I did a couple of larger jdm orders this winter/spring with lots of new to me baits.
Jig heads for rolling - owner range roller, gammy horizon, and horizon lg
All 3 of these heads do exactly what I had hoped, the hooks are perfect, though I think the range roller has the better keeper set up for bait longevity.
minnows for rolling - Raid fish roller 3-6.5", 7" sakamata shad, deathadders 3", 5", and 6", 5" yamamoto d shad, signal multi shad pvc, jackall bassenemy stick 4"&5", and duo pintail shad.
Raid fish roller - currently my favorite for actually rolling. Great roll, incredible look, very durable and even re-rigable without damaging the bait. Head weight and placement is crucial for the best action, but after many fish beating up the bait, I'll rerig in the less optimal spot and still have success with a more subdued roll. I've caught fish on all 4 sizes, but 4" and 6.5" have been most successful.
Sakamata shad 7" - I threw these mostly weightless and on a free rig in the post spawn. Absolutely crushed. They also catch on a jighead, bottom rolling, but I don't have many left and have been substituting w/ 6.5" spunk shads and jerky j's. Wish I had a full range of sizes in champagne pepper/neon pearl.
Deathadders - These things finally made me understand why the Japanese anglers refer to the whole category as worms. Just universal fish catching baits. Ballheads, t-rig, trailers, free rig, weightless, dead sticked, swimming, they can do it all pretty dang good. It'll be hard to never keep a supply on hand, a definite winner for me, especially the 5".
Yamamoto d shad - These did pretty good rolled, need to spend more time with it. Where they crushed was weightless fluke style and on a 1/2oz 2/0 scrounger head. It has a beautiful snake like swim at any speed on the scrounger, making it super versatile. I'd be 10-20 seconds late on schoolers blowing up the surface, and I could bomb it past and count it down to 10' run it through and get bit. If I was on time to 5 seconds late, I'd just burn it the second it hit the water and get bit. Loads of fun and the longest lasting use of a yamamoto bait I've ever experienced.
Signal multi shad - Haven't tried it yet, hopefully soon
Bassenemy stick - I've only used these in Lake MI, shore fishing. Rolling these along the boulders and walls on bfs has caught dozens of smb. Lots of fun and very effective, but fragile.
Duo pintail shad - I think I haven't put these in the best position yet. They roll a bit, relatively subtle. They shimmy on the fall when weightless, but sink very slowly. They twitch well and stay high in the water column. They look great as a trailer or on a scrounger. I've caught fish, just haven't gotten on them it.
Next group of new to me is baits I could work weightless and on a free rig. Deps Bullflat, OSP dolive stick fat, dolive beaver, dolive gill, and Norries flip gill.
Deps, OSP, and Norries gill baits - All of them are very effective and very similar to me so far. Early in the season I was pitching them weightless to the outside weedlines in 6-10 fow and they almost never make it to the bottom. Now that the weed growth is topping out, I'm pitching it as a free rig, usually 3/8oz to help separate the weight and bait. All of them in the larger sizes attract bigger bites. The smaller sizes just get bit by everything. An offset worm hook, hybrid hook, ewg hook, and cps swimbait hook all work and connect well, but I find these super fragile. One or two fish per bait. At these prices, I'll probably only get the large versions and pitch them at high percentage spots and times looking for bigger fish.
OSP dolive beavers - 3.5" on a 1/4oz free rig is perfect for shorebound lake michigan smb fishing. The swim on the initial fall seems to really call them in. Worth the money to me because I am limited in finding active bass when walking the shore.
OSP dolive fat stick - This has been one of the biggest surprises. At least 3 different times, I worked over an area from an anchored position and then threw this weightless at my historical spot on the spot only to catch the biggest fish in that area that day. The initial fall/shimmy/swim down is so good that I almost use it as a long range pitch. If it makes it to the bottom, I'm 2-3 twitches/lifts, then reel in and cast again. They haven't been super durable for me, almost fragile, but they get big bites in pressured situations.
If you made it this far, I commend your ability to tolerate my ramblings. Most of these were bought with a digitaka reel order or the sales over at the the hookup tackle over the last 6 months.
scott
