greatone1210

Got myself a very nice Falcon Bucoo 7'0 MH/Med-Fast with Micro Guides. Cost about $130 and for the money, it is amazing. Extremely light and can fling a bait between 1/4 to 3/4 pretty darn far. I have it paired up with a Lew's TP and could not be any happier. Actually had to dial up my mag brakes a bit because of how well this particular set up throws a lure. I would definitely buy another Falcon.

Actually had a good day today. Used a KVD 1.5 crankbait and caught a LM and SM. The SM even did some acrobatics for me. I also now have some northstar jigs and some different trailers. My biggest problem with those today was getting the trailer on their correctly. Should it hang of the back end or be threaded on?

Ok quick update. Took the Mojo Bass back because I found at my local Wal-Mart a Falcon Buccoo 7'0 MH-Med Fast that was super nice to hang on to and very light. I know it is a Med-Fast but i think that is a very good middle ground, little more fast that moderate but not super fast either. I am pretty sure this will give me a good all around rod.

Zoom Super Fluke White Ice Weightless T-Rig on 3/0 Gammy -- casts a mile on my baitcaster and with a nice twitch, twitch, pause I get some great strikes or War Eagle 3/8 oz Chartreuse/White Spinnerbait -- Right now it has been perfect in shallower waters with some moderate cover Both have been doing pretty well for me. I am definitely confident with these. Still have yet to figure out a jig though.

None in my area. I look at it like this, I just spent $300 on new equipment, lures, tackle bag, and line. I really stepped it up a notch in all areas I think. I chose things that will allow me to be a batter fisherman. Right tools for the right job. Later I will step up to a true high quality rod but for now, I am set.

Looked at the Veritas and just did not like the reel seat. I also checked out the Vendetta, Crucial, a few G.Loomis (wishful thinking), and a good number of house brand Gander Mountain rods. But in the end, I ended up choosing the St. Croix Mojo Bass 7'0 MH/F. The truth is, I just like the St. Croix rods a whole lot. It is a decent rod and will handle what I need (spinnerbaits, flukes, top-water, jigs, and a few senkos here and there). One day I will get something better but this is fine for now. I officially have two dedicated rods; cranking and everything else, lol.

I just ordered Yo-Zuri Hybrid 12# for my new Lew's TP and am hoping it works well as an all around line. I know it supposedly sinks a little bit but the only thing I do on slack line is flukes. But I will have to see how it works with top water poppers and spooks since I use them frequently.

Okay well I think I am going to take a look at the Veritas since a few people here speak highly of them.

How do you like your Veritas? I have heard a lot of good things about them.

Ok decided on the Powell Max. Should I go with 6'8 MH/F or 7'0 MH/F. I am thinking 7'0 since I fish mostly from shore and need any extra distance I can get. On the other hand, the 6'8 is definitely more manageable size wise. How many feet/yards would I lose if I chose the 6'8 over 7'0?

I throw unweighted flukes with my SC Triumph and Lew's Speed Spool and probably get them to fly 25-30 yards if not a little farther. I normally don't throw too many senkos and if I do it is while sight casting so obviously I am somewhat close, lol. I can't wait to get my TP out there and see how it works.

Just bought a Lew's TP to use as my do-it-all reel and need a decent do-it-all rod. The only thing it won't be doing is cranking. For that I have a Lew's Speed Spool on a SC Mojo Bass 7'0 MH/Mod. I find myself fishing a lot of spinnerbaits, flukes, top-water poppers, and some jigs. Throw in a few senkos and that is probably about it. I was thinking of a MH/F rod at 6'6 to 7'0 Fenwick Elite SM Powell Diesel Powell Max St. Croix Premier Any opinions or ideas??

Great advice everyone. Took some time tonight and cleaned out the tackle box (actually bought a tacke backpack) and am focusing on things I actually WANT to fish. I thought about it and realized fishing is fun regardless if I get skunked. That being said, I prefer fishing things that really keep me moving and connected to the water. So I will keep a few bags of senkos with me but I will be focusing on spinnerbaits, cranks, jigs (and respective trailers), top-water poppers, and one of my new favorites after tonight, flukes. Took a Zoom Super Fluke out rigged on a Gammy 3/0 EWG and had some nice luck. Used my casting gear and was able to fling it pretty far. Such a fun bait!

There are too many dang lures and techniques to learn!!! I am overwhelmed with so many lures and techniques. It seems like so many successful bass fisherman focus on maybe five or six techniques and types of lures, varying color and size only. I read a million threads of guys that only throw jigs, spinnerbaits, and senkos. And these guys are extremely productive by choosing their favorite techniques and mastering them. After all, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. So I have a trip to Chautauqua Lake in a few weeks and this will be a perfect place to work on a few techniques. Here are the five or six I plan on using or learning. 1. Spinnerbait -- quick note, caught my first fish on a spinnerbait today. very excited and more confident. 2. Crankbait (includes lipless, hard jerk baits/slashbaits) -- have been decent with these all year. 3. Jig with Trailer -- just can't figure these out yet. probably the one most bass fisherman tell me I should learn. 4. Fluke -- like the concept and seem like a really fun way to catch fish 5. Senko (T-rigged and wacky) -- caught one or two but find this technique somewhat dull so far. 6. Top-Water Poppers -- had a few hits on these but couldn't set the hook. love the sound and seems very productive. I have some additional baits in my box including frogs, baby brush hogs, and buzzbaits. None of which I have had one ounce of luck on. I don't know whether to add or subtract. I like the concepts behind these lures but no clue when to use them or how. Any thoughts or sage advice would be so very appreciated. Thanks for a great community. DU

There are a ton of weeds where I fish in the Pittsburgh area. My local dam that I fish most frequently is so weed-infested I have problems with everything from cranks to spinnerbaits to punching through with a jig. I caught one 10 inch smallmouth today on a 3/8 spinnerbait (my first ever on a spinnerbait!!!) but did so on a shallow open flat with sparse cover and throwing towards shore where there is a pretty steep drop off. Lord knows if I had some way of getting through the heavier stuff, my count would be higher.

Put my reel on my M/F rod last night and really did not enjoy it at all. Casting distance went down and lost two fish. I was throwing a 1/2 oz Rat-L-Trap. I am thinking of keeping the MH/Mod since I use a lot of cranks of all kinds. It seems to work well for anything with treble hooks including slashbaits/jerkbaits. Though maybe slashbaits/jerkbaits will work better on a fast action rod. Going to buy myself a MH/F though with a new reel for jigs, spinnerbaits, and some soft plastics. I also will be purchasing YoZyuri hybrid 12# and KVD L&L. I will follow the advice of roadwarrior and buy three setups.

So in other words, swim jigs and spinnerbaits in the warm summer months of July/August are probably not the best choice. I am not one hundred percent sure why this is other than the bass take to deeper, cooler waters and are less active. More likely to wait for an easy meal as opposed to spending all their energy chasing baitfish or craw around. I suppose using my spinning outfit for soft plastics/finesse is a better way to get some bites. What about deeper crankbaits, jerkbaits, slashbaits? Thank you for the advice. Any other trailers you would recommend? Thanks. Do you know anything about the baby brush hogs or zoom flukes (or similar) on swimming jigs? I guess a question that is on my mind is are swim jigs that good? I always see the spinnerbaits and cranks tied on to the lines of others but rarely a jig. This strikes me as odd considering people on here love them dearly. Does fishing a swim jig, or any other jig for that matter, make sense to do from shore or in more open water? Also, do you recommend a Jig and Worm rod for these applications since they normally come in MH with F or XF action? You guys are awesome btw. Thanks for being patient with all my questions.

I think I just have the 1/4 oz at the moment. But I do have one or two lipless rapalas. Also I decided I am going to order a Powell Max 703c MH/XF and another Lews but maybe a higher level one in 6.X.X retrieve. I figure I have a great cranking rod now but I need something for all my other lures including jigs and senkos. I already have an okay spinning set up for the lightest of lures and true finesse fishing. Now I just have to pick five techniques and work on them before learning more.

Never thought they did but still . . . just incredible

I am trying to get into Swim Jigs for a few reasons; 1. I fish in some heavy, thick, nasty vegetation at times and swim jigs are supposed to be good in this cover 2. They are supposedly extremely versatile due to the number of available sizes, colors, and most trailers 3. I keep trying spinnerbaits and have not caught any fish or had a bite once. I am frustrated and rather than get so bent out of shape about it, I will focus on learning another technique and come back to spinnerbaits later (if ever). So before I place an order with Northstar, can anyone provide what sizes and colors I should order? I am planning on order approximately 10-12 of these jigs. Also can I use flukes, swimbaits as trailers? Thanks!

I spent some time on the lake today fishing from shore as usual and while got skunked, I used today as a live training exercise. I got a little extra distance throwing a 1/2 oz medium square bill crank. I really like my setup for cranking square bills, lipless, or any other crankbait. Definitely a good setup. I am seeing that throwing appropriately sized lures helps a lot. Plus as I get more comfortable casting, I can turn down the brakes a bit and gain some distance. Still, I saw a guy yesterday cast three times as far as me using a large round baitcaster. It was incredible. Anyway, where my setup lagged was in throwing jigs. I have been trying to learn the swim jig since I fish lakes, reservoirs that are moderately to heavily weeded. This setup did very poorly casting any distance. This leads me to the notion I really should pick another setup. I am thinking another Lews on a MH/F or M/F rod, probably in the 6'6 to 7'2 range. Thinking maybe a Duckett since they get rave reviews. Probably spool it up with P-Line CXX 15 or so and condition it with KVD. Thoughts?

I am noticing this as well. So where do I go from here??

I vary my setting a bit with each new lure that I put on. Usually though you can find it set between 5 and 3. I do find myself cranking the brakes up a bit with the new reel due to a learning curve. I am finding it difficult to fish from shore and having little distance. Hence my reason for wondering braid vs hybrid and so on. I should say I like my P-Line CXX except the memory. Seems like a good medium between all the other choices. But if a majority said switch to braid w or w/o a leader, I probably would. Once I get more comfortable I plan on fishing more soft plastics from the BC but that will be awhile. Lightest I am going at the moment is 3/8 oz. Trying to keep my combo properly balanced.

I do like my Lews. Not sure I want to "give up" on it quite yet. Will most likely just keep working on getting it finely tuned. Out of curiosity, should I change the line I am using? The P-Line CXX seems to have a TON of memory. I am thinking of switching over to braid. I rarely throw soft plastics on my casting gear other than a weighted senko or something heavier than 3/8 oz. Mostly it is cranks and spinners. I was thinking of switching to a 30#-40# braid. Good idea? Also, should I switch over from my MH/Mod Mojo to my M/F Triumph? Would this help or change my experience at all? Thanks!

I need to see what the return policy is at Cabelas. And I am not familiar with the Citica but have heard nothing but good things about Lews.