TNcreekfishing

I bought some santone finesse jigs from tackle warehouse earlier in 3/16oz. I figure with that and the trailer I’ll be at or a little over 1/4 and maybe I will hit that middle ground just right.

Thanks for the responses everyone. I’m a little slow to reply cause I’m at work but I appreciate the feedback. What would you think for max weight?

One of my favorite YouTubers is ndyakangler and in some of his older videos I’ve seen him use a 5’10 m/xf st croix LTB rod for fishing bitsy bugs. I know for bigger jigs that a mh-h casting rod is ideal but I’ve always liked using a spinning rod for bottom contact. So I have a victory 6’8 m/xf and an avid 6’6 m/f and was wanting to use one for smaller finesse style jigs. Which would you guys use and what is the max you would go on jig weight? 1/8, 3/16 or 1/4? I definitely don’t want to overload the rod. I was also wondering about jig styles and brands because I’m having a hard time finding ones with a light wire hook in lower weight. I figure it would be smart to not have a thick wire, heavy duty hook using a medium rod. Thanks guy! 🙏

@Brian11719 awesome details brother and thank you for the input. I’m basically just wondering if it’s gonna benefit me tremendously to go for a fast action rod over the XF. I haven’t fished this rod yet so I don’t know what it handles like.

Hey all, hope everyone is having a good day. So I’m trying to devote myself to building confidence in smaller soft swimbaits. Specifically baits such as 3.8 keitechs and zman minnows which are 3 inches. I will be using ballhead jigs and Zman finesse heads in the ranges of 1/8-3/16oz. I fish a lot in rivers and larger creeks and primarily targeting smallmouth in waters that typically run from shallow-7 foot at the deepest. My big question is about my rod power and action. I know with lighter weights like I intend to use, a spinning setup is more appropriate and I was wondering if the one I have would work for this technique. It is a tatula bass spinning rod 6’10 M/XF model #TTU6101MXS. Specs are on the ML side which is good for the lighter weight but I’m concerned the XF action would cause me problems. Will this setup work or is the monkey gonna get me?? Thanks for the input guys!

@Cranks4fun yea I think I’m gonna put some mono on the 6’6 medium/fast hmg I have and use it for the smaller cranks I have. It’s a beautiful rod I really like it aesthetically and given the Fenwick name I’m sure it’ll perform well. I just didn’t want the fast action to be too quick for the trebles.. but at the same time I wonder how much truth there is to that.

@MN Fisher I ended up ordering the MH/MF cranker model in the victory today. I’m excited and hopefully won’t take it long to get here since it’s on back order. Thanks for the recommendation and thanks to everyone for your input.

@MN Fisher haha, I emailed them and they said they’re looking into it. Smart man to not sit around and think too long on it 😂

@Eric 26 hey I appreciate the feedback. Yea I have a brand new last gen Fenwick hmg that’s a 6’6 M/f with a basic 6:1 lews lfs on it and was trying to determine if i should just throw some mono on it for the added stretch to compensate for the fast action in helping to keep the fish from shaking the trebles. I would be using it from a kayak and liked the idea of having a shorter rod for target fishing the cranks over laydowns and in tight spots but you know how it goes.. as fishermen we want to be as efficient as possible and love buying new gear.. no one wants to lose that 5lber wondering if they’d had the right setup it could have been prevented. @MN Fisher and for some reason ALF isn’t showing the st croix rods at sales price anymore even though it’s supposed to be going until tomorrow.

I see on ALFs website for the victory they have a model called the “target cranker”. It’s basically the same specs but a moderate action instead of moderate fast. Would that be better for specifically fishing treble hook baits? And I assume even though it’s moderate action it’s still graphite?

Bad thing is all the rods are on back order 😂. I got an alert from ALF and was looking some yesterday. I didn’t look at the victory but even other models I was looking into were sold out like crazy. Yea I get what you’re saying about a MH rod possibly overpowering the 1.5s but I do like how a MH allows me to throw a those slightly larger treble swim baits as well. That’s why I heavily considered the dobyns because it’s a MH but from reports it’s very whippy and more Mediumish power.

First off, thanks to anyone who has input on this major indecision that I have 😂. Basically, I want a rod that I can dedicate to squarebills and small swim baits. I have a bunch of strike king 1.5s and 6th sense crush cranks that I would be primarily using this for but I also would like to use it for small swim baits like the Machshad series that weighs 7/16 oz. I figured a crankbait rod would work well with these beings they have treble hooks and aren’t GIANT swimbaits that require a SB rod. Beings that these are reaction baits I’m not looking for anything high end or super sensitive, I just want what’s going to keep the fish pinned best and help me land it. I’ve narrowed it down to 3 and those are the Lews KVD composite crank rod in MH/M, Dobyns fury CB and I also really like the way the new Fenwick HMG cranking series looks in MH/MF. It’s the age old composite/glass vs graphite debate I know but I gave specific brands and models so I hope that helps. I also have a bunch of fast action rods and wonder if I just through some mono on those for the added stretch if it would be good enough…? I’ve never had any confidence in cranks and I’ve never even caught a crankbait bass but I want to change that. I hope I can find some people who have experience with these models and also if there are any suggestions around $120-130 I would be open. Thanks guys! 🙏

@TnRiver46 You weren’t lyin, caught these at boat ramp right beside Roddy branch. I thought this would still be smallmouth territory but I’m not complaining it’s a good fish.

@TnRiver46 small world, my mom actually grew up on that road. Never been down it but I know that area cause I lived a couple years right up from there on old knoxville hwy but wasn’t into fishing back then so I didn’t get to scope it out. It’s a wonderful thing to be able to come on here and make a post then hear from someone who knows the area. I’m gonna drive over there when I get off work today and check the area out.

@TnRiver46 😂 that’s awesome man, I was really hoping for someone who knew this area and you were the first to comment, that’s perfect. Thank you so much for the info. Yea, I knew something was up when the bite just died with the weather and I was talking to my boss who worked at Rockford Manufacturing and he was telling me to go down that way. I know exactly where you’re talking about I’ve fished from the bank there at the park behind 4 corners market before but didn’t have much luck. I really wish I had a kayak to get in there and fish the other side close to the golf course because there are a lot of logs and lay downs so fingers crossed I told my wife that’s all I wanted for Christmas. Sadly I’m stuck on the bank right now so time to google earth the area for some bank access areas.