J Francho

I put the word out to some of my nybass buddies. They were asking about tungsten jigs.

In fact, look what was just announced....http://www.siebertoutdoors.com/index.php/tungsten-jigs-2

Give me a jingle....

Looks like you were fishing wires and altmar - good spots. I'll be up there at least a half dozen times before winter is over. I wait until the snow flies, though. Can't stand the crowds. Some VERY nice chromers there!

It's funny, about the only unbiased part of a rod review on TT is their rod rack thing. Here's the catch, I can't tell for the life of me what that graph is telling me - and I deal with statistics for a living, lol. Luckily, with a little bit of training, and watching threads for common issues, it's pretty easy to find a good peice of tackle for a reasonable price. At around $100 for a rod, and $150 for a reel, you aren't generally going to get ripped off. Most of the gear at that price is pretty solid.

Pretty much any review or rating is opinion.

Braided line is far less forgiving when it comes to abrasion. Most of us that are throwing these baits (the one I pictured is a custom High Power Herring) are using very strong copolymer,, like 20-25# P-Line CXX.

It's a spacer to keep the handle from rubbing directly against the drag star when completely loose. You can clearly see it's function by looking at the schematic. It rests on the notch of the narrow threaded portion of the crank shaft, where the handle, handle nut tighten down on that narrow spot.

Any chance you getting them in sizes an ounce or more?

A finesse style worm on a wacky jig is a good second hook to a finesse jig. I've done real well with this in cooling temps.

I use an umbrella rig with 5-6" soft swimbaits.

It could mean several things - most have been mentioned here - depending on the context. You can fish slow with fast baits, like plying the same spot from several angles with a crank, or it could mean dead sticking a soft plastic. It could also just mean taking your time with a jig, hitting every single dock post or weed pocket.

I'll probably sell both boats, purchase another, and maybe a couple new fishing kayaks.

Yes, they don't work well, lol.

Why use expensive PE braid? Why not something inexpensive, like fly reel backing?

Tungsten is expensive - the material, tools, and process to make a jig like this is not cheap. Add in freight from Japan, and the curent JPY to USD exchange, and you get a $10 jig. I'm sure it works great in certain spots, but a Siebert Outdoors or Northstar jig is home grown, wire tied, and 1/3 the price. Lastly, unless we're talking jigs over 1 oz., I see ZERO advantage to using tungsten. I have quite a few Keitech tungsten jigs, and while they may be a bit "more sensitive," I don't think that added info is useful to catching fish at all. The jig and worm rods I use are plenty sensitive for me to be able to tell what's down there with a painted lead head jig.

I took 2nd a few weeks ago on Oneida with an A-rig. All brown fish.

Oneida Lake, Dec. 5th a couple years ago....

This is when the action gets crazy for smallies.

You could add a nail weight to the bait, or use a weighted swimbait hook.

I'd just get a longer ultra light or light power rod if I wanted to throw these baits further. I use a 7' light power, fast action spinning rod to throw Rapala F5 plugs for steelhead and brown trout.

I doubt any weld on 1/16" aluminum would be stronger than rivets. I had the piano hinge to the compartment under the bench seat welded in my Xpress. That lasted about a week before breaking. Pop rivets have held for two years now.

Probably not, since there is more resistance as the line flows through nose cone. Why is throwing such a small bait with casting gear so important?

I don't get it....your buddy wasn't insured? Why $1500? Was that his deductible? I mean surely the boat was totaled up.

I don't anymore: http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/126620-anybody-throwing-less-than-a-14-oz-with-a-baitcaster/page-4#entry1393426 When I did, 6# InvisX is what I'd use, though I'd never dream of throwing a 2" Rapala with casting gear. It's hard enough to cast for any distance with a spinning rod. The F5 is 1/16th oz., BTW. NO ONE is throwing this with a baitcaster for any distance, lol.