Hook2Jaw

A: Take the hooks off.

Jigs are the best bass bait of all.

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I know I've already commented with my jokes, but when it gets time to get serious, and I take my bass fishing seriously... I use whatever rod can present whatever bait the best. I'm on the water to catch fish, and if I need to skip a stick worm up under a willow tree I'm grabbing that medium powered spinning rod. If I need to drag a jig through a laydown, I'm grabbing my casting gear.

Sometimes I put down my 7'6" heavy and pick up my 7' medium spinning outfit. My sissy wrist loves me for it. My bubba hookset does not.

@Way north bass guy has a great point. I believe a jig worm has the point exposed, I would be more apt to rigging them on a shakyhead.

I got that new Shakespeare Frozen 2 combo for 14.99. One piece, so I'm not worried about the reel seat breaking. Only two guides, so wind knots don't happen. This son of a gun has a 2:1 reel on it so it's nasty for pulling big, deep cranks and letting a mambojohambo get a good look at it before the slurpage. It's so low profile that I can keep my thumb on the drag control and if she gets too feisty, a press of a button lets her run and wear herself out. 10/10, would recommend over any Loomis rod, Daiwa Steez, or Shimano Chronarch.

My favorite ways to power fish plastics are Texas rigging anywhere from 1/4 to 1¼ ounce weights along with a YUM Dinger, ZOOM Ol' Monster, or YUM Bad Mamma. My favored finesse techniques are shakyhead, weightless, and drop shot. I opt to use ZOOM Trick Worms for the jig, YUM Dingers or ZOOM Flukes for the EWG hooks, and YUM Kill Shots or ZOOM Flukes on the drop shot hook. @A-Jay, I want to get into swinghead fishing as an alternative to crankbaits. Are you swimming them or letting them bump bottom?

I like to use a drop shot in shallow water. My primary bait is the YUM Kill Shot but I've recently been using a ZOOM Fluke with good results. When my fish are suspended off the bottom in the ponds I fish on post frontal days, dragging those baits very slowly with a 3/8oz weight on the bottom and the Kill Shot of Fluke about 20" above it gets bit for me. My reasoning behind the distance between bait and weight is the diagonal orientation of the line decreasing how high up I am off the bottom. I like to try to get it in their face while they're suspending and reluctant to eat. I also like to drag a drop shot with about a 10" leader to keep it near the bottom on heavily pressured water when the conditions call for them to be near the bottom and catchable. They're just very pressured at my local PFA.

I like to shake them. My wrist doesn't like it.

You can cut the skirt as finesse as you choose. I've tried the finesse cuts and quickly moved away from it, but to each his own.

BOSS also sells jig skirts. You can find them on tacklewarehouse in the lure components section.

I'm a fan of the BOSS Gary Klein Original Flipping Jig and Finesse Flip. Awesome jigs, after you slide a BOSS skirt on them they're less than $2.50 each.

Daiwa Tatula 100 7.3:1 spooled up with 50# Berkley X9 on a Daiwa Tatula XT 7'6" Heavy Fast. I use it for dragging jigs and Carolina rigs as well, and it's not bad for dragging them. Shaking them can get to be a chore over a few hours. I would say it's an awesome rod to flip and pitch with. I've drug several nice fish over flooded bushes with it.

Man, this is a jam up and cheap little kit and as @Bluebasser86 and others have echoed, Eagle Claw Lazer Sharp isn't bottom of the barrel anymore. I've been using their 1/0 Wacky hooks for Neko and Wacky to great success. I'll have to keep an eye out for these.

Don't let this heated discussion distract you guys from the fact that in the late 80s, Al Bundy scored three touchdowns for the Polk High School Panthers in the Regional Championship against Lincoln County High School, including the game winning touchdown against his old nemesis, "Spare Tire" Dixon.

I placed a big order a while back and forgot to add a free shirt. Placed a smaller order a few weeks ago that didn't qualify for a shirt but then emailed them to ask for one. They sent me a shirt. I can put 20 in the truck and get a subpar selection at BPS or order from TW and pay for 5 dollar shipping and often get the things I need before I can make a run to BPS. TW for the win.

@dsw1204, I take my reel off the rod and tie a loop at the end. Then I hook the scale to it and pull. As soon as the drag clicks, I make a mental note of the reading on the scale and do it a few more times to get a general average of how much pressure it takes to make sweet drag music. Not an exact science, but moreso than pulling the line out by hand. When I set my drag for lines ten pounds or higher, I err closer to 30% of the rated strength and opt for 25% with lines under 10. My reasoning behind this is I'm often using smaller hooks on the smaller line and don't need as much tension to pop a hook through flesh. The thinner lines are also more susceptible to breaking due to damage so I like the slight amount of leeway provided by backing off the drag more. I also took a look at the GT knot and the way the leader is prepared before the braid initially passes through worries me. The knot appears to completely rely on the strength of the weaker polymer line and looks prone to breakage and slippage to me. Learn, live, and love the FG and set your drag meticulously and braid to leader will work out fine for you. Alternatively, the straight braid approach seems to be working great for you. Good luck!

Considering the rod is 6'3", I would personally have a tad bit of difficulty setting a large single hook at distance. If you want to do something besides through jerkbaits with it, a rod that short would be my choice for smaller poppers and walking baits. I would target cast the tar out of them to cover.

It's wild to see someone on the opposite end of myself. I began to commit to bass fishing as a hobby with a spinning reel spooled with 10# fluorocarbon. I had some management issues, but those were quickly solved by taking every yard off and respooling with 20# braid and attaching a length of fluorocarbon as a leader. I started with the Crazy Alberto as my line to line knot. I've since moved to the Fine Grip knot as my leader connection. Anyway, enough about my fishing life story. Before you give up on fluorocarbon, if you want to still keep the option open, make sure you thoroughly lubricate your knot and every bit of line the knot will apply friction to when you tighten it. I've noticed that braid tends to be more forgiving on the lubrication front. I frequently slobber on several inches of fluoro, and I mean slobber. Just as important to knot lubrication is your drag setting. I try my best to tie good knots, and I also try my best to make sure my line isn't damaged during routine fishing. Despite my vigilance, I also try to give myself some leeway with the breaking strength of my fluorocarbon or monofilament. I set my drag with my scale to 25% to 30% of my line's rating. It doesn't take much to whip a bass. 3 pounds of pressure with 10# fluorocarbon does it often for me. I don't break off on hooksets when I tie proper, prepared knots and check the integrity of my fluorocarbon in tandem with setting my drag.

After trying like hell to catch more fish on near 10 dollar cranks and jerkbaits but still catching more on Academy's brand, I don't think I'm throwing anything else Berkley besides line.

I have never thrown a Pit Boss and I'm currently mad at Berkley. Your avatar is great, though! Certainly glad you gave them a whoppin'.

You are truly blessed to consider me amongst the subscriber base. Hoorah for me!

My left wrist regrets my Tatula XT 7'6" Heavy. The tip is heavy, and it's a pain to shake a jig on the end of it from the seated position in my kayak. I have no complaints when I fish it standing. I have no complaints about the sensitivity. I have no complaints about how I can drag fish from cover with it or rocket a half ounce jig and plastic out into the wild wet yonder. Overall, I'm pleased with the rod. I own three in the lineup and will add one more for lighter jigs and Texas rigs, and plan to put a Daiwa Tatula SV TWS on it and up my skipping game. It's just tip heavy. 6.5/10. I won't replace it for as long as it shall live. She has landed a lot of nice bass in the short time she's been with me. Whew, I'm long winded.

Had a striper come unglued once and sink the rear treble of my spook into my pointer finger. There was little pain at first, but that quickly got worse as I tried to move my hand in tandem as I unhooked the fish with pliers in a pretty much useless left hand. I then realized how badly my BPS Split Ring Pliers worked, because they didn't get the hook off the bait. I decided to call it a day and began pedaling my Hobie PA14 back to the ramp with blood pumping from my pierced finger. It's crazy how tiny holes can pour so much fluid, but it was definitely augmented by the workout. As I pedaled, the anxiety of loading that 140 pound behemoth into the bed of my truck started to worry me and the pain had become a pretty dull throb. On a whim, I pedaled to a boater and profusely apologized for having to bother him. I asked if he had done the braid trick and he told me he had stepped on a crankbait the week before and pulled it from his heel. With a rag, he wrapped up the front and middle trebles to prevent more hooks entering anyone and braid tricked it right out. The blood flow and pain stopped. That man has since become a good friend. I'm sort of glad I got that hook stuck in my finger. Now, I always net my fish into the kayak when using trebles and use a pair of pliers to get them out and FIRMLY lip the fish away from the hooked side.