shakey head fishing

[Todd_Clark]

OK, ive read the plethora of info regarding types of rod/reel/line reccomended for shakey head fishing.  Seems 8-10# floro is the line of choice and a spinning rig is the reel of choice.

I absolutely can NOT use a spinning reel worth a crap.  Ive tried and tried, just cant get the hang of it, i'm strictly a baitcasting kinda guy.  So, having said that, if i plan on sticking with a baitcaster,

A: what would be the best ratio

B: i presume 8-10# floro is still the line of choice, and why would you choose floro over mono?

[BassnChris]

Ratio in my opinion.....I use fastest reel I have.....shakey head doesn't really use the reel for action.....and mono vs fluro is just preference...again that's just my opinion.

 

i use spinning gear for shakey head.

[BiteFiend]

Since you shake slack when fishing a shakey head, I would go with flouro over mono. Flouro has superior slack line sensitivity when compared to mono. Provided that it isn't super clear water you are fishing, 10 lb should be fine. I find it easier to work with on a baitcaster than 8 lb; but go with whatever is most comfortable for you. 

[thebillsman]

I use 10lb InvizX and a 7.1:1.

Sensitive, low stretch for better hooksets, clear and great knot strength with the san diego jam.

[CNYBassin]

Fluoro over mono definitely for shaky heads. It's a finesse tactic, and you want the added "invisibility" of fluoro, and the bite sensitivity. Gear ratio is not awfully important with this technique, something in the 6.5:1 ratio should be just fine. I personally prefer 7:1 reels for just about everything, including cranking. Call me crazy.

 

With a baitcaster, you run into issues using real thin diameter line as it tends to dig into itself a lot more on the spool than thicker lines do. 10# test would be the minimum I think. That's why a spinning setup is better for this sort of technique. You're throwing less weight around, and you can probably get a further cast on a whippy spinning rod, something like a medium-light or medium power. Plus you can run 6 or 8# test line on a spinning reel with no issue.

 

If you're going to use the baitcaster, I wouldn't go any lighter than a 3/16 ounce shaky head. Might even wanna go up to 1/4 ounce. Put a zoom finesse worm, roboworm, or biospawn plasmatail on it. Just a regular straight tail worm. Depending on water clarity, stick with natural colors first, green pumpkins and watermelons,  and then branch out from there. If you can't get bit on that, they're just not biting! And remember, just because they call it a shaky head, doesn't mean you have to constantly shake it. You can drag it like you would a c-rig or football jig too.

[Bluebasser86]

I use braid mainline with a leader of fluoro/copoly with my shakyheads. It makes a huge difference in the number of hookups I get with them and doesn't seem to effect the number of bites at all. 

Fluorocarbon has a lot of stretch, even more so the lighter the line you're using. Combine that with a fairly light rod, long cast, and potentially deep water fishing, hooksets can get pretty difficult. 

[FordsnFishin]

I use a bait caster for my shakey head. I'm able to toss 1/4 Oz pretty easily so it hadn't affected me. I use 12 lb floro as well. 

The bite has been rough here lately.  But I hooked into 5 yesterday by just slowly dragging it on the bottom.  Very sensitive bites, had to be ready and drive the hook home. 

[lakeannaangler]

I use 10lb braid mainline with a 6-8lb fluorocarbon leader on a  medium light spinning rod for shaky heads under 1/4oz and a medium power casting rod with 10lb fluorocarbon for 5/16 and 3/8oz shaky heads

[fishnkamp]

I am curious why so much trouble with a spinning rod and reel?  Is it the line coils that give you trouble. Shakey head and drop shotting require line to come off fast so the lure can hit the water where you want and get a straight drop down. That is best accomplished with a spinning reel. The setup I use is a 7 foot Loomis IMX rod ( but any good quality rod works) it is a medium action handles lures 1/8 to 3/8 with a Pflueger President.  I use Berkley FireLine original or Fused braid  ( I like the neon green) and a 4 foot P Line  CXX moss green 8 to 10 pound leader. There are almost no coil issues as long as you hand close the bail. Try your best spinning combo, spool it this way and see if that helps.

[buzzed bait]

i'm using a curado 51e casting reel and a phenix recon 2 683c for the shakyhead and i like it!  spooled with 15# braid and use the leader type/size of your choosing.

[Ray K]

3 hours ago, fishnkamp said:

 There are almost no coil issues as long as you hand close the bail. Try your best spinning combo, spool it this way and see if that helps.

What do you mean by "hand close the bail"?

[Raul]

Where is it written like if it was a commandment: THOU SHALL NOT SHAKEYHEAD WITH ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN SPINNING GEAR ! ? 

 

[fishnkamp]

What I meant was this.  When fishing baits like light weight texas rigged worms, shakey heads and drop shots, especially around cover like docks, rock bluff walls and downed wood, often the best presentation can be one that drops perfectly vertically without pulling away unnaturally. A spinning rod is best when that straight fall is desired.  A baitcaster in this scenario will require you to hand pull a lot of line quickly to stop it from swinging away as if falls. Using a spinning reel you will want to open the bail, make the cast and let it pull all the line necessary to fall. If you sort of slow the line a bit at the end with a finger and use your other hand to close the bail, then you will have no loose coils that will get wrapped over as you reel the line in.  Using the reel handle to close the bail, while having any loose line ,can also add to the problem because it can add line twist.  This can cause the "birds nest " issues on a subsequent cast.  If you simply get used to stopping the line with a finger, and slightly raise the rod as you close the bail, the line will tighten a bit on the reel and no line twist or coil issues are created.  This method was taught to me years ago by a fishing guide and I never forgot it. I have also used a bunch of different lines on the rods my wife and I fish.  When I have tried to use some of the best modern fluoros or copolymers I find 8 pound test is about the max size that work on a 2500 or 3000 size reel. My choice has become the Berkley FireLine original in 14 pound test (.009 in diameter- so it is almost equal to most 6 or 8 pound mono). I just add either a 8 or 10 pound leader made of P Line CXX in moss green. It has worked well in big Tennessee lakes like Dale Hollow and Center Hill, clear drinking water reservoirs here in MD as well as a the tidal water here on the Chesapeake bay and Potomac River.  And no I did not  say you "HAVE TO USE A SPINNING ROD"  but I was trying to explain why it may be the preferred equipment. I also was trying to understand why the OP was experiencing his difficulties. In the rod locker on my boat is about a dozen rods that I fish with, most are baitcasters, but 3 are G Loomis spinning rods. I pull them out when the lures are light and I need a very sensitive rod to give myself the best opportunity to succeed. 

[Raul]

Ok, so there's absolutely no way a bait is going to fall vertically when using casting gear   ... got that one clear .... like if it's going to be very hard to let the bait fall with the thumbar disengaged and pull the line ( as much as you let it ) freely..... well, that's what I've been doing it since I got my first baitcaster in 1985, but what the hell do I know, I'm only a newbie.

Btw, pulled out The Good Book and .... There ain't no commandment in the old or new testament.

[Big Swimbait]

19 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I use braid mainline with a leader of fluoro/copoly with my shakyheads. It makes a huge difference in the number of hookups I get with them and doesn't seem to effect the number of bites at all. 

Fluorocarbon has a lot of stretch, even more so the lighter the line you're using. Combine that with a fairly light rod, long cast, and potentially deep water fishing, hooksets can get pretty difficult. 

Truth! In stained water I may use straight 20# braid with a 6# diameter.

[dsqui]

wow someones a little testy

[PourMyOwn]

19 hours ago, Ray K said:

What do you mean by "hand close the bail"?

I think he meant closing the bail with your hand, rather than turning the reel's handle to force the bail to close.

[fishnkamp]

PourMyOwn is correct.  I meant to slow the line down and stop it with a finger, then pull up on the rod a bit as my other hand physically flips the bail closed.  That will result in a tight line on the spool and no loose coils which cause most of the trouble with a spinning reel. After a while you just do it without even noticing you did it.

[Airman4754]

I use a spinning setup with braid and a 10lb CXX leader. 

The shaking slack thing is a good method. If you run your rod handle down your forearm and slightly shake your arm when the line is taught you will get the same action and the bite detection is much better. 

[Todd_Clark]

as for who asked me about me using spinning gear.  I just cant get the hang of it.  I'm 55 years old, and even as a kid, i never could.  Dont know if me being left handed has anything to do with it as i reel with my right hand but cast with my left.  Ive just never been able to get the hang of it.  Its never felt comfortable to me and i just cant cast it for chit.

 

Ive been shakey head fishing for the past year, using 7.1.1 Lews Tournament reel on a 7' mh Verocity rod with 10-12 floro, 3/16-1/4 oz. shakey heads.  I do pretty good (pulled 5 in the boat last month in about 2 hours, totalling about 15-16 pounds).  Then there are days i cant buy a bite on them.  I just wanted to know what the common/most used set up is for those that use baitcasters to shakey head fish.  You guys have pretty much described my technique, so i guess i'm doing it right.

[bigfruits]

you definitely don't need to use spinning reels but it would benefit you to learn and be comfortable using them! same goes for those only using spinning.

15 hours ago, Todd_Clark said:

  Dont know if me being left handed has anything to do with it as i reel with my right hand but cast with my left.  Ive just never been able to get the hang of it.  Its never felt comfortable to me and i just cant cast it for chit.

 

this is probably a dumb question and I don't mean offend but did you know you can switch the handle to the other side?

when I use spinning gear I hold the rod above the reel foot (not with my fingers interlocking it) and have a few fingers on the blank. this makes it more sensitive to me than palming a BC reel and its easy to find the balance point. I actually prefer a spinning combo to a baitcaster for jigs/plastics under 3/8oz (but that's pretty much it).

I can pitch and index finger the line (instead of thumbing the BC) and get a nice vertical fall without pulling line out. I feel like I have better feel on the drop with semi-slack flouro when not having to pull out line.

for 3/8+oz jig/plastic and moving baits, I pick up the BC.

 

[bigfruits]

On ‎8‎/‎15‎/‎2016 at 8:58 PM, Raul said:

Ok, so there's absolutely no way a bait is going to fall vertically when using casting gear   ... got that one clear ....

who said that? was a post deleted or are you talking to yourself?

[Todd_Clark]

On 8/17/2016 at 11:01 AM, bigfruits said:

you definitely don't need to use spinning reels but it would benefit you to learn and be comfortable using them! same goes for those only using spinning.

this is probably a dumb question and I don't mean offend but did you know you can switch the handle to the other side?

when I use spinning gear I hold the rod above the reel foot (not with my fingers interlocking it) and have a few fingers on the blank. this makes it more sensitive to me than palming a BC reel and its easy to find the balance point. I actually prefer a spinning combo to a baitcaster for jigs/plastics under 3/8oz (but that's pretty much it).

I can pitch and index finger the line (instead of thumbing the BC) and get a nice vertical fall without pulling line out. I feel like I have better feel on the drop with semi-slack flouro when not having to pull out line.

for 3/8+oz jig/plastic and moving baits, I pick up the BC.

LoL, yea, i know you can switch it, and i can indeed cast and reel it, i just dont like the feel using a spinning reel.  It just doesnt feel "normal" to me.  At 55 years old, Ive tried using them for many years, which is one of the reasons i stopped fishing when i was a kid.  I had never used a baitcaster before, and when i picked back up bass fishing a few years ago and tried one, i fell in love with them.  

 

On 8/17/2016 at 11:01 AM, bigfruits said:

 

 

[JigMaster4]

I use a 7' m/f baitcasting rod with a 6:8:1 lews speed spool lfs for my shakeyheads.