islandbass

Sufix siege in 10-14# I'd choose 12# Just one thing... You are going to need hooks for those soft plastics. Are you new to baitcast gear too? If so, then definitely mono. I'd also change your rapala line up. 1 Fat Rap 1 DT 6 Covers 0-6' water column and it floats 1 DT 10 Covers 0-10' water column and it floats 1 Skitter Pop - Covers top water and it floats 1 Huskey Jerk - it suspends in the water colum This variety will give you a bit more flexibility. If you had 5 of the same bait, you could be limited and might not be able to get into their strike zone. If you went with spinning gear, I would have recommended the original floating minnows and shad raps. Good luck!

I haved used both and both are excellent and equal in many aspects. However, I give the edge to PPro because to me it seems "rounder" Braid vs Mono Braid stretches very little, unlike mono. As a result, informaiton will be transmited to you more clearly and distinctly. However, that near zero stretch will also mean you need to make adjustmenst when fishing with treble hook lures. That same hookset you'd make with mono could pull the bait out of their mouths before they close it. Take it from someone (me) who learned the hard way. A looser drag setting is also useful. The thinner line will probably make the cranks dive just a wee bit deeper. Keep your trebles ultra sharp and you won't even have to set the hook. The fish will impale themselves on the hooks and all you need to do is add a little tension to the line. These are the adjustments that I make when using braid. Braid is opaque and very visible. From my experiments and limited experience with bass and other fish, even in waters with lots of human activity, many times they could care less about the braid (water with good clarity). If they wanted my lure, they'd take it. This will not be the case 100% of the time though. If they are skittish and spookey, they just might not bite with the braided line or any other line. ;D

Lake Union, WA Report - 06-29-2007 Gotta love my smallies! This is my first season ever targeting them and I have had the blessing of catching them the few times that I have been able to go fishing. I had the chance to take my daughter and nephew who is visiting for a little fishing at Lake Union's (WA State) Ship Canal. I was bummed that I couldn't take my drop shot rod because its one-piece nature means it can't fit in the car with two kids in the back. I was forced to use what I deem the worst rod in my line up. I get my nephew's rod rigged up pretty quickly and by the time I finished, my daughter had changed her mind about fishing. Personally, I was going to just kick back and coach my nephew on working the drop shot rig, but unfortunately, he doesn't speak English and my Spanish doesn't really cover fishing terms too well. Since I was unable to communicate what to do, I figured the next best thing to do would be to show him with my rig and have him copy me. I taught him how to cast a spinning set up by casting mine and he copied me. Then he copied me as I closed the bail manually and moved the rig a bit and paused. He followed suit. We did this a couple more times and well, as luck would have it, the worst rod in my arsenal gave me enough feedback to know I had a decent one on. I said in Spanish, ¡Lo tengo! I got (have) it! I felt bad that I got the hit because I really wanted him to have it. He also declined to bring in the fish and I think it was probably because he wasn't sure what to do. My daughter declined too. The smallie put up a good fight but eventually it was brought in. A three-person family passed by and stopped to see the fish and one of them was nice enough to take this shot. I caught another smallie about five minutes later while I was trying to show him how to move the semi-slack line only. Arghh! My regret was that my nephew didn't catch anything by the time we left, but he told me that he still had fun and wants to try again. And that is a good thing. Smallies can still be had from the bank/shore. Go get them! -ib

You might also want to look at Okuma rods. My setup for UL is an Okuma Celilo Rod ($20.00 give or take a few $$). Check out its specs: Length: 7' (two piece) Lure Range: 1/32 - 3/8 oz Line: 2 - 6# test Graphite - IM6 Although it is listed as a "light" action rod, it definitely has the feel of an ultralight rod and its lower lure weight range is definitely in the UL class. I use an Abu G 101a Cardinal reel that can be had for about $29.99. If have caught 3# bass with it and it casts those light lures a country mile. Just another option.

I have used some of those lines and they're all pretty good. I will give the edge to Sufix. It has excellent castibility and seems quite abrasion resistant. In addition, I give it the edge because it seems to resist memory the best of all those lines. Good luck!!!

Great advice given so far, but sometimes we get impatient. From what you described, she still had a lot of spunk. I would have played her longer. If the drag were not set too tightly, another possibility is when she was in the shallow water, still full of energy, she could have gotten your line beaten up, abraided at some point in time during the fight. I am shorebound myself and I have fished from docks and caught bass in the 3-5 lb range on my medium light rig and even my ul rig. Every time, it was patience and letting the rod and line do the work for me (as much as I didn't want to be, fearing the loss of the fish) has been my key to landing them. Sorry you lost her.

It is short for Tackle Tour www.tackletour.com

I use seaguar invizx in 6#. My fishing has no need to go any higher. At this strength it is quite limp.

Ebay is one way. You can do a search for Daiwa Pixy. Other places: http://www.japantackle.com/ http://www.brooklynbillstackleshop.com/ I think the latter has the cheaper price, but he doesn't have any in stock of the airy red. I want mine to be lefty and I don't want to pay more than $300.

Cogratulations!! I got my first smallie this season too and as a result, LM have taken a back seat so far. ;D

We know that most bc reels suffer in castibiliy when you start tossing weights less tha 1/4 oz. In addition, each lure's aerodynamic traits is also a factor too. With that said, I am one who likes to test the limits of things I use. I was curious to see what my trion's lower limit range was. No other reason why. I test the lower limits of all my bc reels. As for setting the trion for 3/16 oz, I noticed that I had to set the cast control knob to a point where the lure does not fall. I did not change the 3 on and 3 off centrifugal break setting. I might be lucky to cast about 30' before the overrun starts. Feathering the spool yields an even shorter cast. If anyone has figured out how to do it, I'm all ears. Here is a pic of a homemade spinner that my curado d and bsf (old greenie) can cast with ease. Same set up, my trion has more difficulty. Why else would I or anyone want to toss something that light with a bc reel? Because it would be awesomel. I think ultralight fishing for bass with a bc reel would be a lot of fun and knowing what reels are capable, although there aren't too many of them, would make the experience more enjoyable. The other half of the battle is finding a casting rod rated to throw light things that doesn't cost an arm and leg. ;D So folks, please don't get me wrong. I love my trion. It feels more solid when retrieving than my Curado BSF. All I'm saying is its lower range limit isn't as low as my curados, BSF or D. Does it make it a bad reel? Absolutely not. It just means I won't be using it for lighter things.

Glad you like it!!! In my book however, any bc reel worth its weight should be able to throw a fluke and a trion can. You're lucky you don't have anything lighter! My trion gets iffy at 3/16 oz where my curados do not. With that said my trion is a great part of my arsenal and I wouldn't trade it. It has never failed to land a fish. I just need to keep it away from sub 3/16 oz lures. ;D BTW, you scored with that price.

Here is a review of the Pixy http://www.tackletour.com/reviewdaiwapixy.html Here is an excerpt from the review: ... Casting: Those of you who have tried to cast split shot rigs with a baitcasting setup, have probably met with similar results as we - marginal success at best. The awkward placement of the weight, eighteen inches or so above the worm, and the sheer weightlessness of the setups themselves makes life difficult with conventional gear. Heavier weights alleviate this problem but also reduce the effectiveness of the split shot rig. Needless to say, with this past experience, we were pretty skeptical of this reel's ability to handle these same setups. All doubt was removed, however, after rigging the rod up and watching the size 737-3/0 split shot drop effortlessly to the deck of the boat when the reel was clicked over into freespool. From that moment it was game-on. We were able to achieve approximate casting distances of up to fifty feet with this weight and a number two straight shank worm hook with a four inch curly tail worm attached. Heavier split shots resulted in slightly further distances and all drop shot and crank bait casts were met with little resistance. Not one of us were yearning for our spinning gear while fishing this reel... I am looking to get one myself this year but I think the real challenge is finding a suitable rod.

HA! I thought mine was broken too when I first got mine with its near vertical position. ;D However, like RW, I found it so much easier to walk the dog with it than the spook. It isn't hard to work the spook at all, but it seemed easier with the sammy to be more consistent in the zig zagging.

Line twist is inherent with spinning gear. It cannot be completely eliminated as far as I know even with good swivels but it can be reduced. Also, since FC is working for you, stick with it. No line is immune from line twist on a spinning reel. You might find a slight reduction in line sensitivity switching to mono, and not because of its stretch. Some FC lines stretch as much as mono or more, but FC is denser and I think this is where the increase in sensitivity comes from.

I believe it was a locally made bait called a Sniper Snub. It doesn't look like much, but it is a smallie catcher!

Although I've enjoyed every book that I've read about fishing in general and bass fishing I can't say that any one book is best. I keep a short log of every book I've read with a brief description of the book, the author and ISBN number. That way, if the book is now part of my limited library, I can easily find is at the library. Here is a list of those that I have read that are bass specific: Knowing Bass Keith A. Jones, PhD 1-59228-616-X 1-58574-523-5 paperback IB's note: A Scientific Approach to Catching more bass. This book dispels a few myths bass anglers hold true. Want to know which ones? Read the book!! J Largemouth Bass Don Oster 0-86573-005-9 0-86573-016-4 (paperback) Successful Bass Fishing Ken Schultz 0-07-057236-4 Circle on Bass - Bass Wisdom from a Master Homer Circle 1-55821-463-1 In Pursuit of Giant Bass Bill Murphy 0-9633120-0-6 IB's Note: Great Read Covers the stitching technique and how to anchor your boat. Another keeper. Bass Angler's Almanac John Weiss 1-58574-214-7

Unfortunately, I don't. Learning on my own, I thought the regular way to cast was overhand. It wasn't until I saw others fishing that I saw a sidearm cast. One thing that can make it more comfortable is let the reel's tendency to turn to one side (Lefty reels, the handle will point to the ground after the cast) as opposed to having the spool facing you directly. The wrist snap is good, but getting too wristy is not good. If you ever played golf, you would know that most of the speed generated in the swing comes at the point the wrists release (snap) through when hitting the ball. Applying too much force with the wrist can lead to bird's nests because you will have added too much "juice." Just allow the rod to load the weight to let it fly and you'd be amazed at how far the cast will go.

100% of my rattle trap bass have been on Rattlin Rapalas. The others haven't worked for me yet.

I also have one and got it for about the same price as you. It is a solid reel out of the box and with it I have landed brute chum salmon. Here is the thing. As well as it has performed for me, when it comes to things less than 1/4 oz, the Trion cannot match a Curado (BSF or D). It just can't. I practically have to set the cast control to a setting where the bait won't fall to prevent a backlash. It cannot hold a candle to Shimanos for lighter weights. With that said, however, most BC reels don't do well at 1/4 oz or less anyway so the point might be moot. Other than that, the Trion is dependable, and it has not yet failed me, especially for tossing lures at least 3/8 oz in weight or more. I believe it will serve you well.

THis is my first season targetting smallies in fairly clear water and I have been doing very well with the drop shot technique. Line: 6# Fluorocarbon, SeaGuar Invizx Baits: Roboworms and Sniper Snubs. The fc line should serve you well in that clear water.

You couldn't be closer to the truth. I started fishing for smallmouth just this season and until then, I only read about how they fight. When I hooked into my first one, I was blown away at how they fight compared to a largemouth. I got my dad into fishing for Smallies (and bass fishing in general) and he got hooked on smallies instantly. On the second fish that he caught, he called me to observe with him the tapping of the his rod's tip and the twitching of the line. The rod's tip took a nice, strong turn downward, and my dad said, "Oh my gosh! I got a big one here!" I rushed over and got into position to pull up the fish and much to our surprise . . . We both couldn't stop laughing when we saw it. He was puzzled how a little fish could fight so hard. I was puzzled as to how this little guy bent his rod so far down. This is not a knock on largemouth, and I still like to fish for them, but a smallmouth's fight puts to shame a largemouths.

Thanks for your responses! I will be passing it on to them before they go.

Hello everyone!!! I need your input as to what tactics you like to employ while fishing rip rap. My brother, who is an absolute newbie to bass fishing, will be taking dad to go fishing. He is so new that I don't think he knows how to tie a Palomar knot yet! They will both be fishing with spinning gear. Brother: 6'6 Medium Heavy Shimano Compre with a 2500 Shimano Symetre, 10# Sufix siege mono. Dad: 7' Medium Action Cherrywood rod with a 2500 Shimano Symetre, 8# Rapala Finesse mono. They will be fishing somewhere along the shores of the Columbia River (and I am assuming the banks will be rip rap) and I believe their main quarry will be smallmouth. I have given him the scoop on drop shotting. This technique has been nothing short of stellar for me. However, I would like to give both of them a few more options. The many posts and articles I have read regarding fishing riprap make me inclined to believe that the following baits that would be decent choices: 1) Tubes I think t-rigged weedless, with little or no weight ought to be good. Unfortunately, I have never used tubes with any focus or real attempt to learn to use and need help on fishing tactics. Hop it? Drag it? Hook set? What will that feel like? 2) Senkos Both T-rigged and wacky I will recommend to them, but I've got to be honest to say that I hardly ever fish with Senkos in general. I've been meaning to get to try them, but gosh darnet, drop shotting has been so effective, I can't seem to get away from it. Based on things I've read, I imagine the 3 senko is a solid choice. 3) Crankbaits I got the tactics on this covered, but is it a good bait for rip rap or am I inviting them to snag city? I will be telling my brother to get a few in the Rapala DT series and a few countdown minnows. The strategy behind the latter is to enable them to fish deeper if necessary since countdowns sink at a rate of 1 ft/sec., it should provide them more flexibility. 4) Whatever else you would suggest. As I mentioned, I have very little experience with Tubes and Senkos, but with all the posts about these baits, I believe these are also good bets and alternatives to drop shotting. I sure wish I could be there with them this weekend but I cannot join them. Thanks for your input!! -ib

Hey, don't worry! I am a visual lerner myself. Jeff pegged it write. Moon Face Popper Using a Forstner Bit Tools/Items Needed Hand Drill Pair of Safety Goggles Forstner Bit (3/4 for this case) Scrap Piece of Wood ¾ Diameter Basswood Dowel (to make popper body) I wish to state here that I did not make up this concept. Rather, I learned it from a tutorial I saw long time ago at the Tackle Underground. I was not able to find the article and I wish to credit the creator of that tutorial. I think he went by the screen name MyLures, but I am not certain. The maker of that tutorial is who should receive full credit for this awesome idea. I was just lucky to stumble upon it and remember some of the steps. This tutorial assumes that you have already carved the popper's body and tail end and are ready to make the mouth. Fortunately, it is a piece of cake to make a moon shaped mouth with a Forstner drill bit. Lay the scrap piece of wood on a hard surface and place the dowel on top of the scrap wood. The purpose of the scrap wood is the give the Forstner bit something to dig into after it has gone through the dowel. Doing this helps to reduce the chances of the dowel splitting once the bit has gone through it. It is a neat carpenter's trick. The plastic bag was placed under the wood to eliminate the need to vacuum or sweep up the wood waste. If you have not done so already, add the bit to the drill. Secure and firmly hold in place the dowel against the scrap wood with your hand that is not holding the drill Align the bit to the end of the popper's body where you wish to place the mouth. Here is a close up. To ensure a perfect moon-shaped mouth, make sure that the point in the center of the bit should be place in the middle of the dowel. With the drill perpendicular to the dowel and scrap wood, start drilling. Here is a shot of the dowel partially bored. You can already see the moon-shaped mouth. TIP: When you are close to going through the dowel completely, it is important not to stop until you are boring into the scrap wood. You're almost done! With some sand paper (or dremel, but be careful not to remove too much with this hi-speed tool), remove any burrs, splinters, and other imperfections. Paint your popper and use your preferred topcoat and admire your latest creation. The image below is a lure I call the popper-prop. Now doesn't it look cute in the firetiger pattern? ;D