Crankbait_Kid

I have just purchased a newer used boat that came with older electronics. I am currently looking at the Hummingbird 581i combo and was wondering if anyone has thoughts or some experience with this particular locator. I am leaning toward the Hummingbird because of the gps, mapping, and price. I have looked at reviews and they have all said that color is better but my budget does not let me go the route of color screens. I plan to put the locator on the bow of my boat and look down at it. Does the sun take the picture away? Any advise or experiences (good or bad) would be greatly appreciated as there are so many units to choose from. Thanks in advance for any information that can be given.

Thank you for all the great info and advice. I am just guessing but the Skeeter with full load and trailer may push 3500 to 4000 lbs. I am going to upgrade my vehicle for sure. The trailer does have hydrolic brakes but I would feel better with a bigger vehicle. My 16' aluminum pushes my old Ford Ranger and I expect the same with my Chevy S10 on a quick stop. I guess the only thing to do is just get the courage and go for it. As I said this is a major investment for me and I am hoping not to get a lemon lol. Once again thanks for the info and any further advice on the boat and vehicle.

I am currently looking at a 1999 Skeeter ZX185 with a Yamaha 175. I am new to bass boats and want to upgrade from my 16' aluminum. I was wondering if anyone out there has had the same or similar boat and what their experience and opinions are? I also am thinking I must upgrade my 97 Chevy S10 for something bigger and more powerful. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. This is a huge investment for me and I am not taking this lightly. Please if you have experience with bass boats I would greatly appreciate any (and I do mean any) advice and opinions on this subject. I do not want to start a brand war. I would like to know your thoughts and opinions on tow vehicles (if I need to upgrade) and bass boat (problems and joys) of owning. Thank you in advance for any responses.

I am wondering if anyone has spent some time fishing jigs with and without rattles? If so was there a noticeable difference in bites? I have thrown shakey heads in very dirty water and had many bites with no sound. A lot of the jigs on the market make sure to advertise the loudness of their jig rattles while others focus on the colors, components, and paint durability. Thanks for any thought on this topic.

I dont have experience with the scum frog but I have had the same experience with Bronze Eye frogs. I was about to give up on frogs but then tried the Spro Popping frog. The bait does not have to be modified and hooks up big time. You still miss fish but not like with the Bronze Eye. The Popping frog casts a mile and walks very easily, not as subtle as the Bronze Eye but way higher hooking ratio.

I was looking at Barlows and saw some 4 inch Bully frogs. I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with them and if you have how do they perform. I like the Manns Hardnose frogs and wonder if the Bully frog is even close. I like the Manns frog because the weight allows for some really long casts. Any feed back would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I have read and article in Bassmaster magazine or on the website about the hooks he uses. They are spinnerbait hooks and the shrink tubing used is the kind with adhesive on the inside. I think it is on the Bassmaster website, InSider website, or look in the archives on InSider for the article. Hope this helps.

I am wondering if anyone has experience and feedback on jigs with megabite or regular J-style hooks. Does one style of hook work better in situations? Does one hook and hold fish better? Any information and advise in choosing between the jig hook styles is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I dont own all the rods. I own rods 7' and up only. I use the 765 for my jigs. I would suggest the 683. I like heavier rods with a lot of back bone. I own the 7' mh ef and have not really thrown jigs with it. As a reference I have a couple 764s and have bent the regular EWG Gamas with the rod using mono on long casts. Now I mostly use the super line hooks. As I said I like heavy rods even with big line and light baits. When I set the hook I think I almost kill the fish lol. I am not much for the lite wire stuff although most of my bass fishing has been with lite wire shakey heads and spinning gear in the past.

I am a big fan of Powell rods and own many. I have been looking at the Powell 804 CEF and was wondering if anyone has any input on it? I have been using the 764 for jigs and worms in 15' and find it just a little to soft for me on a long cast. I own almost all of the rods available and want to know how the 804 compares.

I am looking for soft plastic topwater frogs that I can purchase in bulk, color options, and are a great value. I am looking for frogs that are similar to Mann's Hardnose frogs. They do not have to be hardnose but I like the more free flowing legs rather than the paddle like feet. Any suggestions would be appreciated and thanks in advance.

I am having great success with jigs this year and am looking at different rattle collars. I have noticed that the collar that holds the rattle right by the jighead (Mickey Mouse looking collar) tends to mess up my skirt and catches vegetation. I was wondering if anyone has experience with the jig collars that have arms (spider collars) that hold the rattles? Do the arms and rattles stand out from the skirt, do they come through grass easier, are they more effective........ any and all information is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I also had the same problem with my boxes. A friend of mine used a thin piece of carboard cut to the shape of the box. It works great and is very cheap. Just place the material between lid and spaces for tackle. It may not be the most professional but it works great and is very cheap and easy to do. Just an idea.

Mike the depth information for the various Lucky Craft crankbaits can be found on the Tackle Warehouse website. All you have to do is find the series of baits your interested in and the diving depths are usually listed for the baits of interest. The BDS crankbaits diving depths are listed at *** and the RC series (the ones your interested in) are listed on the Bass Pro site as diving to 0-4'. I think the BDS and the RC series are similar. I hope this helps.

Thanks for all the great responses. Sounds like I should be using these lures. Thanks again for the great information.

I am getting an airbrush to try painting my own baits. I have located some crankbaits that look promising. The cranks are from predatorbassbaits.com and are the square bills that have a removable front hook hanger. I am mostly interested in shallow cranks (0-4 feet) that do not rattle and are plastic. I know Barlows and Janns. I do not care where they are from I am just wondering if anyone has experience with some that run true. I have read too many posts from people that have gotten bad products. Thanks for any advise.

I am wanting to paint some jigs to save money. I would like to use water based paints. From what I have read vinyl paints have a strong odor and I would like to stay away from that. Would also like to stay away from powder painting as well. I know this is very open in terms of information but I have no experience with painting at all and any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Hey shooter. I am not an expert by any means, but I do own 8 cranking rods. 2 are graphite and 6 are glass. I can tell you that the glass are much less sensitive then the graphite. The glass rods are also slower and softer. As for the higher catch ratio, I feel better with a slower rod (graphite or glass). I have had some terrible days with fish jumping off in the past with fast action graphite rods. This is why I have the cranking rods now. As for what you should do? It is a personal feeling thing. Rick Clun uses a heavy power fast action graphite rod for all his baits, including cranks. KVD used a composite rod, which is more like a glass rod, IMO. I am sure no one would tell either of those guys that the equipment they use for crankbaits is wrong, even though their choices in rods are completely different. I would suggest trying both if possible. Not necessarily buy them, but maybe you know someone that may have rods and let you test them. This is just my 2 cents. Find what feels right and works for you.

I use Revo Inshores and Winches. Winches for deep cranking and Inshores for the rest. The long handle is great and makes a difference I think. The Inshore is ok for deep cranking although I would not recommend it. The Winch absolutely owns deep crankbaits.

Lol Randy. I dont know. I am just interested in not paying 15-20 dollars per bait. No matter the manufacturer there are always mixed reviews.

Thanks a lot Snoopy. That was very informative. I think I will take your advise and stay away from the XPS baits.

Was looking at Bass Pro Shops and saw the XPS Professional Series Hardbaits. I was just wondering if anyone has used them and what they think of them. How deep does the shallow flatsided one and deep one dive?

Powell 703 Powell 754 Powell 806 Powell 705 Wrinches on the 806's and Inshores on the rest. I am in love with the 806's for deep cranks.

Thanks for the information guys. I really enjoy reading what others are doing and their thoughts on it. I am constantly learning and really appreciate the replies.

Ok I am wondering what people use when flipping. I use a Powell 7105, Revo Inshore, and 65# braid. I am looking at Owner wide gap straight shank hooks, Mann's Sting Ray grubs and was wondering if any of you have any experience splicing a mono or fluoro leader? Any suggestions or thought are appreciated.