Big Bait Fishing

GG threadfin shad & Ozark shad & M shad

i use 14 lb. Sniper and it is super strong !! my personal best , a 10 lb. 7 oz. bass was caught on 10 lb. power pro with a leader of 10 lb. Toray Super Hard Strong flourocarbon , i actually dock flipped it !!

depends on the brand of braid you use , i used to use regular power pro but now use Sufix 832 and with both i use the improved clinch knot with no problem at all , i use the improved clinch knot for everything except when i tie on a hook for dropshotting , i use the palomar for that and i use a uni-to-uni knot or an albright knot for joining two lines ...

good write up !! custom rods are the only way to go when you know exactly what you want !! i will never , ever buy a factory production rod ........

watch some KVD videos on fishing the Red Eye Shad .............

basswood

does your reels have the bent handles ?? if they do , i would recomend you get the Lew's 95mm carbon fiber handles , the hawgtech handles are nice but the handle cap nut is cheesey looking and you can only use shimano knobs ...

take your time and sand all the edges

oh i do !! i use them on all my rods , and yes the SK2 spinning version too

the SK2 takes a little to get used to . most people who palm their reel , lay their little finger against the trigger as opposed to wrapping your little finger around the trigger , that's how i do it and it is very comfortable .

have you tried the Fuji SK2 split reel seat ? i feel it's just like the ACS reel seat but more smoother in the trigger , the ACS has more sharper lines making it a little uncomfortable .

that reel seat on the Lew's is a cut down Fuji ACS ..... if your handy with a dremel , you can cut an ACS down then sand it to exactly imitate the Lew's seat Phenix used to cut down ACS reel seats and make them into split reel seats also , i think Fuji took note of the appeal of the seat and came out with the SK2 split reel seat ..

living in San Diego , i fish resevoirs that get a fall trout stock , so big trout imitating swimbait time

i hear that rod maxes out around 3-4 oz. , if you were to throw 6-8 oz. baits you would feel the rod overload in your arms and shoulders !!! i throw my swimbaits on a custom St. Croix Big Nasty that will handle BIG baits !!

if you have the right rod , throwing 8 oz. swimbaits is like throwing a 1 oz. jig on a M/H or H rod , no problem at all . on the flip side , using an underated rod for big swimbaits is VERY tiresome and you'll feel it the next day or you might even jack up your rotator cuff . same principal applies to all bass fishing , using the right gear makes all the difference

here is the clean out cap , have one end sealed with a cap and glue one piece of the abs cleanout and the other piece screws in to open and close it .

Best thing to do is get one end cap and glue it on and for the other end buy a two piece clean out cap fitting , it's a cap that unscrews !! I've postedp pictures of it in another thread about abs pipe for rod transporting .

Vicky Nelson is great to deal with and so are the rest of St . Croix !!!!

Amazon & ebay

i like the posting of rod weights !! makes me feel good about my rod being pretty light for what it is , a Rainshadow RX8 XMB 944.5 - 7'10'' heavy/fast that comes in at 4.75 oz. & with my Lew's Tournament Lite (Revo large eva grips, 95 mm carbon handle and a spool full of 14 lb. sniper ) the combo comes in at 11 oz. even ....

i would suggest looking at another hook , those skip gap hooks are garbage , they will flex so bad your fish will slide off the hook !! in my opinion , worst hook ever made ... sorry want a killer hook , take a gander at Owner's Rig - n Hook in 3/0 , super sharp and perfect gap for Zoom 4'' flukes ....

just spray the line you put on your reel , not the whole spool ! that way if you don't like it , you won't ruin the whole spool . sure glad i didn't , i am using the other 100 yards without the KVD L & L and it's much better without it ....

i hate the shrink tube bait holders as they also tear up your bait , the Grip Pin Max Flippin hook is the best design in flipping hooks . Mustad makes some great hooks , 2nd to Owner .....

take your reels off the rods and stick the rods in a abs pipe , pretty indestructible ... you can either have them in the van or strap them to the roof ...