ChrisD46

Looking to rig up a Zebco 33 combo for the kids - has anyone tried using say #15 lb. braid on a spin cast reel ? I usually use #6 lb. to #8 lb. co-poly line on spin cast reels and just looking to try something different for further casts .

Flipping / Pitching where the 8:1 gear ratio reel allows you to reel in and pick up line faster for your next cast . I also like it for Frog fishing.

Good to see Tom weight in on this topic - an old school, yet deadly technique (split shot rig) out west. I will add that in the 1/0 or 2/0 size , the Owner 5133 makes for a great light wire split shot rig. Also , the split shot weight suggestion (cutting a line groove) will help protect your line .

Looks like I'll start with a Gama EWG 4/0 Super Line hook (weightless) and a underspin for a slow retrieve near the bottom . As long as you slow down , it's probably hard to fish a Super Fluke wrong in colder water.

Good points Tom !

Lots of people throw a Super Fluke in the Post Spawn through the Fall - but what about the colder months ? It would seem that a slow falling super fluke in cold water (maybe even dead sticked) , as well as , a being a good search bait as bass start to move shallower to feed up for the spawn would lend itself to using a super fluke / super fluke jr. set up . Please share your thoughts and experience for using / rigging a super fluke in winter through pre-spawn .

Great replies / information !

I had not thought about using these larger size paddle tail swim baits on swim jigs before in that 4.75" to 5.75" range (or close to it depending on make) . *There is probably an art to selecting a longer paddle tail in this size range to achieve max side to side rolling action ?

I've standardized on Owner Hyper Wire Split Rings - learn how the sizes & weights affect hard jerk baits and only buy once !

An important rigging consideration I omitted is whether you are fishing open water or around cover ?

For the larger 4.75” - 5.75” paddle tail swim baits from Gambler , Keitech , Strike King , etc. how do you like to rig them ? It appears the choices are either using a EWG 5/0 to 6/0 single hook or using a #2 treble hook with some sort of line through the head rig and then insert one of the treble hook barbs back into the swim bait head … I’d like to try the larger swim bait sizes mentioned above. What method of rigging the larger swim baits works best for you ?

I’ve recently become interested in tossing around various Neg Rig / Finesse baits on a BFS set up - let’s hear what your BFS set up and what baits you enjoy using with your BFS set up ?

Don’t let Glenn hear you bad mouthing the PNW ! He’s liable to compare Washington seafood with any other state in the country - then it gets ugly real quick as Glenn easily cruises for the win (lol !) … I moved to be closer to family plus I just can’t handle hot , humid Georgia summers along with severe weather storms that seem to get stronger and begin earlier each year in the South East . Yes , there is a lot of rain in the PNW but it doesn’t rain all day and rarely rains hard .

Fishing an grub on a ball head jig is considered an “old school” bass technique - but still can be deadly in cold water months I have read . I have a few different grub offerings (Zoom , Kalins , BPS ) but have not settled on a small ball head jig head suitable for the short body soft plastic grubs … If you are fishing grubs I would appreciated learning more about your favorite ball head jig and weights you use ?

The only real way to cull the herd is to move to a new region of the country where bass lures and colors change pretty significantly . As an example , I moved from the South East to the PNW and the first lures to be culled will be most shad imitating lures - as there are no shad up here .

I have grown fond of WM Candy - great bluegill imitator , next would be the various GP flake offerings .

I prefer the BOSS rubber skirt collars because they are the right size for most all finesse worms while with shrink tubing , silicon tubing , etc. you run into issues trying to find the right size. With the BOSS rubber skirt collars 50 pack , all I need is a pair of needle nose plyers and I’m done.

Double Uni is not the slimmest knot - but it holds well and is FAST and EASY to tie ! Using #10 lb. braid to #8 lb. FC leader - the knot is slim enough for me with a finesse spinning set up .

Here’s a tip I learned that will make wacky rigging finesse worms more efficient and cost effective : For Zoom Trick Worms or similar 5.5” to 7” finesse worm (best size / action for wacky rigging ) buy a package of : “Boss Rubber Skirt Collars” (used for making spinnerbaits / jigs to secure skirts) … The Boss skirt collars are the perfect size o-ring to use for wacky rigging finesse worms ! I finish the setup with a VMC Neko Rig hook in #2 size rigged parallel to the worm through the boss jig skirt o-ring catching a little bit of the worm when you rig the hook under the o-ring . *Hook up ratio is great and you will save on finesse worms ! Some don’t like a parallel rigged wacky rig with stick worms - but that is not an issue with finesse worms due to their smaller diameter . Get yourself some Boss Jig / Spinnerbait Skirt o- rings and give the above wacky rig method a try with finesse worms !

Buy a spray can of clear acrylic craft sealant and use fine glitter from Hobby Lobby . Lightly spray the blade with the clear sealant , lightly sprinkle the fine size glitter of your choice (which will stick) holding about 12” to 14” above the blade - then finish with another light coat of clear acrylic craft sealant . Works great for me - lots of color glitter variety with glitters from Hobby Lobby and many more glitter options that a spray with glitter mixed in .!

Berkley Big Game and Sufix Elite / Siege would be my choices as far as being good mono lines which are easy to find locally .

One of my favorite set ups : Yum Dinger (5”) , VMC Drop Dead EWG Hook (4/0) in 3/32nd oz. hook weight . * Great for bigginners - just cast out and let it sway and spiral to the bottom . Let it sit for 20 to 40 seconds then reel in and repeat .

There are newer expansions / offshoots in soft plastics for the Ned Ned Rig from top manufactured … Experiment with different new Ned Rig soft plastics . Next , there are six different retrieves for the Ned Rig , so learn and rotate through the various retrieves to mix up what the bass are seeing .

Another great video Glenn with very helpful cold water advice for bass !

Unless the soft plastic girth requires an EWG hook or dragging a C-Rig , I too believe a round bend offset or offset O’Shaughnessy hooks (the late A - Mart’s fav) are best for cast and retrieve T-Rig soft plastics . If you are flipping / pitching to a target - then a straight shank hook for soft plastics is more appropriate . *When I moved away from EWG hooks for T-Rigs I experimented with inexpensive BPS hooks in the styles I shared above in sizes from 2/0 up to 5/0 . When I better dialed in the sizes I used most then I expanded to using better Owner hooks in the sizes / styles I used most . Hope this helps !