Gangley

what about a metal bead?

thank you all for sharing your opinions, I greatly apprciate them. The responses have been very informative, thanks.

generally, when I decide i need a certain lure, I want it then and there. I do not wait for sales. Certain stores in my area have certain items cheaper than others. I chose the store according to what I need at the time and will go purchase it there, regardless of sale. For instance, my Walmart has Rapalas for much cheaper than any store in the area, but Academy has soft plastics for cheaper (ZOOM, Berkely). This never fails, so depending on what I want, I select the store to go to and purchase. It would cost me more to search for the sales, than it would to buy the lures outright considering I only by one or two things at a time as I need them. If i was buying in large bulk, then I would definately look for sales

Thats the honest truth when speaking of jigs. Keep it simple at first, make sure you got the basic grasp of what a jig bite feels like, and how to work it in multiple situation. If you choose to attempt an in-depth study of jigs before you know what you are doing, it can quickly become an overwhelming task in managing futility. Best of luck to you, and remember to keep it simple as long as you can.

The waters I fish are pretty clear, I'm thinking maybe I should remove it. I will try it out and see if I can get anything on it though.

I just bought my first buzzbait for some night fishing. Its a black BooYah Buzzbait but it has what appears to be a triangular "clacker" that ticks against the blade as the blade turns. do these "clackers" work, or should i take it off the buzzbait? thanks for any and all information.

Dont know if any of ya'll noticed, every single one was in late fifties to late 60's other than the son who was late 30's. This was a bunch of men who have been around long enough to know better. Grandpa's who should be teaching right from wrong, and teaching their kids how to do things right. Some of the kindest, most helpful, honest fishermen I know are the old timers who have been doing this for a LONG time. On the other hand, some of the most crooked fishermen I have ever met have been some old timers that have been doing this for a LONG time. They don't want to listen to anybody about over limits or catch and release, they feel that they know how to manage a lake properly and dont care what anybody else has to say. Sad, very sad. This was a bunch of men who have been around long enough to know better. Grandpa's who should be teaching right from wrong, and teaching their kids how to do things right. As we age, its our obligation to the sport after so much time spent taking part in it, to teach the younger people how to take care of the waters we fish, and how not to abuse them. These guys are pathetic, they knew better, they just wanted to pretend it didn't matter. Pure A$$'s

x2

use mono all the way down, or use braid with a mono/flouro leader. All mono will stretch. Braid with a mono leader will have slightly more stretch than with a flouro leader. So if you want stretch, go all mono,if you want a little give then go with a mono leader, if you want no give go with a flouro leader.

Pro Mega Structure Jig by Omega Football Head Jig by KaRu

have had decent luck using a Chrome with Blue back, its just that they put off so much vibratio that I never really made it a confidence bait.

I have the best luck with the chatterbait in stained/dirty water. Once the water clears up, I seem to have no luck with the chatterbait. I will generally switch to a swimbait, worm, or crankbait in the clearer water. As far as retrieves, I do well with a medium steady retrieve with a grub as a trailer. GOod luck

I know it sounds silly, but check your drag. I had the worst time setting the hook a few weeks ago on a combo that had proven itself time and time again. For the life of me, I couldn't get the fish to stay on for anything, and some were really nice fish. I toy'd and tinkered with hooksets, and hooks and never could get it straightened out. Finally, I was playing with it and noticed that my drag was much looser than what I like. I couldn't believe, I didn't remember touching it ever, but I was now able to pull it out by hand with very little effort. When i was trying to set the hook, the drag was so light that i couldnt get enough penetration into the fishes mouth. I fixed the drag, and wha-la, problem solved and now Im back to catching bass again. Go check your drag, make sure it is set right.

Are they supposed to be that loud? When I am reeling it in, I can hear it through water from 10 feet away, and If Im ripping it out of grass, i can hear it from even farther away. I keep thinking, JEEZ, as loud as that is to me, it has to drive the bass away? So is it just me, or are the rattletraps supposed to be that loud?

Shad

Thanks for all the useful information guys, I greatly appreciate it.

I have been using the smaller YUM Money minnow with great success, but I have been pulling in the smaller 1.5-2.5 lb bass with them, and I know there are larger bass in this body of water because I have caught them in the past with some regularity. I am wanting to try a larger (longer) paddle tail swimbait but there are quite a few to chose from. I would prefer not to spend 10 bucks on them only to find out that there are better producing lures for the same price point, so I would like to know what larger profile swimbaits you have had success with that are similar to the money minnow in design. Of the following, what have you had success with in the large versions (5 inches or greater)? Basstrix Bass Magic Berkely Hollow Body YUM Money Minnow Netbait Reaction Innovations Etc. Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

Most of the lures have a label on the box that says type and depth. I will generally cut that piece off and throw it in the slot that the lure will be placed. Keeps me from having to remember all the details of the lure.

I would have to say that my biggest flaw is having zero faith in lures that don't look like they would catch fish. If they look cheap, or look different than what I am used to, I don't bother looking twice, I move on. I wont pick anything out of the dollar bin unless it is something I have tried before and had sucess with. I'm not sure why I am so lure arrogant, but that's the way I am, its a shame I know. Funny part is, 2-3 of my favorite lures are bargain bin lures that I first started out with that most told me would never work

i dont think he was saying that hard baits are impossible to fish from shore, but that some shores are impossible to fish hardbaits from. A cause would be excess timber, weeds, junk, brush hanging out 10 feet from the bait, basically all the things that will snag a trable hook instantly and refuse to let go.

Hard baits in one box, worms in another, creatures in one, frogs in one, deep cranks in one, shallow cranks in one, terminal tackle in one, minnows in one, etc. Everything is organized and seperated by style/type, I am a freak about it. If a lure hasnt caught a fish for me yet, it doesnt go in the hard boxes, it stays in a carboard box off to the side with other unproven lures. Only once I have caught a fish with it, does it go into one of the hard tackle boxes. I have a Browning backpack that easily carries 6 boxes, and so I take what I need according to where I will be fishing, and I will generally load up 2-3 lures that I havent used yet, or are determining whether or not I will keep them, and thats it. Everything else stays at home. In my opinion, If I cant catch a fish with 6 boxes loaded with lures that have proven themselves to me, then I dont need to be fishing that day .

Check out the KaRu Vibrashock. Very high quality and fantastic colors. I have had great success with the Extreme Bluegill this spring. It is designed so that the blade actually taps the football head, resulting in more successful hookups because the fish orient on the head of the lure. I have only missed 1 fish all year with it so far. I put a ZOOM Fat Albert grub as a trailer on mine.

Browning 370 backpack Holds 6 boxes and has 4 LARGE external pouches for cameras, pliers, scales, extra equipment, with a 5th pouch on top. I would buy another one in a heartbeat. Its large, very comfortable, and easy to handle. http://reviews.basspro.com/2010/103997/reviews.htm read the reviews on it, its a great bag

worm or jig

KaRu Lures Poisontail Jig with a ZOOM Grub trailer.