islandbass

Nice fish!

Yep, a 5" senko weighs 3/8 oz all be itself and any bc reel worth its salt must be able to toss that weight. I know what you mean about the 3" senkos. With more time, the right rod and light line and a properly set reel, 3 inchers can be easily tossed. Maybe not a country mile but sufficiently far. Well, at least I know curados and those in the curado class or better can without issue.

Congrats. I like power pro too. With regard to what you said about no memory so far, take that to the bank because braid, like a person with amnesia, has no memory. ;D

I don't want to sound harsh, but the palomar has got to be one of the easiest and fastest knot to tie, just about hands down. The trielene would work I suppose, but as one who uses both, the trilene will take longer to tie. May I ask what you are doing that is making the palomar difficult? The only thing that I can think of would be trying to insert the line into the hook's eye as a loop. I have seen and read posts where people actually do this and that INDEED would make tying a palomar knot difficult, especially with the small eyes that drop shot hooks have. If this is the cause of your difficulty, do this: Insert the line through the eye of the hook and pull through the amount of line you need. Then, insert the line back through eye of the hook, opposite the direction you made the insertion. You will now have a loop on one side of the eye and the main and tag end on the other side. Proceed with tying the rest of the knot, any you're done! Check out net knots or animated knots for more details.

Making the Window Before Bad Weather Fishing for Trout with the Kids My wife had things to do so the kids and I headed to a nearby lake and park to pass the time. Despite the presence of ominous clouds and the approach of dismal weather, I had a feeling (you know, that good 'ol gut feeling that we should trust more often than not) the window for catching could still be open. On the way in, two folks were on their way out and one was holding a 20" plus trout. I took that and the multiple swirls on the surface as signs of a fair shake of getting a few. We only had a few lure selections and I chose a 1/8 oz Fish Creek Inline spinner that had the colors I thought would give us the best chance. The use of the wrong rod cost us the first 4 trout (we really weren't prepared for fishing, just one MH spinning rod for bass that just happened to be in the back of the vehicle) in the first spot. We hit success at the second spot, a floating dock. We caught 5 trout in about 10 minutes before the Mrs. called to say she was done. I suppose that was okay because it started to rain. My daughter and son caught one each and I caught three as we took turns with the same rod. Like me, my kids were happy to not have the funk of skunk on them.

The cover you face will need to influence your decision. A rod for drop shotting open water rip rap is probably not going to be a good choice if you wanted to drop shot near some weeds and lily pads. The "typical" drop shot rod for the "finesse" set up I have seen have these general specs: Rod Power: Medium Light to Medium Rod Action: Moderate through Extra Fast Action Length: As short as 6'3" to just over 7' Lure Weight Range: 1/16 through 1/2 (these are the extremes - many rods typically have a 1/8 - 3/8 oz range Line Weight: 4-10 lb As noted, this is general. I would reckon that a general purpose rod with these specs should do well for drop shotting.

I haven't tried abraxz yet, but I can tell you that to me invizx does a superb job of transmitting feedback to me. I realize that the perception of sensitivity is awfully subjective and completely dependent on the person but I really like Invizx's performance and traits such as being limp too.

Just break out your schematic and follow it to a T, paying special attention to the orientation of every piece. Even someone and mechanically inept could follow it, there is hope for you. ;D The schematic is readily available at Shimano's site for a free downloadable pdf.

Wow, this many posts and not yet (unless I missed it) a mention of the rapala skitter pop's bloop. Its plastic cup mouth makes for a very unique bloop. This and the hula popper and homemade poppers are my favorite. Gotta love the bloop! ;D

You absolutely are. I am shorebound and therefore do not have the luxury of fishing the DS purely vertically. Yet, from the shore and working it back, I find it to be very productive. Take a look at my post in the outings section of how DS saved my bacon from going home skunked. I wrote an article on it and here is an excerpt from it: "The Drop Shot technique has been so effective for me even though it is my first season learning and using it. It has accounted for 100% of the smallmouth bass and about 70% of the largemouth bass I have caught this season, and I caught a lot, the most ever!!! And here is the thing that makes this even sweeter. They were all caught from the shore. No, this is not a testament to my skills, but a testament to the effectiveness of the Drop Shot technique." shorebound = non vertical use of drop shot for me. 8-)

I had a chance to fish for bass in Seattle's Lake Union yesterday afternoon for a short stint of 45 minutes. On the way to the lake following and all-day meeting, my gut was telling me that the drop shot was the ticket. However, I let my desire and pride get in the way. I wanted to catch them on not only a crankbait, but a homemade crankbait. The casting rig had my baby bass crankbait on and the spinning rig was prepared with the drop shot. I worked the first spot for ten minutes by way fan casting, which yielded nothing, not even any follows. I switched to the Joker crankbait and worked the same general area but working a spot known to hold fish. Another 10 minutes passed, in which all lengths of pauses, rips and twitches produced the same result of nothing. I start to feel the pressure of the clock now with only about fifteen minutes left to fish so I give in halfway to my gut feeling to switch to the drop shot rig. The other half of the gut said to go with a green French fry plastic, but pride and desire wanted to use a 4 purple and white Tiki Stick rigged wacky. I pitched the bait in the spot described above fully expected a hit, but nothing, even after ten minutes. The pressure was really on now and I dislike with a passion losing and going home skunked. With only five minutes left, I give in to the gut feeling completely and slap on the green French fry worm and put it in the same spot as I did the Tiki Stick. Within seconds of the weight touching the bottom, I felt a hit. However, the excitement caused me to react with a jig type hook set. Doh! It was definitely a Homer Simpson moment. I quickly retrieved the rig and pitched it close to the same spot. I felt a tiny tug that turned into nibbling. It was enough feedback to know it was a dink, but I didn't care. The skunk and monkey finally were off my back. Right after letting it go I cast it into the same spot. 1st bass Dink! The same play repeated itself, but this time it was a heavier tug and more aggressive hit. I reeled up the line and caught a better one. This smallie looked really wide, almost like a football, such that it made the tail look like a stub. I had never seen in person such a football like smallmouth bass. I didn't know if it was the result of it eating very well or being stuffed with eggs. 2nd bass Unfortunately, I didn't have any time left and had to head home, but I can't help to think if I had gone with my initial gut feeling first that I might have caught more bass and much sooner too. I have followed it in the past with success, but somehow, some way, I let foolish pride and the anticipation of that glory that only comes with catching fish on something made by your own hands get in the way. Thirty minutes of wasted time versus two fish caught in less than five minutes? Yikes! This is a lesson already known, but needlessly learned once again. May you or I make that same mistake in the near or far future. I will have to think twice the next time I am tempted to call my kids hardheaded or stubborn. They might say they got that from me. Doh! Date: Wed 05-12-10 Location: Lake Union, Seattle from the shore Conditions: Partly sunny and cloudy, about 63 degrees Gear: Curado 101D with 10# Sufix Siege, 7' Mag-Touch rod for crankbaits Rapala 6Sxi with 6# Invizx, 6'6 Compre rod for soft plastics.

Wow! Even as an amateur mathematician, I don't think I could add that high. ;D Congrats.

here's another vote for invizx in 6#. I can get away with 6# test. choose your line strength according to the cover you will face.

Definitely! I too went through the same thing. I thought something was wrong with the drag. :-[

As far as my experience has shown me, this line dig only occurs when using braid. It has never ever occurred to me when using any other line type. You have no worries, until you use a braid with a very thin D.

Me too. I like 30# especially for its castibility. Line dig? what line dig? ;D

I use the arbor knot to tie the mono backing to the spool. Then I use an albright or uni knot to combine the mono and the braid. I use a ratio of about 50% mono backing and 50% super line on top. I don't use tape because I occassionally encounter species that can spool my reels. Using the knot gives me somewhat of a fighting chance but using tape would give me no chance. I suppose I would use that tape connection if I battled only bass, trout and panfsh only but I don't.

Shouldn't be a problem at all. 8-)

That is normal and should be a given, and I know this as a fellow yard/cul de sac caster myself. It is an accumulation of the minor wear and tear acquired during the retrieve. When I am done practicing, I will check line a cut off where the wear and tear meets the fresh line. You also have to take into account every overrun, even the small ones because even the lightest tugs will kink the line.

I have a compre and a crucial. The compre is an excellent rod for its price. I would go with the MH to ensure I get maximum fishing pleasure for the times I fish with single hook applications. I have the spinning MH at 6'6" and it is the two piece version. It is my "all arounder and I have used it for just about everything from weightless applications, jigs, medium and small cranks, and even drop shotting. It does all of these things very well. There is a one piece version of this rod that you could opt for. Yes, the compre is awesome, and it will fit your bill quite well. So is the crucial bettter? I don't have comparable models as my crucial is a casting rod designed for jigs and t-rigs but I would have to say it just feels more refined. The sensitivity is a little better, but with that said the Compre IS NO SLOUCH whatsoever. You will be satisfied with it. Since your budget pretty much takes the price of a crucial, then go with the crucial but if your budget is for both, get the compre and a decent reel. As for the st croix rods, I am sure they're good rods, but the shimano lines of rods just seem to feel better in my hands.

Try this one out for size. I've been using this to wrap pre-tied drop shot leaders for quite a few years. Sinkers are stored inside the tube: http://www.jannsnetcraft.com/leader-storage/035248000079.aspx I have been using pipe insulation for a while and it works great and you cancut them to size to fit into non-sectioned plano type plastic boxes. That is a very practical thing for leaders and the weight storage is a plus over pipe insulation. 8-) As a bank angler, I face little things like finding places to safely lay (to avoid dirt and unearned battle scratches) unused rods or carry them aroud in something besides my fingers. So I created a rod quiver to address this issue. I can hold three rods with absolute ease in one hand. For a shorebound angler, this is a definite plus. I can prop the quiver onto my bag and it keeps my rigs off of the ground. If the ground is level, the quiver will stand upright. When I carry my rods in the quiver and place it in the trunk, the rods are spaced far enough that they will not bang around on each other. Another plus! My daughter commandeered my curado at 6 1/2 when she learned to use a baitcaster, which was awesome. I was a proud dad for sure, but my greatest fear was her accidentally tossing my rod and reel into the drink. So I devised with a leash, somewhat inspired from my old school snowboard days. In action, the leash. Jiggin' for salmon in the salt with 8'6" rod and Abu G round. I put together a rod sling that could hold the rod in front of you or on your back. Its main purpose was free the hand holding a rod if need be while battling a salmon or steelhead while wading far from shore when help might not be around. One other thing almost as important as the lifevest, I would say is your LICENSE. This past winter on the day after Christmas, I left a cozy warm bed to weather frigid temps, to catch some steelhead. I was psyched and in the zone. I gathered my gear, donning my waders as if they were a suit of armor. I prepped my rods as if they were lances, hopped into the car and trotted to the planned destination. Upon arrival, I slapped on my boots and other winter garb, grabbed my stuff and headed to the river bank. Within the first few steps I realized I didn't have my wallet and it wasn't in the car. A quick retrace of my steps revealed I left it by the PC. ^$%#*&$&$&$*#*@(!!!!!!! I was sooooo ticked at myself. My only opportunity to go fishing for the year and I blow it like a dandelion. So don't forget the license! It's as much of show stopper for those that honor the rules and regulations as an inoperative motor. :-[ ;D

Like it or not, rules are the rules. My philosophy is simple: Fish legally or stay home. I'm not directly this as you, just stating something. If Iwere the one, the fish would have been released without question.

Look for current rods at about the $100 price point (your lamiglas excels, shimano compres, st croix mojos, etc.) for a good place to start looking. At this level you will get good bang for the buck. There are a few rods slightly below ($60-80 mark like the clarus', vendetta) and above ($150, crucials and others) might be worthy of your consideration as well. Whether it is worth the cost is completely up to you. Some folks truly believe that the higher end rods are worth it to them and you may or may not arrive at the same conclusion. Your application comes into play a bit. For the lures you plan to toss, I don't see myself ever justifying buying an extravagantly priced crankbait specific rod because it doesn't take much for me to feel the wiggle of a crankbait esepcially if even an Ugly Stick feels sufficiently sensitive enough in my hands for me to fish a senko.

I don't know about the reel, but the baitcaster is one thing that you really don't want to "skimp" on. Generally, you will end up spending more in the future. If it were me facing this decision, I would let patience prevail and save up for the reel that I really want. Better reels not only will take care of you better, they are actually easier to learn on, contrary to what you might initially perceive. Almost everyone goes through this, "Let me just try something cheap to learn with first," myself included. If you start with a reel in the Shimano Citica or Abu G Revo S class or better (or whatever reel company), you will not only thank yourself later, you will also learn faster.

I have used both and wouldn't hesitate to use either. You can think of EZ being somewhat like Trilene's XL and XXX to Trilene's XT. XXX is probably going to be a slightly thicker than EZ of the same test and should be a bit more abrasion resistant. As for manageability, it really depends on the # test you are using and the reel type. I current have XXX on one casting reel in 8# test and like it for my smaller cranks. I have landed trout, smallmouth, largemouth, and even some big pink salmon with 8# test XXX without issue. Keep in mind that any mono can do what you just experienced. It's a given with mono eventually.