smalljaw67

93 is red/silver glitter and he was probably using Zoom. Zoom and Gary Yamamoto baits are the two that I know of that have color reference numbers but there are probably others. Go to zooms website and across the top you'll see "colors" , click on it and a color list will appear with the number of the color and description but it is not in any type of order, I couldn't find a 97 but it may be there but I did see 93 and it was red/silver glitter.

I think you're doing the right thing in getting suggestion if you are undecided but I will give you some tips on what to look for and my opion on what to get. First is consider what you are going to fish for with the rod and what kinds of baits and presentations, this will lead you to the power and action of the rod you'll need, you also have to consider the size of the reel. The Smoke comes in the 25 and 30 size , for bass the either will work but the line capacity on the 25 is more than enough. All the suggestions you got were good ones, the Smoke rod would be a good choice and a matched combo but depending on your budget and whether you're buying online of in a store will make a difference as a store may not carry certain rods. My pick would be to go with a new Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth spinning rod, the 6'9" M-XF is a great rod for shaky head fishing, wacky rigs, soft jerkbaits, tubes and light jigs and even has the sensitivity to use for drop shotting. I recommend these rods as I'm highly impressed, I still have no clue as to why they aren't selling for over $200 because it is a high quality and high performance rod. But any of the rods mentioned above are more than capable so it really comes down to a choice, good luck on you new set up.

I often say don't knock the Kinetic until you tried it. I have the original first Kinetic casting reel, it was originally 120 bucks but Cabelas has the older model for 79.99, anyway it is very omparable to the Shimano Citica and I got it over the Citica because it has an aluminum handle side cover with an aluminum frame, the Citica has an aluminum frame with graphite side covers so the Kinetic is built better. I have fished both the Kinetic and the Citica and on a performance level they are almost identical, my wife had to stop me from buy 5 more of them when they went on sale, as for the W&M, I never tried one and while it may be good to beat up on because it is a value priced item I learned not to do that, you'd be surprised at the way some reels perform. Most value reels are made cheap but the Kinetic was originally a mid tier reel at over 100 dollars, that and the Citica fished side by side with a more expensive Revo S would make you wonder since the Citica and Kinetic both outperformed the S. Looking at the specs of the new kinetic it appears the only thing that changed is the color but I have mine for 3 years and it goes on every trip and performs like day 1 and if you aren't into taking your reel apart to lube, it has an external lube port so you can give it a shot of oil at the end of the season, it is a good reel and at the current price is a steal.

Most do-it molds you can either go up or down a size in hook depending on the mold, like I was saying to you when you said a size 2 or 3 hook, that is a lot different than a 2/0 or 3/0, I hate to be anal about things likje that but in the case of hook size there happens to be size 2 and 3 hooks in addition to 2/0 and 3/0. I make a light flipping jig that is 3/8oz, that is light for a flipping jig but I use a 5/0 hook in it even though the mold calls for a 3/0 to 4/0 hook but not all molds can do it and it also depends on the style hook. Most of my molds are modified to use bigger hooks if the mold can't accept them but you need to check the mold and hook size first. Go to tackle underground on the web, the guys there can usually tell you how big or small of a hook you can use in a particular mold and if you find cadman on this site he can help you with hook sizes for molds so you don't have to guess when planning on buying a mold.

There really is no "rule of thumb" when it comes to those type of trailer but I use them in cold water, and I also use them on post frontal days when fish are tight to cover and won't move and I use them when ever there is a distinct water temp drop like the water going from say 64 degrees down to 57 degrees or so, the first time that happens during the fall the fish will often get in a negative mood, it is also the stat of turnover. Anyway, I tend to use these when the fish are lethargic, that is a time when you don't want the bait to have too much action.

Plastic worms are one of those baits that will catch a fish in almost any condition provided the presentation is correct and you are in the right spot meaning an area that is holding fish. What you should do is cover water, try using a spinnerbait or crankbait or even a fluke typ bait that you can cast out and bring back quickly, this will let you search and eliminate unproductive water and you don't have to catch a fish on it in order to find them, you may get one to follow the bait or perhaps make baitfish jump out of the way or you may see a fish roll or flash on your bait but you would at least know where they are so you could go back and fish slower with the worm.

Arkie jig with a ball collar with a 3/0 not a 3. I know that is what you meant because a size 2 is on a 1/32 oz jig a size 2/0 could go on any of the jigs you're looking for and so could a 3/0.

You have to be careful with light line on a casting reel, if you have a good reel then there usually isn't any problems but a value priced casting reel may have a little larger gap between the spool and the frame and light line can end up in there and talk about a mess. Most of todays reels in the 100 dollar price point should be fine as they are made with more precise but check to make sure before you spool up with the light line.

Do you have a pic or drawing? Those are really small hooks for the head sizes, usually a small hook for a 1/4oz jig is a 1/0, on a 1/2oz jif a 3/0 would be considered small. You need tyo recheck the hook sizes because a 2 or 3 is what you find on 1/16 to maybe a 1/8oz.

Some things for you to think about, the first is size. Tubes come in a lot of different sizes and so do jigs, so you need to match the size of the bait to the mood of the fish. I make a finesse jig and I also use tubes, my favorite size tube is 3.5" but I like to fish those on with an insider jighead with an exposed hook for river smallies. Now when I'm fishing river smallies I'll have a tube rigged lust like I explained and I will also have a finesse jig rigged, if I'm fishing in chunk rock with basically open water around I will throw the tube but if there is a laydown or grass near the rock then I'll throw the finesse jig. It all comes down to confidence and what you like to do, for lakes I use a flipping style tube which is usually 3.75" or 4" and made with harder plastic. Those types of tubes I'm fishing texas rigged with heavy line and the jigs are the same way, I'm using a minimum 3/8oz jig but more often I'm using a 1/2oz jig with eith a chunk in cold water or a rage craw in warm water. I really let the water conditions and situation dictate what I'm using, dark or dirty water I have a jig on, clear water I have a tube, if the fish are in heavy cover I have the jig in light cover I use the tube.

I know they are very versatile but I only use them 2 different ways, and that is on the back of my swim jig or Texas rigged to flip in cover, that is it. The Rage Chunk gets the nod for my casting jigs just because I have more success with a compact bait with more bulk but small profile with that type of jig but it has the same flapping action as the craw.

they are supposed to sit with the back end lower in the water, and as for the lack of action, well this is were people get confused. Frogs are designed to be used in slop with a dragging type retrieve and in open water you have to make them walk, they don't walk on their own, at least the ones I've used don't. To walk your hollow bodied frog you need to fish it almost like a jerkbait, you snap twitch the rod with slack line and it will pull the frog up and to the side and as you repeat this action the frog will begin to come back with a side to side motion. That is the difference in all these frogs, some are really easy to walk but others not so easy but whatever the case it is not a built in action like spooks and sammys, you have to make it work.

When I fish my swim jig I do it a little differntly than most and it is why a Rage Craw works so well. I use the swim jig with a slow retrieve and I fish it right against cover and after a few casts without a strike I'll often reel the jig up to a spot I think a fish should be and kill it and then fish it for a few moments like a normal bottom jig. If I get a few fish using that technique I'll change presentations and jigs, depending on how close to cover I'm getting bit I'll either switch to a flipping jig or casting jig but only if the fish let me know which is why the swim jig is such a great lure.

Welcome, and I too am from PA, east central part of the satate abot 30 miles north of Reading. I can help you with the Susquehanna, I fish it a lot!

They are decent lures and catch fish, but you need to change the hooks out on them, they bend and break pretty easy but in the same respect Strike King lures use lousy hooks too.

Spinnerbaits are my absolute favorite way to catch smallies and I've done a lot of experimenting with size, color and blade configurations and the advise you got here is really good, and that is to go with a 3/8oz spinnerbait. 3/8oz is what I call the universal size, and for those just learning the bait I will push them to get a 1/4oz or 3/8oz bait. The deal with that size bait is it appeals to all size fish a majority of the time,while it is true tha smaller fish will hit a bigger 1/2oz and 3/4oz bait , it will not be a majority of smaller fish. The 3/8oz appeals to big fish as well as small and when you are just learnig big fish aren't important, it is getting bit that is important as it will teach you how to retreive it to produce bites, what bites feel like, places were you get the most bite, etc. A 1/4oz bait also has its place and if you didn't like a 3/8oz bait the next one would be that.

A lot of anglers like using cranking rods for spinnerbaits, but for me spinnerbait rods are mediun heavy rods with a fast action, the secret to a good spinnerbait rod when it comes to a fast action rod is that the tip has to be somewhat stiff but not too much because you want it to load up to cast so you can achieve both distance and accuracy. If I were you I would get a cranking set up, you could try using spinnerbaits with it and see how you like it but even if you don't you'll still have a cranking set up and your worm/jig set up should do fine as a spinnerbait rod when you need it to be.

I have and still use th Augertails!!! In fact I have a bunch of discontinued Manns baits that fish haven't seen and when fishing gets tough I'm reaching for them. Manns Dragin' worms are incredible teamed up with shaky heads and the best is the Manipulator worms, not a better worm is made.

You want a medium power, moderate to moderate fast action for mid depth cranks which in my book is anything less than 10'. Most crankbaits in that range are usually 1/4oz to 1/2oz and my recommendation would be the Falcon BuCoo, the biggest reason is it is light and has a great action. The Powell Diesel would be ok but it is glass and would weigh considerably more, some like the action of glass others like myself like the light weight and feel of graphite cranking rods.

You are right and you are wrong. While you can fish every lure with one set up, that is every lure that is in the rod and reels respective ranges of weight, you are really not being very efficent. The reason you have crankbait rods and flipping sticks and medium powered and medium heavy powered rods comes from years of people fishing and quite honestly, missing fish. When you miss a fish it is an "oh well" moment but when you begin to miss fish a lot you begin to wonder why, this is why we have different gear ratio reels, super sharp hooks in different sizes and so on. Saying you don't need more than one set up for everything is like saying all a golfer needs is one club, because that is how you see it. I can make a case for why a golfer needs one club, why does he need so many, if he is far from the hole he needs to swing harder, the closer he is he needs to swing softer. See where I'm going? Yes, you can use one set up for everything but it is much better to have set ups that are made to do what you want to the best of your ability, it also makes for an enjoyable time on the water when I'm not fighting my equipment or trying to fish a jig on a whippy rod or fish crankbaits with a pool cue. A staement like the one you made means you either are a new angler just learning or you don't take the art of angling too seriously and that is fine but in order to learn more or help others learn we need to look at everything with an open mind.

Anytime I'm throwing a jig or plastic I'm using a high speed reel, just about every technigues which involves using the rod to move the bait is going to be high speed. The Revo Winch to me is a crankbait reel, what you get with slow gear ratio reels is more torque so it is easier cranking because the big lipped crankbaits have a lot of resistance so using a reel with more torque makes it much easier, it has nothing to do with winching fish out of cover, that is what your rod is for. If you go it for flipping and pitching I suggest you either trade it for a faster one which should not be a problem or just keep it for cranking and get a higher gear ratio for flipping. Now, you can use it, but you are going experiece problems with hooking fish as a lot of times the fish are tight against cover and they will run stright toward you when hooked and this is were the winch is going to hurt as you aren't going to be as fast getting the slack up and turning the fish until it is well under the boat. For fun fishing you don't really need to worry about it but if you are fishing touneys and you're flipping you make sure you have a fast reel. And remember, the power to move fish is in the rod, not the reel.

My own... I began making my own as nothing on the shelf matched what I wanted and needed.

I'm very old school in that I use shorter rods than most but I have used them so much I'm actually pretty good with them. My flipping set up is a custom 7' Shakiri heavy powered fast action blank, paired with a Pflueger Supreme casting reel which is no longer made but it is built like a tank and perfect for flipping. For pitching I use a 6'6" Quantum Superlight PT medium heavy powered fast action with a Quantum Smoke 150, I just switched to that reel last year and it is great for pitching, I can put a 3/8oz jig in a 16oz coffee can from 35' out consistantly.

It sounds to me like you overfilled the spool, try leaving about 1/8" of the spool lip uncovered.

Trilene XL is a good line, a lot of people get the impression that lines that don't cost 15 bucks or more for 200 yds. isn't very good line and it is far from the truth. I fish a few tournaments and do pretty well and fish a lot and have been fishing a long time, in that time I've tried a lot of line and have my favorites and you'd be surprised. My favorite all around line is Silver thread AN40, it handles well and is really abrasion resistant for mono. I also like Cajun Clear Lightning, this is really close to flouro in that is is really clear, has the lowest stretch I've ever encountered with mono, and the abrasion resistance is excellent, the downside is is made specifically for casting reels and it is more for jigs, worms and big moving baits, it is a little too stiff for finesse fishing. I only use power pro braid and I only use it for frog fishing or jig fishing in really heavy cover. Trilene XL is perfect for a spinning outfit as it handles nicer than XT, it doesn't have the toughness of XT but it holds its own so you got a good line.