Sensei

I have the Diesel and am very happy with it. It is light around 4.5 oz. has a good backbone and a slower action good for treble hook lures. I personally can not cast lures in the 1/4 oz. range very well with it but 3/8 oz.+ I can cast fine. Based on the responses it doesn't look like you can make a bad choice.

I have one in trout pattern floater. One of the reasons for getting the floater was knowing that unless I threw it up in a tree or a fish broke me off I could get my $20 lure back. My leader knot broke casting it recently and I was able to get it back since mine did float. I fish it across points and near isolated lily pads by reeling very slowly and occasionally twitching it to get it to change direction when near cover. There are also some good YouTube videos on fishing this lure

Hobie Pro Angler 14 for $1,420 instead of $3,000 definately looks like a BS site, how could they possibly sell things that cheaply. Their only contact info is leave them an email, no phone number or address I would save your money.

Flukes create a lot of line twist use a small quality ball bearing swivel about a foot from the bait. Braid does pretty well with line twist a nice reel may help down the road. You should also flip the bail of your reel manually each time that should help.

I almost always use them unless I find a lure that's working well and want it to collect less weeds. For instance if I'm ripping lipless cranks out of grass the snap can make that more difficult. I would think the disadvantage of tieing direct with no snap or split ring would be the change in the lures action. The snap allows for quick changing of baits, it acts like the split ring and allows the bait to pivot about it. The snap will also collect more weeds.

I own a Falcon Original 7' Mansfeild spinning. The rod is rated as a medium power but I'd say its less powerful then most mediums. The tapers on the originals aren't rated as far as I know but I would consider it a slower taper like a moderate-fast. Do to the taper I prefer to use the rod for light treble hooked lures, but it has also done well with finnese applications. Senstivity is good when using it for dropshot, mojo, weightless plastics, etc. I use a braid leader combo which definately helps sensitivity and allows me to get good hooksets even though the taper is slower then I'd like for finnese fishing. The rod balences well with my shimano sahara 2500.

The Jackall Giron fits your price range and looks like a great bluegill imitator. It only weighs 3/4 oz. so you probably have the gear to throw it already. Spro also makes some smaller swimbaits for under $25.

Just a few days ago I caught my first March bass on a 1/2oz. gold RES, got one 18" large mouth and a 17" small mouth. The key for me was to fish it slow and then rip it out of any grass.

Thanks guys. Staying safe is a big priority with the water as cold as it is and me fishing out of a kayak. I'm really excited for the trout season so I can fish those smaller ponds.

My name is Alex and I'm 25. I fish in southern Rhode Island mostly, but the club I'm in fishes all over Rhode Island and Massacusetts. I grew up fishing occasionally but last year my best friend got me really into bass fishing. I started up in May of last year and am looking forward to my first full season of club tournment and fun fishing. I want to learn as much as I can and these forums are a termendous resource.