islandbass

My experience through personal observation is that they can see the line and very easily braid or not. Depending on their mood or activity level, seeing the line was sometimes not even close to being a deterrent to attacking my lure and I'm talking face to face and close enough that I could have touched them with my rod tip. The water was also clear to the bottom and about six ft deep. Point is that them seeing the line can be a factor but not always.

That would be sweet, but these companies probably get such feedback from their pros. Still, it couldn't hurt to contact the companies that you would want to do that for.

Looks like you and fc don't get a long, lol. Just note that not all fc lines are equal in their handling characteristics so I hope you don't sign off on all fc lines. For you it seems that you should stick with braid as your main line and opt with an fc leader. That way you get the best of both worlds. You could give Seaguar invizx a try. It is the limpest fc line I have tried. It might help. I would opt for the former and use them in tandem.

Yeah, that's tough to experience. 3 minutes is an awfully long time to get a hook out for sure. I feel for you and the fish. It makes me seriously consider the use of barbless hooks. We're mostly catch and release anyway. But has anyone ever seen barbless trebles? In some areas of my state barbless is the rule of the land and I haven't noted an increase in losses via fish coming undone.

There is no theory at all. It means that the inventer of the bait caster was left hand dominant, lol. Joking aside, I will bet you a floating rapala minnow that you will prefer 100% a casting reel with a left sided crank. Trust me. In the same way that rh people have ingrained in them to use rh casting reels (and we could bet that most of them have been fishing for so long in a time when there probably were not many if any other options) you are accustomed to Lh reels. My bet stands... I know you will prefer Lh reels. There is no need to look back or waste more time. If you don't mind, I am going to go to my local shop and but a floating minnow in case I am mistaken, lol, but I won't be, but just in case, lol.

The 301 is overkill for that not to mention heavier than necessary for what you want to use it for unless you are going to throw big swim baits or target larger species. This is not to put it down it is just that there are better choices and I do use shimano reels. What side is the handle on your current reels? A "left-handed" is labeled such because it's handle is on the left side of the reel. It is not necessarily intended for a left-handed person. If you are comfortable with Lh reels I'd say that is an exception to the convention but definitely possible. We know there are so many rh people out there that are accustomed to using rh reels because back then there wasn't much choice, lol. I did the same thing when I bought my first bc reel and got a rh one. It felt so awkward. So the ones I bought were Lh and they felt much more comfortable. However, I trained myself to fish with it and can now fish with either type.

Wow that is a good sale. Too bad I won't get a chance today to see if my cabelas is having a similar sale.

Hook bonnets are good but their down side or tradeoff is that they occupy a lot of space. I keep my cranks much like in the photo as this seems to be the only way IMHO to store cranks with the least amount of space. As a shore angler and a minimalist when it comes to fishing (lugging around a ton of crap from the is not fun) it's most practical to put them as shown in that pic. Well, at least until I can find a better solution. Oh yeah. A good thing about bonnets that I like is that they can practically eliminate to potential for cranks to get scratched up by the tines of exposed trebled.

I don't know if better is the right word. For the OP, if he's fishing close quarters more than not, the rod would be a sound choice. Like I said it would be like wielding a light saber, lol. 6'6" to just over 7' seems to be the general consensus for the length of a "bass" rod, but that is not set in stone. As for fast vs x-fast, I've never used an x-fast rod so I don't know how the two differ and even here, I have never seen any posts that could clearly describe to me in a way I can understand how the two differ enough to make a serious difference in either setting the hook or rod castibility.

Dang. She puts the "P" in HAWG. Nice job. If I caught oue that large, I'd still be shaking for the excitement.

I might have gone with a slightly longer rod but on the other hand there isn't much there that feels as awesome as wielding a rod as if it were a light saber. Other than that and that detail is minor and not a show stopper, I think you made a solid choice.

First, welcome! Second, congrats on getting bass on a new technique. Third, be warned that drop shotting is as addictive as it is effective.

I'd add a finesse one if such would be suitable to your area. The finesse rig might do well with your treble lures too and so it would also include your topwater. Buzzbaits could be handled with the one you have for spinnerbaits anyway.

I used to bring "everything" I had until I realized that only a small percentage of the arsenal worked with fairly more often than not. So I focused in on those lure colors, sizes and types. Yes, I still try different things here and there but lugging all the gear on foot is so impractical and cumbersome. Can you tell I am a shorebound angler, lol? I like to rely on my gut from what I have gained and more times than not, I have had positive results. Gramps, you definitely have a point. I got around that by no longer buying things that catch fishermen.

That looks awesome but I won't be biting.

Shiimano makes decent 2piece rods in their clarus and compre lines. The former has both casting and spinning while the latter only has spinning. I would also look into the Damiki rods at Tackle WArehouse. They not only look good, but also are nicely priced.

She puts the "p" in Hawg! Wouldn't mind landing one like that myself.

Just about any soft plastic can be used. All recommendations are very good but you need not constrain or limit yourself to those. 3" senkos, chompers worms and smaller tubes nice additions to the list.

My Son’s First Bass Thursday 07-05-12 My son and I headed to Lake Union this evening to fish for smallmouth bass. He had mixed feelings about going. This was most likely because his previous attempts at targeting bass (not very many times over the past several years) were skunkeroos and definitely not for lack of trying. I told him that this was going to be the day for sure. My only goal this evening was to do everything I can to help him get his first bass. Nothing else mattered. We got to our first fishing spot at about 7:15pm. I told him we would be starting with soft plastics rigged drop shot style. Then, if that didn’t work we would throw crankbaits. We definitely had a game plan in place. All we needed now was a little cooperation from the bass. I think bass fishing suits his preference to move the lure to give it life so to speak versus the still fishing method he had just learned last month when targeting trout. Fifteen minutes pass and he tells me he wants to try a crankbait now. I suggested that we ought to stick with the plastic worm until the sun was closer to setting. Another fifteen minutes passes and he asks again to try a crankbait. I told him that we will stick with what we have in another spot for a few more minutes and then we’ll switch. The second spot we tried yielded nothing with the drop shot, so I tie on a Rapala DT6 onto his line, per his request. You have to love the DT6s if only for their cast-ability, and I don’t even think that is a word, for crying out loud! The amazement on his face when he saw how far he tossed the DT6 said it all and confirmed it. He’s at that stage and age where a “mega-cast” as we’ve been calling them, between father and son, is the only way to go. I stayed with the drop shot. I told him that the third spot was going to the “money” spot. He asked why I called it the money spot, I told him because that was where he was going to finally get paid in the form of catching a bass for all of his efforts. I also told him that this spot his been not only pretty good for me, but also his fish-catching sister. We made our way to the third spot and final spot, fish or no fish. The time was just after 8:00pm now and although we were running out of sunlight, I remained optimistic. My son was making awesome mega-cast after mega-cast in the spot despite fishing fairly close to trees. On the cast that counted, a few seconds after starting his retrieve, I saw his rod bend down fiercely. I looked out toward the line and saw that the crankbait was too far out to get caught up in the rocks and before my mind could conclude that he had one on, my son shouted, “I got one!” For those of you who target smallies, you know how well they can fight, and the one he had at the end of his line didn’t disappoint. The smallmouth impaled itself on two tines of the belly treble. We managed to flag down a passer-by to ask if he could take a photo before we released the bass. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the camera in auto mode and the photo. I apologize for grainy and poor photo. And while this isn’t that big of a bass, it is a decent one as a first fish for a seven-year-old. I retired the drop shot rig for the day and employed a Rapala Husky Jerk. It didn’t help. We continued to fish for about another twenty minutes. In that time he asked if he could try my casting reel and initially, I thought, “No way Jose! I don’t want to mess around untangling a bird’s nest.” On the other side of the coin, the day was done and I suppose my casting reel could benefit from fresh line anyway. I proceeded to show him the ropes and emphasized one key thought – you must stop the spool from spinning before the lure hits the water. He actually did well for a first timer, but his thumb is going to need to get a little bigger to push the button and hold onto the spool. The one bird’s nest he made was minor and didn’t even take thirty seconds to undo. We had to pack it up shortly after that. Final Score: Son: One. Dad: None. If having him out fish me will keep him fishing with me, then so be it! May my kids catch more than me every time! Conditions: Clear Skies, Low Seventies Son’s Gear: Rapala spinning rod mated to an Okuma spinning reel with 6# Stren Mono. Dad’s Gear: Shimano Compre rod mated to a Rapala 6Sxi with 6# Stren Mono Cabelas Mag-Touch rod mated to a Shimano Curado 101d with 8# Spiderwire Mono.

This is not in defense of Red Earth's opinion, but some folks have more sensitive hands than others. In my hands U-Stiks are pretty sensitive too, and sensitive enough for me to feel the take of a bass no larger than a 5" senko. With that said, the U-Stik is sensitive in my hands but I know for certain that better rods do a better job of transmitting feedback and once you're using rods of higher caliber in the sensitivity department, it is very hard to go backward. The use of a U-stik would not be my first option but I wouldn't hesitate to use it if it were the only option. I don't need the ultimate sensitive rod because of my hands but I prefer to use them. Let's frame it this way... We're watching a movie. Red's watching it in the VHS format. It works, and it isn't awful by any stretch. Then some of us are watching the movie in blu ray. Extra fixings and trimmings, while certainly not necessary enhance the overall enjoyment of fishing.

Just think of it as paying your dues. I too am shore bound and sometimes there are a few more trips with zero results than we want to have. Just stay with it and drop down to 6# test, flouro if you can. It just might be the edge.

Those are all good subjects. Put them on pieces of paper, put them in a hat and draw. I'd love to see #8, #14, and #15 but I'd explore it along the lines of "hook sets and line type..."

Finesse might be the way to go. I too would try plastics and use as light of a line as I can get away with, like 6# test. 5 times is not so bad. If you start feeling bad, dont'. I have gone through longer dry spells and many of us can. You might find some comfort to know that my brother went and entire season and a half before he caught his first bass by himself. It puts 5 skunk outs in perspective, lol. He lives in another state and I'd call him every time I caught one, lol.

The edge in what regard? Strength? Convenience in tying? The reason I ask is because these are my two primary knots and the situation I am in dictates which I will most likely use. Strength The Palomar in terms of strength might have a little edge but it probably isn't by much. Convenience The Palomar is easier to tie for sure, less steps and therefore less chances to screw it up. On the other hand, having to make a large loop to accommodate larger lures IMHO is a waste of line and time, not to mention the risk of weakening the lure during the final tightening when you're impatient to get to fishing as you tighten up. This is where the improved clinch knot comes in because the size of the lure does not influence the knot tying. Situations Small lures, hooks, quick and simple? ==> Palomar Knot Larger lures like 1/2 jigs with skirts, larger jerk baits and crank baits ==> Improved Clinch Knot Super cold, sub freezing weather? Palomar, fo sho'. You know it's bitter cold when it takes you 30 seconds to tie a palomar knot, lol. Braid or fishing the drop shot? ==> Palomar.

MB, sorry!!! I can see how what I wrote seemed harsh. Rest assured it was not my intent. The "'nuff said, yada yada part was encouragement directed to the OP to let him know for sure that flippin and pitchin from the shore is possible and easy to do, even without the added elevation. Sometimes written words cannot convey this so please I aplogize.