primetime

I am a tackle freak and I will also throw my hat in the ring for Siebert. Prices are as good as anyone or better, all custom and therefore made to your style and area, plus the quality is really impressive and I know I sound like a fan of a sponser but the Wire Ties may be simple for some of you guys, colors with skirts, but I like it done right and also like nice paint and color which he supplies....I love the wide gap swim jigs, great hook up percent, and black and blue punch skirt, green pumpkin craw or trailer. Love that combo as much as I love a watermelon green jig with an orange trailer...

For soft baits, I would go S. Plastics and for hardbaits, Pradco...

IF LARGE FISH ARE IN THE AREA, AND A TON OF SMALLER FISH, A GREAT WAY TO FIND SOME LARGER FISH IS TO SIMPLY MOVE OFF THE SHALLOW AREA INTO A DROP OFF WITH SOME COVER NEARBY LIKE YOU MENTIONED PUNCHING, AND OFTEN I FIND A LARGER 3/4-1 OZ ONE KNOCKER LIPLESS CRANK OR RED OR BLUEGILL COLORED LIPLESS CRANK DIFFERENT THAN WHAT EVERYONE THROWS IN TERMS OF SIZE AND SOUND IF PRESSURED WATER, KEY BEING ELEMENT OF SURPRISE SINCE FEMALES ARE NOT ALWAYS HUNGRY THIS TIME OF YEAR. FOR SOME REASON RIPPING THEM FROM GRASS, OR SIMPLY USING A CHATTERBAIT IN SIMILAR WAY IS A GOOD WAY TO GET BIGGER FISH WHILE MOVING FASTER AS PUNCHING CAN GET OLD AND TIRED THIS TIME OF YEAR. EVERYONE SAYS IIZARDS, I SEEM TO LIKE A GOOD OLD RAGE RIGGED CHIGGER CRAW SINCE FEMALES CRAVE IODINE THIS TIME OF YEAR....I SEEM TO BE DOING BETTER FISHING FAST AND AGGRESSIVE RATHER THAN USING FINESSE TACTICS TO FIND FISH AND ONCE I FIND THEM I LIKE TO CHANGE ANGLES, LOOKS, AND FOR SOME REASON SOUND IS NOT USUALLY GOOD FOR ME ONCE I LOCATE FISH THAT ARE SHALLOW SINCE THEY SPOOK EASY WHICH IS WHY 1 KNOCKERS, SILENT, AND VIBRATIONS ARE MORE THE WAY I GO LATELY. NO RATTLES FOR SOFT BAITS FOR ME, SCENT FOR SURE, MEGASTRIKE IS KEY DURING SPAWN AND PRESPAWN, BUT JUST GET OUT THERE AND DO WHAT IS MOST FUN FOR YOU.....WELCOME ABOARD...THERE ARE NO RIGHT OR WRONG ANSWERS AND READING ARTICLES IS GREAT FOR STRATEGY BUT I LIKE TO ALWAYS THROW IN FUN WRINKLES AND 1 TOPWATER STRIKE IS WORTH IT FOR ME IF IT IS A BIG FISH AND THEY WILL RESPOND TO BIGGER SWIMBAITS THIS TIME OF YEAR.

Biggest Bass on a "Swimbait" was 3 years ago on a 5" Megabait CharlieSoft suspending 1-2' diver in a black with translucent color and I caught the fish in a Public Lake that gets a ton of pressure and I saw the grass move and it was early spring, so I chucked it in the opening, gave it the twitch twitch pause....nothing..made 2 more casts and on the last one I let the ripples dissipate and as soon as I started to jerk the bait a few inches down, the water erupted and I knew I had a monster when I saw the Tunnel and suction taking it down, glad I upgraded to a larger hook.... I never weighed the fish as she was a female and it was early February so she was shallow in 4-6' and probably weighed a good 7lbs maybe bigger, I never felt the need to pull her out of the water to measure as I knew she was not larger than 7.5 or 8, so wanted to make a quick release... I am amazed the amount of small fish I catch on the big River 2 Sea S glide 120 still waiting for a beast.

The Keitechs are great and best part is they are less expensive than any of the knock offs, but I don't call any bait a knock off anymore. I was just on Bass Archives and I think it was Rebel back in the 60's but they had a chatterbait, no other way to view it, but they didn't get a patent so Zman goes around suing everybody. If I remember correctly Lunker City had the Ribster before the Keitechs and Stanley had the Ring worm style in the sidewinder which is all spin offs from one another. I think the Squid scent, color, and sizes, as well as the subtle movement the Keitechs have when rigged on a smaller hook while at rest which makes them seem to be better when fishing conditions where you need to work every inch of water and also cover all depths... The Speed shad and Sizmic shad if you are chucking and winding will actually work differently since the Kalin's version is completely different than Kicker Fish and BPS and I have used hundreds of each model. I still buy Keitechs for the smaller sizes but nothing is better in my humble opinion than the Kalins 3.8" Bluegill flash, and larger 4.8" speed shad. The larger Kalins bait is a HUGE swimbait and more like tossing a Big Hammer only much thicker and if fish are not aggressive they are not effective usually, lots of short strikes, and fish have a hard time getting a bead on it since it swims all over the place. However, rarely will you land a fish smaller than 2-3lbs as it is more like a 6" fat bait compared to the others. The other bait I love is the BPS swim Sally, I will take that texture over the Reaction Innovation any day, Charlie's shares the same bait as well, they are my new favorite swimbaits behind the GYB swimbait and Swim senko

Having Moved to Florida 12 years ago, and spending alot of times on the Kissimmee chain and other lakes that feature pro tournaments, I can say with certainty that many pro's (can't speak about all of them, maybe about a dozen, and a few that have cut us off on the shoreline so I know exactly what they were using) and they are rarely using tackle from sponsers, but when they are at the dock, they usually have all the lures that are sponsers on deck for people to see. I know KVD won a Classic throwing a Smithwick Rogue at the same time he had the kVD Strike King Jerkbait out on the market, but the Rogue is a lure that every pro carries since it is unmatched in it's action and at the end of the day all Pro's will use the tool that is going to get the job done, not every company has a lure or color that may match the conditions being fished. I am sure I could use all Crankbaits by say Pradco and be good since it covers Bomber,Excalibur,Cotton Cordell, Heddon, Luhr Jensen, Bandit, and I am sure I am forgetting a few, but I would be lost without some Sebile lures, Timber Tigers, Reaction Strike, and Rapala just to name a few, almost every company has a lure or bait that I really like, and I also like buying new lures since they are fun to fish and also look at, but maybe I am crazy. I love buying crankbaits and I am a guy who throws a crank maybe 10% of the time, yet I have over 500, so I am crazy and have a disease, but it is healthier than other addictions. I love going on Tackle warehouse and buying the new Molix Popper, Yo-zuri 3d series, Evolve Hardbaits, and always pick up a cool swimbait and topwater from companies I never use like Duo, Ima etc....If anyone wants to know the best topwater bait if conditions are tough here is a hint...Ima Skimmer, has impressed me more than any new bait or lure I have purchased in years, it is fantastic for pressured fish and I fish it in phosphate pits over 25 feet and they kill it from that deep...

I was lucky to pick up a few cases (roughly 10,000 baits) of the Keitech Knock Offs from the Factory Direct in Bulk and I would say the Kicker Fish are the closest to the Keitechs and are also priced the best. The BPS speed Shad and Kalins are more expensive than the keitechs, and they do not come in as many sizes or colors as Keitech offers. The Squid scent and texture of the Keitech is unmatched, and I find that the Keitechs are the best if you like to fish a swimbait by letting it fall to the bottom and then feathering it like a tube or or bouncing it slowly along on a standup jig head with long pauses as it is more flexible than all the USA made baits which all mainly come from the same two OEM's so they are all quite similar. The speed shad comes in 3"and is a nice bait, like mentioned, if you are going to just chuck and wind, the only difference I have found is size and shape as far as how fast or slow you can reel them with the tail still kicking. I like to use these baits as trailers on swim Jigs and Chatterbait style jigs and if I use the Kalins I miss way too many fish as the jig swings far to the left and right which is good for active fish but be prepared to miss alot of fish, however it is a good way to get followers or find fish to then throw a follow up bait. The Keitechs are actually being sold at my Local Dicks for $4.99 a pack, so why pay $8 for Kalins or BPS or any other brand when you can get the real thing? If you are going to buy them retail I would say the Kicker fish is priced the best and they package them well as are all of the USA brands which I believe come in Clam shell packaging but around here all the wholesale companies have boxes of them in Kicker Fish, Kalin's, BPS, and a few more brands super cheap and are all effective, but I still buy some Keitechs for colors and because I can buy them in smaller sizes and they have a few styles so because of options they are in my bag, but honestly, no matter how you fish them, other than color and scent, I see zero difference in how they catch fish, all produce no matter how you fish them.... I like to fish swimbait on a slip shot rig or mojo style rig with a longer leader in grass, almost a C-rig without all the hardware and noise, and I lip hook them with a weedless gamakatsu split shot hook and I find that is the best way to fish them for action, or on a swing jig just sitting in the current barely moved, and slow or fast, they are all good. Color is main difference. Soft baits only work as good as the person throwing them, casting accuracy, correct weight, line type and diameter, rod etc...so many factors, but I can say all are good, just offered in different patterns and sizes and tapers, but from same presses.

Hey Man, I just purchased a few packs on clearance of the savage 4 play soft swimbaits and I have not opened them but the colors are awesome and baits are much thinner than the Lake fork Magic shads, and I think I may simply hook them flat like the guy from In Fisherman does with all his hollow bellies and swimbaits and I also do the same with Berkley Ripple shads and do well with them flat as they are tough to hook weedless unless you like to use a Gamakatsu split shot hook with a weedguard and I try to do that a much as possible since the action is awesome cause it swings and looks natural. I think I may use a similar lip hook for the savage swimbaits for when it matters since you lose a lot of baits that way, I usually could care less since I have thousands of swimbaits in the Keitech style, dippers and more, so I toss a hundred in a bag and head out, but with these, they are too pretty and even paying $3 a pack I want to hold onto them. I picked up a bunch of the sandeels for almost nothing and they sold on Ebay for almost $11 a pack, people love them things so I kept 2 packs and figure I will use em in a tourney instead of a slug-o. Savage lures must not have sold well, The Wholesale companies and Ditributors are selling Savage gear lures and soft baits crazy cheap, same with Spro stuff and Exaliber lures like One Knocker, Evers Jerkbaits and Squarebills 100-300 for under $1.50 each....This has been a good year, companies are stuck with a lot of stuff, February will be even better.

I read about a few new Yum worms coming out different than the 3 mentioned which makes me wonder if they will be F2 but the Thump N Dinger and Swim N dinnger are 6" slender baits that sell for 10 pack-2.99. Swim n dinger has a blocky paddle tail with more kick 4 & 5 inch, same price which is really good and bait looks awesome. They also have the Kill Shot, Warning Shot, and Sharp Shooter which is another one that I am looking forward to trying since I like the big bite Squirell tail worms on shaky rigs and these are super thin worms with a tail the shape of a spear. The drop shot worms look good as well, a lot of vibration ridges and looks like they tried to create some new style baits that take proven winners and then add a new twist. All this info is in the new BASS Fishing Magazine 1015 buyers guide which is a must read if you like to look at the newest lures and baits, reels and rods, terminal tackle, line etc.. Some new baits I am also interested are the new GYB keithech style swimbaits with a heart shaped tail, and Riot baits has a cool looking new beaver bait, and some of the new terminal tackle and jig heads are pretty cool as well. As for lures, the Bill Lewis Echo I think it was called is a small square bill with the same sound as the rattle trap with a unique shape that look like it will be awesome for fihing over grass here in Florida when everyone is ripping traps.

I lost my last Megabait suspending Charlie swimbait a few weeks ago and figured I could just hop online and pick a few up in the smaller sizes, but I have only found the large Joe Bucher Musky Size on Ebay and the price was much higher than the $5 I paid for them a few years ago. I once saw a knock off or Maybe it was the Charlie with different trebles or components on a site where a company was selling about a dozen new lures where they had videos of each lure in a tank. They were selling all hardbaits extremely cheap and all the lures were clearly imports many of which are on Ebay all the time. It was an American Company who was trying to start a new brand of lures, so it was not Wl lure, but I can't find the website or remember the name and they had a replica for a few bucks that I would be happy to buy right now. I heard about the site from someone on this board. Any help would be appreciated. If Megabait is not making it anymore I would imagine another company would pick that bait up for their product line, but I am not aware of any other swimbaits on the market like the Charlie, Storm has a suspending soft swimbait but it is totally different. I would be willing to trade or buy any if anyone has some and not using them....Thanks.

I am looking forward to the Dinger version of the Swim Senko, it has a different profile than the GYB bait and a longer tail than the Senko and I think I read it is only going to be $3.99 a pack which sounds good especially if they are going to be buoyant. I guess the F2 scent is dead now along with the original LPT? I am a believer in the F2 so I better stock up on those spray bottles because I will be lost without my Megastrike mix. Cool baits, The Houdini shad is a great Fluke and I rarely hear anyone talk about it. I thought the tail idea with the 4 options to change action was a good idea and would take off but they never caught on for some reason. I guess the SK Caffiene Shad and Zoom Flukes have that Market, same as the mighty bug which I like, but it is alway's in a clearance bin somewhere but it is a killer bait when slow rolled right above the bottom. I can't afford the GYB swim Senko's anymore, plus I have never noticed a difference between a Senko or DInger, or Stick-o etc...All Salt infused, scent infused now a days.

The Walking Turd is a topwater presentation that very few people use these days......Original BIo bait made famous in the movie Caddy Shack.

I tend to throw the same colors in every place I fish even though I carry almost all of them, but usually I find I start with a Green Pumpkin Shade or something in black, and usually all the various Flakes work well, but I tend to use Translucents when water is clear and almost always go right to a watermelon or Salt and Pepper, but some days Metholinate or Saphire Blue seem to outshine them all. If I am fishing a pond that I know has alot of fish in it, I expect to get a strike within the first few minutes since I am casting to the best spots, so if I do not get bit after trying the natural colors I will usually dip the tail in some chartruese or go to something with flash or bright......Color matters when it matters, and when it does, you know it does, Red Shad is another color that can have it's days.

Jig Rig, Ima Skimmer, Timber Tiger (Finally tied one on after 10 years of sitting, I wish I would have tried them years ago but the colors are not the nicest, but they are a reliable crank for fishing shallow). Recently the River2Sea Wide Glide 120 Suspending and I just ordered 2 more S Waver's hoping they work better than the first 2 that I purchased. I also started using the Lunker City Original Sluggo's and glad I started to throw them again, I think the fish are worn out from Flukes and Senkos.... Power Team Food Chain Tubes were a pleasant surprise as well. I use the smaller size and fish it like a jerkbait most of the time and it is a good numbers bait for sure, I look forward to using it some more this year.

I use the Kalin's Sizmic shad and BPS Speed shad instead of the Keitech's now and I find that they are just as effective as the Keitechs and also more durable especially in the smaller 3.8" size, The larger 4.8" baits are completely different as the Kalin's is much fatter with a quick taper and gives off a ton of thump where the Speed shad is much slimmer and more of a finesse version but still has a nice aggressive swimming action. My only complaint is with the larger kalin's swimbaits as they seem to lose a few too many tails while fishing but they cast a mile and are a good bait for covering water and looking for larger fish. I find soaking them in scent increases strikes and hook up ratio, I use a mix of Megastrike with the Yum F2 or Powerbait and mix em all together. I have also been experimenting with the Pro-Cure UV gel and when the fish want something bright, they really seem to want something bright. When they don't, they won't go near it, and I have been surprised how well it can work in clear water at times. I was curious about the Bass Assassin version, I like a few of their baits especially the 4" Turbo shads for when you want something subtle or a trailer without too much bulk.

If the fish are not active or present, then you can be using any bait and not have luck. I love lipless cranks, and Jerkbaits, I have had days where it is almost to easy, then I go back to the same spot a few days later, and the same baits produce nothing, nor do any others, so it is impossible to ever say a certain lure or bait doesn't work. I have learned only 1 absolute in fishing, and that is, there are no absolutes, key is being willing to adapt on the water and try to understand why you are not catching fish......I use some baits and lures that get alot of odd looks form people, but I have confidence in them, and confidence matters, so if you don't like a certain worm, don't fish it, plenty to choose from, just because everyone loves a certain bait doesn't mean it will fit your fishing style or areas you fish..

Kmart is my secret spot for deals, I stop 1-2x a month, they just had stren braid in #65 for $3.44 a pack, and fluoro stren #6 and Vanish the new stuff for $2.44 in #10, #15, also culprits for 1.99, last month they had crystal braid for #3.50 a pack for #20, and Stren sonic #40 for nothing, it is a place where nobody shops, so they put Mepps, Rapala, and Jig heads on sale for super cheap, sometimes even yo-zuri for a few bucks...

The wide glide is 120mm so barley bigger than a 100mm Sammy, that is why I like it..Bomber makes the Herky Jerky and Herky Jerky Jr. which are glide baits form Musky, Rapala GLidin Rap, Megabait and Joe bucher, Reaction strike has some glides that are not that expensive, I have not had success with the s-waver which is 168mm, larger than the wide glide, I just fished it for first time last week and my buddy was visiting from NY and he is a big Striper, Musky, Pike guy so he had a ton of glides, and I like the Wide glide 120 which is smaller, and I love it. The floater and suspender are really good, problem is the smaller baits like the strike Pro motion buster and others, are tough to make glide, as you need weight and momentum, so I have been messing around with manipulating the Rapala Subwalks, Sebile ***, and I just moved the Herky Jerky Jr which is the size of an average bluegill, and Glidin rap which is size and color of big shiner and not expensive...They actually glide awesome, the S-waver is a weird bait, I must have gotten 2 bad ones, I can't get them to glide but from what I have been told and read, it is like any plastic lure that is mass produced, a 1/3 or 25% and up are never going to be right since they are mass produced out of plastic, that hinge and weighting is so important, I think the hinge is not right on the ones I have because it glides like crap, but I am sure will work if I slow roll it. Musky and Pike guys used to tell me they would catch smallmouth and largemouth all the time on the huge 8-10' glide baits and that is up north. I would think that if you are fishing a 6-10" swimbait, the big suick glides will be fantastic, new look, I like using big lures this time of year anyhow, especially on top, I actually read an article on how to balance soft baits to glide and you can get a mag trick worm or sluggo to glide a good 2' if balance right and it has been working but then again I am fishing in Bathtubs loaded with hungry pre-spawn bass that will hit almost anything, I sometimes forget how tough it is until I get back on the big boy lakes....For 9.99 the wide glide is awesome, River2sea website has a few tutorials on how to fish it for bass, both floater and suspending, I am ordering a few this week since I don't like the colors I have and they are the older one's with paint on outside, new ones have it inside and won't chip. Good deal, River2sea has some good stuff...Strike Pro I don't know, the videos make stuff look good.

I actually prefer the River2sea Wide Glide than the S-waver. Maybe the 2 s wavers I purchased were just not a good batch because they do not glide all that great, but the Wide Glide which I just used for the first time last week as my buddy came to visit and he is a big time musky and Pike guy from up North, and his box was full of Musky baits and most of them were some form of glide bait like suicks and I was drawn to the looks of the Wide Glide 120mm since it is not as huge and the bass are just starting to get really active here in Florida the last few weeks and I have used the wide glide floating and suspending 2 times since, 1x in a small pond where the fish were suspended in an area under some bushes and floating weeds in 12' of water, and 1x in a 25 acre private lake which is my favorite this time of year since the 2 spawning flats are right near a breakline that goes from maybe 2-4' to about 10' but kind of gradual and there is submerged vegetation growing all year but now it is thin and in most places you have a few feet to work so the glide baits are my new favorite lure to throw, I also must add, the Rapala Subwalk is more of a subsurface walking lure but it does a bit of a glide and the xr-7 is just the right size for long casts and gets crushed. At the end of the day, you can use a lot of softplastics for gliding, the Zoom Mag Trick worms glide really well, I like to add a nail in the back and use a light hook in the front, also some flukes glide well, any bait that has a flat bottom is good, but key is to get the balancing right at least that is what I am learning....The SK Caffiene shad glides nicely as well and is a heavy fluke so it can be manipulated like he sluggo, or or if you want a inexpensive but quality glide bait, the Rapala Gliding rap is the size of a good size bluegill and the Herky Jerky Jr. By bomber are glide baits designed for Musky and Stripers, but I just put them in my bass bag as they are the size of a decent bluegill and I would imagine will work every bit as good as any other glide bait, but Wide Glide 120-River2sea-9.99, internal paint, quality components, has a nice shimmy after the turn, takes some practice but you can work it rod down or up with the tip to get the gliding action, It is awesome when they miss it, I just keep it going and they often miss it 2-3x but almost always get it on the roll when paused and ready to make the next glide. Fun lure, I like River2sea stuff, just have not been happy with the s-waver but I read that they are like any other lure, maybe 25% are not going to ever run right since they are mass produced on assembly lines overseas like all other plastic baits. I am sure they will work for stripers fished as a swimbait though, they look awesome.

When I was in High school and college, I would go out fishing for an entire day and only bring a pack of gamakatsu hooks and some weighted keeper hooks, and a pack of Culprit 7.5" Ribbon tails in Tequila sunrise, and the Power worm 7" ribbon tail worm in black with chart tail....I never used any other worms for years other than ribbon tails, and 6" twister tails until the Sluggo came around. They will work anywhere anytime if fish are active and hitting a trick worm or senko in my opinion, I never would cast and reel the split shot ribbon, fished it like we do a senko today, let it sink, soak for 20 seconds, lift and drop 1 or 2x and then make another cast, 90% of fish hit on the first drop and right away, I always tried to avoid weight if possible, but I love Ribbon tails especially in Spring and when fish are active, or huge ribbons in summer or cold.

I guess it is a 65, it is a new topwater popper shaped like a chug bug, only it is just a great looking lure, now that I think about it alot of lures can do the same thing but none have that detail for $9.99, I think it will be good, new look for fish and I love using loud splashes and creating noise with baits to get attention...Bombing a 7" senko on a jighead and then ripping it back is one of my favorite techniques to use when I want a good fish, or know fish are in the area but need to get one fired up, some days it does nothing, some days it will get smashed better than any walking lure you could use, after all a senko is a jerkbait. The Sluggo works good as well, best is the AT worm for walking, Sebile is a great lure desinger, anyone not throwing sebile lures is missing out, some I don't like but he has about 6-7 baits like no others, and most guys think saltwater...You can find them on ebay for silly cheap, 5 flatt shads for $20, Slim sticks for $7 free shipping, Magic swimmers are still high in the $15 range, but stick shads here in tampa are going for $3.99 at a local shop....That is a great lure, glitter effect is legit in my mind.

I was kind of joking, but I had a boater tell me 2 rods, one bag (which is fair) but I usually bring 4 as co-angler, 5 with a buddy, but I think 3 is all I wanted to do that day anyhow. I asked if we were flipping all day since I didnt want to get stuck with a broomstick throwing a plastic worm all day, and a medium action spinning rod for topwaters and jerkbaits is a must for me and even shallow cranking as I have more control especially when it gets windy, and I always figure I may need to tie on a 3" grub or tube and finesse em or start throwing a beetle spin, but a Medium Heavy Baitcasting rod, and spinning rod is actually good because you are not temped to change rods and lures more than you should, I have to really focus on staying at the task at hand, I always want to try something I have never done before in tournaments for some reason, I think because I shop before I go, and always grab the newest stuff, now I stick to the basics and I really only fish 3-4 baits or lures..... Being a co-angler helps you get better super fast, same as a club, you realize how everyone has odd things they do but I have always had good people who helped me out if I was struggling, so as long as you dont step on seats with muddy boots all usually starts off well.

Thanks, you gave me something to do while I am stuck at home for the next few hours, I am anxious to see how they come out, I would have never thought to try the Husky Jerk, good call. Thanks again for passing on some of the extensive knowledge you have stored away.

I just want everyone to be prepared for the day they are a co-angler and you draw the dreaded "you can only bring 2 lures on my boat" Partner, and and when it happens, you only get 30 seconds to pick them out as well. I know guys get tired of the 1 lure threads, so I figured I would throw a curve ball, we should do one on if you could only bring one size weight as well, what would you choose? I say 5/16.

Thanks Tom, Where do you put the suspend dots on the husky rap to get it to glide? How many if you don't mind me asking...I will dress up the rear trebles on a few husky Jerks today...