kickerfish1

I use both and like others have noted the c-rig is a bit of pain to cast and tie for that matter. I have soft plastics that I will only fish on one rig or the other. I prefer t-rigs simply due to ease of use but both catch fish very well.

DVT is a far superior reel expert than I am but I believe the part that you flipped over to the other side is called a "shim". They can get worm down faster as a result of having tension knobs set too tight. I was always told it is better on a reel to engage more brakes... magnetic or centrifugal than to run the tension knob almost tight with less brakes. I am glad you were able to fix the problem with the advice given above. What I mentioned is just an fyi... for future reference.

Phenix has a better warranty and rod vs the micro magnesium. I would get the recon all the way. I love my 714 and have heard great things about the 715.

Like others have said once you dip to say 3/16 or 1/8 oz lures it requires a pretty special reel, rod, and line combination but the key is the reel. It would be hard to find a good reel for this for less than $200 unless you use a curado 50e. Most of your finesse specialty reels like the Calcutta 50 and the pixy will cost you a pretty penny. Special spools, upgraded bearings, and supertunimg can all aid in casting lighter baits. You may be able to find a rod for finesse applications for $150-$250. The phenix recon and dobyns 701 or 702 would be good alternatives to other rods like the NRX, z-bone, and even specialty JDM rods. As far as line a good quality 6-8# floro line is best. If your budget for a finesse combo is less than $300-$400 then yes you would be best served getting a spinning outfit.

Outstanding post Mr. Skeletor!

Yamamoto pro senko and the roboworm 6 and 7 inch straight tail worms. After these the zoom trick worms and Berkley floating worms would be next in line.

10-12# Trilene XL is a great line for these applications at a great price.

I have caught smallies up to 5.75 pounds. Biggest largemouth is only 6.5 pounds. Personally I would take the 12 pound largemouth. It would nearly double my personal best and also would be nice to have a double digit bass.

If the folks from the crew of the TV show "Hoarders" shows up at your door that may be the time to stop. As long as you have the space I don't see an issue here. I would suggest selling things locally or online that you don't use any longer minus your antique collections.

1A=Strike king rodent and 1B=RI beaver. Preferably the 4 inch sizes...

To the OP concerning braided lines and jerkbaits... typically manufactures suggest 8-12 # line. Most of the time mono or especially floro excel to help the bait suspend and possibly get deeper. Megasbass noted their vision 110 series fishes best on sunline sniper 10# floro or their Megabsss Dragon line.

Thank you for the link. The phenix m1 is satrting to show up so hopefully the new dobyns will be as well.

Rod: New dobyns nano rod... haven't seen it yet but price is NRX like Med/fast-3 power Reel: TD ITO 103 M Softbait: SK rodent in any color Hardbait: Megabass vision 110 in Gil Spinnerbait: Revenge 1/2 oz in bluegill

In most cases given the same lure and rod it is going to boil down to your ability to operate a casting reel with minimal braking assistance from the reel. Based upon my own experience I can cast shimano reels further than Lews reels. I set the spool tension knob fairly light and only leave one centrifugal brake engaged. The rest is done with my thumb. I can cast most lures an impressive distance in normal wind conditions.

The stradic FJ can be had for under $150 and yes it is a good reel. For a lighter reel the C14 would be the ticket. These show up on eBay at good prices and can be had for up to 20% off when the retailers have their holiday sales. As far as what rods to look at for it I would highly suggest the fenwick elite tech series. You mentioned bream, crappie and light bass which would either be a ML or a light action rod. The elite tech series has a "smallmouth series" and a "river runner" series if I am not mistaken. The river runner series is more geared to trout and panfish. I have the 6 foot 9 ML smallmouth rod and absolutely love it. It does very well with 1/8 to 3/16 oz finesse baits. I have fished many rods above the $129 pricepoint of this rod but at the end of the day this is a very impressive rod. Light weight, well balanced, sensitive, and a lifetime warranty as well. It has impressed me enough to the point of buying another one if that says anything.

It matches the DX or champion extreme series nicely from a color perspective. I would say put 8 or 10 pound invisix or sniper in the reel for those techniques.

Longer handles are generally used for increasing leverage and torque. For me this would be deeper cranks or bigger spinnerbaits. For most other techniques standard handle legnths suffice just fine.

In 2013 or 2014 I would expect shimano to shake things up again. Maybe a few more higher end reels to fill the void left by the chronarch d quality. Wouldn't be surprised if the core got a face lift and a few internal changes. I could see them possibly adding a 50 size curado and citica. That would bring the total number of 50 sized reels in the low profile style up to four. The differences would lie in reel weight, refinement, quality, external finish, etc... Personally I don't mind the current line up with the addition of a good quality reel between the core and chronarch in that $250-$300 price point.

If you can find one on sale the fenwick elite tech smallmouth rods are good. I have the 6 foot 9 ML which I got for $89 new. They also have a river series which is even more geared to lighter lines and smaller baits which would be possibly better for what you intend to use it for. I have heard some folks finding this line of rods on Amazon for about $80. If your patient you can find a good deal but to get a pretty respectable rod you may have to shell out close to $100+/-. Keeping looking as the winter will bring closeouts for spring and some good sales if your patient.

In the Midwest as well with some chilly nights and not so warm feeling highs especially when the wind is blowing. Water temps are mid 40s so you reaally have to entice the fish a bit more, so I opt for finesse rigs. I have used many different presentations but I would opt for a dropshot right now over any other rig. Fish your favorite drop shot bait and slow down. Bites haven't been aggressive but still catching fish.

Since we are talking about hard jerkbaits I will tell you keep a few things in mind. Weedgrowth may dictate where or when you can use them. Typically early spring or late fall as most of the warm months you may encounter too many weeds depending on the waters you fish. When you purchase jerkbaits opt for the baits that wont run really deep as they will be even more prone to weeds and hangups. Most run in the 3-6 foot depth and some suspend while others float up. I have fished quite a few and if I was fishing from the bank I would use a LC pointer 78 series on 10lb line with a ML or medium rod. Oh and the closer your bait gets to the shore start raising your rod tip if the cover starts getting more snag prone. Like others have said make casts that are at the 10:00 and 2:00 position or parallel. Make sure you fish the lure all the way in as I have seen fish strike a foot or two from shore. Good luck and experiment a bit until you find what works best.

I would second northstar jigs but my actual favorite is the revenge swim jig with a skinny dipper trailer. It is extremely realistic and fishes true without rolling on its sides. Finish is pretty durable. Used around rocks and weeds I haven't issues with the finish coming off either. I have been using the same jig since June!

I would second northstar jigs but my actual favorite is the revenge swim jig with a skinny dipper trailer. It is extremely realistic and fishes true without rolling on its sides. Finish is pretty durable. Used around rocks and weeds I haven't issues with the finish coming off either. I have been busing the same jig since June!

ARV... is spot on for the intended techniques of the 702, which I would also throw in flick shake rigs and 4 inch stickbaits as well. Dobyns typically list about 5 techniques that their rods were intended for as a "general rule", though not to be thought of as inclusive. I have a dobyns 742dx and I typically use mine for the above techniques although I would think rigs pushing 3/8 oz or better would be pushing the rod beyond its sweat spot a bit too far. For jigs, t-rigs, and c-rigs I would look at a 4 or 5 powered rod. Get the legnth you want but I prefer rods over 7 feet for these applications. The extra legnth will give better hooksets and also allow for longer casts especially for your c-rigs. You can probably find the champion rod for about $190+/- during the holiday sales if you prefer the dobyns line!

You can fish both ways with great success. Braid and floro both excel for jig fishing. I have used both and typically prefer to use straight floro rather than braid with and without leaders. You really can go wrong here... just personal preference.