Blade Bait

[Jrob78]

23 hours ago, Crestliner2008 said:

I forgot to mention that I've given up on the smaller blade baits entirely. The smallest I now use is 5/8 oz. with 3/4 oz. being the one I have tied on most of the time. I'm also planning on ordering some 1 oz. blades for deeper lake trout fishing. The 1/4 oz. model I never did very well with, although I plan on giving them a whirl this spring for white perch and crappie.

Interesting, everyone I know that uses "white perch" is actually talking about crappie.  So, what are you calling white perch?  White bass?

[Jar11591]

4 minutes ago, Jrob78 said:

Interesting, everyone I know that uses "white perch" is actually talking about crappie.  So, what are you calling white perch?  White bass?

White perch is its own species, in the family of white bass/stripers. 

[Jrob78]

15 minutes ago, Jar11591 said:

White perch is its own species, in the family of white bass/stripers. 

Cool, we definitely don't have them in TX.

[Paul Roberts]

White perch (Morone americana) is a NE critter found in brackish water and freshwater drainages attached or once attached to the Atlantic. They form big open water schools like white bass and stripers and are aggressive and easy to catch.

[Crestliner2008]

40 minutes ago, Jar11591 said:

White perch is its own species, in the family of white bass/stripers. 

You got it. Great fighters that can get up to 3 lbs.. Very finicky biters. Which is why I'm going to try for a reaction strike.

[Will Wetline]

4 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Nice ~ If I may, why did you select the oval rather than the standard circular split ring to connect the Gamakatsu G Finesse   ?

A-Jay

What I wanted was a greater range of movement for the hook. I tried a size 5 oval ring that I had on hand but that was not quite long enough to permit the hook to swing up over the tail of the bait. I wanted this distance because I wanted to tie a thin strip of foam material which would float the hook. Have not found the right foam yet. 

Sparse bucktail looks good but while bath tub testing, found it dampens vibration somewhat.

Let me leave it with you this way: Come late April I'll be testing . . . testing . . .

[A-Jay]

Just now, Will Wetline said:

What I wanted was a greater range of movement for the hook. I tried a size 5 oval ring that I had on hand but that was not quite long enough to permit the hook to swing up over the tail of the bait. I wanted this distance because I wanted to tie a thin strip of foam material which would float the hook. Have not found the right foam yet. 

Sparse bucktail looks good but while bath tub testing, found it dampens vibration somewhat.

Let me leave it with you this way: Come late April I'll be testing . . . testing . . .

 

Thank you very much for the response ~

After looking at your custom double hook bait, something occurred to me.  Have you ever considered a different hook attachment point ?

 Perhaps a small hole drilled forward on the bait, one a little closer to the weighted area.

Just a thought - Good Luck with that "Testing" thing.

I'll be very interested in your results but also expect them to be rather positive.

A-Jay

 

[Will Wetline]

3 hours ago, Paul Roberts said:

Will, those look really great. I esp like the eyes painted onto the blade, although I usually add fish eyes rather than human eyes.

 

Thank you, Paul.

Those are the 3/16" 3D adhesive eyes recommended by Barlow's for their 5/8 oz. Vibrating Blade Bait.

I like eyes on a bait. They add a spot of contrasting color and please my aesthetic sensibilities. (Well la-de-da, hey!) I don't think the fish care one way or another.

 

[Paul Roberts]

12 hours ago, Will Wetline said:

Thank you, Paul.

Those are the 3/16" 3D adhesive eyes recommended by Barlow's for their 5/8 oz. Vibrating Blade Bait.

I like eyes on a bait. They add a spot of contrasting color and please my aesthetic sensibilities. (Well la-de-da, hey!) I don't think the fish care one way or another.

 

I was referring to the reflection of your eyes in the blade itself.

I do a lot of la-de-da too. I've been putting eyes on lots of baits this winter. Might even make it through my whole box(es) by spring.

 

[Choporoz]

On 2/15/2016 at 7:47 AM, A-Jay said:

The information & techniques offered here by Scott Dobson have been a game changer for me when it comes to blade baits.

Check it out

A-Jay

I want to shout out to A-Jay.  Made my first casts of the year yesterday using blade baits (with which I've previously had little success.)  Using what I learned here, I caught good fish from the first cast.  I only had about 30 min of fishing off a pier on the way home from work, but they were hitting it pretty hard.

 

 

 

[Bluebasser86]

1 minute ago, Choporoz said:

I want to shout out to A-Jay.  Made my first casts of the year yesterday using blade baits (with which I've previously had little success.)  Using what I learned here, I caught good fish from the first cast.  I only had about 30 min of fishing off a pier on the way home from work, but they were hitting it pretty hard.

 

 

 

Nice fish! I too have to give credit to guys like @A-Jay for holding my hand and helping me start to figure these baits out. I haven't caught anything impressive like that fish, but I have caught some of my first blade bait fish on purpose.

[A-Jay]

  @Choporoz & @Bluebasser86  Thank you for the props but I was merely the messenger.  Mr Dobson deserves All the credit.

For me, learning to fish a blade bait offered a super effective option during the colder water periods that I didn't have before.

I'm super confident in it.

Glad you guys are having fun.

A-Jay

 

[roadwarrior]