islandbass

If you're using spinning gear, then line twist is a given no matter what line you use. If you wish to save you can try cabela's house brand fc line, No-Viz or something like that. It is very similar to SeaGuar's Invizx, enough for me to opt for it over my beloved Invizx when money is tight. Low stretch in FC line is a relative term. Some fc lines can stretch more than mono and some don't contract to their regular size after the stretch as monos tend to do. I do what I can to minimize line twist by closing the bail manually and never starting a retrieve until I know there is tension in the line. The other thing I do is after every 8-10 casts, I will let the line "rest" as I call it and watch the line undulate as it untwists if there is twist. Hold your rod out at about 45 degrees and if there is twist present the lure will twist in alternating directions. It only takes a few seconds and that is time well spent vs. untangling severely twisting line resulting from neglect twist earlier in the day. As a result, I hardly ever experience line twist, even on my lesser spinning reels that aren't even in the Symetre class.

One time when my daughter accompanied me to a local shop, I promised her that she could pick whatever lure she wanted. I was thinking that she was going to pick some "cute" crankbait, but oh no. She saw a pack of pink bubble gum senkos picked it. I tried to coax her into getting something else because I wasn't going to be buying any pink lure. She countered with the, "but you promised that I could pick whatever I wanted." Darn, I was honor bound now. Fast forward to finally getting to use them. First cast, whack! 4 lb largemouth. I was in shock. It was pretty beat up so I wacky rigged the beat up lure. Second cast, bam! I started laughing so hard in disbelief that I could have lost that fish. Two back to back casts, two cookie cutter bass, one senko. Go figure. I was sold after that. The 3" versions are now a part of my drop shot arsenal, thanks to my daughter. That mentality of mine of no self respectin' basser is going to fish with some pinky colored lure went the way of the dinosaur that day.

When posting something like a very good piece, article or report or anything of importance, I will use MS Word, no doubt. When posting to something like this, I type in the given box. Sorry to hear about that. I too have experienced that and sometimes it's recovered and other times not. I did it enough times to use MS Word for posts that are more involved.

I would highly recommend not adjusting the cast control just to get the bait to descend. First, it won't help much. J's recommendation about hand stripping is just about the only alternative. Second, it would mean that you might have to adjust it back for your next cast. This is my mini peeve (but not a show stopper) when using casting setups for finesse fishing. A spinning reel gives a near vertical drop with no extra effort from the angler. I do fish with a pretty loose cast control setting and unless the bait is pretty heavy, you're still going to have to hand pull line off. If you ever watch a bass fishing show where anglers are fishing with casting rigs, you will occassionally see them stripping off line. This is what they do to address your inquiry.

Given what you're using, dang! It's gotta to be the rod. I imagine that 10# hybrid would do well at providing feedback. I've only used 12# without issue with cranks.

It really depends on your needs. It your transport simply cannot accomodate one-piece rods, then going with a 2-piece rod is a necessity moreso than a deal breaker, right? As for loss of sensitivity it might have been more of an issue with older two piece rods, and not so much these days. With some of the modern two piece rods, depending on the manufacturer, this "loss" might not even be detectable by most anglers. After all you can look at Loomis, Shimano, Lamiglas and St. Croix. Most of their best salmon and steelhead rods are two piece rods. My trunk rods are two piece by necessity to stay hidden in the trunk. There are a 2-piece compre spinning, a Cabela Mag touch and Clarus casting rods. TO give you an idea, all of them are sufficiently sensitive enought to drop shot with and feel the smallest of nibbles. My one-piece rods only see action on the weekends where my eyes are on them 24/7. I never ever leave my one-piece rods visibly unattended in the car, not even for 10 seconds because that's all it takes for a thief. If you can help it, go one piece. If not then two. No need for a headache for something that is quite clear cut.

Wow, that's not good, but I didn't think too highly of them either and that's just too bad since they look kind of cool. What line and #test were you using? I noticed that even with different mono and strengths of line, I noticed different feedback for the same rod and reel when cranking. As a rule of thumb, the lighter # test (monos) I went, the more feedback I seemed to get from the wiggle of the crank or jerk bait. And this difference was very noticeable even between 8# (great at giving feedback) 10# (okay at giving feedback). Testing out 30# braid was sensitvity overload for my hands.

Sorry to hear your troubles. I don't have issues of twist on any of my spinning rigs. Sounds like you need the sweet and sexy Stella.

I know what you mean about being on a budget. I will recommend Cabela's hi-viz. It is relatively comparable to Invizx and I am an invizx fan who doesn't like the sting of its price. I have found no viz to be comparable at least in the 6# test that I use. The best thing for you is that a 200 yd spool if Cabela's line is $9.99. 'nuff said.

I couldn't take it any longer. I haven't gone bass fishing since November of last year. Today I was afforded an opportunity to go downtown and I just happened to have some of my gear in the car. I tried a homemade crankbait for some field testing the first 10-15 minutes with my casting rig. The bait wiggled as hoped. Whew! However, there were no bites. I put down the casting rod and picked up my spinning rod rigged with the drop shot. Within a few minutes, I felt that sensation I had been craving for 5 dead-long months.... A take from a fish; a smile formed on my face as reeled up the line to set the hook. Took a quick photo, let it go just as fast, packed up and headed home. She was small, but so what. First fish of the season and I'm on the scoreboard. Bam! No more bassin' blues. -ib

Wow, that really accentuated the reel. Me likey! 8-) Well done!

That will be the test. I have not used the reel since I've painted these parts. From what I hear, after a clearing the parts, it is pretty durable. Also if it does start to flake off, just put the parts in some carb cleaner/thinner let it soak for a while and you can redo it. I like tinkering around with things, so taking the cast control and drag star off is not that big of a deal. IslandBass The instructions are very very very simple. Remove the parts you want colored, make sure that they are grease/oil/dirt free. After they are cleaned, make sure they are dry. For the metal parts you want to paint, I used DupliColors Adhesion Promoter and DupliColors Metal Cast spray paint. Start with the adhesion promoter and use VERY VERY VERY light coats, 2 - 3 will get you in the right ball park (I learned from trial and error) Allow a couple of minutes between each coat to let it flash a little. After the adhesion promotor, chose the color of Metal Cast Spray you want, and again use very light coats to get the desired color you want. After that hit it with some clear and your good to go. On the drag star, I covered the threaded hole with some tape to ensure that I did not get any paint in the threads and for the cast control knob, I just made sure that I had it sitting to where no paint could get in the threads. This process is to me rated on a scale of difficulty 1 - 10.......as a 1.5......VERY VERY SIMPLE way to customize our reels Larry, Thanks! I appreciate your help. Had I started this, I would have missed the priming step. 8-)

It nice to see it in writing and I too have employed this system in the past. The one minor thing that peeves me is the occassional occurrence of the knot getting caught up in the guides during a cast. Not a show stopper, but just irritating. That culprit is using a leader longer than 3'. A 3' leader for my fishing needs was simply too short a length and therefore impractical if not inconvenient for the high potential of reties I encounter. As a result my leader length is closer to 15-20'. Another plus is that the spool's capacity is kept closer to optimum since the line lost or cutoff (unless going full braid) is only the leader. In addition, keeping it near optimum enhances casting distance and keeps the reel's retrieval at its advertised line recovery rate.

Sweet!! Can you share with us the directions/instructions on painting. I want to repaint one of my reels.

i have a pair of rond noses already but thanks anyways always good to hear from others That is the right tool. I can't fathom what is preventing you from wrapping the wire other than practice. As a rule of thumb, the lighter the gauge of the wire, the easy it will be to turn or wrap it. Try starting out with .024 or 0.31 wire. If you still have trouble or it hurts your fingers, you simply have sissified fingers that just need to toughened up just as those who learn to play guitar. ;D Seriously, it just takes time and practice. 8-) yea i know wat your saying but what do you think about using the wire from notebooks for the wire shaft for the inline spinners? good bad no difference? IMHO notebook wire would be far to bendable to make a good inline spinner. Think about it-- you would be re-straitening it every few casts. Also... how to plan on procuring enough wire for building? Buying notebooks on back to school sales and ripping out the wire? ;D ;D ;D Rookie, I'm with Mattin on this. If you are unable to buy the wire designed for making inline spinners, you can in a pinch, use the same wire that is used to hang pictures. That is what I used when I first wantedto "try" making inlines. Like the spiral notebook wire, it will be very flexy and malleable but they will work until you can get some of the correct wire. With this said, remember the adage the right tool or material for the job is always the ideal. I have landed 4 lb trout on that picture wire .

Therein lies your problem. I know, it's tough in that it takes time from fishing, but checking line condition, say the last 3-4' takes less than 2 seconds to do to determine if a retie is in order. I hate checking my line, but I do it frequently because I know that if I don't, I could pay a greater price than losing a lure, and that is losing that fish of a lifetime. Perhaps you should consider yourself lucky that you've only been losing lures. I'd shudder at the thought of having lost a hawg because I didn't want to retie a bait. Couldn't live it down and kick myself in the phanny for the rest of my life. I can definitely relate to the shorebound crowd. Many times we lose lures that are so close but too far to recover even if we had a lure retriever. When I drop shot rip rap, I can lose 4 baits and weights in ten minutes. Thenk goodness the loss of soft plastics is somewhat more bearable.

i have a pair of rond noses already but thanks anyways always good to hear from others That is the right tool. I can't fathom what is preventing you from wrapping the wire other than practice. As a rule of thumb, the lighter the gauge of the wire, the easy it will be to turn or wrap it. Try starting out with .024 or 0.31 wire. If you still have trouble or it hurts your fingers, you simply have sissified fingers that just need to toughened up just as those who learn to play guitar. ;D Seriously, it just takes time and practice. 8-)

Most people will put there other rods close to shore somewhere relatively hidden. Even if you do that you still run the risk of getting those rods stolen and it has happened. You can tie a bell to your rods and keep it inconspicuous. That way, if someone takes it when you're not looking you will hear the bell ring and know you're being robbed. I have devised a solution for this if you need to keep the other rod with you. I made it before I knew about similar items already on the market, but I do like to make practical things that can improve my fishing experience. I call it my rod sling and this is the first iteration that I will try to improve. Take these materials: Small Piece of PVC Pipe about 3-5" long Snap (don't really know what they're called but they're found on bags and backpacks Velcroe Strapping Thread the strapping through the pvc pipe and attach the snap to each end of the strapping. Fit it around like you're putting on a shoulder bag. Gravity will help keep the pvc pipe low. Insert rod into pipe and bind part of the rod to the strapping with the velcroe. I found that it will come in handy when you're close to landing a fish when you need that extra hand (which you normally won't have when your wading) for the net or to lip the fish to release the hook. You can also turn it around to hold the rod on your back like He-Man. ;D Here is my son sporting it on the front side. He liked it so much that he asked me to make one for his Spiderman rod. ;D BTW, you can fish with it on, but you will need to be mindful of your cast so as to not get your lure or terminal tackle tangled with the unused rod.

If this is your first time using a baitcast reel and you're about to learn, unless you have money to burn, braid is not the best line to learn with. The first time I tried braid was the first time I ever tried my first lp casting reel (old greenie curado). I didn't know anything and didn't realize all the brakes were off. Fully spooled with braid, I made my first cast. It was the most glorious bird's nest I ever made and I wasted an entire spool of braid with one cast. It was the fastest $14 I ever spent on one spool. ;D pick a mono from 10-14 # and stick with it until you master the mechanics. Given that you're going with a Shimano reel, you will be learn really quickly. Even the least mechanically adept persons have a chance with Shimano reels. They truly spoil the angler in terms of ease.

Don't worry. It is clearly a sign that the reel is not properly set. I too would check the cast control knob first. I would like to know how heavy the object is that you're trying to practice. I'll fill you in that you should not be learning with anything less than 1/2 oz and something that is not very aerodynamic, like spinnerbaits, light cranks or poppers. These will only make your learning more difficult. Get a 1/2 oz bass casting weight, set the reel to it, and start practicing. Lastly, the release time is a little earlier than you are accustomed to with spinning gear. Imagine a clock with 12 directly above you and 9 directly in front of you. The approximate release point of your thumb off of the spool is somewhere between 12 and 1 o'clock (not 11 and 12). This will feel very awkward to anyone (including myself initially) who comes from an exclusively spinning background. It will feel weird and unnatural and seem too early but with time you will get accustomed to it. Just turn the clock sideways to guarantee straight side arm casts. Yeah, I'm a geek, but I analyzed all of this from my own time learning. ;D

Cool!!! I just found out that Dobyns Rods are finally making to local vnedors in the Seattle area. I can't wait to see what the (good) hype is about these rods myself. I'll have to find a 51 though. 8-)

I like that Okuma option for you. It seems like a decent rod for the price. Just get yourself some 6# line and you're good to go, if the cover permits.

Thought I said hello and welcome already, but it seems I didn't. Deja vu moment. Anyway, welcome! I'm just north of you in Federal Way.

Awesome post! Looks like tomorrow I will be in the backyard! Currently I have 12lb mono tied up. THe one lure I've wanted to use is a Pop-R, but it just isnt working. The Spook is heavy enough I'd imagine, so that will have to be my top water lure. The Pop-R might be a bit of a challenge for you at this time, especially if you're learning. I highly recommend using at least 1/2 oz. I just use lead weights. The "bass casting" weights that you find in any tackle section are ideal for a number of reasons: 1) You don't have to sacrifice any of your lures to learn. 2) They will remove aerodynamic problems that some lures might give you (eg, light poppers, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, etc) If I can leave you with only one piece of advice, it would be this... No matter what happens, and assuming that the reel is set to the lure, all you have to do is stop the spool from spinning BEFORE the lure (or practice weight) hits anything, be it the water's surface, your neighbor's fence, or the ground directly in front of you because you let go too late. You'll get a few of the latter, trust me. ;D How you stop it is irrelevant. Feather the spool to a stop, or stop it dead cold....Bottomline, just stop it. If you do this, you will have reduced most of the potential most backlashes. Of yeah... Since you're coming from a spinning background as I did, the time that your thumb comes off of the spool to let line out is ever so slightly EARLIER in the cast than when your forefinger comes off of the rod when casting a spinning setup. And learn to load the rod properly with the weight of what you're tossing. On a spinning rig, you can get away with murder with terrible casts when you don't properly load the rod during the cast, but that same sloppiness with pay you with backlashes with a casting setup. Good luck! I'll bet a floating rapala minnow that you're going to ask yourself why you didn't try this earlier.

I remember when that question popped in my head a while back. I visited their site and on there, they have a chart that succinctly displays the traits of their lines. This chart is also a in their downloadable pdf catalog. http://www.seaguar.com/products/the-right-line.htm