britguy

For several years, my favourite crankbait lure for our local largemouth has been the 4 1/2 inch Bomber Long'A' in a sort of brownish perch pattern. Consistently gets them all season long. But I've recently found that some of them seem to work differently from others. The one's that score best have a wide, slow wiggle, rather than a tight faster one. And I cant seem to figure out why some of them work so differently? And also, if there is anything I can do about it. Maybe this is just a flaw in manufacturing quality and consistency, and I should throw them away? Can I re-tune those 'tight wiggle' lures into a slow wiggle? How do you make a crankbait with a tight wiggle into one that has a wide, slow wiggle? Welcome any comments, advice, etc.

Thanks a lot Hatrix. I'll definitely give them a go this season. Have to wait 'til late June were we are , though. . .

"I use a keel weighted swimbait hook with a screw lock" I have never used a swimbait. There seem to be hundreds of them out there. Which one's worked well for you, and how do you fish it in heavy weeds?

I'm O.K. around the weed edges, and casting into the channels. Thats where I catch them now. But Its in the thick of the weeds that I'm having problems.

For years I've been fishing a weedy sunken island just off my place. I know its loaded with big largemouth, 'cos I've seen them when I go snorkelling out there. But they're in heavy weed cover, tall reeds with little space in between to throw a lure, and the water is gin clear. . . Fairly shallow, maybe 5-6 feet deep. I could probably get 'em with a live leech and a float. But I'd like to get 'em with an artificial lure, if I can find the right technique. Anybody reccommend an approach???

" It's a great reel and is capable of being dialed in to fish any wait or conditions" Yes, it is a very nice reel to use. I spooled on some 20lb Suffix braid - not quite filled the spool, about 1/8 inch or so showing - and a 3/8 oz practice plug, on a 61/2 foot BPS "Crankin Stick", and walked down to the lakeshore ( 2 minutes) and threw a few dozen casts at floating bits of wood. Casts about 100 feet easily. . . Doesn't seem to cast quite as far as my Quantum "Smoke" reel with 30lb PP on a similar rod, with the same lure weight. Not sure why? But has excellent casting control, especially at the end of the cast - guess that's due to the centrifugal system? No hint of backlash even when pushed really hard. I'll persevere with it and hopefully can equal the casting distance of the "Smoke", but with better control. . .

"But I cant see how to adjust the little red weights IN or OUT ???" O.K. Sorry, figured it out, eventually. . . This one had three weights loose, and three tight. So I reset it for two opposite weights loose (OUT). Hopefully this will work. I'll spool some line on and go out and give a go. Looking forward to using it, its a nice little reel.

"Engage as many as you need, most people only need two on" O.K. I got the sideplate off. (Mine is a left hand wind reel). But I cant see how to adjust the little red weights IN or OUT ???

"The centrifugal brakes are located under the sideplate with the dial on it." So, there are actually three means of adjusting the braking on this reel? How do I access the centrifugal brakes? By removing the sideplate? How? And the click dial on the right side is the 'magnetic' brake?

I just bought a new Revo STX baitcaster. I've read/seen the hype on Abu's site, etc. about their new "Infini" braking system. But there's nothing in the manual on specifically how to adjust this freel/system to optimize casting performance. For example: which control is the 'mechanical' brake, and the 'magnetic' brake, and the 'centrifugal' brake? And exactly how does one get them adjusted to work together??? I see only two means of adjusting the braking, but am not sure which is which - and where is the 'centrifugal' adjustment locatedf? I've checked out a few on-line videos, but only get more confused. Maybe I'm too dumb to figure it out? Would really appreciate some help here. I expected a better instruction manual from ABU/Garcia.

Some years ago I acquired a few of those closed-face (push-button) spincast reels, hoping to be able to flip very light lures accurately into weed pockets. They seemed to cast O.K., but I often had problems with the retreive, jamming, erratic reeling , etc. Also they would often let out line when I was starting to reel in. I gave up on them after a while, but I still have several of them around ( ABU) and was wondering if anyone else had any thoughts on the efficiency and reliability of these reels. Are they really just for kids to learn casting. Or can they also be used for some kinds of serious bass fishing?

I bought a couple of these SavageR 8 inch "Real Eel" lures at a show recently, but have not had chance to try them out yet. Anybody have any experience with these lures? How to rig; use, etc???

I've had some really good suggestions from this post. Thanks to all who responded. You have all helped a lot. The main reason why I'm having trouble finding a suitable casting rod is that for many years I've always built my own, usually from Fenwick HMG and Mud Hole blanks. Last fall I left some rods lying in the grass near the dock (very dumb!! ) and my wife ran over them with the lawn tractor. So I need a few new rods. But now my old eyes can no longer do the windings. So I have to go out and buy some rods. Browsing around BPS and Gander Mountain recently I'm a bit confused by all the new stuff that's out there on the racks. Thin skinny rods with lots of tiny rings very close to the blank? Is this the 'fashion' these days? Those little rings look pretty fragile to me. And why so many??? Doesn't this slow up the cast???

"What the heck is a jesus goose" That's the one with the halo around the head, not the neck. . .

Jesus, Goose: You really must like those "Crankin Sticks"! For the resaonable price of those Crankin' and Bionic sticks I might just get one of each, for the hell of it. . . Thanks. . .

Thanks guys, for some really usefull replies. I'll check out the BPS rods when I can get up there, Question: What's the difference between the BPS "Bionic Blade" and their "Crankin Stick" They look very similar. Is it just the composition of the blank?

Many thanks, PJ: I'll check out your recommendation. BTW, I've been on here for a year or so. Just don't post very much. But learn a lot from lurking around. . .

Can anybody recommend a decent quality 6 foot casting rod with a medium to slow action, and a full cork handle? Medium / lioght power suitable for half ounce crankbaits. Just about everything I see out there today is either "Fast" or " Extra Fast", and has a two-piece skeleton handle, which I hate. I'm looking for something more traditional with a single cork handle and nice trigger grip, and a slower action. Anything out there???

Its just a ( brand new) 14 foot aluminum fishing boat, with a new 15HP motor. I'd just like to slide it ashore next to my dock, and chain it to a tree, or something similar, maybe the dock itself? But was wondering if there''s anything more secure? I've had my old 14 foot johnboat there for years with no problems, but this rig is brand new and may be a target for thieves?

Whats the best way to secure a boat against theft. Chain or cable through bow eye, locked against big tree??? . WhateVer? Any advice here?

I recently posted a request for recommendations for an ultralight baitcaster with LH wind. One recommendation was a Daiwa Sol/Alpha. I cant seem to find this reel on any of the suppliers websites. Are they no longer available?

I recently built a 5 foot ultra-light casting rod and am looking for a suitable compact ultralight casting reel with Left Hand wind. My principal use would be small crankbait casting in weedy areas. Any suggestions. Models? Costs? etc.