my friend!

6 bassin' buddies and I are finally booked for Trophy Country in North Central Missouri Aug 10th & 11th. Thank you .ghoti. and Long Mike for the recommendation, tips, and tricks! Hopefully I will have plenty to say and show about the trip! I can't say enough about BR members!