Tag: Fishing Lure Reviews

I’m a sucker for good looking baits. The finishes on these frogs are fantastic – I only have two complaints…

The Pad Runner by Vicious Fishing is the latest hollow body frog to be added to the arsenal.

Name something better than a big bodacious topwater strike. (Keep it G rated, man…)

Tough, right?

‘Round these parts, you very rarely hit the lake without a few topwater baits on hand. The muck that grows in Illinois makes things difficult – and you can either embrace it, or ignore it… but the truth of the matter is bass love it. It provides overhead cover and attracts food. If you’re a bank fisherman, you better be ready to get dirty and make friends with the sludge… and everything that lives in it…

Hollow Body Frogs are a great way to work this type of cover. The half ounce Pad Runner by Vicious Fishing measures 2.5″ from the back of the plastic body to the tip of the line tie. It’s 1″ wide at it’s thickest point. The hookpoints sit .75″ apart – slightly inset – meaning the “arms” on the lower part of the body offer additional protection.

Available colors include:

The Vicious Fishing website says the frog is built for big strikes:

“The Pad Runner is built for the violent attacks coming from below the weeds and pads!”

Sounds good – were they up to the task?

Pad Runner: Quality

I’m a sucker for good looking baits. The finishes on these frogs are fantastic – I only have two complaints: the plastic is a bit too glossy (especially when sitting right next those silicone legs) and the bottom of the frog looks quite boring.

Remember, when a hungry bass is looking up at your bait, they can’t see the slick frog pattern on the TOP of the frog – they can only see the belly. The belly on mine was white… and it’s the same on the brown and white frogs. Black is black.

So while there are 4 color options that we see, there are only 2 belly color options that the bass will see.

Not a deal breaker, just something to keep in mind.

I trimmed the legs, and was pleasantly surprised to see that the frog came equipped with super-sharp Mustad wide-gap double hooks. Excellent. The body plastic is thicker than my Livetarget Hollow Body Frog. No mistakes or blemishes on my bait, and the packaging is clean & compact. Unfortunately it says Made in China.

All in all, a solid build.

Pad Runner Quality Rating

Pad Runner: Durability

The plastic body is thicker than other frogs in my tackle bag. The hooks are top notch, and the legs are just fine.

The finish stayed put as you can see in the pictures – all of which were taken after a day of using the bait in the field.

All good.

Pad Runner Durability Rating

Pad Runner: Performance

I was able to launch the frog quite far. The bait weighs half an ounce, but it was a calm day when I was testing – high wind would reduce casting distance (as it always does) but not make the bait unworkable.

The frog also features a rear weight, which causes it to sit slightly nose-up at rest. This helps you walk-the-dog, however, I don’t like fishing hollow frogs in open cover situations where that type of retrieve would be most useful. Bass can get too much of a look at the bait. I’d rather see a frog like this weighted internally, and focus on fishing mucky, heavy cover alone – instead of trying to do several things.

Pick one thing and do it well.

The thick plastic – while durable – comes at a tradeoff. Will this bait last longer than a frog made from more supple plastic? Yes. Do you have to set the hook harder as a result? Yes. The arms on the frog also extend out past the Mustad wide gap hook points. This keeps the frog a bit more muck-free and protected, but it gives you a bit more to move out of the way when you go to penetrate a big bassy mouth.

Plan to set the hook hard.

I tested mine as the floating portion of a Pop ‘n Drop (which you can see in the image above) by sliding a split ring over the frog hook, attaching fluorocarbon and a weedless wacky hook dropper.

It was a complete failure. I do not recommend this tactic – however, when I removed the trailing elements, the frog fished well.

Pad Runner Performance Rating

Pad Runner: Unique Features

Nothing about this frog breaks the mold. It’s a solid hollow body frog.

Good hooks. Good performance. Good finishes. Fine all around, which is worth a few points in this category.

Pad Runner Unique Features Rating

Pad Runner: Cost

What the Pad Runner lacks in unique features, it more than makes up for with price. Currently listed at just $7.99 on the Vicious Fishing website, and as low as a flat $7.00 on the Monsterbass site.

It makes sense to add one to your tackle bag when the cost is less than certain bags of plastics. You’ll get a lot of use out of that $7.

Pad Runner Cost Rating

Pad Runner: Final Thoughts

The Vicious Pad Runner does exactly what you’d expect a hollow body frog to do. It looks great, the hooks are sharp and durable, and the plastic components hold up. While there is nothing revolutionary about this lure, the extremely reasonable price tag makes it a no-brainer if you are looking to add another workhorse hollow body to your arsenal.

Make room in your tackle bag.

Pad Runner: Final Rating

Quality

Durability

Performance

Uniqueness

Cost

How our rating system works:

Our 5-star rating system gives you a quick overview of the product. Please read the in-depth details as well – products with lower ratings can have value in certain situations!

Quality: Rates features like salt, scent, material(s), paint, finish, consistency, look & feel and/or flashing.
Durability: Rates the product backbone: components, hooks, finish and overall build.
Performance: Rates how the product looks & works in & out of the water.
Unique Features: Rates anything different that makes this item stand out.
Cost: Rates the overall value vs. the MSRP, not just the price.

Vicious Fishing Company Info

Product Listing: https://shop.getvicious.com/frogs-c176.aspx

For more information on Vicious Fishing products, visit:

https://shop.getvicious.com/

Vicious Fishing
4598 Roslin Rd
Newburgh, IN 47630

p. 812.965.8588
e. Info@GetVicious.com

* Make sure to check out the nice About Us page on the Vicious website! https://shop.getvicious.com/articles/about.htm

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I want so badly to love this bait – especially because it’s made in the USA. I’m anxious to use other Xcite products… but these Stix will not be taking up any of the limited space in my tackle bag…

The Xtreme Stix by Xcite Baits are another entry in the soft plastic genre.

We all know that cigar shaped baits catch largemouth and smallmouth bass (you can find my 4 favorites here), so stickbaits are something I always have on hand in some variation. These Xcite stickbaits come in a 7.25″ package and measure 5″ (they are 5.25″ to be exact), with a width of 0.5″ at their thickest point.

Available colors include:

Xtreme Stix grabbed my interest when I saw they were listed as “high floaters”. The Xcite website states:

“The 5″ Xtreme Stix is the ultimate floating worm. Our own formulated plastic makes this bait much more durable than a typical stick bait with unmatched action. Use the Xtreme Stix on a shakey head, drop shot, ned rig, Carolina rig and even a Texas rig.”

So… are they the ultimate floating worm? Did they live up to the hype?

Not exactly…

Xtreme Stix: Quality

These stickbaits do not contain salt, or scent as far as I can tell – if it’s there it’s minimal. (Yes, I took a bite to test for both… y’all are worth it.) The plastic is tough. Not hard, but not super-soft. (Easy to bite through…)

My pack was consistent, with no flashing or mistakes from the manufacturing process. Color was awesome, with just a slight sheen on the plastic.

Really a good looking bait, but the lack of scent and salt (which admittedly would make the bait sink a bit) is disappointing. (I soaked mine in Dr. Juice Bass Attractant before I hit the lake to test these in the field.)

Xtreme Stix Quality Rating

Xtreme Stix: Durability

Even though the plastic has a fair amount of flex, it’s durable. The baits are not easy to tear, and they held up to both hooks and o-rings. They do not have much stretch.

I inserted a nail weight into the bait at one point and it stayed put. In the image above I had removed the weight from the fat end of the plastic – minimal damage and no tearing.

Xtreme Stix Durability Rating

Xtreme Stix: Performance

Awful. I want so badly to love this bait – especially because it’s made in the USA. I’m anxious to use other Xcite products… but these Stix will not be taking up any of the limited space in my tackle bag.

When you embrace the concepts of Minimalist Fishing, you freely discard baits and concepts that don’t work… no matter how good they look, or how they’re made.

I started rigged up with a braid-to-fluorocarbon Carolina rig, using a 1/8 ounce weight with a standard worm hook, and was surprised when I pulled the bait up close to shore: the stickbait sat flat on the bottom instead of floating up.

What?! Odd. Perhaps the fluorocarbon leader and hook are too heavy?

Decided to make an adjustment. “Let’s go straight to the braid with an even smaller hook and no fluoro to test if it floats. Then we’ll add a nail weight to make it sink.“

As much as it pains me to say this, the bait slowly sank with just a 1/0 weedless wacky hook in it – on BRAID (which floats) even before I added the nail weight. I could not believe how poorly these performed.

Very, very disappointing… and unfortunate, because Xcite is so close to having something really cool here.

Maybe I got a bad batch… ?

Xtreme Stix Performance Rating

Xtreme Stix: Unique Features

Nothing about this bait is unique, although the shape and color options are really cool. That’s worth a few points.

Xtreme Stix Unique Features Rating

Xtreme Stix: Cost

The cost at this time is $5.99 for a 6 pack.

I think.

It doesn’t list the quantity per pack on their website… but mine (which came in a subscription box) had 6. That’s not terrible, but there are so many better stickbait options with smaller price tags out there.

Stix are not worth the cost of admission.

Xtreme Stix Cost Rating

Xtreme Stix: Final Thoughts

As much as I wanted to love this bait, it doesn’t deliver on what it promises. Even though it looks great – it will not be taking up any of the limited space in my tackle bag. There are many other superior stickbaits available that offer more for less.

I look forward to trying other Xcite products – but as for the Xtreme Stix…

Minimize ’em.

Xtreme Stix: Final Rating

Quality

Durability

Performance

Uniqueness

Cost

How our rating system works:

Our 5-star rating system gives you a quick overview of the product. Please read the in-depth details as well – products with lower ratings can have value in certain situations!

Quality: Rates features like salt, scent, material(s), paint, finish, consistency, look & feel and/or flashing.
Durability: Rates the product backbone: components, hooks, finish and overall build.
Performance: Rates how the product looks & works in & out of the water.
Unique Features: Rates anything different that makes this item stand out.
Cost: Rates the overall value vs. the MSRP, not just the price.

Xcite Baits Company Info

Product Listing: https://xcitebaits.com/xtreme-stix/

For more information on Xcite Baits, Visit:

https://xcitebaits.com/

Xcite Baits
1300 N. Hwy 377 #100
Pilot Point, TX 76258

p. 940.324.3507
e. info@xcitebaits.com

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The Mule Jig paired with a Donkey Tail allows you to cover water quickly while targeting gamefish of every size. The light-wire hooks mean you can use it on ultra-light tackle, and the small paddletail is irresistible to panfish, attractive to larger fish, and durable enough to take a beating and keep on catching ’em! Quite the saucy little nugget, and now a staple in my freshwater fishing backpack.

– The Minimalist Fisherman

Last season, my most pleasant surprise… was a Donkey…

While watching YouTube I came across a video on “minimalist fishing”, by The Online Outdoorsman (Ethan Dhuyvetter). Obviously I was intrigued, and after watching the video, subscribed to his channel.

Shortly thereafter he mentioned Mule Fishing Supply Co. (his tackle company) on Instagram, and I emailed him. We hopped on a call and discussed his company and his goal of providing hard working baits that are accessible to anglers of any age or skill level.

Inspiring!

I purchased some Mule Jigs, simply to support a small business – and when they arrived I was surprised to find a few packs of Donkey Tails to pair with them, along with a hand-written note. The gesture was appreciated, but… I didn’t really think anything of it… until I started to use them…

Throughout last season, they proved themselves to be fish catching machines again and again, and have since earned a permanent place in my freshwater fishing backpack.

Here’s why:

Mule Jig Features: How They Look

The jigs themselves feature a light wire hook in a brass finish, along with a 90° line tie. There is a light metal keeper made of the same wire to hold ultra-stretchy plastics in place. Keep in mind though, keepers this small will easily rip straight through traditional plastics in just a few hooksets.

Sizes currently run as small as 1/80 all the way up to 3/32 ounce, with hook sizes ranging from #10 to #4 respectively. Colors include: black, chartreuse, white, fire red, pink & green pumpkin.

Donkey Tail Features: How They Look

The standard Donkey Tails clock in at 2.8″ (8 per pack), while the smaller Donkey Tail Jr. measures just 1.6″ (12 per pack). They float, and contain no salt or scent. The baits come packaged in a plastic tray, and they all came out in perfect condition with no defects or extra flashing. There was a slight bit of variation in the coloring (meaning how much of one color or another was present on the two-tone baits), but nothing abnormal.

Donkey Tails are super stretchy – the material is very similar to Z-Man’s ElaZtech – which means they won’t tear off of jigs utilizing slim wire keepers. This stretch also means the baits are extremely durable. In fact, it’s not uncommon to catch 20, 30 – even 50+ fish on a single plastic.

However, like all super stretchy materials, you need to make sure you store these baits by themselves, either in the package they came in, or in their own compartment within your Plano container. If they are stored with other traditional plastics, they will “melt” (I got it to react with a Zoom Trick Worm and a Strike King Ocho). However, I did not experience any “melting” when I stored my Donkey Tails with ElaZtech baits like the Z-Man Hula Stick or Ned Rig TRD.

Colors include: Black, True Chartreuse, Karma, Green Pumpkin Black Flake, along with my personal favorite Pasture Fire, and the runner up Dakota Sunrise.

Differences that make these Mule Fishing Products Unique:

Mule Jigs have a few key features that help them stand out from the crowd.

First, the head design is rounded, but flat on the bottom. This is similar to the traditional “mushroomhead jigs” popularized by Gopher Tackle some 40 years ago. This allows the plastic to sit flush against the jighead. The hook shank is also on the shorter size – which is absolutely critical if you want to get the maximum amount of action out of your smaller plastics.

The shorter shank on the hook means less metal up in the trailer, allowing for a wilder kick back and forth – even at a slower retrieve speed. Watching a mean green sunfish track a tiny kicking swimbait, then deciding to swipe up and hammer it like a mini-muskie, is truly a sight to behold!

Donkey Tails are super stretchy and durable – which means they can be a pain in the butt to rig up until you get the hang of it. One quick tip is to get the bait started on the hook, then PULL the top part of the plastic up past the jighead and release – don’t try to PUSH it like a standard plastic (it won’t get past the keeper without bending it).

The lack of salt & scent is no problem because the Donkey Tail is a visual bait. It needs to be seen and felt in the water to get bit – which is why it pairs so well with the lightweight Mule Jigs and their shorter shank. Even in the smallest size, the little segments on the body, and the chunky paddletail coming off the slender rear portion kick out a ton of vibration.

How to Fish a Donkey Tail:

Rigging & presentation are pretty straightforward. I like to use the Donkey Tail Jr. on a 1/32 ounce Mule Jig when I am targeting panfish. If I’m looking for bass or a slightly bigger bite, I’ll bump up to the standard Donkey Tail on a 1/16 or even a 3/32 ounce Mule Jig.

I rig the trailer straight on the jig with the tail facing up or down, and spool up with 4 to 6 pound test mono or fluorocarbon depending on the water clarity and structure. If I’m around rocks or sunken bushes, or if I know we’ll need a stronger hookset without stretch, it’s fluoro all day. Peaceful afternoon panfishing is much more sporty on stretchy monofilament.

In either case I like a 6’6″ to 7’2″ medium light rod with a moderately fast action, paired with a spinning rod in the 1000 size range. Shorter rod if I’m in a creek or close quarters, longer in open areas or if I need to increase my casting distance with such lightweight baits.

The presentation is simple: cast it out, count it down to whatever depth the fish are at, engage the reel and start to reel it straight back. Test slow, fast, and occasionally toss in a few twitches here and there to see what works.

I do not deadstick or jig this bait & presentation combo, but instead focus on covering water. If you decide it’s time to slow down, look to different options.

Where to Use a Mule Jig:

This presentation will catch anything that eats… well, smaller baitfish, insects… anything that swims. I’ve caught crappie, panfish of every sort like perch, bluegill, green sunfish and pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, drum – even trout. It mimics their food.

Well.

With the exposed hook, this bait is not the best choice if you are fishing weed beds, unless you keep it up over the top or make short, precise casts that allow you to effectively work up and down the holes and pockets visible to the naked eye. That said, don’t be afraid to whip it as far as you can when you’re fishing rip rap shorelines, floating over sandy flats, or wading through moving water in a creek or river.

The depth will also be determined by the fish. If you need to go deeper, put on a heavier weight and upsize your plastic. Pay attention to how long you’re letting the bait sink before engaging your reel. How deep are the bites? If you can get away with the smaller size up shallow – DO IT – some of my favorite days this past season were spent fishing aggressive panfish in super-shallow water. Pumpkinseed and green sunfish with demolish this bait if they are around in certain bodies of water – and depending on the time of year, when you’re fishing up shallow you never know what you might catch…

Current Mule Fishing Tackle Pricing:

Mule Jigs (1/80 ounce / 5 pack) – $4.29
Mule Jigs (1/64 ounce / 5 pack) – $4.29
Mule Jigs (1/32 ounce / 5 pack) – $4.29
Mule Jigs (1/16 ounce / 5 pack) – $4.29
Mule Jigs (3/32 ounce / 5 pack) – $4.29
Donkey Tails (2.8″ / 8 pack) – $5.49
Donkey Tail Jr. (1.6″ / 12 pack) – $5.49

Visit Mule Fishing Tackle Co. to view their current catalog.

Final Thoughts on Mule Jigs & Donkey Tails:

The Mule Jig paired with a Donkey Tail allows you to cover water quickly while targeting gamefish of every size. The light-wire hooks mean you can use it on ultra-light tackle, and the small paddletail is irresistible to panfish, attractive to larger fish, and durable enough to take a beating and keep on catching ’em! Quite the saucy little nugget, and now a staple in my freshwater fishing backpack.

I strongly recommend you try this combo.

Make room for it in your everyday tackle backpack or glove box so you always have them on hand. They have a different look & feel than similar baits like the Z-Man Slim SwimZ, or the Bruiser Baits Super Swimmer Jr., giving you extra versatility without breaking the bank.

Mule Jigs & Donkey Tails can make a tough day memorable, and a good day even better!

Quality:

Performance:

Durability:

Cost:

Total Score:

Please Contact Us to ask a question, submit a tip, share a correction or request a bait review.

Recent fishing videos on our channel:

How our rating system works:

Our 5-star rating system gives you a quick overview of the bait in question, but please read the details we provide in-depth. Even baits with lower ratings can have value in certain situations!

Quality: Rates features like salt, scent, material(s), paint & finish and/or flashing.
Durability: Rates the backbone of the components, hooks, finish and overall build.
Performance: Rates how the bait looks & works in & out of the water.
Cost: Rates the overall value vs. the MSRP, not just the price.

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Thank You For Your Support

Your support directly funds the creation of weekly articles and videos that promote the development of better anglers and better men. Our country (and our kids) need both. Please share this site, and consider a monthly, weekly, or one-time donation. You are helping us make a difference!

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Click to watch the complete video review:

Product Summary: Oval Sinkin’ Worms

The Oval Sinkin’ Worm, by the Cabin Creek Bait Company, is a salt-loaded stickbait that comes in multiple fish-catching colors and sizes ranging from 4.25″ to 5.5″. We’ve all seen (and fished) the classic stickbaits like the Yamamoto Senko, and the YUM Dinger, but companies have started to add subtle differences to their stickbait offerings to make them stand out from the pack.

This is good news for all of us anglers… because it means more fish!

For example, Strike King offers a sweet little number called The Ocho, that brings 8 flat sides to the table, giving the bait a slightly different movement on the drop.

Cabin Creek decided to “smash” this bait a bit, opting for an oval diameter instead of the traditional perfect circle.

This gives the Oval Sinkin’ Worm a slightly different shimmying action on the fall, and the bait comes loaded with enough salt to sink it without requiring additional weight. This means you have the option to fish the bait weightless (think wacky rig or weightless TX rig) depending on the wind, depth and conditions that you are fishing.

This also gives you the option to salt rub your bait – a technique we discuss in Ned Rig Secrets that helps give your bait a bit more lifelike flavor (salt is present in blood) and a slightly different look.

Subtle differences like this are a great way to target pressured, finicky fish. Show them something they haven’t seen before – something they haven’t been conditioned to.

Let’s talk about some of the features that come packed into this bait. I think you will agree that it’s a quality weapon to add to your fishing arsenal. One that works both when the fish are active, and when the bite gets tough!

Oval Sinkin’ Worm Colors & Options

This bait comes in two sizes at this time: a 4.25″ size that’s better suited for fishing in the spring or targeting smallmouth bass (or even large panfish… because yes, panfish will attack this thing) and a 5.5″ size that will get the attention of largemouth bass.

Need to select a color that blends in with your local cover or bottom composition – or looking for a bright color that will “shock” the fish? Rest assured, you can find something here that will work. Current colors include:

Smoke Purple
Green Pumpkin / Purple
Black & Blue
Watermelon Candy
Pumpkin Pepper / Orange
Green Pumpkin / Purple & Chartreuse Glitter
Pearl Hologram
Green Pumpkin / Blue Glitter
Candy Apple
Smoke / Blue & Green (not shown)
Junebug
Watermelon Pepper / Red Glitter (not shown)
Green Pumpkin
Bluegill

Oval Sinkin’ Worm Scent

The Oval Sinkin’ Worm comes with a fair amount of salt impregnated within the bait. It is not especially oily or scented – it smells like plastic but it’s subtle and doesn’t seem to be offensive to fish that engulf the bait. The ones I’ve hooked have hung on for plenty long, giving me ample time for a quality hookset.

Sinkin’ Worm Sink Rate & Rigging

The salt within the bait is dense enough to sink at a slow rate – not too fast, not too slow – which allows you to use the bait weightless if the wind and depth allow it. I paired mine with 8 pound fluorocarbon and a 3/0 Trokar Pro-V Worm Hook and fished it as a weightless Texas rig – see the image below (just remove the weight). If you need to get deeper or move faster, pop that weight back on!

You can also fish this bait wacky style, on a Carolina rig, suspend it below a float for smallmouth bass or put it on an F4 Rig… the options are endless.

Oval Sinkin’ Worm Durability and Stretch

This bait is dense. It is hearty, not super soft like a Zoom Zlinky. It will easily last through several fish, and that’s good – because as baits like this get chewed up, more salt is allowed to come through to the surface, making them even more effective. The plastic is not super-stretchy like Z-Man ElaZtech baits, but in many situations this is preferred.

Cost to getcha some Salty Sinkin’ Worms

Currently these baits can be purchased directly from the Cabin Creek Bait Company website:

$5.99 per pack
QTY: 10

Sinkin’ Worm Summary

In my personal opinion, these baits are fantastic. Granted they are a little more expensive than some other baits on the market, but they are unique and produced by a smaller company. They are well made and hearty. Tough. This combined with their unique shape and action provide an extreme value.

It is hard to differentiate yourself on the water. Fish in many locations – especially those in pressured lakes & ponds with loads of fishermen throwing the most popular baits – very quickly become conditioned to bait profiles, colors and sounds with negative consequences.

Do your homework.

You can find out what the locals are throwing just by visiting the closest BigBox store. Look on the shelves and you’ll see what people are buying and using… then try to zig when they zag if you want to catch more fish.

Bass are experimental eaters, but they are also smart. They can learn. If a bass eats 10 YUM Dingers thrown by 10 different anglers and they get a hook in their face every time – they’ll stop eating things that look like a Dinger!

The Cabin Creek Oval Sinkin’ Worm brings enough differentiation to the table that I can definitely recommend you add a few colors and sizes to your tacklebox – just as I have. They are well worth the cost and I’ll be fishing them hard for the remainder of this season and beyond.

If you would like to order your own you can visit:
https://www.cabincreekbaits.com/oval-sinkin-worms-10-pack/

Contact Information:

Cabin Creek Bait Company, LLC
213 Normandy Court
Nicholasville, KY 40356
(859) 333 – 6626

info@cabincreekbaits.com

Watch the Cabin Creek Sinkin’ Worm in Action:

Tight lines!

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Thank You For Your Support

Your support directly funds the creation of weekly articles and videos that promote the development of better anglers and better men. Our country (and our kids) need both. Please share this site, and consider a monthly, weekly, or one-time donation. You are helping us make a difference!

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After my second trip to the pond in Illinois, I started to find myself more and more anxious to get back out. In years past, there were many days that I didn’t even roll out of bed. I felt like I had too much to do, or like the world would fall apart if I didn’t go straight to the office. It was hard to get up and go super early – and just like we’ve talked about in the last 2 videos, I certainly didn’t make it any easier on myself with the goals I was setting.

I was frustrating myself because my “plan” was always too complicated, and my lack of skill in key presentations did not help my confidence. These combined made it hard to pull myself out of bed at 4:30 a.m. in the midst of running a business and “fixing my life”… as it was unraveling…

I’m not going to rehash all of that now, but take a peek at where I was at not long before this October day, when I went out to try fishing a Z-Man Pop Shad (or again, in the plural sense – Z-Man Pop ShadZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz).

?

This was another bait that I had “collected”, then held on to for many years. I mean, literally 4 or 5 before I found myself in a situation where I wanted to try this bait. I could just never bring myself to throw it away, but when I did finally try it out my mindset was “use it, or toss it”.

We know that collecting is not a behavior that a minimalist fisherman should engage in, and I decided to try this bait out instead of tossing it.

I am glad I did – because it’s a really fun bait to throw.

We’ll cover the features of the Z-Man Pop ShadZ bait in a separate post, so for now, let’s focus on when and why I started to use them so that you can apply this to your skill set and get better faster.

When I sat down to write this article, I discovered something else I had completely forgotten. This trip in early October was actually my fourth trip to the pond – not my third. I would have completely lost track of this trip had I not been keeping a journal.

Keeping a journal is so important in general, but also for fishing, or for business, or any other topic you want to record and look back upon and learn from, or see how far you’ve come. Decide to make this something you begin to practice now.

This is another topic we are going to cover more in depth, but I can’t stress this enough – it is so important to have a record, and data to look back upon – for so many reasons.

Let’s take look at this little mystery trip!

The Third Day at the Pond

September 26^th Pond Fishing in Illinois
“Weather: around 51 degrees when I left the house at 6:45. Skies were clear, weather has been stable for a few days – lots of rain about 4 days ago. Threw a topwater for 2 hours. Started in the spot I caught the fish last time with a black and silver Zman Pop Shad which is a floating bait with a cupped mouth about 4 inches. Nothing, so I switched to a toad and tried casting and retrieving. When I got to the back muck pond opposite the parking lot a good bass missed the toad as I worked it like a frog over the muck. I threw it right back and someone grabbed it after 3 more casts, just enough to move it, but not hang on. I switched to a Sebile Pivot Frog (orange, only color I had) that has a single hook in it. This was also the reason that I started with the Pop Shad, because it had the one large hook in it and last time I missed that fish with the standard frog hook. Anyway, worked the area for like 30 minutes or so and nothing. I did see another fish blow up across the pond off to the side of the “dock” looking platform. When I went back over there, I noticed that I could see under some of the mats. There was space, there was dark clear water where things could roam. This is something that I will need to be mindful of moving forward, where there is or is not space. It’s misleading though, because this is the second outing where I’ve missed fish in that shallow back muck pond area. Next time I’ll start and end there. Worth going back. I’ve got a nice little habit going here with the changes to my work schedule, I really hope I can keep this up – it’s a lot of fun.”

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What We Learned on Day 3

• I missed 1 fish on my Strike King KVD Sexy Frog, and tried to use the Sebile Pivot Frog because of the added weight and the single hook.
• While watching my surroundings, I noticed another fish blow up topwater across the pond. I made a mental note to throw there.
• There was room to roam under the thick mats, which I hadn’t noticed to this point.
• Even though I had missed many fish in a certain mucky spot, this was also where I interacted with the most fish. I needed to spend more time here, not look for greener pastures with the majority of my time.

So when I went this time, I started with the Pop Shad because I was able to rig it up with a single, weedless hook. That cupped mouth still picked up the muck, but it worked ok.

I ended the day on the Sebile because I wanted something that wouldn’t get tossed up in the air as easily on a topwater strike through the muck.

Ultimately, I caught no fish – and to be honest, I don’t know if I took my camera this day or not – if I did I… deleted the footage. So let’s just assume that I wasn’t bothering to tape anything yet. 😉

Look at these notes though. Clearly, we learned a few things, so it was not a wasted trip!

The Fourth Day at the Pond

October 2^nd Pond Fishing in Illinois
“Weather: around 74 degrees when I left at 6:30. Been strangely warm the last few days, and we’ve had 2 days of sun. It was overcast this morning and spitting a bit. We’ve had a lot of rain in the last week. I think it has been windy lately, and you can see that a lot of the muck that was sitting up on top has been reduced – at least it seemed that way. Could this be because the water was actually up a bit from all the rain? I’m not sure – it’s just a big pond so I don’t know how the water changes yet. Larger pad looking weeds on the edges of the pond are turning brown and starting to die off. I fished for about 2.5 hours this morning, just using a topwater. I took that Z-man Pop Shad and cut the front cup off of it so it would come over the muck better. It did, and I also caught a fish (maybe 1lb) off of it that picked it up right as it hit the water and went slightly under. This was by where I caught the fish 2 trips ago, down towards the bridge. I also missed yet ANOTHER fish in that back muck pocket. Well, I’m either missing them or just scaring them, and they’re either bass or something else… I felt like I could slow down and try a light worm or fluke but I never switched. This is difficult fishing for sure but I’m trying to get my confidence up with a topwater and learn more about fishing this crap which is all throughout Illinois. Remember it was just 18 days or so ago that you took the kiddo here for the first time, and you had no idea what to do or what could work. So this is really neat to see. Finally, I am not sure if the modified Pop Shad is worth using again. It slips a lot, and I feel like that pivot frog would give me a more muck-free experience… keep experimenting.”

What We Learned on Day 4

• Notice there was a significant temperature increase (at least in the air temp) compared to the last time, and with less recent rain. This day was a bit overcast though… perfect for topwater fishing!
• It was possible that all the rain and wind had some sort of impact on either the muck and algae that was on top of the pond, or, it may have adjusted the water level itself. (Remember last time we talked about not knowing what the maximum depth of the pond even was.)
• I modified the Z-Man quite a bit to make it more weedless, by taking a knife and removing the cupped face. I wanted this slender profile because I knew I would be throwing it over open water and I didn’t want the skirted frog legs, but I also didn’t want to have to switch baits when I hit the mucky spots. Don’t be afraid to experiment!
• I missed yet another fish in said mucky stuff! Crap!!
• Just 3 weeks ago I had zero confidence in any topwater… it only took 4 trips over 3 weeks to do a complete 180 on that feeling of inadequacy.

The fish I caught attacked my bait almost instantly as you can see in the footage. So this brings up another point…

I left the pond this day thinking that I could have tied on a literal stick with a hook in it, and the bass would have smacked it because the strike was so instantaneous – I mean I must have landed this thing right on his head… did he really get a good look at it before he ate it?

These are the questions that keep me up at night. ?

Fortunately on follow up trips I was able to confirm that yes, this little dude looks good to the bass, so it was no accident – but as far as I knew this day… it was just a random thing that I couldn’t reproduce.

Still… I had another fish!

So it took two more trips to catch one more fish… but it was well worth the time and effort because I was building my confidence with a topwater presentation – finally.

Pop ShadZ do work, and I have caught many more fish with them since this trip. They will remain a staple in my repertoire this coming season – unless I come across something better and replace them.

Remember, as minimalist fishermen our goal is to cultivate a super-effective family of baits that we personally have confidence in. This will save money, make us more effective and have the added benefit of making it easier to just get up and go!

So What Can You Take From This and Apply to Your Own Fishing?

• First, go back and review our notes from the first few days fishing at the pond.
• Spending just a few trips with a presentation can really help you to test a bait and gain the confidence you need to throw it with intent.
• Don’t be afraid to experiment. Slightly modifying the bait made it more subtle and more weedless.
• Pay attention to changes in the weather – not just now, but throughout the days leading up to your trip.
• While you’re exploring, see if you can learn about the maximum depth for the body of water, and look for places that fish could potentially roam about, like under large floating mats.

No matter what happens – be grateful. You get to go fish. Others can’t… because of physical limitations, prior obligations, or some other reason.

Enjoy it.

Now get out and do some more exploring on your body of water! Grab a few Pop ShadZ a give ’em a try, and if this has helped you in any way -let me know!

Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.

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