jimmyjoe

If you feel the need to use 12 lb. or heavier monofilament line, try the baitcaster. If you feel comfortable in your location fishing with 6 or 8 lb. mono line or 10 to 12 lb. braided line, get the spinning setup. Spinning setups can be more versatile, but you deal with line twist. Casting setups are a better power-to-weight ratio, but for a beginner, don't cast light lures well. Fishermen in cold, clearer waters tend to use spinning more. Fishermen in muddy, warmer waters tend to use casting setups more. Whichever way you decide to go. there are people here to help you if you have problems. Good luck! jj

@WRB I remember the thread on twin-spins from earlier. I remember that many of the people who responded said that the twin-spin models they used would twist to the side upon retrieve. I gathered at the time that twin-spin models were usually meant for vertical presentation and not horizontal presentation. I think I still have the pics you sent me of the twin-spin attachment that you made for jigs. Is that the twin-spin you're talking about when you say that it "doesn't roll over"? Or is there some other twin-spin that doesn't roll over? Sorry about the confusion, Tom. jj

I would look at the line diameter, not the test. Some lines are under-rated for test. Because I'm a shorecaster, I would not use line greater than 10 mil (.010") in diameter. That's the diameter of 8 lb. test Trilene XL. I'm a stubborn old fart, and I got that opinion from use on the water. Shorecasters, after all, need a little distance. If you're in a boat and don't need the distance, I'd say that you could go up to .011" and do fine. That would be 10 lb. Trilene XL. But that's also the diameter of the other 8 lb. Sufix nylon lines, like 8 lb. Sufix Siege, 8 lb. Sufix Pro-Mix, 8 lb. Advance and 8 lb. Elite. The 12 lb. Sufix mono lines (other than Pro-Mix) are .014" diameter. Kinda thick. Like I said ..... good luck! ? jj

I found out that 12 lb. mono did not feed well from a 3000-size Shimano spool. Personally, I would go to the 4000-size for 12 lb mono. I have 3 Shimano spinning reels with the same lip diameter that you have, and I would put max low-diameter 8 lb. line on them. If it were me, I'd try it in the yard before I went fishing. Whatever you decide, have fun and good luck! jj

@Catt , I believe everything you tell me! ? jj

Bingo! jj I'm getting the message, though. Heavy bass spinnerbaits are for depth. It's no wonder they never came up on my radar; the river isn't all that deep and most lakes around here aren't that deep. jj

So the way it SEEMS to me is that heavy bass spinnerbaits are for increased depth, whereas heavy musky spinnerbaits are large, but run more shallow. If I can find the guy I spoke with today again, I'm gonna ask him which spinnerbaits he's got. Just from the way he was talking, it didn't sound as if he was using them deep. I could be wrong, though. jj

Or ..... "What goes around comes around." jj

I just found those on a search. One and a half ounces? Ouch! Looks like I've been leading a sheltered life! Thanks, Tom! jj P.S. - I see they have another one that goes up to two and a half ounces! ?

I was talking this morning to a man who says he regularly uses 1 oz. (one ounce) spinnerbaits. He says they weigh a little over an ounce and a half, and over two ounces with trailer. I asked, "For musky?" and he said, "No. For bass." 1) Does anyone here use these monsters for bass? (I use 5/8 max, myself) 2) Do these show any better results than 1/2 and 5/8 spinnerbaits? If so, where? 3) What kind of rod is used for spinnerbaits this heavy, other than a musky rod? SB rod? I had seen this size spinnerbait, but always in the musky section of retail stores. I did a web search and found this size being sold as bass lures. Is this size something that's just a niche product, or has it been under my old-fogey radar? Thanx for your replies. jj

Being a good manager is nice. Being a good human being is a lot better. ? jj

Which line are you using and what test is it? Also .... which reel and which size? Line diameter needs to be matched to spool size (within certain limits) or the feed or the retrieve won't work well. jj

I see you all feel the same way I feel. It's not that I hate people, it's that I hate stupid people. Unfortunately, my house has a mirror in it. ? jj

We can honor them properly, but we can never honor them adequately. jj

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Mister_Twister_4_Split_Double_Tail_Grub_10pk/descpage-MTSDT.html

I did it yesterday. Rain was predicted late PM. In the AM, fish hit spinnerbaits low and slow. Black clouds moved in about 2 PM, and fish hit shallow. Same lures, but not deep at all. Rain started at 4:30, and action in the margins was nuts. Then the lightning started, so I got my wet self and my highly conductive carbon fiber "antenna" into the car and went home. ? jj

It's called a "vowel shift". It's been happening in English for several hundred years. Specifically, the "ea">short "i" shift is due to lowering of the tongue height. Feel your tongue placement while you say "eeeeeeeee", and then feel your tongue placement while you say "i" (as in "hit" or "brim".) Vowel shift also includes glideless long vowels, and the "brim" pronunciation is one of these. The "glide" portion is when you sustain the "eeeeee" sound. That sustain is the "glide". But when the vowel becomes glideless, the sustain is lost, and the pronunciation is more abrupt, like a short "i".

I don't know whether you're talking head weight or total weight. If you're talking total weight, check out the Stanley 1/8 spinnerbaits in the Vibra-shaft and Wedge Plus lines. Deadly. jj

So you know leader knots, you're fishing from shore, and you want to use bottom contact techniques and live bait. Other than the live bait, you're fishing the same way I did (until recently). Yes, braid is sensitive .... on tight line. If you fish slack line, braid is not sensitive. It has no "body" to pipeline vibration to the fisherman. So for slack line techniques, I would not suggest braid. I would suggest nylon (or fluorocarbon). Braid also has very little stretch .... so little, in fact, that some fishermen don't like it just for that reason. If you react too quickly, you can pull the bait (and the hook) right out of the fish's mouth. But I think it's worth your time and curiosity to try braid. You may not like it, but you'll only know for sure after you've used it. And you might even like it. Many people do. If you wish to use a 2500 size reel (as has been pointed out to me ?) you will probably want to try braids with 6, 7 or 8 mil diameter (.006, .007 or .008). Choosing braid by diameter, the casting characteristics are much more consistent than choosing by test. I would buy product from well-known, reliable companies, and I would avoid companies that are boutique, or have not been in business very long, or push product that is alarmingly cheaper than competitors. The old saw is, "You get what you pay for." You might also consider hi-viz lines. Hope this helps! jj P.S. - I use the Shimano Stradic 2500 size reel. Very smooth, quite strong and very reliable. The current model is Stradic 2500FL. Some people like the Daiwa BG2500, which is cheaper. @bulldog1935 can give you advice about some Tica reels from overseas, if you wish to go that route. He seems to like them quite a bit. All of these are metal, whereas the Vanford that @jbsoonerfan mentioned is composite, and therefore much lighter. That may or may not be important to you. I'm sure other fishermen who use braid will be along soon and give you their advice on other reels to consider.

Good eyes, @bulldog1935! I got tripped up by my scanning habits again! ? jj

Let's start at the beginning: 1) I take that when you say "spin casting", you mean a spinning rod, correct? 2) The reason I ask is that there is no 6'-10" rod in the Avid or Avid-X series that I know of, either spinning or casting. There are some 6'-09" and 6'-08" spinning (and casting) rods, either M/XF or ML/XF. These are good for bottom contact if you wish to use them that way. 3) When you fished in these other places, did you use a leader? Which knot did you use to attach the leader? The knot you used might be applicable for braid-to-leader knots. 4) If you did NOT use a leader before, look up a video on uni-to-uni leader knot. I say "video" because it's probably clearer. You said that you already know the uni knot, so it should be simpler for you than some of the other weird knots. 5) What sort of fishing have you done before? This might be a rod that brings you into new techniques. Or are you deliberately looking for new and different techniques? 6) Do you plan to fish from a boat or shore? Whether you plan to fish South or North, there are many people here who are willing and able to help you. All you have to do is ask questions. As I have told people before, "If they can help me, they can help you!" ? jj P.S. - My personal opinion (and that's all it is) is to use a metal reel when using braid. Might be something to consider.

That was definitely NOT a waste! ??? jj

Okuma Safina Pro combo. M/F. Around $50 Berkley Lightning Rod spinning combo. L, ML and M. Around $60 Pflueger has several President combos. I haven't seen them, but I've heard some good things about them. List is $80. See whether you can find them on sale. Both Quantum and Lew's used to have big-box-store sale combos that were discounted severely. I have no idea whether they still have those. I have the Quantum; the rod is junk but the reel is actually fairly good. I paid $25 several years ago on a blowout sale. Good luck! jj

Engrave this ^^^^^^ in stone, write it in the sky and tattoo it on your ...... oh, never mind the tattoo. ? The TranX reel is awesome! Yes, I have one; the 300A. When I'm pulling in a one-pound fish and ten pounds of weeds, I thank @A-Jay for beating me over the head and forcing me to buy one. (Just kidding ?). I use 65 lb. braid and have no problems. I have problems with braid on smaller reels, but not the TranX. Then I can turn around and re-spool with Big Game and fish with Bomber 16a or 17a lures, or Mepps Giant Killers, or swimbaits, and do just fine. I guess which reel you use successfully for frogging (or punching) depends in large part on which weeds you have to contend with ..... and whether you're a shorecaster or not. I am. jj

Cabela's, by far. jj