Skeet22

D&M custom baits makes one you can put on without untying.

Whatever you have confidence in they all work. Some people even use Chigger Craws..

I can't think of any spots to bank fish. I fish all winter and will be scouting the basin often between now and spring. PM me you number and I would be glad to take you whenever you can get away. And Cat is not very productive right now. The whole area has fished really tough since Issac. They had a major fish kill in Segnette and Des Allemands.

I'm assuming you fish the Basin being you live in BR area? Jerkbaits are very productive in South Louisiana esp this time of year through the spawn. A smithwick suspending rouge in gold/black/orange is the only jerk bait you need down here. I'm not saying pointers and more expensive baits wont catch them but they eat rouges well enough that you don't NEED them. The water temps are between 50-56 now depending on exact location and a jerkbait is one of the few ways to catch them now if they are suspending on points or holding close to wood. In a month or two a productive pattern in the Basin is to pitch a rouge to the base of cypress trees and pop it a couple times. It will draw the fish off the tree and they will kill it. Another pattern to use is to hit north facing canals that hold fish in the winter and throw a rough right down the center in the deepest part of the canal where they will sometimes suspend during the fronts or under cold cloudy conditions. That and fishing jigs and plastics as slow as you can stand are the most productive ways to catch them during the winter down here. When we get those common warm periods and the water temp climbs back to 60 or so they will start eating a chatterbait,crank,spinnerbait again.

The slow presentation fits right into coldwater fishing. When the fish see a very slow falling worm it tells them its an easy meal that they wont have to chase and ease up to it and suck it in. When the water is below 60 this a very productive technique in water with some visibility whether its a tx rigged senko,wacky worm or a drop shot the same approach works as its the subtle movement that does it. If the water is dirty to muddy the better approach would be a bulky jig fished tight to cover in hopes you knock them on the head or something like a chatterbait or trap that lets them know its coming and helps them locate it. Same reason a jerk bait with long pauses and slow pulls works. It looks like an injured or dying baitfish thats easy to catch. My rule of thumb is for water below 60 especially low 50's and colder you either need to create a reaction by running a moving bait right in front there nose or into the structure they are holding to or fish very slowly to draw them closer to the bait when the water is more clear. There not much in the mood to feed or chase bait once the water gets that cold.

I'm missing both thumbs and index fingers.

The clamshells are a pita in my opinion.

Surprise - The size of fish that will eat a Bite-It! Baits Double x being it is a reletivly small bait. Dissapointment- That SK plastics are not more competivly priced per bait. I have really taken a liking to caffiene shads and rage craws but hard to justify the cost if you go through a lot of baits. I think a lot of the cost comes from marketing packaging etc when imo the baits would sell them selves without all the hype if they were priced close to zoom,netbait,berkley etc. I like the Rodents also but hard to justify paying the same price as the original RI Sweet Beaver and getting 4 less baits in a pack.

Punching- RI Sweet Beavers and Zoom Z Hogs Craw- Zoom Speed Craw and SK Rage Craw Finesse TX rig- Bite It! double x and bed Bandit Swim Bait- Nasty Baits Nasty Swimmer and Gambler EZ Fluke- SK Caffeine Shad and zoom super fluke Stick Bait - Bit-It! Trick Stick Drop Shot- Sk Dream Shot and Bite-It! Double x

For strictly swimming I have better results with the lighter1/4 oz swim jigs with a thin skirt and slightly lighter hook with a single tail zoom fat albert grub. The heavier swim jigs tend to roll a little more and just dont have the same action imo. The 1/2 flip and swim I was using is kind of a dual purpose jig but I more or less hop it around wood and let it fall rather than and a steady swimming retrieve. I keep another rod rigged with a lighter swim jig for that.

It was a beast for sure, I've caught Bull Red that did not fight like this thing... Pretty good fish for a public lake in Mississippi. She went 8lbs 7oz On another note I have never bought into the Rage Tail hype before but after my last two outings pitching a jig it will be hard for me to throw a jig with any other trailer...

Well the 1/2 oz Northstar Flip and Swim I would say did the job this weekend!

Northstar all the way. There "new gill" is one of my favorites. Here is a Bama Craw Flip and Swim with a Rage Craw trailer

That is an extreme form of punching but I would consider penetrating heavy cover with 1oz plus weights punching also. Atleast around here it's known as punching. Guess it really does not matter what you call it. I hear people refer to pitching as flipping all the time...

Makes sense. I thouhgt it was to help with blowing holes in the fishes mouth being on short line with braid but what you said makes sense. I may give it a try.