This is the one I use. When I tie it, the hook and the big loop are basically in the palm of my hand hidden and the eye down to the lure keeper are exposed. I make all of the wraps right behind the eye, using the pressure of the next wrap to slide the previous wraps back towards the lure keeper. After the last wrap I use my thumb to pinch everything from the keeper to the eye in place and thread the tag end back through the big loop. Skip step 4 in the diagram below.
Note, I only tie the snell on straight shank pitching hooks and throwing heavier setups (1/2 oz and up, 20# mono/50# braid and up). I'm not convinced about the benefits of always hooking them in the roof of the mouth (though I usually do). I'm more concerned about the weight banging on the knot coming through heavy cover and the overall 'cleanness' of the rig.
I want it fast for the occasional times when a bass grabs the jig/plastic and starts swimming at you quickly. Faster reel picks up the line faster. Buy a good reel with good gears and don’t worry about the gear ratio.
yellow 832 is probably going to be your best bet then. You can’t miss it on the water. I fish 10# on my bfs rod for what you describe. I also fish 30# and 50# on casting and used to fish the 10# on a spinning rod until I swapped to 131 (which doesn’t come in high vis).
For 3/8 plus a trailer you’re right in the sweet spot for a head turner. Fast tip but a half ounce total bait weight will load it up well. That’s my usual range for it- 3/8-1/2 plus trailer. You won’t be disappointed.
That’s the BFS labeled rod. I bought one in June from TW for $125. I wanted it for 1/8oz Ned rigs and 1/16 Texas rigs. I didn’t like it.
Not fast in action. It has a lot more bend deep into the rod when casting far more relaxed stroke. And the tip wasn’t light enough to go down to a 1/8 head plus finesse trd. I mean it was fine, but not what I wanted.
I moved to the phoenix ml on a suggestion from frydog and gave my dad the curado since that’s all he fishes. For a 6” swamp crawler and a 1/16 or 1/8 weight it’s a good spinning rod replacement (he doesn’t like a spinning rod).
im excited to try the new Falcon Cara BFS that they just announced. 7’2”, falcon 3-power. 1/8-5/8 I think.
Braid is about the same as mono for creating a backlash. It hurts a lot more when you have to cut one out that’s braid vs mono. I don’t get more than one cut it out a year (usually inattentiveness on my part) but the occasional minor overrun isn’t a thing. Just cast those out.
if you’re having issues with backlashes, figure out if it’s at the start of your cast or end of your cast. If the start, add some brakes and smooth your stroke. If at the end, train your thumb a little more.
The CI4 Chronarch and MGl are one generation apart with the MGL being newer (and the current model). The MGL has brass gears and micromodule gearing. Of course it has the MGL spool. I'm not sure if the Ci4 was brass or aluminum gearing. Otherwise they are basically the same reel. Given a choice, the MGL spool is a big benefit. In your chart they are the same price so MGL all the way. $120 used is a good price for one.
I don't have the Scoprion/Curado so you'll have to search here. However, the 200 size isn't what you want for lighter lures. I'd take it off the list. The specs for the scorpion MGL are basically 150 size so I assume its a direct analog for the curado 150 MGL.
Below are pictures of the JDM met and the USDM Chronarch MGL. I don't have one with the Bantam in it. The Met is smaller in the hand than the 150 Chronarch. I don't know the official size designation, but the model name is just "Metanium" on digitaka. I believe its the 20 Met. I'd guess it to be a 100 size nominally from the line capacity. The Bantam I have is the same size as the Met and looks almost identical aside from the 'nose' being a little wider, though the underneath levelwind is the same width. I think its just cosmetic honestly. The bantam is a little heavier than the met. Both are solid as a brick 'outhouse'.
Between the three at basically the same price point (per your file) I would pick the met or bantam over the chronarch. The frame is more solid and I think it could take more abuse which is a consideration when buying used. That said, both of my chronarchs were bought used and are fine. My dad's chronarchs are going on 6? 7? years now and are like new, though he babies them.
Between the met and bantam? Flip a coin. The bantam is a little heavier but on a 7'2" MH rod you're not going to notice a difference. I think that 'heavier' buys a little more durability but I can't say for sure. My 7'2" MH has a chronarch on it, my 7'3" H has the bantam but I could and have swapped them around. My other chronarch is on my 6'11" heavy frog/swimbait rod and the met is on my 6'10" MH do everything rod.
There is no wrong answer in those three for me and I'd happily add any of them to the lineup.
casts_by_fly's post in Deal lake was marked as the answer
I've not fished it so that this for what its worth, but last I heard was that it had a lot of salt water intrusion the past 10-15 years and isn't the bass lake it used to be.
Hopefully you're in a boat, because shore access is limited to the lower lake really which is a pretty soulless and featureless kinda place. The pictures and video I've seen of the lake would make me want to fish the southern arm as it has a bit more depth and a narrower width so deeper water nearer shallower water in more places. I understand it gets a bit of pretty too, so if I were to make the 90 minute drive (which I wouldn't) I'd be fishing the 2 hours before sunup for active fish, then pitching the heavy cover with texas rigs and some finesse type stuff once the sun came out. Off the water by about 8 AM for breakfast on the boardwalk and head home.
every situation is different and sometimes the bass want a fast drop while others a slow fall and swim. That said, you’re describing a lot of what I have here. Grass, not super heavy pads, likely modest depths to 15’ or so. If I only had one weight for all of that it would be a 1/4 oz. It’s not going to push down through heavier cover at all but if you pick the holes when pitching it will be okay and fishing the edges it’s great. That said, I’d advise having 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 on you. I’ll occasionally throw 1/8 or 3/4 but that’s once or twice a season each. I’ll have both 1/4 and 3/8 tied on most trips this time of year. Usually both are fine and fishing the same, I’ll just have two different plastics rigged.
On a straight J hook (no offset eye, no offset point), you're pulling the hook point directly in line with the line itself. There is nothing blocking the hook other than the bait itself.
When you offset the eye, whether an EWG or a standard offset offset hook, now the hook point is 'hiding' behind the eye of the hook and the little bend. The fish has to press your bait inside that gap and the hook point has to catch on something in the fish's mouth as you pull. Obviously it still works or else we wouldn't use them, but you lose just a little bit of hookup ratio.
An offset hook point is to try and get some of that back. This is an extreme example from circle hooks (which are an extreme hook in the first place), but if you look at (b) below while thinking about the picture on the right of (a), there isn't a lot of space for the fish's mouth meat to get into that gap. So you offset the point like in (c) so that its easier to catch. The same with bass hooks (picture below). That little bit of offset lets the hook point snag just a little piece of mouth meat as you then drive it home.
We have timber rattlers and copperheads here. I've not seen either in NJ yet. We get a LOT of eastern milk snakes here at the house (and some garter snakes). We used to get a lot more when we had pavers for our back porch and they could get into the voids around them hunting. Same with the tiny ring neck snakes which used to hunt salamanders and worms in the pavers. Our woods behind the house are filled with rocks and voids so I'm surprised we don't get more of the poisonous snakes given how many chipmunks and mice are around.
I saw one in NY when we lived there. It was mid summer and I was walking the dog in some WMA swampy/thicket. We were heading out and I decided to take a shortcut walking along a chainlink fence that was securing a small pumping station because they weed wacked all around it. We were creeping under the trees when I looked not 20' in front of us to see one sunning in an opening. Solid 36" snake. Fortunately that dog had good recall and we avoided the issue. I definitely had to change my shorts when we got home.
Water snakes are everywhere around here at the lakes and ponds. This part of NJ is very upland so swamps and damp areas everywhere so plenty of water snakes and their prey. I thought one was going to climb in the boat yesterday. It was a bigger one and avoided me as I went down the bank only to circle around behind me and start closing in on the stern. It eventually left. The biggest one I've ever seen in person was at a pond nearby. A solid 36" snake and as big as my wrist at its thickest:
Baby milk, about 8". They have tiny teeth and like to use them when threatened. And everything threatens a baby snake.
That's probably not far off on the price for two biugger units and a live imaging option. The specific units and any deals/rebates going on will influence it.
Since you have two already and the HDS units are pretty good units then I'd probably stick with Lowrance if you're happy and then network them all together. Leave the two there and add two (unless you need to sell one or both to recoup cash). A newer unit at the console for side imaging, leave the current one there for mapping. Add a new live imaging unit at the bow and leave the HDS there for mapping/depth charts and waypoints. The only thing to consider is if adding the HDS1's will degrade what the new transducers are showing. Sometimes when you hook up an older unit to a network the lower common denominator/spec wins out and everything degrades to the lower level.
It sounds like you're just general surf fishing for the little beach stuff like whiting, small reds, and 'whatever comes along'. I've done a bunch of that in the outer banks just up the coast where you'll be. Depending on the surf and tides I was throwing 1-4 oz and a two hook rig on lighter surf gear (9-10' rod, 6000 size reel, rated for up to 4 oz).
I fished straight mono and it doesn't have to be heavy. My lighter rod is 12# pline CXX which is actually pretty big diameter and tests out around 18# (and is a hard/slick mono). My bigger rod has a similar diameter. All of my bottom rigs are on 30 lb cheap mono. If you're fishing 30 lb braid, something like 20-25# big game would be fine for what you're doing. Abrasion is the biggest issue when you're only throwing a couple ounces and big game is good and hard/slick.
A wide mesh rubber coated net solves nearly all of those problems. Multiple trebles will still hook up, but they are unhooked easily as they only wrap around a given mesh point, not bury into the material like a fine mesh net. Also, when you net the fish, if you can leave the whole net in the water the fish will chill out quickly most of the time and stop making more of a mess of the hooks.
if the motorguide is your primary means of getting from A to B, then get the 100 AH, especially if you fish lakes bigger than 200 acres or so. I have the Old town autopilot which is similarly powered and power hungry. I run the 80 ah battery from amped. A lot of my trips and lakes are under 300 acres and 5 hours. There are no problems there whatsoever. I have a couple 500-2500 acre lakes that I'll do a full day on. At the end of the day I'll be <20% battery and will have scaled back the speed a little to ensure I get home. With the extra 20 AH I wouldn't even slow it down. With a 60 AH I wouldn't have been able to fish that long.
In my boat with my motor, you get about 2 hours of full speed running plus enough 'fishing speed' motoring. Spot lock doesn't take much power unless you're in current. Even in wind you'll be on <40% throttle to hold position which is next to nothing. Full speed motoring is what draws the power. Even 90% will extend your run time incredibly.
im finding the same thing the more I’m using them. I’ve come to the point where instead of swapping to a crankbait I’ll just treat the jerkbait light a crankbait at times when they don’t want it jerked. It means more time with a lure in the water and less second guessing. Just fish it and keep varying the retrieve until you find what they are eating.
My autopilot is remote only. There are times when a foot pedal would be better. At times I’d like to be able to move the boat mid cast and right now I have to stop reeling and grab the remote. Not a problem fishing a Texas rig (probably a good thing!). A little different if it’s a spinnerbait through brush piles.
that said, having the remote around my neck with all the capabilities available with just a touch is really nice. Spotlock you can just stomp with a foot pedal but things like navigation and cruise control are really handy and I believe a bit tougher to do with just a foot pedal.
since you have the remote, use it and see how you get on. If you feel you’re missing something, then pick up the foot pedal.
So based on where you are and what you’re talking about, I don’t think you’re too far off where you need to be. PA doesn’t have the big heavy cover so much. A medium heavy covers most of what you want with a heavy thrown in here and there.
id take rod #1 and make it your topwater rod. It’s a little shorter and perfect for walking baits or even buzzbaits. I’d probably leave it with the 8.5:1. I’d use 17 lb mono or similar but ymmv.
Leave the fury for what you do with it, but put the pro qualifier on it. If you like braid for that then great. I prefer mid size mono like 16 supernatural, but you pick for you.
The bucoo sr is also known as the trapcaster. It’s too light for a frog rod, but it’s a perfect crank bait rod. Put the slx dc on it with the 6.x:1 gear ratio. That’s a perfect setup for small to medium crank baits 1/4-1/2 oz.
that leaves a hole in the heavy/fast department. Only having one, you’ll want it to cover frogs, heavier pitching, bigger bottom rigs, etc. Length is your preference if you like longer or shorter and which of those things is more important to you. Something around 7’-7’4” rated 3/8-1, maybe 3/8-1.5 depending on the maker and rod.
With those four rods you’ll cover anything you normally will be fishing. It won’t cover big swim baits and it won’t cover finesse (you’ll need a spinning rod). But with that set you’ll catch a bunch of fish.
My grandma had a bait shop for longer than I can recall. The bulk of the business was trout season in the spring and then guys just buying worms for the river. Most every worm sold in that shop was picked by hand, at night, by my dad. Starting in march (feb in a really warm spring) he’d be out most Friday or Saturday nights picking. This was after a 40 hour week in construction.
you have to find a good location. His best (and about the only place he needed most of the time) was a soccer field that had good soil and lots of use. Then a good warm day and /or rain in the evening was enough to bring them out. The more warm rain the better. I joined as much as I was allowed. The really warm and wet nights would have worms crawling around on the surface which were easy to just pick up. Less wet nights had worms part way out of their holes and you had to pin them with one finger and pick them with three more. You could get into the hang of it without hurting them. You’d be on one knee (your picking hand) with your other knee up and the light in that side hand. Elbow on your knee, light by your head. No LED lights here- they would be too bright. A metal coffee can with a rope through a pair of drilled holes was your bucket. Pick, drop it in the bucket, find another, pick, move, repeat. From sunset until you couldn’t do anymore.
my dad built two wooden boxes that were 24”x18”x12” deep with latches on the front and hinges on the back. On good nights he’d fill both boxes in an all nighter. On really good nights he’d fill both early, bring them to grandmas shop, and go back out to fill them again. Grandma kept plastic ‘worm boxes’ in the downstairs fridges which I think were originally clothes storage boxes that were 10x18x3”. It was a full sized fridge and they were multiply stacked. I think you could fit 4 dozen night crawlers in one and at least 10 dozen red worms in one. I’m going to guess between the two fridges she’d have 40 containers at a time going, maybe more. That’s in addition to the full two fridges in the front room with them packed by the one or two dozens. Worms were the biggest volume and when you’re picking them for free you take advantage of all you can.
I thought I replied to this thread but I think I got distracted and never submitted it.
first, get on the Facebook autopilot group. It’s a pretty big group now and guys have experienced most everything possible with the autopilots now.
second, you won’t find anything from mine kota on that motor because it was sold by old town. Even though they are the same company, you have to go through old town for everything. That motor isn’t a retail item, what you bought was a kayak that just happened to come with a minn kota motor.
third, that’s a shim for the shaft from inside the ball. You should be able to just put it back. I’m pretty sure it comes as a two piece item in the first place so that it can be put in after everything else is assembled and so it is replaceable. Give old town a call or email and they will help with instructions, but you should still be in good shape with the part you have. If the ball is loose that makes sense. There are two screws on the ball to clamp it tighter. Put the shim in place and tighten it all back up. It’s a common problem on some assemblies.
In the case that you don't, this is your winter project. Pull the U-bolts and the upright off the trailer. hit it with a wire wheel to get all of the rust and then prime it with rust proof primer and paint. That should stop the rust and problems.
Then again, if you're going to that effort, you might as well paint the whole trailer, right? Then its all the same color and matches like new.
But if you're going to all that effort, you might as well just trade it in for a new boat...
Shorter rods were far more common 20+ years ago. A 7’ rod was long. A 6’ rod was fairly common. But with a short rod you don’t want to take up a quarter of it with a grip and seat, so you use a short grip or a pistol grip. If this rod is whole, then try it out for baits in the range the rod handles. You might like a short rod and grip. Sounds like a good walking bait rod or a tight quarters spinner bait rod.
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