bluebasser86

I've caught night bass with snow on the ground. No doubt you can find some if you're willing to try for them.

Must have been a bad one because I've had very good luck with the Wild Thing. However, It is not anything like a wart or RC as it has a much harder thump, louder rattle, and doesn't dive as deep. Haven't had to tune one at all, but it's not the wart replacement it was touted as being. I agree that 6' seems to be about it's max depth, maybe 8 on a long cast but I doubt it. The Vintage Craw color has been a good one for me.

I fish a small, weeknight circuit in NE KS that is kind of like a MLF format, except it's still the biggest 5 instead of heaviest total weight of bass over 12". Everyone uses the same scale to weigh their fish and then immediately turn them lose. Last year was the first year and it worked really well and was a lot of fun.

They seem to work best for me when the jerkbait bite is dying and the fish are a little more willing to chase. They sink like a rock despite their small size and cast like a missile, especially if you fish them on the kind of gear they suggest using them with. I fish mine on a 7' 3" ML/F with 5lb Maxima Ultragreen. I doubt many of the fish I'm catching with them are suspended though, rather coming up off the bottom to attack the bait since most of the lakes in NE KS are comparatively very shallow.

I like to throw them on a spinning rod to get a little extra depth out of them. I caught some really nice fish on them last spring including my second largest smallmouth of the year.

I'd like to make it legal to shoot them with a shotgun, just make it non-lead just like waterfowl hunting. I shoot them (or try to), out of the air with a bow in creeks off the Kansas River. It's a lot of shooting and not much hitting, but it's still a lot of fun and every once in awhile I'll even connect with one.

I'd much rather fish prespawn than during the spawn. Those finicky fish on beds are so much harder to catch than they were a couple weeks before they hit the beds.

Not me, I only get out there once in awhile. I usually fish the river in De Soto instead. I did paddle the yak to 435 this fall, carried it down below and caught wipers from the rapids. It's took far and too much work now that you can't park by Peterbilt anymore.

I had this one swim into my line while I was catfishing on the Kansas River in Edwardsville, KS Not sure exactly what happened to it to cause that damage but it didn't seem to effect the fish as it swam off strong after the quick picture. I've been seeing quite a few small (less than 12"), paddlefish on the Kansas River at night lately while bowfishing for bigheads. It's good to see them and hopefully they're making a comeback.

I use the Ned specifically for trout at some of the lakes they stock trout in around here. Every once in awhile I'll even catch one of those pesky brown or green fish while I'm doing it

I much prefer night fishing during the warmer months myself. Not only the quiet, less traffic, and more tolerable temps, but something about being out in the dark makes everything much more intense, especially when all your senses really kick in to make up for the lack of being able to see. Plus the fish (especially the big ones), tend to be more active and much more attainable at night.

Another theory I have is when a small craw is in it's natural state, or in full flight, it's legs are usually positioned under it's body with it's pinchers straight out in front of it. Only when they're in full defensive mode are their legs out and very visible like most plastic craw baits. So basically a Ned would look very much like a craw that is very unaware of what's going on around it, or one that is down to it's last ditch effort to get away and it's defenses are useless.

I've had better luck moving fish with the Savage Gear Shine Glide during the colder months. I think the taller, more shad-like profile might be drawing them in a little better. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrccvNxzbm0 It's a game that takes a lot of time and practice for sure, but man it's a blast when you figure it out! If you haven't shaved down the joints on your S-waver you might try that. It really helped the action of mine a lot when I did.

I've been having pretty good success with the Wild Thang in Vintage Craw color. Not very wart-like, but I think it's going to be a solid bait. It's very loud and has a surprising amount of resistance for a bait it's size and diving depth. It also comes with what seems to be some pretty good hardware, so that's always a plus. Good enough I'm sure I'll pick up a few more to fill that midrange crank void that I've been looking to fill since I swore off DT6's.

Buddy of mine has painted a bunch of them for me and I used them a bunch this year. He has one that's called "Sizzlefry", that has just been lights out all year. He also did a 110+1 with a pink back and white sides that has been great on a couple of occasions, including catching my second biggest smallmouth of the year. These silly things liked that pink one too.

Is your dog eating a fish in the 3rd picture down or am I seeing things? Looks like another great day on the water.

I bought several at Academy for $7 but they weren't marked at that price so there were still a bunch left at both Academy stores by me.

I love fishing the pits down in SE KS but I don't get down there as often as I'd like. This past fall I bought a kayak so I might be able to do it a little easier since I don't have to haul the boat down there. I only fish the public ones. There's fish in all of them, but it was a lot of trial and error to figure out which ones were worth fishing and which ones weren't. They drained one of my favorite pits several years ago to do some work on a culvert. It's filled back up but of course all the fish are gone. Hopefully it will come back some day because it was a blast to fish. It was more of a marsh than a pit, but it had a bunch of quality fish with some big ones mixed in too.

Having been a LEO for almost 10 years now, this year will be the first that I'll have both Thanksgiving and Christmas off. Working holidays is just part of the deal, but I'm compensated well for it. These poor folks having to deal with all that craziness and missing out on family time for 8-10 bucks an hour is just uncalled for, but I know it isn't going away. Nothing I can't live without in their ad anyways.

What is that monster in the top left? Assuming the one in front of it is a 10" long 250, that thing has to be in the 16 inch range?? I don't even want to think how much money I have in my swimbait tote. Just got my hands on one of the new Savage Gear 3D Shine Glides, it's a slick bait! I threw it a little bit last Friday at a lake that doesn't have many big fish and moved some really nice smallmouth. Planning on taking it to a big bass lake this Thursday and giving it a little better trial run.

They're in several lakes near me in NE KS. Every lake that has them, the fishing has gotten noticeably better since they were found, especially for SMB. They're a huge pain to deal with because their shells are extremely sharp (I call them razor clams), and they clear the water up so much. I don't want them in the lakes I fish, but they certainly haven't been the huge detriment to the fisheries they were touted to be as of yet.

I've had good luck with California craw. Actually did really well a couple weeks ago with a white Zinker cut in half. They were feeding on really small baitfish but wanted something with very little action. Purple Haze was the deal for me Thursday.

I fished (and won), several tournaments out of my little 1652 VPT Lowe Roughneck with a 60hp 4 stroke Merc before I bought my Stratos. As long as you have the proper equipment and feel capable, there's not anything stopping you.

I've seen some that were in the 46-48, maybe even pushing 50 inch range in that lake. I know I see way more muskie there than I ever see at Pomme. They must stock the dumb ones up there, since I'm able to catch them! It's a 3 hour drive for me and some nasty dirt roads getting to the lake. Then it's a 535 acre lake that you can only use your trolling motor. It's some work but well worth it. I also hooked the biggest bass I've ever seen in that lake, noticeably larger than the 10lb 2oz fish I caught in Mexico. They have the attitude to match the face too.

Never fished Busch for them. I caught one from Pomme, the rest have been from Hazel Creek. I like Hazel because I catch lots of bass and muskie while fishing for bass.