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. - 1

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. - 2

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. - 3

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. - 4

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. - 5

 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. - 6

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 - 7

Fished Landingville on 9/3/07. Launched the boat around 730 am and fished until 1pm. Tough day of fishing. Water was stained probably 1 foot of visibility and temperature ranged from 72-74 degrees. Started off in the morning with topwater with no success. Switched to soft plastic also with no success. Flipped and pitch a Winco's Megabite Jig into heavy cover with also with no success. I must say though this was the first time I used a Winco product and I was rather impressed. I was pitching some extremely heavy cover and they slid right through it. Also fished some of Winco's [5 1/4] Magnum Stick Worms and I am hooked. GREAT ACTION ON THEM. I will be ordering more.
A.S.-Pa. - 8

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. - 9

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. - 10

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. - 11

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 - 12

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 elights. 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. - 13

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. - 14

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. - 15

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. - 16

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. - 17

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. - 18

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. - 19

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. - 20

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. - 21

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. - 22

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. - 23

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. - 24

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. - 25

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.-W.Va. - 26

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. - 27

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. - 28

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. - 29