GrumpyOlPhartte

Curse you, @Michigander!! Just received the two swimbait rods I ordered because of you. Now I gotta find two reels! Would never have known about them without your evil machinations!!! (By the way, for the price they seem to be pretty nice although the water here is still too hard for field testing.) Definitely a great deal for a casual swimbait enthusiast such as I.

@RDH64158: I think that there might be trouble in River City. I’ve received no magazines and when I checked a couple of days ago the website was gone. That’s all I can tell you.

Hope this isn’t a hijack, but I just got bait monkeyed into buying two *** Brute rods for small/medium swimbaits and have narrowed my reel selection options to the Calcutta 201B and a low profile option. Grew up with round reels (pre-line guides) but as an option for a casual fisherman it seems the 201B makes a lot of sense. No need for a 300 size reel, but was wondering if the Calcutta would be good for other applications if the new rods don’t work out. (Heck ... I just couldn’t pass up a BOGO deal and the handles of the rods are fairly short, a plus for me in my kayak.) and not likely to run into a plethora of double-digit Bass here in western MA. I am NOT looking for reel suggestions, just guys with experience with round reels. Thanks in advance.

Many years ago (1960’s - 1970’s) I had a couple of old wooden Flatfish. Haven’t seen them around. Had good luck with them from time to time. One was orange; the other kind of a green, froggy-looking thing. Treble hooks were mounted on wires projecting from the sides. I should probably look around to see if they are still being produced. To be honest, I had forgotten about them until I perused this thread.

@Primus: Forgot to mention I was using a “natural” pattern on my one successful spinnerbait outing; too bad it never worked again. Oh, and I tried fishing a spinnerbait in the rain ... but my wife got ticked off because I broke two living room windows when I forgot to open them before I started casting. To make matters worse, my house is several miles from the nearest lake. But I did stay dry!! ? Seriously, I believe you are absolutely correct about the bluegill pattern. (I also want to find something that emulates golden shiners - and it ain’t gonna be chartreuse.)

Hmm ... Take THAT, Googan Squad!!!

Most of ‘em. But spinnerbaits are my nemesis. Never had luck with them. Then, the summer before last on a cloudy, breezy summer day I nailed six bass in the one-to-three-pound range in less than an hour. Since then ... nothing. Man, I hate spinnerbaits!!! As for white and chartreuse - I don’t believe you can catch a cold with those things. Ok, I can’t. Gotta give me credit for trying though.?

@Derek1: The DSG in Pittsfield, MA had a fairly large selection of the Baby Bull Shad but they do seem to be selling quickly. I picked up three different patterns then grabbed a second in golden shiner just because the snot rockets here in western MA are brutal on that pattern.

I happen to be a big fan of Lew’s baitcasters, but one of my favorite spinning reels was a Pflueger President 30. In my opinion the Presidents are sort of like the Timex watches of spinning reels ... don’t cost a lot but do what they are supposed to do and ya can’t kill them. I’d be willing to bet the President 20 is every bit as good as the President 30.

@Tennessee Boy: No PFD for the pooch ... or at least a hard hat? Mebbe some Dramamine? ?

Lots of interesting comments here regarding DSG. Where I am located (far western MA) it’s either DSG or Walmart for fishing “stuff”. Local store employees inform me that although they are no longer permitted to carry firearms, they are actually planning on expanding the fishing section. It’s too early to know what that entails, I actually saw a small selection of Dobyns and St. Croix rods on the rack. Neither of the Fury swimbait rods but some Mojo and, for the Dobyns, the 703, 705, and a few others. Will have to see ... The biggest thrill for me were the top three lures shown in the pic here. Never thought I’d see the day!! Granted, they are actually provided through Catchco, but at least they are decent-looking swimbaits for $15.00 a pop. (The others were ordered from Tackle Warehouse.) I’m wondering what they’ll have when spring gets here. Needless to say, they all bounce and slide across the ice really well. I got some great distance for my casts! Anyway, I’m not ready to give up on DSG just yet. But then again, when ya live two blocks from the ends of the earth, ya take what you can get.

@skekoam: A lot of factors come into play when fishing “swimbaits”. I would suggest starting by checking on the rod for the recommended lure weights for that particular rod. I’m taking a guess that the recommended maximum lure weight for the Dobyns MH rod is around 3/4 of an ounce. Baits such as the Huddleston weigh two ounces or more ... difficult to cast with your rod, if not downright dangerous for your rod tip. Since swimbaits come in all sizes, I’d consider looking at something like a Keitech (comes in sizes from four to seven inches) or other similar brands which would be compatible with your setup. You may want to go to one of the tackle websites, search for “swimbait”, and see the options. Good Luck

I don’t do a lot of shaky-head fishing, but I agree with a lot of the above. I am partial to the Zoom mag finesse worms and would add the Biospawn Exostick to the mix. The nice thing about the Exostick is that the worm is segmented so I can vary the length by simply snipping off segments. Just as a side note, there were a couple of times I found that rigging the worm bass-ackwards seemed to help. Not sure why - mebbe it changed the motion a little or something. Could have been coincidence too. Just thought I would mention it.

@Havock: Regarding two-piece big bait rods, you might want to check the Okuma Nomad Rods. Tackle Tour calls them an “Editor’s Choice”. I personally am a bit of an Okuma enthusiast, but if you’re looking to spend in the $120.00 range, this might be worth a look.

Welcome ... to the land of small, shallow, weedy lakes. Been fishing here in “true” western MA (As in close to the MA/NY border western MA.) for a few years. Do not despair! I don’t know your exact location, but around Pittsfield I can think of more than a half dozen lakes where I have caught bass from four to seven pounds. (OK, one at an even seven pounds and one at six and a quarter pounds.) As for skill level, the first time I took my wife out in my little Bass Tracker Bantam (long time ago to be sure) she made one cast with a Rapala on an inexpensive ultralight rig and caught a bass that weighed almost five pounds. She just started cranking away as fast as she could, the drag started complaining, and the bass started swimming around an old submerged stump. Funny thing was that the stump was directly under her rod tip. As he made a loop around the stump, she was cranking the loop off the top of the stump! Thought we were gonna be there all day. This year I spent my fishing time mostly washing lures. Biggest fish I caught weighed in at a whopping 1.9 pounds. Well, I did catch my first Northern Pike. It was 28 inches long and I caught it on a wacky-rigged senior. EDIT: (I meant “Senko” ... furschlugginer auto correct!) Go figure. My point is that Western Massachusetts has a pretty fair number of fishy bodies of water and the fun is in figuring them out. As for skill level, in my opinion, increasing your skill improves your odds immensely, but in the end there are times when all the skill, daring, and fancy gear in the world won't beat blind luck. That’s what makes this sport so much fun. So get out and enjoy the sport as you learn. Oh, and as a member of Bass Resources you’re going to learn quickly from some really smart people. Read the articles and pay attention to the forums. I guarantee you’ll find your skills and catches increasing in no time. Good luck!

@WPCfishing: I originally thought about an Okuma TCS reel, but finally chose the SX reel. To be honest, it took me awhile to get used to it, but as I use it more, I love it more. I think the 100 mm handle is excellent and the reel seems to be solid as a rock. Had to calibrate my thumb a bit because it really free spools! I eased up on my casts to prevent squirrel fishing and paid more attention to using my thumb toward the end of the cast. This thing just doesn’t want to stop rotating!! I love casting 3/8- to 1/2-ounce lures with it. For me it’s also very comfortable to palm for long periods of time. My only experience with Okuma rods is the TCS Frog and Swimbait rod which I use for jigs and large Texas-rigged worms as well as S-Waver 168s. Don’t know if this’ll help but I am a fan of Okuma.

I don’t know if this contributes directly to this thread, but there is a site called xtackle.com which has a pretty extensive array of Big Bite baits. I was surprised at the variety. Note that this is NOT an endorsement of the site since I have never used it, but, those interested in this line might be surprised at the number of products available.

I had a similar situation with my old kayak. I went to a fabric shop (locally it is Joanne’s) and purchased a chunk of foam used for cushions. The foam comes in varying thicknesses up to four inches. I happened to buy the 4-inch and cut it to fit using an old electric knife. Made my seat quite comfortable. Probably would have been fine with 3-inch or maybe even 2-inch, but at my age I liked the comfort. Not beautiful but functional ... and did reduce noise when I shifted position. Definitely less than $50.00. Just a thought. Does raise your center of gravity a little. Not a big deal, but be aware when you are considering thickness.

Hmm ... mebbe a trailer hitch?

Guess I have to chime in here. For some reason, I have had a lot of luck using the Reaction Innovations Little Dipper in the Sungill pattern around here. Second place goes to the Zoom fluke in Purple Flash (I think that’s the name of the pattern.) I can understand the RI working but the Zoom sparkly purple fluke looks like nothing in the lakes of western MA.

What @BigBass'n_Harrison Said. I purchased the same Okuma Scott Martin TCS rod (mine says “Frog/Swimbait” on the ferrule). It’s been used for S-Waver 168s and other smaller swimbaits, a variety of frogs, jigs, and large T-rigged worms. For me it just works.

@wasabi_VA: I also have a Catch 100. After getting caught in a “scattered shower” last Sunday I can attest to the fact that the single row of scuppers works just fine. My brother-in-law could barely drag his canoe out of the lake because of the rain water he collected. I had no problem at all. As for handling; well, it’s a 10-foot kayak with a 34-inch beam so, nope - it’s not the greatest-handling buggy on the lake. But for me, the adjustable-height lounge chair seat, the stability, the light weight, and the low price make it ideal for me. Oh, and the 10-foot length is mandatory unless I want to buy a house with a larger garage for winter stowage of the yak. As far as I’m concerned, if you are satisfied with it, then no one else’s opinion really matters anyway.

I usually let my lure sit until I get the backlash cleaned up. Seems to work for me. (Obviously the amount of time varies when using this method. Skilled casters may not find it as effective!!!)

I’ve been impressed by the Daiwa BG 2500. Solid as a rock, smoothest action and drag I, in my rather limited experience, have ever used, (has a fairly wide-diameter spool, and a reverse switch (very important to me). Does weigh 9.3 ounces but I like it on a 6’8” Yak Mojo (M/F) rod. If I was in your position I would look at the BG 2000 as well. Weighs in around 8.5 ounces but, in my opinion, holds enough line for any bass-fishing applications for which I would use it. (Funny thing is that due to previous experience with a Daiwa baitcaster and customer service, I would rather stick a 5/0 Trokar hook in my eye than use one of their baitcasters. For all you Daiwa enthusiasts, I am certainly NOT trying to bash Daiwa; I am just trying to emphasize how good I think this reel is.)