T_Nix35

I use P-line Split ring pliers. The line cutter on those bad boys are awesome!

Thanks man! Do you organize your tackle pretty hardcore, or are you more relaxed when it comes to organizing? I am leaning toward the Magnum now, but do like the idea of having 4 more boxes to keep more gear! I'm in between a rock and a hard place.

I understand the ins and outs of all of that kind of stuff. My buddy fishes as a co-angler so I have talked to him about it. Thanks for the tips though man.

Yeah your right, I do think that will be enough room for a tournament. But I also want to be able to keep all of my tackle in the same place at one time for easy travel and organization. I posted a forum on tournament talk asking boaters what they thought about it. The replies I got said they would rather you have one big bag I could keep on the back deck of the boat or in the seat than a bunch of smaller bags scattered everywhere. As long as they had maneuverability and it didn't get in there way. If I set it in my passenger seat while fishing I think it would be just fine.

Haha @Felix77 maybe so man! On another note, it will also help me keep all of my tackle in one place while going from college back to school. Once I get home it will help me keep it all in a single place and not scattered around the garage or house. Making my parents happy!

I will be co-angling, so I will not be pre-fishing. Im gonna look up those "speed bags", I've never heard of them.

Haha it is a huge bag! As far as being overwhelmed with the baits I bring with me, I think proper study of the lake you are fishing and common knowledge of where bass will be at that specific time of year will narrow the bait selection down for me. The only reason I would want all of that tackle is the fact that the day I am fishing a tournament could be the day that bass are liking something completely opposite of what they were biting the week or even day before. Also, what I may think I will be fishing could actually be completely opposite of what my boater wants to fish. So if I bring my bag full of all that stuff I think I might fish and not everything else, its gonna be a bad day haha! I guess you could say I am an organizing and preparation freak, that is just the way I am hardwired!

Glad I could get y'alls opinions! That will be the first thing handled in the morning for me personally, and if we get on some good fishing I may even throw in a little extra after the day is over. I am going to try and be as respectful as possible and help out as much as I can. I think the best way to look at it is to imagine that it is my boat and my spots that I had pre-fished and how I would feel if a co-angler disrespected my stuff.

Yeah that is the only thing I am worried about. Do you think I should downgrade to the Magnum? Surely that is still enough space to be completely prepared as a co-angler, and stay organized. If you had to pick as a co-angler, which size would you pick?

Hey Fellas, I decided to put this discussion on here to get some ideas from boaters and what they think is too big for a co-angler to bring in the boat with them. I am thinking about buying the Cabela's Advanced Angler System Super Magnum tackle bag so I will have plenty of room to put not only the tackle I have now, but also the tackle I purchase in the future. I want to be respectful to my boater and not tick him off, that wouldn't be the best way to start the day haha! What are yall's thoughts on me getting this bag? It is huge, 27"L x 12"W x 14"H, so I would almost say it is like a small duffle. If I need to I will go down to the Magnum, but I would like to have as much tackle as possible out on the water so I can be prepared for any situation I may be put into. Thanks, TCN

Im thinking about getting the Super Magnum just to have as much space as possible for future tackle. I am going to be co-angling in my first tournament next May and was wondering if I should get the Magnum instead. I definitely don't want to tick my boater off, that would not be a good way to start the day. Thanks, TCN

Alright fellas just as an update I am officially done with trying this, and humbly say that my theory was wrong. When I get a chance, I am going to purchase a 7'6" Crankin Micro Magic MH. Trying to fish with my Heavy rod was just to much work, and a pain in the butt. I appreciate all of the info and help! TLMF, TCN

I totally agree with you! Especially about what I am doing "right" and "wrong". Granted there are many situations like this, and I will listen to people's reasoning to why I am wrong and they are right. If it makes sense and works better then what I am doing, then bi-golly I will change right then and there. I am a flexible guy, I let the fish tell me what they want and use the best setup I have that feels the most comfortable to myself without messing up the action of my bait and the way it should be presented. As far as what I read or hear from people on the internet or around town, I take the info they give me and apply it to my own personal experiences and what has worked for me in the past. There are times you will hear info from pro's or great anglers that have been fishing for a long time, and try it out on the water and it just doesn't work for you. Anyhow, I appreciate the input and glad to hear this set up has worked for you. TLMF, TCN

I am definitely not trying to offend anybody or start a ruckus with my posts, and I am most definitely listening to their advice and appreciate their opinions. I know that there are a lot of guys on this site that have a broader knowledge of bass fishing then myself. I most definitely want to learn as much as they are willing to teach me. I also apologize if I am coming off defensive or closed minded. This whole post was based on an idea I saw, and under my specific circumstances I couldn't reproduce the exact type of rod needed to do it. So I adapted and thought I would try something out.

I own a MH BPS Extreme 6'6", and it is what I have been throwing all of my crank baits on for a long time. Unfortunately the reel I had on it went out on me for the second time, so I don't use it that much anymore. Also I stepped up my game and bought some nicer setups and honestly hate using the BPS rod now because it is not the same. I know that it being a short rod affects my casting distance, but I also own a 7' M Duckett that I have thrown a crank bait on a few times. So from comparing these two rods is how I knew it cast further. Just to clarify, when you say moderate action I think of the taper of the rod and the bend that it has when loading the bait. For example, a moderate action in my eyes has a more parabolic bend compared to my fast action which only loads or flexes on the last 1/3 of the rod. Now, my hypothesis is that my stiffer rod with a fast action shoots the bait faster towards my target from the loading point due to my heavier power rod wanting to get back to its original shape faster then a medium power would, even if they both had the same action. Think about it, on a heavy rod it takes more resistance to bend it from its original shape compared to a medium power rod. So, the more resistance there is the faster the velocity of the bait shooting from the loading point. I know this sounds wild, thats because it is wild. It makes sense in my head though, that is why I am giving it a try! I am not set on this theory, I am merely experimenting instead of going out and buying a new setup. If it works I can hold out for a while and save some cash. As for the sensitivity of running a crank bait on bottom it seriously is like nothing you have ever felt while cranking before. Like I said, I have other rods and have used them for DC. The denser heavy rod does send vibrations better through it than a less dense medium rod, I can promise you that. That is one reason a heavy rod is great for pitching and flipping into cover or for slower presentations, it is easier to feel those softer bights. Overrun is a problem I am having, and it most likely will make this idea worthless. Im going to keep messing with it though and see what the outcome is. In the end, if I had to choose, I would most definitely go out and buy a long MH power rod with just the right whip and backbone. Unfortunately, that is out of the question right now haha! College is not cheap! I definitely appreciate the input though! Tight Lines My Friend, TCN

Well, my assessment is that if everyone followed the exact thing the next person was doing and wasn't trying new stuff out we would never have any innovation in fishing. Just think about it, if no one ever tried anything different we couldn't possibly have the amount of different rigs or newer innovative rods we have on the market today. Sometimes being different pays out in the end, and sometimes it doesn't. My idea is extremely different, but if I can get it keyed in to where it helps me stay in the strike zone longer I do believe I will catch more fish then most. Being different may be a bad thing in the eyes of some people, but to me taking risk and trying new things could possibly give me an edge. Tight Lines My Friend, TCN

First off, I never said I was going to put braid on my reel to fish deep cranks. Secondly, the reason I said I was going to throw my H power rod (F action) was because I can't afford to buy a new 7'-7'11 MH rod. Anyway, I got out on a pond thats close by to my college today and gave it a shot just to see what would happen. The rod I used was a Heavy power, Fast action 7' Micro Magic made by Duckett. I used Seaugar 20 Lb Fluorocarbon with a KVD 5XD (it was the biggest crank bait I had at the time). Here is what I found: 1) I sincerely casted at least 20 yards farther then I would have normally, so thats a plus. 2) When my crank bait hit the rocks I was cranking too, It felt like a fish had just came up and smoked my lure (just to clarify I knew one hadn't because there was no shake in my rod tip and it did this for every piece of structure or cover I hit). It was awesome! I could easily tell the difference between any kind of structure or cover my bait was knocking up against. As it was running across the bottom I was thinking to myself "thats a rock, more rock, stump, gravel, etc…". So in my opinion, the sensitivity and feel you get from a H rod when deep cranking is much better then a flimsier pole. 3) The only downside I found from this whole set up was that I was backlashing terribly! It literally made me look like it was the first time I had picked up a bait caster. I set and reset my braking systems for an hour trying to get them just right, and I just couldn't seem to get them perfect. But, even with the backlashes I was casting a lot farther. Especially on casts when I could get the backlash to run out into a solid spool about halfway through my cast. Im gonna go out again tomorrow and play with it some more and will post my results tomorrow evening. So I could stand corrected on the whole idea. The rod may just be too stiff to allow me to cast without getting a backlash. I think the reason this may be happening is because my stiff rod is shooting the crank bait so fast off of my tip that its spinning the spool faster then it needs to go once that bait is flying through the air. Another thing I think might be affecting it is the 20 Lb Fluoro I am using. If I have the chance, I will put some 12-15 pound on there tomorrow and see if that affects it any. Also, using an even deeper/heavier size lure may really work out the backlash problem. Thank you for all of your opinions and information, TCN

To be honest, I thought you were. Thats why I posted that message just to show you my thinking process and how I thought it could help my DC. I appreciate the message though Doug, I am glad we are seeing eye to eye now! Also, from your comments I now know that the Lamiglas Excel 7116 action is to strong for DC, which is good info to have! Tight Lines My Friend, TCN

I am not buying in to his system and saying that this will be the only way I will fish deep cranks for the rest of my days, I simply thought some guys could bounce the idea around and let me here there experience of trying it. You are right this may not last long for me, I may try it and hate it. I won't truly know if I like it until I get out on the water. Also I agree that his idea is absurd and when I watched the video my thinking was this guy is crazy! He makes some valid points though. Watch the video and really listen to the reasoning he has for throwing a heavier rod. I believe that as far as casting distance goes and the load you put on the tip of your rod when throwing a bait is all relative to how you cast in general. Granted I will not be able to get as much "Whip" out of my Heavy rod compared to my Medium rod, but the whip from my Medium rod will not be as strong as the whip from my Heavy rod coming back to its original position. Therefor not throwing the bait as hard at my target. I may be wrong about this, but this is my understanding of the velocity at which your bait is thrown from the tip of your rod. Trust me, if I am wrong and this is a bust I will come straight home and tell y'all that it was a terrible idea. Thanks for your input though, TCN

You make some valid points about not using my Duckett and I will definitely take that into consideration. I think a lower drag setting will help with the hooks from ripping the fishes mouth, but I definitely will not use mono for my crank baits. It will definitely mess with the depth my crank bait reaches. I may use co-polymer though, I really don't know enough about it and will have to do some research on it. Glad to hear it works for you! What kind of line are you using? Can you explain your reasoning behind this? I am not intending to use braid on my rod when deep cranking with it (Thats just what Dudley did), I will probably use 20 Lb fluorocarbon. I think you are right, braid and my H rod will be to much and not have quite the give for good hook ups and fish throwing the bait. Do you agree? Also Dudley has a MH and I don't, in the ideal situation I would have the same.

That wasn't the only reason he was doing it. Using the stiffer rod and the braided line allows him to cast farther therefor keeping his bait in the strike zone longer, which makes sense. I will for sure try it, I just wanted some opinions on the subject. Thanks Wbeadlescomb, TCN

My buddy recently showed a video to me about deep crankin' hosted by David Dudley. It totally changed my view on deep crankin' and the rod I should select to crank deep for hogs. Ive noticed a few other guys on here like to use Medium-Heavy rods to deep crank, but I own a 7' Heavy power Fast action Duckett Micro Magic and was wondering if it would work just as well. I can't afford to go out and buy a new rod just for this technique, because I am saving up for my first spinning set up for a tournament I am going to be fishing in May. If you guys could just give me some opinions on this deep crankin' theory that would be awesome. I would also like to hear if y'all agree with me using a Heavy power rod instead of a Medium-Heavy. Anyone out there will tell you a Duckett rod has extremely fast action, that is why I believe my Heavy power Duckett will work. Thanks, TCN P.S. Heres the video if your interested-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0hacikQwoc if that doesn't work just search "David Dudley Deep Cranking" on youtube and you should find it pretty easy.

Haha I haven't ever heard it called the "dead sea", but from what I have heard it is a really tough lake to fish. I will most likely be using finesse techniques considering it will be in May and the fish will most likely be in there post spawn stage getting ready to move into the pre-summer feeding frenzy. I may try to get in touch with a few guides, but it doesn't seem very likely that they will give me any info that helps them catch fish, to them thats giving away money. I will keep asking around, and try to get in touch with some tackle shops around the area and see what they are selling the most of. I will keep y'all updated on how it goes though, and share any info I find out. Thanks fellas, TCN

Im going to be fishing Greers Ferry in Heber Springs, AR here in a few months and have never fished it before. Im looking for any rigs or colors that y'all like to throw, and which species bass you think you could catch the most of in a single day (Largemouth or Smallmouth). I was hoping I could get some ideas before going in completely blind haha! I would appreciate any information y'all would be able to give. Thanks, TCN

What kind of patterns do you like to fish on Greers? Im fishing a tournament in May and I have never fished it before. I know Smallmouth could be a big factor, so deep jerk baits, tubes, jigs, and deep cranks on points or drop offs leading to shallow water. Or would you rather find the Largemouths and fish them instead? What are your opinions? Any favorite colors? Any info will be much appreciated. Thanks, TCN