To small of a combo?

[Nick982]

I have a quantam bill dance bait casting 6.5ft med/heavy with 12lb line on it, and i think it might be the reason why i dont have that sensitivity i need for weightless soft plastics, i want to go out and buy a spinning reel combo when i get paid but do you think for now i could use an ultra light 4'6, spinning, 6lb test, that i have for now or do you think it would be pushing it? Most of the bass i catch in my city lakes arent big anyways.

Thanks!

Nick

[basscat73]

It's definitely small. You may have a hard time getting the hook to stick in the bass. You could use it for the time being though, and it it will be a heckuva lot of fun reeling those bad boys in with that set-up. They'll feel like monsters!

Your baitcasting rig would actually be just fine for plastics.

[Fish Man]

to me 4,6 is too small,the smallest i fish is 5 feet and i couldnt imagine anytthing smaller,right now i have a 5,6 as my main set up and its great

[rdneckhntr]

For weightless soft plastics I have a 6'6" med. spinning combo with 12lb mono.  It works great...

[Taliesin]

I have to agree with basscat.

6lb test just won't cut it when it comes to the hookset. I am currently playing with 8lb test with weightless worms and I still have problems.

But then again, I may just stop setting the hook. The fun with this combo is just getting the strike. I don't really care if they spit it out (which they end up doing about 30% of the time). This is just my "playing around" rod I use during my lunch hour and maybe a little bit after work.

12lb test should do ok, but I normally won't put line that small on a MH rod.

The ultralight combo will handle the fish, but you won't be able to get the hook to penetrate enough.

[roadwarrior]

Regardless of the rod length or brand, to effectively fish soft plastics you need a firm tip. For me that means Medium Power/ Fast Action. Specifically, I fish a 7' St. Croix ES70MF/ Shimano Stella 2500FB and #6 Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft.

[Maxximus Redneckus]

You could use braid ,its what i do on my softer action rods UL light and med lights are perfect for braids up to 6 lb diameter...

[Del from philly]

maybe im just a ineprerienced amatear, but i use 8lb on everything, weightless senko included....and to be honest, its the heaviest iv used in a while,

when you guys say "problem setting the hook" , can you explain a little bit...maybe this will help me.////

i always wondered why bass guys use 12-15lb test? is it because the bass you guys are fishing for is bigger then mine? for me, its harder to cast....and is just too damb heavy.....

using 12lb test for a 1 lb bass makes it feel like a minnow as well.......

i feel like for me, 8 pound is where its at......still nice and light, but heavy enough to hold up

[Taliesin]

when you guys say "problem setting the hook" , can you explain a little bit...maybe this will help me.////

i always wondered why bass guys use 12-15lb test? is it because the bass you guys are fishing for is bigger then mine?

In my experience the 6 lb test he is using isn't enough when you set the hook (especially when using soft plastics). The hook doesn't get enough "oomph" to penetrate into the fish's mouth, unless you get lucky and it goes in the softer portions. Smaller (thinner) hooks may also help, but if I can't use a 1/0 hook, the fish are too small anyway.

I normally use 15 to 17 lb test line, and for a couple of reasons. In my main fishing grounds, the minimum length is 15" (right around 2 lbs). Along with that, I fish HEAVY cover. Weeds, limbs, and any other sort of nastiness I can get to. Quite often 15lb test isn't enough. 8lb test may be enough for just the fish, but add 5 lbs of weeds or 10 lbs of wood (or both) and it doesn't cut it. It also gives a little more abrasion resistance and the local timber is still rough with a lot of rocks in that water.

If you aren't fishing the kind of cover I am (or the size), then 8 lb test might do the job. I am thinking of going to 12 lb test for the pond on base where weightless plastics work really well, but the fish are "small" (normally less than 2 lbs).