smalljaw67

Fenwick Lunker stik, 7'8" MH-MF or the 8'0" MH-MF. $90 and would be close to perfect for the 6XD.

A light arky jig is what I use on a soft bottom. The football jig can work as well as long as you keep it light as well otherwise the wide head ends up pushing too much mud/silt.

Falcon rolls their own blanks, they don't use premade blanks from those companies although Shikari made some good blanks.

I agree that for the price I'd want that replaced. The first thing to do is contact Loomis and then report the tackle shop that wouldn't exchange it, if they are an authorized dealer Loomis may tell them to exchange it or lose their status. A small pit in the cork is something that won't bother me much on a rod under $200, but once you go over that it becomes a little bigger deal, at $400+ the cork better have some integrity and if a piece comes out with the sticker, especially a chunk that large, well it is going back.

I think you would be better off trying weed whacker line. I say that because even the cheapest monofilament isn't anywhere close to the old style mono, and most of the better ones are copolymers and too soft for your purpose. Maybe someone here has access to, or knows where to find older mono that has the properties you need but it is doubtful.

100% correct!!!!! It wasn't until 2006 when Ned met KVD who gave him a bag of Strike King Zeros to try that the Elaztech material was introduced to that rig. Another neat fact is that is isn't the buoyancy that the purists like, it is the fact of how long they last. As J Francho said, they aren't fished in the manner that the video shows, they are normally slowly reeled above bottom, just ticking the bottom, or up high in the water column. BTW, I like the name "poop rig", for years we fished a half of a Senko on 1/16oz ball head jigs and we call it the "dog turd".

The process is called "sintering". It isn't pure Tungsten either, usually 5% is nickel or some other alloy that will melt at a lower temperature. When the Tungsten is under pressure the heat created will melt the nickel or other metal alloy and that will be what binds the Tungsten together and make it a solid piece. There is Tungsten powder that you can mix with a special epoxy that will allow one to pour a jig head or sinker but it isn't efficient time wise, it is costly, and you don't get the same density so a 3/16oz sinker would be the same size as it would if it was made with lead and it wouldn't be as hard as a regular Tungsten sinker either.

A Kalins lunker grub fished on top can be very effective, the tail creates a small commotion. I think of it as a super finesse buzzbait that you can stop if a fish misses it and it will still be effective.

If it is casting fine with just the noise and oiling the bearing didn't help then you need a drop of oil on the brake drum. You can usually tell with bearing because the oil will have an impact even if they need to be flushed. So put a drop of oil on the brake drum and use a Q-tip or your finger tip to lightly spread the oil over the surface so it is a very tin coat, that should fix the problem and if it doesn't then the bearings need to be flushed or replaced.

The Spence Scout has been discontinued for some time. They do still pop up from time to time, they were the best shallow crank until the 1 minus came out. Check ebay, you can usually find some older stuff and you may be able to find some used ones for cheap as they aren't really sought after.

The Yo-Zuri 3DB Square bill would be perfect but it is the size of the 2.5 KVD. The other one I've done really well with is the Bagley Rattlin' Kill'R B, it is the same size as the 1.5 and dives to 3' and it has a rattle but it is a muted sound that has worked as well, if not better than a silent square bill in clear water. Bluegill has been the best color for me followed by sexy shad, and there sexy shad is different that every other version in that the back is a green almost like the green gizzard shad. I grabbed 2 baits when they first came out and after using them for the first time I ended up with 12 more, I have 14 of those and they have been one of my best square bills. I use the Yo-zuri more when the water is stained because it is larger but when the water is clear or I'm fishing smallmouth the Bagley comes out, and like I said, bluegill has been the best color but in stained water the hot mustard has been a great producer. They have VMC hooks but they are heavier than what the KVD uses, in fact the hooks are heavier that what the KVD 2.5 has and at $5.99 I think they are a steal. P.S. - If you want to try the Bagley just make sure you get the Rattli' Kill'R B and not the Rattlin' Diving Kill'R B as that one isn't a square bill and dives around 6' deep.

I fish that size the same way Bluebasser86 does, 1/8oz jig head with a 1/0 hook.

Way to heavy, anything over 7 ounces to me is heavy, I can deal with a reel up to 7.5oz for a casting reel and after that it is just too heavy, makes using a light rod a moot point. As for spin cast reels in general, I don't care for them but I found it interesting that Woo Daves fished with one his entire career on the Bassmaster trail. He said when fish were tight to cover a spin cast reel would allow his worm to fall straight down like a spinning reel but he couldn't find spinning rods that were heavy powered with the right action so the spin cast was perfect. With the casting reel the bait would swing away from the cover unless he manually peeled line off and often he would miss a strike if a fish hit it while it was falling, and because of that he always had a spin cast ready to go at every tournament he fished.

If you are seeing fish suspended just move to another spot. Those suspended fish are tough to catch, especially with cranks unless they are off the bottom under a school of baitfish. If you find them along the bottom in deep water, that is the time to crank but it is hard to differentiate fish from rocks and debris on the bottom so if I see something like that I'll try there.

It will probably get you 5 more feet on a cast but not much more. Again, it is because that style bait catches a lot of air, it is why weight transfer systems were developed. You can drop down line size or change the type of line in addition to the rod but truth be told, you aren't going to see a noticeable change in distance from a rod rated 1/8oz to 1/4oz to something lighter. I ML in a long rod, maybe 7'6" will get you more distance but then it becomes difficult to work the bait, I thing you either live with what you have or get a bait in the same size with a weight transfer system or a little bit more weight. The Spro McStick 95 weighs 3/8oz and is only like 3/16" longer, it will get you better distance than the size 8 husky jerk.

CroakHunter is correct, 3/16oz just the size of the head, real weight is probably closer to 5/16oz.

I've always liked the Rogue, and I also like the Bagley Minnow B, very similar to a rogue. They fit your requirements except for the weight transfer system which is going to be hard to find in a floating model that dives less than 2' and is 4" long. In fact, I don't believe there is a bait that will fit all the requirements because if they have a weight transfer system they either suspend, sink, or diver deeper than 3' or are 3.5" or less in length.

The husky jerk isn't going to cast far because it is a minnow bait and they catch a lot of air. That is why just about every new jerkbait has the weight transfer system in them. If you watch when you cast that bait it flies just like the regular Smithwick Rogues, it will turn sideways and "kite" meaning the air will sometimes push it right, left up or down for know reason, it just goes which ever way the air grabs it. The weight transfer system of new baits keeps the weight at the back of the lure preventing it from turning sideways and catching too much air which will slow the bait down and decrease casting distance. That was a big reason a lot of anglers would use spinning rods with minnow baits as early casting reels didn't have the braking systems to help minimize backlashes when the minnow or jerkbait would kite.

Costas are some of the best glasses but you need to find a dealer and try the style you want on your head first. The reason is a large frame is not the same across all lines, nor is a medium or extra large. I wanted a pair of anglers in a copper 580P lens but the extra large frame was closer to a medium, it was really tight, and the only frames that were large enough didn't come with the lenses I wanted, I would need to spend an extra $100 for special order, so be careful, especially if you require a lare or extra large frame.

Cadman is correct, and if you purchased the economy brass blades you'll see in the description that they are not lacquer coated. There is a pretty sizeable difference in price between uncoated and lacquer coated brass blades.

You either have to hand dip the tail color, pull off the rod and cut the tail portion ( slightly longer than the actual tail length) then put it back on the rod and dip the body making sure to overlap the tail section a bit to make sure both are bonded. To do it with the mold you would have to do it just like you described, you may get color bleed so try keeping the body color a little cooler if possible.

I'm going with something similar to what Bluebasser86 mentioned. I'd have an Indiana as the top blade on the swivel and a small Colorado kicker, it will lean to one side if you burn it but that blade combination will stay up near the surface on a nice moderate pace retrieve. It also gives off enough flash for the clearer areas yet produces enough vibration and water displacement that it is still effective being slow rolled in deeper/dirtier water. I make my own spinnerbaits and I make that exact bait in both a 3/8oz and 1/2oz for a lake with similar conditions only the forage fish are alewives in the deeper water and 'gills in the shallows. I lie to use other colors than the standard chartreuse and white but in your case a solid white would work best, it shows up well in dingy or off color water and it is still natural that it doesn't deter in clearer water either.

There are a few staples I think you absolutely have to have. #1, 3/0 hooks, that size will work with anything from a 5" to 7" worm and if you get EWG hooks it will work for most creature style baits as well. #2, the Senko, 5" model, that size draws big fish but still doesn't deter smaller size fish either, the 4" doesn't seem to get many bigger bites and based on that I like the 5" the best. #3, Straight tail worm, Zoom Swamp Crawler, that will get bit when conditions are tough. #4. worm weights, a variety of sizes but the must haves are 1/8oz, 3/16oz, and 1/4oz as you can fish most depths from shallow to 20' with that assortment. #5, a 1/4oz jig and some soft plastic chunk trailers, 2" to 2.5" will work, that size jig will get you bites and it appeals to a wide range of sizes of fish so it will be easier for a beginner to use effectively. #6, a 3/8oz double willow leaf model spinnerbait, it can be used from right at the surface down to 10' deep and works in a lot of different conditions but is a really good numbers bait when fish are active. #7, the only crankbait I'd recommend as a must have is a lipless crank, stick with the tried and true Rat-L-Trap in 1/2oz chrome black back, you can yo-yo it, slow roll it, burn it shallow or crawl it deep, it is a fish catcher that will let you cover water fast.

Smaller baits are often referred to as finesse baits and they will get you bites when the fishing is tough. Don't think of it in terms of the fish being hungry, bass are predators and if they aren't feeding they will often strike out of reaction which is why sometimes fast moving baits work better than slower ones. Small baits can, and will catch large fish, I've caught numerous smallmouth in the 5lb class on 1/16oz hair jigs with small size #2 hook but most of the time they are going to catch you numbers of fish more than large fish. Big baits do catch big fish and sometimes small fish, but my biggest smallmouth came on a regular size Zara Spook, and that bait is 5" and weighs 3/4oz. The point I'm trying to make is don't limit yourself, yes small bait genrally will catch higher numbers of fish because they appeal to more sizes but I've had more than a few days when going bigger got me more bites, it doesn't happen all the time but it happens enough to have some larger baits in the same styles as the smaller baits that work for you. If you are using 4" and 5" worms that work, try having some 6", 7" and 8" worms in the same style or if you do well with small 1/8oz and 1/4oz square bills, try have similar ones in 3/8oz and 1/2oz models as well, it will pay off for you in the long run.

The shadow rap shad I use in cooler water, not cold but cool, 65 down to 55. The reason is that it floats but it is slower than a regular floating minnow like the flat rap. As for the flat rap itself, I'm a big fan, gin clear, shallow water during summer for river smallmouth is perfect for the flat rap. I like the size 8 in clown or chrome, both give of the perfect flash and I've never used it that it didn't catch fish, I'm glad I have a dozen of each size as they are discontinued. I like the size 10 in purpledescent fishing over shallow weed beds for largemouth but the water has to be clear, if there is more than a stain that there is less than 18" of visibility I'll use a Rattlin' Rogue because of the rattles, the fish are a little more aggressive when the water is darker. The flat rap is more subtle, it has an erratic action like all minnow baits when retrieved with hard rips but the beauty of it is the amount of flash it gives off and the high floatation, you stop it and it comes up faster than plastic baits and sometimes that is a trigger. The Flat Rap is a completely different lure than the Shadow Rap Shad, at least to me it is as I'm using them in very different situations. Make no mistake though, if you have reasonably clear water or you are in shallow and you see small bait fish flicker or break the surface, tie on the smaller size 8 in one of the chrome finishes because when bass are chasing those small minnows nothing mimics them better because of the way they flash and the tighter action.