fishwizzard

Hi, Going to be staying the night around Lancaster at the end of this week and would like to do some fishing before I head back to MD. Looking for a spot where I fish off the bank or wade for a few hours. There are a few spots around Baltimore I am thinking of, but would love to hit some new waters. Thanks

Almost the same, but on a Rugbyhead so that I don't loose as many, they are super easy for a fish/weeds to pull off a normal worm hook once they get soft.

I felt the same, until I bought a UL/Mod rod. I swear I can almost tie it in a knot. It makes my L/F rod seem like a broom stick.

He is also close to the C&O canal. It is frustrating and at times un-fishable, but when it is on you get like 8-10 miles of this: It is amazing habitat that can provide both size and numbers.

On the topic of thin line, I just picked up some YGK G-Soul Upgrade X-8 Braided Line in 14lb, and boy is this stuff thin. It is hard to get a good grip on to tie knots, it's crazy. I was able to get 200m of it onto the spool of my PX68, this might be a very expensive backlash. But if this line works it will be an amazing finesse line. I am excited to try it on my finesse spinning rig this summer.

That's the reel I have, but on a Recon 2 L. It is absurd how much fun that combo is.

Having just dipped my toe into finesse casting, I would go for a used higher-end finesse reel, then send it out for a supertune. If you are looking for "ridiculous" then just think of the looks you will get throwing 1/16oz spinner at trout or perch with a casting rig. Of course, you will then need an UL rod, but 2-piece JDM ones are pretty reasonable on ebay.

Welp, now that FFO has some 6'6" Fenwicks back in stock I am waffling again. They only have 44 in-stock so hopefully I can just waffle for a few days and the distraction will go away.

How are you fishing the Leech? Drop shot? It looks like an amazing panfish/trout lure, but I cannot figure out how to rig it for them.

Thanks for the input guys. I am not "settled" on MC but am now really leaning that way. I want this rod to be sub $150 as I am not sure if my idea is going to pan out like I hope it will. For domestic rods, only St Croix offers rods that short, but in stiffer actions then I was looking at. My though is that a low-end JDM rod will be easier to resell if my plan fails or succeeds enough that I want a custom rod made. I was somewhat worried about the mod/fast action, as I want to use this rod for plastics in addition to jerkbaits, but we shall see.

I finally caught one of the bruisers in Allen Pond that have been taunting me for a year now. There were four or five of them cruising around in the shallows by the bank/wall. Yesterday I threw a jointed jerkbait, a t-rigged worm, and a senko both ways at them to no effect. Returned today with a slow-sink jig. I got nothing for about 45 min, then saw the school again and pitched my jig about 10' in-front of them. It got hit right away. A bit later I caught this smaller one on a chatterbait also tight to the bank. I have never had much luck there, but it is so close to my house I go once a month or so. I am going to hit it up more often this winter and try to jig around the deep part more and ignore the better looking natural shoreline that has never produced much for me.

In my quest to find a short (6'-6'6") ML casting rod I have found that Major Craft has a bunch of different lines all at around the $109-150 price point. They are all rated 3/16-1/2oz and are 6'3". I am seeing Basspara, Go Emotion, and Benkei lines all offered in this rating, legnth, and price. Does anyone have any experence or knowledge about these rods? thanks.

Reins Bubbling Shaker, 4": t-rigged weightless and worked like a fluke or rigged on a 1/16oz Keitech shakyhead jig. 4" Plasmatail, Easy Shiner, Sexy Impact, all also rigged on the 1/16 Keitech. It is a great jighead and is well worth the price, everything I tried on it caugh me fish. Rage Menace Grub; weightless on a 3/0 Owner straight shank. Can't say enough good things about this plastic, I set out to fish senkos a lot this year but the Menace just killed them in both numbers and size. Ned Rig; a cut down Hula Stick on a 1/20oz head worked the best in current, a 1/2 Zlinker on a 1/16oz head worked best in still water.

This thread has come at a good time for me, if not my wallet. I have never seriously fished hard baits before and decided to start with jerkbaits. I have a small pile of the Rapala CD and J series headed my way to practice with before I spend on more expensive ones. Now that the undergrowth has thinned out I can get at a lot more river bank then in the summer, so I am going to try an "all jerkbait" day soon.

I have a pair of Costa Zanes in Amber that I really like, except for how easily they fog up. This happens with every pair of curved glasses that I have ever owned. I have a big fat head and it is hard to find ones that fit and have a flat front. I just picked up a pair of Smith Optics with the "transition" style ignightor lenses. I got them for a steal, $80 for $250 msrp glasses. I really like them as, but they are comically too small for my face, so to the trade pile they go.

Yea, I have really been liking these as my "heavy fluke" option. They jerk well and wiggle like a senko on the fall. They seem far more durable then a sanko as well.

Another reason I like peddle drives is training and endurance. Paddling a kayak uses a lot of muscle groups that are hard to exercise without a gym or large home machine, while a peddle drive can be simulated by an inexpensive stationary bike. I don't get out on the water nearly as much as I would like to, so my paddling endurance isnt great, but I can always fit in a few hours a week on the bike, which translates to a much better time on the water. I sometimes fish with a local yak group, most of who's members are a at least a decade or more older then I. The strength and endurance these old guys have is incredible and it is very embarrassing how much they can out pace me when heading back to the launch.

Hah, I want a finesse Menace, maybe 2-2.5", assuming that the flappers sill work that small. But who knows what factor or combo of factors make the lure so good and who knows what change will kill the mojo. Right now the weightless action is so great that I cant really complain and I think the size is a good compromise between big enough to attract large fish but small enough for numbers.

You better sneak up on it while it's sleeping to put that plug in. Maybe up your life insurance before hand as well.

IMHO it's your fault for not reading the manual where it clearly states to keep it in shallow water.

I would love a drive that kicks up when you hit an obstruction, a reversible rudder control (I want to swap the one on my Slayer, but I have yet to meet someone with long and slim enough arms to help), instant reverse, and some kind of horizontal rod storage without making the boat a huge pig. I also want a pony. The pony will also poop green pumpkin w/ red flake senkos.

I do want to add that I am always envious of the Hobie guys and their ability to hold the fins tight to the hull and glide through skinny water. I am not sold on their reverse yet, but I can see the argument for them over the Native for a skinny water boat.

For my "fancy" yak I went with a Slayer Propel 10. My reasons were weight (60lb hull weight), small size (I like being able to maneuver in tight areas), and the reverse. I use the reverse all the time, to help fighting a fish out of cover, to maintain position in the wind, and to maneuver around docks. I keep a 4-part paddle stowed in the hull and have found that between the pedal drive and a small hand paddle, I never need to get it out. I have a had a few low speed collisions with rocks, branches, and rebar, and so far no damage. I do miss being able to beach myself without pulling the drive, but the benefits have outweighed the downsides so far. It is more or less a bathtub with rodholders and I suspect as I get more comfortable with kayaking in general I will get a second boat more suited to bigger water, but for now it works for me. This is from it's maiden voyage, on a weird 60f day last January:

I use a 6' custom ML/F (although it is more of a Light Medium rather then a Medium Light, if that makes sense) for the 3.5" Swing Impacts and it works great. They are a skinny, soft plastic and the bass hit them super hard and tend to hook themselves even when t-rigged weedless. I use that same rod for a lot of weightless plastics and have never had an issue setting the hook if I use light wire hooks.

I had looked at the Premier Line, but I have a 6' L Premier and it feels a lot heavier then other L rods that I have fished. This rod will be sort of a trial run for an eventual custom rod, so I want to see if a true "medium" will work for what I have in mind. EDIT: I saw that St Croix is selling a 6'6" M/F TRIUMPH X for $60. I have a 5" UL/M from that line, but it is such an odd rod that I don't know if I have a good picture of the Triumph line from it. Anyone know how they fish? It's longer then I want, but the price is right.