shanksmare

I believe the concept of constricting the coils which come off of a spinning reel with a few guides and then using small guides the rest of the way has more of an effect if you are using mono or flourocarbon. The effect on braid is minimal due to the supple nature of the line.

Carry a file and use it ... often.

I should have recommended this earlier. Watch Glenn's excellent video on spinnerbait fishing at: http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/spinnerbaits-bass-fishing.html Towards the end of the video Glenn shows how to execute the underhand loop cast (forehand and backhand). The info in this video should get you on the right tack. If you watch a Jimmy Houston show, he uses this cast all the time. He may have invented it?

Maybe you guys are dealing with old spools of Vanish that have sat on store shelves for a long time. I used Vanish about 10 years ago as leader material when fly fishing the surf for stripers. It indeed was terrible. I had 20# test break on several ocassions while lifting 5# stripers. I finally tossed out the spool because of all the unexplained lost fish caused by broken leaders. However recently I bought a spool of 20# Vanish and used it on a baitcaster with no breakoff issues. I stopped using it because of the curling tendencies it had in cool (here in FL it would be considered cold) weather. Many times when I got snagged in on of the many rocks where I fish, I had a hard time breaking the line. It also breaks at the knot which secures the hook unless you use a Flouro friendly knot like the San Diego Jam or one of its varieties.

Its all about the money. When I was a kid following hockey the Playoffs were over when there was still snow on the ground in MA.

I am quite puzzled by your experience. Sure I occasionally get the line wrapped around the spinnerbait wire, but not anywhere near 50 % of the time. It probably happens to me about 0.01 % of the time or less. I use SB's all the time, I have for the past 40 years and I have never been able to come up with a combo to achieve your results. I used to make my own baits and used all kinds of blade combos usually on a 1/4 oz head. The lighter the head combined with larger blades and a side wind will contribute to the SB spinning on the cast. But even then the line rarely gets twisted around the SB arm at least for me. I usually fish from the bank so I often have to improvise in order to avoid bankside obstructions. So my casts are pitching, overhand, roll, backhand, underhand, bow and arrow, and whatever it takes. Since I'm bank bound I only carry one rod so I wind up throwing SB's on the "rod of the day". So I often end up throwing the SB on an outfit meant for another lure. Despite all this I rarely encounter the issue which plagues you.

The late Jack Lewis made a spinnerbait similar to what you describe. You can read about his version here: http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/lure_modifications.html I have experienced some success with this spinnerbait. It really looks great when you stop it and let it fall.

I use PP pretty much exclusively for SW applications. I have not noticed any difference in knot strength between the green and red versions. I like using the red version of PP for fishing jigs on the bottom for redfish. I am a line watcher so it helps tremendously. I like Sirsnookalot use an Albright knot to attach a leader to the braid. Only difference is I use 10 - 12 wraps instead of 7 or 8. Just a security blanket thing I guess. Many years ago (when braid was fairly new) a bait shop owner on Cape Cod told me I could use any knot I used with mono as long as I doubled the line. It seemed to work well for me.

I replaced standard hooks on SW lures with VMC 9626 (I believe) hooks. I've used them for years. I rinse them off with freshwater after use and have had no problems with corrosion. I'd replace the hooks at the end of the season, so maybe thats why I never experienced any issues.

Big fish eat smaller fish both in fresh and saltwater. If the lure is smaller than the fish you are targeting, chances are it will try to eat it. I wouldn't worry about the hooks, they are better than the hooks you would find on a lure specifically designed for FW. Heck after seeing the sizes of some of the swimbaits that are used for bass, I'm thinking of trying some of the 6 and 8" Danny swimmers I used for stripers in the night surf.

A spinnerbait gets my vote.

I would have to say that the most effective multi species lure for freshwater (at least for me) was the original wooden Helin's Flatfish. I think I caught just about every species that inhabited SE Massachusetts on this lure in the 1960's and 1970's. Other versatile lures would include an Al's Goldfish and a plain old 1/8 - 1/4 oz black bucktail jig (with or without a curly tailed trailer). More recently here in SW FLA I've caught numerous species on a 1/4 oz tandem Spinnerbait. In saltwater, its tough to beat a Bomber swimmer. It will catch just about any fish that feeds on smaller fish.

I picked up a few bladed jigs made by a fellow here in FL. He uses the same type head as you. Wow, that thing "hunts" without trying! Most of my bladed jigs were made by Siebert. I believe he was trying to emulate the very popular Karu bladed jig when they stopped making them (they are now back in business). He uses a football jig. The blade hits the head so it creates more commotion. So I think the shape and weight of the head probably enter into the equation. You also bend your blade much more than I do. I'm sure this also enters into the way the bladed jig performs. Its may just be me, but if I don't retrieve bladed jigs with the coffin style blades faster than the ones with the Shakee blades, I soon lose them to the rocks which are prevalent where I usually fish (I'm bank bound so once they're hung, they're gone - usually).

I have played around with all three styles of bladed jigs : Original Chatterbait style, unbent Shakee head style and the bent Shakee head style. These were my observations concerning the three. Original Chatterbait style Vibration: High pitched buzz, least thump Running depth: Deepest Hunting Ability: Exhibits the least, pretty much a straight line Spinnerbait blade analogy – Willow Leaf Unbent Shakee Bladed Jig Vibration: Hardest thump Running depth: Shallowest Hunting Ability: Exhibits the most, a little twitch is all it takes Spinnerbait blade analogy – Colorado Blade Bent Shakee Bladed Jig Vibration: A little less thump than the unbent variety Running depth: Deeper than the unbent Hunting Ability: A little harder to get to hunt than the unbent Spinnerbait blade analogy – Indiana Naturally the amount and degree of bend effects the results acchieved with the bent design. As a side note, I was able to get the Original style to hunt quite well by accident. I inadvertently put the trailer on a little off center. This caused the bait to hunt easily with a little twitch. I have noticed at times the fish seem to greatly prefer one style over another.

It sounds as if you are setting the hook too quickly. I always (well most of the time when I can control myself) pause a second or two before setting the hook. Its sort of like fishing a frog. Generally when I strike immediately, I miss the fish. At least thats what works for me fishing Skinny Dipper style baits. Check out Mikeballz on youtube. He has a couple of videos that show him fishing these baits and pausing when he gets a strike before setting the hook.