Gangley

The wire guard jigs I am using for swimming are double wire weed guards with two wires for deflecting weeds. I think that is why they come through the thicker weeds well because I can spread the two wire guards farther apart or bring them closer together depending on the type of vegetation I am bringing them through.

Swimming Jigs: KaRu Poison Tail, with a grub trailer, usually a ZOOM Fat Albert Grub, single tail. The color is Extreme Blue Gill, Blue Terror, or Crigger Craw. Omega Custom Tackle also makes a decent swim jig. Chatterbait: KaRu Vibrashock, ZOOM Fat Albert Grub, single or twin tail depending on water clarity. The color selection is the same as swimming jigs, Extreme Blue Gill, Blue Terror, or Crigger Craw.

I used a jig with a wire weedguard the other day where I usually use a different jig that has a plastic weed guard. Anyways, the wire'd jig came through great where the other jig with the plastic multi-strand weed guard was constantly in need of being cleaned off before being recast, even though it was considered a swim jig with a pointed/angular head design. Almost every time, I was piccking gunk out of the weedguard as well. I am not sure if its the wire weedguard vs fibers or what, but the wire'd weed guard jig came through the weeds like a hot knife through butter with rarely a snag. Because of that, I was able to swim the jig through the weeds and not just above them, and I caught some nice fish that wouldnt have been accessible with the multi-strand plastic weed guard jig. My question is: In your experience, what are the benefits or drawbacks to a wire weed gaurd as opposed to a fiber weed guard? Do you notice any difference when working them through weeds/trash/slop? I like the wire becaue I can place the weed guard exactly how and where I want it, and at what distance and angle from the hook point. Also, they seem to come through weeds better, though I haven't tested to see if the head design had more to do with it. I like the fiber weed guard because I can trim it down to meet my needs or remove strands of the weedguard to affect the stiffness of the guard. What are your thoughts on wire vs fiber for weed guards?

Breen is an awesome color when using skirts with orange, brown, and/or green. The color on the websites don't do it justice. Its like a golden brown in the sun with pearl green coloration in the shade. Its a color that really does cover a wide spectrum for skirts.

don't forget the ZOOM Ol' Monster, it flat out catches bass, and the Berkely 10" Power Worm aint a slouch either.

I never use a trailer or a trailer hook. Haven't had any hookup issues.

1 fish over 2 lbs for every hour of fishing is successful to me. However, I don't need to have a successful trip to have an enjoyable trip. Just catching 1 fish per trip, regardless of size, will keep me entertained. My trips rarely last longer than 3 hours.

i try tomake sure that the hook gap is atleast twice to 3 times the width of the worm. the size of the hook for the senko depends on how you rig it. wacky with a 2/0 circle is fine, can actually go smaller. Texas rigged you want larger, maybe 4/0

That crigger craw color is deadly as a jig with a Crazy Legs Chigger Craw in Breen color

They are FANTASTIC. They are a high quality chatterbait with excellent skirts and mustad hooks. The blade nicking the football head i ssupposed to get the fish to strike the front of the lure. The design works as intended. I have only had one fish strike the trailer and miss the hook, and after ripping off the trailer, he came back and swallowed the lure whole. I have caught more fish on the KaRu Vibrashock than any other lure this year. I generally have best luck in dirty/mirky water with it. Once the water gets pretty clear, I switch to swim jigs, and the poison tails from KaRu work great as well. Hook up a ZOOM Fat Albert Grub as a trailer, they work great. If you need a little more water displacement, the ZOOM Twin Tail grubs work great, as well as the GYCB's. During the spawn and post spawn, it had its own rod and it never came off unless I had to retie. My best retrieve was a steady slow retrieve. I have caught a few nice ones by actually stroking it off the bottom, but my best retrieve is a slow steady retrieve along weedlines in an Extreme Bluegill pattern with a ZOOM Green Pumpkin Fat Albert Grub, they nail it.

YUM Money Minnows work well when they are busting shad. Also Rapala Shad Rap. Shad patterned willow leaf spinner bait.

haha, "Dont cross the streams." "Why?" "It would be bad." "I'm fuzzy on the whole good/bad thing. What do you mean, "bad"?"

Berkley 7" Power Worm

ZOOM, but Berkley is a very close second. Heck, I might have that backwards, I like them both A LOT.

when you fish with live bluegill, do you use bobbers to keep them from wrapping you up? How do you keep them from swiming down into cover and getting you tangled up before the bass even knows he is there?

Eco Pro Tungsten, good quality, no plastic inserts, and very well priced.

if the weeds are that thick and you can only fish shallow water, I wouldnt bother with a jig. If you insist upon it, try micro jigs with a full size trailer. The light jig with the full size trailer will give you a much slower fall, and might allow the jig to stay on top of the weeds instead of crashing through them. Also try swimming the jig over the tops of the weeds.

not always. my craw pattern'd cranks yes, but my bluegill and shad cranks I prefer to retrieve at what ever level the fish are suspended at. If you are in 20 feet of water, and the fish are suspended at 8-10, you dont want your crank digging into the bottom 10-12 feet below them, at least I dont. Now if the fish are on the bottom, dig the crank hard into the bottom or whatever else is down there

I really like the two underneath the Blue and Black jigs in the second picture.

The horny toad is a thicker bait and the 4/0 gammy EWG hook will sometimes get caught up in the lure on the hook set. Best to use a 5/0 EWG Owner Twistlock. It has an adequate gap and the twistlock keep the frogs fastened nicely. Almost identical to the Horny Toad hook which is recommended for use with the Horny Toad. Bullfrog and watermelon red are my best producers. The rage tail makes a lot more commotion than the Horny Toad which is helpful in some situations, but worse in others. I try to go with a subsurface retrieve that bulges the water as the frog comes through it with a pull-pull-pause retrieve, and I do that best with the H.T. Both products are great, but i rarely am able to catch fish off of both lures during the same time span. The fish usually prefer one or the other, but rarely both. Good luck

thats the truth. I prefer them, but I have been buying Kalins lately because of their availability. Hate to buy online, but I will ahve to start doing it pretty soon if it means I can get the Fat Alberts again.

Forgot to mention the Rapala DTFAT. It's large, balsa, has a wide wobble, and did I say large? dsavedra, I havent tried the DT03, does it move similar to the DTFAT?

ZOOM Fat Albert Grubs, Kalins Grubs, Ultravibe trailers for swimming jigs I dont swim football head jigs, I generally use a slower presentation with them. Ultravibe trailer, Berkely Chigger Craw, Rage Craw.

i perfer sperry boat shoes. add doctor schools as needed.

the weighted hooks are to get hte frogs to run under the surface. I like the Horny toad to run subsurface, creating a bulge in the water, but there is no need for weight to do that. Other frogs require weighted hooks to get them to go subsruface. The rage toad puts out a lot of splash, the ribbits do ok, and the horny toad does least. Thats my perspective, other people may find those frogs to perform differently. Remember though, fish dont always want a lot of splash. There is one lake in particular that I will not catch a single fish on a frog unless its run under the surface. If it makes a top water splash, the fish wont touch it. I can't use poppers, chug bug, spooks, torpedos, or anything that makes a top water ruckus. But if i run a frog just under the surface, the bass will usually slam it.