 I had a chance to test the differences between your three styles of weighted tube insert combinations on a recent Susky River outing in Fort Hunter, PA. The test included 10 each of the double, single and no wire 3/16 oz football jigs. All three combinations were fished in the same pools. The two wire jigs lasted 4 hours, the single wire jigs lasted 2 hours and the no wire jigs lasted less than a half hour.
I found the ratio of hits and misses versus the number of fish netted to be about the same for all three combinations. I out fished my boat partner, who is a much better tuber than me, by 50% which I attribute to the fact that I spent more time fishing and less time rigging than he did.
My conclusion is, at least for the Susky, double wire jigs get you more bottom time without sacrificing hookup rates.
Thanks Al
HP. -PA. -1
I started using the Undulator and Chillie Willee a few months ago at the recommendation of a fellow fisherman. These baits look rather simple in their design but looks can indeed be deceiving. These baits are really a fantastic addition to my smallie arsenal especially in cold water. I personally think it drives smallies crazy....they simply can't pass them up. I have been fishing for smallies for more than 30 years so I have seen hundreds of lures during that period of time. I will not stop using these baits and plan to purchase others that Al makes. I am retired so I cannot afford to buy just any bait that comes along. I will continue to use the lures that Al makes until I can no longer fish or, in the worse case scenario, they become unavailable. Stay well, Al....I need these baits!
GS. -PA. -2
Well, my buddy and I ordered over 100 of your Tastee Tubes back in the spring. We ordered the 3.25 inch model in chartreuse/pumpkin laminate. Now I am very, very picky about my tubes, but yours are simply the best I have ever used. The construction and precision pouring is outstanding. I guided smallie anglers all season and we came to rely on your tubes to catch us bass when nothing else would.
JG. -IL. -3
Water temperatures were about 43 degrees and we had to break a little skim ice when launching our kayaks. These tactics and baits are not only good for early winter but I’ve also used these baits and presentation during cold front conditions in summer and fall.
I was using a Winco’s Chillie Willee with a lot of success. Even in the cold weather and water, I landed double digit numbers of fish. The Chillie Willee rigged on a rock guarded football head (also made by Winco’s) is a deadly combination that will keep you fishing instead of wasting valuable fishing time trying to get you bait off a snag. If you want the rock guarded football head, you’ll have to mention it when you call to place an order. It’s a new product.
I spent the entire winter of 2010 field testing it. It’s extremely snag resistant. This summer there were days when my guide clients didn’t lose a football head jig to the river all day. Now that’s saying something . . .
JV. -PA. -4
Al, I was on the Juniata with Juan Veruete Saturday. The river was a little more stained than I had anticipated but it only took Juan a matter of about 15 minutes to hit on a pattern that we stuck with the rest of the day. He started out by landing the first fish on one of your Stone Catties. Not more than 5 minutes later he had another and I switched to that bait. We had to keep our baits on the bottom and right on the walls of the trenches and islands we were fishing. Juan switched to the Predator Crawl after the 2nd fish and we stuck with that pattern the rest of the day. That bait was responsible for helping us boat the majority of our fish. Rigged on your flutter heads it kept us fishing from our kayaks as opposed to spending the majority of our time getting out of snags. It will definitely be something I add to my arsenal. I want to Thank You for a great bait and a great day on the water. You have a great Pro Staffer in Juan. He really knows his stuff and he is very enthusiastic about sharing his knowledge with you on the water.
RK. -MD. -5
Last week, I had the privilege of kayak fishing tributary creeks off the Juniata and Susquehanna rivers targeting pre spawn smallies for three days with pro guide Juan Veruete and two buddies. Prior to booking my trip I spent several months reading and researching how to fish for spring pre-spawn smallies and possible baits to be used to target them. I spoke with Juan extensively to gain more knowledge of pre spawn tactics and baits that would be needed during our trip. I advised Juan that my main goal for this trip was to become more proficient and confident fishing soft plastics in cold water. Juan introduced and recommended me to Al Winco and his custom baits . He showed me numerous pictures of fish he has caught on such baits as the Predator Crawls, Cold Water Smallie Delight's and Chillee Willees. I called Al directly spoke to him extensively on the phone and immediately I was impressed with his superior customer service and patience. Being new and unfamiliar to his products I had numerous questions about how to fish his baits in cold water and his past experiences on various small mouth subjects. Al had nothing but patience in helping me purchase the proper baits and answering all my questions, he never once tried to sell me anything that I didn’t need for my trip. After receiving my first order I was immediately impressed with the high quality of his products and how quickly I received my order. I proceeded to place several more orders getting my tackle ready for my trip, time to go fishing. This was my first trip to Pennsylvania for smallies and it was by far the best fishing trip of my life. Al’s baits along with Juan’s instruction and tactics allowed me to catch 6 personal best smallies over 3 days with the biggest coming in at 17.25 inches. Every fish was caught on Winco soft plastic Predator Crawls, Cold Water Delights and Tastee Tubes, the fish destroyed them. After seeing his baits produce fish after fish by everyone on the trip over three days I'm more than convinced his products produce results. I have since added to and built a small mouth specific arsenal of Winco products. Thank you Al for your excellent customer service, high quality baits, and your patience in helping me. I have caught smallie fever and you now have a customer for life in me, I look forward to future trips to Pennsylvania and to years and years of fishing your products!!
SB. -VA. -6
I guided for three days and fished on the fourth with 2 friends. Each day the bite got tougher until the fourth day when I was back to fishing small baits that work during the winter bite. High water put us in the tributaries all four days. The primary patterns were:
the tail ends of eddies and depth changes in medium to medium slow current(for example rapid drops in depth from 5 to 8 feet or deeper). The bite had been fast and furious prior to our four day outing but a major cold front, massive amounts of rain and high waters put the fish in reverse.
We did manage some fish on suspending jerkbaits but for the most part dragging smaller baits slow was the ticket. Best producing baits where:
(1) 3.50" Cold Water Smallie Delight (2) 3.25”Predator Craw (produced the biggest fish) (3) 2 ¾" Chillee Willee We rigged the C.W.S,D.'s and the C.W.'s on Winco's flutter heads. Flutter heads helped us keep the baits from getting snagged as often on the "ledgey", rocky creek bottoms. I've been fishing these hooks for a couple of years and I prefer them for most soft-baits that I want to drag on the bottom.
On day four the bite was really tough. I was fishing slightly bigger bait (3.50” C.W.SD.) that had been working the day before. I landed one fish and lost another. After seeing the other anglers land a few fish on smaller baits, I "reluctantly" switched to to the smaller "Chillee Willee".The bite was very subtle telegraphed by a very faint tap or just that wonderful mushy feel on the end of the line. This kind of bite screams smaller bait.
I was fishing a steep depth drop at about the middle of the creek that was cluttered with rocky snags. I had a hunch the smaller bait would be better suited for the light bite but I was kind of resisting going the the CW because it would be fished on a 1/8 football head and I felt it would get snagged more. I remembered that Al had sent me some very uniquely designed, single& flexible, wire guarded hooks w/ double barbs to keep the soft-bait securely in position. The heads combined with the CW worked like a charm resulting in fewer snags than I would expect with a football head jig of any design in the rocky environment. That's what it is designed to do...be less snaggy in rock environments.
In all honesty, I was a little skeptical of how it would perform in hook sets because of the straight upward pointing "rock guard". .I'm pretty darn excited about this football head as you can tell! Anyway back to th fish....I landed several smallies on the fourth day using the smaller bait. The largest smallie was 17".
Juan Veruete. -PA. -7
Kayak Fish PA, LLC -Kayak Fishing Instruction and Guide Service,
Pa. State licensed Professional fishing Guide
Al, I got my order on Fri, and was able to use them for the first time on Sun. I was fishing a tributary to the Susquehanna on an early spring afternoon. I hit the last deep hole upstream from the river that had been picked over by more than a few boats, including a guide with two clients. After letting the hole settle down for about 45 minutes, I eased my kayak up along the lower edge of the hole and started throwing one of your Undulators on your 1/8 oz football jig heads with the rock guard. My first cast nailed a fat 16" sow. My next cast got hit and I lost it. The third cast brought in a 14" buck SMB. Those aggressive smallies put some nasty tears in the bait so I glued the plastic to the head and sat it to the side. I grabbed another rod rigged with a Cold Water
Smallie Delights. I then spent the next two hours unhooking one pig after another. I counted at least 16, possibly one or two more. They all went between 17" to just under 20". I have never seen a bait that has the action that yours do. Couple the floating tail with the flutter head jig, and you have a combination that just slides through, over, and around the rocks and ledges common to most river systems. Snagging is at such a low rate, that you cast into areas that you normally wouldn't. I am so impressed that I have been telling anyone that will listen about your baits. You have made me a customer for life.
M.B. -PA. -8
Al, I just wanted to take a moment and thank you for making such high quality lures. I had my second outing this morning with your baits; specifically the Chillee Willee and the Undulator. I caught two nice smallies, one of them pushing 20" and I caught a nice 18" brown trout! Last week, I lost the fish of a lifetime when I had a brown trout that was pushing 30" smash a black Chillee Willee and I lost him not four feet from me. Any how thanks again for making such great products and I can say with complete honesty that you've earned my future business.
M.S. -PA. -9
Al makes stuff that catches fish, not fishermen. He's a tinkerer and smallmouth fanatic at heart. I enjoy talking with him because his logic usually fits with the experience I've had on the water. He puts out stuff that he knows catch fish as opposed to putting out stuff that will sell. As a businessman, it might be a fault, but as a bait designer. . . Like I said before, his stuff catches fish.
J.L. -MA.
-10
Got to love those flutter heads. Last year, I spent a lot of time throwing Predator Craws on flutter heads instead of tubes because I could fish all day and not loose a bait.
J.V. -PA.
-11
We fished a nice sized,wintering area on Friday(after Thanksgiving) Al, You've hit a home run with the Chillee Willee! It outproduced everything else 3 to 1.
J.V. -PA.
-12
I tried the new Helgraleech bait from Wincos during this extremely hot summer. They produced some decent bass despite the poor fishing conditions. Rigged w/ a 1/4 oz. Flutter head, It fished in the rocks very well with nary a snag. I managed smallmouth as well as large mouth with it. It is a well put together innovative bait. This seems to be norm from Wincos. AL, thanks for another great bait to add to my arsenal.
B.H. -PA.
-13
Hit the gap solo at first light this morning. Water conditions were perfect and the weather couldn't be much better for a summer morning wade, I was hopeful that the fishing would be just as good. The first fish of the morning succumbed to the buzz and the river darter junior. The action was a bit spotty from 6-7 but after that things began to heat up and the darter ran away with the show. The remainder of the morning consisted of me casting and reeling in fish. At one point I went 4 for 4 on consecutive casts. This morning was not about the size of the fish it was all about the numbers... I fished till 1030 and then called it quits. 37 fish were landed on the 3.75" river darter jr and 3 on the buzz. The most notable fish were 14-15", while the majority were typical D summer smallies. I have a feeling that in the next couple weeks the bigger fish will be out-competing the smaller ones as the shad continue to grow. Now is the time to get out if you are looking for some good summer smallie action, just make sure you talk to Al and get ya some of the river darters before you go.
F.R. -PA.
-14
Al, I have to tell you about this. I just got back from a week long trip with my dad. Caught fish on the river darter 4.75 inch until they were all gone, caught fish on the W.W.S.D. and C.W.S.D. until they were all tore up, caught fish on my Wink's Walker . . . I can honestly say I caught hundreds of smallies on your lures last week- made a believer of my dad and his friends. You'll be hearing from me soon so I can order more darters, I love the sjb bite.
M.R. -PA.
-15
Testimonial from
Mexico: Posted from Anglers' Inn Lodge at El Salto, at 1233 pm.
Sorry, keyboard is Spanish and strange to me. Did anybody hear three
long yells at 9:30 am? That would be me. I caught an 11.3 bass on one of
Al Winco's Magnum Wacky Stick
worms. Yes, I nearly had a heart
attack. And yes, he nearly got away about 15 times. It
took a million years to get him in the boat and my husband is green with
jealousy. He is also extremely happy and proud of me, to be completely
truthful about it. He has vowed to get another 12 pounder like he got
last time, and start up the ladder again.
Al, the wacky worms cleaned up this morning, absolutely
cleaned up. We must have caught 85 fish on them this morning.. The
O ring installed, which comes standard on that model worm, makes a
huge difference. We ran out of Winco's and had to buy a Japanese company's
worms here, they fall apart like wet Kleenex. . Yours went on and on
and on....awesome.
V.T. -PA.
-16
Al your baits have
changed my life. Prior to speaking to you I was a chunk and winder fishing
mono in 30' of water, getting jigs stuck in the rocks and loosing lures.
Al, you make great products. That Bubba
Craw reduced snag jig is a killer for both LMB & SMB and- the CWSD
series of jigs is awesome for
smallmouth bass in the offshore rock piles. I don't know why people would
not give your lures a chance (they are missing the boat). Your soft
plastics hold up better and last longer then any I've used on the
market.
I spoke to Al a few weeks ago and he asked me if
I was using the Sonar
blade baits he had made for me, I said "No" and he asked me "Why not."
I told him" I was still using the CWSD jigs"-
he also asked me what the water temperature was. I told him it was 52
degrees and he asked me why I wasn't using the Float
n' Flies
that he made for me. I told him "Neither the Float
n' Fly, nor the blade
bait
, had been working for me, and I was ready to throw
them in the bottom of the lake." He asked me how I was fishing them and I told him. He
informed me I was lifting them up too high and fast. He explained the
proper way to drag them for 5-8 wiggles-then pause and exactly the way
smallmouth bass hit them. The next few days - BOOM!!!! I loaded the boat.
In the rain, cold wind, flat calm it did not matter. We caught four fish
that were over 18 in. in 48-52 degree water, and at a depth of 12-16 ft.
of water-providing I fished them as Al had instructed. I only lost three
blade
baits
in one
day. I called Al from the lake to order 16 more and was delivered at my
house by the end of the week. I can hardly wait for springtime to try the
new Bronze Bushwhacker spinner baits.
R.W.
-WI. -17
"Here is the deal. So I posted on
epfr.net about loving Senko baits. After chatting with Al I decided to
make the switch and ordered his 4 1/4'' Stickworm
Jr. It only makes sense. Al's baits are stronger sink faster and hold
up so much better then a Senko. Winco's are where it's at. Catching the
same amount if not more yet going through half the number of baits as
normal, yet at almost half the cost. Al you have got a great product.
Thanks for having me switch to the Winco way of
fishing/Catching!"
K.B. -PA. -18
Hello Al, my friend, got the package of lures today. My
husband and I had a great time looking over all the great stuff; thank you
so much for all your help in choosing the colors and product for our lakes
- and thank you for making up a custom mix of weights of Bubba
Craw rigs. Really, I don't know where to stop appreciating
your customer service, because you were so giving of your knowledge,
experience, and passion about the sport. I am sure we will be giving you
excellent fishing reports. Thanks for all the extra samples, and the
demo samples to show us how to rig. I just don't know where to stop.
What an amazing value, and what an amazing resource you provide.
V.F. -PA. -19
I fished the Neshaminy Creek today -late morning/early
afternoon. Started out with some topwater nothing. Then jerk n minnows and
wacky creek worms nothing. Tied on a Winco
Stone Cattie and picked up 10 smallmouth right away. This is a hot
lure. I've used it on two occasions so far and each time it caught
some fish for me when nothing else seemed to be working out. Thanks Al.
H.T. -PA. -20
The Bubba
Craw,,, First cast with one put a nice 4 pound LM in the boat. You
probably heard me laughing all the way over at your house. Nice bait ,,,I
crawled it around in the rock and did not get hung up at all. My nephew
also got a LM on one today. Tuff bite this AM.
B.H. -PA. -21
For the last 12-14 months I've talked a few times with Al about artificial
stone
cats. Al and I talked about colors, sizes and perhaps most - how to rig or hook them so that they fall correctly. I had a modified jig I pour and Al had his own ideas and put far more time and $$$ than I ever did. When he finished the lure, he sent me 3 to try.
This weekend I hosted my daughter and her friend. They were using another "modified" bait I made and catching fish and I figured about an hour into the trip I'd toss Al's new
Stone
cat. Second cast I caught a 15+" smallie, (I think I was the FIRST person to ever catch a fish on this new Lure). Two casts later, I landed another decent fish, and then I tossed it in real fast current and bumped bottom, at the swing I had a vicious strike. After getting it in, it was just a mark shy of 18" and was the best of the 30+ bass we caught in 3 hours Saturday morning. The 4th bass came about a dozen casts later, but he tore the tail off and that was the end of the story.
C.G. -PA. -22
Al,
Thanks for
the great lures. Here is two photos of each 20 7/8 fish caught on the
Bubba Craw
. "Bubba Craw
, what more can I
say, I caught 21 smallmouth bass, 17 inches to 20 and 7/8 inches. In six
hours in 57 degree water temperature. This lure out fished my buddies lure
4 to 1 !"
R.W. -WI. -23
About 3 weeks ago I ordered a Bubba
Craw Kit from Al and have used them in two lakes nearby my house with amazing success.
One of the lakes holds some very big largemouth bass but is a hard lake to
fish. Many bass fisherman including myself get skunked often. Well let me
tell you I've been killing them (just an expression C&R only) on
the Bubba
Craw. I can't believe how well they've been working. My
first trip out with the Bubba
Craw I caught 9 beautiful largemouth bass. Last Saturday I took my
father in law there and we were nailing them again. We actually had
fisherman come up to us and ask us what we were using because we were
catching and they were fishing. Al, the Bubba
Craw is gold and my new go to bait! Your the man! Thank you so much!
H.T. -PA. -24
Yeah Baby....................That's what I'm talkin' about.
I got a chance to try out those C.W./W.W. Flutter jigs today. I did well with 1 that I took with me. I fished some very rocky areas and was very pleased with the way that jig worked thru the rocks. On that 1 jig I caught 6 smallies, 2 largemouth, and 3 pickerel.
You can bet there'll be another order for more, before I make the Canada trip.
Thanks again, Al
K.D. -PA. -25
[Air
temperatures 28-29 degrees, water temperature 35 degrees w/chunk ice flows in the
Susquehanna River]
After cleaning up the snow from around my house I decided to try some of the new stuff
I got from Al Winco.
Got some Cold Water
Smallie Delights on the Flutter head jigs.
Fished the hook "texposed."
Well, 11 smallies and 3 walleye later I was still using the C.W. Never got hung up once
and I make a lot of casts upstream and fish down current. I lost 2 regular jigs today and
keep pulling leaves and grass off of the round head jig but I didn't touch the C.W. once
and no snags. It certainly appears to be a snagless lure and picks up no grass or leaves.
Five of the bass were in the 15-16" class. You will note
that the C.W. attracted more than smallies. And it was very consistent in winding up in
the corner of every fishes mouth. All those fish came on the same piece of rubber. They
last! You know that CWSD has that single bodied worm-like configuration with the silicone
strands attached and looks somewhat like a "stickworm." I call the CWSD a
"stickworm on steroids.
B.Y. -PA. -26
Al,
here are a couple of pics of my very 1rst winter smallies off your baits. Caught them
yesterday on the New. My second cast of the day I hooked up on the free sample of the
C.W. Stand up jig worm. My 3rd cast, I lost it. So I
would like to order one of the kits you have. Just thought I would let you know how
pleased I am with your lures.
S.G. -VA. -27
Al, Just
wanted to let you know I love the jigs/plastics. This Saturday, the
C.W.S.D. 3" soft-bait jig was the ticket on a local reservoir.
I caught several smallies, including a 19", along with several nice
largemouth. It was supposed to be a tough day with bluebird skies, post-frontal
conditions and still caught quality fish.
E.S. -TN. -28
I
need to purchase a couple of Wink's
Walker plugs. Ive got one of the 2.75" models This
has become my absolute favorite "spook" type plug. For my smallie creeks
here in Central Kentucky, it seems to be the perfect size/weight and these fish love it.
It has been crunched, chipped, blasted out of the water, smacked around, paint worn
off, stuck in trees that you had to climb to retrieve it, and more for the past
yearstill walking easily and catching fish.
B.Q. -KY.
-29
Al,
got a chance to use the Reduced Snag jigs on the River
Craw and [Smallie] Crawlie on Sunday. We were fishing clear cool
moving water about 3.5' deep and impossible rocky bottoms. When the top-water, Wink's
Walker and Jerk
n' Minnow were not on the menu, I switched to the 3" Baby Stickworms (nose hook and wacky style) and tubes but got
snagged on every cast. The Reduced Snag jigs were too perfect at avoiding snags and the
smallies agreed. I let them hit bottom, count to 4 and give 'em jerk. Usually
hit on the first or second fall. We landed 50+ smallies and I lost exactly one jig
in 2 hours of fishing them. Great product - I may never drag a tube again.
D.A. -PA. -30
[Case SSS vs. Jerk'n Minnow (rate
of fall test)]: Got my Jerk
'n Minnows today, (thanks Al) and decided to do a sink test in my pool. Jerk
'n Minnow sank at at much faster rate. Both look like stunned baitfish on the
fall. Actually they both looked lifelike on the fall. So if the bass are hitting
falling baits I will use the Jerk 'n minnow. If they are up on top, probably go with
an SSS.
D.H. -NJ. -31
Top-water hits are just so darn
much fun. My companion favored a Pop-R and I used a little Winco Quad-wing buzz bait with a grub instead of a skirt. Bigger fish (over 15) liked the buzz bait
Tuesday evening...The bigger fish came from deeper spots, tubes, and a Winco
Stone
Cattie jig w/a special belly weighted swim-bait hook. I got my largest
2 fish from the Winco
Stone Cattie softbait jig
. This stone cattie jig is going
to get a lot more research from this fisherman. I tied it on because I promised Al I would
try it out. I had doubts because it is bigger and heavier than I typically use in a jig.
It is a nice-looking soft-bait that Al pairs with a custom hook with a weighted shank that
is T- rigged. The shank weight keeps the Stone Cattie
moving belly-down, and the T-rigging, as
it turns out, never caught a rock until late the second day. Anyway, I threw it in a deep
drop-off near moving water that we had pulled a few normal-size fish from with flukes and
tubes. As soon as the Stone Cattie
spiraled down to the bottom, it stopped. I said, crap, it
found a rock. But then as I pulled back on the rod to free it, it moved a little, then
moved away. When I got it to the boat, it had an 18+ on the end. I threw it again and got
a 16. Over the course of the next 2 days, I used it here and there. It worked best for me
in slower, deeper water where it can be allowed to fall and be worked along slowly.
F.S. -PA. -32
Got
back last evening from my annual Canadian fishing trip. The largemouth were willing to
play so we targeted them mostly. Flukes ... From 7" to 3.5" from Zoom, CaseSSS,
[the] Winco's Jerk'n minnow Sr & Jr.
Wink's 3.75 in blue glimmer hologram outperformed them all. These lures had the
best sink rate and there was no mistake on the pick up. The bass just hammered them.
K.D. -PA.
-33
Fished south of 332 from 1300 to 1615 today and managed to land nine
Smallies and about a dozen assorted panfish. I slapped the waders on covered a lot of
ground to get the fish. The highlight of the day was my personal best NESH smaliie coming
in at 17.5". Another 4 smallies at about the legal limit with a couple of dinks
thrown in. Water was fairly clear and somewhat chilly, glad to have the waders on for
sure. I have to give a shout out to Al Winco for his 3" Baby Stick worm as all fish were caught with this excellent soft
plastic. It is extremely durable and only three were needed for the entire day of fishing.
Had I been using Senko's I most likely would have had to go through 2 packs. If you don't
fish with Al's gear, do yourself a favor and get some, it will definitely increase your
success rate. Thanks again Al for the Great Products!!!
R.C.
-NJ. -34
For those of you that would like to continue your fishing success well into
the Winter Months, you must have a few of the Winco's
Sonar Blades. I have caught some of my best bass ( Largemouth & Smallmouth ) with
these baits with the water temps into the very low 40's. These baits offer sticky/sharp
hooks and high quality split rings. My favorite flavor has been the silver holographic in
the 1/2oz or 3/4oz models. Try a few, I promise you won't be disappointed.
D.S. -PA.
-35
If you haven't tried the Rigged
Smallie Crawlie from Winco's yet your missing out. This bait flat out catches fish. It
has been a big producer for me this season so far, bringing in my two biggest bass of the
year, The smallmouth love it, as well as the LM. It is definitely a big fish bait. I seem
to consistently bring in better quality fish when I use this bait. I find myself throwing
the hard jig less and less and turning to the soft rigged Winco jigs. It didn't take long
to get confident using it, and it is now a go to bait for me. I have caught good fish in
all kinds of lake and weather conditions with these baits. I really like the roadkill Camo. Thanks for the heads up on this bait Al.
B.H.
-PA. -36
After reading fishing reports posted on EPFR referencing Al Winco products,
I contacted him to order some supplies. I explained to him I am a newbie to Delaware River
smallmouth fishing. He then devoted about an hour over the phone giving me tips &
techniques to catch smallies. He suggested some hot products & shipped them the same
day which I received the next day with some free extras. This past weekend I was able to
try his products out. I hooked into smallies with everyone of his products I threw at
them. The products I used were Winco's Jerk'n Minnows,
Wacky
Stickworms & Wink's Walker.
I got bass on all of these. The products & service he provided were great, give him a
try. Thank you Al for a great first outing on the Delaware River
P.G. -PA. -37
My dad and I finally got out for only the second time since early June
and had some of our best fishing ever as far as numbers in this stretch. The water was
very low and clear and the smallies were ready to go. On Friday night we managed 66
smallies in 4 1/2 hours and Saturday under bright blue skies we pulled in another 52 over
the course of 6 hours. Fish were caught in slow water and fast water, deep and shallow
water. It didn't really matter as any where you could find shad fry you found feeding
smallies. The trips were great for action, however bigger fish were few and far between as
a half dozen fish in the 15 to 16 1/2 range had top billing. 99% of the fish were caught
on soft plastic jerkbaits in the smaller sizes. We must give props here to Al Winco's Jerk'n Minnow
Jr. in the pearl fantasy and blue glimmer colors as they clearly out fished the Case
plastics, are much more durable and hold up way better against the vicious strikes of the
smallies. In fact I managed to catch 8 bass on one Winco Jerk'n Minnow
before it was so beat up it flew off on a cast. Hopefully it won't take us this long to
get out again and I would advise anyone with the time to head out and fish now when the
bite is so good. Also, if you don't have any, do yourself a favor and pick up some Winco's
Jerk'n
Minnows.
R.C.
-NJ. -38
Wow what a crazy day yesterday!!! (Upper Delaware River) I've never had a
better fishing day in my 2 year fishing span (i know short span) we launched out of
Eshback on our kayaks at 7:30 am and fished until 2 pm. we got 30 smallies up to 17"
and i caught a nice 24" pike on Al Winco's W.W
Smallie delights!!! speaking of Al's products WOW.... his Jerk'n Minnows
#12 and #28 were really hot during the stretch as were his Wacky
Magnum Stick Worm in #6,7,5. there were 3 of us on kayaks and man Al's products came
thru in the clutch for us. Al has been working with me (amazing support) to create a new
color for his Wacky Worms
(perfect sinking rate) which I will hopefully get to use this weekend coming up. I don't
want to sound like I'm working for AL or anything but dude his stuff works! I can't say
enough about those lures thanks Al !!! I've only been fishing 2 years but man I've never
had soo much fun catching fish as I did this past weekend.
I.M. -PA. -39
Went
out at 3am today smallmouth fishing. Ended up leaving the river at 12noon. Ended up
boating around 70 smallies, had one 28 channel cat an 1 musky hooked up but was cut off.
All fish were caught on Winco Rigged
Smallie Crawlies and salty Jerk 'n Minnows-both
3.75 inch an 5 inch models.
T.J. -PA.
-40
I have been using Winco's lures for years! (I would have to say for about
15 years now). I can not tell you how convinced I am in these salty delightful
baits. I am a jig fisherman - I probably throw a jig 70% of the time, and have won
many tournaments on Winco's jigs. I have tried them all, just like everyone else, but I
always came back to Winco's jigs. That is until this June, when I was picking up an order
and Al showed me these " new, gonna knock their socks of wide bite jig" That's
what he said at least, and all though I know his regular jigs worked, I said yeah we'll
see, and I grabbed 1 Black and Blue and one Crawdad. Oh- by the way I am a pork man! I
have tried the zoom chunks, etc... but I throw pork!!! So like I was saying, I grabbed
these 2 jigs, and said "Al I don't have any pork that would match that crawdad
color" so of course he threw me a couple of his 3" Claw chunk salt
and scent impregnated jig trailers and said he would convince me that plastic is the way
to go.
Well.... I now have nothing but his Mega-wide bite
jigs, and yes, I have switched over to Winco's chunks. (Sorry Al, I do still use pork on
occasion LOL) This is in part to the 22Lb limit I caught on these jigs, The 6+ lber that
is attached to this letter and many other fish i have caught on these jigs. I can't
believe the hook/catch ratio I have had since going the wide bite jig. Just awesome is all
I can say. Good Fishing
N.F. -PA. -41
The Winco worms are less expensive than Senkos AND are more durable. more
importantly, un-weighted, the sink rate is just perfect and they catch fish. I use
3" and 4" for smallmouth and 4-5" for LM.
D.A. -PA. -42
I'm hardwired frugal and won't pay for a name brand that doesn't perform.
Until recently, I used Yum Dingers because they worked just as well for me as the next guy
in the boat fishing Senkos at twice the price. That is, until a recent trip to the
Schuylkill with Al. I became convinced when Al started to out fish me 5 to 1 with his Wacky
Stickworm. Whether it is the weight, the density, the flexibility, or whatever, it
drops and wiggles in a way that entices smallies. And as a frugal guy, because they work
better and last longer, they are even cheaper when you calculate price per fish caught!
F.S. -PA. -43
I've been meaning to send you this for some time only it seems that darn
fishin thing keeps getting in the way. A couple weeks ago I placed an order for some wacky
worms and some WW Smallie
Delights. I don't know where you came up with that idea for the smallie delights but I
love it.
They have produced fish when tubes, worms and spinners won't. Like yesterday (8/18/07) I
went wading over in the Delaware and the WW
Smallies Delight jigs were the big producer. Caught 9 smallies in 3 hours, 1 on a
spinnerbait and all the rest on the WW
Smallies Delight jig. Most in the 10 -12" range. Large was 17". Happened the
same way 2 weeks ago on the Delaware and a week ago on the Schuylkill. This bait just
saved the day when everything else wouldn't produce a thing. Kudos to ya!
Thanx
H.P.
-PA. -44
Just received my order in record time after talking with you--the spinnerbaits
look fantastic (got the ones you described above plus black), as do the Wink's Walkers,
the Buzzbaits,
the Smallies
Delight jigs, and the Jerk 'n Minnows.
I'm getting out on the water with them ASAP! You were very responsive and accommodating,
and these will definitely give my smallies something different to look at. Great to have a
sponsor like you on RiverSmallies.com. Thank
you!!
T.E. -VA. -45
Last week I asked for some help on jigging for bass. Al Winco
(smallmouthaholic) offered some advice and posted some pictures of jigs. I figured I'd
support a local business who helps support my favorite web site. So I gave Al a call. We
had a great chat about what I fish for and where I go plus a few other things like early
season bass fishing, the crappie Bassmaster Classic and the Dead Sea - Beltzville. He said
he would call me back the next night with some ideas. He called, made recommendations and
I placed the order.
They came today, just 2 days after I placed the order!!! Top quality stuff !!!!! I got
some Ultra Point Weedless Jigs - black n blue & crawfish, football
bass jigs - black n blue & crawfish, warm water and cold water Smallies
Delight - all the jigs have a trailer on them! Plus some Pro's
Soft-Bait Glue. Those jigs look BEAUTIFUL!!!!! BUT There's MORE!!!! He threw in
samples of some Rigged
Creatures, Hootchie Worms,
Jerk 'n
Minnows, Finesse
Worms, Baby
Stickworms and Magnum
StickWorms. All those samples look AWESOME!!!!
Now I have a problem! These baits all look so good and I can't use em yet!!!!! REALLY
looking forward to launching the canoe!!!! I will be bagging some Bass on Winco's Custom Lures!!!!!! THANKS for
the advice AL!! Great looking baits!!! I'll be back for more!!!
L.N. -PA. -46
I like Winco's Wacky Worms.
The fall rate of his worm are perfect. Drifted with the occasional twitch and you have one
life like artificial worm. The o ring on them also helps the worm last longer, prevent
cast offs, or a smallie running off with it. They really work great and are good to have
in the arsenal!
J.R. -PA. -47
I really like this little bait Al!! When I placed my order for hair jigs
earlier this spring, you sent me a couple freebies. These smallies really enjoyed the #28 Jerk'n Minnow
Jr. this past weekend!!! I will be placing an order for a few more very soon. Thanks
again
S.H.
-PA. -48
This warm water Smallies
Delight jig has been the ticket for me the last 2 weeks of fishing. The Roadkill jig
is definitely the ticket today on the Juniata
P.H. -PA. -49
Got my order of WW
Smallies Delights today. I couldn't wait to try em' out so I went to my honey hole on
the flat water and from the shoreline I had a good night. I'd have to rate them with a big
thumbs up. I had one smallie take 3 swipes at it till he finally hooked up. I didn't have
a ruler but my guess would be in the 18-19" range. I can hardly wait for the weekend
to try them in the Schuylkill to see how they work in the moving water. Thanks Mr. Winco
for rushing the order
K.D. -PA. -50
I'm preparing for some upcoming spring fishing and I just had to give Al a
call at Winco's. What a great guy to deal with! He took my order and then we spoke for
awhile about fishing in general.
I really wanted to try the C.W.
Smallie's Delight Jig. I ordered the 1/4 oz. size since I expect to use them in spring
water which may be high and cold. As a fly tyer, I know that making these jigs take some
time. Al will have them from November thru March. So, if you're thinking about picking a
few up, you only have another month.
The smaller Jerk'n
Minnow Jr. caught my attention. Al had sent me a sample and I really liked the weight
and size. I ordered the Blue Glimmer Hologram and the Blue Glimmer Hologram/with Chart.
tail. I have a sneaking suspicion that these will be killers on smallmouth this year!
Thanks for taking the time with me this evening, Al.
T.B. -PA. -51
I gave Al a call and placed an order on 3/1. He told me my merchandise
should come on Tuesday (3/6). I got home from cutting firewood on Saturday afternoon, my
wife says a package came for me. I was quite pleased to see a package from Winco's!!
Thanks Al for fast service and for the extra baits you sent along. Those Creature
baits look awesome, also like how your Wacky
sticks already have the "O" around them. Can't wait to get on the water and
throw the Rabbit
hair jigs along with the Smallie
Delights!! Thanks again
S.H. -PA. -52
Fished this past weekend with a Wink's Walker
and a I must admit it was outstanding. In 5 hrs of fishing I landed about 25 smallies and
had at least 15 more blowups. Fish jumped out of the water for that thing. I started the
morning fishing a soft plastic jerk bait and was getting very slight hits. Switched to a
walker and the fish seemed to get a lot more aggressive. Bait is real nice.
J.B. -DE. -53
Awesome bait [Wink's Walker].
I've caught a bunch of fish on mine, just not really been a "big fish" year for
me.
B.Q. -KY. -54
Jake and I met for
another trip with Blaine from Backwoods Angler today.
The weather was not the best, rained steadily until about 1 or 2 pm and was cold as all
get out! None of us had any feeling in our hands by lunch time, but we kept at it. I
dropped a few fish because I could not close my hand around the reel. We ended up with 24
Smallies and a Walleye. Ranging from 13-19". We had to work for them, but we would
get into a couple per hole and some holes gave up a few. We had a couple 17" and one
19" or so.
A few came on tubes and
Jerk Baits, but 90% of my fish came on the Winco's C.W.
Smallie's Delight jig. The rest of mine came on a River craw [#27] Winco's Rigged
Creature. I only had 3 CW's
and was lucky enough to make them last all day, the one held up for 5 or 6 smallies and a
walleye and then I lost it!
V.K. -PA. -55
I was able to field test these jig and worm combos (Enticer
Jig / Wonder Worms) this year and I love the jig head style. It does
everything you want it to do. It will stand up on almost anything and comes through cover
really well. The Wonder worms screw on the jigs easily and perfect every time with their
concave head design (very slick idea). This is custom, high end tackle that works!
K.F. -PA. -56
I just wanted to take a moment and thank Al Winco for the great service I
received during my last purchase. Al was helpful and did everything he promised. The lures
look great and are very well made. Looking forward to giving them a try in the coming
weeks. I have tried to support all the sponsors on this site, and will continue to do so.
Give Al a call the next time you are looking for a quality line of lures that you won't
find at Wal-mart. The freebies were cool too.
D.R. -WVA. -57
After a successful trip to the Susquehanna, I was using a small Wink's Walker
on a private pond shore fishing in Virginia. It snapped off during a cast and landed
in the middle of the pond. Just like a scene from the movie "Creature from the
Black Lagoon" (and to the surprise of my fellow fishing buddies on shore), I
swam out to rescue it. The dark murky water sure appeared different from eye level (did
wonders for the imagination). Even though my car alarm keys didn't work afterwards
(forgetting they were in my pants pocket), I am proud to say that I was able to withstand
the 'laughter' knowing that I rescued my favorite bait that had given me multiple top
water strikes during that summer.
A.W. -VA. -58
Fished
the Skuke yesterday with a friend in our kayaks. We launched at the Linfield ramp and
floated to the 113 ramp. Had a pretty good day. Between us we caught over 40 fish, all
smallies. The largest were right around 14-15 inches. The water was generally clear until
we got around the power plant upriver of the 113 ramp. All fish were caught on plastic
worms either deadsticked or wacky rigged. Most fish were caught in fast water except where
we were able to find deeper holes. The plastics of choice were Al Winco's Wacky Worm
and his Baby Stick
worm. The colors of choice were watermelon and green pumpkin.
J.M. -PA.
-59
As
for the topwater bite, Anyone who has not seen the Wink's Walker
in action, your truly missing out. With an early morning water temp. of 61.4, Al casted a
topwater plug. Two wobbles and POW, fish on!! These baits are by far the best 'walking the
dog' baits I've ever used. They cast a mile, easy to walk (even in wind, current, debris,
etc...) and have great pause position. I am not great at 'walking the dog', but a few
hours of casting this lure, I was receiving a lot more strikes, so the fish approved.
M.K. -PA.
-60 |
