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Got a big one on the Swimbait underground k9. This one came off a point near deep water early in the morning . Water temps are still 46F in North Jersey.

March 27 at 11:26am the stars aligned and I got her… Wasn’t planning on fishing that morning, but the day prior my boss wanted to trade me vacation weeks so I asked for the rest of the week off as part of the deal and he agreed to it. So I hurry to the lake the next morning, anxious as the conditions are about as ripe as they get this time of year. I arrive at an empty parking/launch facility and rush to get my boat in the water and head over towards my first spot. Three casts in I am running a soft bait parallel to the bank and watch an easy 4-5 pounce on it and pin it to the bank. I set the hook and broke it off. Tie up another soft bait and throw out downhill. I get thumped again only to have that fish run me in to grass and come off and it blew the nose out of the bait so it was virtually destroyed. Rather than spend the time to retie another, I grabbed my glide bait set up and fire it out there. Somewhere near the edge of the same grass bed I got thumped again and lean into it. BIG one. Got her in the net and decided to well her up and run her to the other side of the lake in hopes a bigger fish would move up in her place later in the morning. Heading in to the area I wanted to release the fish at, I started fishing my way in and the glide bait gets thumped again… I see a pale beast of a fish trying to turn and dig but I kept her coming toward me and bounce her off the net as I try and get it under her. She turned and made a strong run, but I got her turned back around and scooped her up. I screamed and shouted a few times in celebration as I knew what I was looking at. It was obvious she had several inches on the fish I had in the livewell. I rush to the shoreline to try and take shelter from the wind and waves and weigh the fish. I let the smaller one go after a few quick pics and a weight so I could focus on giving the bigger one lots of time to rest between photos and measurements. She went 24.2” x 18.7” weighed 10lbs 12oz and shatters my old PB by over a pound. Public waters predator. A true unicorn of a Northern Strain bass. She bit right as the baro bottomed out and after taking my time with her the bite window closed up and I didn’t get bit again the rest of the day. Before releasing her I called my friend Brandon and he just happened to be leaving work early so he shot to the lake to see her and be there for the release. We had always talked about him being there for this fish, and they way it worked out he basically was. On the way home it all hit me. All of the hours dedicated to grind. All of the money spent in the pursuit. All of the failures and mistakes made along the way. All of the time with friends and my family that I selfishly sacrificed for this fish... It all came together and my quest to hit double digits is over. Of course I gotta shout out Brock from Hiroshima Customs for producing the tools that made it all possible and for the customer service over the years keeping baits in rotation that were critical to my success. The bait I caught her on(8.5 hiro) has earned retirement for the years of abuse I’ve put it through. It’s bounced off more hard surfaces than a resin bait should withstand. It hung my wife’s PB as well so it’ll go on the wall, possibly with a replica mount of the fish. A cast to catch, weighing and release video will go up on YT after the spring bite is over. Thanks for taking the time to read.

March was pretty good to me closed out the month with a solid NJ fish and a few mediums. The soon to be released 7” Smolt from Hoog has been really solid and got me a few good ones this month IMG_1026.mov

9" on the site now

can you share your discount code?

Idk dude, just throwing in my experience, I’ve currently got a 40 message thread in email with Lendl. Questions answered, prayers sent for his fam with everything he’s got going on right now. Bait being painted and info being shared, he’s hella dope to me. I don’t think he’s picking and choosing as he doesn’t even know what I look like or who I am due to having no socials. He’s a good dude to me and always has been. I can say the same for passang/steve and Mario at OD. Al my emails get answered. One thing that all these convos have in common is I’m coming off very respectful and grateful for everything they do for us. Idk man sorry that you’re having these problems but illude has so far been very cooperative and giving to me.

I’ve become a big fan of the baitsanity explorer gill. Very smooth glide and comes with multiple tails to make it more versatile. They are cheap, durable, and readily available, though the paint is not ultra realistic light you might find on other options.

Agreed on the sly, the 6.2 is the best of the bunch I’m also a fan of the Deltadood/skumline customs gill glide. Has a tunable weight chamber and his gill pattern is dope. @Jinxd12makes a couple sick ones too, there’s some pics in the grassroots section and I know he just got some custom painted which came out great. Great dude to deal with a long standing member of SU (as are sly and Deltadood)

I have a 2pc poured with a body style i've never released to the public I'll get some pics up when I start on it

again, we are talking about a small business, one man shop. if he doesnt want to be pumping baits left and right its his right to. and if he doesnt want to sell baits to dudes that got nothing to prove its also in his right. he doesnt owe you shiit and your crying about supporting someone else wont make him lose sleep.

He has always replied back to me.

Got to the ramp early today, 30min before sunrise, trying to beat the crowd. That was an epic fail as a 25boat tourney was launching just as I got the boat in. My personal goal this year is a 7+. Been getting them on the 6" magdraft last few trips, up to 5lbs. Wanted to play with the 8" mag and savage gear shine glide today. The glide paid off. Second spot the big girl decided to play. About 12ft deep near downed trees in 53 degree water. Biggest fish for me in close to 6 years. Few stops later got hammered next to a downed tree. Thought it was gonna top the 6.2 as she was dogging me deep. Then she full on breached about 20ft away. Got her boat side and netted then she did the characteristic death roll. A solid 5min to get her untangled and unhooked. Snapped a quick pic and back in the water to swim away strong. Both fish on shine glide in hitch pattern. Tatula 200 on dobyns fury 795 with 50lb suffix braid to 17lb sufix mono. 3rd day of 65+ temps with a storm rolling in tomorrow. Hopefully back on the water next Friday to top these.

Went out fishing with my parents for Easter today, and managed to get a Chain pickerel on the Megabass I-slide 187R! I got this glide last fall but hadn’t fished it much at all. Saw that pickerel try to eat it and I jerked it out of his mouth; I threw it back in the same spot and he tried to choke it! Not very big but still cool to catch!

Hey everyone, I really enjoy reading all about your catches in this sub, especially the posts that go into detail and explain how they caught the fish. These stories really provide me with more ideas on what to test and ways I can improve my own fishing moving forward. Anyway, a few days ago, I decided to hit up a small city park lake I haven't been to in a while to get in a quick bank fishing session. This spot isn't really known for big fish and is highly pressured, so I went in fully expecting to catch some dinks. To my surprise, I ended up catching a couple of good ones! Here’s the breakdown: Setup: Megabass VKC-711XH Shimano Scorpion MD 300XGLH DRT Tiny Klash Joy Thief Lo - Stock Lip, V-Tail, G-Guard, Weighted To Suspend Weather: 50 Degree Air Temps 10 mph North Winds With Up To 15 mph Gusts Mostly Sunny Time and water conditions: Around 6pm ?? Water Temps (based on feel, guessing above 50 but below 60) - probably way off on that Water visibility - About 5 ft The Catches: The wind was blowing from the north, so I decided to start on the south bank, where the wind was blowing against it. This end is typically deeper and has more interesting structure. Another thing I noticed was the loons swimming in that area, which I took for a sign that it might be where a lot of the bait fish are holding. I figured that’s where most of the bass would be concentrated in this scenario. I started out by cranking the TK until it gained some depth, and then I would deadwalk it back with various cadences. Think jerk, jerk, pause for a few seconds, and repeat, testing various lengths of the pause, ranging anywhere from 3 to 5 seconds. I mainly focused on fan casting and paralleling any visible drop-offs or structural irregularities. I got a few small followers but no commits. Then, I saw what appeared to be some baitfish being chased near a small point about 40-50ft away. This indicated to me that the fish were probably more active and preferred something faster. So I switched up the retrieve to a faster deadwalk. Basically, a quick and erratic deadwalk by making quick quarter turns of the reel handle, with less than half a second pauses in between each reel turn, all the way back to shore. I walk over to where I had seen the movement and make a cast towards deep water, paralleling the side of the small point. I start the retrieve, and just as the TK approaches the tip of the point, I get bit Hard. I wasn't expecting it, so I barely set the hooks into it. It was a total textbook situation, from the cast angle to the retrieve, and even where the bite happened. I get her close to shore and go in to lip her, but then I end up slipping on a rock! She thrashes her head, trying to make another run, and as I quickly get up to lip her, I noticed she had T-Boned the TK! At this point, there was no way I was going to lip her bare-handed with those treble hooks swinging everywhere. So, in a last-ditch effort, I grab the line and bank her on the shore. Not the most elegant way to do things, but at least I land her. This lake isn't really known for fish bigger than 1-2 lbs, so I didn’t bother bringing my scale or measuring board. Something I really regret now, but regardless, she was definitely a good one for this lake. Nobody was around, so I snapped some quick pics and sent her back on her way. For the next catch, I reach the other side of the point and make a cast across a section that funnels into another part of the lake. There is a shallow flat on the opposite side that drops off into deep water, with what is usually a shallow hump beside it. However, due to the low water levels, the hump is currently above water. I make a cast parallel to the edge of the flat where it drops off into deep water, start the retrieve, and right as I pass the hump, I get bit again in another textbook scenario! I land her and see she must have really wanted the TK because she nearly choked it! Holding her up, I realize she's even bigger than the last one, though I have no weights or measurements to be certain. Fortunately, this time, I manage to get a random passerby to take some pictures for me. Overall, it was a pretty good session! Also made a quick sketch on the lake breakdown below.

Hey guys wanted to share a rig that I’ve came up with experimenting on my own custom hand poured Swimbaits and wanted to share it with you guys as it will apply to creating a harness on all soft baits. Haven’t seen anyone talk about this before, this could be a game changer for rigging soft baits and with stuff you probably already have ! https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4zOU-pLSa6/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== https://westcoastbaits.net/f/mastering-the-art-of-rigging-the-roma-trout-swimbait Butch Brown Rig Harness: 1. Take an XL Screw lock spring and thread on a #3 - 90lb Swimbait Underground Split Ring or similar size that you may have on hand. Small size and strong split rings is key. 2. Tie a short leader of 30lb P-line PF/CXX to the split ring and on the other end of the line, tie on your treble hook as close as possible. We recommend using VMC or Gamakatsu as they have a flat side that lays flat on the bait with the two prongs sticking up. 3. Use the XL Screw lock spring and center it in the nose of the Swimbait, make sure the split ring is straight up and down, not sideways, the knot is faced toward the back of the bait, put the treble hook on the back of the bait. 4. After rigging then tie your main line towards the middle of the split ring. so you will have two knots on the split ring one in the middle is your line tie and the other on the back towards the hook. 5. Place 3/32 tungsten nail weights in each of the fins for weight and stability. If using stock springs from owner beast hooks, After rigging For added security you can unscrew the harness halfway and place a few drops of loctite super glue gel and then screw back on all the way. The main benefit of this rig is it is very stealthy, can be fished in any depth, and has a great hookup ratio. The Roma trout is soft and flexible so it can fold inside the mouth after getting bit and ensuring a good hookset on the fish. The most important thing is when you get a fish on, it has a direct connection from your direct mainline to your split ring to treble hook no need to use wire, crimps or have special tools anyone can tie up this rig with what they may already have laying around or on the water.

I grabbed one to try. The 6&7 seems to be the sweet spot for me, but these are interesting, .

Toxic Juke Glide gets bit really well

Same here. It’s def intriguing but I’ll prob stick with the 7s as well. I’m hoping with the several different colors for the 9s he’ll throw some citizen 7s or BS up soon in the same colors.

Maybe since it’s a new bait it was just random like he does with the BS and Tyrants @22RangerZ520R you snag you some?

Did they stop announcing drops? I signed up for the emails but haven’t gotten one since February.

+1 on the Sly 6.2”. One of the most productive baits for me last summer/early fall. Hookup percentage is no issue 10/10 some of the most aggressive bites I’ve gotten they bite like they’re trying to kill it.

Sly Guy 6.2" gill without a doubt. Ultra realistic, perfect action and it is big enough to attract huge fish but also small enough that the hookup ratio is great.

Nice fish!

Roll lip mode A

I've never had an issue with him. If you dm throw ig it could be in his request folder alot of people don't look in there

Been sitting on this for a little while, might mold it and see what I can do with it!

Looks healthy. How'd you fish the K9? Lip in mode A?

Looks like a good one congratulations !!

Been chasing this pattern for a month or so now, yesterday I finally hit it right and stuck the first fish of the year on a Deps 250. Fish was 19.5” and weighed 5.5lbs with fresh trout in its gullet.

After catching my first two swimbait fish earlier this week, I was lucky enough to break my personal best today! I'm in law school right now, so I don't get to fish as much as I'd like- I probably fish more than I should already. That being said, spring break is upon us! My buddy and I have been hitting our local lakes and ponds hard this week with water temps steadily rising. Last year I had caught my previous PB, a 6lb 13oz fish on a wacky worm that came out of this pond in April, and I knew there was some serious swimbait potential here. The bank holding the concrete pad splits in the center with a dock going out about 30 yards. I had blown the side we came in on by walking down on the pad, and knew if there was a fish on the other side, I'd have to be a little sneakier. I positioned myself high up on the bank above the pad, made a few casts under the dock, and slowly inched my way forward. With the angle I was at, I only had about 10 feet of fishability before I had to swing my bait up the bank to avoid dragging it on the concrete. As I made my way forward, I pitched my TK on the other side of a branch sticking out of the water, where the depth was probably around 2-3 feet. I had been burning the Tiny Klash all morning with little success, so I slowed it down. Twitch, twitch, twitch, pause... and BOOM. She came out of nowhere and sideswiped my bait HARD. The whole event happened in about a second, but watching it felt like minutes. I set the hook in disbelief and yelled at my buddy to get his ass over here. I should NOT have landed that fish, that's for sure, but somehow, I did. My hookset was late, and she shook her head hard. Finally got her to the bank with one treble pinned in the corner of her jaw. This fish beat my last PB at 7lbs 3oz. SO close to 8, I'm almost mad about it. Almost.