wapiti

As of right now I think I'm actually happy with the rod now that I have switched to braid. I'm going to head out tomorrow morning and give it another go. Thanks for the advice - I'm also not going to do any 'snappy' over-head casts anymore. I'm still kind of paranoid after breaking two rods last year. It might be that I'm just so used to using mono... I think with some practice and getting used to that I will like it. I'll let you know what I think tomorrow I won't. And yeah I'm using 832 - so far I think I like it. I need to find my spare spool lol

Yeah it's for a spinning reel, but I bought 30 lb test before reading your reply. Is 20 lb test significantly more sensitive than 30 lb test? Worth switching? I only had like a half hour to go fishing... Conditions weren't great, it was like 2:00 pm and pretty windy. I was really pleased that the one time I did set the hook that I landed the bass no problem. In contrast, yeterday I had like 12 solid hits and only connected on two of them. So... thanks guys. I'm excited to head out tomorrow morning. Why exactly is braid so much more effective than mono when jigging and setting the hook? I did notice that braid isn't as sensitive as the 12 lb mono I was using, but that's to be expected. I know that at one point I had a hit, but messed up in not setting the hook. It's just going to take a little bit of practice and getting used to.

Thanks for the info. I'm going to go eat lunch, buy some 832 and give it a try before I have to work.

I'm willing to try braid. It's just since I was ten my dad always told me that I'd hate the stuff because it floated. I'll give it a go though. I see most people recommend power pro or 832. I'm just not sure if I should get 20 or 30 pound test. Sidenote - the water I'm fishing is also very very murky. I can't see the bottom 2 feet from shore, so there isn't really a need for a leader. There are like a few small rocks scattered across the bottom, but I never had problems with it nicking or damaging my 12 lb mono. Do rocks do more damage to braid than mono?

I'm thinking it's unfair and also stupid of me to do away with this MH Crucial since I realize that the vast majority of you guys cringe at the thought of using mono for jigging. I've been using 12 lb mono for the past few years since I have one rod and it works well for an all around setup. I guess I've done considerably well when jigging with this line in the past... I connect on like just under 70% of my hits, but if I miss a fish I can usually cast again and get him interested. I'm going to try a different line before getting rid of the rod. I need to run some errands after I post this, but when I get back tonight I'll do some research. I know a lot of you guys recommend flouro... I tried flouro in the past and had a really bad experience with berkley vanish... What do you guys recommend for line? I'm willing to give a different brand of flouro a try... Maybe 14 lb test? I'm kind of scared to try braid... if you guys think it's best I guess I'll give it a go. Maybe it's time I designate a setup strictly for jigging. I'm primarily fishing from shore in a small lake/really big pond. I'm using 5/16 ounce jigs with a ragetail chunk trailer. It's actually a gravel pit, so there aren't really any weeds on the bottom. It's primarily a flat bottom... a few small stones or rocks, but nothing to speak of. I'm not exactly pulling through tough cover. I'll do some research and check this thread for replies tomorrow. I'm free until 4:00 pm tomorrow, so I'll have time to buy some line, do some fishing, and give this rod another chance. $100-$250. I'll check them out if I'm still not happy with my crucial mh tomorrow I'm fishing primarily 5/16 booyah baby boo jigs... They are kinda light, but I love em. Like I stated earlier, I'm fishing from shore, on a relatively sandy/muddy bottom. I'm not pulling through weeds or a significant amount of cover... I guess it sounds like terrible fishing conditions, but it works... There is like a hollow concrete pipe that extends a few feet in the lake. I've no idea what comes out of the pipe and into the lake, but the bass seem to gather there... Over the years, I've learned its pointless to take a kayak out and fish the stumps and logs on the treeline... I have much more sucess fishing from shore, on a relatively flat bottom by the pipe.

Thanks for taking the time to read through all that guys, I appreciate the feedback. Does anyone have any recommendations for a medium heavy (spinning) rod for jigging?

I'm not really sure about where to post this - mods please feel free to move this if you so desire. This post may get rather lengthy, but I'm frustrated so I'm going to start from the very beginning. Three or four years ago I was pretty clueless when it came to bass fishing. I lurked for a bit on this forum and saw some people recommended the Shimano Compre for a good quality, but relatively inexpensive spinning rod. I purchased the rod in medium power before I realized that medium rods aren't very effective when jigging for bass. I would connect with like 1 in every 4 or 5 fish on my hooksets... I checked this forum for advice, sold the medium rod, and purchased a medium heavy. This drastically helped my hooksets... For 2 years I absolutely slayed the largemouth. I couldn't have been happier. The rod was great to me for two years, but one morning I did an overhead cast and the rod snapped about 8 inches from the tip of the pole. At first, I didn't even think about sending it in for a replacement. The rod had treated me well for 2 years, and I wasn't sure what Shimano's warranty policy was on the Compre. I was also 18 and too stupid/lazy to want to deal with customer service. Anyway, I went to my local tackleshop and purchased a Shimo Crucial MH... I was back to slaying the bass again - for about 2 weeks. I was in love in my new rod.... but I did an overhead cast and just like the Compre the Crucial snapped about a foot from the tip of the rod. I knew the rod was covered under warranty and I wanted to ship it myself with the litte repair form on Shimano's website, but my parents convinced me to have the tackleshop (place I bought the rod) send it to Shimano for a replacement.... --> Could this be the reason for the resulting poor service? I figured that since I was shipping the Crucial I might as well ship the Compre. Outdoorsman pro shop shipped my rods in the beginning of last July. The guy at Outdoorsman let me borrow his own personal rod for a few weeks... this played a part in me not being peeved at Shimano for not receiving my rods in a timely manner. I'm a college student and I work full time. I live in Michigan so once bass fishing ended I was busy/didn't care enough to personally call Shimano and inquire about my rods. I still stopped by Outdoorsman on a monthly basis, and they informed me that the reason for the delay was Shimano was sending me their new 2012 rods... The guy at Outdoorsman told me he "was on Shimano's ass via phone" but I'm going to call myself tomorrow and find out whats up. I'm just not sure if they will be able verify that I am the owner of the rods since I sent the damaged rods through outdoorsman and not personally. Last week, Outdoorsman called me and told me that they had recieved the Crucial (still waiting on the compre) I sent Shimano a pole that had like a solid cork handle, but this is a black "worm and jig" pole with a handle that is big on the bottom, then gets smaller and then goes back to big. I wasn't a big fan of the design, but since I finally got a day off from work I figured I'd give it a try this morning. Are these poles like not meant for jigging??? I caught 2 largemouth, but missed on at least 12, one of which would have been a personal best. It felt like I was back to using a medium power rod and was lacking the needed spine to get good hooksets. It was a very frustrating fishing experience... Did Shimano turn all of the Crucials into "worm and jig" poles with this design? I'm going to call shimano tomorrow morning and try to find out if they can give me an estimated time on the compre... If they can't help I guess I'll sell this crucial and buy a medium heavy jigging rod. Anyone have any recommendations for a good spinning rod for jigging or just advice in general about my situation?

The most commonly used weight for me is 1/4 oz...

If you are shore fishing just be careful if you are weighing the bass above rocks. I've seen people attempt to weigh fish only to have the bass slip off and land with a solid chunk in the rocks... Just try to mimic what shimmy does in this vid... Skip to 4:10

-signed- If someone can make this a facebook group, this could go a long way. . . Question. . . Do people need to live in Michigan for signatures to count?

I'm not familiar with these laws but my best guess would be that you can legally fish a private lake out of season. The reason being is because homeowners or the landowners paid to have the lake built and paid to stock the lake with the fish. How could the DNR have the authority to tell them not to fish it? This makes sense. . . does anyone know the official ruling on this?

Lots of grammar nazis on this board. . . : I'm from Michigan and bass season does not open until late May. I follow the law and will not fish until the season opens, but it drives me absolutely crazy when it is 75 degrees outside, and I can't legally go bass fishing. I follow the law, because I understand the reasoning behind it, but what ticks me off is that my friends/classmates do not do the same. Yesterday, a classmate from high school, posted a picture on facebook of a 23 inch L.M. he caught. He then proceeded to send out invitations for everyone to come fishing at his house over the weekend. He invited me to go fishing with him, and my reply was "I'd like to go fishing, but the season isn't open" His reply: "It's a private lake, so the season doesn't matter, and in the summer you don't even need to buy a license to fish." Pretty much the general thought process in this area, is that if it's warm outside, it's okay to go fishing. My buddy recently moved to a small lake (all in all there are like 20 houses on the lake) and he invited me to go fishing last week saying "It's a private lake, so you can fish whenever." Even if it is a private lake it's still illegal to intentionally fish for bass out of season. . . right? Fishing is my passion. . . basically, I buy a license every year, I do not fish out of season, and I strictly catch and release. But, through mostly ignorance, all my classmates get to enjoy fishing out of season with zero consequences.

Thanks for all the replies, I got a good deal on a MH Compre that should be here by tomorrow, and although I would have liked another Symmetre, I found a good deal on ebay and settled for a 4000 Sahara. I'm going to be fishing two setups this year, with my medium Compre for crankbaits and spinnerbaits etc and my MH just for jigging. <-- My paretns should recover in a week or two :-X > On my jigging combo would you guys recommend 12 or 14 lb test? I had a very very bad experience with Berkley Vanish Transition about a year ago, and so I am hesitant to use fluorocarbon. I for sure will not be fishing braid, as there just isn't enough cover, but I keep going back and forth between purchasing mono or fluorocarbon line. Thanks

Fluorocarbon eh? I think I will give it a try. . . Any specific brands out there that I should look for - Berkley?

Thanks for the advice, I'm going to buy a MH Compre and spool some 12 lb test on my reel. Hopefully this well help me be more sucessful on me hooksets when jigging.

If you want to fish jigs then yes Strike King Bitsy Bugs will get the job done when rigged with a Paca or Ragetail Chunk. Other jig brands you might want to try and GMAN's jigs or perhaps the Booyah Baby Boo jig. Experiment with color, but go with whatever you have the most confidence in.

It's spinning, I have no experience fishing baitcasting equipment. I'm firm on only having one rod. I know it's not the most conventional way to fish for most of you guys, but I have so many other hobbies that I will need to sell my Medium Compre. I know experienced anglers often have different equipment to best fish each setup. I am limiting myself to only one rod, so for my fishing overall would I be better off with braid or mono? I purchased a Symmetre 3000 FJ this year, and it tells me I should max out at 10 lb test - 140 yards. Do I need a new reel? If I fish my reel with 10 or even say 12 lb test on a medium heavy rod, will it even at all improve my jig fishing? I was willing to buy a new rod, but I don't want to go through the trouble of selling both my rod and reel. Is it worth it to sell my rod and buy a MH rod, but keep the same reel? UPDATE --> I thought about it for a bit and decided it's stupid to be fishing light equipment if it's going to hurt my fishing. If I purchase a MH rod, what capacity reel would best match the rod? Am I alright with a Symmetre 3000 or do I need to go bigger? Thanks for all the help

I'm going to have to sell my rod to buy this one, but if it helps my fishing it's worth it. I really like the feel of the Shimano Compre, so would I be alright if I purchased a 6'6" MH fast from Cabelas? Thanks for all the advice

I bought the rod last summer, hoping it would be a good all around rod that would perform whether I was fishing crankbaits, soft plastics, spinners, jigs, etc. Is Medium or Medium Heavy generally considered a better all around rod? My family goes up north every year, and my dad is obsessed with walleye fishing. Anyway, I grew up fishing a plain jig with a leech or nightcrawler attached, and my dad always stressed light equipment, and to use 6 pound mono, and not 8 because of the diameter of the line, etc. A friend introduced me to bass fishing about a or two year ago, and I much much prefer bass fishing to walleye fishing. I had good intentions of buying quality equipment, but I naturally applied what I had always been taught walleye fishing to bass fishing - as in use light equipment. I am normally fishing small lakes around my house . . . lakes in which I am limited to basically two species of fish - bass and pike. I never tried jig fishing until a week ago --> before I used senkos, fat ikas, 1/4 and 3/8oz spinnerbaits, and crankbaits (rapala x-rap and the Dt-4) Can I jig and still use my above lures all on the same pole? What would be the prefered specifics on that pole? Thanks

I really really do not want to have to buy another rod. . . If I am not going through extreme cover, will I be alright fishing 8 pound mono with a medium rod? I'm going to keep practicing jigging with my current setup and hopefully some experience will allow me to get better at setting the hook. If after a couple weeks, I am still having problems, then I guess I will have no choice but to purchase a MH rod.

I'm using a 7' Shimano Compre Fast action and medium power. I am fishing a 5/16 oz booyah baby boo jig. I trim the weedguard at a 45 degree angle, so that the weedguard is just past the hook point.

Thanks for the replies, I missed quite a few strikes tonight, tomorrow I am going to try setting the hook harder. I guess it's something only practice will fix. Another quick question, I have lately been fishing from shore, and I have had a lot of sucess getting bass interested in the jig by sort of slowly twitching the bait along the bottom. When I am twitching, I am holding my rod flat - as in parallel to the water, at 180 degrees. I am comfortable the way I am fishing, but is it hurting my hook sets by not holding the rod at a 45 degree angle? Thanks again, Nate

I have just started getting into jig fishing, and I'm struggling having sucess with hooking fish. I find that when I jerk too hard, I seem to just be pulling the bait out of the mouth of the fish. I've had moderate sucess just applying constant pressure on bass - its hard to describe, but I'm basically, keeping the line tight and lifting the rod - but not jerking the rod with much power. It would help me, if you guys could describe how you set the hook when fishing jigs. When you guys feel a tiny tap and see your line grow tight, do you wait for the bigger strike, or set the hook? Are you setting the hook with great force or more of a slow constant pressure? My fishing has improved thanks to the advice from this site. I've been using booyah baby boo jigs, with rage tail chunks and have begun catching fish, in lakes that never seemed to yield fish. Tonight will be my fourth time jig fishing . . . . Wednesday I caught 8 bass (thats the most bass I have ever caught, and one of them is in my avatar) but I was sorta lucky, because on three of the bass, I missed when I got a strike, and my jig just flew up towards me. I had to recast, where I got the first hit and then when I felt my line go tight I just applied like a constant pressure on the line and hooked the fish in the corner of the mouth. Yesterday night, I had a whopper of a bass on for all of maybe 2 or 3 seconds, he felt huge, but I lost him pretty quickly. I've been missing on quite a few hits and sometimes I just feel a pressure and see my line go tight - should I set the hook with force? How do you guys set the hook when fishing jigs? Thanks

Thanks for all the information fellas, and that link pretty much covers everything.