jimmyjoe

That's basically true of spoons, too. The difference is that the cadence with spoons is much faster and the recovery is short because the spoon sinks fast. Some very thin spoons, such as 1/4 oz Dardevle Trout Weight and the Flutterchucks, can be worked much slower because they sink slower. There's nothing quite like doing a walk-n'-flutter with a Flutterchuck in somewhat clear water, and seeing a fish slowly rising to finally hit the lure. It's almost like the anticipation in a horror movie when you know there's a slasher in the room, but you just .... gotta .... wait ... forrrrrr .... itBAM! I love fishing! ? jj

Call Lew's 1.877.470.LEWS great people. jj

Yeah. Key West. ??? jj

Don't worry ..... I'm already shocked. Not by the specs, either. jj

Don't worry about the lures "requiring a decent degree of user input". Spoons are the same way; they are what you make of them. Thank you v. much! jj

No, No. You don't understand; A-Jay doesn't chew his lures. He takes a lunch along with him. ? jj

Okay ....... I won't tell anyone. ? ? Knowing the places you fish, I take it that the lure is durable, correct? jj

For twitchbaits, I've always used Bomber Long A lures. However, on the pause they will rise. I really don't like using suspendots, because sometimes I don't get them quite right. Rapala has the X-Rap Subwalk, which is supposed to sink, not rise. It MIGHT be just what I'm looking for. So I'm asking some questions: 1) Is it durable? Some places I fish for bass also have pike. 2) How fast does it sink in cold water? 3) Does it seem to be as productive (in general) as the regular X-Rap? 4) Is it stable on a hard twitch, or does it easily upset or turn over? Thnx for your help. jj

Not in my opinion, no. But you need to remember that I'm very biased. If you finally find the right combination of line diameter and reel setting, you may think it's the best thing since sliced bread. OTOH, I have a spinning setup with 10 lb. braid that's killer for consistency and reliability. Go figure. jj

I hate braid. I don't use it on baitcasters anymore at all. Now that we've got that out of the way let's continue. I had much the same luck as you. On the advice of a friend, I kept trying different brands and diameters. I finally found Berkley Fireline Ultra8 in 20 lb. test. I had it on a Curado 70, and it seemed that that particular combination was successful. I've moved on to different things, and left that behind. But I'd recommend that line for baitcasters in the blink of an eye. Also pay attention to your particular rod's energy storage and your casting acceleration. That might reduce your breakoffs to nil. jj

You said that you fish close quarters a lot. What @MN Fisher said is correct; shorter rods are more accurate. Where long rods really excel is fighting the fish. You need to find a compromise rod, one that is short(er) yet takes command of the fish and controls it efficiently. I wouldn't take a L or ML power rod; you need to get that fish out of there, and get him out of there pronto. I would use a medium power rod as minimum. As to the action: dock fishing is short distance fishing. If you use braid, get a more forgiving rod with a softer tip. If you're going to use mono, get a faster action with a stiffer tip. I can't give you more specific recommendations. jj

Wind in the south blows the bait in the fish's mouth. Wind from the west, fishing is the best. Wind from the east, good fishing is the least. Wind from the north, fishermen should not go forth. True. No myth. jj

I have no idea whether this "observation" is down the line of what you have in mind, but ........ When I was little (talk about Genghis Khan!) my Dad had a stainless steel Tru-Temper casting rod, with a Pflueger reel. The line was either cotton or silk, I don't remember which. The reel had a handle that would rotate backward on the cast. I don't remember whether the reel had what we nowadays would call a drag or not. All his lures were wood. Much of the stuff he used was hand-made, either by him or one of the two men he considered fishing companions. Among the lures that he had that were manufactured, I remember a Lucky 13, a River Runt, and a Champion. One of those two friends of his taught me to flycast, in probably 1959 or 1960. I was just a little tyke, only 8 or 9 years old, but for some reason I was fascinated with catching crappie. The only thing I remember of what he taught me was, "Don't catch your ear!" I think flycasting lessons today would be a little more in-depth, and probably not aimed at 8 or 9 year-olds. ? When I was 12, I learned to fish with my older brother's Heddon rod and reel, spooled with black braided nylon line. The same guy that had taught me to use a fly rod gave me some of his personal advice. "All you need is spinners, spoons and jigs." Not bad advice, not bad at all. The shiners for the jigs were obtained from the local creeks. I opened up a gunny sack, tied each side to hazel sticks, and went wading to net myself some bait. I don't think I'd want to wade those creeks today. I think my father looked upon fishing equipment as a sign of prestige, of accomplishment, of "getting up in the world". Having leisure time to fish instead of nose-to-the-grindstone 12-16 hours every day must have really been special. I think I take a lot of things for granted that my father viewed as hard-earned privileges. Times have sure changed, haven't they? jj

Some manufacturers try to tell their customers that a rod is kinda in-between, and use odd language. LMH is supposed to be light medium heavy, or on the lighter side of medium heavy. Usually, this language rates the rod in comparison to that same manufacturers other rods, so LMH is in comparison to that same line of rods, not some other brand of rods. Some lines use a "+" sign, like M/F+. This means the rods has a little more "oomph" than a M/F, but not enough to make it a valid MH/F. jj

They're not my favorite lure (they're #2) but they're the one I depend on more, in more varied situations, than any other type of lure. Deep, shallow, high or low, light or dark, slow or burning fast, they produce from early spring until early winter. Not only that, but their hook-up ratio is high, possibly higher than any other style lure that I have. Of all the sinking lures, spinnerbaits give me a better, more positive feedback (as to where they are and how deep they are running) than any other lure type, because if I get a hit, I want to know exactly WHERE that hit came from. jj

It would be helpful to know what part of the country you're fishing, and whether lakes or rivers, depth of water, and whether you're a boatman or a shorecaster.

I take it you're talking about spinning gear. I don't know what other people do, but I tie the line to something, bend the rod to what I consider is its full bend, and reduce the drag to make it give line. You'll find out (with an ultralight) that is VERY LITTLE drag force. So when you fight a fish or have a problem with a hookset, just reach down to the reel and add pressure with your finger on the skirt of the spool. Good luck! jj

Nope. The pistol grip from the Premier series in St. Croix is only 5 1/2 feet and medium power. I thought the Berkley Series One would have been just what you were looking for, but they quit making that last year. There aren't even any more on fleabay. You might call up to Spirit Lake, Iowa, though. Ask them whether they have a cache of that particular rod around for warranty purposes. They might sell you one, they might not. jj

Good to have you here! jj

I owned and thoroughly used #s 1 and 3, but never saw # 2. For spinning, I was into Mitchell and Penn at the time. jj

Not only that, but spinning gear lets you work the lure and set the hook with your strong side, not your weak side. Sometimes, that makes all the difference. ? jj

Why not? Use this : https://tackletrap.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=898_792_793&products_id=11370 jj

I had always thrown nickel single and nickel/gold double Colorado blades. Because of the replies that I got here on BR regarding black blades on spinnerbaits, I'm going to throw single-black-bladed spinnerbaits and copper bladed spinnerbaits, both with black skirts, this year. I fish muddy waters, and willow-leaf blades .... in any color .... have not produced for me. Copper spoons, OTOH, have produced early spring and early fall. Go figure. ? jj

I wanted to be a teacher. But with a wife and baby son, I went into HVAC/R to pay the bills. 37 years later, the bills are paid and I've been retired for almost 4 years. I guess I can't complain. jj

I haven't weighed fish for over 30 years, and the only length I pay attention to is the DNR legal limit. But the 3 biggest bass (not other species) that I've caught were on a Rapala Countdown CD9 (25 years ago), a 1/6th oz. Super Roostertail (first year in the lakes) and a 1oz. Eppinger Dardevle (last year). Now if we want to talk about other species ..... well, that's another matter entirely. ? jj