TackleTour

ccass wrote:I like a light chatterbait with this weird trailer from BPS. Its called the Wreak-n-Bug.

http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-W ... /10209907/

Looked it up on the BPS site, that said:

•Innovative lure—somewhere between mouse and frog
•Weighty chunk of a body

It doesn't look like it's a top-water, but if it's between a mouse and a frog, I expect it to be a top water.

I guess BPS is talking about the profile. The lure sinks slowly. The vibrations from the chatterbait really gets the tail moving. Its body has a lot of surface area for skipping.

I've been away from bass fishing for a year or so, and that explains my late post.

I decided to go with a spinning rig because my baitcasting is not always accurate, leading me to be concerned about my lure hitting a pole in the dock resulting in a messy backlash.

I bought a used St. Croix Avid rod....6-3 long, medium power and extra fast tip.

The reel is a Pflueger spooled with 15-lb braid.

I went to a small local reservoir to cast and skip a Fat Ika. Just shore fishing because there are no docks.

I got nice skips on my first cast....and I was really surprised to catch a nice 1 1/2 lb bass on the fist cast.

I later caught another bass, but it was smaller.

But the problem was that the Fat Ika tip was breaking up. It's a soft lure, and I was using a Skip Gap hook. That's probably the wrong type of hook.

An old revived thread!

On your Fat Ika, have you familarized yourself with rigging it reversed? If not, go to YouTube and you will find several videos showing you how to do so.

By threading your hook through the middle of all of the tail strands then Texas rigging it from there, after your casts, the Fat Ika will glide "away" from you.

Well, that is one thing and it gets you even more distance back under a structure; but, I bring it up because it might be easier on the plastic itself. They are such dense little baits and I don't think I have ever experienced any issues with them. The big "downside" most often mentioned with Fat Ikas is after a bass grabs one, the thickness of the plastic often makes it hard for the hook to penetrate into the fish's mouth.

Other than that, they cast a mile, so you can cover a lot of water. They skip well. They can be fished at all levels in the water . . . off the bottom just dragging them all the way up to pulling them fast across the top.

And, if you skin hook the hook tip to bury it shallow back in the bait, it is really a very, very weed free, snag free bait.

Brad

Brad in Texas wrote:An old revived thread!

On your Fat Ika, have you familarized yourself with rigging it reversed? If not, go to YouTube and you will find several videos showing you how to do so.

By threading your hook through the middle of all of the tail strands then Texas rigging it from there, after your casts, the Fat Ika will glide "away" from you.

Well, that is one thing and it gets you even more distance back under a structure; but, I bring it up because it might be easier on the plastic itself. They are such dense little baits and I don't think I have ever experienced any issues with them. The big "downside" most often mentioned with Fat Ikas is after a bass grabs one, the thickness of the plastic often makes it hard for the hook to penetrate into the fish's mouth.

Other than that, they cast a mile, so you can cover a lot of water. They skip well. They can be fished at all levels in the water . . . off the bottom just dragging them all the way up to pulling them fast across the top.

And, if you skin hook the hook tip to bury it shallow back in the bait, it is really a very, very weed free, snag free bait.

Brad

Brad,
These 5/0 VMC hooks are perfect for fat Ikas, and they have an epoxy closure at the hook eye so you can snell them without worrying about the wire end cutting your line:
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/VMC_Wide ... MCBWG.html

One of my most productive days ever was using a Fat Ika so I need to get some of these hooks and give it a go!

Brad

I've been using an Owner ScrewLock, 5/0. It works for me.

I need to confirm they way you are fogging it. The hook eye goes into the tail. Is that correct?

I caught nice bass rigging it the other way.

Shakey heads no doubt my favorite

Another vote for the Senko. Skips easy and just gets bit a lot.

In order of preference.

1.) Fat Ika - My #1 confidence bait
2.) 3/8 Jig - I like a Beaver style trailer as it provides more surface area. I also prefer Arkie style heads.
3.) Senko - I tend to not use it as much because everyone and their sister's, aunt's, third-cousin-twice-removed throws them.

I am experimenting with chatterbaits for skipping this year.