michang5

I just started using a spinnerbait. I've been using a trailer hook instead of a plastic trailer. All of the fish I've landed have been hooked on the trailer.

A few thoughts/suggestions: 1) You should set the hook when you feel the tap, or shortly after it. Sure, you can bring in the occasional fish without setting the hook, but your chances will increase dramatically if you do. I bend down at the waist (like I'm looking at my toes) while quickly reeling up the slack. Then I stand up straight very quickly with the rod tip pointing straight up. It may not be the best technique, but it works for me. Watch some videos or fishing shows for other hooksets. 2) As mentioned, you may want to wait a second or two before setting the hook if the fish are short striking. It might help, but there will be times they just don't take the whole lure. I tend to have the other problem: fish completely swallow my lures and I'm not setting the hook fast enough, resulting in gut hooks. This has happened when I've switched to a new lure or new rig and haven't gotten the hang of it yet. 3) Try a scent/attractant. While they supposedly don't attract fish, they supposedly get fish to hold on to plastics longer. Good luck!

Holy. Crap. That's not a fish! It's a manatee... Or a sea monster!

I use the Gamakatsu Wide Gap Finesse Weedless -- 2/0 or 3/0. Picked up a pack of black rubber washers/o-rings at Cabelas. Before that, I used my daughter's clear hair ties/rubber bands from CVS. You have to take the hair ties off after fishing or the salt in the senko will melt the tie off. Some people say you can get the washers cheaper at Home Depot. I thought the wacky o-ring tube was stupid and I didn't want to spend the money on it. With the hair ties, I used those big plastic straws they have at Asian bubble-tea restaurants. Now I use the bottom half of those click pens that have the four colors inside. Both work great, although I guess the pen costs money. I "borrowed" my daughter's pen.

I threw a spinnerbait for the first time ever on Monday. Just a War Eagle 1/4oz in white/chartreuse from Walmart that I bought on a whim. In first five casts from the bank on small pond, I landed two 1.5+ lb bass and a third spit the hook. Best 10 minutes of fishing ever (I started fishing in July). The next 45 minutes = nothing. I've thrown the same spinner three more times since for at least 30 minutes each, but I've only caught one more fish and had one more spit the hook.

I went out Monday morning on small pond I've been fishing and threw my first spinnerbait ever. I picked up a War Eagle 1/4oz chartreuse/white with double willow blades at Walmart on a whim Saturday morning. Cold front rolled in Saturday afternoon. I got to the water around 7:45am. Cast #1 = strike, but fish spit the hook. Cast #3 = pulled in a 1.5 pounder. Cast #4 = pulled in a 1.75 pounder. Never had such luck. I was so excited. But just as quickly as it started, it stopped. From 7:55 - 9:30 there was nothing — even after switching to a Chatterbait and later a fluke. Even went back later that afternoon. After 10 minutes, one hit the War Eagle, but spit the hook. A bit later I pulled in a 1.25 pounder. Then nothing for the next 50-60 minutes. Easy come... easy go...

I started fishing in July, so in still making my way through different lures and techniques. I've been seeing lots of posts about jigs lately -- and how they're effective as the weather cools. I'm a bank angler exclusively. I'm using a spinning setup with 20lb braid with 12lb fluoro leader (as needed) on a Okuma Reflexions medium rod. I've had success recently with KVD Caffeine Shad on the main pond I fish, but the bite has slowed my last few trips. Caught 2 on a chatterbait with baby brush hog trailer most recently. Do you think I would be a good candidate for a swim jig? I keep loading up Siebert's website and not really sure what I should get -- if anything. Thanks for helping a jig noob.

I've had a ton of success recently with the Strike King KVD Caffeine Shad. I've been using 5/0 spring-lock, 1/8oz weighted Owner hooks. I've posted a lot about them recently here: http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/124978-caffeine-shad-and-gama-spring-lock-weighted-hooks-a-deadly-combination-literally/ and on this Texas Fishing Forum thread: http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/9342027/1 (Pages 2 and 3) I went out again this morning and got two fish on three casts. Unfortunately, I only had two shads left and both got torn up within 15 minutes. I threw the rest of my soft plastics at them with no luck.

Add a swivel 18" above your hook to reduce line twist. I use 20 lb. braid > swivel > 12 lb. Invizx fluoro > hook. Here's what did so well for me today: Cast it out. Wait 5-10 seconds for it to sink. Keep rod tip up at about 10:00. Two or three short twitches towards your head (to about 11:00). Reel in slack pretty quickly (my line was semi-slack). Pause 2-3 seconds. Repeat. Watch your line. Twice today, I didn't feel the thump-thump; the line just swam away. Reel down your slack and set your hook.

I've had a lot of luck recently with KVD Perfect Plastics 5" flukes and a weighted, spring-lock hook. I started with 3/0 Gamakatsu 1/8oz hooks, which I had purchased to work with the smaller Zoom flukes. They worked with the KVD, but I kept gut hooking fish. I was hoping for 5/0 Gamakatsu 1/8oz hooks, but the lightest 5/0 they make are 1/4oz. So I picked up some Owner 5/0 in 1/8oz. Initially, I found that I was pulling up more grass with the Owner hooks. I think it's because the weight is a "ball" on the hook, rather than streamlined. But this morning, I did my best ever (4 fish in 90 minutes from the bank) using the KVD and Owner (with no grass).

I'm also a bank fisherman and a noob (started in July). On the four bodies of water that I fish regularly, I would say the most important factor has been WHERE I cast to. There have been random times when I've cast into the middle of the pond and landed a random fish, but observation and trial-and-error have provided with me focused target areas. I include them to illustrate how different they can be: 1) medium pond — opposite bank of where I stand there are walls of tall grasses/reeds that cast a shadow on the water. Frogs and flukes have worked. Perpendicular to one of the walls appears to be a shallow bed where bass are constantly jumping out of the water to feed. Casting into edge of that area (I can barely reach it) with flukes today resulted in 4 bass. 2) small quarry lake — I can cast as far as I want off the bank, but nothing ever hits. But when the bait enters a rocky drop-off 10 feet from the bank, I've landed several fish. Use wacky-rigged Senkos. 3) tiny run-off pond — there are frequently bass that jump out close to bank. When I stand on one end and cast parallel to bank, I have success with frogs. 4) large creek — there are always fish jumping out on the opposite bank. I can't reach them and the opposite bank is private golf club property. I've gotten a few on a Fat Ika (which I can throw really far), but it hasn't been worth going back. -- Net net: I've been to each body of water at least 6 times. I've been skunked numerous times at each. But watching and casting to different locations has been the recipe for success, as much — if not more than — the specific lures I've thrown.

I'm curious as well. I've had no success with the white/chartreuse one I have. I've tried the back 3/4 of a Zoom Swimmin' Fluke and plain Zoom Fluke as a trailer. I've tried the provided split-tail trailer. I've thought about using the back portion of a baby brush hog (although I only have watermelon). Maybe I'm putting too much consideration into the trailer...

Most "best colors for Senko" threads and articles seem to suggest one color for bright sunny, another for cloudy, and black for night. I guess it's my poor assumption that each color/situation was mutually exclusive. Makes sense that "best for" doesn't mean it's not "good for" or "equally best for" another situation. Thanks.

Those of you that are using black (with or without flakes) senkos, are you throwing them in the daytime or evenings only? I have a pack of black with blue flake sitting in my bag that I've only thought to bring out the one or two times I've fished at night. I typically reach for green pumpkin or watermelon in daylight. I'm assuming the blacks work weightless t-rig and wacky like others.

Actually most of my success and comparisons have been with the Scum Frogs, which can be purchased for under $5 from Dick's. I would much rather buy more Scum Frogs (and I have) than spend comparable money on the H2O. But, yes, comparing the them to the Koppers isn't a fair fight, even though the ones I've been buying are in the $8-9 range, I think (also at Dick's -- one was on sale).

I picked up two Tiny Toads a few weeks ago. One of them would not compress very well, and so little of the hooks were exposed. It seemed like the weight was getting in the way or the hooks were pointing lower to start. And the exterior seemed scratched up from the hooks. This was all fresh, out of the box. The other one (same model, just different color) didn't have these problems. So I returned the weird one. The one I kept hasn't produced for me. It seems to take in water, sinks and has to be squeezed out every so often. And while I've been skunked several times using this white/green Tiny Toad, I've caught several bass using a white/green Scum Frog. Throwing in the same locations, same day, same action. On a separate note, it's apples to oranges when comparing the Tiny Toad to a Koppers Live Target mini frog. The Koppers looks, feels, compresses tons better than the H2O. I have had a few fish splash the Koppers, but haven't landed any yet. I don't use it as much because it's black. Just my experience. I won't be buying any more.

I just posted this on a Texas bass fishing forum: I bought a pair of Boga Grips the other day. I've been lusting after these for weeks, and insisting that I could go cheap with plastic grips or one of the poorly reviewed scale grips. I'm glad I didn't compromise. The Bogas are built like a tank; I can't see how they will fail. And if they do, there is a lifetime warranty. It's small and serves two tasks (grip and weigh), which is important for a backpack bank fisherman like myself. After buying them, I went out fishing and landed a personal best 3 pounder. I needed everything the Bogas had to offer after discovering that I had gut hooked the fish. I needed reliable gripping because my thumb was pretty torn up earlier in the week. I needed the rotating handle because I had to reach through the fish's opposite gills to get the hook. And finally the accurate weight gives me the ability to brag about a personal best fish!

I've just got my first jig hooks — a set of Owner shaky head. I tied directly to the line. I can't see how a snap swivel would help other than convenience, but the negative trade-offs (many mentioned above) would probably outweigh the benefits. As a new angler myself and a bank fisherman with only one rod/reel to boot, I was really interested in different snap swivels. I tried several of them — traditional snap swivels, Norton Quick Twists, and Normal Speed Clips. Ultimately, I've eliminated them all with one exception. They either messed up the action of the lures, resulted in line-and-treble-hook tangles, and/or were just too fiddly. The jury is still out on the Normal Speed Clip and a topwater spook type lure (using it instead of a split ring). Finally, I've found that my main lure choices required such different setups that it was easier to cut and retie. There was no time savings using a snap. What i really need is a second rod and reel. frogs tied straight to braid worms tied to fluoro leader to braid flukes or inline spinner tied to fluoro leader to swivel to braid Good luck!

Add me to the yellow PP (Super 8 Slick specifically) and leader list. However, I go straight braid with frogs and topwater. I just use a green sharpie on the first 2'.

Well... I soften by my earlier statement a tiny bit... the Caffeine Shad and Gamakatsu 3/0 Spring-Lock Weighted hook is still a potentially deadly combination for me. Luckily no life was lost today. Stopped by three stores today to pick up: Baker's 8" curved forceps Owner 5/0 spring-lock 1/8oz weighted hooks Boga Grip 15lb. (bit the bullet on this) Another pack of Caffeine Shad Returned to the pond after work and threw the CS on 5/0 Owner hook. Nothing. While I don't blame the Owner hooks for lack of success, the shape of the weight seemed to snag on more grass than the Gama. Anyways... I went through half of lure choices in 2+ hours before eventually switching back to the deadly 3/0 Gama hooks. Ten minutes later I felt the familiar thump-thump. Set the hook and I could tell it was a big one (for me)! I used the Boga Grip to lip the fish and could immediately see that I gut hooked it again. Sonofa...! I stayed calm and grabbed my forceps and went through the gills to extract the hook. The Boga's ability to rotate the fish was a god-send. In what seemed like half the amount of time of yesterday, I was able to return the fish to the water. It took a little while, but it eventually did swim away without going belly up — at least in my presence. FWIW... it weighed an even 3 pounds. From memory it looked bigger than my previous fish. So I will call it a personal best. While I expect to try the Owner hooks again, I plan on ordering a pack of 5/0 Gamas. I doubt I will tempt fate and use the 3/0 with the CS again.

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. I've got a shopping list for today: 8" forceps, larger hooks (4/0 or 5/0, not sure whether to get weighted and spring-lock yet), a fish gripper of some sort, and another pack of Caffeine Shad. I also plan on mashing down the barbs until I can catch a few without gut hooking. For those interested: I've only been bass fishing since July. And yesterday was the first time I've thrown the Caffeine Shad for any length of time and with any success. I'm using twitch, twitch, reel slack technique. Maybe I'm reeling too slowly because for two of the fish I vaguely remember feeling a slight thump at the end of my slack reeling and then the definitive thump when the line was (mostly) taut. Of course, I set the hook after the second thump. I'm using an Okuma 6'6" medium rod with Shimano Sedona 2500 spinning reel. I've got 20# PowerPro Super 8 Slick braid > Spro swivel > 18" leader of 12# Invizx fluorocarbon. As mentioned, I've got a 1/8oz weighted Gamakatsu 3/0 spring-lock hook at the end. I just recently upgraded from 10# PP S8S braid to the 20#, so might be losing a bit of sensitivity. After my morning gut hook, I came here and found the same illustrated instructions linked above. This info allowed me to at least remove the hooks from Fish #2 and 3. I do plan on going back this afternoon. Will report back. Thanks again!

I've had the misfortune of gut hooking three fish today. All were on a KVD Caffeine Shad and Gamakatsu 3/0 spring-lock weighted hook. Each time, the hook and bunched up bait were plugging up the fish's throat. Hook point poking through the gullet facing me. Fish #1 (14", caught in the morning) was doomed. I cut the line. And not knowing what to do, put it back in the water with a hope and a prayer. Fish #2 (14", caught in the afternoon) I thought would make it. I was able to apply what I learned here and removed the hook. Alas, it also went belly up after releasing. Fish #3 (a dink caught after #2) seemed to have made it after successful removal. Questions: Anyone else experience this — with the same or similar fluke bait and hook? Any ways to avoid? Bigger hook? Straight-shank hook? I later switched to an unweighted, non-spring lock EWG 4/0 Gama hook — with bullet weight and bead — kept getting caught in grass. Is there an alternative rigging suggestion? Or should I just prepare for this inevitability with a longer pair of pliers/forceps? And possibly mashing down my hook barbs? Any info is appreciated. *And for those that want to see the context and my moral conflicts, read here.

Thanks for everyone's suggestions! I picked up some 20# PowerPro Super 8 Slick braid (hi-viz yellow) to go with 12# Invizx. I was surprised at the increased casting distance going from 10# to 20#. I would have figured a shorter cast. I spent a chunk of last night trying to tie the Berkeley Braid and Triple Loop knots for fluoro-leader-to-hook. Neither is very easy. Maybe I just need to triple-check my Palomar tying.

Jay, I was writing my note about Vicious fluoro while you were writing yours. I think we share the same culprit!

Hmm.. First time I've read something negative about the Palomar with an explanation to back it. Looking through Knot Wars iPhone app, the Palomar is above average for fluoro (15.11 measurement on their machine). SD Jam is about the same. The Berkley Braid and Triple Loop (both I've not heard of before) both rate in the 19s. Will have to investigate! Btw... I posted in another thread about my dissatisfaction with #10 Vicious fluoro and lost lures. I've picked up a pack of 12# Invizx on the recommendation here and elsewhere.