Wayne P.

T-rig, I agree with you, must have gotten a mislabled package. I got them at Bass Pro Shops in Charlotte, N.C.

T-Rig, that is the correct hook. The pack I got had 11/0 printed on it.

Rad Lures CHATTERBAIT

FISHINGDUDE, the bottom hook is a 11/0 hook that I bought for using big Senkos. I threw away the package and don't remember the brand. It's too long for the Horny Toad and was a comparison shot for another conversation about hook sizes. The top hook is the G-Mag Oversize hook.

Rigging and hooks"

After reading this thread, I sent the Va. Game Commission an e-mail asking about using game fish for bait. The following is the reply I recieved: "As long as you catch your bait via a legal method (on a hook and line) and abide by the respective creel limits, it is legal to use a game fish as bait. Since nets and seines are prohibited in the taking of any gamefish, it might be a little difficult to catch bass fry on a hook and line (you would still be restricted to creel and size limits on bass anyway, including the fry). The bluegill would be the most logical bet."

To get the maximum vibration, use braided line. This was suggested by Rick Morris during last year's Bassmasters Classic. 50# braid should solve your problem assuming you tie a good knot.

These two were made for smallmouth fishing in clear lakes. The black one has the more streamlined swivel head connection. It has a plastic collar covering the joint to keep weeds out of the connection.

Additionally he makes a spinnerbait version. Those jointed baits are popular with a group of guys on another website, especially those that fish Lake Fork.

That buzzbait was made that way to make it more difficult for the bass to throw due to the reduction in leverage afforded in a longer bait. That same guy makes another version without the split ring that just has the wire looped through the jig eye. That version was made for fishing in weeds since there are less bulk involved in the head wire. I can post a picture of that type if you are interested. Split ring bait does use a common split ring.

If the water is not subjected to any wind, then the NW corner is the warmest on a sunny day. Anytime the air temp is warmer than the water temp and the wind is blowing, the downwind part of the lake is the warmest. Rainwater runoff areas will usually be warmer also in the late winter to early spring periods.

I just talked to the sports dept manager at the local Wal-Mart. He said not all stores will stop selling firearms, this one will continue to do so. Just the ones that don't have very many sales of firearms, especially in the Northeast will discontinue. He used the number 700, but I don't remember if that is the number of stores that will continue or if that's the number that will stop.

The prespawn/spawn period is when the Chatterbait got it's national attention being used to win in a tournament at "O" in Florida.

I heard a quote from Ray Scott once about stocking a lake. He said if you want a good bass lake, do not put crappie in it. They compete for the same food (minows)

Those size 2 hooks would be good for fishing minnows in cover for crappie. Just bend the wire towards the hook shank enough to reduce the resistance to a light hook set. They might be usefull dropshotting in cover also.

This is my favorite in 1/4oz and 1/2oz. Custom made.

FIN-S-R, the tutorial on the Lowrance web site about how a sonar works will show how arches are shown.

Both of these are the 1/4 oz. The left one is a Tarantula and the right one is a Scorpion. The right one almost survived a battle with a 50# snapping turtle. The blade arms show the two different types used (straight and slightly bent).

An equivelent of the BassBuster Scorpion was the Bumble Bee Spinnerbait of that same period. The only difference was that the Bumble Bee had a thinner wire frame. Here is an article where it is mentioned: http://www.jimporter.org/lakes/wheeler/

Lard_Bass, yes I add weight. I use the rubber core sinkers, remove the rubber and them mash the lead on the wire attached to the head.

Dan, check your personal message.

I've had the best hook up ratio with the Snag-Proof Bobby's Perfect Frog. The hooks are a little larger and a little more upright than any other hollow bait I've tried.

Structure: is the bottom of the lake from the deepest part to the shore. Breaklines: is a change in the bottom--humps, roadbeds, ditches, dropoffs, creekchannels, etc. Cover: is fish hiding objects such as logs, rocks, trees, placed objects such as brush piles Thank you Buck Perry

They were seeing the fish on their sonar units. You don't need a high priced unit to do it. One of my units is the Eagle Fishmark 320 and it does pretty good in depths up to 35'. I usually leave it set on automatic and then zoom in to the depth the fish are holding. I also have an old Lowrance X-70A that works OK. A higher resolution unit would be even better.

Attempt at a larger picture: