mad_paddler

That really is a good looking rat/rodent looking bait.

Anybody got any thoughts on the mini slammer? It looks great as a smaller wake bait.

The JB Weld did the trick, I tried to get it to tweak out of line and the fix held. Now I am back in business. I plan on putting some stronger hooks on it, however the hooks that come stock are EXTREMELY sharp, accidentally hooked myself in the hand a few times just handling the bait.

If you threw a trout in that lake, how long do you think it would take to get eaten? There are no trout in the lakes I fish (here in TX) either but the trout profile baits get slammed. Bass don't consult their Field Guide to Indigenous Aquatic Species before they crush something. If it looks like food, they treat it like food. Matching your local forage is a great idea (and a good way to start out, especially with lighter gear) but don't discount the trout profile baits just because there aren't trout in that lake. And, welcome to the forum. ; ) Point made, I have been watching some Southern Trout Eaters segments and my mind is blown. I feel like I'm waisting my time now, throwing these tiny hardgills. But, until I pile up enough money for some triple trouts and freestyle baits I will be thoroughly pleased with my hardgill and will fish the hell out of it.

After seeing what big lures can do out in California and elsewhere in the west, a lightbulb lit for me and I have slowly been dabbling in swimbaits. I don't have a dedicated swimbait setup yet so I am just using lighter swimbaits that can be tossed with a flippin stick and braid. Unlike California, here on Guntersville, they don't stock rainbow trout and so trout type lures I don't feel would be a big hit around here. However I have caught bass through the years that have bluegill tails sticking out of their gullets. I know for a fact that big bass on Guntersville prefer to eat bluegill and shad over smaller dinky things like crawfish. With that being said I have been exploring big baits in the Bluegill and Shad realm. I happened upon Matt Lures website where he had some awesome looking hardbaits as well as soft baits. I did some research and found that his softbaits did really well around spawn season where bluegill try to rob nests. You just flip the bluegill into the nest and let it sit there lifeless. However, this is not really my style, I don't really like targeting spawners (though it is fun) and the season has passed and now it is summer. Moving on, I noticed he had some Hard Bluegill baits with two and three joints. The baits are extremely detailed (taxidermy quality) and the hardware is beefy. The baits are crafted of some type of polymer plastic/resin and are very solid. I ordered it Monday, it arrived late Friday. I got the slowsinking version in male bluegill pattern. I didn't have enough time for a full out fishing trip with it but I did want to at least take it down to the water and cast it and see what all the ruckus is about. Let me just say, I was blown away at how well it swam, it looks like a real daggum fish, and it thumps like a big colorado bladed spinnerbait. I slowrolled it with my rod tip up and it made a beautiful wake across the top of the water, just a slow relaxed bluegill wandering around. I experimented with my rod trying to give it more action and as I was slow rolling it up near the surface I would shake my rod tip a little and it would swim in a searching/hunting path (not a straight line). After that I let it sink for a bit and slowrolled it back to the dock a few feet underneath and on the second cast doing that I could see a bass swipe at it, it wasn't a big one (2-3lber) but I could feel it tag the bait but it didn't get a hook. I experimented with it for nearly an hour and had another bass try and smack it (I could even see that boil when it happened but it didn't get a hook either. So far I think this bait may be my new favorite. The paint job is outstanding and the swimming action is just hypnotizing. It casts like a dream and I love that you can feel it thumping down there (it helps alot to know if the hooks are fouled and what not) The hooks that came on it are razor sticky sharp but I may trade out the front hook for a bleeding hook to give it a little splash of red. Well today I took it down to the water again for a few hours early before I had any appointments and lets just say, I was not disappointed. The sky was overcast and it was slightly breezy. I walked down a familiar bank casting onto a shell/grass flat. only problem I had today (and its visible in the last photo) was the last segment's eye screw came loose and started twisting slightly. I would just twist it back and go on fishing but when it would twist out of whack it would swim oddly. When I got home I mixed up some JB Weld, unscrewed the screw and shoved the JB Weld down in the screw hole with a little splinter of toothpick. I let it tack up and ran my screw back in. It is setting now, we will see if that helps.

Just an update, I went with the 6 inch wood (it's en route). I got the foiled trout finish....if it turns out I can't toss it with the rod I've got I may just have to upgrade rods. I mean why get something small that folks complain doesn't walk well...I will see how it goes. I fish from a kayak btw. I whacked them on a 4.5 inch Sammy today. Both hybrid stripers and largemouth. I was headed out originally to frog the grass mats and see what I could pull out but the schoolers were busting out deeper so I chased them around casting into their blowups.

I wrote a new topic post on here earlier today but it looks like it didn't post for some reason. I am looking into getting a wood punker, but the rod I'm using is an inshore rod rated for 1.5 ounce. It says m/h but is a little on the heavy side. Do you think I would be alright throwing a 6 inch wood punker or would I need to downsize to the 5 inch? I want to go as big as possible with what the rod can handle and the 6 incher is close to 2.5 ounces. :/

I am new at swimbaits but have a few hudds and castaics and such and just ordered a hardgill. I am looking into a Punker because I love topwater and here on Guntersville the topwater bite is about to be sizzling. I am using a Hurricane Inshore rod thats rated for 1.5 ounce. The 5" wood punker is 1.6 ounce and the 6" wood is more like 2.5. Would I be fine throwing it on the inshore rod or would I need to go with the 5". I prefer to throw the 6 inch because it trumps all these Magnum Super Spooks that I see thrown around here by an inch and would really be something different. Also I have hear good and bad about the injected punkers, some say they don't walk as good (or wide) and some say they just love them and have thrown all of their Super Spooks in the trash. With the injected Punkers I could afford to throw the 6" because it is lighter by almost an ounce, but will it walk as good? Opinions please?

Wayne, I see pictures of you and your giant PA bass all over the place with that hardgill. Would you care to share what sink rate you prefer? I am in the market for one or two.