KeepinItReelFishing

Where: NJ Where-where: Northwest, Sussex area When: 6:30PM - 9:30PM Lures: Chatter-gill, Sea Fly A solid night yesterday on numbers (5 bass) for only about three hours on the water. Good size however continues to elude me. I had it in my head to dig a little deeper in the crates and run some stuff I haven't in a while. A few years ago I thought what would happen if I added a chatterbait style blade to the Mattlures Ultimate gill. Turns out it does something interesting. Yes, it gives you the shake and vibration you would expect, but the main thing it does is slow down the lure and generate a lot...I mean A LOT of lift. End result; You can craaawwll the bait at a super slow speed while easily keeping it on top. In comparison to my multi segment hard wake baits or floaters the action is much more subtle, and unique. I like this rig for glass calm condition with low light. Its just not as intrusive as the big wakes that click and clack with their body segments. Granted, sometimes that's the deal.....but particularly in that super slick, glass calm water the very subtle action of this rig has paid dividends over the years when those others wouldn't get a look. Try it....see what you think. Now, once nightfall came and it got dark-dark I pulled out the Lemire's Sea Fly (5", 3oz). This thing makes the Arbogast Jitterbug XL look like a little toy. Its an all wood bait, line through, with a XXL swiveling barrel for the marine grade treble hook. If ya miss them on that and they grab the tail what they get then is a 4/0 inline hook. Point being your likely fishing this around weeds/cover and both hook propositions are purposeful in keeping your giant on even in those sketchy areas....at night.....where you can't see what they hell is quite happening out there. Another interesting thing I have noticed, there are no subtle strikes on big/XL sized Jitterbug style lures. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE is like a small stick of TNT exploded under the lure. Something about that very loud and deep 'PLOP - PLOP - PLOP'. No slurping baits off the surface with these, its absolute 100% "I'm gonna f'in crush every bone in your body" style strikes!! I truly think this is due to the sound and relating 'swim signature'. They believe that only a violently crushing blow will be able to subdue this meal. Many of my other large wakes....9" Slammer, 3:16 Wake Jr., 8" Mattlures Meathead, etc. I get the lure either slurped off the surface or these minimal strikes. Just something to keep in mind if your of the "I like heart stopping, Jaw's-like strikes in the dead of night" persuasion. And really, that's a rhetorical statement. If your not, leave now. LOL I know most of us travel in the same circles....so if you see is this post over on SU ignore it....its the same. Carl / Keepin'ItREEL Fishing

LOL.....THIS!!! Holy crap Wayne. I have about 10 and I thought that was a lot! I don't know about you but the truly special baits that are from the craft manufacturers I also stock up on. You just never know when they may stop making them, by choice or due to life event.

I spoke with (e-mailed) the creator of Going Fishing shortly before he stopped making his bait. Some of you may remember he auctioned off not only his original molds, but also his "process" for making the bait. I'm happy to see that there was a buyer and curious if the end product will be as good. The originals had a very nuanced paint job, and the resin cast had tons of small bumps representing scales, which was unique (see pics). Not to say any of that has anything to do with the lures effectiveness on the water, but even among my rare, limited, and other high end baits it stood out as a particularly well made lure. And Brian (bassbass), I think the reason you see so few fish caught on them is their rarity. I would venture to bet less that 75 exist in total all of the various sizes. With so many good gills on the market, no one HAS to fish it, and with demand and price high it sets up a situation of collect ability. I 'collect' very few lures, but I sold my 4 piece due to the crazy market price and the 2 piece, that one I too just hang on to. I see no mention of the 4 piece model on this new website. I wonder if that will re-emerge. -Carl

Still on them Nathan.....good stuff!

What are your thoughts on that Phenix M1? Which model btw....MH or H? I'm considering one but trying to get a bit more feedback. Thanks, -Carl

NIce northeast bass! Congrats my man. Putting in that early AM work!

#1 - through and through. I always go a little nuts when I hear people say they are stoked because its a "swimbait fish". A 3lb fish is a 3lb fish, regardless of how its caught. The sole, singular, and only reason the truly large swimbaits were made was because anglers were purposefully trying to target the biggest bass possible. The Mike Shaws 9" Slammer, Ken's 8" Huddleston, Rago's full size Generic Trout, and Deps' 250 Slide swimmer (just to name a few of the more recognizable) were not developed in an effort to catch mediocre fish on a giant lure...they are BIG, to catch BIG. Its always been a simple equation; big lures are made to catch big fish. Listen, its a free country....do whatever you like. But, by that psychology you would drive in nails with a sledgehammer, use a table grinder to sharpen a pencil, and buy a Porsche only to pick up groceries. You can use any tool is whatever way you wish, but it becomes obvious that the tool we refer to as truly large swimbaits were expressly created for the purpose of catching giants (of which statistically they achieve their goal over their traditional size counterparts). If the priority is catching a fish on a big swimbait, then at a minimum you should be able to present a few significantly different options. Just like with traditional lures if you try to force a bite on a presentation they are not cued in on you will eventually get a bite, but you are spinning your wheels. Have a purposeful mix of soft big baits, and hard big baits. Notice I said 'big bait' and not just swimbait. I would strongly advise anyone to channel what makes big swimbaits catch bigger fish, and condense it down to the foundation....larger size. Its not a fish profile that makes a disproportionate amount of giant fish bite, its the fact the lure is very big. In the same way many musky anglers catch trophy bass while using their giant musky spinners and such. Size is the key determinant here. Having said that, in pressured waters and/or very clear waters the realism that is unique to some of the big swimbait manufacturers (Hudd is a great example), without question does play a significant role in their success. Fish are not perpetually keyed in on a big meal. You will waste many a day if you don't allow for the fact that huge fish also eat plenty of small things. There are many telling images from State's Fish & Wildlife departments that show the gut contents of giant bass when they conduct electric fish shocks in order to accumulate data on the health and presence of various fish species in a waterway. Yes, giant fish will often have a giant meal in them, but usually accompanied by a whole lot of average size baitfish, craws, etc. The hardest part is one has to have some serious time under their belt with a strong foundation on bass behavior, environmental factors, and most importantly knowledge of particular waters in order to even make the smart choices as to when to focus on big lures vs traditional. For instance, I have smaller bodies of water here in NJ and fish places usually under 50 acres. Even so, only after about 3-4 years of putting in a lot of time on a body of water do the particulars of that place and the nuances of the bass there begin to come clear. Yes, general seasonal patterns are a given, but regular, repeatable success comes in different and specific ways even on these smaller waters. To summarize: Put in the bulk of your time in an area with your big baits, but before leaving for the next spot cover that same area with some smaller traditional baits. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose. Lastly, I always advise being a 'big bait angler' instead of focusing on a 'swimbaiter'. Employing a variety of giant sized lures (giant jigs, giant worms, giant spinnerbaits, giant crankbait, etc) affords you to appeal to not only the fish's desire for a big meal, but also varied types of meals. -Carl / Keepin'ItREEL Fishing

Great fish @ 23".....nice! Awesome pictures too. Congrats! -Carl

Right??!! I've been bundled up with multiple thermals, two hoodies, gloves and a fleece hat! Nathan must have some kind of internal blood warming system....that just doesn't make sense! lol BIG Congrats though bro! Two 7lb'ers in a single outing is unheard of most anyplace north of the 40th parallel. For you to do that on the other side of the border is TRULY amazing.

NICE!! I don't think there is a better feeling than starting off the year and first thing cracking a new PB. That happened to me a few years back. First outing, 10 casts in I got one that smoked my previous PB. The beauty was that immediate success gave me ALL KINDS of fuel to pursue even harder the rest of the year. Congrats again on a great fish, a solid outing, and awesome pictures! I just got the Pixel 3 a few months back and that portrait mode is no joke.

Agreed, Conner. And for the record that picture of you as a boy with that bass is pure, captured joy...just AWESOME. Incredible size will always beget a story to go with it, but often an average fish may have a terrific moment a person wants to immortalize. I spoke at length with the individual who is doing my mount and he told me he has had people mount average size sunnies, because they were their kids first catch on their own. Or, an average size catch from an outing with a very sick family member. In these instances a quality framed picture of the individuals/fish alongside the mount really brings the memory of the moment together. Regarding sheer size, I'll throw in my 2 cents here in the northeast as a NJ angler. I always said that if I cracked an 8lb fish (largemouth) I would mount it (replica). That's truly the mark of an exceedingly rare fish and an individual may, or may not ever see a largemouth of that size again. To the original thread starter; I think it also depends on if you just WANT a mount. I know I always loved seeing the good size mounted fish whether in the local bait shop or rustic restaurant. It doesn't have to be the end all be all biggest fish. Maybe you just want to build the atmosphere in your own man cave/fisherman's room. The fish I'm having a replica done of actually missed my own implied threshold by 1 oz and was 7lbs 15oz. But, I realized I was capturing more than a number. The euphoria and exuberance of years of focused, hard work paying off in a fish of that caliber WAS what was being mounted. I often think now if and when I catch one bigger, I will also mount it, but will it carry the same sentiment as that "breakthrough" fish did? We shall see. Carl / Keepin'IT REEL

NICE one brotha! Slayin' 8's like its nuthin.

People sleep on (and often sell) the Mattlures Meathead. It has been a consistent performer for me for the past three years. I'd recommend it as a large wake bait....and unlike many of the large wakes it is readily available! Also, I'm a huge fan of putting wakes into gnarly areas...specifically lay downs, and timber. Intentionally casting them right into thick stuff and using the lip (like a squarebill) to effectively hop them over branches and stuff. Both the Black Dog Baits Shellcracker G2 and Bull Shad 4x4 were specifically designed to do this and I can attest to both's effectiveness to stay snag free the vast majority of the time. -Carl

Yup....exactly, that stuff. And actually I never used it on any of my verhicles. They sell it in very small size rolls as well, which....I'm not sure what the intended use is, but its what I use on the bait. Also, while I'm sure you can do the whole thing I just do the areas that the hook point will chew up.

Don't see why not, unless there is some specific reaction between the adhesive and the finishing material of the rod. I think it to be unlikely though. Try one very small spot as a test and see if it comes off cleanly after a week or two. I use the 3M protectant for car hoods (anti chip) to keep certain high wear baits with relatively flat sides looking brand new.....like MS Slammers. I say F! hook rash. -Carl

Hey Conner, I don't remember exactly, I want to say it took about 2-3 weeks. You can call them to verify...they were very accommodating to my questions when I had called.

I have the Berkley 35lb "Precision Digital Scale", which measures to fractions of an ounce. I also have an older model Berkley 50lb digital scale. I sent the high precision one to IGFA (International Game Fish Association) for certification. For a fee they will corroborate your scale against their known weights and measures. Its expensive ($40), but in the event I catch a record I already have a scale certified by the same organization that keeps all world records for all gamefish. AKA....you can take it to the bank! They not only use various weights on your scale, but also weigh each weight multiple times. My scale ended up being accurate to the ounce except at the highest weight it was subjected to, I think 25lbs, at which point it was off by exactly 1 ounce. I say all that because I can now say with confidence that the scale is highly accurate. Now, here is the important part and what you should do should you ever pay the money and have a scale certified. IMMEDIATELY take a few objects of varying weights (like 1lb, 3lb, 5lb, 10lb, 15lb) and weigh them on your freshly certified scale. Record the values and keep those objects....like, forever. The idea is in the future, maybe at the start of each year you can re-weigh each of those items and see if you are getting the same values as you did when you got your scale back from certification. Assuming there is no change you can confidently fish that scale for years and years and know it is still right on the money accurate. Otherwise, as the years pass you may question if its still dialed in and have to get it rectified. Regarding my original/older scale. I weighed the same objects with it and got values all within 1 ounce of those that my certified scale gave. So there to, I know going forward that its performance is right in line with my certified scale and I can weigh fish with it confidently. I can also use the same system at the beginning of each year to verify that it is still accurate and there has been no deviation. *Also of interest.... IGFA will POST certify a scale used on a trophy catch. I'm not sure how they can authenticate you are sending them the EXACT same scale, but it says as much in their literature that they do this. On a larger note: I don't think there is anything special about these Berkley scales. I suspect Berkley and the various other companies are all buying the actual internal weight mechanism from one or two major manufacturers and just throwing them inside a Berkley, Rapala, Brecknell, etc. body/frame. But, the sheer fact that the "High Precision Scale" actually displays out fractions of an ounce I thought was telling and indicative of an effort to truly be extra precise. Carl / KeepinItREEL Fishing https://www.youtube.com/user/KeepinItReelFishing

I look at this differently. The SOLE reason I got into big bait/swimbait fishing was to hedge my bets and catch bigger fish than I had with traditional sized lures. Otherwise, whats the point, right? So, I have a weight threshold by which I consider a fish/ the outing successful. That's 5 lbs. That comes from the fact that all the years I threw traditional size baits I would regularly get fish anywhere in the spectrum of 1-4 lbs. But, for some reason I almost NEVER cracked 5's when fishing my traditional baits. So, thats my measure of success and my reason for throwing big stuff....catching bass over 5lbs. However, the vast majority of the days I don't crack the 5lb mark tossing big baits. I'll get those same 1,2,3 and 4lb fish I always got. And while a mid 4lb fish is pretty nice, its nothing I, nor anybody else can't get on traditional lures consistently. So, while technically most of my days are not 'skunks', in essence I consider them to be so unless I cracked a 5lb'er. Carl / KeepinItREEL Fishing

I have had a few of the welded snaps (from various JDM makers) break on me (at the weld) over the years. While the principle of a weld is attractive, it is so minuscule that in terms of bearing a load they are simply folly. Again, not just opinion...my experience bears it out. Now, in terms of more traditional snaps I have used the Decoy Egg snap for 3 years now without a single failure. It is a double locking snap, and is designed with great tension. As long as you don't open the snap too far, the initial tension that it comes with remains. Like most metals there is a critical bend angle after which the initial, out of box tension is lessened, but under normal use I find the decoys retain that tension. However, even on the few that I purposefully 'bent out', the snap will still stay clipped close. Again, over about 3 years I have used dozens of these snaps in sizes 3, 4 and 5 and have yet to experience a failure either in the snap opening or the metal deforming under high stress. Example: on a few occasions I snagged a lure on submerged timber my knot failed instead of the snap giving way. I can't speak to the multitude of other snaps on the market. I used to use Bill Normal 'Quick Clips' when fishing traditional size lures, and while convenient and innovative in design, I experienced multiple failures under load. I already mentioned my experience with the welded snaps. Since the Decoy's have been utterly reliable I have not had a reason to try other products. To those that leave snaps on and don't re-open them I think they are missing the point. The sole reason for a snap's opening design is to be able to swap lures. Otherwise, a basic closed split ring affords the same range of motion assuming the diameter of the split ring and the curve of the snap are equal. Carl / KeepinItREEL Fishing