Fishing Rods

[jrwerner310]

3 minutes ago, bwjay said:

Totally understand. Kids do get bored easily sometimes so I don't blame you for wanting to focus on becoming a better fisherman so you can teach your daughter and maybe show her an even better time than catching bluegills. It is possible that a new rod would really re-invigorate your desire to fish! I know new gear always gets me fired up to use it, for whatever it is (audio, fishing, computers, etc). If you get a chance, try to hit up a Cabela's or Bass Pro Shops and talk to some of the salesmen there. I always take what salesmen say with a healthy dose of salt, but nothing beats being able to see and feel the rod in person, and I bet they'd string one up for you and let you test it in a pond so you can feel what a lure dragging on bottom feels like, etc, to see if the sensitivity is there for you. Heck you could probably bring in your own rods to compare, too.

I was at Dicks Sporting Goods yesterday taking to a salesmen about upgrading my rods for this year. I got to feel a St. Croix spinning and casting as well as a Lews casting. Told the salesmen what i do, how and what i fish and the problems I was having. He told me what he does and showed me what he uses as well. I got so hyped about it but there is so much information to breakdown and choose from. 

 

The only thing i know for sure:

1. I dont know near enough about fishing as i thought i did.

2. I do want to upgrade at lease one spinning rod and add a finesse spinning

3. I need a casting rod for jigs because the ones i have are not near powerful enough

2 minutes ago, ResoKP said:

Do you watch any fishing videos on Youtube? There's a ton of videos you can learn a lot from.

 

My suggestion is take a full day and just fish a weightless Texas rigged Senko and nothing else. Focus on learning detecting bites and setting the hook. This is the foundation. Then you'll be able to apply that to a wide range of techniques.

 

This video should teach you pretty much all you need: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyaMX4wgSqc

 

 

Go with a

- 5" Senko or any similar stick bait in green pumpkin color

- 3/0 Gamakatsu round-bend offset worm hook (better hookup ratio than EWG)

 

What really helps me detect bites is while you are palming the reel, keep your index finger touching the line. You will feel the fish tugging the line and that's the best feeling.

I do watch way to many fishing videos. HAHA. But i am going to watch that video tonight after work. That is a good idea. I have had some luck with that setup but maybe I do need to focus more on it.

[Tennessee Boy]

There's just something about being in a tackle store and holding a $400 rod in your hand.  It feels amazing.  If you have someone else hand you various rods while you keep your eyes closed,  you'll find that they all feel about the same.  

[jrwerner310]

3 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

There's just something about being in a tackle store and holding a $400 rod in your hand.  It feels amazing.  If you have someone else hand you various rods while you keep your eyes closed,  you'll find that they all feel about the same.  

Thats a good idea. The sad thing is when i was looking at the St. Croix and Lews casting rods is i was the price tag and my wallet had a real bad feeling about it all lol. 

[LCG]

I would highly recommend a st Croix 6'8 m-xf spinning rod. Pick your price point. I have the mojo and its a great rod and very versatile. 

[punch]

If you're on a budget, my suggestion is to keep an eye on your local craigslist & facebook marketplace for used gear. You'd be surprised the deals you can find if you stay vigilant and can offer a quick payment. There's a ton of bass fishing buy/sell groups on FB as well (Bass Fishing Yard Sale is a great one) where you can snag a deal out-of-state, as lots of people are willing to ship tubes & reels.

 

I've found some incredible deals on name brand gear on FB & CL over the years. Just gotta ABC - Always Be Checking. 

[jrwerner310]

7 hours ago, LCG said:

I would highly recommend a st Croix 6'8 m-xf spinning rod. Pick your price point. I have the mojo and its a great rod and very versatile. 

What makes the St Croix so versatile? What applications do you use it for?

Has anyone hear of or used Ardent reels and rods? If so, are they any good?

[LCG]

 

 

7 hours ago, jrwerner310 said:

What makes the St Croix so versatile? What applications do you use it for?

Has anyone hear of or used Ardent reels and rods? If so, are they any good?

The 6'8" length is good for bank fishing where you deal with brush and overhanging trees and also good in a boat situation. The action offers a good quick hookset with a stout backbone but not so much that your overpowering the fish. Casting accuracy is really good with the extra fast action as well. St Croix makes a quality product as do some others such as gloomis, shimano, fenwick, and I hear that dobyns and some bps house brands are good as well. 

 

I use the st Croix mojo 6'8 m-xf spinning for the following techniques... 

Ned

Neko

Drop shot 

Wacky

Curly tail grubs on light jig heads

Shakey heads

Light texas rigged worms 

Light finnese jigs

And believe it or not inline spinners 

 

The rod has enough give that I have not lost any fish with it, even with treble hook lures. I use 10 lb yellow braid to a 8lb fluorocarbon leader. 

 

For heavier jigs, Texas rigged creatures, chatterbaits, and spinnerbaits I use a St Croix Avid X 6'6 Mh-f casting rod. 

[jrwerner310]

On 2/8/2019 at 2:07 PM, LCG said:

 

 

The 6'8" length is good for bank fishing where you deal with brush and overhanging trees and also good in a boat situation. The action offers a good quick hookset with a stout backbone but not so much that your overpowering the fish. Casting accuracy is really good with the extra fast action as well. St Croix makes a quality product as do some others such as gloomis, shimano, fenwick, and I hear that dobyns and some bps house brands are good as well. 

 

I use the st Croix mojo 6'8 m-xf spinning for the following techniques... 

Ned

Neko

Drop shot 

Wacky

Curly tail grubs on light jig heads

Shakey heads

Light texas rigged worms 

Light finnese jigs

And believe it or not inline spinners 

 

The rod has enough give that I have not lost any fish with it, even with treble hook lures. I use 10 lb yellow braid to a 8lb fluorocarbon leader. 

 

For heavier jigs, Texas rigged creatures, chatterbaits, and spinnerbaits I use a St Croix Avid X 6'6 Mh-f casting rod. 

Those are the two rods I am looking to set up in my arsenal. And I do us inline spinners. Have a good story about an in-line spinner. Was fishing in the late fall at the local pond and a 2LB hit one fist cast. Landed it and was about to grab it when it shock so hard it snapped the line and took the spinner with it. Anyway.... I stopped at Gander Outdoors today to see what they had for selection of rods. Didn’t get much help from the people there but I got to try a St. Croix Premier, Fenwick Eagle and an Abu Garcia vendetta. I did like the Abu Garcia but it was heavier than the other two. I did really like the St. Croix and the Fenwick. As for the spinning rods, I’m sold on the St. Croix mojo for a Medium Light setup. The spinner setup is what I’m going to justly fish but I’m going to just use the Medium heavy rod for jigs and larger spinners.

 

Thanks for the info. It was a tone of help. 

[ike8120]

Another suggestion is to call the folks at Dobyns. They will give you some real good advice on rod selection. Then you can shop around for the best deal that suits your needs.

[OnthePotomac]

If you live near a BPS go in and handle a medium, 7'2" Carbonlite 2.0 spinning rod, now on sale for $99.99.  I have one and you will love it.  Extremely light and sensitive.