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Have Fun...Throw Topwaters and Floating Jerkbaits in early morning and even during day around cover, buy some new soft baits and have fun since Northen lakes are fun to fish as most have hard bottoms, rip rap, clear water, and you can use almost any method you want....Get some Frogs for any lily pad fields, weeds, senkos, rage tail worms, flutter spoons, and try the techniques you want to get better at..... I grew up in Ny and during early Summer nothing used to beat a Gitzit 3" Tube or 6" Ribbon Tail, Finesse worm on a texas rig, and I always killed fish in ever lake or pond on spinnerbaits, and zara spooks, chug bugs.....

Personally, I am not throwing an expensive lure in a pond simply because there are way to many obstacles to cast around and getting snagged in a tree, rock etc...is much more common from land than on a boat IMO....I also find I rarely get any lures back when fishing in a pond since I try to cast the shoreline and weedlines, and most ponds have spots where I need to backhand cast, and landing a Large Bass is also tough as you don't have the leverage, and if she takes you into the weeds, or underwater structure, there goes your $20 swimbait...I agree that the more expensive swimbaits work better, come with the right hoothk size and are designed well. When I fish a pond, I like to throw soft plastics and if I go with a segmented swimbait, the Reaction Strike 3" and 4" triple jointed wake bait and suspending, slow fall and fast fall are all good, under $10, way under if they are on sale, but they require a treble hook upgrade so the I would buy a pack of much larger trebles as they only come with very thin and small #6 I think they are. They make about 30 color patterns from Perch, sunfish, bream, shiner, and other nice patterns but the paint chips easy but I don't mind because they flat out catch fish....The wake bait in 3" is perfect for ponds and will swim over submerged grass and the suspender is great as well and will do the 360 degree spin if you practice snapping it like the xrap will also do....I never use that action but usually just throw the wake bait and reel steady at night, or simply use stop and go and it floats and gets smashed.... It is a great lure for the money and only other swimbaits that are good for under $20 are the academy versions (They have terrible action on the fall & are well built, good finish, but just ok if worked erratic, but only $5.99....Cabelas Rad Swimmer looks like a sebile Magic swimmer but does not have the shimmy on the drop like sebile but it is good for $4.99 and they also have a spro bbz knock off, although it looks identical, however it does not have good hooks (They use Matzuo and I just don't trust them for some reason even though I have never used them.....Strike Pro has a few good ones, Cabelas real image I am told fall apart,but that comes from a friend who complains about everything, yet still always buys what is cheapest and spends more replacing them as cheaper swimbaits often come apart if smashed hard..... Overall, I would go Reaction Strike with a changed out treble, or Academy h20 Express shad or bluegill for $6 as they are most durable. Cabelas Rad Swimmer is worth a shot, but look for a sale and buy the Sebile Magic swimmer and it will catch more fish. I have not tried the Okuma Savage swimbaits but they look good, and I am a fan of Okuma, so for $10-$15 or maybe less I am sure they are good to go.....But, I would rather buy a pack of Lake Fork Soft Swimbaits since you will be able to fish them weedless, any depth, and for $6 you get like 5 baits that are each good for 4-5 fish. I like all the Lake Fork stuff, love to flip the Paddle tail worm with the segment and use their Hyper sticks for wacky rigs. in Every company makes a segmented swimbait now that I think about it from Yo-zuri, Live Target, and the Storm Kickin stick is a heck of a deal for the money....Forgot about that one....Check out storm....

looks similar to the Luhr Jensen Woodchopper and one of their lures look like that I can't think of the name..It is possibly an old bill Norman Ratler with prop, but I love the wood topwaters with props as well.

Perfect time for a floating jerkbait likea bomber Long a, Bagleys bang o lure (the one with the back prop is also good) buzz baits work better for me in the wind, but I like throwing something heavy and for distance, and the Long A is my favorite by far andI work it with a few twitches and then let it float on surface where it gets 95% of strikes and I am 100% convinced that Jerkbaits 4.5" or larger flat out catch bigger fish and still get action from the small ones....one tip.....If you are getting them on the back treble or missing strikes, that means you are still missing part of the puzzle. If post spawn, downsizing often works, but usually some yellow, chart, or orange on the belly helps out or some flash tape on the belly if shad are a main forrage and school. I always keep one in bone/chart top with an orange patch I added with a sharpie under the head, and a clown prism or gold prism color and I often use Pink nailpolish on the top if really windy so I can see the bait, any missed swirls, if a fish is under the lure by ,noticing larger wakes when twitched, and you can cast it a mile and cover a ton of water on a wind blown bank....Jerkbaits and color seem to make a big difference and I usually am not a color guy, I stick to just a few, but for jerkbaits and topwaters which a floating jerkbait is, I always carry a dozen sharpies, some reflective tape, glitter markers, rattles, and a finishing nail to heat and fill lure with some water if I need to kill action a bit and keep bait from rolling in wind, and make it look more natural and "Dying"....I know thats alot but learn to love floating jerkbaits, suspending, and slow sinking and you will love it as it usually will work anywhere.....Chatterbaits, Spinnerbaits, Rattle traps, and throw the frog in the wind, it should still work, but I would add some sound or a prop of some kind....Double prop baits like the Luhr Jensen Woodchopper, and xap double prop, devils horse actually work best in wind, and I rarely use topwater if water is glass as I dont like creating too much disturbance unless the fish are active....I would rather not spook fish and throwing a rapala flat rap, j-9 or f-9 balsa minnow in glass water is a good topwater that is subtle, and so is a small rebel pop-r worked slow and easy......Learn to love the wind, I find it creates active bass on many days.

bass pro makes a 16" worm, you can find them on ebay with ledge worms at times.

Just like the bass pro river bug which is 4-1/8" and is awesome bait I have been using for a while...THey look identical to me.HMMMM

silver thread is a strong line like hybrid, although I like how silver thread casts on casting gear and I just started using it.....Most companies that call a line mono are actually a copolymer when you read the back...Spider wire mono is a copoly...Triple fish makes a nice clear rx 20lb with 14 dia I like to throw as well.

I agree with the line lb test, but some of these shallow florida swamps are nasty and most guys throw braid all the time in 40-65...I use heavier Yozuri for 2 reasons.1-Keeps bait more buoyant so I can work it over submerged weeds that are 1' below the surface most of the day....I prefer straight 65lb braid with a large floating long a, or Smithwick floating rattling rogue, yo-zuri ss minnnow with orange belly is small but casts far and only dives a few inches even if you snap it good on slack with braid...Anyhow, I usually prefer 8-10 hybrid early in year, or just 10lb mono, but key for the last few trips was managing heavy wind, 3-5' of water full of weeds, so need to paint top of jerkbait red or any bright color so you can see it for steering....But when it gets hit, you best be holding on tight since the lil ones tend to avoid the hardbait this time of year....I actually kill the action when windy so bait drifts naturally, so I inject some buoyant gel into my floaters on windy days, make sure they dont roll, cast far, and look natural drifting and working slow...I learned this technique from a guy who was winning tournaments every weekend, and I spend a good 1/2 hour sanding, changing rings, trebles, using silicone, pvc in creative ways to create the ultimate jerkbait. In saltwater, we always heated a finishing nail with a lighter, filled a red fin with water, and that would allow us to cast it into the wind in 6 foot waves and bait would never roll or foul..just some glue, and your good to go....I am running out of the older xcaliber ghost minnows, and older style rebels from 80's which are also really good. I just need a new rod that is for jerkbaits only, so I appreciate your advice. I hopefully find one that is 6' and has enough backbone which is tough......I often need heavy gear to land a 2lber in some of these lakes.

start your day with a bomber long a floating jerkbait and any color is good as long as it has some orange/chart on the belly since panfish are still spawning in some lakes, just finishing up, and you can throw it a mile, doubles as topwater and wake bait as you can work it over submerged grass that is up to about a foot to the surface....Bigger Fish will hit the Long A, or Bang o Lure when it is resting after the pause..... I find that if I am going to throw plastics...I like a large 10" squirmin worm any natural color as long as tail is chartruese, or black and blue often helps out. In orlando area, ribbon tails 10" are always hot, and blue saphire silver flake heavy in tail has been doing well. depending on weeds, it is hard to beat a drop shot or shaky rig if you find hard bottom and if you do, that is typically a good spot this time of year since most Florida lakes are Muddy and sand or hard bottom works best for the jighead imo....I like a roboworm,trick worm, kalins sizmic shad, rage tail lobster, menace, any creature really...make sure you have junebug, something with chartruese, and a swimbait or fluke in green-watermelon seed, baby bass..I find those 3 colors to always be great, add in blacks, red shad, gp gold flake, and always have a 1/2 oz. rattle trap in chrome blue top or tilapia/firetiger color....good luck

After giving this topic some thought, and also reading some awesome answers...Rat L Trap...Then Frogs..But here is the best new thing which really isnt new, but was not available when I was younger...Good QualityBraid so you can actually Land the Fish that would crush the South Bend Weed Demon, or Moss Boss over the pads..I know braid was out before Nylon I believe, but I remember the first batches of Spider wire being terrible and expensive. I used Stren Dupont 8lb on spinning and 12lb on casting...Co-polymers are a huge breakthrough as it is nice to have that extra horsepower when it is windy and just not a good braid day...I know I get bit more flipping geen or white Hybrid in #15 or #20 than with green braid at times.... I agree the Senko is a game changer for sure, wacky rigging and then the entire line of terminal tackle..Also Drop Shot and Finesse fishing has increased the volume of soft baits and terminal tackle sold big time with Shaky Head jigs, Swivels, Fluoro, on and on... I would like to add a few lures that I could not live without and are true classics I will always have on deck. 1-Original Bomber Long A-Floating and Suspending-Cordell Red Fin at night as it is my favorite floating jerkbait to slow roll as the S wake is what makes the Red Fin still Relavant...The Johnson Silver Minnow weedless spoon in 1/2 oz. Gold with a 4'" White or Orange Grub is a great lure. 2- The Zara Spook, Devils Horse, Torpedo, and the Invention of the Mister Twister keeper Hook, hitchikers, weighted worm hooks was big...The Senko actually was huge as it morphed into finesse worms, wacky, drop shot, Shaky, Finesse, and that alone has accounted for a ton of money and new companies. The Chatterbait is the last big one for sure since the Senko, and it is never going away....Like Tubes, Sluggo's, and even Frogs are not always hot, but guys are always coming into the shop asking for Zman Hooks, chatterbaits for saltwater Now, and people are always easy to sell since it is probably the easiest lure to catch fish with and cover water without getting snagged.... Not sure what the Next big one is going to be...I see Hollow bellies died out in favor of the Sizmic shads or Keitech style or ez swimmer style, so Money Minnows and shadalicious are baits I rarely hear discussed....Rage Tail is advertising right, and strike King is making great baits and lures as well. I get asked for Strike King baits much more often than Yamamoto, plus it is hard to beat the Strike King Pricing for hardbaits with detail like that for a $5 bill or less if on sale... The Segmented swimbaits is not going well for Okuma-Savage and it is not taking off down South in Florida like I expected. I thought the Magic Swimmers,Kickin Sticks were here to stay, but now its the Square bill market for hardbaits....Pradco lures just do not get the respect they should, they are responsible for alot of all the best lures we fish today.... 3- The

The Orra's in casting and spinning are fantastic reels...You can get away with it for cranking, just be aware, but a 6:3 is ok unless your cranking all day long and I find that hard to do, rare, and boring..I try to avoid crankbaits as much as possible but they do work at times...Great reel. I just found them online at some tackle shop recdonditioned for $74 orra winch, and lew tournament was like $68....Pinnacle opitmus $100..I only grabbed the Orra 2x Winch, hopefully stay away from that Lews. I am good with the 24 baitcasters I have now, and 19 rods.

Here is how I fixed my problems with braid getting kinked 1x and then it just gets worse as the day goes on...I also went to an 8 strand and PP Plus is perfect as it is soft, won't dig, and I never go with anything lighter than 50 lb test, since I would never use anything less than 10lb on a casting reel for mono...I have found that Power pro Plus, Samurai, Suffix 832 is still a bit rough, but in 50-65 I like it....Suffix has a new y6 braid out that is thicker so 30lb is similar to 10lb in diameter...I just spooled up some 40lb which I belive is 12lb for my round baitcasting reel, and it casted like a boss.....And that line is also less expensive than the 8 strand spectras.. I also find if I use Tuff Line Xp it will not give me issuesf and that is a 4 stand that is soft and not too expensive..I can't use Power Pro on Casting Reels, it is to stiff, however I like it for flipping so I only use 20 yards of 65 on tourney day. I like how it cuts weeds since it is wound so tight it is almost like wire.... I went through 7-8 boxes of Berkley Crystal Superlines which are meant for spinning gear, power pro, WInd Tamer, Stren...all in the 20-30lb range, and all were a nightmare on my casting set ups...I upped to 10lb minimum diameter with softer braid....BLue Power Pro Plus 50 and 65, and also new suffix y6 is really good and I just tried it and actually prefer it to 832 for casting reels...Now I love Crystal, 832, and PP on spinning gear, but I bet that helps your problems.....I have friends who can use 30, but I notice they are more gentle than I am, so a good amount of the people I fish with only go 10lb or 12lb preferably...Hope that helps...I bet it will....and who cares if it is overkill, Bass never minded 10-15lb Trilene BIg Game...

Hey Guys, I am hooked on throwing Hard jerkbaits again only now I am using the Floaters...Bomber Long A, Bang O lure, REd Fin, Rapala, Flash Minnow etc... I find when I am on a bass boat all day, I like a lighter rod, and I have a nice 5.8 oz casting reel all ready to go for a new rod....I was hoping for a 6'-3" as any longer and I sometimes hit the water with my rod tip with the Twitch-Twitch-Pause-Repeat for another 8 hours...So I am open to any suggestions, I am not good with picking out rods for techniques, and my crankbait rod is too Long at 7' for how I work a Jerkbait. I will pay if needed to get the right fit with the Okuma Helios, and I figure I will be throwing it with 15-20lb Hybrid to keep em floating, so short and light, and I did notice TW had some Carrot Stix on Sale, But I have never used one...I am not familiar with rods like I am lures and reels.. Thanks-also, what action should it be...Fast but not too fast????

They Look like a Bass Pro River Bug To Me.....But I like them, have used them on a darter head, flipped em, and I just love the coffee on all the Rage Tail stuff.. The CUtr Worm is fantastic,Love the hollow gobies, can't figure out the Shellcracker but I am not putting it down yet, and the Lobster and 4" craw is awesome. I like the 3" Rage Bugs they are compact and glide nicely.....I just started using the Menace as I got a bunch of them and they are a fantastic trailer, so between dropshot, flipping, weightless, and c-rig...I only need strike King for most part...I like Cut Tail WOrms better than a Trick worm, and I love the huge Recon and 12" Red Shad Worms they had in big packs last year...Strike King is taking over where yamamoto left off....The Ocho is a great stick and has some flash if you add some silver glitter to the sides...

I would say Creme Scoundrel worms, Mr. Twister Curly Tail Grubs and Worms,Manns Jelly Worms or Trick worms, and Lunker CIty's Sluggo is responsible for all the Flukes and Senkos...I feel as though Senkos are losing a bit of their luster just like what happened to Culprit Ribbon Tails, Berkley Powerbait (Now Gulp, Trigger X, Biodegradeable baits are all the saltwater guys use and I must say Gulp and Powerbait is still a good choice for any plastics fishing... I will give the Banjo Minnow some Cred as well and I am being serious.....Just look at all the segmented swimbaits on the market both hard and soft...I had a buddy who ordered the Banjo Minnows back in the day, and we all laughed at him (that was when the braid looked and felt like thick bakers string), but he did get a few good fish.....I was a 7.5" Berkley Powerbait Power Worm guy for years and before that it was nothing but Culprits in 6", then as a kid, Creme Scoundrel worms with the Helicopter blades, lil fishie (jointed swimbait again) and of course......Mepps Spinners, Comet Minnows.....MR. Twister 6" Twister tails in black with chart tail, and Manns Augertails and regular worms in strawberry or blueberry....I still throw Manns worms as a good part of my plastics fishing, and if I look for a ribbon Tail, its either Powerbait, Gulp, Culprit, or Charlies....and only Motor oil chart with Charlies worms, as they are still the best quality in my opinion for a bouyant worm...... I have looked back at old books on tackle and lures while at the library, and usually I find lures that were made in the 60's-70's that are identical to new models...I found some Luck E strike lures that had the same lip as a scatter rap a few months ago,same action, only built much better here in America in my opinion...I like all the old wood topwater lures, I sand them down, add new trebles,and give the fish a new look.....Banjo Minnow-Lake Fork Magic Swimmer-Spro,Sebile,Storm,Live Target should all thank that commercial. I wonder if we will ever look back at the LED Blaze Lures like some of the old stuff...I liked how Panther Martin brought back Bill Plummers super Frog Last year, only problem was it still was not balanced right.....Just think, in Depression, guys used Flies, poppers, streamers, then a Spoon was IT for awhile...Bass Pro now compared to 20 years ago is crazy. I think Rage Tail has Surpassed Yamamoto as far as popularity, or Strike King I should say.....

Here is my strategy and confidence baits that I have tied on to start any day... Early Morning- Floating Jerkbait-Bomber Long A, Original Rapala Balsa Minnow, Bagleys bang O Lure, Cordell Redfin if windy, and if I can fish a suspender, it is a Pointer all day long, or a Suspending Long A, Rogue if I want it to dig deep. Floating Jerkbaits allow me to use them as a topwater or subsurface, or over or near submerged weeds and I can follow up with a small Skinny Dipper or Gambler Ez swimbait or 4-6" finesse worms like a roboworm or zoom. Always ties on besides 3-4 colors and sizes of floating jerkbaits.....7" Senko, Jig with soft craw as trailer to flip or swim, bladed swim jig like a chatterbait-subwoofer, 4" fat albert zoom grub, or swim Fluke if need some more bulk or lift and some paddle tail action.... Go to lure to throw any time...Sebile Flat shad 77 Suspending. Amber Fashion, Gold, Chartrueuse liquid filled patterns are my favorites, and also love a sebile crankster as my square bill... Spinnerbaits, Lipless cranks, Fluke and sticks, 10-12" Ribbon tails always ready to go....I drop shot if fish are inactive or fussy, usually any 3-4" soft plastic in green, Junebug and some chartreuse will do the job, or small craw-Rage Tail Lobster and 3" craw is fantastic no matter how you want to fish it. It catches bigger fish for some reason, and I have only used it 2x now, but it is deadly behind a good chatterbait.

I find the Mirror lure twitch bait the 17mr my go to snook and red fish bait sinks in freshwater without any shimmy at all, but the colors seem to work great in open water....I like to throw either a chatterbait but also a Floating jerkbait over weeds fished as either a topwater or shallow wake bait, or work it with a twich twitch pause for 5-10 seconds in wind, and Bomber or Bang O lure seems to get the job done, Red Fins if super windy so hooks do not foul...Big Bass will find hardbaits over grass in shallow water or deeper water if you find the right cadence..... The Sebile Flat shad is a suspending lipless crank that dives only a few inches and looks like a juvenile bluegill or shad and will stop on a dime, suspended...AMazing lure.

I was shallow, so I used a 1/2 weight in teardrop shape just to feel bottom as it was getting windy, but I was in heavy weeds and a long 2' tag end worked well to keep bait moving right above and skimming weeds. Hook prefered is an Owner Downshot hook, which is thin wire but strong..Key is not setting the hook to hard....I also use the VMC drop shot hooks and simply rig with smaller hook #1 or 1/0 and just hook it like I was using a split shot hook, or circle hook but that is when in open water, or I will sometimes just use a hook with weedguard (works better than I thought it would for all applications). The Lobster is thick, but has a hook slot, so the Hook that worked best was a regular 4/0? or maye it was 3/0 EWG probably Bass Pro, or Owner, Vmc..I buy whats on sale, and carry so much terminal tackle its tough to know whats what any more....I do like to use braid on a drop shot here in Florida as weeds are super heavy and I am in love with the Invisiswivels that are made of strong Fluorocarbon to eliminate line twist, and I trust knots more with swivels anyhow. I use a 14lb Fluoro leader, sometimes 17, but try to use 10-12 if sparse weeds......In open water,Iuse a spinning rod by okuma for drop shotting and I use 8lb hybrid or any copoly that is light green, or camo colored and up to 12lb mono or fluoro, and with the vmc, you just tie to swivels already made..All companies make some type of drop shot rig now, and vmc also makes a hook that I like that is long...Forget the Name...I learned how to tie any hook to a drop shot by watching videos on you tube,and I grew up fishing for Fluke up north and that is nothing more than a Downshot rig drifted on the bottom, and your bait gets a 12-24" leader....I love to experiment, and the dropshot is good for casting as well.......I only tried the bigger lobster since I read it was good on this site....I also bubba rig shakey heads all the time, but I have too much mud for that in most lakes right now....hope that helps, the smaller the hook, the better the flapping action.....

I used to fish Tubes alot more that I do now, and I should start throwing them more as they work great. I grew up in NY and Tubes were super Hot 8 years ago b4 I moved, and when I arrived in Florida, I was usually only person using a tube, and I gradually have gotten away from it with all the new soft bait options. I used to use a 4/0 EWG wieghted Hook with a slidig weight, pinch weight, or simply texas rig it but I always did best using a bigger hook, Extra wide gap since tubes are thick, and thin wire are often a good choice but I never go cheap with hooks. If fishing thin wire, I love Owners, and I also will use a good quality flipping hook for double dipped tubes in 5/0, and smaller finesse tubes can be good with smaller hooks, just make sure there is enough room to get some jaw when you set the hook as they are thicker than most soft baits.... Weedless Tube Jig heads never worked for me in weeds as they always pick up muck.....In deeper clear water, I used to rig a gitzit 3" tube on a slider 1/4oz jig head and fish it like a crankbait or just toss it off of breaklines, any drop off or near cover so it would glide like a wounded baitfish and I would use the reel to give the bait action...I learned this from a guide as a kid on a salmon trip, and it works great for almost any softbait for bass as well.

Just used the Rage Tail Lobster/ Craws for first time last evening for a few hours, and while my buddy was slaying them flipping, Texas rigging, and swimming on a chatterbait/jighead which is what I was doing at first as well, but I then went for my drop shot rod and figured I would take off the worm and try the craw....WOW....That bait may be expensive, but you get what you pay for, and that is alot of action,and fish in the boat. I love the coffee scent and always liked the Rodent for that reason, and like most good baits, they get ripped up, so don't bring just 1-2 packs because if the fish want it, they SLAM it. The bait comes alive on a drop shot without shaking or dragging. I used both sizes and the fish hit both at same pace, but the larger one seems to get slammed much harder as those claws start flapping and I guess they see it as fleeing. Great soft craw, perfect balance with weight and buoyancy so it appears alive on a dropshot without moving your rod, and I usually use worms/Flukes/swimbaits....I am sure this bait would also be great on weighted hook rigged weedless, or anyway you want to throw it...We were throwing chatterbaits for about an hour like a spinnerbait and the trailer helped for sure, as the Berkley Ripple Shad, and Twin Tail Grub were not as effective.....Not even sure what color it was, but it had some Red in it. Good News is a local retailer has them on sale, along with the shellcracker which I also want to try.....I can't find the Eel, and that is a bait I want to try, I already know it is going to be good. For some reason I feel alot of guys are not using these baits as often as I would have thought.......

Bread bag ties....That is a good idea....Rubberbands used to work well for me until they melted one day, but those lures that were melted with rubber, were sanded and painted with a sharpie or I slapped on some flash tape, some I went to the craft store and used this glue with glitter etc....The fish never seemed to mind, but I did, as I like how they look when organized...But my favorite lures barely have any paint left anyhow.... Checking hooks is important, keeping them sharp....Rings....I check my go to lures b4 each trip,and I try to keep what I plan on using most in bags in shirt pockets, short pockets.....Hooks, Weights, Jig heads etc....Then I bring a few trays and I am good, and I leave the other half dozen suitcases home.

Don't forget about the Split Shot Rig, and I find I never have issues with Muddy bottoms full of weeds if that is an issue. I put a non removable shot on braid, then use an invisiswivel for a heavy Mono or copolymer leader so it floats in 20lb test. I know most people think split shot rigs are a finesse tactic, I get better feel for strikes, bottom composition, and I can also use a large split shot, floating worm like a roboworm or finesse worm with longer leader if weeds only grow 2' and water is 3'...It's kind of like a modified dropshot, carolina/texas rig in one.... I get most strikes lifting and letting the bait fall again, but I often slowly drag, or swim various size baits from 3-12".....I have hook setting issues and feeling strikes on carolina rigs in shallow weeds, but someone told me to try the Stanly Wedge head weights and I plan on trying...I agree, lighter weight for shallow water is much better IMO, and a split shot or even a pegged weight you can slide up and down would be fine...... I don't like Rattles on a carolina rig in shallow water but that is just me....I have fished with guys who do well with a true carolina rig in 3' of water, in places I would have never imagined...But they have perfected the C-rig, and it takes time to master a rig, so if you want to make that your style in shallow grass,it is a good option since fish are seeing wacky rigged senkos, flukes, and weightless plastics all day long but that works well some days also.....I am throwing chatterbaits and Topwater/Floating balsa minnows this time of year as everyone throws plastics and I like to try and always have a new look...I am starting to gain confidence in dropshot in shallow weeds, especially in wind.....Hope that helps, but anything is capable is working, key is to spend time fishing a rig and you only learn by struggling to figure out how you like to fish each situation with it, and what baits you can use most effectively....I find every time I fish a new lake with someone new, (I am always fishing shallow weeds in 2-8') and I never meet anyone using the same rig as me, or other people....Different colors, sizes, baits, line, rigs.....All works, just have to learn your way.

The guy at the cash register was super cool and just gave me a $10 coupon so I ended up only spending about $120 more than Intended today. Rc Sticks, Rapala J-13's, Pointers, bandits, Sking Square bills, VMC and Jackall Hooks, Tungsten, Nanofil....and a new book.... Now I have to go back with my Survey $10 Discount as it would be selfish for me to not take the survey and reward the generous Dick's Employee....I did notice alot of Rapala, Strike King, and Luck E Strike Freaks that looked like they needed homes....I am hoping the Rogues are also still there tomorrow as well.... May take a trip to the new Dicks in Westchase Tampa that just opened, or to the rural stores that always have silly amounts of stuff....Because I am in need of another fix.

I actually consider the Yum Mighty Craw more of a creature, as it has so many appendages, but that is a favorite of mine for sure...Any Rage tail or Coffee scented bait is also good, and I have to mention the Lake Fork Hyper Freak which is a good bait....Baby Freak....Its on the smaller size..But fishes big.

Most Lakes I fish only have 4"-2 feet of water above the weeds and often I have to steer my lure around islands of topped out weeds etc... I know most People like to fish Soft Plastics, Frogs, topwaters etc., but I am convinced that a Jerkbait is like a Jig....It catches BIGGER BASS. I don't mind giving up numbers as long as I have a good time and get a few strikes that almost rip the rod out of my hands. Lately I have noticed my buddy is landing more fish, probably at a 3:1 ratio, but most of his fish are on the smaller side with the exception of a few. He throws a fluke & 6" Trick worm usually, and I am always tempted to throw a soft bait, but I am sticking with the "Saltwater Jerkbaits". I am having some issues with fish swirling & missing the lure in the wind, but I am starting to get better at catching the fish that either miss, or simply stop just shy of hitting it by throwing a smaller wake bait at them after the retrieve, or just letting it move super slow for a bit longer. The Yozuri SS Minnow is my favorite wake bait and the Bandit Footloose in chart shad a close second. I seem to prefer the floaters that are most buoyant for obvious reasons, and the Bomber Long A, Red Fin, Rattling Rogue, Xcalibur Ghost Minnow (older Bill Dance Version) and recently a Bagley's Bang O lure & J-9 J-13 Rapala Balsa Minnow if not too windy. I throw suspenders in the Spring and Fall, and usually reach for a Lucky Craft Pointer, Rogue, XRAP, RC Stick, or the larger Yo-zuri Delta Shaped Suspending Crystal Minnow for Flash..I am forgetting a few, but I seem to like Slow and fast Risers the best in the Summmer and it is a great Topwater/Subsurface Lure built into one. For Floaters, I make a few modifications to make each lure more buoyant, but I have read that the IMA Flit and Lucky Craft Flash Minnow are actually just as good or better than a "Tricked Out" Long A or Bagley's etc. I would like to know if anyone uses the Ima or Lucky for this type of fishing and if they are worth the price tag. I would love a lure that would be ready to fish right out of the box..... I am looking to buy some new lures and would like to find some great floaters I was not aware of for shallow work, night fishing, and any lure good for Bass is usually good for any fish......I also do well with the Sebile lipless crankbait in the SU 77 Model as it is great for working 6-18" deep....Thanks for any tips on lures in advance....Thanks. I always get great advice from this site, so I truly appreciate any suggestions.