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Siebert Jigs has every type of jig you will need. If not sure what to get, You can send the owner an email with type of line, rod, cover you are fishing and He can put together a package of jigs that will catch you fish. That is the benefit of having custom jigs made. Get them to match your style, gear, etc. Colors are all preference but browns, blacks, whites are a solid start, let the trailer add a different look, but his color chart is plenty tempting. $50+ in jigs is an investment you will never regret. Jigs catch fish all year long, the more you fish them, the better you get, and a good quality jig is super important. You can buy good jigs from certain brands, but I like how Siebert sends extra long weed guards for you to trim, uses quality hooks, tons of weights etc...Having a balanced jig for your set up makes life much easier, Siebert's prices are much lower than regular Jigs of similar quality imo. I just noticed you purchased the Siebert Packs...Good move...Rage Menace, Curly tail single or twin tail grubs, and like other's said, get a craw that has action like a Chigger Craw style, then something that lacks all the flapping, I prefer a Zoom Critter craw or Larew Salt craw. Everyone prefers different trailers, Lately I have heard of guys catching big bags with Football Jigs and a Wacky Worm as trailer....Experiment, you will be surprised what works some days.

I have been trying to gain confidence with a scrounger jig, and I have had on and off again success, the one soft bait I have had by far the most success with is the Strike King Caffiene shad on I believe 1/4-3/8. Not sure if that helps, The Caffiene shad is kind of one of those baits like a Senko that just always seems to catch fish no matter how you rig it, but I would pick the Caffiene shad over a zoom fluke personally. Something about all that salt and how it sinks that seems to make it work so good. They are fragile like a GYB worm, but hard to not catch fish on that bait. It looks awesome on a scrounger, so does the sluggo.

I will say, for some reason, The Spro Poppin frogs seem to cast much further than you would expect. Same with the bronzeye shad, I think it is the shape and how they cut through the wind. With that said, The booyah frog is as good as any for the most part, but if you want casting distance, the Spro Poppin frog and bronzeye shad seem to cast a good 20% further than all my other frogs. Hook sets kind of suck on really long casts however.

I use a Medium to MH Spinning rod for 1/4 oz swim Jigs all the time. Same thing with Swimbaits on a Jighead. I throw lures up to 1/2 oz on my MH rods all the time, You just have to be aware of the lb test you are fishing, how thick or stiff the weedguard/Hook are since the right action of rod can make a big difference. The "Finesse" Style swim Jigs are often good enough around most cover and I find I get much better hook ups when swimming a jig on any gear. I find many "Swim Jigs" are really Grass jigs with eyes, at least the heavy cover jigs, you can flip with most of them. Medium Action spinning rods with a 2500-3000 Spinning reel can handle big fish. Most saltwater guys (Myself Included) fish Medium action rods, 15-20lb braid, nothing bigger than a 3000 spinning reel for balance, and plenty of better fighting and bigger fish are landed consistently as long as you have plenty of water to avoid structure. Line breaks before most gear will fail. If you are Pitching a Jig into heavy weeds, then you need to have gear that can over power the fish, but I find I now use lighter rods and line than I used to all the time except when Frogging or pitching. Med Spinning or Med Casting get used the most for me especially for lighter jigs and weightless plastics. Seeing what many Inshore Saltwater guys use really has changed my outlook on "Heavy gear" for bass fishing. Obviously there is a time and place for heavy gear, but I enjoy using the lightest tackle I can get away with.

Yes. Shad Rap #7 on 6-8lb test is one of the best lures ever made in my opinion. Light line is the key since it is super light and the action is dependent on lighter line but you can another site on 6lb test. The Shallow shad rap is another killer lure that noboby seems to talk about. I find if I throw the shallow shad rap on lighter line I catch more fish than on any other shallow crank. If its windy and you can't throw the balsa shad rap, they make a heavier suspending version in the glass shad rap which is almost as good but Still not the same imo. Sold on the Duo Shad...I love the way that lure looks. Adding to my cart for next order. Thanks

Must have's for me.... Swim Senko's Ribbit's Dingers Gambler EZ's and Skinny Dippers GYB Grubs single and twin Jigs, Big Jigs, Small Jigs, Brown Jigs, Black Jigs, Finesse Jigs, Culprit worms, Strike King Caffiene Shads, Zoom Swamp Crawlers, Pit Boss, Gambler Craws and flipping baits. Rapala Original, Shad Rap, Shallow shad rap, Bomber Long A, Zara Spook, One Knocker Spook, Rebel Pop'r, Torpedo, Xrap Prop Suspending Jerkbait- Timmy Horton Long A & Lucky Craft Pointer.. Plus a bunch of other stuff but I use these baits the most. Also love the GYB curly tail worms and cut Tails. Spider Grubs, and lastly, Zoom Tubes.

I also picked up the Berkley hooks at DIcks and I like them because they are a thicker guage and add extra weight. I usually use Owner beast locks, but I also like the VMC swimbait hooks with the black v shaped weight. Another option that works really good is the DOA Extra wide gap hook with a long neck, I think they are just Lazer sharps with a longer Neck so you can add the belly weights they make. You can use any EWG hook and then use any amount of weight you want by crimping on the pinch weights. You can also just crimp a split shot on the shank if you want extra weight and don't have any screw lock hooks.

Pound for pound, dollar for dollar, I think it is hard to beat. I like both sizes and also like the thinner body.

I like To use Swimbaits & Soft Jerkbaits. I also like to use lighter line in the fall since usually I am around lighter cover, I also start to rely on lipless crankbaits more. Kind of same lures that work all year, I like to rig a grub in the fall and swim it on a darter head, or rig a sluggo on a darter head and let it sink on slack line. Once I find fish,I then just slow down and fish the same stuff I normally use, Mainly a Jig of some kind, or shad style bait like the Keitech Shiner style which I really like lately.

Single Prop-Tiny Torpedo on light tackle-6-8lb test is a killer in any color. I usually throw a white/Redish color. For a wake bait I love the Bagley's Bang O lure with single prop in back-Silver/Black stripe & Gold black stripe on dark days/water (Similar to the Bomber Long A with a prop on the back, only a lighter more buoyant balsa version. You can add a prop to any jerkbait. I used to be a big fan of the Devil's horse, but I switched to the Rapala X-Rap Prop which seems to work better for me and casts better. Different action as well. The cordell crazy shad is the only double prop lure I have every had success on, I feel many of the others are too loud and aggressive, They only have a few colors, smokey Joe or silver black is all I have used. I fish this lure fast most of the time, Kind of like a buzzbait when fish are aggressive. Growing up the first plastic worm I ever caught a bass on was a Creme Midget Crawler which is the Creme finesse worm, 2 rigged hooks, and a prop in the front. I fished that worm every trip I made and if I needed weight I added a split shot. I caught hundreds of bass on that rig growing up in NY, I forgot about it after getting my first job and placing my first bass pro order as a kid, but picked up a bunch from a local shop for .99 each a few years ago.....I now keep it in my main box, sometimes adding a prop just works, I don't think fish see it often. You can order props cheap, you can put one behind a popper and have a good bait, I find light line is key for prop baits, as light as possible.

Thanks for all the replies. I put in an order and naturally spent more money than I should have because obviously I needed to get some stuff for myself. I took Tom's advice and picked up different colors & those Butch Brown big swimbaits/ and a few similar looking Hudds that were only $10. All were priced better than I expected. Also grabbed some Big Hammer 7" & 9" Sledge Hammers since we all fish Sluggo's for fresh and salt, and that Tail on the bigger Hammers looks awesome. I used to use the 3-5" but figure the bigger ones have to work good, I didn't realize they made a big version for a weedless hook as well. I also splurged for a pack of the Trash Fish which I have always wanted to do, I hope he doesn't mind that the pack of 2 only comes with 1 bait. I also ordered the 7" Optimum swimbaits which were only $4.99. That swimbait has always been on my list of baits I wanted to try so I figured now was a good time. I wanted to buy swimbaits you don't see in the store. I know the big Keitechs will work great, and luckily all the stores are now carrying them. I also figured grabbing a pack of Megabass Baits would be a good buy since Megabass has that special name & I was surprised to see they were not really high priced. The Spark shad in 5" is not a small bait & matched with the recommended Jigheads I am sure they will catch fish.

I live in an area where all the ponds are full of Golden shiners. I was fishing with my ultralight and i ended up catching a really big wild Shiner on a small grub, and I was surprised at how much Red/Orange was on the shiner. The body was a gold/Silver/Green flashy color, some black on the top, but all the fins were a Orange/Red color which surprised me as I never really associated red or orange with shiners. All the fins were Orange especially on the belly, The color was actually identical to that Chestnut Red skirt color they sell, but long story short, I tied up a jig in a shiner patterns with some red and orange mixed in and the bass hammered it. I have an all Orange Mirro lure Top Dog walking bait that I sometimes throw when the water is stained and it has a loud one knocking sound, when it works, it seems to work as good or better than the chart colored topwater walking baits that are popular in Florida Summer's. The orange/Red lipless cranks work for me all year long not just in the early spring. Sometimes bright baits must look different or are just easy for them to see, they are worth trying when everyone else is using the standard colors. Every lake has forrage with orange on them.

My Nephew is 17 & has been sending me pics of big bass he is catching in Northern CT lakes with big Hudds hanging out of their mouths. My brother says he spends all his free time throwing 6-10" swimbaits & is getting really good at fishing them. I don't know much if anything about big swimbaits like the Hudds etc. He was telling me that I need a Hudd 68 2 years ago (Good beginner bait) but I know I don't have the patience. I want to send him a couple of baits that are considered a step up from the Hudds, or maybe just a good alternative in action etc. He has plenty of the hard glide baits (I gave him most of mine) but prefers fishing the super realistic expensive models I never look at & likes soft bodies. I want to send him a few new swimbaits that he will be super excited to have. He reads about this stuff and spits out names of baits I have never heard of, so I want to buy him a few baits that are recognized as quality by all the big swimbait guys. He throws Trout colors and he fishes NY, CT lakes which are usually clear and plans on doing tournaments on this year. He has the patience to throw a huge swimbait all day long, so what are the "Must Have" Big Swimbaits that he is probably saving money to buy? I believe he is now into the bigger 8-10" but I just want to get him what is proven and will catch him fish. Thanks in advance.

I have tried changing bills on lures to make them into wake baits or have a different action. Tried shaving, Melting with a lighter, and I ruined every one I tried. I decided to just buy the lures that had the action I wanted, I think you have to be good with Moderation & patience, 2 traits I struggle with. I always found that once I changed the bill shape, then I would have to change hooks, rings, and it would never be right again and end up in the junk. For changing depth, I just change line diameter, or maybe add a suspend strip or belly weight. Some of the better quality lines have smaller diameters, so If I want to get a crankbait deeper, I try to get a thinner line and you can usually do it without having to go with a line that is weaker.

I am not too picky with shaky head worms, I use alot of trick worms but one worm that always seems to work well for me is the Big Bite Squirrel tail worm. I purchased these years ago when they were on sale at TW just to get to $50 & for some reason it seems to work better than most worms I have tried, and I rarely buy any big bite baits cause I never see them. Obviously I am not the only one too notice this since BPS added that worm to their line up and Big bite then created the double tail version. Usually worms that do not get much press in magazines get discontinued after a few years, its a really good worm with a different profile and look then anything else. Lately I am into the ringed baits since they float and move differently, I like the Powerbait Rib Snake, Lunker City ringed worm, and if I am going with a big shaky rig, I love the Yamamoto Curly tail worms and Cut tail worms in 10-12". I also love to use a Swim Senko on a shaky rig, this way I can swim it back, The Swim Senko catches fish on any rig, plus you can't fish it wrong, as long as you can cast it out, you get all the benefits of the Senko so you can just lift and drop or drag and do well.

I can't seem to do it, but I just ordered some of the plano soft bait binders so I can hopefully keep them more condensed. One thing I do that helps save space because I have a habit of bringing too much stuff is mixing colors that are similar for worms and other soft baits.' I fish alot of black and blue and green pumpkin baits, so I will put all black and blue in a heavy duty zip lock bag with a grommet through it which attaches to my belt, I do the same with a few other colors so I can grap what i use most of the time, and bleeding is never a problem. I don't care if Junebug mixes with other purples or even black and blue, I just need to find a way to carry leader and terminal tackle that is more condensed and organized by size since I usually destroy my terminal box during a trip, and I never seem to have time to put stuff back in it's spot. I started using small bags like people use for pills, I buy them at the pharmacy and label them 1/0,2/0 etc. This way if they get scattered, I don't have to guess. I can also fit more in a bigger box without dividers.

I tie the loop knot on the Rapala Minnows and never put a split ring. I truly believe the Rapala knot is best when fishing finesse lures like the Balsa Minnows. If you are just planning on twitching it on the surface it probably would not matter much, but I like to mix in slow sweeps & with a direct knot the lure always tends to pull to one side and does not look as natural. I try not to leave the loop too big cause it seems to cause twisting and gets tangled. If I have to go with heavy line I usually just switch over to a Plastic Minnow bait like the Bomber Long A & the split ring does not change the action. If I need to keep my bait over weeds & only have a few inches and need maximum buoyancy, I will pull off the split ring on plastic floaters like the Red Fin, Long A etc. Usually I am fishing over heavy weeds so I have heavy line and not sure the fish really get a good look at it, so then I just tie direct figuring the CLinch Knot is the knot I trust most, or Double clinch on Braid...Just what I do, I fish Floating Minnow baits every trip, but I would argue a loop knot is best if you plan on letting it dive a little bit. It's funny, In Saltwater I know lots of guys who tie loop knots to every bait or lure they tie on, one of the best guys in our area will use a loop knot even for stroking a Grub/Swim Shad on a jig head. A swinging Jig head is becoming popular now, essentially the exact same thing. Tie a loop knot and you have a swing jig. In reality, if your knot moves on the eye of a lure, it changes the action, can't happen with a loop knot.

This one is easy for me....Original Floating Rapala minnow in sizes F-9,F-11, or F-13 on the lightest line you can get away with. 6lb to 10lb mono seems to work the best or use 10lb braid with a leader but I still think I do better with straight mono. The Flat Rap would be a close second because it is still balsa, but seems to cast easier due to its shape and I can sometimes get away with heavier line over weeds in the 14lb range. At Night My main lure is the Jointed Original Rapala crawled on the surface. I learned that technique fishing with my brother on a golf course when I was maybe 10 years old, For some reason the J-9 is most productive but the J-11 gets bigger bites. The only other Rapala lures I use during certain times of year are the shad rap #7, not having one in your box is criminal, then the shallow shad rap on lighter line will usually outfish any of my square bills but for some reason I don't use it as much as I used to. you can wake the shallow shad rap or fish it like a jerkbait, burn it, some days it just has something special the fish want. I have yet to have a good day with any of the newer versions like BX series, Shadow Raps, I used to use countdowns as a young kid, same with husky jerks but I kind of retired them for most part. For the floating Rapala, Silver/BLue back or silver black back, I guess its white and I dull the paint before fishing them to keep them subtle plus they get destoryed anyway. In Evening or stained water I use the Gold and black. If you want to catch the biggest bass in your local pond, find a Original F-18 which is a big plug, but in places with shiners, I have caught some good fish on the gold and black back, you can throw that one on normal bass lb tests. You can add suspend strips to them to get more distance on casts if needed, but I don't like messing with the Rapala, it is the best selling fish lure in the world of all time and still going for a reason. They catch fish in every country and every lake or ocean, Rapala doesn't market many lures for salt or fresh, or never used to...

Some frogs are just not born to walk well even if you are using an easy one like say a spro, sometimes they just want to pull to one side more than the other. One thing that helps me when I cant get that side to side barely moving walk going where the frog glides side to side naturally is making sure I have extra slack in the line, then just gently snap the rod and not pull at all. Practice with spooks and also a pencil popper like a chug bug first, once you can walk a walker and a pencil/Popper it will help you get the frogs right but it is not always easy unless you have a good frog and sometimes some are just not made right and need tuning. The Spro Bronzeye shad is probably the easiest to walk, so are the popping frogs, some hollow bodies like a few from scum frog are not meant to walk, so if the nose is high, maybe that frog is more a chugging style. Bigger frogs are also easier to walk at least for me. Keep at it, Walking a frog and getting it right each cast is not easy, I dont care what anyone says, it takes the right rod, feel, and frogs will never perform like a walking bait, I find the goal is to get the frog to just walk/glide slowly while barely moving forward. Focus on not pulling and always snapping the rod with extra slack in line. Slack is key. I used to think walking a frog was over rated, but once I started to get a steady cadence, I have noticed I tend to catch more fish. Also hollow bodies are meant to be fished slow, you can be erratic, change cadence, but I do much better going really slow, You can move a spook fast and catch fish but Frogs are an adjustment for sure. You will get it. all major brands are good from Booyah, KVD,Scum Frog etc. Really cheap frogs fill up with water if you dont perform surgery with glue, once out of balance they wont walk well. some expensive frogs fill up as well but you can seal any frog and fix them.

Gambler EZ series is probably the most durable paddle tail I have fished with especially around grass since they rarely get twisted or torn up easy. I would make sure that you put the screw lock in the center and don't screw it all the way to the top, I like to leave a twist and then make sure I get the point right in the middle, I screw up swimbaits if I try to use certain hooks. Mustad has that pin which tears up everything with only a few fish, any keeper you have to push seems to never stay locked, or fixed pins on hooks like zman trigger hooks etc. The 2 best swimbait hooks I have found for EZ's,Charlies Dippers, Grass Pigs, any paddle tail is the Owner twist lock beast hooks, also VMC has a good swimbait hook, You may not be going big enough on the hook, too small can be a problem. I never go smaller than 5/0 even on the smaller EZ or 4" Keitech style etc. One option is adding a pinch weight to the DOA Long shank Hooks, you can completely change the action by adding or moving weights. I usually put a tiny weight on the nose to make it more weedless then pinch of a few pieces of lead for the shank. Hard to find a better swimbait than the Gambler series, or if you find the Charlies version or Bitters it is essentially a RI dipper in different packaging. If durability is a concern, Keitechs are soft and so are most ringed swimbaits with exception of the Kalin's Sizmic shad which are kind of hard plastic for some reason, work the same as all others like BPS speed shad etc..But tails get bit off easy for some reason. Keitech USA and most soft swimbaits are from same molds, just different scents and bags, colors, texture...Thinking about it, I don't think brand matters for swimbaits since they are all clones these days, EZ swimmers are different, so is the Culprit Version which has become a new favorite & comes with hook and Jig head, never bent, and they last really good. Hope that helps, I think when fishing grass, try to find a video of the swimbait you are using and see what the company suggests as hook size, Havoc Grass Pigs catch fish for me as good as any & $3.00 hard to beat. To save money, plus you are in FLorida, spend $50 At Bitters baits online or in orlando and free shipping, 2 bags for 5 bucks, all his baits are made in same factory and molds as other brands, they have a skinny dipper, also a few kind of original baits but he has florida colors and just crazy good deals where $50 can get you 20 packs of baits to last all year. Florida shiner a killer color in stained water.

I sometimes have the same problem of my weight sliding but it only happens when I am using really heavy weights and I don't think it matters all that much if your using over 1-1.5 oz since the bait often moves along with the weight while going through, plus its a reaction strike like if someone throws a baseball at you without a warning, its your instinct to try to catch it. I never liked straight shank hooks and I use the owners for weightless presentations, but I also like to tie an improved clinch knot or Palomar to save time cause I re-tie anytime I feel like I have taken too many abrasions to prevent break offs, and I would also suggest the bead for 2 reasons. It protects your Knot, If you put your bait too high up the line to cover or compensate for the knot, then the bait gets bent and that is when I think it can change the action even though most plastics are expensive weed guards or just a place to hide your hook. Some baits do glide especially on lighter weights or deeper water, so if I am fishing a bait I want to glide like the Gamber Why not, I like it to be straight so it does not spiral like a Tube or crooked bait, I peg the weight really good, but I leave space with a bead and the more space between the eye of the hook and the big weight, the better the hookset from my experiences. If you only have a tiny space from a clinch knot to a heavy weight, I find I miss more hook sets and the hook doesnt kick out right. I usually will use 2 bobber stops and lock it down if I don't want it to move, the bead adds sound unless it is completely tight, but also allows you some extra space and as long as the bait is going through good on the hook without moving, the weight should be ok even if it gets loose. Its quicker to simply put some living rubber or skirting material in your weight to fix it than it is to tie a snell knot. I hate tying that knot and never noticed it helping, but I know lots of guys who are better than me who always tie a snell knot, but I think they catch more fish than me because they are more accurate & simply more experienced or concentrate better. Hope that makes sense, I just rambled off a conversation I have all the time. I use thick guage EWG hooks for big creatures like the BPS Flipping Craws or big salt craws etc. Some guys throw that Jig rig into heavy cover and that is not going down straight, so as long as your line is not getting frayed, you should be good if you reinforce the weight and just put a bead or some type of spacer. I am a believer that profile, fall rate, accuracy, sound, right color matter more than if the weight is a bit crooked but I get frustrated as well, it just happens at times, but that is why it helps to use baits that do not slide down the hook easy or are too soft/Thin etc. I trust my clinch knots, Palamar knots the most, especially if using fluoro or mono, Snell knots take alot of time and I don't trust them on Fluoro, only trust an improved clinch knot carefully cinched. I would also make sure you are using the right sized hook, 4/0 vs. 5/0 can be a big difference, same with guage, that will cause movement as well. I guess it can't hurt to learn the snell knot, for some reason I have always felt it is too easy to mess up and time consuming.

I discovered a new worm in the spring on clearance and so glad I did. GYB Curly Tail worms, packs were probably 20 years old, thick plastic, motor oil color and other packs were clear silver flake. Way more fragile than a Senko, but the thin tail, taper, salt was done well with this worm. I am not a brand name guy, but the GYB Curly Tail worms in all sizes 8" plus are my go to worm for almost every technique, I used to use the BPS squirmin worms in similar sizes but The GYB worm is flat out good. I purchased a large order from Overstock because I thought GYB was not making the curly tail worms anymore, not sure how I missed this worm over the years, I guess Pre-Senko GYB baits took a back seat but these worms are like a swimming Pro Senko with the perfect taper etc.. The newer Packs were not as fragile, but they still tear ssier than a Senko and bluegills love to pull the tails off, but they are still worth it. Other than plastic worms, I had some good days on the Gambler Big EZ swimbaits/Charlies Zipper Dippers, and rigged on open jig heads instead of weighted hooks and kind of like em better that way. Only straight tailed worm i really used this year was the Lunker City Sluggo which is still a favorite of mine and they have 25% off right now on their site, Lunker City makes alot of really good baits, besides the sluggo they have a swimbait that is similar to a big hammer if you like alot of thump on a shad body. Also the Keitech looking finesse worm is really good..Big sluggos are still one of my favorite bigger fish baits. Great in Saltwater also.

I know Bill Dance often gets a bad rap, however, I remember watching him do a show in a Florida lake, and he was using a Popper (Probably Rebel/Xcal) and he preached the 3 pops/pause while experimenting with how long to let it sit, cadence etc. When Bass are attacking a popper, it is one of the most exciting ways to fish & they catch big fish as well. I am sure you can go on You Tube and find video of Bill Dance showing that technique. I Have seen guys catch fish using what I would think are "Over The Top Pulls" but I have been noticing that lots of people are working bigger poppers these days and working them harder than I am used to. Patrick Sebile used to have a series of videos where he would show underwater footage with his topwater lures, camera was in a pool & He did a great job of showing creative techniques. I personally like more subtle pops, but the best thing about Topwater fishing is the fish will tell you what they want, sometimes they want it walked etc. so it is impossible to fish it wrong. I guess that Slit in the mouth really works, I hear a decent amount of people talk about the Pop-X, and other brands and not sure I have heard anyone ever say a bad word about the Pop-X so throw it with confidence. I am pretty sure that Zell Rowland is the best guy with a Popper. He is endorsed by Pradco and made his name as a guide fishing the Rebel and then modifying the lip with sand paper to create different actions. He created the Rebel Zell Pop which has been a classic for ages now, I would guess he probably has some great tips on working a popper and slight modifications you can make. I think Booyah has the Zell Pop Now, Lots of good poppers out there. Its worth spending extra money on topwater lures since you rarely lose them, Plus confidence is a huge help, so knowing you have a proven lure is important. Good Luck, Nothing beats a good topwater day.

It certainly looks like a good combo. I guess if you have the right blade size etc. it would be good in some situations. I tend to add my blades to the back of swimbaits that lose tails, I started with the Senko, now I love adding blades to the fat impact style swimbaits without a tail and a jighead.