gotarheelz14

Thanks guys for all the help. That last piece of info really helped. I guess I am just thinking about it all wrong. For the life of me, I just cannot grasp how a fish can inhale a worm/hook that has a line running perpendicular to the ground. Do they swallow the line with it too? Because if they do, then I can obviously see how the fish would get hooked... Carlos

Thanks for the advice guys. I caught five bass today at a local pond on the drop shot. It was my first real attempt at the technique so 5 fish in about three hours is not bad at all considering the first 3 came in 10 minutes before the bite stopped (Sun came out blazing hot through the clouds and I swear it killed everything) I did miss two fish today because I got too antsy and pop-set the hook with a snap of the wrist. I'm going to get some 8lb Fluoro on this rod in order to feel everything. Then, i'm going to start mini sweeping and applying pressure and reeling at the same time in order to set the hook. This should help me put even more fish in the shore!!!! Thanks guys, Carlos

1.) What weight sinker do you guys use for your dropshot? I bought some Dipsey "swivels" which are really just weights on a small little swivel which work great on the drop shot so far. I have a 3/8 oz version and a 3/16 version. Just by fishing it, I am beginning to think that the 3/8 version might be a bit of overkill. All of the fish I have landed have "taken" the bait and swam with it. With the 3/8 oz, won't they feel the heavy weight and spit the bait or not be able to move it as easy? 2.) By design, the drop shot has most of the plastic offering away from the hook. Unlike a T-rig, it does not have a substantial part of the bait on the hook making it more probable that a fish could somehow avoid the hook. so, how does a fish end up getting the hook in its mouth lol? Does he swallow it, AND some line or does he just barely get the hook in its mouth at times? Carlos

Thanks RoadWarrior!!! I was hoping you would answer here since I will have you know that part of the reason I keep going back to the New is in hopes of catching Smallies like the ones on your Avatar and others I have seen on this site haha. I want to ask you though, how should I fish the dropshot in this situation? I will be wading in a current. The river is pretty shallow in most places and not very wide. I would say anywhere from 2-4 ft. It is also not very wide and I will not be in a boat. Should I throw the dropshot into the beginning of pools/structure/eddies etc, wait for it to anchor down, and then give it some rod-tip-twitches? If nothing, do I continue to drag it back to me through the current? I have a feeling that will probably be about right. Just wanted to make sure. Thanks again, Carlos ;D

Hey yall, I will be wading the New River here in NC this weekend for Smallmouth. Something tells me that casting out a drop shot rig, 3/8 oz sinker with a Zoom Fluke will look mighty appetizing running through the fast eddies and currents. I have three questions for you guys 1.) Would this work? What have been your experiences utilizing this technique? 2.) Do you think 3/8oz with an easy to moderate current will anchor up nicely or do you think it will drift everywhere? Finally and most importantly!: 3.) What length should my dropshot be from hook to sinker? Thanks for your input and advice! Carlos

When fish are actively feeding and very aggressive, I have no problems drawing strikes. Sometimes they will be so active that I can throw them faster moving stuff like spinnerbaits and crankbaits and they will move a ways to hit it. Other times, they won't hit moving stuff but they will gladly strike at an opportune target like a jig, or a soft plastic. But, what do I do in those days that they just won't hit anything? I am a bit puzzled as what to do. I try to work very slowly with worms and such but they just won't hit anything. What do I do in these types of situations?

I have the newest Revo Premier. The one that has a centrifugal break and the two magnetic brakes. Whenever I take a cast the piece at the very front of the reel, that moves side to side as it spools the line, does not move at all. My previous Abu Garcia rods all moved as the cast went along. This one does not. Is thits little line guide supposed to move side to side or stay still? Thanks, Carlos

Forgot to mention that I am a bit concerned that the heavy power will be too overbearing for the smaller, lower weights I plan to be using on that stick. THanks for the advice. Carlos

Would the 7'8" Heavy, Fast action carrot stick be good for a dedicated Pitching stick? Right now I am using all my soft plastics on my same spinnerbait rod, a 7' st croix avid. I kind of want a rod that will handle all if not most of my plastics. I plan on doing a fair amount of casting but a lot more pitching with this rod. I usually won't be throwing anything at or above 1oz. Probably more like 1/4> and >1oz. Do you think the carrot stick will do? PS. I don't have a boat. I don't know if that matters. I think it shouldn't. Let me know what yall think though.

Thanks for that tip! I might have to make my trip a little closer to the confluence. Carlos

Jimmy Houston! He has been around long enough and has won a couple tournaments here and there to teach me a few things lol... My main reason though, the dude is HILARIOUS! Funniest fishing show on TV by far IMHO.

Hey all. I live in NC so I decided to fish the New River which according to many websites, is one of the best smallmouth rivers in the country. I ended up fishing the South Fork of the New. While I did catch one smallie and 5 redeye bass (both new species to me), I was a little dissapointed. I did not get my smallie fix! Not catching many smallies did have to do with my inexperience in catching them, but when I go back to the river, I want to be sure that I catch it in its best spot. I have been told that where the two forks meet and up is probably one of the best places to fish it. But, if you guys know any good stretches on it or have personally fished it, I would love to hear your opinions. I should also mention that though I live in NC I do not mind driving up to VA or even WV. It's not too far away of a drive if I can catch a ton of Smallies!

So I have noticed that Cabelas and BPS are both putting their stocks of Carrot Stix on clearance. When I asked about this earlier on this forum, someone told me that they were coming out with a new version of these rods. Has there been an official release of this or even some sneak peaks? If so, where can I find them? Has any info on the new rods come out yet? Thanks! Carlos PS. Yes I have searched the boards and have not found anything.

good advice yall! For us lipless noobies, you have answered the "how" to fish them. But is there a When, and where of where they should be fished? Like do they work in stained water but not clear water? best to throw them in flats as opposed to deep water? Can you help me out with that? PS. I don't really want to hijack the thread but thought that it would also be something good to address... Carlos

Just letting yall know... I saw it on their website. Even the upper end models are on clearance. I wonder if it is because the new year's product is coming out or because BPS will simply not carry them anymore. I am thinking they are coming out with an improved version or something. If this is the case, I wonder if they are more durable and have less of the problems that have been reported to be associated with this brand. Perhaps a little less orange haha? Either way, if they come out with a new version of the rod, I might be down to give it a try. What do yall think? Carlos

Thanks you guys. I really appreciate the help. Sadly, the mojos are about the most I can afford, in that price range anyways. When I get back to school and start working at my job I have lined up there, I might be able to step it up as far as quality of rods. Thanks for the advice. Carlos

I fish basically every single day after work. I am off from school and that is what I enjoy doing during my summers. I have been leaving my rods and tackle inside the car for conveniency. Recently, I have had two guide linings fall off my rods. I am of course talking about the rubbery material that goes around the inside of guides. One came off a St. Croix Mojo and the other off a St. Croix Triumph. Could it be that the heat inside the car is melting the glue holding this material down? It gets to be pretty hot in there now that I think about it. Is leaving the rods in there doing any damage to the graphite blanks and or any of the glue holding the cork and especially the guides? Thanks, Carlos

So why does a wacky head make sense in this situation? As far as I can gather, there are a lot of trees which impede casting distance and casting accuracy. So, does the wacky head rig here give you a lot of movement and action on the bait in a situation where you cannot conventionally work the rod (6o'clock-12o'clock)? That's my guess. Please straighten me out! Carlos

Thanks guys. Got it. Will do the removal technique from now on. I will carry side cutters with me when I go fishing.

Ok, so the other day I hooked a fish and the hook had gone through one of its gills. When I pulled it out, the fish was bleeding pretty badly. I then put him back in the water, however he just began to float up. :'(. The last thing I want to do while fishing is killing a fish, so I remembered watching a TV show where a fish was floating up, and the guys rocked it back and forth to put water through its gills. Remembering this, I grabbed him by the tail and started rocking him back and forth.The fish eventually recovered, got stronger, and swam off to the bottom and then started swimming back out into open water. After explaining this in another thread, I was told that it was actually the worst thing I could do in this situation. So, why was this such a bad thing to do? What should I do if I ever gut hook a fish or hook one through the gills? I have no clue as to these things but I am hear to learn. I want to be able to return my fish into the water doing the least amount of damage if at all possible. Thanks yall. Carlos

Do fish ever sleep? Does anything besides color selection change at night? Thanks, Carlos

I used to be a tough nosed son of a gun when I was in my teens. I'm 21 now and god knows why but I have become a baby when it comes to animals. I think its all due to a wonderful family dog we all just got. I had the exact same exact thing happen to me yesterday. It was about a three pound bass. Luckily, I think mine actually may have recovered though he was loosing a lot of blood. When I put him in the water, he was very weak and kind of floating. I grabbed him by the tail and ran water trough his gills by rocking him back and forth through the water. He eventually mustered enough strength to swim to the bottom and hang out down there for a while before moving on. I think was good in the long run. I just hope to get better at fishing and improve my hooksets so that my fish don't swallow the hook but, as soon as they take it, I can hook 'em through their lip. I know what your daughter is going through. I was quite traumatized myself yesterday... . Doing better today though. Give it some time, the little one should be good in a while. Carlos

As someone else said, the fish usually hooks itself. You are usually reeling in fast enough so that when he strikes at it, the pull of the lure hooks him through. Whenever I do feel the strike though, I usually pull off to the side, putting a lot of pressure on the fish. That quick little sweep set is usually more than enough to put the entire hook through his lip. This works for me every time. I don't ever snap off the line and have a little more time to make sure it was a fish that hit it and not that I hit a brush pile or weeds or something.

I have the C4 and C3 versions. I think I like the C4 better but the C3 is just as good. I use the C3 for cranks and others. C4 for spinners and soft plastics. Great reels. Absolutely fantastic. I can't recommend them enough. I used to fear using baitcasters and have learned on these in a matter of hours. SICK REELS!!!

As far as Jigs and Pigs go, what is your favorite thing to add to the back of a jig for a trailer? So far, I haven't really tried many as I have just started out. I have bought a couple of Strike King crawdads though so I will be giving these a try. I am going to try pitching them to branches, trees, rocks, etc. What is your favorite and why?