What to pitch?

[BassMan94]

I wanna start tryin to pitch crawfish soft plastics. I currenty have a zoom brush hog on with a weight on pegged with a toothpick right on the top of the brush hog. I just want to know if what im using is a good setup for throwing into the edges of sawgrass or into hydrilla. Or if u have any recommendations on how to fish crawfish type baits.

[keithdog]

What your using will probably work fine. For punching through heavy weeds and pitchin into small pockets I prefer to use a beaver bait. It's t-rigged with a 4/0 EWG hook and the sinker is pegged tight against the weight. I think the baits with fewer appendages work their way through the vegitation more easily and quickly allowing me to get the bait down to the bottom faster causing a good reaction bite. You might want to try the rubber bobber stops they sell through BPS to use for pegging your weight instead of the toothpick. I did the tooth pick pegging system for decades untill I got a few of the rubber bobber stops from BPS. Now thats all I will use. Easy to apply to your line, stays put and can be slid back and forth as needed for retying you line.

[Bassman96]

Yeah i love the bobber stops from Bps and theyre only like $1.69. I love the new(er) Strike King Rodent from the perfect plastics line. Tungsten weights are what i use.

Goodluck!

[pro reel]

There is no right or wrong bait to use, they all work at one time or another. You need to experiment with various sizes and actions of baits. Sometimes a bait with lots of apendages and lots of action works best and sometimes something with just a simple gliding action and not a lot of flaping parts works best. I usually look at water conditions first and use larger baits with a lot of action for murky water and smaller baits with less action for clear water. One bait you might look at instead of the brush hog is the zoom super hog. The super hog is a smaller bait with a little less action, it has a narrow body that works great T riged or on a shakey head jig. The beaver baits are a must have also, the wide , ribbed body creates a slower fall with a bigger disturbance. One bait that I always have with me is a Minda Craw form Minda baits. TW sells them and so does mindabaits.com. The minda craw is a big craw with spear shaped legs or flaps. It looks almost like a kids toy instead of a bait, but bass don't see things the same way we do, they love it. It has a very subtle gliding action but it also displaces a lot of water. At rest the spear flaps move with any current or disturbance at all. It must look very enticing to bass because i have caught lots of big fish on them.
PS
A lot of these baits and especialy the minda craw work better with screw lock hooks. The hooks that have a spring coil hanging from the eye. With normal wide gap hooks, the bait gets torn on the first catch. The screw lock hooks can make a bait last for dozens of fish.

[BassMan94]

thanks for the tips guys ill be heading to a lake right near me to try out the brush hog and keithdog ill have to pick some of those up from BPS next time i go.

[carolina-rig-01]

I do a lot of flipping at pitching. On my local lake it's not only a great way to catch a kicker fish in tournaments but it's also a great way to catch a quick limit a lot of the time. A Brush Hog or Baby Brush Hog is probaby my favorite bait to flip and pitch, it just gets a lot of bites. Keep in mind though that we don't have grass so most of what I flip and pitch is laydowns, boat docks, or willow trees. I agree with Keith that in really heavy cover a more streamline bait will get through the cover a lot easier. I personally think that people pay too much attention to what they are trying to make their baits look like. I think that if a fish is in heavy cover they generally won't get a good look at the bait anyways, I think they will see the bait flash in front of them and eat it. I try to find a bait that is similair in profile to the forage I am trying to match but don't get overwhelmed with it. If I am trying to make my bait look like a crawdad then I will pitch a crawdad type color in whatever plastic I choose, but I can also go to a shad color in the same plastic and get bites if they are eating shad. Now if you get into more open water like around docks where the fish can get a better look at the bait then maybe put a little more focus into matching the pray a little better but still don't get overwhelmed with it.

[3dkicker]

Originally Posted by BassMan94

I just want to know if what im using is a good setup for throwing into the edges of sawgrass or into hydrilla. Or if u have any recommendations on how to fish crawfish type baits.

The Zoom brush hog is a big bait to flip into hydrilla if it's matted. If it isn't then you'll be ok but once it gets thick then you need to go with a smaller bait like a BB Cricket or Paca Craw type baits. The long tentacles on the hogs grab and catch on to the grass and hang a little which then can be thought of as a bite. You'll be swinging at nothing a lot!!!

Beaver baits aren't too bad either. Punching heavy grass takes the right rod too. Very important!!!

Now fishing the craws. Typically I'm fishing in 3-6' of water so once I punch the grass I allow the bait to drop that distance. I'll pick the bait up and hop it up and down a couple times. Then I bring it up into the grass and bounce it off the grass mat (but still under water) before popping it free. Bites can be tricky but here's what typically happens 1) the fish crushes it on the fall 2) the fish sucks it in off the bottom and sits there 3) the fish crushes it off the bottom 4) the fish crushes it just before it pops through the grass on the way out.
The second one is the tough one and you'll get confused with the bait getting caught on the grass vs a bass eating it and sitting there. Now the rest you've got to give the bass a second, pick up slack, and set the hook. If you get the fish up and out you're good. If not keep the line tight and go get the fish (unless it's a snakehead or bowfin - you don't want to lip them).

[Bassboss]

I'd also recommend a rubber stop as well. You should aslo try pitching tubes. They're very steamline and punch through weeds very well, because of their few appendages.

[BassMan94]

with the tubes would u do the same thing involving the weight stopper? Also i just found in one of my tackle boxes a few screw on weights, should i use those instead?

[carolina-rig-01]

Originally Posted by BassMan94

with the tubes would u do the same thing involving the weight stopper? Also i just found in one of my tackle boxes a few screw on weights, should i use those instead?

I have used the screw in weights in the past and they are ok but there were just too many draw backs with them for me. First of all the screw would eventually tear up the nose of plastics to the point that it would just slide up and down the line, sometimes it would do this before I even caught a fish on the bait. Also on some baits I would have to downsize me hook to allow for the screw, shorter baits like tubes and beavers are really bad about having to use a small hook so you have room for the screw, and also the screw and plastic straw would ride on my knot and I had a few break offs that I thought were caused by this. The rubber bobber stops are the best way to go in my opinion.

[Lvitch]

Any bait works, hell I pitch swimbaits. You can get bobber stops just about anywhere wal mart has them. Look for the eagle claw ones. They have them in different colors too.

[BassMan94]

next time i go to the store ill see if they have any of those.

[Jrob78]

I'm a big fan of beaver baits for pitching. A lot of different companies make a version of this bait, I use a lot of Yum's, Big Bite Baits and various other brands. I've caught a ton of fish on them and they do really well in cover.

I've recently started using the Berkley Havoc Pit Boss. They have some of the same characteristics as the beaver but they have more active appendages and a little different profile. I really like using chartreuse Spike It to dye the middle 2 appendages on some bait colors, it adds a nice contrast.

I generally use a 1/4 - 1/2oz tungsten weight either pegged or unpegged with a Skip Gap hook, 3/0 seems to be the best size for most beavers and craws. I have a lot of trouble with beavers sliding down the hook after a fish or 2, the Skip Gap really helps. I bought a pack of Owner Twistlocks with the spring on the shaft to try out. It's a extra heavy hook that I hope will be a good flipping hook.

[BassMan94]

Also what good swim jig trailers are good? I've been looking at the netbait paca chunk or paca craw also the zoom ultra vibe speed craws

[WaffleJaw]

Originally Posted by BassMan94

Also what good swim jig trailers are good? I've been looking at the netbait paca chunk or paca craw also the zoom ultra vibe speed craws

The paca chunks are one of my favorite jig trailers.The Havoc pit boss also makes a nice swimjig trailer with a great action
For larger presentations,I use Big bite cane thumpers,Big bite swimming minnows,robo worn ocean swimbait (modified)..LFT Magic shad.
I do these is 10+ waters mostly.

For smaller, Ill use just a 3'' curly grub,like a fat albert or the paca chunks.

Another thing I recently started doing is using a barrel swivel with a #3 willow blade as a trailer on swimjigs as well.
Lots of things make a good trailer,be creative.

[Jrob78]

Originally Posted by BassMan94

Also what good swim jig trailers are good? I've been looking at the netbait paca chunk or paca craw also the zoom ultra vibe speed craws

I like using Big Bite Baits Cane Thumpers and 5" Kalin's grubs as swim jig trailers, I use the grubs primarily. I haven't tried them yet but Ultra Vibe Speed Craws are one of my favorite jig trailers, I'm sure they would work great on swim jigs too.

[Tavery5]

Originally Posted by jrob78

i like using big bite baits cane thumpers and 5" kalin's grubs as swim jig trailers, i use the grubs primarily.

x2.................

[IowaBasser]

I've had better luck with a Texas-rigged Yum Woooly HawgCraw than any of the more realistic looking crawfish. I have been using a heavier sinker than I would for my other plastics and I don't peg it.

[sdesi2010]

yum dingers, the bass can't resist em