spin vs BFS

[jimmyjoe]

   I've got a Daiwa SMD702ULFD that I use occasionally. It just occurred to me that I have 2 reasons for that rod.

   One is that when it comes to very light lures, I probably throw spinners more than anything, and I twitch light spoons next in line. Why? Because both types of lures catch fish, that's why!

   Second reason is that in-line spinners twist light line, even more than heavier line. Twitching spoons  can do the same thing, sometimes more so. So I counter that by using fluorocarbon line; it resists axial twist more than nylon. But I HATE using fluorocarbon on spinning reels. So a BFS casting reel is perfect! 

 

   I should note what I hope is obvious: I don't use these small lures if larger lures catch fish better. I use light-lure systems of any kind only as a last resort.              jj 

[Jonas Staggs]

thanks bro. I will mssg you. I appreciate your kindness. I think you saw I finally got to hit trash lake yesterday. I actually got a few bites but lost them as I was targeting bluegill and the hook was too small. 

[JustJames]

On 8/20/2021 at 2:21 PM, Jonas Staggs said:

 

 

thanks bro. I will mssg you. I appreciate your kindness. I think you saw I finally got to hit trash lake yesterday. I actually got a few bites but lost them as I was targeting bluegill and the hook was too small. 

As long as you don’t plan to catch bluegill with the setup you can ask me anytime bro. Be prepared to be heart broken, though. You don’t know how many big fish I lost during the fight once they decide going in deep into the weed or big rock. Too light of a line and too soft of a rod combine, and you loose control of the big ones. It is still a fair and better fight compare to spinning setup, though. Why I don’t usually comment on any BFS for bass. 
You can say this one because I was super lucky, 6lb line and M/F rod 1/8-3/8oz.

 

[jimmyjoe]

   You brought up something that has irked me no end when I use light lures. THE BASS ENGULF THE WHOLE LURE!

   Light line doesn't bother me; I've caught many pike on 4 lb. mono. But sometimes a larger bass hits a small lure and I can't set the hook. I've had fish fight and fight, and then spit out the lure. They clamped down on it tight, then let go.

   Does this happen to you? What do you do about it?

   I have to admit that it happens less with spoons. Unpopular opinion here, but true nonetheless.  

   Thanks.     jj

[JustJames]

@jimmyjoe I’m not sure but maybe the rod doesn’t have enough oomph/backbone to set hook and penetrate the hard roof of bass mouth. Many time that bass I caught hook came right off after I lipped the bass or just like you jump or head shake and split the lure.

(From under water video bass inhale pray with mouth close, in order to get a good hook set you will have to ply the mouth open for hook point to penetrate the skin not hook eye/lure body to closed mouth), this is just my theory if I’m wrong please forgive me.

All I can do is to pin them down all the way. Light line is not my problem either once the bass get hooked and no cover for bass to get into. But light line with soft rod, you don’t have enough backbone to pull the bass out, my case is weed, either that or you risk braking the line.

Also at one time I fish for bluegill, this bass grab the whole fish in its mouth and make a run. I know for sure the hook not gonna get into bass mouth, but he managed to fight with me for almost a minute (5-10’) before I can get a hold on him, then open his mouth for bluegill to escape with my hook.

[desmobob]

 

Some BFS rigs that were on deck today...

 From L to R:

Daiwa PXL-R on a Major Craft Volkey VKC68L-BFS

Daiwa 20 Alphas Air TW on a Kuying Teton 632UL

KastKing Zephyr on an Ace Hawk CU Double 6' UL

Fishband GH100 on a Tsurinoya Pro Flex II 632 UL

Not quite BFS, but on the far right:

Daiwa Alphas SV105 on a Kistler KLX 7' ML

 

I had a very slow afternoon.  The water looked like chocolate milk.  The southern end of Lake Champlain is usually quite silty, but it was extra-thick today after the heavy rain yesterday/last night.

 

At one point, I was throwing a Rapala Floating Minnow I've had for over forty years (!) on the GH100 (you can see it in the photo) and got a solid hit.  A d**n longnose gar rolled up on top with the Rapala in his beak and then cut me off nearly immediately.  Heartbreaking!  

 

But wait!  Up pops the little F7 to the surface.  I motored over and grabbed it.  And put it away.    I had found the Rapala in an old tackle box I had.  It's actually even more than forty years old... I can tell because it has a splash of red paint on the throat.  I remember that was a tip I read in an outdoor magazine when I was a teenager.  I think I dabbed red Testor's model paint on every hard bait I had at the time.  I still have a couple of Rebel baits with the red paint treatment.

 

 

[JustJames]

@jimmyjoe check this out. 

 

[jimmyjoe]

1 hour ago, Bass_Fishing_Socal said:

@jimmyjoe check this out. 

 

 

   O ya!  That's why most of my retrieves are irregular and erratic.

 

   A few years ago, a friend was fishing a texposed Senko. He got a hit and fought the fish to within about 10 feet ....... and then the fish let go and departed for parts unknown.

   The hook in the Senko was unchanged. The bass had been pulling on the line with a "chomp" so powerful that the hookset of my friend did nothing.

   I had the same thing happen with some lures ..... including a Bomber A5. Hooks in plastic I might be able to understand, but exposed hooks on a crank?  Huh?  Really?  How do they do that? How do they avoid getting hooked?

 

   But sometimes they do. And the lighter the line, the more it happens.

 

   I guess that's why we're called "fishermen" and not "catchermen". ?               jj

  

[bulldog1935]

18 hours ago, jimmyjoe said:

...   I should note what I hope is obvious: I don't use these small lures if larger lures catch fish better. I use light-lure systems of any kind only as a last resort.              jj 

 

The water I grew up bass-fishing - just about all Texas hill country reservoirs - are deep with 50' visibility most of the time.  

I grew up wanting to fish smaller lures, which is what led me to fly rod so early.  

The way I use a fly rod with sinking shooting heads can fish down to 15', and I've doubled that depth fishing offshore platforms.  But the only time you do this is sight-fishing or when your probability of catching fish every 3rd cast is pretty high (structure jumps, tide passes, jetty and surf blackwater, offshore platforms and flotsam).  

Spinning tackle has always been necessity.  

Baittcaster is always fun.  

[redmeansdistortion]

Light tackle has been my thing for nearly 30 years.  I'm one of those freaks that likes the fish to have the upper hand as it makes it that much sweeter when you get it on the bank or in the boat.  I'm not a numbers guy unless I'm meat fishing for perch or walleye.  Outside of that, I'm looking for that hair raising experience of doing more with less.  Most of what I throw in general is 1/4 or less, even when prowling Lake St Clair for footballs.  Fighting a lunker LSC smallie on a 9' steelhead noodle rod and 4lb mono is quite the experience.  Set the drag accordingly and hang on!

[Jonas Staggs]

my primary setup was a L action rod with 8# test. Once I started fishing the pocket frog this summer. I had to upgrade to a stronger setup. Since then I have been using a M action spin rod, with 15# braid to 15# flouro. I havent noticed a difference in catching less fish due to possible line visibility. And I can still easily cast all the same size lures I was using with my L action setup. 

 

The pocket frog by lunkerhunt is very fun to fish, its really soft and has a good hookup ratio compared to the standard frogs. And its so small, its bite size. I removed the legs and replaced them with a rubber skirt. I think this gave it more of a insect profile on topwater. Anyways, I was highly succesful with it when they are on topwater.

[desmobob]

On 8/20/2021 at 9:21 AM, desmobob said:

I just ordered a Daiwa Bass-X 682LB Y2 from Digitaka.  6'8" L power, Lure rating:  1.8g - 11g. (1/16 - 3/8 oz.) 

 

Daiwa has an interesting chart showing the Bass-X rods and their recommended uses, but it's Greek to me, so to speak...

...just past half-way down the page, here.

 

I should have it in a week or so.  I'll post my impressions.

 

 

My Daiwa Bass-X 682LB Y2 arrived today.  (Six days after ordering from Japan... quick service and FedEx shipping from Digitaka, as usual.)  This arrived about as quickly as a domestic order.  The rod was $90.07, shipped, at the current exchange rate.

 

I was very surprised to find it was butt-over-tip construction, lacking any traditional ferrule.  The entire butt section is finished with an attractive cross-weave pattern and is quite stout.  The fit/finish is nice and it's outfitted with a Fuji reel seat and their Alconite guides. The tip section felt pretty stiff and I was a little leary about it being able to cast down to 1/16oz.

 

I braved the nasty heat and humidity (heat advisory in effect today) and took it out to the back yard.  It didn't feel well-loaded with a 1/8 finesse jig (skirt but no trailer) but casted it perfectly; straight and easy with plenty of distance.  Same with a slightly more wind-resistant 1/8 bladed jig.

 

A plain 1/16oz. ballhead jig hardly loaded the rod at all but still casted reasonably well.  I'd guess that 3/32oz. or so is probably the comfortable low limit for this rod but 1/16 oz. is certainly do-able.  The rod feels like it has a whole lot of reserve power and with a reel having a good drag, I'd confidently take on any biters.    I think it has plenty of backbone for setting the hook through T-rigged plastics.  That's something some of my lighter BFS rods lack.

 

Most of my other rods are in the boat but I did compare it to an Ace Hawk CU Double with the L tip installed (the CU double comes with UL and L tip sections).  It is a little stiffer than the Ace Hawk but the action seems slightly slower... maybe MF compared to the Ace Hawk's F.

 

I didn't throw anything heavier than 1/8 oz. but the listed upper limit of 3/8oz. seems reasonable.  I'm looking forward to getting it out on the water to find out how it fishes and what techniques it's most suitable for.  

 

 

[redmeansdistortion]

3 hours ago, desmobob said:

I think it has plenty of backbone for setting the hook through T-rigged plastics.

It'll work just fine.  I was on Lake St Clair when I first got mine and the bite was red hot, fished T-rigged worms like a champ.