primetime

I load floating jerkbaits with silicone to make them more buoyant, add silicone to my line, to soft baits, add water to Red Fins for Windy days so they won't roll, cast easy, and have that dead action i want....I modify everything....I always think about what worked for me as a kid growing up fishing for Stripers in saltwater, walleye, salmon, Trout, and Musky/Pike....I apply alot of what I learned fishing for other gamefish to bass Fishing and adding Flash to soft baits is something I have been doing forever, way before the MJ rig, although I would just hang a willow blade now called an underspin to an ewg hook, or add a prop in front of a senko to fish it as a topwater, bend it into a U shape like the OSP bent minnow and fish it on top.... If you like to modify baits, get some D.O.A. chug Heads which you slide over any soft bait and it has eyes, a rutter to make it glide in the water, and you can bring your soft bait up as a popper any time you want...One of the best inventions ever, not sure why freshwater guys are not aware of these...i fish a swim senko or any cigar shaped bait, 6" grub, 10 ribbon tail, swimbait, you would be amazed how well it works some days...most of us cast a worm near cover, let it sink, shake, shake and lift, and then reel it in for another cast...Now you can do the same, only chug it back to the boat.....you may find that a topwater bite is on, or maybe an aggressive bunch of fish suspending as you reel fast to get it to the surface....some days it has really paid off when I would have never figured the fish would want a fast moving bait on the surface, or 1' below moving quickly. Then you can switch to a better lure or larger lure to pick of bigger fish, many times I end up throwing the big chug bug or chuggin spook on a day I would never think to throw it, and all because I had that little accessory on my presentation.

I just stay away from stores this time of year, I get nervous whenever I drive past a large outdoor retailer and I just keep picturing a large tub full of topwater lures that I have never seen like all the Japanese stuff as I love buying a walking bait from a Japanese company other than Lucky Craft(I have a few Sammy's, Gunfish, props) but I love the looks of the stuff from IMA, Evergreen, Megabass, Duo, Depps, Daiwa, Owner, you get the picture.... I am a sucker for any bogo sale, and right now stay away from the big boys, tubs full of all the Rapala Cranks you want, Xcalibur, Norman and Storm.....I actually stopped by one the other day just to get some Milk, and while taking the long route to the dairy section, I found a box of Tungsten weights, and alot of them, so I had to grab a handful, and some braid that I don't need at all......I started looking at reels and rods which were a great deal, but you can only fish with so many.........I may have to go back to grab that 5'6" for kayak and pond fishing though

Watch out for guys selling "Display Models" or "Off a Combo" or anything without original box if it is "New" and the price is much lower than a new reel would be..... I know there are sellers who will sell reconditioned items as new, and one seller always has "display models" for sale, and all are same brand, so obviously he is just selling factory repaired reels that were once defective......I am not against reconditioned reels, but I want to know if they are since they come with a warranty from the company so make sure if paying for any reel online claiming to only be 2-3 months old or display model that you get a reciept or something in writing stating how long the reel is warrantied for.... I can say that I have seen some deals at various places that are insane on reels from Lew's, Daiwa, Quantum, and Okuma has some sweet deals right now, and I have had luck with Okuma and customer service is fantastic. Also if online, look at feedback, if person has 1000 sales and all positive, then you should be good.

I purchased some custom Jigs from a Member of this forum and I don't want to "advertise", but I will say this....Spend the extra money and buy quality, and I am referring to the chatterbaits when you say swim jig. I rarely throw a jig for anything but flipping, but I use a bladed jig all the time, day and night, and I have become a huge fan of the bladed swim jigs....Swim em over submerged weeds, fish like a flutter spoon, slow roll, they have replaced spinnerbaits and cranks in alot of situations, and are dynamite in satwater as well.You can fish them anywhere and also to your own style as they can go through some rough stuff, and can also be burned near the surface, or great for rigging your favorite swimbait or beaver/creature. I have not tried the new Rage Blade jigs or new "Chatterbaits" from Zman yet as they are now offering models in the $6.99 range and I would guess they are more durable than the older versions as all the booyah, Poison jigs, and zman jigs were 1-2 fish and destroyed, while the jig that is now one of the best selling swim jigs at tackle warehouse will not only catch you more fish, it will hold up and last much longer, and I have not had any destroyed by fish, I have only lost them from fish wrapping me around cover...... One of the things I love about these custom jigs are the design, they have a bend in the blade for more thump and vibration, awesome colors, and big stout top quality hooks that will hold up to a big 40" Snook or 7lb Largemouth no problem.... It takes a while to learn how to fish these with success and you have to be willing to put in the time, read articles, watch some videos on you tube, but I knew they were the real deal when I started throwing one on a regular basis, and some days I would see 2-3 fish racing for the jig from 20 feet away as I burned it on the surface......If you fish them over cover, I have found that my favorite techique is to burn em fast on the surface, and then slow down or pause a few seconds, change direction, or just kill it and let it sink....Strikes are sometimes hard, and sometimes it feels like a spinnerbait and if using braid, you will know a strike is coming as your jig will stop vibrating so wait until the rod loads, or you will set the hook early which I have done many times. As for trailers, just pick one that fits your style, bulky for topwater, and I even go with a 4" floating worm when probing bottom or letting it sit...Hope that helps.

a Floating stickbait is a topwater bait and a subsurface/Jerkbait or crankbait all in one.....I will always start with a floating minnow style bait to see how aggressive the fish are and if they want it on the surface, a few feet or inches below, and if they want it erratic or just with a steady roll.... I then decide based on conditions, strikes, how fish have been caught (barely hooked on last treble or crushing the bait) what to throw as it heats up and how to fish it... In Florida, eveyone throws frogs over grass, flips, or for topwater, it is a hollow belly all the time, but alot of guys do well with the Topwater bite and throw large floating jerkbaits...Rapala, bagley's, bomber, Red Fins, or Storm twitchin stick are all good options, and so is a Sebile flatt Shad for fishing surface with a lipless crank as it suspends on a dime and can be fished in areas you would never think of throwing a lipless crank with success.... rattling rogues get the call for dirty water, Bomber long A for windy days, and the Red fin for days when a steady retrieve is key, or waking...If not committing an just smacking the lure, then time for a wake bait like the Bandit footloose, Manns, or any lure that will float and stay steady and is small... if fish are active, go Subsurface, and swim or work the jerkbait erractic, and some lures do it all......sebile stick Shad sinks, Rapala Xrap Subwalk, but my new favorite topwater hands down, and I thought my box of spooks, and Sammy walking baits was complete.....IMA Skimmer, and of course the Gun Fish.....Topwater is great all day if you match the presantation to what the fish are feeding on and what they want....easier said than done, but for covering water, take out a Bomber Long A or rapala F-9 if you like smaller baits and figure out what is best, you may end up swimming it all day with a stop and go retrieve 2-3' down, or letting it drift and barley moving it...Sometimes the bite never stops, or starts, but worms will never let you down.....

I still will take a Berkley Power Worm in 7.5" or 10" in black with blue flake or watermelon red flake....any summer day with blue skies I love a BLue Saphire or Cotton Candy color and Culprit, Charlies, and the BPS Triple Ripple tails are all good options and if not sure what color to use.....Black or Grape and go with as light a weight as possible. I also find that swimming is not the best method for me, although I like to split shot a ribbon tail and use the lift and drop approach similar to fishing a senko.... If I want a swimming worm, I either throw a zoom speed worm, or a swimbait like the gambler big ez, kalins sizmic shad, or anything that matches the size of the forrage and in same color...Carry Greens in summer, and worms with alot of silver and gold flake....

ok thanks guys, I have the rig pictured above by owner and I have been searching for some new terminal tackle to mix it up a bit in heavy cover. I love throwing the free swinging jigs and started Power shotting after reading an article on this site.....It has been working well at times but I still have alot to learn and I still go to a punch weight and beaver pegged when it matters most.... I love the Rage rig for texas rigging everything and always have, and this Rig looks like it could be awesome for punching mats, dragging, swimming etc.. Tried it again today with a swimming worm without much luck after using creatures the last few times...So far I have had the best luck rigging the larger hook with a rodent or mighy craw and just ticking the bottom or grass...I need to try this with a lizard, I forget about them and go right to the creature baits like brush hogs.... I was thinking about using this as the weight on a power shot using heavy line- 20lb trilene xt or big game,or 20 hybrid, and have been using a Jig as base with a chunk trailer, and for drop shot bait I have been getting bit on any small soft bait in green, but the Ika tube by yamamoto is a great bait as is the kvd 4" finesse worms with the cupped tail.....So many rigs, I order from tackle warehouse and every time I end up spending an extra 20% on lure modifcations and accessories...

I just purchaed a few packs of these as I have become a fan of the swinging football jig, and this looked like a cool alternative to either dropshot or for punching mats, maybe even dragging or swimming a worm or any soft bait for that matter. I was wondering if anyone ever uses this rig to replace a carolina or texas rig? what are best baits to throw on this rig and also best way to fish it. also some good soft baits, is it a finesse rig, or can you go with larger style baits like say a brush hog style bait. I love the concept and how they look, so I am hoping they end up working well. Any advise or experiences would be appreciated as I can't wait to try this and I grabbed some light and heavier weights.

Sluggos and Flukes weightless are great with either a light weight or jighead offshore when fishing hydrilla etc... I like to start the day with a floating Jerkbait and see if they want an agressive presentaion or something floating on the surface. If I find they are hitting it while giving it a good pull and pause maybe 2' deep,I will switch to an Xrap 9 subsurface walking lure or simply swim a Red fin or Gambler Ez swimmer. I love to experiment and I have also noticed a ton of traffic on the local lakes and each lake seems to have 3 tournaments on them every weekend, so I look for a flat or cove or any area that looks like a place I would retreat if I were a bass and spooked from all the traffic.. I will drift and use a fast retrieve with a Fluke or Senko, and i often find Upsizing a better option, as everyone reads to "Downsize" on pressured lakes. I am convinced Bass will strike a new color or presentation, so I will fish a 7" Senko or large sluggo fast on the surface and kill it to let it fall.. Also, Smaller Spinnerbaits,Inline Spinerbaits, Chatterbaits fished in a rip fall method, or silent lipless crank to cover water...Also, rig a 4-5" senko on a 1/2 oz. Johnsons silver minnow and fish it with a stop and go retrieve and most strikes are viscious as the flash effect in lakes with shad and bass that school can be amazing. Everyone throws frogs over topped out weeds, and I think Yum was onto something with their soft zara spook, only it was to thick to get a good hookset and too short imo....Try a heavy 7" Senko and work it in a walk the dog motion and you will be surprised how many fish will not only strike it from long distances, but also not miss and hold it for easier hook sets......Adding alot of scent helps big time and I am convinced of that after trying it now at least half dozen times and it also allows your bait to slither through grass pockets easier, and leaves a trail for your hardbais for fish to follow... Also, try anchoring in one place you know is holding fish but they are inactive. cast a heavy carolina rig to stir up the bottom and after 15 minutes wait about 10 minutes for all to settle...you will start to notice the shad or shiners etc.coming to you, and next thing you know the bass may start scooling near your boat.....kind of like chumming

Tarpon are a different animal than a big Striper but overall, I use a 4000 spinning reel with 30lb braid, 6lb dia, and I also use a round baitcaster with 65lb braid and that is for when big fish are in the area and I need stopping power to avoid getting spooled or wrapped around cover. If windy, 20lb yo-zuri hybrid is over 30lb breaking strengh, good around abrasions, and can handle most. Trilene big game is also a great line and good for all purpose line, but if just having fun, I go with 15-20lb braid and maybe heavy leader.

Kalin's sizmic soft baits are awesome. i have some sizmic grubs and it is like the Cut'r worm on steroids, and compact, so I have been fishing it on a light jighead as well, but have not had a chance to use them as much as I want, cause the sizmic shad swimbait never comes off my rod, nor do the kalins lunker grubs in summer. I want to get those grubs on the surface with that tail swinging and wacking water...working on rigging it behind a top prop, or on a floating bullet weight, but a friend who told me about them kills fish simply swimming them or dragging on a texas rig fishing offshore hydrilla on light weight 1/16-1/8 and also on a drop shot dragged faster than usual to get that crazy tail going... The sizmic grub will be a winner in the long run, right now strike king is hot, but I think kalins is going to get super hot with their new baits, same with Power Team soft baits, they are well designed and creative with colors and all baits have unique actions different than others and are original shapes and designs, not modifications of other baits that are proven. just my opinion....however, any bait from any company works well if fished right, brand really does not matter and if you look at any popular bait....you can see where the idea came from, then the change is small..... i like strike king baits, rage Craws, cut'r worms, Eeliminator, and ocho are awesome, but I also like baits from every company, unfortunatley you can only fish a few, and I am a huge Kalins fan and always have been as their Lunker Grubs are killer, so I give any Kalin's bait a try if it looks cool, and what looks better than the Sizmic grub if you like the Cut'r worm or swim senko, or fish an Mj rig????

vegatable oil to help worms slide through grass when flipping or pitching....soak all soft baits in a tub of berkely gulp and if you buy a tub on sale for about $10-12 It doesnt matter if it is saltwater gulp or freshwater...I don't believe they change scent, that is any company who markets fresh or saltwater scented baits....I love pro cure if I want some Glow which I always thought was a scam to catch fiherman, although I knew it was good for saltwater fishing. I have discovered a Pro cure gel in menhaden and shrimp (only 2 that were left from sale) often will cause fish that are inactive to start striking, and it is the glowing effect it has since i use alot of scent and nothing beats the powerbait/gulp/trigger x in my opinion.. I would use Megastrike if I found it on sale as I have never seen a study or noticed a certain brand better than another or more importantly been on the boat fishing with someone who was killing them and the scent was the differrence. I started using more scent after getting crushed by a fishing buddy on out first trip a few months ago and he dipped his topwater, crank, worm, but also stuffed cottom with scent in tubes, and also added feather trailers to jerkbaits so he could get more scent..I thought it was a waste of time, but became sold when my un scented traps were getting a few strikes, but his soaked and pasted traps were bringing fish to the boat, and they were hitting his lures, so now I created the Gulp tub with big Flukes, left a few, added in some senkos and grubs, beavers etc, soak them all week, and dip them after every few casts and I am convinced it works better than using any lure without scent....

I use 3 way for teasers in front of Floating Jerkbaits and dropshots like in picture..I add some sort of small float to nose of bait alot if using larger plastic, and if using heavy line I use a Jig or Football Jighead with a yum mighty craw or Rage Craw on bottom while I drag or lift and drop... good for power shotting.......use 1 ounce jig, shorter leader, and small 3" Reaper, works great

gWhen I was in college upstate NY, I was lucky to have some friends who were Salmon, Trout, and Walleye guides, or simply lived on a Lake or river that usually was full of smallmouth, Largemouth, but the fish that taught me the most about Bass Fishing and Snook fishing in Saltwater were Walleye Fishing. I am also fortunate to have had alot of time growing up to surfacast for Stripers using plugs and bucktails etc.. When it comes to Bass Fishing, We all like to Modify rigs, try new techniques and ways to catch Bass in pressured lakes or areas that see the same presentaions all the time. I took alot of Science classes and I always did experiments for projects and lab testing that were related to fishing. I have read dozens of books on studies regarding Bass and all gamefish in regards to color, size, habits, and vibration, sound, depth, and also line visibility and lb test.. To keep this short, I can say that using the Roller Rig as we would call it or using the Harness rig for Walleye has translated into some of my favorite bass fishing techniques...Here are some tips that I have found to work the majority of the time when other traditional methods are not. - Fish the Lightest line possible and the camo colored lines actually work best regardless of clarity in my experience. Scent and more scent is super important especially fishing fast, as the scent trail causes more fish to follow your presentation...It is considered fact in the Walleye world that for every fish caught another half dozen were following it the majority of the time, and what triggers strikes is either a change in direction, speed, deadsticking, or pumpking the swimming worm, or spinning worm...other reason was when another walleye or predator comes to check out the rig and then that fish will strike out of instinct. I practice rigs and techniques in local ponds where I know Fish are all over so I am certain that if I am not getting strikes, it is my presentation. I have used walleye Pill floats, slip floats, teasers, and rigs to modify Bass Rigs and it works. I also use so much scent lately if not using gulp or trigger x, and also have found the UV glow scent is great on fast moving baits at times.....Here is one of my favs, and it gets you some strange looks, but works alot more than it will not...Take a large worm, 7" senko or big sluggo, rig it on a large Tru Turn Hook with the bend, and allow your worm to give off the "S" wake that a shiner gives off when they school, or one is strolling around the surface....Add Pro-cure uv gel and use a worm with flash or lots of flake, and cast it far and high so splash down is loud, and here is where the stupid part comes in but also where you may get your rod ripped out of your hands...Start reeling fast before it hits down, as the splash and speed of worm will cause Bass to investigate by nature, follow and if you work it aggressive like a Spook, kill it after 10 feet and let the senko do its thing on the fall...if nothing strikes, bring it up to surface fast, swim it and again work it side to side with hard jerks and make sure it is flashing, then skip it out of the water before letting it fall...Basically work it like a maniac or someone you would think is just messing around..... I have cast a sammy, spook, and ima skimmer for half hour in one spot and nothing would take em....I use a worm on top and swim it as a walker or subsuface walker, and simply by the loud spash, skipping, or deadstick, change of direction, I have had 3-4 good fish in a row in the same water...Not sure if it aggitates them, looks different, but strikes are violent.....Add a D.o.A chug head and the senko swims with a nice natural action, and you can then pop it and if you need it to ride high, floating worm weight with a punch skirt helps, adding a willow blade or MJ rig on tail, or simpy add pill float in a color that looks like a small baitfish in front.....It works great over weeds that are topped out on surface, Frogs are good, but the Senko wacks water like the Ima skimmer only its weedless and they take it and hold on....It also falls through weeds so you can swim it deep as well and just add a large shot or on swinging football head.... If you ever caught fish on the Creme Midget crawler as a kid, think about how you worked that lure and it was and still is a good bait. proprs for vibration, it rolls and spins wih props, and is long and straight, but has a bend in it.....Trolling a tube that is almost a full circle tipped with a worm is deadly on stripers or grouper, Revolve with Walleye, and guys swim tubes for salmon and add flash inside...Don't skip articles about Salmon, or any predator....If it catches Walleye, it will catch Bass often better as it looks new....I know that was alot but everyone has this "no weight or nail wieghted senko only"..but how many times have you had strikes reeling in your wacky rig to make another cast? OSP Bent Minnow Anyone?

I would simply get some speed shad and sizmic shad in 4" and the Kalins 4.8" is much more tapered than the speed shad 4.8" and has a much wider roll and swings wide, and can be tough to rig unless using huge hook, take time to balance it as it does not have a hook slot, and it is awesome since it fishes big as a slow rolled wake bait, crawled along the bottom, or for alot of bulk and wobble to a swim jig.....speed shad is much more streamlined and has 2 slots which help as baits are hard, tails come of easily but ribs are great since they hide hook points and you get solid hooksets and can fish them anywhere....Smaller hook = better action in my mind, less hardware,and the speed shad also seems to swim true and penetrates weeds easily, can be fished at more speeds and is like comparing a Flat crankbait to a wide model and they are necessary as trailers and versitle. Other good ones I use and I know there are more....Skinny dipper, Assassin Turbo Shad and Die dapper, Grass Pig, Ez Swimmer and bass pro swim sally and of course mr twister sassy shads and berkley ripple shad/Rib shad.... Colors....besides Pearl,white ice, and Green pumpkin, bluegill shades, I usually match to forrage or water color, time of day and if you have one translucent like say smoke with blue and silver flake, ayu, green pumpkin, pearl or white ice, firetiger pattern, blue shad....somethin in baby bass.....I used to fish alot of Crappie and Firetiger, baby bass, and natural smoke and browns, blacks up north and favorite color swimbaits are always a bluegill or sunfish pattern, Shad, or Ayu/Smoke type color..... I would pick a few bright colors like a limetruese or FIretiger, smoke and green pumpkin shades and some greens....Houdini is a good color as well as tenn shad and then so is some green pumpkin gold.... Hope that helps....Then have fun rigging on what hook, jig head, modify them with jigs that have blades, add belly weights, nail weights, ratttles.....I am still a novice with swimbaits and they are not easy to fish like a fluke at least for me, but I need to throw the power team swing hammer baits more as I have heard they are dynamite, seen the evidence, tried them at the wrong times, and I have never read a bad review on them on Tackle warehouse and that is rare for any bait or lure.....I love floating baits and thin and large, so I need to get that going in the arsenal and from what I hear it is easy to fish and rigging also easy..Also have a great tube, Large Worm, and some creature craw a friend keeps telling me to get and toss it on a football jig so I need to find some new baits myself....have the Monkey on my back now and bad time of year for that.

bomber Long A..Favorite Florida shallow floating jerkbait in 15a and 14a and I often add a tail feather and change out trebles for 2 x3 silver short one size larger and shorter rings, and use a spro snap instead of ring...Also sand sides a bit and also load a few for windy days and weeds growing up to the surface so it only dives maybe 4" but still does the deadly Bombe Roll, and I add some silicone for bouancy, and use a single hook on back dressed with flash and maribou and 90% of strikes come after the 2nd twitch, when the bait is rolling for 4-5 seconds and I just tap the line for movement...Big Fish hit hardbaits postspawn and if you get the cadence down, you can have a great day. In spring, Gold Prism, Gold tiger, and gold orange is popular as long as the bottom has some yellow, sides have some silver or gold flake, but I like the gold orange and the Royal purple, or the older chartruese orange flash....I like a tail teaser in a bluegill pattern, gold/brown and amber, or red/blk... n I always throw on 6' med action baitcaster with 40-50lb braid for buoyancy and I color last 6 feet of line to match water and more importantly, I paint the top bright uv pink so I can see it after it is working a mile away in waves, as you need to steer it to avoid snags, see swirls, and also see if a fish is under it due to increeased wake..If I get fish slapping it early, only getting last treble, I usually will add some chart or switch to the silver prism blue, clown, baby bass and I literally have a box of all long a'sa & the smaller 14a is often ok, the 13 is sometimes good as well but needs to be heavy so it wont roll if fish are feeding on fry...Little jerkbaits are always in chart shad, firetiger, shad patterns, baby bass, perch, or purple.....red under chin, and practice in the pool to get the feel for 2-3 of them as you get to the point when you can feel a strike coming after a few hours of nothing just by seeing the red top rise faster and wake more and then the blow up is usualy a good fish and in Fl usually 4-7lbs 2-3 times a day if lucky and plenty of good fish as well. If the Bomber is not erratic enough as I modify them to kill action at times, tail weight to do turns, and literally control it like my rod is a remote control, but I am not the best and not close compared to guys who showed me this technique... Nothing beats a Red Fin in blue silver or Firetiger for slow rolling, swimming, or using the pull and pause....Bang o Lure good in clear water and quiet as is the Rapala F-9-11 j-11, and old xcaliber ghost minnow is slim and great for a spinning reel......If I could pick a few more, I always have foating rattling rogues for sound, old chart and gold Rebels and silver black for vibrations and I add bb's or one bb in a few lures that are quiet..The long a makes noise, and its the roll and rise of the bomber that works...If they are getting all trebles then you found the color, size, cadence, and it is going to be a good day most likely... If I had more money, I would throw the Ima Flirt 120, and Flash minnow as well as the crystal minnow and 3d is great when fish are active or stained water.....don't sleep on the matzuo jerkbaits or even the Storm thunderstick.... I believe the key is knowing how to get your bait to turn, and also see from far away and get them heavy and less likely to snag....Tail feathers increase buoyancy, sanding, silicone, braid or silicone coating on snap and line, or heavy mono....Jerkbaits are my thing and I feel I could fish the same 4-5 patterns and 2 sizes all year in floaters, suspending, and slow fall all year and if a fish misses I actually follow up with a small bandit footloose before going to a Trick worm or Lil Dipper. good luck.....If you find that you like any of the Japanese brands that are not so expensive at times let me know as I am dying to try the Duo, Deps, Evergreen, Imakatsu and the Daiwa is ok but seems to be stiff and just not rise right.

I have had 2 fish swallow and get tangled by inhaling the carolina clicker in Ny years ago carolina rigging with loud beads and weights with long leader and had 2 fish in month time inhale and get to boat unhooked and took bead and bullet weight, swivel... I often put a bead in between the pegged sinker which is 4" up and that is for contrast, sound, and also for feel and I find a silver or gold bead under a bullet weight sometimes is all sound I need, better than a rattle....

Have fun and catch fish anywhere. 1- senko 5" green pumpkin, junebug, black....grab some trick worms in 4" and large size, baby bass, green pumpkin gold, purple chart....and some 7.5 and 10" power worms in black and blue and motor oil...then grab a pack of white, chart and smoke grubs in 4" size curly tail....worm hook assortment ewg size 2 to 5/0 2- Spinnerbaits- Grab some Booyah, strikeking Real gill, white, chart, and few tandem, colorodo and grab 4-5 in 1/8, 1/4,3/8 and then pick up a buzzbait in black and a small one in white. 3- Now you need to have a floating minnow or jerkbait like a rapala jointed J-11 balsa, Long A, Rapala J-9 or any 3-4.5" hardbaits that float and cast far double as cranks, jerkbaits, topwaters and bomber, storm, cordell, Rapala, Sebile action first, Strike King have some good ones.... 4- grab some split shots, but also grab a rattle trap or 2, and then don't forget the Rebel pop'r and heddon torpedo any topwater on sale, one prop, one popper, and make sure you have the right hooks, terminal tackle and line....most important, and also get an inline spinner like a Mepps Aglia 1 size as a confidence bait if times are tough or some beetle spins as they will always get a bite going for confidence even if small fish, crappie, perch, or big bass, never know, but do not fear large lures as I know the spinnerbaits look big to new guys, they always think rooster tail size.....Zara spook, skitter walk 9-11 are good sizes topwater, 2,5-5" lures are good, worms up to 10 good, and read articles on this site to learn.....most important and enter tournaments to fish with guys who will teach you a ton...good luck.

I actually paid $22 for an Ima Flit floating jerkbait once the same day I purchased a Flash Minnow as they were supposed to be Ready to fish and only dive 6"=1' with short trebles etc...I love fishing over submerged weeds with floating jerkbaits and I always test my lures in a pond near my house after modifying etc... I still can see the Ima FLit in this awesome looking translucent color glowing and glistening across the pond in an area impossible to get to....That one hurt and I never would have attemped a cast across a pond with a lure like that but I had my new ballistic and I heard and saw a huge Bass Busting on some Shiners, and she was one of the fish over 7lbs, so I figured I had one cast or she was back hiding under 30 feet of cover......Loosened spool, put on long cast, made sure my backhand swing was safe from snags, and man does that Ima Flit cast like a champ.....landed a good 20 feet above the water and shore up in a tree. Those "Loaded Bearings" are actually for real and I was able to get a Red Fin in the same area after losing the lure, and worst of all, I ended up losing my favorite go to lure...Bomber Long a Gold Prism orange, all paint was gone, but that lure just had the it factor and flat out got bit... Come to think of it...If I was in a tournament in Ct, I am fishing topwater or subsurface with a Bomber Long A in 15A size baby bass, chart or silver, firetiger, or the Chartruse silver and if day is bright and not windy, water is clear, fish the smaller 14a size in lighter color silver, or just go natural colors or anything with orange belly...let it spend alot of the day drifting on top and gently diving a few inches each twitch as I bet a few giants crush it while it is sitting while barely moving it.... If not a bomber, go with the Bableys Bang O lure, Yo-zuri crystal minnow if need some wild action, but if stained I throw the red fin all day and wake it and use big 7" or go to medium size if slapping it or missing...Bass are sick of seeing the same lures and I am convinced that a long a, red fin, xcalibuer ghost minnow, Rapala J11-13, Storm Twitch stick and bang o lures are the best all year except when you want the suspenders like rogue, spoonbills etc. I also love the spook one knocker in wind, and yo-zuri prism walkingn lure if clear water, or sebile stick shad or team daiwa DC minnow....Hope that helps, all great lures I would neve leave home with. I actually have over 100 bombers in a box and that is just the floaters, and counting floating rogues, rapala, rebel etc..I carry 75% floating jerkbaits in summer and fall, and then jigs, chatterbaits, and plastics......and suspending sebile flatt shad which runs over Florida Toho Weeds like a champ.

I would hate having to pick one, or 20, but all around, can do anything with this soft bait-flip-c-rig-dropshot-power shot, weightless...we all get it...I think I would cheat as I would hate not having some black Trick worms in my pocket or 6" black senkos with me, but overall, I would have to go...... Yum Houdini Shad 5" Fluke in Smoke with purple/Red flake and I could then modify the tail to have a full paddle tail swimming fluke, swim worm as it is thin, could buzz it on surface, cut hole in tail to cause it to fall like a tube so good for flipping, could then also fork the tail and use it like the zoom flukes as finesse or anything..... I can flip this under a 1 ounce sinker and its not hanging up, carolina rig it, wacky rig it and even though I reach for a zoom swimming fluke first, or forked tail I would go houdini shad.... or Sluggo 6" Motor Oil Green, kind of same deal.....I would hide some small squrimin worms with me, ribbon tails, and some 5" grubs, and while cheating may as well grab some beavers, and then grab some Rage Tail stuff and just dump lobsters, eels, rodents, recons, cutr, ochos, and dream shots, and antything else that smells like starbucks. does Coffee really help or is that just to create curiousity so fish pick it up kind of like Garlic and Anise....I think they like it and they actually swallow the swimbaits and grubs.

10" Ribbon Tail worm-Power worm,curlprit, or Bass Pro Triple Ripple Ribbon Tail as it gives the fish a new look..I have a million colors but I throw. Black, black and blue, Motor Oil, Green Pumpkin, watermelons, blue saphire, and green chartruese I believe called green pumpkin pearl or chart.... I like a 10 worm, and I like to rig it with a EWG twist Lock in either 3/0-4/0 or will use a VMC EWG hook and I try to get away with smallest hook possible, light weight if possible but almost always grab a 3/8oz, peg it, and go to work.. If that is not working, I will always throw a 6" Dinger or Sluggo in any color, I really could care less about color but I always start out with something dark and then work towards greens, browns,and then flash.....Also depends on what others are catching, but a Zoom Magnum Trick worm in Junebug or Black with a small split shot 12" above a 1/0 Owner EWG worm hook is a winner always.

I recently decided to do some fishing after a stressful week, and I met my buddy at a local lake on a weekday so we had it to our selves and this is a good sized lake in the Tampa Florida area that does not get alot of press, tournaments etc. but is known for holding large fish but also has a .8 per hour average according to FWC so it can be tough fishing but some days can be dynamite if the Bass are feeding on the Edges of the Offshore Hydrilla, or crusing the flats and breaks..... One of my favorite ways to almost always catch 1-2 fish is to make a few casts at the marina or boat launch right down the middle with a beaver, craw, of really any soft plastic on a texas rig or weightless...I was shown this trick years ago and it makes sense....Evertime a boat launches they blow a creek bed at the ramp from the outboard kicking up sand, and not only does that give Bass a spot to hide and ambush prey, but if you cast right after someone launches, you can usually get a quick strike or two as the outboard stirs up the bottom and gets the baitfish-Grass shrimp-Shiners-Panfish, crawfish all stired up so the sound of an outboard is usually a dinner bell and I find my favorite bait is a soft craw like the Yum Mighty Craw, Critter craw, or 4-6" finesse worm, or really any plastic that you can work slowly right in and along the creek bed... Long story short, but I had been telling my buddy this trick and he flat out said-" Yea but that is small ball, I could care less about catching a few 1-2lb fish at the ramp, If I am on the water, I want a true shot at a double digit fish or at least something over 5lbs and I doubt you catch many fish over 12-16" working the ramp.....I could not argue as usually the Bass you will catch are going to be on the smaller size but I have caught plenty of 17-21" fish doing this over the years and several fish in the 5lb range so I will take it... As we are idling and getting ready to head out, the ramp of this lake is awesome lookig as it is surrounded by long reeds that line both shorelines as you go out and the water is farily deep 5-8' and does have some potential and this lake is probably the best chance of landing an 8lb Bass with the exception of Lake Tarpon in Pinellas county in my opinion, and possibly something truly huge over 10-12 as it receives little pressure, lots of bait, all the cover and dropoffs you could want, and you can throw a litttle George in 35 foot of water if you choose.... Put it this way, always make a cast when you have the urge, and if you think about changing baits as you still have a Large 6" Sassy Shad in Pearl on your Round Baitcasting reel with a 1/2 ouce Jighead from Snook fishing a few days earlier, make that cast and just see what happens.....I literally Cast this huge and heavy sassy shad a mile, had it rigged weedless on it's side with a large 5/0 bass assassin Jig head in red, and I simply cast it a good 2-3 feet into the grass and started to slow roll it.....Bam....8.4lb Bass and we were within 500 yards of the boat launch, and this fish inhales this bait and almost ripped the rod out of my hands....Glad I was rigged for large Snook with 65lb braid, Okuma Cedros, and EVX XH swimbait rod that I ended up using to catch another 7 fish in about 4 hours, several in the 3-4lb range, and the ticket was a pearl or white Ice 4.8" Speed shad or Sizmic shad, I can't tell the difference only the fish big and are awesome swimbaits....Just rig with a bullet weight, weighted swimbait hook, or jighead and fish it like a spinnerbait or fluke, the vibrations are amazing and hits are violent....Anyway, If you have a shrimp soft bait rigged and are thinking about casting it, or maybe another "Saltwater lure" like a Mirrodyne, take some time to throw it for a bit as I have had days where the Exude Fan Tail Shrimp have saved the day in the last few years and I found that bait for Bass by accident. Look it up...Havoc copied it with the Slop craw in my opinion as it barely has any appendages, looks more like a crawfish, comes in cool colors, and has a huge cavity in the mouth for a large rattle, and that rattle in a clear or chartruese bait often is the ticket for flipping or summer days.... sorry for the Ramble..Still excited..

Whenever I have extra money and "Need To spend it" on fishing tackle, I look for sales but most importantly, I look to find items that I will need for sure, but are not "Fun" items to buy... For instance....Line Conditioner, Reel Oil and Grease, Line, Swivels,Hooks, Weights, bobber stops etc..... Lately for me, I have been making an effort to sharpen hooks, change out trebles, and find some New hooks and rigs I will like for Summer heavy stuff and I am into this powershotting technique after reading an article on this site a few weeks ago...I Spend most days flipping heavy cover with 1/2-1-1/2 ounces here in Florida in Many Lakes and it becomes work especially when you are not getting bit often...However, There is something to this Power shotting technique and using the Drop Shot in Heavy Cover and I am talking 1 ounce Lindy Walking Sinker cover, but I find a 1/2 or 3/8 cylinder shape gets through easily without to much noise, and having your bait off the bottom, a few inches above the muck or weeds, and leaving it in the same place in front of a Fishes face seems to have it's time and place. I have found that a heavy weight is often better when fishing in heavy, heavy canopy style fishing where Most people are unaware that water is underneath where we are flipping. This is the water that I used to pass up for years thinking it was just silly, but with some 65lb braid, or even 30lb yo-zuri Hybrid I am starting to catch more and larger fish post spawn tossing a 1/2 weight up in the air, only it is a bell shaped sinker that will bang the bottom, kick up little minnows, grass shrimp, and create some noise to get a "Chum" Going. Instead of simply flipping a beaver, Trick Worm, Senko, Craw, brush hog etc...I am now leaving a 4-8" tag end, and rigging a KVD dream shot, 4" Trick worm, 3"Senko, Roboworm, small critter craws, 3" sassy shad, and my favorite the bass pro swim sally which is like the gambler ez swimmer only soft and easy for hooksets and comes 3.5" in Houdini which I like...Also loving the new Speed shad and Kalin's Sizmic shad in smaller size for power shotting 3.8" but that is still too big since Bass are feading on all the fry from last few months so Minnnows, Baby Bass, Craws, eels, Sunfish, Shiners, catfish etc...are all about 2-3", so a 3" grub or soft bait is a good bet and small 3" craw is working good in typical colors-Greens, Watermelons, Black and Blue, and my favorite Green pumpkin Gold and sassy shad perch which is orange and black....Great bait and the Junebug trick worm 4" is killing it along with any roboworm heavily scented, but you need to wait and barely shake, just tap line for good minute before dragging....Try power shotting and read the article on this site....BIg time help, my friends are now using it and we are all set to "Win" next few tournaments since we think we figured something out nobody is doing....Every guy I fish with rigs up a Large Punch Weight, Brown or black and blue skirt, and big Rodent, Beaver, Magnum Trick worms, Biffle bugs, and big 6" brush hogs etc......Hit them with a firetiger or black and blue 3-4" triple ripple grub, 2" Ika tube, zoom jr swimming flukes, Lindy baby lobsters, kvd dream shot, Kut Tail worms....all work good, floating baits seem best, and you can also go bubba style with a big ribbon tail, 5" swimbait etc....I actually caught one of my personal bests...8.6lber after tossing my Snook set up into some weeds right at the launch ramp after take off on a 6" Pearl Sassy Shad with a 1/2 carolina rig weight in front. I was just messing around, getting round baitcaster set up when all of a sudden my line took off and Bam....I literally thought the fish was 11-12 lbs until I sobered up from excitemement and then it looked the 7.5-8lb part but super fun and you never know....

Hand pours will end up costing more anyway, and there are plenty of hand pour companies making moneybut they cost more than a rage bug...Nothing beats a good hand pour but you can't call something a rage bug if it is not, and if you do it would be hard to sell as you would get busted quickly if in a public forum, so to make a mold for yourself I would rather buy a custom beaver in a custom color personally.. However, essentially all soft bait companies knock off each other, share baits, change up a few things..Rage bugs for example are coffee scented River bugs from bass pro only 1/8" shorter, coffee scented, and marketed like crazy as Strike king is huge right now......Lots of comapanies are literally packing bass pro current and disco'd baits in their produc lines. Bass Pro, cabelas, they never push a soft bait but often have the best ones for awile until they get borrowed by the larger boys and the patent often belongs to the oem anyhow.

I sell tackle at a few flea markets and have tried expos in the past, but I always felt like people just wanted free samples, were in a rush to see other booths or setups much nicer than yours (It is tough to compete with the big boys for that stuff) but you can move alot of stuff if you have low pricing, and do a good job of having something unique to get a crowd around you....People all want deals so be preparred to negotiate, and the goal should not to make money that day (If you can pay for the table or booth that is a win) and If you don't spend alot of money on marketing it will not be worth it unless you are the big fish in a small pond, not the other way around, and key is having personality & good help as you need to have a spot that people want to stay at and then they feel obligated to buy if you can make them laugh etc.) If you have something cool, people will gather around your table and that creates a frenzy if busy, so be prepared to have drawings/Raffles but that gets numbers and have one every half hour. Lots of ,give aways, marketing items and accessories, but also make sure you have something nobody else will have and you are the only one and the expert on all things fishing......I just stick with the flea markets on weekends and a Monday and I can honestly say that Knives are super tough unless that is your passion...Everyone sells knives, and I see so many booths at flea markets fail since they try to just sell imported items withouth a theme or passion, or anything to grab peoples attention and display is everything...... Sound on a Tv and footage of backyard fishing does the trick as most people have no idea that the pond in their development probably is loaded with bass and most likely a fish in the 7-10lb range if not dozens. Most people think freshwater fishing is for little fish, light "freshwater lures and reels", yet get excited to show me a picture of a 5lb gator trout.....I don't care if you are a diehard saltwater angler only, but if you know you can catch 3-5lb fish in your backyard on artificialls and it actually requires heavier gear, It is an easy sell. It is also a Plus to let them know that the largest Snook & Tarpon are in alot of our ponds anyhow, and 10lb bass are common in FLorida ponds, although most people catch 10's on every trip, they are just 19" 4lb bass to us...But teach someone something and they will come back if given right info and a good deal they can't get eslewhere so I would just advise to pick your expos careful and maybe start at a small place like a car show, Harley convention, concert etc.... It helps if you are a good public speaker and not afraid of rejection....You need to pull people in and you do have to give stuff away as that is what marketing is about, but as long as you get emails, phone numbers and can contact them again it is worth it if you have a lot of items to sell. It is all about online anyway and it is going to increase..... hope that helps, but if you belive in your idea, love what you are selling, truly helping people by providing a service or item that is truly a great value you will be happy and do well.....