**Had me a Lando Calrissian moment this afternoon**

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Cristo
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**Had me a Lando Calrissian moment this afternoon**

Post by Cristo » Tue Feb 12, 2019 11:40 am

So my venture to strictly only use larger baits,(to me), I don't want pigeonhole and say swimbaiting but that's essentially what I have reserved myself to do this year you know dedicate one full season as I've never done that before... anyway not getting off to a very good start 2nd cast into my 2nd venture shoring it at Saggy today I lost my Triton Mike Bull Gill. Anyway let it sink all the way down as normal as I was trying to hover over the structure line and bottom and I believe I snagged one of the bouy lines, it was a bit windy today and unfortunately it seems I casted a little bit too close as on my second retrieve I got hung up about probably 30 yards into the retrieve. I tried To Shimmy it and do what you do to try to get a rig to come up from the depths but no dice. Trucked it hardcore on that one unfortunately. just thought I'd share my unfortunate news today of course I'm going to still get out there on the saddle but damn I'm not sure how long my Seasons going to last, as I really like Triton Mike lures but at around 60 snaps a pop and if I'm going to lose them on this kind of regularity it's going to be a long season :cry: :lol: If I was on my kayak at least I would have more than likely been able to rescue it but I'm trying to hit some spots a little bit more before it warms up from the shore with some bigger profiles but man talk about a punch to the bag from nowhere :lol: :lol:

"I don't like it, I don't agree with it, but I accept it"....Lando Calrissian
Last edited by Cristo on Thu Nov 04, 2021 10:56 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: **Hand me a Lando Calrissian moment this afternoon**

Post by bronzefly » Tue Feb 12, 2019 11:44 am

I feel your pain. I've lost a couple of big baits that were quite expensive at the time and apparently even more expensive now!! Keep chunking and winding the big stuff =D>
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Re: **Hand me a Lando Calrissian moment this afternoon**

Post by Houndfish » Tue Feb 12, 2019 12:15 pm

I had the same idea last season, trying to focus on big baits, and limited myself to lures in the $20-40 range to start with. I am glad I did as man it was rough going trying to learn how close to what cover an given lure/line combo could be risked with. I still have not found a good solution for keeping snapping turtles off my Huddgills and the ospreys off my S-Wavers, but in general I got myself sorted out pretty quickly. I did most of my fishing in smaller ponds to see if I could get a bigger class of fish from them as opposed to the finesse stuff I use most often. Fishing from the bank I am willing to keep buying more $20-40 lures as they get lost but without the ability to get on top of the snag and use a lure-knocker, I am not going to move up to the more expensive ones.

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Re: **Had me a Lando Calrissian moment this afternoon**

Post by Cristo » Sun Mar 03, 2019 8:44 am

Super stoked. After much consideration I found myself finally being able to dunk the yak into the water last night during an absolutely span of amazing weather after a sucktastic cold streak. Cutting to the chase no bites last night bit only spent about 4 hours on the water. Dropped to about low 50s but still was abke to rock a light Simms jacket and my all familiar short shorts :lol: . No pictures as I was taking it all in as it has been yet another long damn winter for me personally. Anyway below is what I did and will be mostly dedicating this season.

Did some preliminary work getting over the shock Factor of losing more expensive swimbaits especially the treble hook variety. From small to larger I have my
own Tokyo Rig(to me it is a modified jika, am i right?) with 6/0 super ewg Gamakatsu, RI double wides with 1.25oz worth of weight, next is 5 inch spark shads rigged with 7/0 1/4oz monster SB hooks by Gamakatsu, sticking with weightless 7/0 monster ewg Gamakatsu with 7in Stickos for a larger jerk style profile, next up in size will be 6 in speed shad rigged with 8/0 3/8oz owner Beast hooks, and then we have the 68 special weedless Huddleston in the 6-inch variety, and the biggest plastic I'll be throwing will be the 7in convict by smash it with 10/0 1/2oz owner swimbait hooks. I'll be solely focusing on those especially when the weeds come up but before then I will slow roll as well as flinging segmented swimmers Triton Mike's (had a new slow sink bull shad come in \:D/ ). Love love Triton Mike lures. I really got to focus on counting down and judging structure with the bull Shad last night lot of fun to throw even on the slant Bridge which I think is pretty beefy for that particular model. I can really make big as turns with it and best of all even with throwing it as much as I did I was still able to keep it this time :lol: :lol: Jury still out on a Triple Trout, but a 7in should be in the mix as well I hope :-k Rods will be a Slant Bridge Super Destruction for the bigger profiles paired with Shimano XT1501 laced with 65lb PP and my 2 piece Salamandia paired with 201e curado laced with 20lb P-line florcarbon for the smaller stuff. Obviously from the Valkyrie thread I want to get on board with that 7'6" XXH for additional support =P~

Thanks for letting me share, I will drop in occasional updates. I am glad to be able to get back on the water. Thanks for letting me share 8-)
Last edited by Cristo on Thu Nov 04, 2021 10:57 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: **Hand me a Lando Calrissian moment this afternoon**

Post by Houndfish » Sun Mar 03, 2019 9:16 am

Cristo wrote: weightless 7/0 monster ewg Gamakatsu with 7in Stickos for a larger jerk style profile
I used some 7" Stick-o's and Senkos a bit last year. They worked ok weightless t-rigged but I caught a surprising number of bass wacky rigging them. I used a bit of heat-shrink tube as an o-ring and I think a 3/0 EWG as a hook. T-rigged I had the best luck with them in heavy exposed pads, they are heavy enough to come through and over but still have a subtle action in the water.

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Re: **Hand me a Lando Calrissian moment this afternoon**

Post by Cristo » Tue Mar 05, 2019 12:00 pm

Got on the water about 0930 and got off close to noon, figure what the hell after I was done getting groceries for the week I went out to Saggy and headed right to Butcher Jones from first boat launching ramp. 2nd cast produced a nice specimen for me early in my swimbait career and dedicated season. Sticking with what I knew I would like to use and that's the Triton Mike slow sink bull Shad in the 6 in variant. This one was busted parallel to the main point that most people who know Saggy will understand.... that place usually produces so I went there boy what a paddle for my second dunk of the year wore me out, but it was well worth it after bagging this lady. Not double digit but hell of a heart rate blaster :big grin: I don't have my scale certified but it looks to be about 5.5 and 20-21ish".
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Re: **Hand me a Lando Calrissian moment this afternoon**

Post by Cristo » Tue Mar 05, 2019 12:04 pm

Few more.....thanks for letting me share TT 8-)
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Cristo
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Re: **Hand me a Lando Calrissian moment this afternoon**

Post by Cristo » Thu Mar 07, 2019 12:54 pm

Hit pretty much the same area today same bait of course, alas no takers and no followers but the water still pretty darn stained plus my vantage point isn't the best to really see if I get anything tailing the bull shad unless it's really close to the yak. That's even with the X-ray specs(polarized) I still had a blast today got on the water about 0815 or so and off again by noon. Shad this size we're all over I've been seeing on the surface last couple time. I also saw some blow ups but of course nowhere near my casting range so I didn't bother putting any topwater on but I was able to get a nice wake going when I sped up the retrieve on The Bull Shad so really there was no need to put a topwater on. Anyway enjoy the pictures still heck of a way to spend the morning 8-)
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Re: **Hand me a Lando Calrissian moment this afternoon**

Post by Cristo » Sun Mar 17, 2019 7:49 pm

Well my soft plastic of choice for upcoming grass/weeds has been found. Did the pool testing tonight after BBQ time. So I didn't like the 7" Convict. Not for me that is all I will say there. I was not too fond of the 7.8 Swing Fat either which was a huge surprise because I definitely love the smaller presentations that are offered. Not sure if it'sthe 65lb braid and snap I was using tonight as It swims well enough but I don't like the way it spirals down on the fall. Keep in mind this was a quick test so I used a decoy snap to go through presentations quickly so I'll try this presentation again without a snap and tie straight to the hook. This actually defeats the purpose of finding and agreeable/ non finicky all around Soft Bait presentation so more than likely won't get tossed too much. If anything I see this is more of a bottom bouncing bait. I tried it 1st on an 8/0-3/8oz Owner Beast Hook. My thinking it would be a better snagless presentation. Not a fan of all the keel gap. I didn't like that and seems to be better matched with the 10/0. Again it swims well enough and should be dope but may not get much work as it spirals on the fall and problem I didn't like with the Magdraft/Magslows in my experience. I did find what i was looking for when I was digging back into the Megabass well and went to the 7" spark shad. It is still quite a meaty presentation/profile and I like that I can use the 8/0 or 10/0 Beast hook and it falls like a champ as proven in the 5-inch version. This season I'll be throwing the albino and the silver shad patterns while fishing mainly on the 8/0 version of the Beast hook. I'll keep you posted on results as between the 7-inch spark shad and the 68 special weedless I should be able to find and bust some buckets in the salad 8-)

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Re: **Hand me a Lando Calrissian moment this afternoon**

Post by DirtyD64 » Sun Mar 17, 2019 8:08 pm

Next time you lose a bait like that, tie a bobber good and tight to the line (leave enough to where it floats on top or just under) and come back later for it, even swim down if it is cold enough.

We invested in a "hound dog" lure retriever and it has saved me thousands. I rarely use big and expensive lures, but it has saved me tons of spy baits, $10-15 cranks, countless jigheads, tungsten jigs, everything you can think of.

The method I spoke of was used one day before we had the lure retriever and I couldn't get a jerkbait back. I cut the line after tying a bobber (strangely no one grabbed it) and returned months later with the lure retriever. The hooks were just a tad rusted (stock junkers anyways) and I still have the lure to this day.

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Re: **Hand me a Lando Calrissian moment this afternoon**

Post by Cristo » Sun Mar 17, 2019 8:18 pm

Big thanks for the heads up after all this time I finally got myself a good heavy plug knocker why for the life of me I haven't gotten one until now is beyond me. I always use them in a boat but for some reason didn't put one plus one together :lol:

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Re: **Hand me a Lando Calrissian moment this afternoon**

Post by Cristo » Mon Mar 18, 2019 4:44 pm

Okay game on for trophies. 8 inches of slow sink madness. Right in the wheelhouse for the SBSD too, super psyched :big grin: :big grin: :big grin: pretty damn warm out today so I'm going to try to lay down on the lake tonight sticking to Saggy for those who care.
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Re: **Hand me a Lando Calrissian moment this afternoon**

Post by Cristo » Tue Mar 19, 2019 7:28 am

Holy smokes this is going to be an expensive season :lol: my bust totally as I gambled again in that I haven't received my bait knocker quite yet and was real antsy to get out missed one roughly the same area where I had stuck the previous 5.5 fish and then I hit the shoreline East on the opposite Point by Peregrine Cove that's when I lost her I don't know how I got her stuck as I was doing a pretty decent job of just ticking and skipping off the structure and bottom, but she was not moving. Man I got it stuck fierce and got quite a few braid rash/cuts on my hands trying to undo my cluster f**k. I didn't have gloves but of course I'm not accustomed to losing baits often especially not these big treble hook ones and certainly wasnt prepped correctly, but what can you do :-k ](*,) you got to Just Keep On Keepin On but good Lord what a kick in the bag :lol: :lol: It was a really long long paddle back and a long travel back down the road trying to digest and process another loss. I was on the water between 1830-1100ish. The fish I didn't snare was around 1900ish. Got quite around 100 casts in and at least learned a few things with the loss of an awesome bait. I'm very pleased with the bait overall \:D/ so you know I'll be getting another one, also the SBSD is a nasty big big bait rod. Decoy egg snaps are f**king strong, the Scorpion 1501 is a beast. Also to quote Bruce Arians, "No risk it no biscuit" and of course thanks to Mike Gilbert for keeping motivated during these tough times. He has excellent YouTube content 8-) a lot of this I'm sure most of you know but I'm more green to the swimbait world so thanks for letting me share, here are some shots from last night.
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Re: **Hand me a Lando Calrissian moment this afternoon**

Post by Cristo » Tue Mar 19, 2019 9:03 am

Okay touching on the Not So enthusiastic idea of throwing keitech 7.8 swing fat for a large soft plastic profile for the soon to be emerging vegetation. After watching a nice gem from Mike Gilbert I used his talking points for weighing your plastics and to somewhat save money. In short I added some additional weight on the ventral side of the Swing fats as you can see rigged with a 10.0 half an ounce weighted owner Beast hook. Now I found a use for all my Finesse nail weights and it really really improves the swimming action/no longer spins on fall (tied straight to hook this time) at least to my liking without throwing a bunch of weight on I was able to change the way it falls and actually feels like it increase the thumping action of the tail on the fall and has not affected the way it swims on any retrieve speed very nice Improvement with great logic that I've used on other baits but of course I'm newer to the swimbait world so I didn't put one plus one equals chair together on that one but of course Mike Gilbert drove home a lot of great points and thusly I'm going to continue to throw the swing fat 7.8 now with more confidence with just a minor adjustment on adding additional weight thought I'd share that most of you guys probably already know this 8-)
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Re: **Hand me a Lando Calrissian moment this afternoon**

Post by Cristo » Wed Mar 20, 2019 1:22 pm

Got to know this area a little bit this morning no action. Threw 7.8 swing fats and 7" spark shads looking structure, rock pilings and buckets. mainly slow rolling. Water time between 0845-1130 hrs. Actually I'll get there early and earlier trying to find a morning bite :big grin: hopefully [-o<
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