shorefisher

I took RoadWarrior's advice and spooled Yozuri hybrid ultra-soft #6 on my spinning rig and never looked back. I am really liking that line. Thanks RW! I am thinking about getting the #10 for a crankbait setup on a baitcasting rig.

Electrical tape?? Why not black duct tape?

$2.99? I might have to go and try me one. My favorite was a cotton cordell super spot chrome/blue but I went and rigged it to a custom three blade buzz bait where I cut off the jighead and hook and attached the spot and bent the arms so that it would run correctly. I can't take credit for the idea, but I can't remember who it was that created it right now, sorry. Anyways it works awesome. Actually my most productive was a rattlin rapala...

hmm...that reminds me of a recent experience of mine http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1217385063 only it was my head

After hearing so much about this lure I paid the $25 and ordered one in Natural color. I went down to my favorite pond and promptly threw it over a branch on my third cast. At that point I knew what was coming and I felt sick at the thought of losing it so quickly. So I did my best to get it swinging and pop it over the branch and so of course it got very very stuck. I was pretty heated so I reefed on it figuring I had nothing to lose... well it did come unstuck and came flying at me at the speed of light. I had just enough time to turn my head and WHACK! it hit the side of my head... it didn't really hurt, just felt like a smack but it wasn't falling... I felt up and removed a point from the middle hook from my ear and then felt up in my hair and found the bottom hook. Two points were buried to the curve in my head. Those katsuage hooks were so sharp that it didn't really even hurt, but I tugged on it and there was no way it was coming out. Luckily another guy happened to be fishing with his kids and I wandered over and waved him over. "Uh, could you help me? I seem to have gotten this lure stuck" I said while handing him my needle-nose. You should have seen his face, but like a trooper he ripped out the hooks...one by one. Well anyways the day wasn't a total loss, after that I'd be damned if I didn't catch something on that lure so I went back and cast it a few more times and SUCCESS!!!!

Some of the guys up here are using rubber o-rings or even large split rings to wacky rig their senkos. They swear up and down that it makes the bait last much longer. But when I tried it my hookup percentage went down and it seemed to slightly change the action. Note that when you do this the hook is parallel to the worm instead of perpendicular. Any one else use this technique?

For weightless texas rig i use 3/0 offset worm hooks (not EWG), for some reason i get better hookups. Also they are lighter weight and seem to improve the action. For wacky I use 3/0 gammy finesse hooks (red) but i might try smaller. For fat Ika's I like 5/0 EWG but 4/0 would be good too. Anyone else prefer normal offset worm hooks over EWG?

5" Yum Dinger in watermelon seed. This worm has better action than any other worm I've tried, it sinks slower and better than senkos, is far more durable, and I believe the scent they use really works. I was able to catch 16 fish on one worm before it broke! It has produced for me in every water I've been to.

Gotcha RW, that's what I thought it's just I didn't want to do that if it was normal and I would've just ended up with the same problem anyway. I'll take it back. Thanks

I am not talking about the normal whirring noise when the brakes engage. It's like a shuddering groan...I'm trying to think of a parallel...you can feel the vibration. It's like something is rubbing...it doesn't sound normal but I didn't know if it was normal with a long hard cast with a heavier (1/2, 5/8 oz) lure. On a cast the brakes will engage and it will start whirring but then start vibrating and groaning. It does seem like something is loose or maybe a lack of lubrication but on a brand new reel, it doesn't give me a feeling of confidence. It's like the spool is rubbing and vibrating on something. It doesn't make any noise on the retrieve. I guess what I should ask is can any of you make your newer reels make a loud groaning sound with a hard cast? Anything beyond the normal brake noise? RW I don't understand your suggestion? Thanks guys

I just bought the LH Quantum Energy PT 2 weeks ago and have less than 100 casts on it and sometimes if I'm casting a spook or other heavier lure it will vibrate and groan on a long hard cast where the spool moves quickly. I can even get it to groan while ripping line out from an overrun. I have the cast control knob set correctly for the lure and the brakes are set at 40-50%. Is this normal or is it a sign that something is wrong or failing early? I can still take it back so I would like to know if this is something I need to return or if it's something that's normal on a hard cast.

Ha ha ha that's sweet. I wonder if those plastics will degrade after a while?

The Banjo Minnow LOL. Man that infomercial got me all fired up back in the day, but I don't remember ever catching anything on it. I found one of my old boxes a few months ago. Hmm I should fish it again and see if 15 years has improved the bait.

Thanks guys. You gotta love the smallies!

I got my PB smallie on Sunday. I was fishing off a dock early in the morning on Waneta lake in upstate NY. I had a Zara Super Spook in frog color on a baitcasting rig. After a few casts, walking the dog back in, I saw a flash and the lure just disappeared 5-6 feet down before I could react. I set the hooks and reeled in a 3.5 pounder. That's pretty good for that lake where supposedly you're only able to get them in the rip rap at one spot up the other side. I didn't catch anything else all day but I didn't care it was a beautiful fish. My only regret is I didn't have my cell on me to take a pic, there's no reception down there so it was left inside.

I watched the video and the action of the baits are incredible. As soon as I am able to I am buying the anaconda in black. Will there be black/blue flake? They are really cool. Thanks for the vid.

Please add me to the list, I'll get a couple upstate NY bass on it. This is such a great idea.

My 2 cents as a newbie to baitcasting, these are tips that helped me a lot . First do NOT load the rod and snap cast the bait, it will cause an overrun before the lure even hits the water. Set the cast control knob so that you have to shake the bait to get it to drop when you press the button. Set the brake at no less than 40%. Start with roll casting, you probably won't be able to get the bait far, but you won't get any overruns either. If you have to stop the spool when the lure hits the water, or it will overrun, then tighten the cast control knob slightly. After you get the feel of it where you are able to cast without worrying about overruns, then you can take the brake down a notch and very slightly loosen the cast control knob to get a bit more distance. If you loosen too much you will quickly get another overrun. In my experience the heavier the bait is, the easier it is to cast without overruns. I can cast a Zara Super Spook across the pond without an overrun but if I tried to fling a senko out there a birdsnest will come to bite me. I still have trouble with an overhand cast but I can side arm it fairly far. Just practice a bit more and listen to these guys and you will get it soon, I'm sure of it.

What do you think about them? I have the 6'10" MH with the split grip but it doesn't seem very sensitive. Any opinions?

"I don't see what all the fuss is about" Ha ha! Famous last words of a newbie! I went again yesterday and spent half my time there working out overruns. None were all that bad but half of my casts had a little one that had to be messed with. The second I tried to do anything but roll cast it, bam, backlash. I'm so used to snapping/flicking the bait and that seems to be a big mistake with a baitcast. That high inertia initial flick will cause a backlash before it even hits the water. It seems like it requires you to keep your focus and attention. You can't just stare into space with your head in the clouds and fling bait willy nilly. I can see what you veterans are saying about that monster backlash just peering over your shoulder and waiting for you to get cocky. But I really do enjoy the skill that it will take. It's always fun to practice at something until you get good. There's a bunch of great guys on here and I really enjoy the help you've given.

I bought that reel, what a great deal and it's an excellent reel.

Hey guys! This is my first post but I've been lurking for a bit and reading up. Dick's has Quantum Energy PTs for sale (1/2 off!) so I took the plunge and bought my first baitcaster after years of spinning. After reading the forums I found the link to reel mechanic's baitcaster 101 page. So yesterday i loaded the reel with 12lb stren, bought a rod on the way to the pond, and tried to see how long i could fish before a massive birdsnest. I don't know what it is, maybe the braking system on the quantum but I don't see what all the fuss is about. I did get a few professional overruns at first (I jumped right in and tried casting weightless wacky rigged senko's). And if you saw me shaking my rod and unscrewing the cast control knob until it almost came off wondering why the bait wouldn't fall (button wasn't pressed :) that would have been funny. Ii did get a nice 20 foot overrun on a cast and when i finally got the line situated i had a nice bass there waiting for me on the hook. But within 30 mins i was casting spooks across the pond and having the time of my life. What a difference a baitcasting rig makes. I am hooked off the bat. I never understood why they were called so accurate but now i know. For those that are frustrated with baitcasters just find the reel mechanic's baitcasting 101 page and follow the steps and practice. Also watch your bait and stop the spindle with your thumb right before the bait hits the water. But man is it fun to fish with a baitcaster. I'm gonna try to sneak out early and go again.