Higher-end spinnerbaits

[NorthernBasser]

25 minutes ago, Tony Christian said:

Is the SV-3 something I would fish with a trailer hook, the long strands look like they would get short strikes? Also, is the Pulsator more of a mid-sized profile, conpared to the more finesse Megabass?

You could definitely throw a trailer hook on it, but I never do and don't seem to have any issues. If I felt they were short-striking it I certainly would depending on the cover I'm fishing around. And I never put an actual trailer on the SV-3 either. 

 

Here's the SV-3 and Nichols side by side. The profiles are quite similar in size, with the Megabass having smaller blades.

 

[webertime]

23 hours ago, NorthernBasser said:

What are you loving about it? I've been wanting to give it a shot, but with the pike in my lakes I know they'll tear it up eventually. Tho I guess that doesn't stop me from throwing Jackhammer's and 110's. ? 

 

 

 

 

It feels like tight wobbling chatterbait 

The Bottom Up is super quality and seems to survive our Champlain Pike pretty well.  Def works in stained water.

 

 

 

[heavyduty]

2 hours ago, webertime said:

 

It feels like tight wobbling chatterbait 

The Bottom Up is super quality and seems to survive our Champlain Pike pretty well.  Def works in stained water.

 

 

 

May I ask which one you throw for smallmouth in stained water? Thanks

[webertime]

Multi Shad

Sweet fish

Muddy impact

 

 

[Captain Phil]

20 hours ago, gimruis said:

You don't deal with pike in Florida though.  They destroy lures here and they love spinnerbaits.  All it takes is one vicious strike and the cheap ones are bent, and therefore useless because they don't run true anymore.

 

No, but we have something worse....  Mudfish!  They love spinnerbaits and grow big enough to swallow the whole bait then spin twisting your bait into a knot.  The sure way to avoid destroyed lures is to keep them in your tackle box. All spinnerbaits catch fish, some more than others.

[Catt]

1 hour ago, Captain Phil said:

No, but we have something worse....  Mudfish!

 

Bowfin, Grinnel or Choupique (shoe pick). Around here they get up to 10-12# & will absolutely destroy any spinnerbait. 

 

Hell of a fight but totally useless!

[scaleface]

2 hours ago, Captain Phil said:

Mudfish

We call them dog-fish . They are a blast to catch . I have caught them 7 to 8 lbs and a friend caught an 11 . They chew spinnerbaits like a pitbull on a raw-hide bone .

[Captain Phil]

7 minutes ago, scaleface said:

We call them dog-fish . They are a blast to catch . I have caught them 7 to 8 lbs and a friend caught an 11 . They chew spinnerbaits like a pitbull on a raw-hide bone .

 

The largest and nastiest mudfish I have seen in Florida live in Blue Cypress Lake off Highway 60.  If you cast a balsa crankbait in that lake, you will bring back a twisted piece of wire and a few bent hooks.  The biggest mudfish I have caught weighed about 12 pounds.  The State record is 19!!

[treble hook]

On 2/2/2023 at 9:58 AM, the reel ess said:

I can't see a reason to spend more than $8-ish on a spinnerbait. Actually, the Walmart and BPS spinnerbaits that are hanging loose on pegs work pretty well too. I remember when the Uncle Buck BPS brand were $1. I bought about 6 different combinations and caught lots of bass on them. I still have a couple.

I had a few of those $1 Uncle Bucks. I lost my last one last summer. Gone are the days of $1 spinnerbaits. The whole world is going to crap.

58 minutes ago, Captain Phil said:

 

The largest and nastiest mudfish I have seen in Florida live in Blue Cypress Lake off Highway 60.  If you cast a balsa crankbait in that lake, you will bring back a twisted piece of wire and a few bent hooks.  The biggest mudfish I have caught weighed about 12 pounds.  The State record is 19!!

We have a lake here with some big ol' muds. They will destroy a good lure and tick you off. I bet I've caught some 10 pounders.

 

[treble hook]

[Tony Christian]

41 minutes ago, treble hook said:

I had a few of those $1 Uncle Bucks. I lost my last one last summer. Gone are the days of $1 spinnerbaits. The whole world is going to crap.

We have a lake here with some big ol' muds. They will destroy a good lure and tick you off. I bet I've caught some 10 pounders.

 

When I catch bowfin, I'm more worried about my fingers than the lure. But I don't usually catch toothy predators, other than the occasional pickerel.

[NorthernBasser]

They are a pain, but I think bowfish are pretty cool fish. So prehistoric-looking. Some of them have the blue on the fins. 

 

[gim]

2 hours ago, NorthernBasser said:

They are a pain, but I think bowfish are pretty cool fish. So prehistoric-looking.

So that's what Floridians call a "mudfish."

 

The correct term is Bowfin.  Dogfish is another nickname.

 

They can actually swim up to the surface of the water body and gulp atmospheric air when oxygen levels drop too low in the water to use their gills.  Their air bladder, which is normally used to maintain neutral buoyancy, can instantly be used as a lung.  Wouldn't surprise me if they could make it on land from one swamp to another given that they can breath atmospheric air.

 

I've only ever caught one.  Wouldn't bother me if I never caught another one.

[NorthernBasser]

4 minutes ago, gimruis said:

So that's what Floridians call a "mudfish."

 

The correct term is Bowfin.  Dogfish is another nickname.

 

They can actually swim up to the surface of the water body and gulp atmospheric air when oxygen levels drop too low in the water to use their gills.  Their air bladder, which is normally used to maintain neutral buoyancy, can instantly be used as a lung.  Wouldn't surprise me if they could make it on land from one swamp to another given that they can breath atmospheric air.

 

I've only ever caught one.  Wouldn't bother me if I never caught another one.

I definitely meant bowfin, not bowfish. ?‍♂️

[Johnbt]

The first one I ever caught was on the Chickahominy River above the lake in '72. I was dragging a piece of nightcrawler around under a bobber on a blazing hot day, just sort of drifting around with my girlfriend waiting for her parents to return. The fun part was being jerked around in a canoe. 

[TN bassmaster]

On 2/2/2023 at 10:44 AM, NorthernBasser said:

LOL. I lost 2. And a more Jackhammers than I wanna count. 

We have gar in tn and they love frogs and will tear them to shreds rip Megabass big gabot 

I rlly enjoy the rvs bling it has a rlly hard thump and like throwing it in my loomis mbr rods but my all time favorite is the boyah covert series 

[Captain Phil]

17 hours ago, gimruis said:

They can actually swim up to the surface of the water body and gulp atmospheric air when oxygen levels drop too low in the water to use their gills.  Their air bladder, which is normally used to maintain neutral buoyancy, can instantly be used as a lung.  Wouldn't surprise me if they could make it on land from one swamp to another given that they can breath atmospheric air.

 

Mudfish or bowfin are actually fun fish to catch.  They grow fairly large and their fight is strong. We normally encounter them in very shallow water, the hotter the better.  They get a bad rap because anglers think they have a big bass on the line when they don't.   They are somewhat ugly with those beady eyes.  I don't think they can move on land. We have a "walking catfish" that can.  Years ago, during one severe drought in the Everglades, I have seen mudfish and gars so thick you could destroy an aluminum prop hitting them as you rode down the canal.  Some bank fishermen will take them.   I have heard they are terrible eating.  If you are hungry I guess you will eat anything.

[Jason Penn]

if you are looking for compact and durable, the bassman compact is it.  the wire out of the head is so short, it's really hard to bend. the whole profile is too small to have a double willow blade bait.

 

as munkin mentioned, they are expensive and they don't put high quality blades on them. 

[detroit1]

On 2/1/2023 at 5:46 PM, webertime said:

Bottom Up Beeble.   This thing is amazing.

https://thehookuptackle.com/products/beeble

Best thing about that bait is the description.  ? 

[Tony Christian]

Thank you all for responding. I will go with the SV-3 in gill and the Pulsator Metal Flake in Best Color Ever.

[Pat Brown]

I'm pretty much exclusively using the Siebert Outdoors spinnerbait at this point.  They are very very well built and have super nice components and they look amazing in the water.  They're gonna get a workout in March!