NCCNC

I do the same thing with the booty shaker 7 and 9 inchers.

Not really the north east, but I fish for several weeks a year in Michigan. Just got into throwing swimbaits last year but have been slow rolling live bluegill for years . It may be because the lake I fish is so underfished and there is basically no pressure, but bass have never been shy of a leader. I fish 25 pound line with 65 pound wire leader. One a 1 to 10 scale, the chances of a pike drive-by are about a 16. Last year when I started throwing bigger swimbaits though, the slower I worked them, the bigger the bass got, and the less pike mauled them. I will say though that a good size pike will turn even the toughest swimbaits into a big ugly pile of junk. And forget soft baits like hudds. Cast a full one.....get back half.

Any updates? I have been checking this thread relentlessly!

And.....I just spent my first 115 bucks in the Blackmarket. As if Motorcycles, guns, Jeep's, and knives weren't enough hobbies to throw money at. I can only imagine what some of your tackle rooms look like.

Hey fellas, I appreciate the warm welcome! It's been great reading so far!

I have been fishing the 7" with a 1.5oz jig head, and bounce it around in the brush next to banks with sharp drop offs (trying to make it look like a fish using sticks for cover). When I can keep the muskie off of them, they have produced some decent bass. And the price is impossible to beat! There is a brown and yellow pattern that has done very well. I also put a vertical cut on each side, Midway down the body, about an eighth inch deep, and push a piece of .04 wire through the center from head to tail. It still swims well, but looks far more "wounded". I will post some pics later.

Man that thing is A MONSTER!

Man, I would be sweating bullets! I wish you the best of luck!

I called DNR to come out for both of the smallies. The second one was .37 off the state record. He promised not to tell anyone where is was caught. Lol. I agree, staying with what will be working. There will also be live bluegill and perch on free lines. Sorry for the terrible photo, but the attached picture is of the thing. Large serving spoon for scale. This is while I was washing it down, and packing it for transport to the taxidermist. That was the only large bass I have ever kept. It swallowed my entire pike rig, 2 treble hooks the leader, and an entire 7" bluegill. It would have never lived, so we had it mounted and it's above the mantle up at our cottage.

Thats no joke! I've already thrown close to 2100.00 bucks at rods, reels, lures, and terminal tackle. I thought a lot more stuff from my standard fishing gear would just translate right over. NOPE.

I am sure all of you can identify....getting pumped about seeing those monsters cruise by in deep clear water. I will definitely update with pictures after the trip. Kind of bittersweet though. My cousin, who is my bassin' partner in crime couldn't swing vacation, so it will just be a solo trip. Me and the Kayak.