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Knowing what you know now...


JeepFisher
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I know there are some similar noob threads, but looking for some feedback based on what I currently have as opposed to a "what lure do I buy " thread. So as someone newly interested I am trying not to go overboard with my new swimbaits/large baits. :mrgreen:   I have bought the following:

  • 8" Savage gear line thru slow sinking
  • Jackall Gantarel
  • 3:16 Mission Fish
  • 3:16 Rising Son Top Hook
  • BBZ 1 Rat 50
  • Mattlures U2 Bluegill Crappie Boot Tail Sinking
  • Mattlures U2 Bluegill Red-Ear Sunfish Flat Tail Sinking
  • 68 Hudd weedless Rof5 on the way

 

 
Soooo.... based on what you know and your experience what 1 or 2 (or more) baits would you add to this list to round out this list based on different scenarios/situations?  I fish mainly Maryland ponds/lakes/some rivers.
 
THX! 
 

 

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Looks like the biggest need for your current lineup is a small-medium sized glidebait. As mnbassman23 suggested, I'd have to STRONGLY recommend the gan craft jointed claws. Do some shopping around online, and you can find them in the black market here or on places like ebay for some great prices. I've found most of mine in the $35-45 range for 178s, and the $65-80 range for the 230s. If you were picking either the 178 or the 230, I'd personally go with the 178 which I think is a criminally underrated bait. It's certainly not the sexiest or most talked about bait on the block, and a lot of people don't really seem to consider them "must-haves" in their swimbait box. Hell, I'll be the first to admit that I tend to reach for my negotiators and slide swimmers before thinking about tying on a 178 most of the time. But after a particularly tough swimbait fishing year where I focused a lot of my time targeting big river smallies, the 178 has probably become my most reliable glidebait. Over the past season, my trusty 178 SS in perch has been smashed into rocks, stuck in trees, inhaled by a bunch of northern pike and brown trout, and of course, bashed by plenty of smallies with bad attitudes. It's lived to tell the tale, and still has a ton life left on it. If I want to keep the bait shallower, I will throw it on 20 lb mono (seaguar senshi or sunline defier armilo), but for the most part 15 lb seaguar tatsu is a match made in heaven for the 178 SS, IMO. I've even thrown it on 12 lb in super clear conditions, and had no issues at all. The bait runs extremely well on lighter fluoro. 

 

By the way, that's a really good starter group that you have going! If the zombie apocalypse comes early, and I had to swimbait fish to feed myself (this zombie apocalypse isn't sounding so bad now that I think of it), I'd probably include the savage gear line thrus, matt's U2 gill/ultimate gill and the 3:16 rising son on my top 5 baits for survival. They're all ridiculously proficient fish catchers, and can take plenty of abuse. Coming from a mostly soft plastics fishing background prior to swimbaiting, I still often reach for my soft plastic swimbaits when fishing gets really tough/discouraging. Each of those baits has saved my day on more than one occasion when the going gets tough. 

Edited by lunkerglx10
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Yes, you need a glide and an ms slammer 9" single joint. I would recommend the swaver 200

Six of the 8 baits you already have are softbaits so I wouldn't add to those just yet. You definitely need a glide - there are days when those will out fish everything else by 10 to 1 (and also days when they don't work at all). Gancraft 178, Deps 175, S-waver 200: any of those will get you started for a reasonable cost.

 

You should also have a jointed billed bait that you can wake or crank subsurface. Jesse likes a 9" 2 piece standard Slammer but I would choose a 9" 3 piece cranking model. I think its just personal preference and either version will catch you plenty of fish.

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My adds would be the GC Claw /or Deps175 as suggested for a glide.  A slammer would be a great add too but me personally, I'd get either a Mattlures Hardgill or GotEm gill for a swimming gill. I tend to stay away from the pricier larger soft baits in the midwest. They simply do not last long with the pike we have. My softbaits tend to be conventional hollowbelly swimbaits/Kietechs. Not so painful when you get bit off by an 18" pike.

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Just like many others have said, I think you just need to add a wake bait (Wake Jr, Baby wake, or Slammer) and a glide bait (gan craft 178 or 230, or deps 175 or 250) and you'll be on your way to learning how to catch biggens.

Learn the baits you have thru and thru, and then buy more depending on what works and what you like.

In the long run, this will save you a lot of money.

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