Silas

I have both also and wouldn't change handles. Both work well. E5 was a surprisingly great caster also. 50e delegated to finesse work. E5 gets the job done with 1/4 oz up baits.

Bought a bunch of jigs last month! Going to try to learn how to fish them. Y'all seem to be doing so well with them. For now, it's shakey head, Jeff Kriet Squirrel Tailed worm......always have one tied on.....sometimes I just fish that one rod combo all day. Second would be Space Monkey on Moaner Stroker keel hook.......that's always on another rod.

Strangely, lately I've found that I'm enjoying the "experimenting" as a side dish to fishing. I read up on gear, search the forums, and try to determine what will be beneficial to me. So, it's sort of "fishing" when you are not actually fishing!! Another facet of the sport to enjoy. And, of course, "wanting" something is quite a different sensation than "having" it!!

Since I do 95% of my fishing, regular or finesse, with baitcasting gear, I haven't really had line twist issues with any line. I started using braid a couple of years ago: Power Pro, Spiderwire, Seaguar, Berkely Fireline, Sufix 832....and a few more. Used it with some kind of leader, mostly flouro or Yozuri. Had good luck with it casting regular sized baits with medium and medium heavy rods along with a bunch of pretty good reels: Calcutta 100, 200GTB, Lews, Pflueger, Shimano Curado 200s, Worked very well. But....when I started using light, medium light, and medium rods paired with Curado 50E, Daiwa Sol, Pixies, Scorpion, Curado 100D......well, all those set ups seemed to be "not quite as efficent" in casting as with the straight fluoro. I wanted to really like the Daiwa Sol spooled with the Fireline Tracer Braid plus fluoro leader.....but after I respooled it with straight fluoro (Biwako 8# Prof. Guide) I found that I cast more accurately and had fewer "issues." For me, for finesse bait casting, I find I much prefer the flurocarbon or Yozuri than the braid. And....I don't fish clear water.....no clear, deep lakes...just semi muddy bayous with lots of snags and hang ups. The cost is I've lost a few baits, when I got hung up.....but....I've lost the same few when the fluoro leader broke. Not enough to be really concerned. I'm still going to experiment. I have NOT used 100% braid on my finesse reels. Perhaps I should try that.....on a crankbait or spinner bait set up. THAT might work very well. But as I do a lot of plastic fishing, I prefer the sensitivity of the line on those bites. Maybe I just haven't found the correct "formula. My latest "experiment" will be with the Tasline 12# from Australia.....stuff was $44 for a 200 yard spool. Gonna put that on a DVT upgraded Red Airy Pixy that Mike is sending me (thanks, Mike!) and see if that one is the "magic braid" I've been looking for. So far, with braid (with finesse).....lots of sizzle, and not quite enough "steak".

Yep! Had lots of jobs.....like a Clint Eastwood Movie...."The Good, the Bad, and the UGLY!" Had a wonderful run and now ALL of them are over. I really loved a couple of them! I'm amazed that, in just one year, and having travelled most of it seeing what I always wanted to see but couldn't, that I find I don't miss any parts of any job. Thought I would, but all those things faded away in just a year. Retirement is an amazing peacemaker. I now do what I want when I want to.....and don't do much that I don't want to. Yes.....that's the BEST part!! But I DO think that everyone should have at least ONE element of his job that he is passionate about. It will feed his life force and keep him young and vibrant! If you find that you don't have that element, I think you should consider that the job you have is not the one for you.

I agree! My Powell Diesel, 723C, which I use for pitching.....I have found that it makes a really good frog rod for slinging the frog far, but more importantly, in setting the hook at distances. I do have a couple of rods that can sling farther, but setting the hook is iffy.

Raul, I've been lookin' at that G Loomis 721 for awhile!! At this moment, seems I have more brains that money.....especially since I just bought an upgraded Orange Pixy last night!! I also ordered some Yozuri 6lb test to go with it. Light is the way to go.....especially as you get a "tad" older!! Update!!! Just scored the G Loomis 721 for $146!!! Now the Orange Pixy will have a mate!! Gonna be a Happy Thanksgiving since it arrives Black Friday!!

I actually stumbled on a rod that fit the finesse definition, Tom, on fleabay.....a guy was featuring a Lamiglas rod that he made, from a very light blank. I had him make it up for me....about $145, and it is like a "whip." But it bends back about half way and SLINGS a 1/16 oz shakey head with 4 inch finesse worm!! Of course, a Daiwa Sol and 6lb diameter line completed the task. I was afraid it was too limber to set the hook, but with the light wire shakey head, no problem. I think the blank must have started out as a "trout rod."

We here in South Louisiana would like for you to really try and EAT a few Nutria!! We've been trying to market them as table fare for years: fried nutria, nutria gumbo, stewed nutria!! YUM!! Not popular here.....eating all the grasses in the bays and promoting quicker erosion. Talking about invasive!! They populate rapidly!! EAT MORE NUTRIA!!! (tastes like chicken!!) No......they don't, sadly!

Never gave it a thought! But, when I put a Daiwa Sol on an orange Lamiglas custom rod, with matching Fireline Tracer Braid in yellow/black.....I was stunned at what a nice looking rig it was!! And, the great part.....it CAST well also, so that will be a permanent set-up Another perfect set up....by accident, is a Dobyns Champion Extreme 702C Finesse with a Curado 50E and green Yozuri Hybrid line. What a casting machine! And....STYLISH too!! Always fun trying different manufactured reels on different manufactured rods. Is that the REAL definition of MULTICULTURALISM?

10# Green Yozuri Hybrid on 2 reels have done well lately. But, I've been hangin' so much wood with my Deep divers lately, thinking of going to 15#. I'll need it to straighten the hooks of some mighty expensive custom crankbaits!!

So, tomorrow, I'm going to RE-TIE ALL my baits on my combos. I'm trying to make it a practice to re-tie each lure after EACH fishing trip. I usually would go on 2 or 3 trips before I did it. But you have to understand: a TRIP for me is down the hill to my boat in the water.....fire up the motor, go about 2 miles, start fishing and fish for about 2 hours, then come in. But.....I hang a few snags on these outings on most combos so I guess I should do it RIGHT the first time!!

Yesterday I went for lunch at Bass Pro and also bought a few RC crankbaits. One was the .05 model and I was eager to try it out today. I had been catching bass the last 2 weeks on an RC 1.5 DD, and this morning caught 10 bass pretty quickly. I had re-tied that knot yesterday with one of those fancy flouro knots. It held well and I had to pull it off of logs snags twice. I had a Rage Tail Baby crawfish on the other set up, and wanted to try the small .05 crank, so I cut off the craw and quickly did a quick, slipshod Palomar knot. I was just going to cast it for a few minutes to see how it ran. About the 3rd cast, while I was feeling really good about how well it cast with my Dobyns finesse Champion Extreme rod and a Curado 50E, I felt what was a hang up on the log that I knew was submerged, so I hesitated for a moment so I wouldn't dig the hooks in, but the line began to move to the side. I set the hook, and the battle began. I knew it was the largest fish this morning....I could just barely turn him before he went into the lilies. He surfaced for a moment, and I figure he was about 5 lbs. All of the fish I have been catching lately have not topped 3 lbs, so I was really excited. He ran once again for the shallow lilies and in checking him, the line went slack....I thought I had snapped the 12# Yozuri Hybrid. But NO, I could see where the KNOT came undone....curled perfectly at the end. There went my big bass and my rare crankbait at the same time. From now on.....I will be very focused when I tie my knots! Ever had your knot come undone and you KNEW it wasn't tied right in the first place?

Picked up 3 today at Bass Pro (1.5 and 2.00)......$7.88 closeout! Never tried the bluegill pattern before, but since they had it, I picked one up. I've been having a great time catching them on the 1.5 DD copper model. Bass are hanging close to sunken logs in 4-5 feet of water. I keep returning to the clearance rack.....several .05s, 1.5's are scarce, 2.00, and 3.5's. They don't advertise them since there are only maybe 50 baits left. Cheapest prices I've ever seen.

Down here in the bayous: 3 inch Yum Dinger....weightless wacky rigged on 6# flouro. (3 inch hard to come by) the slow sinking bait can be hard on impatient fishermen. 4.5" Squirrel tailed worm on 1/8 oz shakey head....6-8# flouro. Both of those presentations work well in heavily fished waters.

One of my rods came in that lightweight conduit pipe. I just sent a rod out today...7 feet long with rod inside.....$8.40. Wow!! USPS too!

We only have one season in South Louisiana. So I usually fish a Marty Burns custom squarebill with a pea green color: Pea green top, chartreuse side, orange bottom. Medium diver. Works ALL year long. Having some success with the Lucky Craft Rick Clunn 1.5 DD in brown top, copper side with chartreuse and green throat. . Very productive. Bought a few at BPS recently at clearance sale.

Prolite 1000, 2 ball bearings. I just went to look at the 2 I have. Those little reels were the "cat's meow" back then. And I can say this: with no maintenance, they still go on forever. And they cast light lures: they were my first "finesse" reels. I still have one rigged up on an old Fenwick Legacy for when some of the grandkids come. They still cast well! The Daiwa Procaster SM-1A and the SM-2A were just a bit larger. I have several of these. They make a GREAT FROG reel with braid. Bulletproof reels! One day I'll get on Ebay and sell a few.

Those 2 are my surprise and disappointment! I rarely fish any plastic over 4 inches, most are weightless. Caught many more bass. Even my crankbaits are smaller. RC .05 and biggest would be 1.5. Although I admit to tossing a big crankbait at times and it really works.

I use exactly the same setup for buzzbaits.....rod/reel/line/leader. Usually because I'm casting in some of the same stuff. Here we have water lilies that line both banks on the bayou. Sometimes you throw into them, and get back to the back and come through the holes in the pads. Other times cast parallel to the lily pad line. Once a bass hits, he will dive straight into the lilies. Those stems are really tough.....you can snap a rod if you are not careful when trying to get the bait off them. What's a beautiful thing to watch is when a bass is down in the pads and you whip the rod up, the 65# braid slices right through the pads and stems. But......a light action rod won't be able to manage that.

I've found a 7foot or longer rod with medium or medium heavy action helps in lifting the line off of the lily pads when you are working the frog, and getting a good hook set from a long distance off. Also, I've found that the split handle rods are, for me, not as effective as a full cork model, when I set the hook....more leverage. Others may disagree....whatever works for you. The Horny Toad is pretty heavy and casts like a bullet unweighted. The Zoom Horny Toad hook DOES work well also. But a 4/0 Owner Beast hook is very good, too. Watermelon Red is the color of choice for my area. Also have found HI Vis Braid, which floats and does not tangle in the pads, works well. The Hi Vis helps me see where the line is back in the lilies or brush. I use Sufix 832 65# and a 2 foot 15# flourocarbon leader. I tried it with and without the leader, and have caught more bass with the leader. Also, when I retie or change frogs, I don't use up the braid. I keep the leader short because flouro sinks and gets fouled in the weeds. Sometimes a good copolymer like Yozuri Hybrid works better.....I use a 12# test then. I have used a Pflueger President or Calcutta 200 reel for frogs.....I feel they need to be "stout." But you can certainly use lighter reels. The other frog that does well here is the RIBBET, Watermelon pearl, on a 4/0 Owner hook.

Can't go wrong with the Stradic 1000. Been using one for years, with an old Bass Pro Extreme rod. Put some 6-8# line on it and some 3 inch Yum Dingers weightless wacky rigged. Bass and bream eat it up! And bass up to 3 lbs are a blast to catch! Great for shaky worms too.

Wow! and I thought I was the only one who used this trick! Great way to double the life of the braid!!

I have the 702 Extreme...finesse drop shop rod. One of my favorites. At present, have a Curado 50E on it. It is the PERFECT shaky head rod.....1/16-1/8-3/16 oz shakey heads with 4-5 inch shakey worm. Also, wacky worms, both weighted and unweighted, and small crankbaits in the order of a RC .05. It is the best combo for that purpose that I have at present. A close second would be a Quantum Smoke 665 with a Pixy on it. I think it has enough backbone to set the hook on plastics....I usually use light wire hooks, and small worms....4-6 inches.

Have that very same set-up. Love that Dobyns Rod!! Currently have #10 Yozuri Hybrid.....does really well. I fish lots of wood. Bank has snags, trees, limbs. Need the Yozuri to pull loose. I could probably use #8. The Sniper should be perfect. I'm currently trying out the Sunline Biwako Professional Guide series in #8 on another reel. I may end up putting that line on the 50E since it casts so very well! Don't you think the COLOR scheme of that rod and reel match well!