fishratt

Thanks, they do look interesting. I don't necessarily mean that there's aren't enough softbait makers, it's possible that I'm just not aware of all the options out there.

Basically looking for something that fishes like a WCZ, but isn't weedless and impossible to find.

Plenty. For starters the rigging systems on most of these baits are terrible. There's no consensus on how to correctly rig a hudd, a baitsmith, whatever wedgetail you like because there is no good way to rig them. We're seeing that change with some of the new savage gear wedge tail style baits, them seem to have taken inspiration from the way guys were custom rigging their Hudds, and refined it. This idea started because I was trying to find a taller bluegill profiled boot tail to fish in the summer months. The only option was WCZ; impossible to find, ridiculously overpriced, and weedless. For the life of me, I couldn't find a 7-9 inch sized bluegill profiled boot tail. Real prey makes some but they're all wedge tails, so does natesbaits. I don't think the wedge tail gets bit as well in the summer, maybe I'm wrong?

There seems to be a surplus of hardbait makers, especially in the glide category, but barley any softbait makers. I know a lot of you guys will disagree, but softbaits seem to be better all around fish producers than the hardbaits and yet our selection of softbaits is relatively limited. From what I can tell, everybody seems to be fishing some kind of Working Class Zero as their boot tail, and maybe a hudd or a baitsmith in the winter. I'm sure that there are more, but that's what the vast majority of guys are fishing. Compare that to the seemingly hundreds of variations on glidebaits and even wakebaits.

Seems like the megabass valkrie is the way to go. Thanks guys.

Looking specifically for a standard H (1-4 approx) and an XH model (2-8 approx).

Anybody familiar with swimbait travel rods? Know any models? Blanks (I'm also willing to wrap one myself). I was thinking about getting the okuma nomad series rods, but they have been discontinued by okuma and you can't find them anywhere. If you guys have used okuma nomads that you'd be willing to sell me please let me know. Otherwise, what other options are out there? Blanks or productions rods. Maybe take a saltwater travel blank (like a jigstick) and wrap it swimbait style?