Good Monkey! New Purchases...

cassidyta · 10-18-10, 03:41 PM

I was looking through my baits this weekend and found myself evaluating my impulse purchases throughout the season. Some were bad and some were okay. Of all of the baits that I purchased, two really stood out to me. Tehy are definitely worth mentioning and I give both of them my highest recommendation.

The first is the Spro BBZ-1 baby shad. These baits are 2 1/2 inches long and flat out catch fish. They are too small for me to cal lthem a swimbait, but they have all of the swimbait action in a much smaller profile. They swim great at any speed and can be worked in columns of the water.

The only draw backs are first the price, they are a $12-$15 lure depending on where you get them. Secondly, they are small enough that the knot will affect how they swim. I find that they do best with a rapala or similar loop knot which is not preferred knot for a $15 lure.

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The second lure that has really paid off for me is the River2sea Step Wa. I have to admit, that I bought this one by mistake. I was looking for another white frog and picked it up without noticing the mouth.

This frog is built with a jitterbug style face. It has become my go to frog when I have a very small matted area. I can still toss it on the pads, but it really has a great action when moving in open water. It has been killer with a deadstick/slight twitch action. It is comparative in price to any other soft bodied frogs.

The downside: It is prone to roll if it gets anything on the mouth and it takes on water a little faster than other brands.

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So, what bait purchases did you make this year that paid off the most.

walkeraviator · 10-18-10, 04:31 PM

I finally broke down and bought some deep diving crank baits. And two turned out to be pretty good at producing fish for me. One was a series 6 Strike King in Sexy Shad, and the other one was a Fat Free Shad in Citrus Shad...

Also say the monkey did good by me when i bought that Abu Garcia ProMax and paired it with a 7'MH conolon Premier... whole combo cost me about $100, but it is an excellent setup.

bamabassman · 10-18-10, 05:20 PM

I like that frog man. Haven't seen one like it though.

BigBassin144 · 10-18-10, 05:56 PM

Most of my purchased were of the rod and reel variety. But your post has made me want to place an order for some baits, especially the ones you posted!

One thing I bought this year, and definitely recommend (especially to people with limited storage space for rods) are Stick Jackets. Since our boat (a V-hull, not a bass boat) has only one 7' rod locker (the other is 6'6" and most of my dad's and my rods are 7' and over, we tend to have a lot of rods in there. Every fishing trip started the same with, fighting to untangle rods in the locker. Not any more. Almost all of my rods now have stick jackets on them. And I wouldn't order another rod without ordering a stick jacket (or similar product) with it.

BB

dave0943 · 10-19-10, 12:43 PM

Call me Old School, but I have a hard time peeling off 12-25.00 for a lure. I can see 8.00 maybe 9.00. That just bothers me.Where I fish that could end up costing me a fortune. I've been known to give up a lure now and then to the fishing gods. I've been using braid quite a bit with flouro leader so I can break off rather than cut off expensive line. Darn shame that some of the swim baits cost that much. I have several in the 15.00 range that look and fish really well. Congrats on your purchase!

cody77 · 10-19-10, 04:50 PM

Those Stick Jackets are just what I need. Thanks for posting that.

keithdog · 10-19-10, 07:24 PM

That frog is awfully tempting! I've done well the past couple years fishing a Jitterbug. I can see where this version of a frog would come in handy. Maybe next spring. I'm going to be shoveling snow before I know it.

Bender · 10-19-10, 10:33 PM

I don't think I got anything new this year that works well, actually nothing seems to be working well around here. The Strike King Series 5 in Sexy Lavender Shad was working really well up in Michigan though.

BigB, I got a few of those recently and I really like that they take up less space than my normal covers but they seem to get treble hooks hung up in them really bad. Mine are a different brand, have you had that problem?

BassFeverJohn · 10-19-10, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cassidyta

So, what bait purchases did you make this year that paid off the most.

My best producers, by far, have been 6" Creme worms in natural and watermelon red flake. Also my friend Jay (James86), turned me on to Shaky-head worming. These worms are hand poured and float, so they are perfect for this application. I have caught my biggest fish of the year on shaky-heads.

BigBassin144 · 10-20-10, 07:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bender

I don't think I got anything new this year that works well, actually nothing seems to be working well around here. The Strike King Series 5 in Sexy Lavender Shad was working really well up in Michigan though.

BigB, I got a few of those recently and I really like that they take up less space than my normal covers but they seem to get treble hooks hung up in them really bad. Mine are a different brand, have you had that problem?

I get a treble hung up in them on occasion, but they are fairly easy to get out. All you have to do is bunch it up where the hook is, and it expands the gaps in the material, allowing you to slip the hook out. The stick jackets are shorter than other brands I've tried (have a couple from Gander Mtn), so they never come in contact with baits on the rods they're on. Most of the hooks that get caught in them are hanging on other rods. However, I'd rather get the occasional treble out than constantly fight to untangle rods (which isn't great for the rods either).

I do have to add one more thing. I didn't purchase them this year, but just started using them. Owner Twistlock hooks. I started using the 5/0 on t-rigged senkos this spring when I ran out of suitable EWG hooks. These things kick butt on senkos. I was using a Senko and a Yum Dinger until there was no plastic left for my to skin hook, and the head of the bait wasn't ripped up at all. It greatly increased the number of fish I could catch on one senko. I haven't gotten a chance to test them on a regular t-rigged worm, but will next year or if I get out again this. My one complain is I wish they featured Owner's Cutting Point.

BB

gonefishin3 · 10-21-10, 09:33 AM

Wow.. hard to choose I caught a lot of fish on a 5in senko i won several tournaments on it.. it definately was my go too bait this year. I think my best perchase this year was either the quantom reel and cast away rod or the new boat

ive been fishin out of an old fish/ski skeeter and finally bought a bass boat ! it is amazeinggg oh did i say the boat came with tackle ? ohh yes it did! i still havent gone through it all the guy i bought it from must have had 10 grand worth of tackle... he was getting out of fishing for work the poor guy :/ i told him id take him fishin when i was back in his area.

bb: i like those rod storage sleeves i might have to try those

I also need to learn how to shakey head.

bassboogieman · 10-21-10, 11:18 AM

I haven't seen those small ones. Tackle Wharehouse, I should have known. I'll be ordering a few of those.

10-18-10, 03:41 PM	#1
cassidyta BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 2,928	Good Monkey! New Purchases... I was looking through my baits this weekend and found myself evaluating my impulse purchases throughout the season. Some were bad and some were okay. Of all of the baits that I purchased, two really stood out to me. Tehy are definitely worth mentioning and I give both of them my highest recommendation. The first is the Spro BBZ-1 baby shad. These baits are 2 1/2 inches long and flat out catch fish. They are too small for me to cal lthem a swimbait, but they have all of the swimbait action in a much smaller profile. They swim great at any speed and can be worked in columns of the water. The only draw backs are first the price, they are a $12-$15 lure depending on where you get them. Secondly, they are small enough that the knot will affect how they swim. I find that they do best with a rapala or similar loop knot which is not preferred knot for a $15 lure. The second lure that has really paid off for me is the River2sea Step Wa. I have to admit, that I bought this one by mistake. I was looking for another white frog and picked it up without noticing the mouth. This frog is built with a jitterbug style face. It has become my go to frog when I have a very small matted area. I can still toss it on the pads, but it really has a great action when moving in open water. It has been killer with a deadstick/slight twitch action. It is comparative in price to any other soft bodied frogs. The downside: It is prone to roll if it gets anything on the mouth and it takes on water a little faster than other brands. So, what bait purchases did you make this year that paid off the most. __________________ If you have ever wondered if you should retie, the answer is yes.

10-18-10, 05:20 PM	#3
bamabassman BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: cedar bluff, alabama Posts: 15,292	I like that frog man. Haven't seen one like it though. __________________ so many lures, so little time.

10-18-10, 05:56 PM	#4
BigBassin144 BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Toledo, Ohio Posts: 9,463	Most of my purchased were of the rod and reel variety. But your post has made me want to place an order for some baits, especially the ones you posted! One thing I bought this year, and definitely recommend (especially to people with limited storage space for rods) are Stick Jackets. Since our boat (a V-hull, not a bass boat) has only one 7' rod locker (the other is 6'6" and most of my dad's and my rods are 7' and over, we tend to have a lot of rods in there. Every fishing trip started the same with, fighting to untangle rods in the locker. Not any more. Almost all of my rods now have stick jackets on them. And I wouldn't order another rod without ordering a stick jacket (or similar product) with it. BB __________________ As of June 14, 2014 the members of the BF.com forum have moved to basschat.yuku.com!

10-18-10, 04:31 PM	#2
walkeraviator BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 1,119	I finally broke down and bought some deep diving crank baits. And two turned out to be pretty good at producing fish for me. One was a series 6 Strike King in Sexy Shad, and the other one was a Fat Free Shad in Citrus Shad... Also say the monkey did good by me when i bought that Abu Garcia ProMax and paired it with a 7'MH conolon Premier... whole combo cost me about $100, but it is an excellent setup.

10-19-10, 12:43 PM	#5
dave0943 BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Iron Mountain, MI Posts: 174	Call me Old School, but I have a hard time peeling off 12-25.00 for a lure. I can see 8.00 maybe 9.00. That just bothers me.Where I fish that could end up costing me a fortune. I've been known to give up a lure now and then to the fishing gods. I've been using braid quite a bit with flouro leader so I can break off rather than cut off expensive line. Darn shame that some of the swim baits cost that much. I have several in the 15.00 range that look and fish really well. Congrats on your purchase!

10-19-10, 04:50 PM	#6
cody77 BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 17	Those Stick Jackets are just what I need. Thanks for posting that.

10-19-10, 07:24 PM	#7
keithdog BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: IN Posts: 8,308	That frog is awfully tempting! I've done well the past couple years fishing a Jitterbug. I can see where this version of a frog would come in handy. Maybe next spring. I'm going to be shoveling snow before I know it.

10-19-10, 10:33 PM	#8
Bender BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Brighton, MI Posts: 2,414	I don't think I got anything new this year that works well, actually nothing seems to be working well around here. The Strike King Series 5 in Sexy Lavender Shad was working really well up in Michigan though. BigB, I got a few of those recently and I really like that they take up less space than my normal covers but they seem to get treble hooks hung up in them really bad. Mine are a different brand, have you had that problem?

10-21-10, 09:33 AM	#11
gonefishin3 BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 227	Wow.. hard to choose I caught a lot of fish on a 5in senko i won several tournaments on it.. it definately was my go too bait this year. I think my best perchase this year was either the quantom reel and cast away rod or the new boat ive been fishin out of an old fish/ski skeeter and finally bought a bass boat ! it is amazeinggg oh did i say the boat came with tackle ? ohh yes it did! i still havent gone through it all the guy i bought it from must have had 10 grand worth of tackle... he was getting out of fishing for work the poor guy :/ i told him id take him fishin when i was back in his area. bb: i like those rod storage sleeves i might have to try those I also need to learn how to shakey head.

10-21-10, 11:18 AM	#12
bassboogieman BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Parkesburg, Pa. Posts: 3,762	I haven't seen those small ones. Tackle Wharehouse, I should have known. I'll be ordering a few of those.

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