Big Bait Fishing

i myself would not buy it . i would just use a leader of mono or co-poly for a shock leader . and 150 yards for 20 bucks is a little steep when i can spend 5 bucks more and get 300 yards of power pro

you gotta love St.Croix !!! , a few rods i have planned to get built are gonna be built on their blanks

if your getting it spooled at the tackle shop , ask the guy behind the counter what he has that is decent and CHEAP !!! after you get the hang of the reel and are ready to go fishing , get it spooled up with one of the better lines ( in this post , alot of good lines have been mentioned ) pick one and see how you like it

i would just buy a NFC 766-1 blank ( 7'6" heavy , moderate fast action flipping rod blank ) and have it custom wrapped and have the FULL warranty .....

check out the Daiwa Aggrest http://www.***.com/Daiwa_Aggrest_Casting_Reels/descpage-DAGCR.html

here is a review of it , don't know if you seen it already or not but here it is http://www.tackletour.com/reviewabugarciarevowinch.html

shouldn't hurt it but you might want to get it serviced more often than just once a year .

get one , this one is $94.55 priority mail shipping included !!!!! http://cgi.ebay.com/Shimano-CI200E-Citica-Cast-Reel-New-in-box_W0QQitemZ320509672793QQihZ011QQcategoryZ108153QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp3286.m7QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D3%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D9128251848289501236

another option is Norman speed clips , i use the magnum ones ( for big swimbaits ) but here the smaller ones are good too . i have also used Berkley cross locks are good too but are a pain in the * to open !!!! ;D

some times that's the price you have to pay when you fish that kind of structure maybe try a super slow retrieve so when you feel the crankbait hit the rocks , STOP , let the bait get out on it's own ( use floating crankbaits , not suspending ones !!!) ....

a rod that i have that would cover all those is a Carrot Stix 7'XHf , this rod has a ton of backbone !! is super light and has a good tip for casting baits in it's recommended weight range . overall a great all purpose rod , i highly recommend it

for a reel , look in the flea market section and try to get a good used reel in your budget because for 70 bucks your not getting much , maybe increase your budget and get a BPS pro qualifier http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_102287_100001001_100000000_100001000_100-1-1 or maybe the BPS Rick Clunn model which is in your budget - http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_104020_100001001_100000000_100001000?cmCat=CROSSSELL_PRODUCT

1 bearing in the handle will be plenty , i put 1 bearing per handle grip on my Revo Toro 51 and it spins great and doesn't wobble or flex , in my opinion it is fine with the one , i am not even concerned about adding another (if that is even possible ) . so get the citica and send it to Mike at Delaware Valley Tackle ( site sponsor) and have him super tune it and upgrade the drag , i am gonna have my Revo SX done here pretty soon (followed by my Revo Inshore and my Revo Toro)

looks like they changed the line guide and added a swept carbon fiber handle , if it is around the same price as the older one , definetly get the new one !!!

jig 101 , fish them slowly , crawling it super slow and paying attention !!! i try to crawl it for a foot or so then let it sit , while it sits i try to make the jig twitch without actually moving it , that's why i like to use heavier jigs (1/2 oz.- 1 oz. )

for me , where the baitfish are will dictate where and what depth to throw crankbaits , if the water is stained and i'm not seeing any baitfish , i will start out deep and work my way shallower .

are you gonna trim those skirts down or do you fish them like that ?? i trim mine down to probably a third of that , nice looking colors though

try unspooling the line completely , make sure the line is not slipping on the spool , if possible , tie your line thru the spool holes so it won't slip at all . respool the line and make sure it is packed tightly . you shouldn't have a problem any more ....

i also like the plainer version , the chigger craw , actually the same bait but it doesn't have the 2 long "antenae's" on it . so if you ever want to tone down the crazy legs chigger craw , just take off the antenaes . and yeah , Power bait scented plastics straight out catch fish

those are sweet reels , you know they have a 3 year warranty on them !!! . anyhow , they have a 6.2:1 gear ratio so that is a middle of the road gear ratio as far as applications it can be used for .

like most people say , 2'-4' is pretty standard as far as leaders go . as for pike , most big pike hunters use 80 or 100 lb. braid with a 80-130lb flouro carbon leaders , lots of abbrasion resistance !!!

Yes, I use rainbow trout patterns with good success ...... where bass have never seen and will never see a trout. X2 , i have caught bass on trout patterned Spro BBZ-1 8" swimbaits in a small lake that has never been stocked with trout ....

i , like a quite a few people , throw trout patterned swimbaits with success , as for small crankbait sized lures , in my experience , i have not done so good on them unless they kinda resemble shad . so "if you got em' , throw em' " ;D what i'm saying is that if you have them , why not just throw them and see if the bass in the waters you fish react to them . i think bass will more likely like or dislike the action of the lure than the color , just my thoughts

that's a tuff one , it all comes down to preferrence . they will both work good , it is up to you as both reels are about even though the curado is an ounce less in weight .....

i feel that any time you are using an open hooked bait , you can reel set the fish , just like you do crankbaits . i think it is very possible to catch bass on ultra lights . i catch 2-6 lb. rainbow trouts on ultra light setups every fall , i think a 6 lb. trout fights harder than a 6 lb. bass .....