Huddleston Advice

[Cincy Bach 29]

Just got done playing around with this thing for the tirst time....8" ROF 5, rigged it with a stinger on top with doubled 85 lb braid. Runs great and actually had a few 2-3 lb fish tail it but ended up getting to close to the boat and took off. Anyway I'm in The greater cincy oh area so its not like I'm exactly fishing Falcon or the Cali delta . I rigged it up on my catfish setup .. abu C4, and BPS 7'9" Big Cat live bait rod.....has a nice tip to load up when cast bluegill or other live bait. It handled the hud nicely, but would like to get a real setup that isn't as heavy.

But any advice on how to work them would be appreciated...or just tips in general

[North Ga Hillbilly]

Fishing with a treble on top that rod set up aught to work fine. Fish where the big fish are. Have they spawnned io there yet if not pre spawn fish will be posted up around ledges and such close to spawning groounds. Go sloooow like one turn per second or two. Your fishing for that one bite; the 6" would offer more bites but there there. Pm me if you have any specific questions.

The bites with big baits are few and far between, but when they come there worth it!

NGaHB

[Cincy Bach 29]

Ga Hillbilly- thx for the info...most fish in the lakes I fish around this area are in post spawn already. But I did get a 6" also. In my area there are big bass but not in the numbers other parts of the country have. What ROF is generally the most used?

[hatrix]

I can't comment on using the 8", but 6" and under I use all the time in Ohio. I just go slow enough so it dredges the bottom and I can feel everything its swimming over. If I get stuck on something where the rod starts to load up like on a stick, rock, or piece of ground I give it a fairly quick turn or 2 so it pops up off it and that is where I get tons of strikes. I have been doing really well targeting the shore swimming it through beds or across BG spawning flats. As for the ROF I only have 5 and 12 and I dont know what it is for a grass minnow or shad but ROF 5 is a slow sinker and best in say 5' or less. It takes 10 seconds to sink 5' and with braid and if you reel to quick it might want to rise on you. Another tip that helped me atleast for weedless ones was don't be in a big hurry to set the hook. I get a thump thump and I instantly want to swing but take a little time because even though the lure smells toxic they inhale it. They hold on to it for some time so give them a second to run with it.

[J Francho]

Just pretend it's a big football jig, and you'll be fine.

[stkbassn]

I've had a lot of success with the 6" version on a straight, medium paced retrieve. These baits have a very subtle action that entices fish. They were made to be this way. Just try different speeds and actions to see what works best. You won't have to do much. Don't give up on this bait if you aren't getting tons of strikes. It wasn't made to load the boat. It will get you some big girls if you're patient. Have fun!

[Cincy Bach 29]

Good stuff guys! Yea I've been playing around with the shad, grass minnow, 6", and the 8" trout. Swim baits in general is an area I'm focusing on improving this summer. I'm ok with not loading the boat because most of the time I know a different technique or bait might work better but ill still stick to what I'm doing just to get better.