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Went last Saturday it was was a cold front and couldn’t get much going just a few small follows. Went today another cold front chilly windy raining and the big ones were eating. Had several good follows in 6-9lb range. Caught a 8 and had a few more hit and come unbuttoned that looked like 6-9 lb bass. Maybe the fact only two other boats on the lake helped idk but suprised me how well big ones were eating.

Klash 9 crappie 15.5”

Hey dudes just dropping by again to share a new swimbait model i finally got to a point where i feel like its good enough to be releases. This bait is basically an evolution from a shad glide bait that i made 3 years ago, i always liked the action of that bait but i always felt the details could have been done little better, so here we are with a new and improved shad 2.0 The shad is 10" and weighs 8.6oz

Depends on what is a big rat for you... the XL Naz rat is a solid rat, so is the CL8 baby possum but both them rats bodies are 6 1/2 inches if your looking for a big body the CL8 adult possum is a big bait and so is the Rago Alpha Mink both them are 8 inch bodies and 8-9oz here are some pics of different size rats I have... you are going to see pics of the Rago Alpha Mink beside my mother it’s a big rat, I have a brown one and my fishing partner has a Grey one as you see together in the picture... Also you will see a brown one with no tail and a thicker body profile that is a Rago XXL mink it’s 12oz ( good luck finding one lol ) but both the XL mink and adult possum will be a big player for me this summer also the Adult possum is in the muskrat color and the baby possum in the white along with my nez rat... I don’t have a XXL nez rat yet but will soon.. my biggest rat fish to date is on the XL nez rat.. they all have there own swim to them! Possum is a head up real tight wobble and the Rago XL mink has big hip wobble almost like it’s fling to roll over throw off a huge wake... the XL naz rat is a tight wobble has some knocking two to it also... Hope this post helps you with the size and what fits you! I got into rat fishing late last season and me and my fishing partner have bought a lot of different rats over the fall and winter... good luck this season man... 1st pic Adult possum , baby possum , naz rat 2nd pic spro rat 50, baby possum , Xl naz rat , Rago Aphla Mink , Adult possum 3rd pic baby and adult possum 4th pic Rago alpha mink with mother 5th pic Rago alpha mink ( grey ) with XXL mink 6th pic again Rago alpha mink with Rago XXL mink 7th pic back of Rago alpha mink vs Rago XXL mink you can see how much tighter the XXL mink is across the back like I said the XL mink is about 9oz and the XXL is 12oz both have a 8 inch body with tail your looking at 17-18inches.. 8th pic is both of the Rago XL minks together...

Went out for a night mission this weekend with a friend to one of our local ponds, wanted to stay dedicated to throwing the rat most the night which was pretty easy after sticking one within 5 minutes of getting to the spot. Ended up going 5 for 7 on the Spro BBZ1 Rat size 50, then stuck two more on the yunique and Matt lures gill baits. After a 6 hour skunk session the night before this definitely made up for it, nothing crazy size wise but just fun night with some top water bites.

Got another decent bass this morning walking the shores of a local lake. She ate the baby muskrat right at my feet after being drawn out of some reeds up tight to shore. It was awesome to see her wake and chase it down from a few yards away.

Hit local place this morning for 4 hours. Thunderstorms with cold rain rolled thru last night and had em tight lipped. Had a good one bose my OD rat and another swipe at my Pizz crankin carp. Saw some action back in the bushes so tied on my bullwake and finally got one to eat. Tight lines

Just for kayaking in general my #1 tip (not preaching or old-manning you here) but buy a good comfortable PFD and WEAR THE MF'ER...... Just this weekend there was a young dude that drowned on my local lake while in a kayak... just wear the PFD... beyond that, i don't see it as much different than fishing a boat or from shore or anything else... the only big difference for me is the length of the handles. most swimbait rods have pretty long handles that become obnoxious to deal with seated in a kayak. lastly, don't get caught up with buying every rod, reel, bait, accessory out there. fish from the kayak for a while before you go adding accessories to it so that you know where you want to put what... get a good soft bait, glide bait and a wake/rat bait and fish them until you've figured out the baits and/or the fish and then go from there. Just don't go in too deep too quick and get all spun out which happens all too often!

Have you tried suspending baits? Whenever i have no action with fish responding to my swimbaits, i use my negotiator and other suspending baits to keep it in the water column for a longer period of time which (for me) has had them follow or at least come check it out. If it's clear water I use feathered trebles to hide the hook since they are paying more attention to the baits and i down size on the hook size. I've also learned to do my own braid "Split ring" to silence the bait that much more.

Any new glide bait I test by tying direct and also with a snap or split ring. Sometimes the action is better tied direct for wider glides, because that forces you into inhabit of letting it glide on a slack line. I think the snaps and rings are there for a handle retrieve technique. That's all you need with some glides imo.

Rod and blank manufacturers are going to list products like 1-5 oz or 2-7 oz but that doesn't mean that they will handle everything equally well in the range. Generally there are going to be sweet spots within the listed range. So maybe your 1-5 custom is going to be best in the 1-2 oz range, or maybe its going to be best in the 3-4 oz range. Since no two manufacturers rate their rods exactly the same you really need to go out and fish those customs you have on order to find out where the sweet spots are- perhaps one of them is ideal for what you want. It also matters what type of water you are fishing. If you are bombing out long cast over big weed flats an 8' long heavy action rod (Dobyns 806, LDC H) is going to be fine. If you are working tight quarters (small pockets in weeds, letdowns, docks, etc) I find a shorter & lighter rod like the Dobyns 795 gives me better accuracy in casting than something like a 806 or LDC heavy. I think an XH rated rod is going to be a little too much for the baits you have pictured. For production rods I have used the Dobyns 867 is the most versatile as far as lure weights. The extra 6" of rod really makes a world of difference in how easy it is to cast all day especially once you get over 4 oz. But that rod also handles 2 oz baits fine. The biggest downside to the 867 is the size make it tougher to transport. My Ranger Z519 is a good sized boat but the rod lockers won't accept an 8 1/2 footer. The 867 is also not the most accurate casting rod in close quarters. As has been said on SU a million times, no one rod is going to do everything. If you can, I'd wait until you try out those rods you have on order before you jump into another one.

Trying to get into rat fishing this summer. What is a good all around size rat for trophy hunting? For normal baits I usually prefer 8-10 inches. Any ideas on specific rats? Thinking of a used Nezzuma but willing to take ideas. Xl or xxl nezzuma?

Thanks for everyone who comment in here and also Pmed me I got the one on the way !

Yes that was a Huge batch! FREAK. Circus in town?

Nothing special but it’s my first ever slammer and a shine glide I painted in a crappie pattern

Can never have enough 250s right?...

Get a single bait wrap per bait, if you’re out shore banging. TW or @Fallof74 makes some nice ones for short $ I just throw mine in my document bag from Home Depot (like $5) and go fish for the day then hang when I get home it takes a couple days for most baits to get kinked or not straight so if you’re out fishing for the day it’s not going to happen after a few hours

@Andrew209 you need the whole Varial knob assembly. I have a video on my YouTube channel about it. Just search and you’ll find other threads because it’s been asked before.

Beautiful!

dont let that stop you from tossing trout colors

They’re awesome ! Ashame no trout in my lakes

5.0 Bait co 187 trout and 187 Wake nCrank for sale! 75 for trout and 55 for gill tyd! Here are some swim vids! Hard to get an accurate video in such a small pool but I tried. IMG_0597.MOV IMG_0596.MOV

if you are fishing from the bank.... Hide behind a tree/bush when you are casting. Move slowly, and stay in the shadows. Also standing back from the water a good distance for the 1st few casts is always a good idea!

Usually leave it stock, but if bait comes without and I want the extra play I'll start by adding a #4 Decoy Egg Snap (typically fish 2.5-4.5oz baits). If bait sits 'nose up' I'll switch to #5 owner hypewires and size up until balanced. If bait sits 'nose down' I'll tie direct (rare). If direct, always good practice to carefully inspect line tie for any abrasion spots such as paint over-spray or burrs from split rings being put on which is common.

Yeah I'm going to let it play out for now and see what happens But now after looking on here a ton I'm looking at a ldc 7'9 white label

I picked up six that went over 5 lbs in one week when the Governor said my job wasn't considered essential. Two of them came on the Gancraft 230 Glide and Evergreen ES Flat which I included in the pictures. Also caught a couple of 4lbers on the Storm Arashi Glide and the new to me 6" Trash Fish. My other 5 plus fish came on a Mop jig and Spinnerbaits but I didn't include them on his forum for obvious reasons. So fishing wise things were going great until our draconian Michigan Governor said using a boat with a trolling motor and/or an outboard was not allowed and made you a menace to society . This is in place until April 30th, hopefully she won't extend that restriction.

Take advantage of the make an offer option on Ebay. Got one bnib for 275 a few weeks back

1. I use 15lb yozuri hybrid which is a fluoro blend for gantarels. But it tends to have larger diameter than regular lines. If you get the right rod with decent flex, you will be good. Really good fluoro can break a rod. I broke two spinning rods one year getting snags out. It hurt my hands haha. 2. A couple of famous sticks are worth researching. The guy at swimbait city has a short sb article he wrote on his site. Worth printing out. Also Butch Brown has done a copy of podcasts recently. They both recommend lower line fluoro diameters for big baits like punkers and even deps 250.

congratulations

That's a cool under shot of the bass! Good fish.

Finally!

That’s what I’m sayin lol. I really don’t think there’s a better imitation. And the swim on the beat is as good as any glide on the market. Wish it was a 9-10” bait

At Marlborough MA show, he sold out the first hour of 3 day show. He is local so he packed and went home. Others like pizz did too but he couldn't change his plane tickets so he hung around to chat.

Lanciotti Lures makes some cool patterns (check Instagram or Facebook).

Brook Trout patterns are a tricky deal. The reason for the coloring is camouflage not please come eat me. I happen to think some red patterned trouts got it down. If you can find an old monster jack Sr. Pattern in art berry rainbow pattern, it is an awesome imitator imo. It has a rusty redness to it fish seem to like.

Contact Joe from Real Prey. I’m not sure if he has them listed on his website but he wil make them if they are not listed

Thanks man, sorry I suck at searching topics, I’m more looking for softbaits

I bought his crappie and it's a sick little bait. Looks very well made. Gonna be perfect fir going down in size when they're not hitting the bigger wakes