smalljaw67

Globadoc, thats some good info you found. One thing I did when I first got my 6'9"M-XF was to go with the small stuff, 5" finesse worms on 1/16oz shaky heads and 3" senkos and when I looked at the rod rating and knew how well I was able to throw the smaller lures, I set out to use big things I normally wouldn't use like the 6" slug-o and a 3/8oz spinnerbait. The surprising thing for me was that when I was fishing the small stuff, the rod felt great, it was sensitive and it didn't feel like the rod was too powerful or big for finesse techniques and that is why I tested the bigger lures, I figured that if the rod was really good with light offerings it would have to labor with the big soft jerkbaits and it would really be under stress pulling a 3/8oz spinnerbait but it handled those just as well without being taxed, that is something that stood out for me. I not only caught fish with it, but I was actually able to make a long cast with a 1/8oz shaky head with a 5" finesse worm, have it hit bottom in 26' of water using mono and not only could I feel the bait but I also could feel rocks and best of all was the light bites I was getting, it truly is a great rod. I got the 6'10" MH-MF casting rod and I'm as impressed as ever with it, I can't believe how light it is yet still balanced well and at a price that goes beyond excellent, I plan on getting the 6'3" M-MF casting rod as well, I'm absolutely sold on this series.

Craws will work anywhere and they may be very good in a place where the fish don't see them very much. Grubs and twin tail grubs are also good but if I was fishing an area or a body of water that didn't have many craws that would be the first thing I would use simply because it is a profile the fish instintively know and the lack of them in the water may cause them to hit even more since it is something they don't see.

What kind of crank and how deep? Those are nice fish and to get on a crank bite is awesome, you just got to love that early in the season! Great job!

I had a discussion with a fisheries biologist some time ago and the subject came up about big bait and big fish and what I learned is interesting. He told me bass, unlike trout are very opprotunistic, trout will only feed when the need arises but bass will eat out of pure aggression which is why we like to pursue them. Areas with a large forage base of a certain type like alewives or shad will be the most difficult places to catch a fish on something really big because more often than not each year class tends to key on certain size forage. lakes that contain a lot of bluegill, crappie, chubs and shiners will provide the best chance at getting fish to hit large baits as these types of forage are also egg stealers and the bass will often hit them just to kill them and larger fish also see them as a big meal. I also got a good answer as to why gaudy colors catch fish like a bait that is all chartreuse or bubblegum, and it has to do with the fish being genetically programmed to eat sick or dying fish as they are an easy meal. When they observe fish feeding on schools of bait what biologist saw was instead of just swimming through the school the bass would swim around, under and over the tops of bait balls looking for sick or injured fish and what it seems they look for is something different whether it is a slightly different color of something being off in the way a particular fish is swimming but it has to be something different. When they can't differentiate they either abandon the school or they swim though the school tail whipping at times and it oftem results in injuring a fish and then they just circle back and eat it. This often happens when fishing topwaters baits, the bass will sometimes tail whip it to kill it, sometimes just to kill it and other times to make it into an easy meal which is why sometimes they leave the bait alone after hitting it like that or sometimes coming back and eating it. But just like everything else, fish aren't robots so they are often unpredictable and that explains anglers catching fish on topwater baits in 40 degree water but most fish behave within a certain set of guidelines.

I'll make this as simple as I can, most baitcasters are good for baits 1/4oz and up to say 1oz. If you want to use a baitcaster for baits under 1/4oz you can get a finesse casting reel, you can tell these reels but looking at the line capacity, most finesse reels will usually start with the line capacity of the reel with the 6# line rating up to 10# or 12#, while regular casting reels will usually start with 10# or 12# and go to 14#. If you are going to fish baits over 1oz you will want to look at the bigger models, typically the round reels handle bigger line and bigger baits that low profile reels but there are some good low profile reels out there for bigger lures.

Every single jig will fall over, even the ones that have flat spots for the head to land on. There is no reason to worry and if you really want to see how the jig is going to perform, do the tank test but once it hits bottom count to 3 and then give it a hop and see how it falls and the way it lands, that will tell you all you need to know. I make a flipping jig that is a wedge head design, it couldn't stand up even if it was on a perfectly level surface and I don't expect it to, what it does for me is all on the fall, it falls a little different and 99 times out of 100 the fish is going to hit the jig as it falls. I thing the stand up jig is over rated, but it is because I don't dead stick a jig, plastics yes, jigs no. When the jig I'm fishing hits bottom I wait for 3 seconds and give it a small lift and drop or a shake and then bring it in for another cast, but the most important part of the presentation is the fall. When I'm using a football jig, I'm dragging it, I use heads that have a 60 degree flat eye hook so the line tie is pointing up and as I drag the jig I'm actually pulling the hook down forcing the back of the jig to periodically move up and fall down as I stop. The jig you have will work you just have to realize that the fall is more important, I even select trailers to determine the fall rate of my jig. For example if I'm fishing a 1/2oz jig around a laydown I'll probably use a beaver type jig trailer for bulk, if that doesn't produce a strike I'll change the trailer to a chunk like a strike king denny brauer or zoom super chunk, what this is going to do is make the jig appear less bulky and give it a smaller profile but it is also going to let my jig fall a little faster as the chunk doesn't create as much drag as the beaver style bait. The smaller profile and faster fall is meant to cause a reaction strike, the fish sees a smaller offering moving fast, it has to let it go or hit it and usually it hits it. So don't worry, most jigs do fall over, just concentrate on the fall and you'll catch them.

I use on that is 7.0:1 with 28" IPT and I love it but I also love burnning spinnerbaits (which happens to be myy favorite bait). I have also used my Quantum Smoke 150 7.3:1 34" IPT and I really like that one too. The reason is like I said before, I love burnning spinnerbaits but my older hands don't like it so much so the faster reel are great as I can reel the bait at a normal pace and it is still going pretty good and I don't think it feels weak or strained in any way even but the spinnerbaits I use for burnning have downsized blades.

I've fished jigs with and without rattles and while I'm not sure of any real difference the rattle makes, I still like them for dirty water conditions. Like I said, I'm not sure if they do help but I do have more confidence using a rattle in dirty water and that makes a difference so I will use them for that purpose. I know guys that use them all the time and others that don't use them at all and it comes down to being confident in what you are doing, if you feel you get more bites using it then keep on using them, it may or may not make a difference to the fish but it will make a difference to you and how you fish.

I hear you on that, the color part isn't as bad as there are a number of good painters who can duplicate colors for you but when a bait goes it is hard to replace. The only thing is plastic baits can be done pretty well by the right person, I really liked the Guido Bug craw baits, they were the best flipping and pitching craws and they got discontinued but a friend on mine now makes them and they are identical to the original.

Nice build!!! I loike the reel seat and guide choice, and the reflective tape is a nice touch that probably helps a little bit with balance. That is some really nice work, great job.

Cadman, that is a custom color skirt, it is rootbeer with green pumpkin striping and red and green fleck, the same thing with the craw, it is a custom color, medium green pumpkin with blue claws and the color blue happened by accident when I was working with the company to make it for me. They had some green mixex and added some blue and shot it to see how much more blue I wanted and it came out perfect! As for the Snootie, well the smallest size I make is the 3/8oz, I do want to get the other mold but things keep getting in my way and it gets pushed back.

I use a bag with utility boxes, this is the best system for me as I add and subtract boxes depending on where I'm fishing. For example, I have a little more than 2 doxen 3700 series utility boxes that I store my lures in at home and I actually have boxes made up according to seasons. Right now my traval bag contains 3 boxes that I have labeled "Spring", one box has finesse jigs and flipping jigs along with trailers, the 2nd box has nothing but suspending jerkbaits, and the 3rd box has flat sided cranks, square bill cranks, and finesse cranks like the #5 and #7 shad raps. In a week or so I'll switch the suspending jerkbait box with a box labeled "Transition", that box contains floating model jerkbaits like my Smithwick Rogues, Rapala Flat Raps, and Yo-Zuri Crystal minnows along with a few topwater baits like poppers and walking baits but the smaller versions. As the season progresses I will switch out boxes that contain the baits I need based on water temps and seasonal patterns and by having a bag with seperate boxes it saves me a lot of time as I don't have to stock and restock a hard box, instead I simply switch out boxes, this keeps my tackle selection down to a reasonable level so I'm not taking the kitchen sink with me.

This is a picture of a new finesse jig I'm making right now, this one is a 1/8oz round head but I also made one in a 3/16oz. The color pattern is what I call early craw, the craw trailer is a Jakes Craw from River Rock Baits, this looks killer in the water.

What has been working for you? Have you caught any fish with them yet? I ask those questions because if you don't narrow it down you'll get thousands or answers as we all have our favorite crankbaits. If you are just getting started with cranks I think you'll want to go with shallow running baits and progress to deeper offerings as you get better using them Any of the liplees variety will do well for you, I prefer one knockers like the Rapala Clackin' Rap for colder water/spring and the Bill Lewis Rattle Trap for ripping through weeds in the warmer months. Good shallow running cranks to get are the Manns baby 1 minus, the Manns baby X, Strike King KVD 1.5, Rapala DT Fat 1 and Fat 3.

Goose52 summed it up perfectly, yes you aren't going to take 3 scales and get exact nubers but they are close enough for the purpose. If I catch a big bass and weight it on my Rapala digital scale and it weighs 7lbs. 8oz. on the Berkley scale it may be 7lbs. 10oz, either way I know the fish was 7.5lbs as I know it is within an ounce or 2. Now if catch a record you need to go to a supermarket or post office in order to get a reading on a ceriticed scale but that is a different ball game and the other thing is if you bang them around it will throw them off, I take care of mine and check the accuracy after every trip that I use it.

The line is an area you need to look at and I would use a split ring, no snap. The other thing is to work the bait on slack line, and while I can't walk the dog with a cranking rod it doesn't mean you can't but I prefer a fast action rod as I have more control but I do sacrifice some fish but I feel I get more strikes as I can work the bait better so it is a trade off.

I've witnessed that too and last season I lost one at the boat that was half and half, the front was normal and from behind the dorsal fin back it was completely black! My heart was broke after losing that fish as I've seen the spots but never an entire section.

I just gave my grandson the exact same rod, SJR722 GL3 and it is great for skipping. Another rod to look at is the Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth 6'3" M-F, they also have a 6'3" MH-F but the medium is more versatile and I bet it would be a skipping machine!

I have no problem with foam, the new foam is much more dense and I doubt it is any more absorbant than cork. My earliest rod with foam is from '07 and it is still in great shape but it wasn't cheap either so I know for a fact a good grade of foam will last a good while.

X2 !!!

I have an XML, an XMLTi, and a Fish Eagle 2 and all of them are very good rods. Cabelas does a great job with service also, you break a rod or just don't like it then take it back, now if you don't like it you only got 60 days but rods like the Fish Eagle have a 20 year warranty on defects.

I know a lot like glass but I just can't get past the weight, especially if you're working a jig or a worm and something happens and the bite turns on and you pull off the bank and pick up that cranking rod. If you don't think it sounds like a big deal fish a good graphite rod for 1 hour and then pick up a good glass rod, the difference on paper doesn't seem like much but when you get use to that light weight rod the glass will feel like 10 pounds. Do the same thing only fish with the glass rod and then pick up the graphite and see how accurrate your cast are. I tell you this as I was looking for a cranking stick and my friend swears by glass so I went out to see how well this glass rod was and it did the job, the fish stayed hooked up and it was pretty good until I picked up my graphite worm rod, my first 3 casts sailed about 20 feet past my target, the worm rod felt like it weighed only an ounce so that was it for me with glass, just too plain heavy.

What I found surprising with these relatively cheap digital scales is they are all fairly accurate and when I say accurate I'm talking within 2oz most of the time. I used to be a technician testing material that goes into concrete like sand, and stone and I used to have the bureau of weights and measures in all the time to certify the scales I used and when they would get new equipment I would get the old calibrating weights which were still good but the state says new equipment new weights so it was a win for me. Anyway, I found that the most accurate of the digital scales was the Rapala lock and weigh, it averaged to be within less than an ounce based on 1 lb, 5lb and 10 lb weights, the next was a Berkley lip grip with was almost the same as the Rapala and the worst of the 3 was an X-Tools scale but it still was within an ounce and that is pretty good for digital scales less than 100 bucks.

I have a 6'6" M and it was purchased as something I can use as an all purpose rod when fishing out of the small boat so if it got broke it wouldn't hurt too bad but it now goes with me on all my trips. It is a good rod no doubt and it fishes well above its price point, not too many rods you can get at that price that perform as well.

It is true you don't need to spend $300 dollars on a casting reel to learn with but I do suggest a good one, something in the $120 - $200 range. The reason is simple, it doesn't require a lot of arm movement to get a decent cast with a good reel and that is the number one problem I see with beginners, they try to "throw" the lure like you do with a spinning reel and the end result is a mess. There are a ton of things written about setting brakes and all that you can find to help you get started but the main thing is get good equipment and use less arm. I don't want to offend anyone, but I fished with a friend who has an Abu Silver Max, it is ok but that is for someone experiened, to someone starting out I wouldn't even consider it and the reason is the same with most value priced reels, in order to get good casts you need to really lay off the brakes as the free spool isn't great and that is a backlash waiting to happen for a new angler, the better reels have much better spool start up and free mode so extra brakes help with the backlash but it still lets you get a little distance. I also recommend practicing for a few hours in your yard or where ever you can besides on a body of water as you don't want to go fishing and spen a day frustrated insted of enjoying. Todays reels are more user friendly than what I had to learn with 30 years ago but there is still a learning curve, if you are willing to spend a few hours practicing it will help you become a more well rounded angler but there are a lot who are completely comfortable using nothing but spinning and thats ok too, but just the fact you are wondering about casting tells me you want more out of fishing and you have come to the right place.