Primus

BassStalker they do make a lefthand version of the large Curado which is 301, I have 3 and I'm very happy with these reels.

The 150 size(6" ) River to Sea Live Eye Bottom Walker is a productive bait for slow rolling in deep water and very affordable, I've stuck some nice fish on this lure.

I plan on making swimbaits a bigger part of my fishing though I don't plan on throwing them exclusively. I've been fishing the smaller swimbaits for a few years I now plan on integrating the bigger baits into my fishing and looking forward to doing more night fishing this coming summer. I've also dropped a small fortune on new baits his winter, certainly looking forward to learning these lures.

I got 1, Slow Sink White. Definetely looking forward to fishing it. I'm new to 3:16 hardbaits as this would be my 4th bait so far to go along with a Greenback Herring Floater, Kokanee Baby Wake and 1 Wake Jr. In Michigan the ice has melted, the last time I was out the water temp was 39 degrees so I'm waiting for the water temp to go up before I can so what they can do. I also have some Rising Sons & Mission Fish.

I don't listen to any music while I fish, nothing beats the sound of a bass crushing my topwater, the sound of my outboard, the zing of braided line through the guides that's all I need on the water. Off the water I listen to a little bit of everything except corporate prefabricated cookie cutter pop music and I don't care for Rap or Country. I appreciate classical, blues, world music, expieremental, Classic Rock , Progressive, Punk and certain heavy metal bands. I have a soft spot for jam bands like the Allmann Bros, Gov't Mule etc. The best music I've checked out lately has been Florence & the Machine, very unique artist. All time favorite band is Van Halen from 78-84 with David Lee Roth on vocals.

Based on ehat I've used so far... 6" River to Sea Live Eye Bottom Walker- I've done well slow rolling this bait in deep water 6" Spro BBZ Slow Sink Perch color Matt Lures Hard Gill Slow Sink- fun bait Strike King/ King Shad- small swimbait that's caught me a lot of nice fish I've been stocking on a lot of premium baits by Matt's, 316, Hudd, Baitsmith etc this winter and I have a feeling there will be a lot new baits that would be on my list a year from now

I'm fairly new to the premium & larger swimbait game so I'm not trying to sound like a smart aleck, please tell me what baits on the market that you guys consider to be a rip-off slash waste of money ? The reason I ask is that most of the swimbaits other than a couple I've tried seem to work well . That said I've tried a couple of premium baits and I can see a difference. The point I'm trying to make is that there is room for lower priced mass produced baits and because avid fisherman like myself are always seeking an edge there should be a market for premium baits. However the vibe that I've picked up from swimbait forums is that your not a true swimbait fisherman if your not fishing with 100$ baits which I don't agree with. That said I 'm fortunate enough to be able to afford to buy a few of these premium baits and now that I'm prepared to commit myself to this kind of fishing I'm looking forward to seeing where it takes me. I consider myself a fairly good crankbait fisherman and I have hundreds of crankbaits & jerkbaits paying a wde range of prices. Some of my favorite Jerkbaits have cost me 15 -20 $ or more but I've also had very good days with an 8$ X rap or for crankbaits a 5$ Storm Wiggle Wart. If I meet a soft plastics guy who wants to try out crankbaits I'm going to reccomend him some productive affordable options to get him started, if he really gets into it and is willing to spend the cash then I'll gladly reccomend premium baits that can in certain situations give him an extra edge. I would think based on my limited expierience the same would apply to swimbaits, my assumption is the handmade bait are probably better than a Spro, however if a guy is getting started and isn't sure this kind of fishing is for him I would be reluctant for him to sink the big bucks into these baits until he knows this is where he wants to as an angler and can afford these baits.

The question could be raised regarding how is a knock off defined ? If someone sets out to make a Bluegill bait if they are trying to closely match the forage it will look similiar to others who set out to do the same. Obviously the devil is in the details, Reaction Strike makes a BlueGill bait that is horrible in my opnion while Matts makes an excellent bait and this is the one I throw. That raises the question where do you draw the line between similiar and a copy ? I don't know but I think it's a pertinent question in a discussion of this nature ( see Yamamoto Senko as an example). That said not everyone has the resources to buy a 50$ plus bait. If they can get a 5" Tru Tungsten on sale at Tackle Whse for $15 and that will give them a chance to enjoy fishing a small swimbait can't say I blame them and though I prefer the Matt's Bluegill I have to admit the Tru Tungsten is a good bait and would be a solid selection. I also fish a couple lakes that are extremely Pike heavy, I may not want to chance throwing an expensive sub surface bait in those particular waters. I know in my case I have come in to trying premium swimbaits by having some success with mass produced models like the Strike King/ King Shad, 5" Tru Tugsten,6" Spro, River to Sea V joint wake minnow (which is a very productive bait for under 10$) these were baits small enough to throw without specialized gear that have caught me some nice sized fish. These baits have been for me gateway baits that have got me excited to try premuium baits from the likes of Matt's, 316, High Power etc. My first premium bait was the Matt's Hardgill and that has led me to purchase some of the other highly regarded baits that I've read on forums such as this one. Anyway to the custom bait makers I would not feel threatened by the mass produced models unless someone set out to make an identical bait, I would look at the better versions of these baits as a way to get people to try these type of lures and I think you will find that some will be like myself and will see the potential of this bait category and will eventually seek out the better baits. I know when I first started fishing I would have never imagined that I would purchasing mutiple 200-400$ rods etc but I did, that said affordable tackle will get people to try this sport and if they become passionate about it they will seek out better product as I have gradually done.

I ordered some Perch & Green Back, should be a cool bait.

Strike King/ King Shad which nabbed a nice 5lber in the first 20 minutes that I threw it and has added a few more nice ones since then. First premium swimbait would be a Matt Lures Hardgill.

Great pics Fish DR. My best bait last year was the 6" River to Sea Live Eye Bottom Walker and the 6" Spro slowsink BBZ in the Perch color. Discovered Matt's Bluegill & Realprey Alewife late and I have a feeling that will play a big part of my fishing for 2011. For 2011 I plan on throwing some premium hardbaits from 3:16, Matt's, 22nd Century & High Power. Also plan on getting a couple of Wood Lunker Punkers. Going to try some 6" -8" soft baits from 3:16, Baitsmith, Hudd & Matt's. Though I've been primarily a crankbait fisherman the last few years most of my focus in 2011 will be trying to learn swimbait fishing. As Boomah knows not many in Michigan where I live are willing to throw the big baits and I want to be ahead of the curve and also because they tend to select bigger fish.

Easy guys and be thankful you don't have a calender mandated offseason Anyways lets talk swimbaits, what do you reccomend?

No offense, I've been called that myself and by the way I didn't take it that way. Thanks for the advice, I just have to wait for the dreaded ice to go away.

Speedbead, just trying to get a fresh take on swimbaiting as I'm fairly new to the game it's good to see you over here by the way. Boomah21 definetely, I've got a few goodies on the way from Matt's on the way. Regarding buttaluns I appreciate the pm, can't fiqure out how to respond as I can't find the reply button. Hope you don't mind that I post an answer here that I'm from Battle Creek (SW side of state) and within reason don't mind paying for a premium bait. I have not had a chance to fish these yet but in addition to picking up various 6" & 7" soft swimbaits for slow rolling etc and got my first two 3:16 baits one being a wake jr the other a FS Herring both being a floater. Also got my first 22nd 8" Slow Trout in a bass color along with a High Power shad bait. Have a few more Matt's hardgills & one hardperch on the way. Before the spring will probably pick up a couple more baits. Thanks guys for the responses so far.

For a litte background I've been primarily a crankbait fisherman the past few years and have gradually started fishing the Strike King/ King Shad & similiar baits. Last summer had some success on the 6" River to Sea Live Eye Bottom Walker, 7" Slammer & Matt's hardgill and I've found throwing swimbaits to be so much fun that starting in 2011 I'm going to spend a lot of time with these baits which has started a little spending spree that's began this fall. So what baits would you guys reccomend for my part of the country? Thanks and great website!