Best Huddleston 68vROF+Color

[1984isNOW]

I'm considering getting a Hudd 68, I fish more weedy ponds than big lakes, but have one lake I fish a few times a year pretty clean bottom that has produced half of my 5#+ bass.

 

Which color and rod?

 

Anybody try the perch color? Looks nice

[Fried Lemons]

The fish in my avatar ate a rainbow trout hudd 68 rof 12 and came from a waterbody with gizzard shad and no trout. The rof 12 is good if you want it to hit bottom and stay there on the retrieve. The rof 5 would be more versatile if you also want to throw it in ponds, but you may need to add nail weights for fishing deeper on the big lakes. 

 

Rod depends on your budget and how much you want to get into it. The 68 isn't a big bait, you can throw it on a flipping stick with braid if that's what you have.

[Hammer 4]

98% of my hudds are rainbow trout.

My preferred rod is the Irod swimbait jr. All of my swimbaits are 16 ROF. 

[1984isNOW]

I realized I have a savage gear pulse tail trout RTF, it's an 8 inch slow sink, but I haven't even used it yet. Not sure I wanna now get a huff68 I also won't use.

 

Maybe I'd actually use it since it feels more dialed back. Maybe I'll grab a magdraft instead?

[jimanchower]

On 10/31/2023 at 9:14 PM, Kites R4 Skyfishing said:

Maybe I'd actually use it since it feels more dialed back. Maybe I'll grab a magdraft instead?

 

I only recently picked up a Huddleston (68, ROF12) to try out this winter but that and the Magdraft seem like completely different baits. Magdraft I retrieve at a pretty constant medium-ish pace in the upper part of the water column and the Hudd I plan on using to bump the bottom on a slow retrieve.

[camman]

My favorite swim bait is the top hook Hudd 68 ROF 12 in trout.  I’ve done well at places like Clear Lake or the Delta that don’t have trout and fish still bite it.  Personally I don’t think the color really matters.  I’ve found I usually do better dragging them along the bottom so that’s why I prefer the 12 over the 5.  I do have a few of the weedless rof5 but I don’t really fish them that much.

[WRB]

If you have toothy big predators like Pike and Musky the perch color will attract them. The Phantom Rainbow trout is a lighter green and would be my choice for clearer water 6+’ of visibility, the darker rainbow trout for less water clarity.

ROF 12 w/top hook improves strike to hook up ratio.

The 68 Hudd is 2 1/3 oz but fishes heavier imo.

I don’t use braid with soft swimbaits as the line cuts the lure.

25 lb Sunline Armilo Nylon line is ideal. The IROD Gen 3 IRG 783 SB is good with Shimano Cardiff 300A series reel.

Tom