timsford

I would try some bluegill imitating baits. My favorite is the Matt lures ultimate bluegill or u2 bluegill

Pro qualifier or lews on sale for new stuff would be my pick. Id go used though and find some shimano citica d, e, or even g series used for that price

I had one and used it for jerks, topwater, and roll casting under trees and targets. It was a great rod and i only sold it because i needed money bad at the time. Its definiteky worth the price at ffo tackle and has enough sensitivity to easily use for bottom contact too if you dont mind the shorter length

Id go with at least a 2500 and probably a 3000 size reel to hold enough line and for better line handling. Some lightweight (under 9 oz in 3000 size) reels under 100 that get good reviews are pfleuger supremes, quantum energy, smoke, and exo, lews tournament hs and team gold carbon, abu orra s and sx, and you can always find great deals on lightly used stuff on this and other forums if you can handle used. Also these prices are found by shopping around on the net and lots of searching. My favorite reel thatbwill last forever and hold plenty of 10lb is the daiwa tournament ss. It will outlast almost any other reel and handle any fish you can hook. Its old school but as good as any ever madr

I use short fast action rods for more bait control and better side to side bait movement and mono line to absorb some of the shock to the trebles. I prefer spinning gear also for jerks, but thats just personal preference. I mostly fish them with hard downward snaps and pulls. Some people like using longer rods to sweep the bait and softer rods to keep from losing fish, but i get more bites woth my current setups than my old softer "crank" rods i did use. I fish jerks year round for several species and im actually having 2 custom st croix 6'3" spinning rods built for jerks mainly but also a do it all type finnesse set up.

Owner, gamakatsu, and daichi are my go to brands but i also use a lot of eagle claw and vmc depending on what im usingthe hook for

The only reason id take them off completely is if i used a snap to change lures quick, but i veryvrarely do so my split rings stay on. Ive swapped out for heavier rings on baits im targeting larger fish with and also used heavier/lighter rings on jerkbaits to get perfect suspending action

Id also go with a ml or med with a fast tip. Thesevaresome of my favorite baits, especially when fishing areas with potential forseveral species of fish. I fish mostly 3/16 or 1/4 oz custom pour heads with a fluke or super fluke for trailer. I fish these and a 1/8 oz head on a medium fast spinning rod and use a casting rod in med fast or spinning in mh/fast for anything heavier in weight. I usually go with spinning tackle for longercasts, but sometimes use casting when i need to hit targets more accurately

Pointers, rogues, husky jerks, long A's, squad minnows, and duo are what I use the most. The rd stx is the best copy of the 110 that I have used. I can't stomach paying that much for a jerkbait especially since a big striper can hit at any time and snap your line

I always look for sales, close outs, and good deals on lots of sites before buying anything. I also buy mostly used reels. A used Shimano or Daiwa usually is just getting broke in and will last forever with proper maintenance. Rods I buy more New than used, but I never have paid retail and most of the time you cam find a great deal on a rod for way less than retail if you just shoo around and don't get too hung up on a certain brand or model

I'd look for a rod between 7'-8'. Most deep crank rods are 7'6" or longer. It helps to get a longer cast so that you get maximum distance and depth out of your crankbait. You can use any action you want, but I prefer a moderate fast or moderate action for cranks. Rods can be fiberglass, graphite, or a composite of the two. Also I wouldn't worry about the power ratings(medium,medium heavy, heavy), but instead look at the lure weight rating and make sure it can handle the lures you want to throw. As far as a reel goes I prefer a 5.x:1 reel for deep cranks. As long as it holds enough line and has a slower gear ratio so you have the pinching power to keep a hard digging crank from wearing you out, you should be fine

I like Daiwa and Shimano about equally as well. For the longest I only used Daiwa but I got a good deal on a couple of citica 200d reels and loved them. I like buying used d and e series reels because they are easily found at great prices, and most are still close to new internally, even when the outside looks a little rough

I'm leaning toward having st croix customs built on a ml scIV spinning, a med scI spinning, and I'd like to find a mh blank this length or close to it for larger jerkbaits and topwater. What's the largest weight that a st croix med x fast can handle comfortably and does anyone know of a mh blank available this length or should I be looking at cutting 3" off the butt of a 6' 6" blank

I'm looking to have a few custom rods built on 6'3" blanks. These will be used as all purpose rods, but especially for skipping docks and fishing jerkbaits. I've fished several rods this length by fenwick and a few others, and eliminated some like abus because of the large metal lock nut where I hold the rod. I've looked into several Loomis and st croix offerings and from what I've heard the st croix fast and ex fast rods have the action I'm looking for. I'm looking to build a ml scIV spinning to handle small 1/8 oz or so baits, a med scV spinning blank to handle the majority if my fishing and baits from around 3/16 to 1/2 oz or so. I would like to find a light action rod with a fast or ex fast action that can handle the small stuff like pins minnows and tiny floating rapalas. I'd also like to find a mh or at least stiff med blank that can handle stuff like mag super flukes and large husky jerks. St croix sells a med casting rod called the sniper spinnerbait but I didn't know if it's blank would be any stiffer than the spinning version. Does any other maker offer a light and/or mh blank in this length? Or would I be better off cutting down a longer 6'6" or so blank? Are there any other rods or blanks out there that fit the bill for what I'm looking for? Thanks for your help BR!

After much trial and error I've realized that one of my favorite lengths for rods is 6'3". Its short enough to skip and work baits with the tip down, make accurate casts, yet still long enough to get enough distance where I fish. My first rod this length was a fenwick ETS med spinning. I had to sell it but when I couldn't find one I picked up a ml fenwick walleye, and a med and my fenwick aetos. I love the aetos but hate the seat. I've also looked at the *** black 6'3" med, a couple abu 6'3" ml rods and abu also makes the vendetta in 6'3" in spinning and casting. These rods are mostly for reaction baits but I bank fish a lot so they have to handle plastics and other baits as well and I hate to step down in sensitivity. I've decided to go higher end and settled on 3 rods I need to throw all the baits I want. I need a ml spinning rod that can go down to 1/8 oz hardbaits and if it could handle lighter that would be even better. I also need a medium action spinning rod that will handle the bulk of my jerkbaits from 3/16-1/2 oz. And last but not least I need a mh rod either spinning or casting that can handle larger jerkbaits and mag super flukes. I've looked into several Loomis lines including the smallmouth series,and wjr series(including glx versions) to handle spinning duties, and the sbr 752 and jbr 753 to handle casting duties. I can't seem to find much info on any of these rods. I need something with a fast or ex fast tip that transitions into a strong backbone. What I'm looking for is basically a shorter worm/jig rod type action. I've also looked into the st croix lines and customs on their scIV and scV blanks seem the best option. They offer a ml spinning and med casting in scIV and a med spinning in scV that really have my attention. What weight range baits can st croix ml spinning handle, and how heavy can their med casting handle? Does st croix or any other maker offer a 6'3" mh spinning or casting rod or blank? If anyone has fished any of the Loomis rods and can compare with other brands it would definitely help. Or any other suggestions would be appreciated. I'm looking to spend quite a bit between the 3 rods and I would rather go custom and have exactly what I want.

I use the 5 inch most of the time. if the bite is really slow or the water us really clear I use the 4 inch and I use the 6 or 7 when I'm looking for a bigger fish or know I'm fishing a lake with the potential for a giant

they aren't mistakes, they are from where they switch colors during production runs and it takes several shots to get the old color out so it mixes with the new color. that's what it says on tackle warehouse

any factory daiwa handle will work. the tackle trap has a good selection of factory handles. abu, Lewis, pfleuger, and bps handles will also work. The tatula or zillion tws handle assembly, or the Lews 95 mms aluminum handles are probably the cheapest deal on a quality handle

tatula or *** black would be my pick. a mh fast in the length you prefer should cover all those techniques

try a smaller weight like a 1/16oz, a larger hook and no weight, or a belly weighted hook like is used for swimbaits or rage rigs. what size reel are you using? a larger spool makes it easier to get longer casts. the rod could be a little longer, but i can cast a size 6 hook and a piece of crawler with no additional weight farther than 10ft on my old 5'6" medium original ugly stick spinning rod using a 2500 size reel and 10lb mono. some of the problem could be in your casting technique. try spreading your feet a little and step into it as you cast while using both hands to fling it out as hard as you possibly can

i like the shallow versions of the 3600 and 3700 for terminal tackle storage. holds plenty of stuff and the shallow sides make it much easier to reach in and grab a single sinker, hook, or swivel. things hardly ever slide under, but if you have that problem, a buddy of mine uses a hot glue gun to glue the dividers in and close up the gap, and then if for some reason you want to move the dividers, you slice the glue with a razor and it comes right out. another solution is to buy an o ring assortment from autozone or other parts store. i had one that came in a 3700 size shallow box with molded in dividers, so no worries about stuff sliding under

I like skipping all sorts if baits under docks: flukes, senkos, tubes, floating worms, jigs, and even soft swimbaits

Id use the 7 ratio reel on the fenwick for bottom contact with 12 lb yo zuri hybrid or 30-50 lb braid, the 6 ratio reel on the other mh with 12 lb big game or other mono, and 8-10lb trilene xl or 20 lb braid on the spinning rod

If you still backlash quite a bit, yo zuri hybrid is a very strong, abrasion resistant line that is inexpensive

Daiwa tournament ss 1300. Theres a reason it is still being made exactly the same way after all these years