Big Bait Fishing

to me ,the ST-36's are light wire , the 2X ST-41's are heavy wire .... btw, the super needle points are good but the cutting point hooks are scary sharp ...

buy a few 2 packs and throw them on an umbrella rig ....

Savage Gear real herring 6'' swimbait , comes in blue back , and they are sold 2 to a pack !!! for like $9

check out the Browning worm binders at BP , ive had mine for years and have that thing packed !!! it is very well made and has stayed in great condition . i keep my soft baits in there and trust me when i say i have a lot in there !!! buy some extra '' pages'' added to it , the thing will hold a lot and the zipper is heavy duty with finger tabs on them that make it very easy to open and close if you put 30-40 bags of plastics in there ....

---- use co-polymer line ----- 1 - 2 1/2 oz, = 15 lb. line 2 1/2 - 4 oz. = 20 lb.line 4 - 8oz. = 25 lb. line 8 -12 oz. = 30 lb. line

i looked at those on TW , most people said they are great for the first couple months then they get dull . i'm telling you , Fiskar scissors last for a long time , still trying to find a decent belt clip for them .

i just recently got a Tournament Lite reel , put the Lew's 95mm carbon handle on it , revo EVA large knobs , boca ABEC 5 ceramic spool bearings it it and it is a helluva reel , i couldn't see spending a $100 more dollars on a reel cause this reel casts everything very good . all that talk about carbon frames twisting and flexing , not on this reel . i'm looking to get a BB2 pro from Lew's and have them put 5.1:1 gears in it , gonna make a beastly swimbait reel ..

about the handle length comparisions of the citrix & the guide select , i asume you are going by TW's handle length , the measure from the fore grip back to the butt . on the citrix , the handle length is stated as 18 12 '' , that is from the top of the reel seat , figure a reel seat is about 4'' so in effect you have a 14 1/2'' handle . the guide select is stated to have a 24'' handle but 4'' is for the cork fore grip & 4'' is for the reel seat , so you end up with 16'' handle( the cork butt cap is about 3'' long ) so they are kinda very close to the same size . for 2-6 oz. baits both rods with that length handles will be sufficent , if i were choosing , i would get the Citrix 7'11'' XH 2-10 oz. lure rated rod , you would be able to throw 8'' Hudds ,8''BBZ's , s-wavers , and other baits with ease . for swim bait rods , you always want a little extra power in your rod so as not to be over taxing the rods capability.

for a sinking bait like the Hudd 68 , you would be better off with a co-polymer line like Izorline XXX, Maxima , CXX, etc.. in 15-20 lb. the only time ever use braid for swimbaits is for top water wake baits like rats .

try a mojo rig ...

i have never kept a bass to eat , never will . i do enjoy white sea bass though ....

the Owner ST-36 hooks are good but the ST-41's are hands down the best treble hooks on the market , strong and scary sharp ............

musky rods are where it's at for throwing big swimbaits !! but for small baits like a hudd 68 , a stout flipping stick will work great .

use a headlamp !! cheap and you can turn it off while fishing..

you want a good co-polymer line that's strong, very good handling , low memory ,and plus it's inexpensive , try some Izorline XXX , they now make a green line (golden green ) in addition to clear and smoke . i use the heavier pound test lines (20,25, & 30) for throwing swimbaits and love the stuff . i buy it in the 1/4 spools (670 yards approx.) for around $14 ...

i use the Owner wacky hooks (green ones) in 1/0 , i rarely EVER have a fish come undone .... ( i'm using 5'' stick baits )

look into Savage Gear 3D real trout and line-thru baits , they are very good and low priced ...

they work extremely well !! i have 2 pairs i use all the time and they are both 7 plus years old and still cut braid great . plus they only cost under $4 a pair .....

I;m in the process of changing my Abu Garcia Revo reels out for Lew's reels , already got a Tournament lite and a tournament MG . gonna pick up a BB2 pro for my big swimbait rod (5-15 oz.) ( Lew's will change out the gears to either 5.4.1 or 5.1.1 for an extra $20 ) the tournament lite is on my custom 7'10 heavy/fast and the tournament MG is going on my smaller swimbait rod (2-6 oz.) hope your reel gets there soon !! i know how you feel , i've been on mail truck watch way too many times !!!

TW SELLS THEM

oh they are thrown !!! my personal best came on a 6'' straight tail Robo worm fx summer shad on a drop shot rig , 10# braid/10# toray super hard super strong flourocarbon leader .. the fish in my avatar , 10.6 #

DON'T KNOW THAT PARTICULAR BRAND , BUT IF YOU WANT SOMETHING SIMILAR , THE 3:16 MISSION FISH IF JUST LIKE IT , MAYBE A LITTLE THINNER BODIED , TAKE A LOOK -- ( yes, it has red eyes )

THAT BAIT IS REALLY GOOD , IT SINKS IF YOU USE A SLOW RETRIEVE , BUT YOU CAN REEL IT UP TO THE SURFACE , ROD TIP UP , AND JERK THE BAIT AND IT WILL MAKE A GOOD POPPING COMMOTION ON TOP , RESEMBLING A SHAD BREAKING THE SURFACE TRYING TO FLEE PREDATORS . THIS BAIT IS FANTASTIC THROWN IN A BALL OF SHAD OR OTHER BAIT FISH . IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT , HIT ME UP AND I'LL BUY IT FROM YOU ...

go with a custom rod !! check out the Phenix Ultra UMBX-S706M-B 7'6'' medium / fast action 1/8 - 1/2 oz lure rating

i used to do the butch brown rigging on hudds , the 8'' ones and didnt like the way the hook tore up the bait and constantly trying to get the the treble on top to work right and just started using them as is . the top jig hook works perfectly fine . on ROF 0 & 5 , i rig a treble with a ball bearing swivel w/ split rings , i use clear hair tie rubberbands to keep the hook in position , the plastisol on the hudd disolves the clear hair bands pretty quickly so i'm constatly replacing them but i get them from a beauty supply store for $1.50 per hundred and i usaully buy 3-4 bags so i got plenty !!!