new2BC4bass

But between youtube and here, hopefully I can get started in the right direction.

Received my first jerkbaits last week (Megabass). Just finished reading this thread. Suggested rods run from jerkbait specific to any rod will do depending on the angler. Crankbait to XF actions. Spinning and baitcast rods ranging from 6' to 7'3". Confusing? I'd say so. Watched a jerkbait specific video 1 hour and 36 minutes long. Their opinion was the same as a few in this thread. Jerkbaits require a specific action to work the baits correctly. More so than any other technique. They used spinning for the lighter lures and said casting was okay for the heavier lures. I believe 3 rods were mentioned. Two were Exprides (one spinning, one casting) and they were the cheapest. Another gentleman with 30 plus years of tournament fishing (and his own video channel) said spinning rods (with the correct action) would out catch a casting rod every time. I don't understand why. If the rod has the correct action to work jerkbaits properly, why would the reel type make a difference? FYI, the first 2 rods I will try are a 6'3" M-MF casting rod and a 6'10" MLF spinning rod. Possibly an older model Fuego 6'10" M-EF spinning rod as the guy I bought it from says the action isn't really XF. Never used this rod yet. Although I have 3 rods that cost over $300 new, I've never paid $200 for a rod. With tax and free shipping, an Expride would run about $300. No thanks. Maybe if I was 20 years younger.

Thanks for the quick review. Does look pretty nice. BTW, I thought I was the only one on this site with a Megabass taste, but a Berkley Cherrywood budget.

Considering where I live now, mine would be an unweighted 10" or 10.5" ribbontail in Junebug. Before moving to Florida it would have been a spinnerbait...and they still is a favorite. My wife never gave me much of a problem. I never spent money on any other hobby other than a new camera about every 20 years. Don't smoke or drink so saved a bundle there. Like you my rod and reel collections are north of 70. Resurrected thread, but guess I missed the last few posts back then.

To that I would add the rod is very important for me. I didn't grow up using casting reels with no brakes. Was 61 before buying my first low profile reel. Had purchased an Ambassadeur 5001C many years before that, but knew no one using a baitcast reel. Don't think computers were even a thing back then much less youtube. BTW, the 5001C casts great now.

Mick, I don't know what reels you own, but it might be a simple matter of buying an aftermarket finesse spool for one of them. Daiwa reels in particular have offerings from alternative suppliers. Daiwa also offers finesse spools, but they usually cost more. I've barely looked at spools for Shimano reels, but the ones I looked at cost more than I paid for some of the reels that the spool would be going into.

I have more MH rods than any other power. Medium power rods are in second place. I prefer to throw weights in the middle of a rod's rating. Since I use 3/8-5/8 oz. lures the most, a MH fits the bill. Even if total weight approaches 7/8 oz., a MH rated to 1 oz. can still work although at that weight I'd rather go to a Heavy power rod. Retired now and moved to Florida. Fish from shore. I plan on putting more of my Heavy power rods into action since I will be casting into heavy cover at times. However, when I used to visit Florida and fished out of a 14' Gheenoe with my B-I-L, all the rods I kept in Florida were Medium or MH rods. The MHF with braid worked fine for heavier cover as I could use the boat to get where I was snagged. I started fishing again in 2009. I'm far from well off, but since then I've managed to collect my fair share of rods and reels. Closeouts and the used market were my friends. The Bait Monkey not so much.

Welcome. Another new member today. EDIT: Be glad you have so few. I started fishing at five. Will be 77 in less than 2.5 months. Lived in a good fishing area. Companies were fleeing the area so I wound up moving to another area where fishing was terrible...especially from shore. Quit for 23 years. Got back into it about 15.5 years ago. Tried a baitcast reel and never looked back. Problem is I kept buying just to keep my interest up so I wouldn't quit again. Generally I know what reels I want to try on various rods. Right now I'm trying to get down to 30 combos. Would love someone to tell me what to pair up. It's going to be a pain to take 4 rods to a lake and experiment with a dozen reels on each rod. Then repeat the process several more times to find what feels best.

Welcome my friend. casts_by_fly will be along sometime today to answer your question.

MH for bass in my book. It and a Primmus cast a 3/8 oz. crankbait the proverbial mile.

My 7' ML Hurricane Redbone was rated 3/8-3/4 oz.

Also some rods have lead only for their rating. I have a couple different rods like that. Two rods are MHF rated 3/16-3/8 oz. Contacted their office and was assured the rods handled normal MH rod weights. So total weight at least double the listing on the rod. Two HF from another company rated 1/4-5/8 oz. Casts 1/2 oz. jig with skirt and trailer beautifully. Absolutely no doubt in my mind it will handle even heavier lures.

MMB: 77 in less than 3 months. Rods aren't older than me. Smallmouth series were worth more than list IMO. Only bought this rod because I had a few of the others in that line and like them a lot. Used it once cuz I'm not a fan of short rods. X-Nanahan and Vision 110. I have the Smallmouth 6'10" MH-MF I could try with the 110s. Or a 6'6" MHF. Doubt I'd want to try an ExtraFast action rod. ww2farmer: Thanks. I'll try different reels than the Sol and Fuego. Don't remember what reels I used previously. Did you find a brand/model that tightened down sufficiently? I've got reels from 10 companies including more than one model in most brands. Let's just say north of 70 reels. Have a Sniper 6'10" MF, V.I.P. Smallmouth 6'9" MF, and a couple 6'10" ML-EF if that power/action would work. Otherwise, it's use a 7' rod, or purchase a new rod. Already have way too many.

Broke the bank last night ordering lures. A few were Megabass jerkbaits. Watched a video this evening on jerkbaits that was over 1.5 hours long. Guy stated that a jerkbait rod was tough to make for imparting the correct action to jerkbaits. His main rod was the Expride B 6'10" Medium. I see this rod has a Moderate-Fast action. No way will I spend that kind of money at my age. Normally I wouldn't spend that much for a lure. I'm hoping someone has fished jerkbaits with the rod in the title I'm strictly a shore fisherman these days. Also less than 6' tall so probably can't use a 7' rod. How about the Aetos 6'6" MLM? So far I've only used crankbaits and squarebills on this rod. It's rated 1/4-1/2 oz.

what are some of your favorite lures? We visited my wife's sister and husband for years. He fished 2 lures...a 10" weightless ribbontail in Junebug and an F11 Floating Rapala. So I fished the same. However, I am a bit more adventurous than he is. I always had a spinnerbait on one rod and a 3/8 oz. shallow running crankbait or squarebill on another rod. Very seldom did I try something else. I retired to this area, but no longer fish with my B-I-L. I'm stuck on shore. I'll still be fishing the above lures. I plan on dedicating a rod for frogs. I have several other kinds of plastics, and plan on getting a couple more different kinds. Preferably fished weedless. I'd like to try a wacky rig. I may even try jigs although I've never been a fan of them. They accumulated too much slime where I used to live. Previously the majority of my bass in this area were caught on the worms, but my two biggest were caught on a spinnerbait. Love to read your comments. Thanks.

Trout fishermen should do well in this scenario.

Excellent decision.

I caught a 35 pound carp on 8# Trilene XL that was several years old. Also 20# catfish on the same line. A 10 pound carp on 4# XL that was also on the reel for 2-3 years. Just check the first few feet for nicks and abrasion.

It will be fine as long as it wasn't stored in a hot environment.

Same here! Fish for fun. Gear all over the place. Use 10 brands of casting reels and about 26 brands of rods. Biased towards Daiwa reels. BUT pretty much enjoy them all.

Only if that's ALL you use!

Why? Only complaints I've read about the current Zillion is some people don't find it comfortable. Most complaining it's too small. Everyone else seems to think it's one of the very best reels on the market. Especially if you go with the JDM version...due to its price.

I like the DC reel I have. However, I would never buy one from Daiwa. Why? Don't think it's an advantage over what Daiwa is already marketing. If anything, I would expect Shimano to put out some reels with the Daiwa breaking system when their patent runs out.

Like you, I have both. Like throwing crankbaits/squarebills, but hate losing lures. I prefer a weedless plastic for where I normally fish. But I will cast then along weed lines. Graphite doesn't always weigh less. TT weighed the Dobyns 704CB Glass (4.6 oz.) and 704CB (4.8 oz.).

I think you should send them to me! Kidding aside, I've only had a casting problem with one of my Daiwa reels, and that was with the much vaunted SV105. Distance wasn't a problem. Backlashing was. I don't think it was me because I had about 40 Daiwa reels at that time. A professional corrected the problem. (And increased casting distance a bit.) If max distance is a must, then an SV spool wouldn't be my first choice. However, I believe they can be modified to cast further but you lose some of the inherent braking force of the SV spool. I have no advice as to why your distance is so bad. I would suggest having them checked out by a professional. Or contact Daiwa about the problem and see what they will do for you. I have 8 Daiwa baitcast reels with SV spools and have never had a problem with getting decent casting distance. The SV Boost reel was getting the same distance as the other reel I was setting up (as best as I could tell on the water). The other reel was an Okuma Hakai which the TT review said got very good distance. Same hook and lure but different lines.