casts_by_fly

Falcon 7’ trapcaster/all-around is a good choice. I have one and fish dt-4/6 on it. I imagine the Mansfield is pretty good too.

i have 5 falcons. Three bucoo sr and two expert. The 5 power would be what you want. In the bucoo I have the 1/4-3/4oz 7’ trapcaster, the 6’10” pitchin stick (head turner), and the 7’ 3/8-1 oz dragger 1. The lizard dragger is a 6 power and really needs a half ounce. A 1/2 oz chatterbait with a zako is great. A 3/8 chatterbait with a zako is good. You could get by with the heavier end of your list but not the lighter stuff. The head turner would be similar even with the lighter rating. The trapcaster will throw what your want very well. I fished mine with 12-17 mono last year and also 17 fluoro for a while. I mostly kept it at the higher end of lure weights. A 1/4 oz Tokyo rig with a big beaver is great. This year I put 30 lb 832 braid on it. I fished it today for the first time (plus yard casting) and I think it’s a big difference. I would also like to try the mh/f version in the low rider or expert. let me throw another into consideration. The 6’10” finesse jig. I have the expert series. It will throw a 1/8 oz Texas rigged 5” worm easily and has a nice backbone. Also great for topwaters and finesse jigs as the name implies.

Made it out for a couple hours today. I was looking for northerns but none were obliging so I fished the other side of the lake back to the ramp. There is one spot where the deepest creek channel swings up against a 5’ rock covered flat (about the only rocks in the lake). I fished it every trip last year and caught all of 2 perch. I gave up on smallies being in this lake despite the rumors. But I wanted to see how my trapcaster rod paired with braid (it’s just okay with mono) for later in the season so put on a Red eye shad and started casting. 30lb 832 Braid transforms the rod, but that’s another thread. A half a dozen casts later and I felt a mushy tick so set the hook. First I thought i was snagged, then when she rolled I thought it was a drum as black as it was. It was only when she slid into the net that I realized it was a smallmouth. Taped out at a pinch over 20” and 4.1 lb. The picture sucks because i just take a quick snap but the numbers don’t lie. nice start to ice out.

Made it out for a couple hours today. I was looking for northerns but none were obliging so I fished the other side of the lake back to the ramp. There is one spot where the deepest creek channel swings up against a 5’ rock covered flat (about the only rocks in the lake). I fished it every trip last year and caught all of 2 perch. I gave up on smallies being in this lake despite the rumors. But I wanted to see how my trapcaster rod paired with braid (it’s just okay with mono) for later in the season so put on a Red eye shad and started casting. 30lb 832 Braid transforms the rod, but that’s another thread. A half a dozen casts later and I felt a mushy tick so set the hook. First I thought i was snagged, then when she rolled I thought it was a drum as black as it was. It was only when she slid into the net that I realized it was a smallmouth. Taped out at a pinch over 20” and 4.1 lb. The picture sucks because i just take a quick snap but the numbers don’t lie. nice start to ice out.

I never fished Zander. They weren’t in my area. Greyling were mostly on a fly rod. Drift small nymphs and other bug like things. Little pink maggot looking nymphs were usually the best. I also fished a centerpin for them with actual maggots. Tons of fun. I caught a few that touched 20” in the time I was there.

We might have gotten 3” of snow Wednesday afternoon but it’s largely melted now and the lakes are clear. I’m heading out in about an hour to a local one. Nominally I’m looking for prespawn pike but they like in the same places and eat the same lures as the bass so…

That's mostly me too. I'm fishing out of a kayak, so I carry 4-6 rods depending on the lake and time of year. I do have a crankbait rod (shimano crucial 7' MH/MF) but it can double as a swimbait rod easily (though it only has 10 lb on it so I limit what else I do with it). Its often the first rod that stays home when the grass is up and crankbaits limited, but I still fish cranks on my other rods (depending on the crank, any of 3 rods might get it). If there is a good chance of throwing crankbaits, its in the boat. The initial inspiration was the 7'8" Falcon Expert "Toledo special" which is a 3/8-3/4 MH/S. Its such a specialized rod, I got to thinking "in what situation could I justify buying and using it"? Only two came to mind- I could carry enough rods in a locker that something that specialized wasn't taking away from something else, or I was so dedicated to crankbaits that this specific rod became a requirement. All of my rods do double duty, so logically the existence of that rod in my set would imply that I had specialized to a point of only throwing cranks. Hence the question.

Wow, I sense a lot of ‘like’ but not ‘love’ for crank baits here. No David Fritts on the board! Full disclosure, I’m not a finesse guy or a slow guy. Anything I have to let sit for more than a half second is too much. For me, a jig, Tokyo rig, or similar gets pitched, sink to the bottom, enough time to sigh that a fish didn’t eat it, and repeat. Wacky rigs, shaky heads, etc just don’t factor in. I’ll work on that, but that’s working on my patience more than my ability. I much prefer a moving bait and for the lakes here, a chatterbait or spinnerbait is a good shout. Crankbaits feature well when grass doesn’t interfere. My thought initially was that in non grass lakes you might actually be able to throw just cranks year round. Maybe there would be some days when not, but generally you could year round. I thought it would be an interesting exercise in gear/rod management. Something specific for small square bills and dt-4/6, a bit more for mid cranks, one for deep cranks, another yet for lipless. Then of course one for jerkbaits. amazing how much the bait monkey emphasizes crank baits when so few of you would commit to the number the bait monkey says… Yeah that.

Hi All, Winter took a new grip here and so I haven't made it out. Like everyone, I'm perusing the forums and catalogs until I can actually fish. Inspired by seeing some specialized crankbait rods that are more specialized than I can justify since I can't carry 30 rods at a time (YMMV), I wondered if a crankbait only strategy could work. Crankbaits are year-round lures for sure. But could you fish them to the exclusion of ALL else? To put some bounds, standard crankbaits, lipless crankbaits, wakebaits (e.g. KVD2.5 wake), and jerkbaits are all allowed. Swimbaits/glidebaits/spybaits and NOT in these rules. What area of the country are you in, what type of lakes are you fishing, and could you fish with hardbody cranks exclusively? For me, I think the answer would be no. Fishing northeast natural lakes, I end up with too much grass Jul-Sep across too many lakes that I just wouldn't be able to fish those lakes. I'd be restricted to 1/3 of the lakes I fish. That said, I always have a crank of some type tied on and grass aside I'd be inclined to try it. thanks, rick

no. The voltage is the same regardless of how many things you have on it. If you hooked up two motors and two fish finders to a 36v battery you’d immediately have two blown fish finders and probably two blown motors. if you plan to run two fishfinders and two motors (still don’t know why two motors) then you’ll need three batteries. I don’t know your usage plan, but I’d be looking to a pair of group 27 (one for each trolling motor) and another smaller battery for the ff. If you can swing lithium then an 18 Ah lithium should hold you for the fishfinders. If no lithium, then you’ll want a 30 Ah capacity lead acid.

Frogs and toads are your friend. I always loved duckweed for that. It’s not as thick so when the fish hit there isn’t any weed in the way yet it still forms a semi solid mat.

I weighed it last night at 9 oz with a full spool of mono. Mine is the HS also. I picked up the rod last year as a topwater rod and put an STX on it. Great combo. When I put the MGX on it last month it was a huge difference. I think my uses will be similar to yours. Its a great rod for walking baits, but I fished the rod with a finesse jig last year to good effect. It is a great 3/8 oz chatterbait rod and I'm sure it will be good for 3/8 and lighter spinnerbaits (I normally start at 1/2 oz). I want to fish a little more light texas rig this year and it will be great with 1/8 oz and a beaver. I also know what you men comparing it to other rods. My other new to me rod is a 7'3" amistad heavy with an STX. Haven't weighed it, but its noticable...

I didn’t realize the reel was physically smaller than my sx and stx reels. They are the same exact size as each other but the mgx is just a bit smaller and a lot lighter. Perfect for the rod I put it on.

not made in the USA if that’s your killer criteria. Interesting lengths and powers and I’m interested in more info also.

I just picked up an mgx also (bass pro sale?) and put it on a falcon expert 6’10” mh. Haven’t weighed it yet but it’s gotta be close to that 8oz mark. Soooo light weight. Can’t wait to fish it in anger.

Not much point really. I assume you mean one on the front and one on the back. You can’t run both at the same time as that’s too much draw on the battery. You also won’t gain speed as the hull design. So you’re just as well to use the bow mount only and leave the other at home. for the fish finder, you’re likely to have interference if you’re running the ff and the motor at the same time. best bet, get a small battery for the fish finder and focus on one trolling motor. If you really want to use two, pick up another group 27.

14-17 suffix elite. I only throw fluoro for crank baits and elite is on most of my reels. So it just depends which rod I am putting it on. Mostly 17 lb.

I fished 12 lb cxx a bunch last year. It’s very strong and in line with 15-17 lb mono. I had a 600 yd spool that I ultimately put on a surf rod and it’s great there. Memory is awful. Doesn’t matter if you condition it. If you’re throwing moving baits maybe it works for you. It was fine for spinnerbaits and chatterbaits. 14 or 17 lb suffix elite mono is a better line for me.

this is me. I’ve never caught a fish on a Carolina rig. I throw one now and again when I think the lake and conditions are right for it, but still none. No matter the conditions I’ve never said in my head that a Carolina rig is the best thing here.

i agree that I don’t pay that. But that’s where they list most items most of the time it seems. SK blade minnows list at $6-$7 a bag. 1/2 oz original chatterbait in chartreuse and white is $7.23. Those are normal list prices but if you watch you’ll catch deals. That same chatterbait in green pumpkin black is $4.99 right now which isn’t bad considering it’s free shipping and I could have it tomorrow.

I don’t have a good local shop for bass stuff so I’m ordering from somewhere regardless. I agree with you on Amazon. The prices are often MSRP plus shipping even for prime members. Some sellers and also Amazon will do MSRP and free shipping which often works out about the same as ordering on sale and paying shipping from other outlets. And then you’ll get deals on Amazon of 20-40% off for whatever reason. These Abu Garcia reels are one. Falcon rods from swansons is another (the low rider all around fast is under $100 now and free shipping). I’ve got a couple things that often go dirt cheap (missile baits, original chatterbaits, etc) in my saved for later and when I see them cheap I’ll grab a couple.

Amazon has the revo sx marked down at the moment. It happens every couple weeks and the model varies. At the moment it’s the left hand retrieve high speed marked down to $120. That’s a steal for that quality of reel. the STX gets marked down to $160 frequently also and is a great buy at that price.

All of my diving has been salt water, primarily tropical locations. Visibility varies. We've never done 'chocolate milk' dives like in a stirred up quarry (who wants that?) but we've had more than a few dives in upwellings where you get a cloud of microorganisms and nutrients and you can't see more than 5'-10' or so.

Yes. I can't help from the bass perspective, but as a scuba diver I can tell you that even on dark days when the boat passes overhead you know it. I can also say that sonar pings are noticeable underwater. Most dive boats don't have them so I've not felt it before but we were in the bahamas in November and the boat we were on was a multi use boat that also trolled for bluewater fish. They left the sonar on while we were diving and every time you passed near it you could hear the pings/clicks. If you went directly under it it was actually painful for my ears as it created a pressure wave inside my ears/sinuses. I'm not sure if it bothered anyone else but it did me. I have to imagine that the bass feel it to since they are more attuned to being in the water than I am. rick

I use the falcon expert 6'10" finesse jig/topwater rod. I'm fishing it from a kayak. I don't hold the rod vertical, I'm more of a 45 degree and can walk a spook or sexy dawg with no problems at all. I throw 14 lb suffix elite on that rod. rick