papajoe222

I'm going to give a double prop-bait a try. I haven't used on in over a decade. Wounded Zara Spook and Cordell Boy Howdy. I still have an old WoodChopper that I may break out.

Don't know what type of vegetation you are encountering, but if it's breaking the surface you have two options IMO. Stay on top with a frog or weightless worm, or get down to the bottom with a punch rig or something that will get down without being bogged down getting there. Anything in between is just going to frustrate you an likely not reward you with takers.

I just went through a stretch of seven days on the water with nothing to show for it. The fish would move up shallow late in the day and the night would turn cold and they'd be gone. Two days of unseasonably warm weather, and I'm finding them on beds and pairing up scouting for bedding sites. This has to be the WORST April that I've ever experienced. Sweet May finally brought about a change with an overdue day of catching.

I'll stick with my Stanley VibraShaft spinnerbaits, or my last, original Terminator (wish I could find those blades somewhere).

For the level of protection they offer, you can’t beat Wiley X and for clarity, Costa 380 in green/mirror (glass). ive had mine for a number of years and if you spread the cost over the years of service.....

I reserve swim jigs for fishing vegetation. Their weedguard vs. the open hook of a swim bait and the ability to fish it in a similar fashion to a jig/trailer give it the nod in my book. Swim baits, are reserved for fishing over rock, gravel, or structure and off the bottom. I’ll even use one to quickly check out a ‘featureless’ flat when I don’t want the rattle of a crank.

I started reading responses and almost forgot what the topic was. I'll say one thing that I don't recall seeing mentioned; If you're going to target BIG fish you'll need to mentally prepare yourself for fishless days and I'm not talking a three or four hour outing. I'm talking a full day of fishing. The feeding window for a big bass is very small and may only happen once or twice in a day. Big bass are very proficient at obtaining the amount of food they need without wasting much time or energy and enticing a big girl that's in anything but an active mood will humble even the most patient of anglers. If you've read the book, you know that the big girls will position themselves close to a consistent food source. The other things necessary are sanctuary (cover or structural change) and access to deeper water. When you're playing the numbers game, one or even two of those factors can be missing, but you'll need a spot that offers all three for a big girl to even stick around. Locate as many spots containing those three elements and return to them often throughout the day.

Bluebasser is right on about circle hooks and wacky rigging. I use circle hooks when I'm introducing newbies, mainly kids, to fishing. They work great for nose hooking, but because of their design, the bulk of the worm and the hook are exiting the fish's mouth at the same time and normally that's as the fish is spitting it out. Octopus and wacky hooks are the most often used around here. The only difference I've observed is their diameter.

Spread your coffee grounds around your farm. They don't add much in nutritional value, but will keep your worms from getting thin skinned in the media (I'm assuming you're using some type of bedding material). Don't overdo the potatoes and carrots as decaying, if not kept in check, will ruin all your work.

Personally, I'd go with a custom made rod in the $200+ range. Talk with a builder and let them know exactly what you'll be using it for. Skip all the bling and you'll have exactly what you want/need and then get yourself a President and you're done.

I only own one reel with dual braking and I use it for very similar lures, so I don't touch either. I just check the tension adjustment for each lure and only adjust the magnetics if the wind picks up.

They can produce almost anytime. I'll tie one on if I'm looking to show 'em something different. Kind of like a blade bait, they're not just for cold water.

Always happy to see someone improve because of the information shared here. Thanks for the update and don't forget, it's an information sharing site, so chime in now and again with some of your own insight.

I’ll dead stick a hair jig with a Havoc Bottom Hopper. Between the hair and that floating worm, the slightest movement is magnified and turns finicky eaters into biters.

Drive to the lake, launched by myself, plug was in, ran about ten minutes to my first spot, reached in the locker for my worm rod............ Yep. I’d taken not only my rods, but my two tackle bags out after my last outing and there they were, an hour later, back in the garage.

This. If you ever fished a spider jig, those are a spin-off that gives the presentation more bulk.

I didn’t throw a fluke all last season and the majority of 2016, opting for jerkbaits, or stick worms. Seeing as I relied on stick worms heavily, I’ll be reversing that trend.

I look at two things to determine what color to throw. Water clarity and bottom color. Clear or Chart with pepper for clear water, smoke to green pumpkin for lightly stained water and PB&J or plum for heavy stained. If I'm fishing it on the bottom, I like to match the bottom's color a shade or two darker so it stands out. Of all the colors I carry, I don't think I even own solid white. Go figure.

If that has been the norm for a few days prior, I would expect the fishing to be decent. If, however, thr days prior to Fri. have been 'normal' and this is a downturn in night time temps, you'll be working for the scattered bites you may get. The entire mid-west has been experiencing a much colder than normal April (had snow here the last few mornings). Water temps aren't where they would be and the bass have been reluctant to move up, let alone search out bedding sites. Stick to a pre-spawn approach with that cold front in mind, but don't forget to check out the shallows in the late afternoon.

No. They're too bulky to skip consistently and cutting them back, IMO, takes away their biggest attribute. I'm not saying that won't work, just that you can bulk up a regular jig with a trailer and accomplish basically the same thing.

Stained...no, muddy....yes. In stained water (1ft.-3-ft. visibility) a jig and trailer in a dark or contrasting color will produce about the same and sometimes better than a Chatterbait. In muddy water, I'd opt for something completely different, but that's just me. I don't have a lot of confidence in bladed jigs.

Good suggestions on what to throw, but where to throw 'em is even more important. A bass is going to seek out areas where they feel secure and their strike window will be reduced to inches, so presentations must be spot on. Two areas to focus on are depth and cover. Cover may be obvious, but if it doesn't offer a quick escape to deeper water, it may not hold fish. Newly flooded brush is a prime location after heavy rain. Depth is relative to the body of water and the presence of bottom structure will determine whether it's an option for the fish. A slow tapering, bowl shaped pond doesn't offer much in the way of security, so target whatever cover is available even if it's only at the shoreline. One formed by a dam does and the creek bed drop-off is a prime example of deep security.

I have one and caught a number of fish on it last summer/fall. I didn't have any hook-up issues, but I fished it fairly slow with a lot of pauses, so that double hook was likely hanging down on the hits.

I don’t think the VMC are any thinner than any other brand, although they are available in lighter weights. As you likely won’t find a thin wire, keel weighted swimbait hook, a couple of suggestions; Up your line choice to 10lb. The slight difference in diameter over the 8lb. Isn’t going to make a major difference in line management and the fish aren’t going to notice the slight difference. The other is keep your casts short. Less line out will reduce the amount of stretch over that of a longer cast and you’ll have a better angle for a better hook-set.

Unless the tube you're rigging is thick walled, the line tie should stick out. On some tubes you have to push back and forth to get it to pop through. A little tip if you don't mind. use tubes with a lot of salt in the plastic and rig it from the front instead of running the jig up the tube. You'll end up tearing up the area around the entry hole a bit, but that actually is a plus because it releases more salt. It's also the easiest way to re-rig rather than cutting the jig off and retying.