Lake Fork Shad swim bait

[skeeterman24]

Has anyone used these?  I tied one on yesterday with a 1/8 oz weighted hook and I was really impressed with the action of it.  I have only used it weightless in the past but the bait would turn on the way in and it didn't seem right to me but with the weighted hook it ran much better and casted farther.

[Brad_Coovert]

I have used the 4 1/2" size quite a bit rigged weightless.  I've had the bait run on its side, upside down and right side up and caught fish regardless.  IMO, this random action is a plus as injured baitfish seldom swim the same way twice.  

A weighted hook will allow the bait to be fished faster and/or deeper and is a good rigging method as well.

Brad

[Raul]

Has anyone used these?

Yes and no, not exactly the Lake Fork but the original Javallon from Imakatsu. I don 't know if the Lake Fork version runs perfectly straight but the Javallon does unweighted, only problem with the original ( Javallon ) is that the bait is so soft that it tears up very easily, they are expensive and hard to acquire, it does have a killer action when twitched, pretty much like a dying fish.

[Matt Fly]

the live magic shad works well, swims true enough.    Currently one bait my lady friend insists on using.    All the time.

Seems to me, her favorite pattern is to fish bridge pilings all day.    Numbers have been too good.

Ever notice how a minnow or bait fish is swimming when being chased?   Seems to me erratic swimming would be good thing in most cases.

I like the bait alot, it just produces, but so does a fluke.

Matt

[Raul]

I think that in our particular case for us guys here in America the word is PRESSURE, we are not like Japan, compared to them our lakes have no pressure so our regular soft plastic baits produce well, don 't know how many of you guys have seen japanese fishing videos but let me tell you certainly I wouldn 't  want to be fishing for bass in those lakes, not only jet and water skiers but also all you can see is fsihing boats from one side of the lake to the other, there 's barely 2 cast lengths between boats, the lakes are crowded with bass fishermen during the weekends.

Can you imagine how many baits a bass sees during the day ? :-/

No wonder why japanese baits look so strange in most cases and some have very special action, also no wonder why so many specialized bass fishing techniques are developed by japanese anglers, techniques we in most cases know nothing about.

[jb_adams]

I think that in our particular case for us guys here in America the word is PRESSURE, we are not like Japan, compared to them our lakes have no pressure so our regular soft plastic baits produce well, don 't know how many of you guys have seen japanese fishing videos but let me tell you certainly I wouldn 't want to be fishing for bass in those lakes, not only jet and water skiers but also all you can see is fsihing boats from one side of the lake to the other, there 's barely 2 cast lengths between boats, the lakes are crowded with bass fishermen during the weekends.

Can you imagine how many baits a bass sees during the day ? :-/

No wonder why japanese baits look so strange in most cases and some have very special action, also no wonder why so many specialized bass fishing techniques are developed by japanese anglers, techniques we in most cases know nothing about.

Spoken by a true "Japanese bait junkee"! ;D

[bocabasser]

I love them! They swim great, and they catch fish. The only downside is they tear easy. I have found that if you bite off the head that has been torn, you can swim them on top and make a killer wake. I am going to order a bunch from brad.

[bass109]

I like their action, but i havent caught any fish yet on them. I guess i should gave them another try.

[jb_adams]

I haven't caught any fish with them either but I've only tried them a few times and I was not applying them correctly. Fan casting around an area just doesn't always produce on my lake and I know that now.

I'm going to try them rigged weightless and with a weighted hook around submerged cedar trees and laydowns. My lake is a really clean lake and there is not a lot of cover for fish to group around. There are submerged trees everywhere but the bass seem to like the cedar trees because it has more camouflaging ability as well as cover. They like easy targets as they wander by. So this will be a great bait for that I believe. Especially this time of year.

[Bream Master]

They are my most productive swimbait.  The hooks suck though on the ones you get from wal-mart.  You couldn't ***** yourself if you tried.  I change out the hook but yeah, I do fish them on the jig head.

[bass109]

Your right Bream Master, those hooks are cheap.  

[bassmaster8100]

I just bought some last night that I plan on trying out this weekend, they look really good and I think they should produce. The ones I bought didnt have no hooks , so I dont know about the cheap hooks??? These are the ones I bought http://www.cabelas.com/prod-1/0049893122370a.shtml

[.Paxamus.]

What line are yall using for them, the bait monkey bit me and I have two packs of them.  I also was wondering are yall throwin them with weight or without?

[Bream Master]

What line are yall using for them, the bait monkey bit me and I have two packs of them. I also was wondering are yall throwin them with weight or without?

I use #50 Sufix braid with #12 flouro. leader.  I do fish them on a jig head.

[.Paxamus.]

Are yall fising these around grass or structure?  I have some and was going to use them today, but could not stop throwing my buzzbait.  I plan on throwing them this coming weekend, any suggestions?  (I love that vid on their webiste!!)

[jb_adams]

I tried it again this weekend but I just didn't feel very confident with it considering weather conditions.  A weightless rig with the hook going through the side is an AWESOME fluke subsitute.  I used an EWG hook with the hook coming through the first "rib" so it would be easy to set the hook.  I also rigged the hook through the side of the bait instead of vertical like most people rig a fluke.  Rigging it sideways gives it a different action on the fall and it almost swims slowly as it falls.

If you have the patience for fishing slow, this should be an awesome bait.  Just have to find a color that works.  Their colors are limited and in clear water, you need a nice brown or plum color.