I haven't fished it in a while but used to have GREAT luck with Mann-O-Lure's Hammered Silver. Can't find them anymore for some reason.

Pie Puncher,

Good point on the # of boxes for baits, but if you saw what I used, you'd probably laugh. I have one small (6" X 8") Clear Box that I put Slabs, Humdingers (Not Tailhummers) and a couple of Torpedos in . I replenish every few trips. I also have the Sassy Shads and Jigheads in the plastic pouch the Sassys came in. I keep 10 Rods rigged with half Torpedos & half Slabs this time of year, and these are usually enough for a Trip. Half the Rods are Baitcasters and the other Closed Face for the folks who can't handle a Baitcaster comfortably.

When I quit Largemouth fishing about 6 or 8 years ago, I changed the approach from a "Little Bit of Everything" to "Keep it Simple". I fish about 200 days a year, and try and be organized & efficient. Keep in mind we're catching the easy stuff....Whites & Hybrids. It works for me as I don't have to organize lots of tackle every Evening, the decision making is easy, & we pretty much limit out on our Trips.

Bottom line is that whatever a person is comfortable and confident in, they should use and do. I've found the #1 thing that enables us to consistently catch fish isn't the Bait, Tackle, Equipment, type Boat, etc., it's the ability to locate fish. If you can get comfortable with Electronics and spend as much time as possible on the water, you will consistently catch fish.

Good Luck,

Royce
www.gonefishin.biz

Gone fishin'.....got a couple questions for you. I catch a lot of fish so I dont doubt you can do the same, but the math just doesnt add up in you posts and aside from that if you cleaned 27,000 fish last year as you claim....I think you need to rethink your conservation practices, with the heavy pressure our lakes are getting we need to take care of them for our kids and grandkids!! I am just using the numbers from your posts...if you fished 200 days last year and cleaned 27,000 fish that is some where around 135 fish every day you fished that you cleaned. So whats the daily limit in Texas and how many clients are you fishin? Here in OK is 20 fish each.......surely it isnt much different there. There are good days and bad days.........just sounds like an extemely gross exageration to me, or an extreme case of bad conservation. Van

GoneFishin, I tend to only use slabs, white wildeyes, superspook jrs, and the occasional live bait(when hybrid or striper fishing) but I will almost always have other kinds of lures and about 10+ of each lure that is my favorite. When I go out, one rod rigged slab, one spook, one wildeye, one live bait. NO need for 5 slabbing rods, if the fish dont like my slab, i bite it off, tie a new one on my leader. Takes me maybe 1 minute at most, My young eyes work well. I usually only take about 6 boxes in my tackle bag, maybe too many and too much weight for you but it makes me feel comfortable to know that I am ready for any situation that arises. I have had those days(on benbrook especially) where the fish will only take the SMALL stuff. I wish I could just stuff my pockets and be ready. Maybe someday I will be so chill that I can get by with just a pocket full of lures.

Slabs,5 inch sassy shad, Carolina rigs for live bait. Thats all I need.

Sorry Guys if I'm causing confusion or turmoil. I don't post near as much as I used to as it seems someone gets offended quite often.

I rig multiple Rods as there's always three to four Fishermen on a Trip. I agree that you don't need five Slab Rods.

The math on the 27,000 fish cleaned should have been better explained. This was on 300 Trips conducted by my Son and I last year with an average of three Customers per Trip, and limiting on Whites (25 per Person on most trips), and a few Hybrids. Adam does well on Crappie, but not near as much as the Whites. I assure everyone that Richland Chambers has more White Bass and fewer Fishermen than any Lake in the State. The Biologists have told me they would like to lower the size limit to get folks to take more, but it would never fly.

I'll stay off the TFF on this thread as I seem to have upset the applecart.

Sorry,

Royce
www.gonefishin.biz

You upset no one, Post till your fingers fall off. There will always be those people that dont like what you have to say, that is no reason to not speak your piece. I had some dude call me a game hog but I still post.. lol Keep em comin...
Any more slabs guys or are we all slabbed out? I will put some new slabs to use this weekend and see how they do. If any of you guys know of any other slabs that are effective, feel free to post. Keep posting GF, can always use some more apples in the cart.

GF.....I am not offended.....just didnt think the story added up. Dont stop posting on my account. We all have opinions...I tend to be more on the conservation side of fence most times.

There are a lot of good baits out there. Bryon is a friend of mine and the TNT baits are very well done.......I dont know of very many baits that have so much time and care put into them......most of the TNT lures are smaller in size and I rarley use anything but a 2 1/2 oz slab.....I know they catch fish, I have watched Bryon catch fish on them right next to me more than one time. On Texoma the standard for a lot of locals is the Prunepicker........by design this a simple slab...no frills...just white on one side and chartruse on the other......and a good hook. Ron puts a decent finish on them and beleives that day in and day out that simple color combination will catch fish. I have read several comments about Lead Babies slabs.....all I can say is there are a lot better slabs out there. The molds they use were designed quite a few years back by some one else and they bought the business. I dont think they have done any improvments to the lures and dont think they have even caught a fish on their own lures. I dont think they have any action at all and I was pretty unimpressed by finish they have. My slab of choice hasnt been mentioned yet it is called a Sooner Slab. There are several varieties of them. My favorite is a 2 1/2 oz slab he calls the Big Cranker. This slab has more action than most I have ever fished. I rarely fish under the boat.....I cast and retieve.....and this lure is deadly fished that way. A few days ago at Texoma I wore them out on it........most of my bites came on the fall........this slab fluters and wobbles down and works well. He also makes a 2 oz version of this slab. There is the original Sooner......it comes in several sizes from 2 1/2 oz down to 1 1/2 oz.....at one time there was a 3 oz version. This is used by a lot of guides on the west end of Texoma in the 2 1/2 oz version. Even the lake biologist from OK swears by them. One of the best and most unique slabs they make is called a Side Winder. It ties to the line in the middle and has a hook on each end......it is a 2 oz slab. We fish these most winters for sandies and hybrids......these things vibrate like a rattle trap when cranked or jigged. For part of the colder months we just dead stick them and the rocking of the boat is all it takes to trigger a bite. These slabs have a great finish on them and a lot of detail.

Van

Royce,

Are you being politically correct by not posting? Please keep posting. I enjoy knowing how other lakes are producing and enjoy your posts. So a post about numbers offend a few, so cease posting to avoid hurting a few persons feelings? What is next? No Christmas Trees in December?

Don

lol

Guy�s, there are no � BEST � slabs out their. Now there are Favorites and being confident in the bait you use. It is all about 2 things��. SIZE and PRESENTATION��.. Because we all know size matters . I can take the cheapest piece of lead and put hooks on it and catch fish. All the guys here on the TFF make very good lures. Bryon from TNT makes an assortment of shapes and color, his are the best in durability I have seen, Slab and Shad ( Dennis) makes some really nice ones that you can not buy at the store, the shape is different then most, and very dependable. Bobby�s slabs are also very good baits and so are fish eagles. I love the original � rainbowslab� and I do believe the RSR are the same, but the finish does not last but you can still catch fish when it is gone. Holiday slabs are also very good especially the red and white 2oz. The point I am trying to make, is different baits for different situations. How can anybody say one catches more fish then the other, I don�t know . I like certain shapes and sizes at different times. I do guide and I cant keep replacing baits because paint keeps coming off or the hooks bend easy. That is what I look for in a bait is quality and durability. So buy from anyone of our TFF members that makes slabs , they make good baits. And don�t forget your Humdingers This post is not intended to hurt anyone�s feeling, just my opinion.

as stated earlier, all opinions are wanted and welcome.Although I know there has been times when one slab has outdone another for you. I have had that happen often. There has been days when the bomber slabs dont work that well and the TNT or cabelas slabs were on fire. It does come down to what you are comfortable with and durability goes a long ways too but as you and I both know, some slabs just have better action than others. All slabs are not created equal, just as all plastic worms and all crankbaits are not created equal.

vstk (van) -

i always thought lead babies and sooner slabs were made from the same mold. they are both made in cordell, ok and i just looked at them again and they look to be similar in shape. i find it hard to believe that the lead babies had no action at all, but the sooner slabs have great action when they are almost the same slab. they look to be identical, but maybe i'm wrong. i have tried lead babies before and agree that the finish on the lures needs to be better.

Well I guess I had better get my two cents in
First of all, Royce, keep on postin, along with
most others, I enjoy em. John Varner, Thanks
for the mention, and to the rest, I have to agree
with John about any old piece of lead with hooks,
but I will carry it further, A great slab can
be made out of the old lead snagless sinker, it
is shaped like a spoon and has a lot of action,
I have made lures out of a lot of things
including cut out of aluminum soda cans. A
piece of soft copper bathroom sink tubing that
is chrome plated bent right with a little lead
added in the right place and a hook makes an
excellent White Bass bait. I make lures out of
Bondo automotive plastic filler, and of course
the old standby, wood, and of course I make a
few slabs. You all should think about trying it
I am sure that most everyone on here that builds
lures will agree with me, that there is no thrill
like catching fish on a lure you designed and
built, or even something as simple as a paint
scheme you thought of while redoing an old lure.
I have caught fish on everything that I have
built or painted, and some were way back then
when a brush and a couple bottles of model
paint did the trick, so I know that it doesn't
have to be perfect or have a real look photo-
finish to work. Today there are thousands of
lures to choose from, and I think I must have
my share of them, but the old stuff and homemade
stuff still works, and I still use the ones that
I have made or painted myself everytime I go out
I do have a couple of Bryons old slabs but I
have them put up and use my own, and I will
admit to owning a few cast masters in smaller
or larger sizes but only use them on rare
occassions. Try building some, it is fun and
a challenge.

O & G........Here is the story as best I know it. Yes they are similar and there are a couple of the Lead Babies slabs that even catch a few fish. Many years back a couple friends here in Cordell started to make a few slabs. They made thier own molds and started to poor and sell a few slabs. Lead Babies was born........some time later one of the guys died. After his death his widow sold the Lead Babies name and the molds he was using. These were their very first attempts at making slabs and the slabs werent the best in the world. After taking over the co. they have really never changed anything from those very first slabs.........and I dont think they put much of a finish on them. In fact they dont even know how to fish them.....the owner only trolls crank baits when fishing. At this point Dee started to make some slabs on his own..Sooner Slabs was born...he is a fisherman and kept fishing them and improving them. He has spent hundreds of hours making molds and even more time fishing those slabs until they perform as he wants. He spends a lot of time on the finish...powder coat, then a seal coat.......then the detail of eyes, fins.....back stripe.....lip.....etc.......then they get several coats of a very durable Dupont clear coat. I know there are other slabs out there that catch fish.......I just know they are the ones I am confident in and I catch fish on.
Van