Brad in Texas

Agreed. I just let the season and circumstances dictate how long I'll let a presentation sit. If they are actively biting, if not bitten, move it. I have found, though, just generally speaking, that there are times when I am rather surprised at how very long it takes a bass to decide to bite. Well over a minute, for sure, but like two amateurs fist-fighting in a parking lot, what seems interminable to watch is almost always over in about 30 seconds. One minute is a long time for many anglers, certainly I suppose those who are more oriented toward power fishing presentations. I bet a single minute would feel like an afternoon to them. Too, I fish out of kayaks and my canoe and, again just generally speaking, we tend to fish much slower, work over water much more thoroughly than bass boats working by on trolling motors. Brad

Other than advice from Ned, the master himself, I think this is likely one of the high probability retrievals . . what NYWayfarer mentions. You'd want to drop the Ned Rig down, and see if it, first, gets bit on the drop; then; secondarily, you'd want to dead-stick it maybe with just a little wiggle to get some attention. For a time. But, if no bites from these first two opportunities, "hopping" it forward a bit makes more sense than dragging it. The 'why' behind it is when the Ned Rig is stationary and just being lightly wiggled, all the fish within a certain distance can see it. Saw it, too, on the drop. Depends on the water color, the bottom condition, of course, so who knows??? I'd say, though, that a Ned Rig that comes falling through the water likely gets the attention of bass in a radius of 5 or 10 feet, maybe much more at times. So, no use staying in that same "circle" if not getting bit, so hop it into the visual field of some more "suspects" in a different area. In essence, the hopped Ned Rig will then be seen by some different fish. One of them might have the reaction you are looking for! Brad

I use the Owner product but have seen these others a time or two. Sounds about right that the price would be cheaper, the quality a bit less making the reality of either purchase more in line, price-wise. By the way, I like a CPS twisted onto a 60 degree bent jig hook. That "points" the centering pin in the proper direction for hooking up baits. There are sources for these hooks where one can buy 50 of them very cheaply. Just be sure to get very sharp hooks. What would be ideal would be to have a 60 degree bent hook with a pretty long shaft length. That'd give a bass a really large area to snag the hook once it bites down. I sure like seeing what you guys/gals are also using these centering pins for. Some really novel approaches have been shared regarding uses other than as just attachments to hooks. Pretty cool! Brad

I generally like the bright yellow Sufix 832. It is a great braid, others are, too, for sure. But, if you want a lighter line for, say, your spinning reel, try the 14 lbs. test strength in Sufix Nanobraid. It has the same diameter as Sufix 832 in 10 lbs. That'd give you what many of us who are heavy users of spinning gear for finesse, consider to be the optimal size for a main line. At 14 lbs, you'd maintain this and get the greater safety margin of the higher test rating. My guess is 14 lbs. Nanobraid has the general strength of 20+ lbs. braids. Mentioned elsewhere, as of last week, I am now up to a LMB just shy of 6 lbs. on Sufix Nanobraid 2 lbs. test. I'm sort of seeing where and at what level something is able to break me off when I am using ultralight equipment and something big comes along. I never for even a moment thought I'd break the line using my spinning rod correctly, brought the big fish in rather easily. Would I have been able to hoist this bass up from 3 feet or so below my feet, swing it up to the dock or grab the line and do so? No. The line would likely have snapped. I've got the 14 on another reel. Love it. Brad

I prefer the Keitech 3" in the Easy Shiner, but anyway, what works best for me is a 1/0 Roboworm Rebarb hook Texas Rigged. Odd, but let me say that sometimes on a cast, that thin wire hook is so light, the plastic, too, that it'll sit on top of the water. Surface Tension. One nudge and it begins to fall . . . slowly. I greatly prefer the look of an injured or dying shad and I let it fall through the water column. If not bites, once it hits bottom, I tend to make tiny lifts and jerks with my rod tip to bring it back with that same injured look. Posted elsewhere, just last week, I cast this presentation out toward small schools of bass harassing shad up in my cove. I caught several, then another, but noticed as I reeled in a 12" or so LMB that there was some commotion around it. A rather large bass followed it all the way back in and I looked straight down at it below my feet on the dock. Not certain whether it was trying to eat the little 12" bass I had on the hook or was just "activated" by what was going on. Yes, I have had bass follow a hooked bass, so very cool. About 3 casts later, I hooked a really large bass, brought it in slowly. It was just short of 22" as I recall, looked to be well over 5 lbs. and likely closer to 6 lbs. I caught it on 2 lbs. braid, and the 1.0 hook with the 3" Keitech. That is the biggest LMB, so far, that I have caught on the 2 lbs. test. It is THAT strong. Other details: 1000 series Nasci Spinning reel, a ridiculously expensive Shimano Soare XTune S706UL-T rod that I bought in a moment of weakness . . . but oh Lord! is it ever a great rod! Brad

Tom, Some time ago, a year or so, I developed the formula for just what you are asking and committed it to an Excel spreadsheet. One has to know several inputs . . . without digging around for the spreadsheet, but these come to mind: spool dimensions of height, diameter, width; and, line diameter. For others, what Tom knows and is asking the particulars of relates to the fact that as cast is made, more line goes out per revolution on the larger circumference of a spool, then less and less as it goes out. So, when one then retrieves a lure, as you turn the handle, more and more line is being picked up. The lure actually accelerates as it returns as each spool revolution picks up line, makes the circumference of the line sitting on the spool larger. I'm an amateur math nerd and I bought and often use a 2 lbs. braid that claims to be .001" in diameter. I began developing the spreadsheet when I became curious how much of this tiny line it'd take to fill my reel spool. Hint: Lots!!! I'll get it out and work on the spreadsheet again, post it under a separate topic. Brad

If you do go with a bobber presentation, be sure to check out a float and fly, a method of rigging them and the right equipment to use that will allow you to make longer casts where not so much line is out as is typical. Brad

Yes, I think others have it covered correctly who think that it is a misprint. The rod you have circled is a Medium Light; the other one just below it is a Medium. You can also judge the difference by noting the ratings for each and that the Medium has a higher lure weight top end, a larger line recommendation top end . . . and it weighs more which indicates that it has a generally thicker construct. My "guess" is what they actually mean is a ML with Moderate Fast Action. Brad

It was windy today, blowing hard even very early; but, I decided to go ahead and fish in the cove I live on. My normal spots were not producing so I went to a retaining wall with deeper water that is almost a sure thing for me, then started getting bitten very fast. I had 6 or so in the canoe within a short time. Two were close to 4 lbs., two more in the 2 lbs. range, a few small ones over a pound but not much. A neighbor on land and I started to chat, I hooked up while we were talking, then continued to talk and dropped my hook into the water with the Keitech shad plastic knocked up the line about 3 feet by the last bass. All of a sudden, I had a tug, and caught another bass on an empty hook. My neighbor really believed me then when I said the fishing was really good. Recommendation: Toss a 4" Keitech Easy Shiner or Shad Impact on a 4/0 Roboworm Rebarb hook, Texas Rigged. Throw it weightless unless you are fishing deeper. Toss it out and let it fall through the water column like an injured or dying shad. If not bitten, just retrieve it any number of ways but small jerks and lifts and falls seem best to me. It also works great for schooling bass but there I prefer the little 3" Shad Easy Shiner on a 1/0 Rebarb hook. It is so light, I throw mine on 2 lbs. braid (Suifx Nanobraid) and I caught one really close to 6 lbs. just a few days ago. Over 21". Today, a few photos. Brad

Me, too, and interesting to read that other anglers find it the same way. I suspected as much. I can't even imagine spending that kind of tackle money on a box of really good and interesting stuff, for sure, but knowing that most of it just isn't applicable or optimal for me. It'd just take up space. I don't know how much these boxes cost, just a general idea . . . but I'd much rather spend it with suppliers I like and trust. I have 3 or 4 on-line sources and I bet many of us do. I do prefer buying on-line over going to a big box store where, like a kid in a candy store, I almost always end up either settling for something I didn't actually want or, like Odysseus, I listen to the sirens as these little things speak to me as I walk down the aisles. Gosh, I am weak! Even with me buying things individually on-line, I end up with tackle I don't use. I certainly don't want to promote more of this. And, the longer I fish, the more I have it narrowed down to the presentations I actually use, the lures, the lines, hooks, and more. I am 90% done experimenting, just leaving a bit of wiggle room for the occasional expansion into something new. ***Id love to see the stats regarding how long the monthly tackle box subscribers stay. Just a guess that it takes "new blood" in the form of a constant stream of first-timers to perpetuate sales volumes. P.S. Pet peeve: wanting some little thing, say 5 hooks, and having a $10 or > shipping fee. Why can't they slip this into an envelope, put two stamps on it and let her fly. Forget all of that tracking nonsense for small orders. Brad

And, just adding to the general ideas presented here, one thing I think is that the Teckel Sprinker, while it likely deserves a place in our tackle boxes, was WAY over-hyped. We have these each and every year, new product introductions that have some little twist to them that makes them appear really interesting to us, but not so much to bass. The Sprinker has some extra utility for a frog fisherman for moving across open water where the the little appendage does its dance, no doubt it has some range other frogs might not have. Other recent over-hypes? We had a reel making a big fuss released just a few months ago. It seems to have quieted down now, of dubious advantage or performance; we had a new kayak come out that was over-hyped and they are already being sold by early buyers. It happens every year, always will. I stand by with a credit card to help perpetuate human nature as best I can! Ha! Brad

I used to bank fish Squaw Creek Reservoir, a power plant lake in Texas, and I'd make long casts to try to get out in a creek channel in the middle of a particular cove. To make longer casts, I'd use a slightly heavier weight. Most of the time in early mornings, I'd catch several bass where the T-Rig would hit the water and they'd be on it before it fell more than a few feet. I'd say if there is a bass in the area, feeding aggressively and competing with other fish, they react so fast that they can grab a 3/8s oz. weighted T-Rig before it falls much more than 5 feet. Hungry bass are super fast. I often forget how fast . . . but we've all seen it when we release one off the side of a boat and watch it flip its tail and move away at torpedo speed: one second it is there, a split second later, gone out of sight like a ghost. Not that bass can't be spooked, but for every case where they are, I see other situations, like schooling bass where they are actually "activated" or "energized" by splashes in the water. When I am paddling in my kayak or canoe, I am convinced that the schoolers working in the area hear me and get "competitive." Brad

Agreed as regards a great shakey head to throw, that are none better than a Megastrike. It nails landings like a Russian gymnast. Few are as good, if any. I really like the action of an Owner Pivot Head for the "wobble" sort of version. No, to me it isn't at all like a pegged T-Rig since in that set up, the weight is held tight to the top of the hook. With a wobble head or pivot head design the "joint" that creates the wobble or pivot is between the weight and the hook. It is above the weight on a T-Rig. So, you end up with the Owner Pivot Heads, and other wobble heads, with a presentation with more range of application. You can swim it all the way back, drop it with a floating plastic and soak it on the bottom, or drag it almost like a C-Rig at various retrieval speeds and kick up some dust. Not sure why, but when I pitch out a Pivot head, sort of fishing it like a T-Rig, when I do move it, drag it a little, it seems to move like butter compared to a traditional un-pegged T-Rig. But, this is likely highly influenced by the places we each fish, with bottoms that are so different. What works best one place could be less than satisfactory at another. A few Megastrikes in different sizes and some Owner Pivot heads would give an angler a heck of a range of applications to have and cover a lot of situations. Brad

Let me add the science or the issue behind it. Imagine crossed lines as being "intersections" with somewhat minimal line-to-line contact. Contrast this to two lines lying side-by-side along their lengths where there is closer to maximum contact between the two lines. Since knots and wraps rely on friction to hold, the more line-to-line contact the better. For a description, take two 12" wood dowel rods of the same size and rub them together as if you are trying to start a fire. Contrast the effort it takes to slide one over the other with holding them parallel and touching along their entire lengths . . . and note the greater effort to slide them. Hope this helps. Clean, accurate knots simply have more friction. Brad

I live on the water, have kids/grandkids, so we need a few vessels. Lake Athens is chock full of vegetation making my Propel 10 tough to use. So, I also have a paddle only Big Rig. And, my first love, a Meyers Sportspal S-15 which stays down at the water where I fish it back in my cove area. But, when the Bluesky 360 catamaran-styled kayaks, if we can even still call it that, came out, they had this pre-order deal where one could be purchased in advance for about 2/3s of MSRP. I knew that I would never "later" pay retail price if I could have had one for the lower price, so I bought one. It should be here in a few weeks. Pros: 1. It has built it cart wheels to move it; 2. The pontoons snap off as do other parts for storage or transport; 3. It has an actual bass seat up on a pedestal; 4. It has a really large rudder with controls operable from either side of the seat; 5. Built in horizontal rod/paddle staging on its exterior and rod storage inside the pontoons; 6. Seat swivels a full 360 degrees; 7. Comes with vertical rod holders; 8. Bags for Plano boxes off the side of the seat, another "dry bag" on the back of the seat; 9. A platform in front and in the rear to stand, I think 36 square feet in total; 10. Jackson's Pedal Drive, 12 to 1 gearing and it is the one that "kicks up" if you run into a log or something; 11. Electric motor ready, multiple mounting options for a standard TM, fish finders, etc. I'm likely missing as much as I have listed. Cons: 1. Might not be allowed in "kayak" competitive fishing contests; 2. High seat and rider will catch a lot of wind; 3. 48" wide meaning it won't be easy to paddle. I'll write a separate report once I get it and test it on the water. Brad

It's a valid observation made by Toxic and others about adding weight to a Senko . . . since its primary advantage relates to the way it shimmers down through the water. Of course, wind and wave action have to be taken into consideration so there'd be just a couple of reasons for adding a bit of weight. Another good set up is a straight-shanked worm hook, this over an offset or EWG styled hooks. Texas Rig it so that the point of the hook lies just below the surface of the worm. Makes it pretty much weedless and it makes for a tremendous hook angle to come bounding out of the plastic on a hook set. Some of these straight-shanked worm hooks seem a bit smaller to me so going up to a 4/0 or even larger won't feel large at all. Brad

I think where Ned Rigs are being used, it is a super presentation. Very productive. Odd, though, as I know many pros have a rod rigged with a drop shot on deck at all times, I am uncertain whether I have heard of or seen anyone fishing in the bigger pro tournament formats . . . using Ned Rigs. Are they mixing it in with their finesse arsenals? Brad

Great video of Chad Smith and his super year as a co-angler. He moves to the front of a boat next year, should do great. Thanks for sharing! Regarding the drop shot, since I fish from either my canoe or my kayak, I only drop shot in relatively shallow water with the exception of one particular lake. One technique when the fish are right up on the bank is to pitch a drop shot so the sinker lands a few inches or a foot or so up on dry land, this places your plastic bait right at the water's edge, then slowly drag it in. Since shallow water drop shots are more presented more horizontally than the more vertical deeper water techniques, even a 12" leader down to the sinker likely puts the plastic at around 3 or 4" deep, great for even a foot of water. I'd actually like MORE opportunities to drop shot deep but, alas, the combination of windy Texas lakes and big and fast moving bass boats makes it a little sketchy for me. So, I typically hug the shoreline and drop shot away with good results! Brad

Just coincidentally, I had a Fat Ika in my lure collection I took out with me Saturday and I had broken off something else, tied it on to 10/8 braid/fluoro leader combo on a M spinning rod. Well, thusly described, let me say that a Fat Ika is slightly too heavy for a M spinning rod in my opinion. And, since the body of the Fat Ika is so thick and seemingly a tougher denser plastic, it is infamously tough to get that hook stuck really well. Yanking on a Medium power, again, might be a little weak on the required hook set. To this, since the Fat Ika casts a mile, again, one often have so much line out that you likely need more rod to set the hook with the extra slack. I'd go with a MH power . . . though in general I like my spinning rods powered down a notch from casting gear. For 4" Keitech shad-like baits? A M power works great. Brad

Agreed. Tightening down the drag on my Stradic Ci4+ 2500 would put the drag setting at 14 lbs. as I recall. And, with 8 lbs. leader tied to 10 lbs. braid, if I had a large bass make a sprint, assuming the drag was accurate and not giving in, I'd have to "back reel" off line and it just wouldn't be even a fraction of the amount I'd need to let out to keep the pressure off the 8 lbs. leader. Those runs happen so fast, so violent. But, I don't doubt for a minute that people do it, as J Francho mentions, especially those with weak drag systems. Ideally, though, no, that is not the intended technique, at least not the text book version of it. *** I am reminded of flying kites as a kid way up on windy days where we'd let a whole lot of line out sort of controlling it (like a drag), then a huge gust of wind would grab the kite and we'd let the line spool spin through our fingers, else the kite would break off. Brad

And, it'll depend on what the bottom looks like. My home lake, Lake Athens, here in Texas has a ton of vegetation and a Ned Rig could just disappear down into it making it hard to see. On the other hand, I can use a relatively long leader down to the sinker, say 18", and the worm will be dancing above the vegetation. Say, if your angler is using a 6" drop shot sinker leader, you could check various heights to see if you can find some a bit higher in the water column. Even 30" might work and you can snip off leader length to hone in on the proper depth. Good luck . . . catch some fish! Brad

It looks like the thread here has pretty much run its course; but, I wanted to add something that I don't think has been mentioned. When you flip over to activate back reeling, your drag system is still operable . . . nothing changes there. So, if a fish takes off, the drag will operate just fine. The back reeling, or letting out additional line just allows the angler to add onto this. Not that a whole lot of us don't make minor adjustments to our drags "mid-fight" as sometimes the size of a fish or its power dictates some adjustment. Easy to do. I bet all of do this since most drag dials are so convenient. Anyway, it wasn't clear to me whether non-users of back-reeling might think that in that mode, the handle and line are "fixed." That is, the line movement is 1 to 1 with us turning the handle. Of course, the issue is we could never back reel fast enough to keep up with, say, a small mouth bass that has seen the boat and takes off. We'd certainly lose fish that way, else have to let loose of our handles and get one heck of a mess of line knotted up. So, back reeling is both supplemental to line going out via drag; and, it can let line out preemptively . . . before the drag kicks in for things like giving a fish some room to turn, to take pressure off of it but not too much where the rod would unload. Brad

Most won't miss the ability to back reel. What, 1 out of 20, 50, maybe 100 anglers use it these days? And, the Nasci reel is a very good selection in that price range, by the way. I have a few of them, like them. No, I like a Stradic Ci4+ more . . . but they are over 2X more in price. I just wanted to mention that drag is very effective but generally limited to pulls by the fish straight away from the angler. I assume everyone here knows we use spinning gear much differently than casting gear: the rod loads up and pins the fish to the hook, the fish tires, we reel down on the line during that respite like a tactical tug-of-war and we seamlessly reload our rods. Put that bend back in it. We often repeat this several times to land the fish. So, with back reeling, if a fish's "vector" is, say, left-to-right or right-to-left and not running straight away from you or straight down deeper, by back reeling you have more options to move/control its head, give it line or turn the fish. I'm only modestly good at it, would like to perfect back reeling if I had the right conditions to work on it; but, the anglers who've mastered it really impress me. From boxing, they'd be analogous to counter-punchers. Brad

I was an advocate of the Gamakatsu Swivel hooks and a nose-hooked roboworm where, as shown in a previous post by blckshort98, the hook point is driven through the "chin" but not out the "nose," stays embedded in the plastic. I used this for years with great results, good hook-up and landing ratios. Then, I had one of the oddest days of my life just this past spring where I was flipping out a drop shot and getting bit and I went, literally, 0 for 20. Nothing stayed on. It was during the spawn and I think they were picking it up and swimming it away from their beds but not grabbing the hooks. Oh Well. So, I thought about it all week long, went back out the very next weekend with a small Roboworm Rebarb hook, T-Rigged it where the hook point lies just below in the plastic at a very strong penetrating angle and I was just so surprised at how much better my hook ups were, how many fewer fish were able to sling it off with a jump. I haven't gone back to the Gamakatus hooks since then . . . though I'll likely use the swivel hooks when I am fishing more vertically. One point is something we all know and that is the hook point is about an inch lower in the worm and that can make a significant difference compared to a nose hooked worm. I love the Roboworm Rebarb hooks, all sizes. Gamakatsu makes them, by the way. *** One T-rigging tip with the Rebarb hook's bait keeper up high on the hook: After you pass the point through the nose, then threading it back through the plastic, be certain to "turn" and orient your worm BEFORE you push it up and into the bait keeper. If you wait and push it up first, then twist it into place, it'll rake through the plastic, tear the interior up and lessen the plastic's integrity right where the bait keeper needs something to bite into. Brad

I've heard of them, just never used any of these hooks. But, I generally like the idea as they are closer to a straight shanked hook in terms of having the open point . . . more so than an offset or an EWG. If the supposed "cam" action works and the hook twists on a hook set, I suppose it makes sense that it might find "tissue" to snag up in while it is being pulled toward the fish's mouth opening. Or even in presentations where the fish sets the hook on itself. I have reverted to straight shank worm hooks and just find my hook up ratio is so greatly improved over EWGs of any sort. I'm like others here and would only use an EWG, now, for really fat plastics where I do think they make more sense. Brad